Xiang Yi had never expected He Dong to hand him the Mind Pulse Generator for maintenance.
He had personally experienced the value of such a Spiritual Device back in the mine tunnels, and thought it might prove useful in his escape.
Xiang Yi glanced to the side. His few "colleagues" couldn't even see each other in the cramped space. He turned back and focused on opening the device's panel.
[Edge Company Continuous Psychic Pulse Disturbance Field Generator]
[Energy Core: Edge Company Universal Stable Power Supply for Micro-Devices]
[Signal Source Module: Edge Company Level 1 Spiritual Energy Frequency Signal Generator]
[Functional Module: Edge Company Level 1 Spiritual Fluctuation Frequency Modulation Device]
[Structure Type: Edge Company Universal Frame for Continuous Psychic Pulse Generator]
[Additional Attachment: Edge Company Experimental Spiritual Signal Amplifier]
He had seen the panel's contents before. But last time, the situation had been urgent, so he had only used his Spiritual Energy to repair the generator's circuitry, without carefully studying its various modules.
This time, he had plenty of time. He used his Spiritual Energy to carefully observe every module of the device, attempting to modify each one.
However, after all that, Xiang Yi found that the only part of the entire device he could modify was the [Experimental Spiritual Signal Amplifier] listed under 'Additional Attachment,' making some adjustments to its output power, just as he had done in the mines.
After opening the [Basic Modification] interface for all the other modules, he found there were no operations he could perform.
This was true even for the device's Energy Core module, the [Universal Stable Power Supply for Micro-Devices].
Although its name was plain, its technology was just as advanced. Xiang Yi's current level of knowledge was insufficient for him to modify such a Spiritual Device.
'He had a crucial device right in his hands, but he couldn't get it to work because he just wasn't skilled enough.'
This disparity was disheartening for Xiang Yi.
Just then, a notification popped up on the computer.
Inner Prison, Residential Area 19: Lighting systems in three cells are malfunctioning.
At first, Xiang Yi thought it was a task for him and was about to get up to see if he could fix it.
But a second later, the screen updated to show that the task had already been accepted by someone else.
He also heard the sound of someone at the next desk gathering their tools.
'Never mind, then.'
He could continue studying the device in his hands.
However, Xiang Yi suddenly had an idea. His eyes flicked to the computer screen as he typed two words into the keyboard—"Spiritual Energy"—and searched the database for any related technical books.
Xiang Yi wasn't particularly hopeful, but several titles of technical books quickly popped up on the screen.
*Advanced Spiritual Energy Theory: The Deep-Seated Effects of Prolonged, Gentle Spiritual Fluctuations on Generator Materials*
*Basic Spiritual Energy Theory: Correlation Between a Spiritual Device's Output Frequency and Its Effects*
*A Structural Analysis of Instantaneous and Continuous Psychic Pulse Generators*
And many more besides.
Xiang Yi realized he had been laughably wrong. He had found books related to Spiritual Energy with ridiculous ease.
He even noticed one book titled *Precautions for the Maintenance of Spiritual Devices by Non-Spiritual Ability Users*.
Apparently, Spiritual Power wasn't some extremely rare, completely hidden phenomenon in this world. Those who wielded it didn't necessarily have to conceal their abilities, and they were collectively known as Spiritual Ability Users.
This was good news for Xiang Yi, though it would only truly be "good" once he was out of prison.
If anyone in the prison discovered he was a Spiritual Ability User, he'd be in serious trouble.
Xiang Yi clicked open *Basic Spiritual Energy Theory: Correlation Between a Spiritual Device's Output Frequency and Its Effects* and began to study, despite having absolutely no foundational knowledge on the subject of Spiritual Energy.
At first, Xiang Yi struggled to understand the awkward jargon and the many technical concepts he'd never encountered before.
But as the text delved into Spiritual Energy and touched upon related subjects he had once studied in school, memories began to reawaken in his mind.
His counterpart in this world had once been deeply involved in the field of engineering. Now, triggered by Xiang Yi's actions, the knowledge that the "other him" had learned was gradually integrating into his mind.
Xiang Yi lost himself in the newfound knowledge.
The minutes and seconds ticked away.
People came and went in the workshop. Every day, a vast amount of equipment and instruments throughout the prison required repair and maintenance.
But no one paid Xiang Yi any mind, nor was he ever specifically assigned any work. Whenever a new task appeared, someone else would accept it and head out to handle it.
It was as if everyone had forgotten about Xiang Yi.
This continued until a notification popped up on Xiang Yi's desktop, indicating he had reached the last page. He had read the entire technical book from cover to cover.
He closed his eyes and recalled the book's contents. Every page, every word, remained crystal clear in his mind. He had thoroughly digested all the material he could understand, save for the parts that required prerequisite knowledge he lacked.
And only three hours had passed.
By the prison's schedule, Xiang Yi had come to the workshop after lunch; it was now only just approaching five in the evening.
For a moment, even Xiang Yi was shocked by his own incredible learning speed. Even more absurdly, he found himself wanting to read another technical book.
Absorbing such a vast amount of knowledge in a short time didn't cause him any mental strain. On the contrary, it gave him a deeper appreciation for the ingenuity of this era's technology and the unique nature of Spiritual Power.
Although the Spiritual Power possessed by a Spiritual Ability User like him seemed different from the Spiritual Power generated by devices and instruments, he suspected they were fundamentally similar.
He craved more knowledge on the subject.
However, all the technical books on Spiritual Energy that Xiang Yi could find in the database were related to Spiritual instruments and devices. None of them discussed Spiritual Energy itself, so for now, learning more on that front was out of the question.
But there were other things he could do.
Xiang Yi opened the generator's panel, skipped the initial sections, and focused his consciousness directly on the [Functional Module: Edge Company Level 1 Spiritual Fluctuation Frequency Modulation Device].
He selected the [Basic Modification] option. This time, the panel wasn't blank. A new option appeared: [Output Frequency Adjustment], accompanied by a notification: [Current Spiritual Fluctuation Frequency Target: Spiritual Entity].
Just as he'd suspected, the Spiritual Fluctuation frequency modulation device had altered the nature of the continuous Psychic Pulse, causing it to only target entities that possessed Spiritual Energy.
It targeted both the Blood Crystal Worms and him. The worms did indeed possess Spiritual Energy, it just wasn't very strong.
Xiang Yi glanced around one more time. After confirming that no one in the workshop was watching him, he activated his Spiritual Energy and initiated the modification.
Spiritual Power was drawn from his mind, swept up by the force he had read about—the one called Spiritual Fluctuation—and wrapped around the generator.
This modification used Xiang Yi's will as its blueprint, shifting the fluctuation frequency away from its original target of Spiritual Entities.
The notification on the panel quickly changed.
[Current Spiritual Fluctuation Frequency Target: Human]