The human brain is extremely complex and precise, so even Li Ang had to explore it slowly, step by step. Fortunately, the mycelium, infused with Swamp God Power, possessed healing properties. Combined with the special effects of the Origin of Life, it could automatically anesthetize, stop bleeding, and lower temperature without causing severe rejection reactions in the human body. It was truly a universal surgical tool.

"The mycelial surgical tool has penetrated to the anterior horn of the lateral ventricle. ICP intracranial pressure is slightly above 40 mmHg. Rapidly infusing hypertonic drugs to reduce intracranial pressure..."

Li Ang controlled the mycelium's slow advance, cautiously releasing Divine Power. Like an MRI scan, he carefully observed brain structures such as the cingulate gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, thalamus, brainstem, and cerebellar tonsils.

"Strange..." Li Ang frowned. "The brain's structure is normal; no significant lesions have been found."

"Uh," Miss Chai poked her head out, puzzled. "Isn't that good?"

Li Ang shook his head, his fingers still pressed against Ma Bonde's face. "Prefect Ma's brain looks very normal. If he isn't deliberately lying or under the influence of an Illusion Technique, then the dreams he spoke of might indeed be caused by supernatural factors."

"Are you referring to that old Taoist?"

Miss Chai glanced at Ma Bonde, who looked rather unimpressive and even a bit sleazy. She hesitated, then asked, "The old Taoist in his dreams isn't really planning to transform him into an immortal, right? Just like in the legends where Lv Dongbin and Zhongli Quan enlightened Han Xiangzi."

"Who knows." Li Ang stretched out his other hand and rubbed his chin. "In the myths and legends of the Ancient Eastern World, there are indeed quite a few stories of mortals encountering God Immortals for enlightenment. Mortals with backgrounds like reincarnated great powers, or God Immortals themselves reincarnating to start anew, are especially prone to encounters with unconventional, even seemingly mad, immortals. As for the Bodhisattvas of the Buddha Sect, they're even more inclined to declare from time to time, 'This person has a predestined connection with my Western Paradise.' Although Prefect Ma Bonde seems quite worldly, rather diligent in marrying wives and concubines, it's not impossible for him to have caught the eye of some deity or Buddha."

Miss Chai's eyes widened. "Then you still plan to treat him? Aren't you afraid of ruining his chance for immortality, angering the celestial immortals, and bringing a divine pursuit down on yourself?"

"I only said it *might* be possible, not that it's certain," Li Ang said offhandedly. "According to my speculation, this demon-infested Ancient Eastern World is indeed vast and complex, no less so than ordinary scripted worlds. However, its power ceiling... well, it probably doesn't accommodate 'Immortals' of that caliber."

"Eh?" Miss Chai was taken aback. "Why?"

"Because the King of Shengnan isn't high-level enough."

Li Ang spoke matter-of-factly. "Among all the supernatural beings I've encountered, the Drought Demon, Mirage Dragon, and Demon Prison are undoubtedly the most mysterious. The impression the King of Shengnan gives me is far weaker than those three. He's only a few notches above the currently incomplete Origin of Life. So, of course, he couldn't nurture 'Immortals' surpassing the level of the Drought Demon or Mirage Dragon."

"Oh, oh." Chaichai nodded dumbly, a sigh of relief escaping her.

Having checked Ma Bonde's brain, Li Ang's next step was to begin the transformation.

"Physiologically, Ma Bonde's brain is completely healthy. There are no lesions, which means there's nothing to cure from that angle," Li Ang stated. "Considering the special nature of his dreams, there are roughly three solutions. First, prevent him from dreaming physiologically. Second, interrupt him during clear and coherent dreams. Third, ensure he no longer has clear and coherent dreams."

Miss Chai paused. "Is there a difference between the three?"

"Of course, there is," Li Ang replied.

Li Ang said casually, "Physiologically, dreams are the process by which animals, including humans, automatically convert short-term memory into long-term memory during sleep. Human sleep is primarily categorized into two types: REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep and NREM (Non-Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. The former involves processing, and it's the combination of both that creates clear dreams. In some medical cases, patients whose brainstems, parietal lobes, or other brain parts are damaged do not dream. To put it bluntly, destroying a specific part of their brain can stop them from dreaming."

"Ah?" Miss Chai was startled. "That won't kill him or make him stupid, will it?"

"There's a slight possibility it might reduce his IQ a tiny bit, but with the Origin of Life, I can guarantee he won't die," Li Ang explained. "Actually, the human brain is quite resilient. I once read a case in *The Lancet* about a patient whose ventricles were filled with cerebrospinal fluid. The normal brain tissue was so compressed by this fluid that it became as thin as a sheet of paper, and most of it was lost or damaged. Yet, even then, this patient's IQ was comparable to Forrest Gump's from the movies. He lived a normal life as an official public servant in France—working, married, and raising children.

"Furthermore, in medicine, there's a procedure called hemispherectomy. One hemisphere of the brain and the corpus callosum are removed, allowing cerebrospinal fluid to fill the cranial cavity. This is used as a last resort to treat diseases such as epilepsy. Some patients, after having half their brain removed, still maintain an IQ of 90 or even higher, well within the normal range."

Hearing his words, Miss Chai swallowed instinctively.

Li Ang, in his state of biotechnological zeal, was a bit too terrifying. He discussed cutting people's brains without even blinking, all with an air of "Trust me, I'm a professional."

"Of course, I wouldn't normally go around cutting into patients' brains, especially not without discussing it with them while they're conscious," Li Ang added. Then, shifting the topic, he said, "Such actions would be unethical. Big Yellow would certainly scold me if he knew."

You know that too, huh! And by the way, what *is* Big Yellow?!

Miss Chai resisted the urge to retort and asked, "What about the second method, interrupting his dreams while they're happening?"

"That's much simpler." Li Ang smiled. "I can install a gland on the back of his neck. When it detects his transition to NREM sleep, the gland will secrete a minuscule amount of a substance. This will cause a slight, non-awakening discomfort, jolting him from NREM sleep into REM sleep. Essentially, it interrupts clear and discernible dreams right at their onset. If I had to describe it, it's similar to the effect of 'being woken by the urge to pee every time you start dreaming.'"

"That's just painfully cruel..." Miss Chai balked at the thought. "Doesn't that mean he'll never sleep well?"

Chaichai understood all too well how painful it was not to sleep well. She'd experienced it in her early days as a Drought Demon—constantly exhausted, as if after pulling an all-nighter, her body weary but her mind intensely alert. It had almost driven her mad. Only after growing accustomed to this pain over time as a Drought Demon, and numbing herself with modern entertainment, had she managed to somewhat forget the torment of poor sleep.

"Not sleeping well can indeed be rather uncomfortable," Li Ang nodded earnestly, acknowledging the pain of sleeplessness. "Actually, there's another medical approach: allow him to dream, but ensure he cannot recall the dreams upon waking. However, that method lacks theoretical support and is difficult to implement. The most reliable and realistic option remains the third one—preventing him from having clear and discernible dreams."

Miss Chai furrowed her brow. "That sounds quite similar to the first method."

"It's different," Li Ang replied.

Li Ang shook his head. "The first method involves crudely destroying brain tissue, while the third approach is far more sophisticated and complex."

As he spoke, he continued to manipulate the mycelium, guiding it deeper to commence an intricate modification of Ma Bonde's brain.

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