Mind Reading is a very unique ability.
There are only three situations where someone's mind can be read.
First, when the cultivation gap is extremely high.
Second, when two beings are a couple.
Third, through the Soul Search secret technique.
Let's talk about the first one. Assume a Rank 7 Warrior is standing in front of a mortal. He can perceive the mortal's brainwaves and decrypt them after being with the mortal for a while. A mortal's brainwaves aren't as complex as a Warrior's. They can also interfere with brainwaves and reverse-control the brain through them. An advanced warrior can easily manipulate a mortal's subconscious with both their abilities and wits.
In the case of Immortals, they exist at a higher realm, and a Warrior's thoughts are always exchanged between the brain and soul via Spiritual Essence and Soul Essence.
Immortals control Immortal Essence, which is formed from the combination of Spiritual Essence and Soul Essence. They can directly interfere with Spiritual Essence and Soul Essence to a certain extent and not only gain information but also influence thoughts. However, this control is at a superficial level. As a result, a Warrior with an extremely high bottom line can resist it based on instinctual disgust against taking certain actions.
In the second case, marriage is a sacred ritual. It is approved by the Heavenly Dao, and it connects two souls. This connection can be used to read each other's minds.
In the third situation, every Soul Search secret technique leaves a burden on the one on whom it is used. They might suffer minor to extremely severe soul injuries and might even die.
Wang Xueyao's Soul Search method granted to Li Gang was a Rank 9 technique, but even then it caused considerable impact on Lin Fan. There is no Immortal-level Soul Search method, since Immortals don't have souls to begin with. No matter how efficient a Soul Search method is, it will always leave injury to the soul on which it is used.
1st April, Year 15 of the Great Emperor Era
Golden Crow Kingdom, Northern Continent
Amidst the surrounding mountains and green forests, there lay a small lake. A beautiful young woman and an ordinary-looking man were sitting together on the shore of the lake.
Li Gang glanced at the beautiful scenery in front of him and felt peaceful.
It should be noted that even though Li Gang believed he came here on his own accord, he had been manipulated by Immortals to come here. But was that really the case? No.
It was a mutual understanding between both the Immortals and Li Gang. Li Gang knew he wouldn't be harmed by the Mind Reader, at least not in the short term. At the same time, in order to make sure this wasn't some scheme of the Elemental Emperor, he kept the Spatial Order with him. There was another issue—what if there was some kind of Space Lock that blocked the Spatial Order? Li Gang was prepared for all this. He was very cautious. He made sure there was no Spatial Formation before taking every step as he was directed to Jin Huang's hidden location. Li Gang allowed the Immortals to control him.
There were two important reasons for this. First, he wanted to see what they were plotting. Second, he wanted to measure the extent of the control. He wanted to get familiar with the feeling and adapt to it so that he could resist further in the future. He wouldn't resist unless he felt it could be dangerous.
The place where Jin Huang resided was specifically hidden by her, and with her means, no one in this world except the Emperors had the ability to find it.
Seeing his appearance, she directly concluded it was either some scheme of the Immortals, or he was a hidden Emperor, or he was far smarter than her. She immediately denied the last two possibilities. The thought of him being smart enough to figure out her hiding spot never crossed her mind. It was impossible. At the same time, him being an Emperor could be easily denied by the fact that he pretended to hide his identity. Any Emperor would know her intelligence level and wouldn't do this kind of meaningless action.
After she exposed his identity as the Demon King of the South and revealed his name, she spoke. "Why did you come to me?"
Li Gang asked in return, "Why do you ask when you already know?"
Jin Huang chuckled softly. It was an odd situation—they both understood each other's thoughts completely, yet they danced around them as if testing the waters.
Jin Huang smiled. "I just want to hear it from you."
Li Gang said, "I never thought the great Phoenix of the North would be so talkative."
Jin Huang ignored his words. Her face turned serious. "Why do you want to go against the Golden Crow?"
Li Gang smiled. "It's not about opposing them. It's about starting something greater—my journey to becoming the ultimate ruler. The world will be mine, and it begins here, with the Northern Continent."
Jin Huang looked at him calmly. "You don't truly want to rule, do you?"
Jin Huang asked, "Is it really your dream to be an absolute ruler?"
Li Gang replied calmly, "Yes."
Jin Huang narrowed her eyes. "Why this goal? There are other paths—immortality, transcendence. Why choose this one?"
Li Gang glanced at her and said calmly, "I hate losing, and I want to achieve the greatest heights."
Jin Huang said. "You're lying. There's no real passion or conviction in what you say. This goal you claim—it doesn't drive you."
Li Gang sighed. His thoughts were messy and filled with dilemmas. "I don't know. Talking to you feels like a blessing. I want to rule, to dominate, but for some reason, I can't muster the enthusiasm. I've been facing this dilemma for decades. Although I never let it affect my determination, it's always there. I can't find peace."
Li Gang stared at her deeply. He went silent for the first time, as if considering something important.
Li Gang's true goal had been peace. However, his thoughts were modified by Immortal Zhu. As a consequence, he came to realize that his thoughts couldn't be trusted. He believed his memories were trustworthy, because if they weren't, then the fact that his thoughts could be changed would have disappeared from his memories as well.
So at this moment, all his expressions and his hesitation were pretense, in order to show Immortal Chen that he was trying to resist the goal he had been forced to accept.
Immortal Chen was already aware that Li Gang wanted peace instead of domination. But this goal had been engraved in his heart before he gained resistance to the manipulation of his thoughts. At the same time, due to his discipline, he didn't look back once he chose his path.
After all, these were just excuses. He never had any goal besides gaining true freedom. Without freedom, how can you even have a goal? He played along with the same goal under the guise of 'discipline' in order to have room for maneuver. Domination was a path with the most room for maneuver — he could make any arrangement, and those arrangements could be used for multiple purposes.
When Li Gang first met Jin Huang, he felt some sort of connection toward her. He got a good impression of her. Was it because of Jin Huang's charm?
Jin Huang, who understood the internal situation of the Immortals' control over the world, figured out why Li Gang was thinking like this.
This entire time, Jin Huang had been reading Li Gang's memories through a secret Soul Search method. But why did this Soul Search method not cause any soul injury to Li Gang?
If she didn't use the third method, then was it the second method? But she had never met Li Gang before. So how could she already be married to him?
If we talk about the first case, then their cultivation gap wasn't that high. She was only Rank 6, and Li Gang was Rank 4. The gap wasn't high enough to read his mind. Her battle prowess might be very high, and even her talent, but that still didn't grant her the ability to control his soul like the Immortals.
Which of the three situations truly was the cause that allowed her to read his memories?
Jin Huang glanced at Li Gang deeply, her thoughts unreadable. She replied calmly, "I see. I understand now."
She saw through the presence of numerous psychological cues within Li Gang's brain and soul as she navigated them.
Li Gang looked surprised. "If you understand, can you explain it to me?"
Jin Huang refused straightforwardly. "No, I won't."
She understood that if those thoughts were brought into his conscious or subconscious memories, then it would foil all of Li Gang's arrangements.
At the same time, in the eyes of the Immortals, this entire conversation had a different meaning.
In their eyes, Li Gang was talking about why he had a goal but no enthusiasm toward it. And Jin Huang understood it because of her vast knowledge and experience from various dealings with them, but she didn't want to tell him in order to avoid getting involved with the Immortals.
She immediately changed the topic. "Tell me, what is the reason you came here?"
He said, "In the future, there will be a great war. I will be the cause of that war."
Jin Huang's eyes narrowed.
She understood Li Gang like the back of her hand at this point. His sentence had a double meaning. The first meaning was for the Immortals. He foresaw that in the future, he would be the cause of chaos in the Northern Continent. In the future, the Great Unification War would take place, and he would conquer the Northern Continent through it.
The second meaning stretched even further. This sentence was uttered because of the trigger of a psychological cue. The second meaning was something he himself didn't know, but Jin Huang understood.
Far in the future, Li Gang would be involved in the battle against the Immortals and the Emperors.
Li Gang continued, "When someone becomes obsessed with the outcome, it affects their actions. I put in the effort, but I don't cling to the hope of success. If I did, it would only weaken my resolve."
Li Gang understood that he alone couldn't do anything. Jin Huang could be his backup plan in case something went awry. In Li Gang's subconscious, there had always been psychological cues to bring in as many potentially competent allies as possible. After meeting Jin Huang, he felt some kind of connection and felt she was trustworthy. It was like an intuition.
Of course, Li Gang wouldn't risk anything on mere intuition.