As the saying goes, appearance is shaped by the mind—the stronger the mental power, the more handsome one becomes.

Sitting cross-legged on the sofa, with soothing music playing from the home theater speakers, Brian Carter kept his eyes tightly shut. Countless pieces of knowledge flickered through his mind, gradually transforming into mental power and being stored in the psychic armor. Through this persistent cultivation process, his control over mental power grew ever stronger.

“According to the classification of the Mind God Clan, mental power is also divided into levels. I’m still at the lowest, level 1. This stage can be called the ‘Window of the Mind.’”

“Mental power opens a window for me, allowing me to see the world as it is. This stage focuses on recording, observing, and learning. In the Mind God Clan, newborn infants are at the Window of the Mind stage.”

“And my abilities to replicate and materialize things all come from the psychic armor.”

“However—”

“With the support of vast knowledge from two worlds, my cultivation of mental power is advancing by leaps and bounds. Now, I’m about to break through to level 2.”

A spark of thought ignited. Three days later, during another session of cultivation, Brian Carter suddenly opened his eyes, which reflected countless stars.

It was as if the entire universe was within the reach of his mind.

“Level 2. This stage could perhaps be called the ‘Touch of the Mind.’” He closed his eyes again, radiating his mental power outward, as if extending countless tendrils in all directions. Only when they reached the gate outside the villa did he feel the limit—he could extend no further.

He walked out of the villa and stood at the corner of the neighboring villa’s wall, continuing to use the Touch of the Mind.

At that moment, countless tendrils of mental power passed through the walls and entered the villa’s rooms. Then, he “saw” a person.

He couldn’t make out the person’s appearance; the tendrils of mental power could only sense her presence—a woman. Brian Carter often saw this woman when he went out. She was very young, looking to be in her twenties. Her man was a fat tycoon who drove a Bentley Bentayga. The tycoon came at most twice a week, making Brian Carter suspect she was being kept.

At this moment—

The woman seemed to be wrapped in a spiked shell, and the tendrils of mental power couldn’t penetrate it for a while, only quietly searching for a gap.

After a full fifteen minutes, a gap finally appeared in the spiked shell, and the tendrils slipped inside.

Inside were countless thoughts. Brian Carter could barely distinguish a few emotions: “comfortable,” “lonely and empty,” “content,” “a bit bored,” “wants to buy a handbag,” “that handsome guy yesterday was nice.” These thoughts surged at him like a chaotic stew, nearly suffocating Brian Carter.

The Touch of the Mind state was quickly released.

“Damn, so this is the Touch of the Mind? It’s just like mind reading!” Brian Carter steadied his breathing. “But all I can read are scattered thoughts, not complete ones. And this woman’s mind is so cluttered, the impact is too much... Unless it’s necessary, I’d better not use the Touch of the Mind.”

After all, he was just a human from Earth, not a true member of the Mind God Clan, and couldn’t use mental power to propagate a civilization.

The Mind God Clan’s habitat, the Sea of Mind, was formed by the convergence of countless thoughts. It could be said that even a small wave could easily shatter the mind of an Earthling, but the Mind God Clan could swim freely within it. Brian Carter couldn’t compare. He felt it was better to use the psychic armor to travel through fantasy worlds and reap benefits.

……

In the blink of an eye, a month had passed. It was now January, not far from the New Year.

Research on the long-haired bomb was still ongoing, but Brian Carter planned to take a break. He contacted an associate professor from Huaxia University of Science and Technology, asking the professor to explain the principles of batteries and take him to visit the battery factory where the professor served as a consultant, to see how batteries were produced step by step.

Luzhou Guosheng Battery Technology Co., Ltd. was the destination of this trip. It was a company engaged in the research, design, production, and sales of new energy battery systems, mainly focusing on lithium-ion battery packs.

Or so they said.

But after touring with the professor from Huaxia University of Science and Technology, Brian Carter found that it was just an assembly plant, assembling battery packs for other battery companies, with no real R&D capability of its own. Still, by observing the specific steps of battery assembly and listening to the professor’s explanations, Brian Carter gained a deeper understanding of batteries.

After leaving Guosheng Battery, Brian Carter and the professor didn’t eat at the company cafeteria but went straight to the parking lot.

He pressed the car key, and the lights of a red BYD Han lit up. Brian Carter and the professor got in together, with Brian Carter in the driver’s seat.

“Xiao Du, how did you feel about today’s visit to Guosheng Battery?” the professor asked.

“Professor Taylor, I feel this company is a bit overrated—it’s just a contract manufacturer,” Brian Carter said honestly. His relationship with Professor Taylor was transactional, so there was no need to beat around the bush.

Professor Taylor laughed and said, “You’re absolutely right, it’s just a contract manufacturer. Luzhou has a lot of supporting enterprises and low raw material costs, so contract manufacturers get plenty of orders. Unfortunately, Guosheng is a subsidiary of the Guoxuan Group. The group is always focused on real estate and isn’t interested in investing in high-tech, so Guosheng has no ambition for R&D.”

After saying this.