Chapter 27: Compiling Character's Second Personality

The desire to possess this priceless tea egg surged like a sudden drug addiction, causing Duan Wenxuan’s breath to quicken. Even a faint murderous intent arose within him; he contemplated killing Jing Rui. Such a tea egg could only belong to him alone, with no one else allowed to know of its existence.

Wait, wait.

Fortunately, as someone newly introduced to tea eggs, the abrupt surge of greed also triggered intense vigilance in Duan Wenxuan. With great effort, he restrained himself and turned away, avoiding looking at the tea egg.

However, at that moment, the paper figurine quietly emerged from where it had been still in Duan Wenxuan’s arms.

—Biubiu—

Sensing movement in his embrace, Duan Wenxuan composed himself and glanced down, only to discover that the paper figurine had completely wrapped itself around the egg, securely enveloping it. The paper figurine, being inherently thin, formed a tight cover, making it resemble a black-dyed egg. Strangely, with this covering, Duan Wenxuan found that his overwhelming greed upon seeing the tea egg suddenly vanished.

“Intriguing. A mental control aspect, similar yet distinct from the paper figurine’s influence. Can these two effects counteract each other?” Duan Wenxuan examined the slippery tea egg in his hand before finally placing it back into his pocket.

He took another round through Jing Rui’s room but found no further abnormalities.

It seemed that the danger Jing Rui mentioned was likely due to the tea egg’s control. With this realization, Duan Wenxuan had no desire to linger any longer. Having obtained Jing Rui’s gate, his mind still felt somewhat muddled, overwhelmed with a flood of new information. He needed time to sort it all out properly.

Considering he had taken something from Jing Rui, Duan Wenxuan opened Jing Rui’s mouth and poured half a bottle of water directly into him, causing audible gulps. During this process, Jing Rui gradually regained consciousness, not by opening his eyes but instinctively grasping Duan Wenxuan’s wrists with closed eyes, unwilling to let go of the water source.

Jing Rui was excessively thirsty, hungry, and exhausted, his body nearing its breaking point.

Once Jing Rui had drunk sufficiently, Duan Wenxuan promptly pried open his mouth again and stuffed a piece of bread inside. This way, upon waking up, Jing Rui could immediately eat without needing the strength just to rise, avoiding the risk of starving to death. Additionally, Duan Wenxuan charged Jing Rui’s phone and placed it beside his hand, feeling satisfied that he had done enough.

Considering he saved Jing Rui’s life, taking his golden finger ‘gate’ should be justified. After all, without one’s life, any golden finger is rendered useless.

Opening a small gate, Duan Wenxuan departed.

Upon returning to his residence, the first thing Duan Wenxuan did was take out his notebook and begin organizing the information based on his recent findings.

An hour later.

Duan Wenxuan’s dizziness had significantly improved, although stuffing too much memory at once left some lingering effects, causing slight throbbing pain in his head. He needed time to adjust.

Leaning back in his chair, Duan Wenxuan closed his eyes, his expression somewhat subtle.

Having taken Jing Rui’s gate, Duan Wenxuan gained considerable knowledge. Firstly, this type of gate was not unique; there were a total of six door symbols. In other words, apart from himself, five more door symbols were scattered worldwide, potentially residing in humans, animals, plants, or various entities.

Of course, with him acquiring Jing Rui’s gate, now only four door symbols remained unclaimed outside.

Each door symbol possessed unique abilities. For instance, describing the capability of the symbol originally belonging to Jing Rui’s hand, Duan Wenxuan deemed it best characterized as creating fantastical items.

When under Jing Rui’s control, the symbol would sporadically and uncontrollably grant peculiar powers to various objects within his understanding, regardless of how absurd that understanding might be.

The advantage of this ability lay in its unpredictability; if luck struck, Jing Rui might obtain numerous extraordinary items. For instance, after watching a fantasy TV show about magical fairies, his understanding included the concept of a magic fairy wand. Consequently, when the gate imbued objects with powers, a genuine magic fairy wand was created.

However, the danger resided in its uncontrollability. The frequency of bestowing abilities, how many items would receive them at once, and the potential hazards associated with these powers were all random. The gate could suddenly grant special capabilities to four or five items, or it might remain inactive for ten days to half a month without any warning.

In this particular case, while Jing Rui planned to have a tea egg for breakfast, he saw an exaggerated news report claiming that in Hanming Country, many people couldn’t even afford tea eggs, making daily access to them akin to being wealthy. A fleeting thought crossed Jing Rui’s mind: “These days, even tea eggs are sensationalized by the media as priceless treasures.”

Unexpectedly, the tea egg in his hand instantly acquired the attribute ‘Priceless Treasure’, naturally leading to an insatiable greed among intelligent beings for this very tea egg.

Each door symbol held boundless potential, but Duan Wenxuan had no knowledge of the specific abilities possessed by other symbols. His insight came solely from obtaining Jing Rui’s symbol, allowing him to understand the original capabilities attributed to Jing Rui’s symbol and which items had already been empowered before.

Only when all door symbols were combined would they form a truly complete gate. The items previously obtained from the paper figurine and white deer were merely appetizers.

However, it was fortunate that Duan Wenxuan’s ability differed from Jing Rui’s. While Jing Rui could develop by staying isolated at home, before acquiring the tea egg, Duan Wenxuan had also been cautious, aiming to become like a legendary swordsman of Mount Lipo without realizing that his gate could absorb substances. This led to Duan Wenxuan’s gate being somewhat more complete now, allowing him to absorb Jing Rui’s symbol during their confrontation.

Currently, Duan Wenxuan held one-third of the gate symbols.

He couldn’t guess where the remaining four door symbols might have dispersed, but compared to before, Duan Wenxuan felt an increasing sense of urgency. He must swiftly locate the other symbols; otherwise, others might find him first, and that outcome was unpredictable.

Aside from these unsettling thoughts, after absorbing Jing Rui’s gate, Duan Wenxuan’s gate gained additional capabilities.

Firstly, regarding the frequency of bestowing abilities on objects, with Jing Rui’s gate, it was uncontrollable, whereas Duan Wenxuan maintained control over it. Now, every six months, based on Duan Wenxuan’s understanding, a random object near him would be granted a specific ability.

The duration has significantly increased, and control over the granted items is no longer autonomous, but that’s not important. What matters is that the gate now possesses a new function: Mandatory Identification. Any item endowed with abilities will be compelled to recognize Duan Wenxuan, ensuring it cannot harm him.

Even with just this feature, Duan Wenxuan feels it’s entirely worth it.

Considering the myriad strange beliefs modern individuals hold, if these empowered objects suddenly manifested without caution, they could inadvertently lead to one’s demise.

Jing Rui even met his tragic end due to his own breakfast, albeit comically so.

With the extended time frame, granting only one item every half year, Duan Wenxuan ensures he faces no risks from them. Quality triumphs over quantity, leaving him highly satisfied.

What truly astonishes Duan Wenxuan, making him sleepless with excitement, is that Mandatory Identification can also apply to ‘people’. These ‘people’ refer to those he brings over from other worlds. Originally, they would merely follow in silence, but now he can assign them new identities and use Mandatory Identification to make them fully accept their new roles within modern society.

In simpler terms, he could effectively create a secondary personality.

For instance, with Mandatory Identification, Duan Wenxuan could craft a persona for Tang Tianlu as an old martial artist from the Duan family. However, this persona would be suppressed and unusable when Tang Tianlu returned to his own world. But outside of his native realm, such as in modern society, this persona could function freely.

This was Duan Wenxuan’s true and significant gain.

However, Duan Wenxuan also realized that the gates were indeed fragmented. From this fusion experience, it became clear that a complete gate should possess comprehensive abilities, and each fusion actually served to enhance its functionality.

Duan Wenxuan approached Gongsun Wulong immediately. Keeping the body confined in his room wasn’t practical; logically, if someone claimed they were searching for Duan Yuanhui, they should be wandering around outside instead.

He decided to experiment on Gongsun Wulong.

Crafting the new persona within his mind, Duan Wenxuan proceeded cautiously, as it was his first attempt.

Generally speaking, the closer the second personality aligns with the individual’s original character and identity, the easier it is for Mandatory Identification to take effect.

Duan Wenxuan could forcefully impose the belief that Gongsun Wulong was female, but he wasn’t just a toy; Gongsun Wulong was a living person. Over time, such Mandatory Identification would ultimately lead to the collapse of his second personality.

‘Gongsun Wulong, once a young assassin, later suffered severe injuries while attempting to steal a secret martial arts manual. The Duan family rescued him, and since then, he has lived with them. Despite appearing kind-hearted, beneath lies a ruthless nature, filled with deceit, selfishness, and little genuine loyalty towards the Duan family.

Due to his past injuries, despite marrying and taking concubines, Gongsun Wulong was unable to have children. Consequently, he viewed his only disciple, Duan Yuanhui, as his successor, doting on him excessively. This attachment led him to remain loyal to the Duan clan.

To ensure Duan Yuanhui’s unique position, it is suspected that Gongsun Wulong secretly murdered the illegitimate son of the former Duan patriarch, fathered by Duan Yuanhui’s own father outside their household. Although poorly regarded within the martial community for this act, his exceptionally high martial prowess, currently at the Embracing Origin stage with potential for Ascension, compelled respect from fellow martial families.’

After compiling this information, Duan Wenxuan meticulously studied it further.

Much of Gongsun Wulong’s second personality was based on true events, such as his early years as an assassin and martial training experiences. Duan Wenxuan utilized information provided by Bai Sanniang to construct this persona.

Even Gongsun Wulong’s original character traits were largely preserved; Duan Wenxuan only added his recognition and doting affection for Duan Yuanhui as a means of control. To ensure he retained memories of the Duan family, Duan Wenxuan specifically included some incidents involving Gongsun Wulong within their household.

After multiple checks, Duan Wenxuan activated Mandatory Identification, swiftly forming the second personality.

Quickly suppressing the new persona, Duan Wenxuan led Gongsun Wulong through the small gate, instantly appearing at the train station. He then released the suppression, allowing Gongsun Wulong to blend with the crowd while they parted ways.

At that moment, Gongsun Wulong stood frozen like a bewildered puppet. However, within seconds, his eyes gradually regained focus.

”…Too many people, I lost track of Yuanhui!” As clarity returned, Gongsun Wulong recalled something and, somewhat discontented, navigated away from the noisy crowd. He remembered seeing Yuanhui just moments ago, but when he called out, Duan Yuanhui had darted off.

Exiting the station, Gongsun Wulong considered whether to seek Zhao Mingcai’s help, thinking perhaps the surveillance system mentioned earlier might be useful now.

After such a long time, Gongsun Wulong noticed that this resurgence of profound spiritual energy seemed to lack some of the noble righteousness from ancient times. He worried that Duan Yuanhui’s youthful vigor might lead him astray and put him at risk while venturing outside. Shaking his head, he watched as the kindly old man with benevolent features once again merged into the bustling crowd, quickly disappearing from sight.

Home.

Duan Wenxuan could faintly sense Gongsun Wulong’s presence through the door, feeling instantly relieved. Firstly, there was no fear of losing track of Gongsun Wulong, and secondly, it confirmed that the forcibly created secondary personality remained stable for now. However, the matter of the lost gate symbol intensified Duan Wenxuan’s urgency; he needed to swiftly enhance his own power.