Chapter 199: Everyone's Mental Abilities

The intelligence network in Mount Tai was exceptionally effective. With silver being scattered everywhere, the moment Liu Biao deployed his troops, Mount Tai’s intelligence network had the information. The entire intelligence analysis and processing department was supported by just three people: Guo Jia, Jia Xu, and Fa Zheng.

However, Jia Xu barely showed up for work, and Guo Jia was constantly drunk. So, in reality, the workload fell almost entirely on Fa Zheng. Of course, while it seemed like this on the surface, both Jia Xu and Guo Jia kept an eye on things. As long as Fa Zheng didn’t make any significant mistakes, they let him handle it, making Fa Zheng the actual head of intelligence processing in Mount Tai.

“Is this just giving away free kills?” Chen Xi’s face twitched when he heard the news. The troop distribution seemed like a setup for Sun Ce and Zhou Yu to gain experience and accolades—perhaps even capture a few generals.

Jia Xu didn’t respond immediately. He had received intelligence from Guo Jia indicating that Zhou Yu’s abilities fluctuated greatly. At his peak, Zhou Yu was so formidable that even Guo Jia found him difficult to handle. But at his low points, Zhou Yu barely managed to be a first-rate commander and advisor.

Regardless of whether Zhou Yu was at his best or worst, Jia Xu believed Wang Wei and Wen Pin were no match for him. He agreed with Chen Xi’s assessment that this deployment was essentially giving away kills.

However, this assessment came without full knowledge of Zhou Yu’s abilities. If Jia Xu understood Zhou Yu better, he would realize that Wang Wei and Wen Pin were essentially courting death. Zhou Yu’s mental abilities were incredibly potent, especially when applied against his enemies.

Zhou Yu’s talent could weaken the intelligence of anyone whose mental strength didn’t match his, and complete immunity required twice his mental and intelligence levels. No one in the entire Three Kingdoms could meet that criterion. As a result, even Jia Xu would find his intellect slightly dulled if facing Zhou Yu at his peak, which could have significant consequences.

“If Zhou Yu is at his best, Wang Wei and Wen Pin don’t stand a chance,” Jia Xu would have said if he knew the full extent of Zhou Yu's abilities. Zhou Yu’s talents made him a nightmare for less experienced opponents, turning them into mere obstacles to be easily overcome.

“Maybe they underestimated Sun Ce's forces. Five thousand soldiers seem like easy pickings,” Liu Ye said, rubbing his chin. “But Liu Biao is being reckless. Even though he’s regained most of his lost territory, his overall strength has been severely depleted.”

“Overconfident, perhaps,” Fa Zheng said arrogantly. “Yuan Shu’s main forces have gone to Wan City to fight Cao Mengde, and Liu Biao thinks he can swoop in for easy gains. I think he’s doomed.”

“I wouldn’t say doomed,” Lu Su said after reviewing Fa Zheng’s report. “As long as Huang Zhong and Kuai Yue are with him, Liu Biao’s army won’t be easily defeated. Huang Zhong is the same formidable warrior Chen Xi often mentioned—capable of going toe-to-toe with Lu Bu.”

“Yes, that’s him,” Chen Xi confirmed. “With a general like him, the army’s morale will be incredibly high, and such a powerful warrior might even awaken his own special abilities.”

The possibility of generals awakening special abilities was something Chen Xi had accidentally learned from Zhao Yun. It hadn’t been recorded in history because there hadn’t been many such warriors in the past four hundred years. When Zhao Yun noticed something unusual about his troops after activating their cloud qi, he had consulted Chen Xi, leading Chen Xi to suspect that high-level warriors might indeed possess such abilities.

“Awaken abilities? That reminds me,” Fa Zheng said after some thought. “According to the information I’ve gathered, Lu Bu’s cavalry is about ten percent stronger than any other general’s cavalry.”

Jia Xu glanced at Fa Zheng but said nothing. It wasn’t surprising to him—Lu Bu’s cavalry was famously powerful, possibly thirty percent stronger under his command. However, Fa Zheng’s observation that individual soldiers became stronger under Lu Bu’s leadership was more intriguing.

“When Lu Bu leads cavalry, each soldier’s strength increases by about ten percent. This means that in a large-scale battle, Lu Bu’s forces could match an entire encirclement strategy,” Fa Zheng explained, his eyes gleaming.

Everyone stared at Fa Zheng in shock. The idea that a general’s presence could enhance the physical capabilities of an entire army was staggering.

“Considering our current abilities, I suspect that any warrior capable of achieving inner qi manifestation may have their own unique talents,” Fa Zheng continued. His mental abilities had been gradually awakening, allowing him to analyze and understand these phenomena better.

“Any other examples?” Chen Xi asked, comparing this information with what Zhao Yun had told him. He was becoming increasingly convinced that all warriors with inner qi manifestation might have special abilities, making intelligence gathering on this matter crucial.

“Yes. Xiahou Yuan, under Cao Cao’s command, marched his troops to Wan City in three days without losing any combat effectiveness. Their marching speed was about twenty percent faster than ours during forced marches. If they weren’t exhausted after three days, their normal march might be fifty percent faster than ours,” Fa Zheng reported, sharing a remarkable piece of information.

“When Zilong commands troops, they become immune to ambushes, remain eerily calm in danger, and maintain their courage even when surrounded,” Chen Xi added, seeing Jia Xu’s probing gaze.

“If it happens once, it can be seen as a coincidence. But if it happens repeatedly, it suggests a pattern,” Chen Xi said calmly.

“We need to understand the conditions that trigger these abilities. By the way, Filial Piety, is your mental ability related to human analysis?” Jia Xu asked.

“I’m not sure,” Fa Zheng replied, shaking his head. He had only recently begun to awaken his mental ability and hadn’t fully understood it yet. “What about yours, Jia Xu?”

“Mine is related to analyzing situations,” Jia Xu replied with a neutral expression. He wasn’t lying—his ability indeed involved analyzing situations and logically deducing outcomes, though he didn’t reveal everything.

Fa Zheng turned to the others. After a moment’s hesitation, Lu Su spoke up.

“My ability is related to cold, or more accurately, it’s about ignoring the weakening effects of cloud qi. I can use it without relying on any external factors and weaken others based on their strength. I’ve tested it and found it can affect up to ten thousand soldiers.”

Old Su was as transparent as ever—either he kept things to himself or he shared everything openly, without any deception.

“That’s terrifying. What about you?” Fa Zheng asked Liu Ye.

“Mental immersion…” Liu Ye said with a pained expression. “And it’s out of my control…”

“What kind of ability is that?” Fa Zheng asked, puzzled. Mental abilities could be straightforward, but Liu Ye’s was unique and hard to categorize.

“It means that whenever I start thinking about something, I get fully immersed in that perspective or role, and I can’t stop. It’s like I’m stuck,” Liu Ye said sadly. It wasn’t that he wanted to overthink things, but once he started, he couldn’t stop—it was beyond his control.

“In that case, I get it. Zichuan, what’s your ability?” Fa Zheng asked, curious to hear about Chen Xi’s ability now that everyone else had shared theirs.

“This is hard to explain. I haven’t figured out what my ability is yet. It’s definitely there, and it’s definitely passive, but I’m not sure what it is,” Chen Xi said with a shrug.

“Tell us about it. Maybe we can help you figure it out,” Fa Zheng suggested eagerly. He had tried to trick Guo Jia into revealing his ability but failed, so he didn’t want to miss this chance.

“Last year and this year have had remarkably good weather. It’s been perfect—no disasters in Lord Xuande’s territory, while nearby Yanzhou has suffered from both droughts and floods. It’s strange, isn’t it?” Chen Xi said, seemingly out of nowhere. His comment made everyone think deeply, and they began to realize that the weather really had been unusually favorable in their region.