305: Chapter 305 Continues to Elevate, The Connected Ones

Just past seven in the morning.

The storm was still raging across the city skyline, showing no signs of stopping.

The room had no lights on, plunged into a gloomy dimness.

Outside the window, raindrops hammered frantically against the glass, making a dense, pattering sound.

Early risers in the residential area occasionally walked with umbrellas, hurrying across the puddles on the road.

Further away, the sound of vehicles driving on the highway was cut off intermittently by the rain curtain, becoming vague and unclear.

Fang Cheng withdrew his gaze from outside.

He shoved the last few meat buns in his hands into his mouth, chewing rapidly with bulging cheeks.

His eating manner could not be considered graceful, and could even be said to be somewhat exaggerated.

It was like a fierce beast that had been starving for days eating, as if wanting to swallow the food along with the packaging.

In the corner of the room, a large pile of emptied plastic bags and packaging boxes was piled up, showing an astonishing amount of consumption.

Picking up the roll of paper on the table, Fang Cheng carelessly wiped the grease-stained corners of his mouth and fingers.

Afterwards, he took out his phone from the messenger bag discarded aside and dialed the foreman of the construction team.

"Hello, Master Qiu."

Fang Cheng said in a calm tone:

"It's raining too heavily today, and traveling on the road is inconvenient. You guys can take a day off for now, no need to come over."

The other end of the phone came with Master Wang's slightly booming voice:

"Hey, alright, alright, Boss Fang, this rain is indeed terrifying, in previous years in Dongdu I've never seen it rain this heavily..."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, he continued to ask:

"Then we'll come over tomorrow?"

"We'll see how it goes, come over after the rain stops, stay safe."

Fang Cheng briefly explained the renovation matters and hung up the phone.

He swept his gaze around, looking at this bare apartment that was about to be completed.

After more than a week of construction, this place had completely changed.

The originally rough cement walls and floors had long since disappeared, replaced by relatively flat walls and initially laid floors.

Although not completely finished, the overall framework had been built, basically able to meet daily living requirements.

The only part still under renovation was the living room planned to be built into a "Combat Training Room".

Professional soundproof gypsum boards had already been installed on the surrounding walls.

According to Master Wang, the hollow spaces inside the walls were also filled with thick polyester fiber sound-absorbing cotton.

This material was widely used in places with high soundproofing requirements such as hotels and KTVs, with a very high cost-performance ratio.

It could effectively absorb sound energy and prevent noise leakage.

Next, the walls also needed to be skimmed with putty, and then coated with a layer of latex paint.

Fang Cheng originally had no requirements for aesthetics, feeling that as long as it could be used, it was fine.

But Master Wang insisted on explaining that carefully filling the joints and nail holes of the gypsum boards could not only improve the overall aesthetics, but also further enhance the soundproofing effect.

The soundproofing treatment of the walls was relatively simple, and the truly troublesome parts were the floor and ceiling.

These two parts were the main areas bearing impact force, and shock absorption and soundproofing measures were crucial.

Otherwise, the huge commotion generated by daily workouts would be enough to make the upstairs and downstairs neighbors utterly annoyed.

Fang Cheng raised his head and looked toward the ceiling.

A soundproof suspended ceiling was also done there, with construction methods similar to the walls.

First construct the light steel keel framework, then fill the gaps between the keels with sound-absorbing cotton, and finally cover it with a layer of thick gypsum board.

In the center of the living room, a thick iron rack for hanging sandbags was firmly fixed on the load-bearing support beam with the strongest load-bearing function below the ceiling.

To minimize the transmission of vibrations, thick black rubber shock-absorbing pads were installed at the contact parts of the iron frame and the upper and lower floor slabs.

The living room floor had also just begun to be laid.

This did not indicate that Fang Cheng pursued quality of life, nor was what laid on top ordinary household wooden flooring or tiles.

Because those hard surface layers would instead magnify impact noise, making the commotion during workouts even more disturbing to the residents.

Now, a layer of black shock-absorbing pad about two centimeters thick, made of high-density rubber material, had been laid on the room's original concrete floor slab.

This was the first barrier of shock absorption and soundproofing, mainly used to absorb and cushion the huge impact energy generated during training.

According to the plan, on top of this layer of rubber pad, a layer of professional blue PVC sports flooring similar to that of the Global Elite Combat Club would also be laid.

This type of flooring had certain elasticity and energy-absorbing characteristics, capable of further absorbing impact force and reducing the generation and propagation of noise.

The soundproofing measures upstairs and downstairs mainly relied on this double shock-absorbing treatment.

Fang Cheng nodded inwardly, Master Wang and his team indeed worked professionally and meticulously.

Speaking of which, once this "Combat Training Room" was completely renovated.

This near recording studio-level soundproofing condition was not only suitable for high-intensity physical exercise, but also very good for practicing Meditation.

It could isolate external interference to the maximum extent.

Fang Cheng reined in his thoughts, cleaned up all the food garbage on the ground, put it into a large plastic bag, and temporarily placed it at the door.

A moment later, he walked to a corner of the room and sat cross-legged.

Closing his eyes, straightening his back, his hands naturally rested on his knees.

Without the disturbance of outsiders, Fang Cheng prepared to start his daily routine Meditation.

The sound of wind and rain outside the window was still clamorous.

The sound of raindrops hitting the glass, the sound of distant vehicles rolling over puddles, and even the faintly audible footsteps in the hallway converged into a huge background sound.

For ordinary people, these white noises from the outside world were instead like a natural barrier, masking all miscellaneous noises that might disturb the mind.

It was just right for calming down to study, work, or lie in the blanket and sleep in.

But for mentally capable people with exceptionally keen senses, the rain outside was like countless mosquitoes and flies buzzing by their ears, as if trying to drive a person crazy.

For people whose Heart-Nature was not tough enough, meditating while sitting cross-legged in such an environment was in itself a severe challenge, no different from sensory torture.

Fang Cheng's mind was as calm as stagnant water at this moment, having long adapted to this state.

Instead, utilizing this environment, he underwent mental sharpening amidst the huge noise, entering the Meditation state faster.

He skillfully filtered out those meaningless noises, letting them flow at the edge of consciousness, yet unable to invade the inner peace.

His breathing became long and steady, and his heartbeat, which was slightly rapid due to intense morning exercise, gradually returned to normal.

His consciousness slowly sank into an empty and clear Realm, as if diving into the boundless deep sea.

All the external clamor seemed to have receded far away, quietly fading away like the tide.

In the darkness, Mental Energy highly condensed, finally turning into a strand of crimson-gold Flame of Spirituality burning quietly in the Sea of Consciousness.

The light of the flame was soft and bright, illuminating the entire "spiritual body" transparently.

Fang Cheng introspected upon himself, perceiving every subtle change inside his body, repairing the muscle fatigue and energy loss brought by high-intensity exercise.

At the same time, he was also continuously polishing that mental attribute as high as 50 points, making it more condensed, pure, and keen.

Time seemed to have lost its meaning at this moment, completely stopping.

I do not know how long had passed, just as Fang Cheng was immersed in this deep Meditation state, a sudden change occurred.

Suddenly, countless fragmented sounds surged from all directions, like countless people whispering softly beside his ears.

Immediately afterwards, blurred pictures flashed and disappeared suddenly in his mind like fast-cut movie shots.

There were elderly faces, tender children, weary-looking middle-aged men, and young women talking and laughing.

Their faces appeared blurry, and their voices were noisy and chaotic, converging into an indistinguishable torrent that impacted Fang Cheng's self-awareness.

These illusions and auditory hallucinations were more complex and changeable than the situation encountered last time when practicing Meditation at Lingquan Temple.

That time, it was mainly influenced by the religious atmosphere rendered by the temple and the mental imprint hidden in the golden bumpa bottle itself, thereby conjuring up chanting scripture sounds and fierce demon gods and vajras.

And this time, these sounds and images were closer to ordinary people's daily lives, trivial and cumbersome.

Fang Cheng frowned slightly, but instead of relying on the ability of Heartsteel to combat these mental interferences like last time.

He chose to remain calm, listening carefully and gazing intently.

Gradually, those blurry sounds and images began to become clear.

"Xiaobao, still watching cartoons? Have you finished your homework? Your dad is driving back today and will check it."

A woman wearing an apron was busy in the kitchen, her voice slightly weary.

In the living room, the TV screen came into view.

A bald little boy lay on the coffee table, dawdlingly pulling out his homework notebook from his schoolbag.

"Brother Wang, when can that batch of goods mentioned last week arrive? The clients are urging us."

A slightly greasy male voice carried a hint of flattery.

The picture then switched to a dimly lit warehouse, where several tattooed-arm men were playing cards around a table, surrounded by smoke.

"Doctor, is there any hope for my legs? I don't want to be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life!"

A voice carrying a crying tone was filled with despair.

The picture changed again, and in a hospital ward, an obese man who seemed to have been in a car accident lay on a hospital bed.

Standing beside him were several doctors and nurses wearing white lab coats, with solemn expressions.

These were all very ordinary fragments of life belonging to ordinary people.

At this moment, they surged into his mind like a tide, continuously staging in the spiritual world.

Fang Cheng knew that this was not a real hallucination.

Rather, it was information fragments inadvertently emitted by the consciousness of those individuals who had established a mental connection with himself, transmitted through the invisible mental connection.

This was precisely a manifestation of the Mind Resonance ability in an unconscious state.

Fang Cheng took a deep breath, and the Flame of Spirituality in the Sea of Consciousness swayed violently for a moment.

Soon, it quickly stabilized.

Fang Cheng began trying to use his Mental Energy to sort through this mottled information.

Like panning for gold, he filtered out those weak, pure "Mental Energy" from the chaotic gravel.

This process was not easy, requiring immense patience and Focus.

Mixed among those external consciousness fragments were all kinds of emotions—

Joy, sorrow, anger, anxiety, fear...

They tried to disturb the mind, and even wanted to invade consciousness.

But Fang Cheng's Flame of Spirituality, after multiple temperings, had become quite pure and powerful.

The flame swayed gently, burning and purifying those negative emotions and messy consciousness trying to invade one by one.

Leaving only the most Origin Mental Energy that could be absorbed.

As this process continued, Fang Cheng felt the Flame of Spirituality growing slowly but firmly.

The color of the flame became deeper, its light became brighter, and it faintly showed a tendency to transform into a more Advanced form.

On the panel, rows of prompt information appeared one after another.

[You practice Meditation skill, experience increases +1]

[You are absorbing external thoughts, condensing self-awareness, mental increases 0.001]

[You practice Meditation skill, experience increases +1]

[You are absorbing external thoughts, condensing self-awareness, mental increases 0.001]

...

This process lasted for quite a long time.

Those mottled consciousnesses pouring in endlessly, under the scorching of the Flame of Spirituality, turned into wisps of pure energy, blending into the flame.

I don't know how long passed, when the last wisps of external distractions were completely purified.

When the scrolling prompts on the panel finally came to an end, the new summary information was clearly presented:

[Meditation experience +3]

[Meditation Lv2 (21/500)]

[Your mental attribute permanently increases by 0.04 points]

Seeing the results of this cultivation, Fang Cheng nodded slightly, understanding in his heart.

The increase in mental attribute was not only due to the exercise effect of Meditation itself.

The more important reason was the Mental Energy unconsciously transmitted to him by those individuals who had established "Mind Resonance" with him.

Although these energies were weak and mottled, after being refined and purified by the Flame of Spirituality, they turned into pure mental nutrients that could be absorbed.

Therefore, every time he practiced the Meditation skill, Fang Cheng could gain considerable benefits from it.

The golden sphere of light located at the core of the Memory Palace, although it also possessed the ability to autonomously refine and absorb these external consciousnesses, that process was very slow.

It was more like a subtle, long-term, and weak nourishment.

And when he actively conducted mental cultivation, he could greatly accelerate the refining and absorbing process.

Every time he practiced Meditation, it was like a centralized "recycling and processing" process, extracting mental nutrients and strengthening his own Soul.

Thinking of this, Fang Cheng condensed his consciousness and entered the Memory Palace once again.

Walking out of the "bedroom" representing the main consciousness, the scene before his eyes indeed had new changes.

The surroundings and ceiling of the originally pitch-black and empty palace were no longer a monotonous darkness at this moment.

Instead, dozens of light spots of varying sizes and brightness appeared, like twinkling stars in the night sky, ornamenting this mental Universe.

Every light spot had an invisible mental thread, hard to be perceived by the naked eye, between it and the huge golden sphere of light in the center of the hall, pulling and connecting them.

These threads were like anchor cables, maintaining the connection between all "stars" and the core.

So that they would not drift with the current in this boundless dark world, lose their direction, and eventually float towards an unknown distance, completely disconnecting.

When Fang Cheng cast his gaze on a few of those twinkling "stars", he could clearly perceive various kinds of information transmitted from them.

This perception had far surpassed the torrent of consciousness like Chaos that he encountered when he first came into contact with mental abilities, which was completely unrecognizable.

Nor was it like the chaotic and mottled illusions and auditory hallucinations that required painstaking effort to screen and purify when practicing Meditation before.

What Fang Cheng received at this moment was more direct and clear information, as if individual TV screens were playing.

Among them were both the real-time scenes of what the individuals who had established a mental connection with him currently saw and heard.

And their various fragmented memory fragments like dusty photos.

There were even some sudden and exceptionally strong emotional fluctuations, as if feeling the other party's heartbeat across a distant distance.

All of this was just like an alternative telepathy.

Allowing Fang Cheng to peep into a corner of the connected people's mental world without having to concentrate his mind and formally establish a channel.

(End of Chapter)