Blue butterfly didn’t like the sound of this one bit. Of course, every ability had its drawbacks. People always said that heaven was just. You wouldn’t just be handed a heaven-defying ability and not have to suffer from it. Just look at how Yan Jian Hong’s ability consumed his own vitality to save other people’s lives!
As for her ability, she had thought that she knew the drawback it had. But Tong Chen had said early on that it was likely different from what she thought. The personal impact the abilities had on them alone was likely not the actual downside to their powers.
Back then, she hadn’t believed it. After all, their lives had changed so much. How could that not count as a drawback? But now, it seemed that he might not have been wrong about this. Somehow, there was indeed yet another side to her ability that she hadn’t known about.
She stewed on this matter for a while and finally shook her head. No matter what, this could indeed be slowly tested. For now though, there was another question. “Alright, I get what you mean with this but what about him?” She nodded over to Yun Bei Fen. “How does what he is doing have anything to do with this? If he has an ability, it seems to be one that is completely different from mine.”
Tong Chen smiled. “And this is where I have to disagree. Originally, this indeed seemed more similar to what we thought his third senior martial brother could do but I think there might be a different facet to it.” He turned to where Yun Bei Fen was training and his brows furrowed in concentration. “I think what needs to be answered is how exactly he does this.
“He could simply be amazing at replicating moves because his memory is good but the overlap is too big for that in my opinion. In that case, there has to be more to it. When we had him try this out yesterday in the courtyard, I didn’t think much of it but it’s different in the dreamscape.
“Over here, you can’t use spiritual energy in the way that you can outside. That rules out that he is using that. Now, we also know that our abilities might be triggered through spiritual energy like Yan Jian Hong’s but that is not the case for all of us. Since Yun Bei Fen is able to do the same thing in your dreamscape that he can do outside … I think it is likely that he does this based on something more … personal for lack of a better word.”
Blue butterfly gave a hum. “If you say it like this, it does make sense.”
Tong Chen nodded. “This is naturally nothing more than my conjecture but I can’t help but wonder if maybe all abilities are somehow linked to different dimensions.”
Blue butterfly raised her brows in doubt. “I get how it could be the case for me and maybe Yun Bei Fen but how could another dimension explain the abilities of the three of you?”
Before Tong Chen could answer, Zhi Guan narrowed his eyes. “At the end of the day, a different dimension is a plane filled with energy. That energy can be interacted with in different ways.
“If the black warrior is right, then Fen’er can project actions by utilizing that energy, creating an image in his mind that allows him to learn. On the other hand, senior blue butterfly can shape the energy of that other dimension, creating her dreamscapes and allowing safe travel for herself and other people in the part of the dimension that has been shaped.
“As for the others … the blood of the red priest might be special in some way and allow the energy of the other dimension to be absorbed when it comes into touch with spiritual energy. In a sense, his blood works as a container of energy and the interaction between those two energies is what allows the healing effect to take place.”
Tong Chen nodded. “Indeed, in the same vein, the energy of the other dimension might strengthen white jade’s body. I can’t be sure here but it should work in the same way that it does for Yan Jian Hong: His body can take in the energy and by stimulating it, the effect is born.
“Why the effects are different … I can’t explain that but it is probably not any different from what we’ve always thought about the abilities. Each person simply happens to have a certain inclination by virtue of their bodies or spirits. What would be common if my guesses are right is the fact that our bodies and spirits all allow us to link ourselves to that dimension.”
Blue butterfly slowly nodded, feeling that his explanations made sense. “What about your ability? I can get behind the others but yours would be strange. Or do you think simply channeling the energy allows you to receive visions?” It wouldn’t be impossible but it sounded more far-fetched than the others so she was still reluctant to accept it.
Tong Chen hesitated, not sure on this point either. “That might be it. Or maybe that dimension itself carries some kind of hints of future developments and I am able to take note of them.
“At the end of the day, these are all just guesses. We might never be able to make sure of them either. But with a theory like this, we might be able to help these two youngsters to figure out their own abilities faster than we did. In that case, they would be safer when encountering the other side. That is what we should aim for.”
Blue butterfly nodded, agreeing with this point for sure. “So, how do we help them learn?”
They all turned back to look at Yun Bei Fen who was still practicing the skill he had just been shown by himself. It did look a bit better than before and if he indeed continued to practice, he might not need too long to get decent results.
Seeing this, Tong Chen gave a hum. “I’m not sure yet but I feel like your dreamscape might come in handy. He seems to have an easier time learning in here compared to outside. In this way, as long as you team up, the results should be remarkable.”
