[The Barking Door stares at me.]
–……–
On the pitch-black door before me, a gleeful short-haired pug is carved in relief on the left; on the right, a cold, pitch-black Doberman gazes out like a pirate captain, its right eye covered and its left pupil gleaming with radiant brilliance…
Its ears stand erect, looking full of spirit.
–This room?–
The two at the end of the passage step forward, nearly pressing themselves against the door.
–Though it looks a bit like our office, inside it’s actually a real, manifested telekinetic space. Come on, let’s go in and choose the training ground that suits you.–
{Please submit your employee card.}
Yang Zicang inserts the card in his hand into the slot beside the door.
The black Doberman’s eyes shine with lines like those of a Moxel halo, rapidly sketching out a small, mist-like light screen.
[I, the great quadrilateral, shall open the 【Psychic Realm Training Ground III】.]
[The Barking Door tells me I can take a look first.]
—…
—Psychic Realm Training Ground III—
—Eligible Passers: Employees of the Lost Illusion Company approaching stabilization of psychic power at –Three Rings, First Order.–
—Contents of this training ground are delivered in the form of psychic card tapes.
—Based on points earned, one can exchange for –Psychic Energy Circulation Patterns– suitable for stabilizing third-ring psychic power.
—…
The light screen disappears a few seconds after Yang Zicang has read it clearly.
–What exactly are Psychic Energy Circulation Patterns?– Yang Zicang asks, staring at the text on the screen.
–In general,- Wei Zhenguo said as he looked at him, –you can think of the so-called circulation patterns as a route for mental power within the body. Unlike secret techniques, these patterns gradually fade away once you have fully stabilized your three-ring mental power.-
–Three rings?-
–Exactly. Their main function is to help you stabilize the strength of your third mental power ring. That way, you can truly integrate the third ring of the Bloodline Ring later on.-
Yang Zicang said thoughtfully, –So you mean that the evaluation of our mental power is only a reference to the mental power intensity that can carry the bloodline, right?-
Wei Zhenguo nodded seriously.
–The third ring is a critical ring. Only by truly stabilizing the third ring does merging with the bloodline become meaningful.-
–I know—because of the Star Essence, right? Isn’t it said that only by awakening the third-ring bloodline can the Star Essence be born?-
–You know quite a lot, but there’s one thing you got wrong. It’s not that you need to awaken the third ring to have the Star Essence; you have it as soon as you successfully merge.-
Yang Zicang’s eyebrows twitched slightly. –Then what is ‘awakening’?-
–If you want to know more, get ready to stay.- The middle-aged man said cheerfully. –If that’s the case, I might even be able to drink at your wedding before I leave.-
–Heh…- Yang Zicang, deep in thought, let out a strange chuckle. –You’re thinking too much. Wait—did you say leave?-
–Hahaha! Fortunately, the company has plenty of young eligible people, and they’re all talented and beautiful… Well, yes, I plan to leave.-
Yang Zicang pushed the door open.
Contrary to expectations, the scene Yang Zicang saw when he pushed open the door was not a dark and quiet world, but rather a small tavern-like setting, with a mildly lively yet not noisy atmosphere.
Soft light, like the moon’s gauze skirt, enveloped the dozens of square meters of space ahead.
As the door swung open, the noisy –people- inside all turned to look.
——-It’s a new human.-
——-Another one with near-third-ring mental strength coming for assessment?-
——-Welcome, welcome.-
Yang Zicang, who had intended to ask Wei Zhenguo when he planned to leave, was instantly stunned by this scene.
–These are…- Yang Zicang glanced at the various strange figures inside, then turned to look at Wei Zhenguo behind him.
–They are companion Enightmare spirits, temporarily possessing humanoid psychic bodies in this training ground. Remote-controlled ones,- the man said, stroking his chin.
–No wonder.- Yang Zicang looked—these translucent figures were like jelly, some large, some small. Though they all wore human-like clothing, they were essentially monsters impersonating humans.
——-Hello, my name is Zhao Pangpang. Which training ground do you want to participate in?-
A woman with a head as big as an ox swayed over and slapped Yang Zicang on the shoulder.
As she finished speaking, several more strange psychic bodies like dolls awakened in distant rooms. It seemed they were –Enightmare spirits- who, upon learning someone had entered, rushed over to see the excitement.
—-We can put in allowance for you too.-
—-I had a hundred years’ worth of virtual zero coins last month.- A handsome psychic man stood up and said, –My name is Xiaobin.-
But as the handsome man stepped forward, his wobbling gait made the psychic body look like a long balloon figure swaying in the wind outside a phone store.
More and more –people- crowded around, all of them eerie to behold. Yang Zicang noticed that their voices didn’t come from these psychic bodies but from speakers around the room, many of which were mixed with muffled sounds that didn’t belong to this place.
These psychic bodies were merely controlled remotely by the Enightmare.
Two men—their steps somewhat steady but only half a person’s height—quickly carried a small rack over and set it up in front of Yang Zicang.
The short, doll-like psychic man picked up a cartridge with dynamic lightning patterns and handed it to Yang Zicang.
—-First time here? Pick one quick—this one’s fun!-
Yang Zicang looked at the bright orange psychic game cartridge thrust into his hand.
Pixel Gust Chronicles II: Extreme Rush
—-That one’s too hard!-
Another elfin, slender girl came running, her lips smeared with lipstick so bright it was hilariously overdone.
–Oi, Oli Shan! You’re just trying to make this human fail to get a good score so you can play yourself, aren’t you!-
She blurted out the very thought in that short psychokinetic man’s mind.
Yang Zicang glanced suspiciously at this guy who was rolling his eyes and shrugging his shoulders, then another psychokinetic person carrying a cassette rack looked at Yang Zicang and said in a simple, honest tone:
–The training ground has three ratings: SUPER, GOOD, and DULL.-
–And then?- Based on this guy’s suggestion earlier, Yang Zicang had pretty much guessed what was coming.
Sure enough, the simple psychokinetic entity’s voice echoed from the speakers on the wall: –If you can’t reach the GOOD level, we can go in and play together to help you clear it.-
–Maybe you should try this one.-
The sprite-like psychokinetic girl, straining a bit, picked up a cassette titled –Black Alice’s Dream of Hell-.
Before Yang Zicang could take a closer look, the plump lady psychokinetic grabbed a psychokinetic game cassette called –Super Double Kitchen Slash-.
–This one works too, it’s really fun. If you get a SUPER rating in here, you’ll earn a ‘Basic Operation Pattern’ that makes you more sensitive to the wind.-
–You all just want to play yourselves, don’t you.-
Wei Zhenguo walked in with a grin.
Yang Zicang glanced at him. –I think I know why people usually don’t come here—this is the place for psychic training of the companion Enightmares belonging to those red Moxel colleagues, right?-
–Haha, sort of. Anyone can use it. It’s just that the training grounds they can access are all of the ‘indoctrination’ type. You know what that means, right?-
An image instantly popped into Yang Zicang’s head: a bunch of companion Enightmare spirits sitting obediently in a classroom, tediously listening to the teacher lecture on ideological virtues while waiting for class to end.
Seeing the longing flickering in their eyes before him, Yang Zicang’s mouth twitched.
Wei Zhenguo took the cartridges from Yang Zicang’s hand and placed them into the shelf.
–Xiao Zang, your Moxel ability aligns with ‘wind.’ Wind belongs to Wood. I suggest you pick a training ground that enhances this aspect.-
[The Barking Gate informs that I, the great Quadrilateral, can only select the second training cartridge after obtaining a GOOD evaluation on my own.]
So choose carefully. If, like clocking in for work, you can’t get a GOOD evaluation for a long time, even switching to another basic circulation pattern won’t be possible.
His eyes swept over stacks of psychic game cartridges arranged like book spines. Suddenly, his gaze sharpened.
–You’re the one.-
Yang Zicang pulled down this materialized psychic game cartridge. As his fingertips touched it, a faint mist emanated from its surface, like the icy vapor from ice cream just taken out of a freezer.
–Legend of the Fierce Hero: Pushing Boxes in the Gusty Wind-
Wei Zhenguo said, –Oh? Pushing boxes, you chose this?-
–Hehe, didn’t you say wind belongs to wood? Just by the name, this training ground suits me.-
The surrounding psychics looked at the cassette in Yang Zicang’s hand.
— –This one’s no fun.-
— –Boxes fall from the sky, big ones, spinning, leaving you with bumps all over. If you pick this, you’ll never clear it. Take my advice—swap it out.-
— –It reminds me of when I was getting shelled on the Postal Battlefield.-
–Go on, it’s right across from you.-
Wei Zhenguo patted Yang Zicang on the shoulder and pointed to the sealed door across the room, which resembled a tavern’s dance floor.
Cassette in hand, Yang Zicang turned his head: –Why do you want to leave, Uncle Wei? Can you really leave this place?-
–Of course, I can move toward a new fate trajectory.-
–I see,- Yang Zicang’s eyes drooped slightly, –Knowing about the past actually allows you to set off on a new fate trajectory.-
–Because a new fate is nothing but a copy of an ancient fate trajectory, isn’t it?- He chuckled.
–As for me, I’ve been resting here for years. I’ve earned the Elite Employee evaluation, but becoming a team leader is still nowhere in sight. So… hmph, I kind of miss the days when I could fight outside as a young man.-
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