The image of Zhu Yin handing him the manual surfaced in Yang Zicang’s mind.
Was this guy in front of him planning to pass messages to others through this telekinesis training ground?
–This one I don’t have time to chop with my sword,- Yang Zicang muttered to himself, facing the huge crate falling from the sky.
Walking was fine, but when he ran, he felt like a toddler just learning to walk—utterly unable to control his body’s coordination.
[The Barking Gate tells me that the team leader is secretly laughing at my movements.]
–Ha!- Yang Zicang looked up.
[Grav-Arc activated.]
Bang! Silver Lance spun into view from the sky, chasing after the massive crate that suddenly accelerated to dodge.
Boom!
With one strike, the crate split into eight smaller ones at an altitude of less than thirty meters, their collision trajectories scattering in even more chaotic patterns.
The stone bricks on the ground lit up one after another with no rhyme or reason, but each lit brick was instantly pinned down by a falling crate.
In some office, Officer Mengxi, observing the training ground scene through a glow tube, shook his head.
–This kid—if it weren’t for his Moxel ability, it would be almost impossible for anyone with less than three-ring mental power to clear this training ground.-
–Yeah. If he had to rely on hands and weapons, he’d need to be a genius with such precise control over his mental power that he could make one ounce of force produce ten ounces of effect. This kid really lucked out.-
–It’s also his good fortune at play.-
In Yang Zicang’s office, the girl named Jiaoma sat quietly at her seat, her hand touching the flashing glow tube.
Through this contact, scenes from the training room were transmitted blurrily.
Hearing Yang Zicang’s faint, disdainful –heh- aimed at her, a small dimple appeared at the corner of her mouth.
A dense array of boxes fell one after another in a rush.
In an instant, the square was neatly covered with nearly ninety wooden boxes.
Just as he was about to fill the last ten vacancies, a huge blazing metal crate suddenly appeared in the sky, moving at such high speed that it even stirred up swirling clouds.
–Is this the last one?-
In the scorching flames, Yang Zicang, already in pain, felt a tightening in his heart. He staggered to the center of the square, and the moment his hand touched the sword hilt, an invisible force seemed to rapidly extend from the sword, enveloping his entire body like an outpouring of spiritual energy.
This enveloping energy collided with his own outwardly projected psychic power, giving rise to countless whispers.
{…Remember…}
{…Trajectory…crackle…}
Sure enough, relying solely on the training ground to transmit messages was easily discovered. Even though the sender had skillfully used the tones produced by the collision between the energy membrane and psychic force, it still failed.
The huge metal crate came roaring down.
Yang Zicang calmed his expectant heart. Bracing his right leg back, he held his sword level with both hands. When the box drew closer, he let the blade actively guide his arms as he sent a single upward slash at the last large container.
As if teaching him how to wield a sword.
Instantly, a blazing whirlwind of fire spiraled around the edge of the blade, crashing into the metal box like an azure dragon.
Boom! The giant metal chest exploded into eight smaller metal boxes, while all the remaining wooden crates came crashing down at the same time. Silver-white Moxel lines flickered, swiftly rewriting and correcting their explosive trajectories.
The searing heat finally began to subside.
In the wind, Yang Zicang swayed slightly as he sheathed his sword and stood upright, watching the last boxes decelerate from high speed and slowly settle into the gaps.
{Perfect, my friend.}
[SUPER!]
{Congratulations, you have successfully obtained a SUPER evaluation in the training ground –The Legend of Fierce Heroes: Pushing Boxes in the Gale,- and triggered a hidden challenge.}
The voice of the Dog-Bark Gate sounded.
{Do you wish to continue the hidden challenge?}
–Huh? The hidden challenge isn’t over yet?-
Yang Zicang looked at the blurry figure that had yet to dissipate, but he was already feeling the strain.
{For a genius like my friend, how could merely granting a –Blessing Mark- be sufficient reward?}
The Wind Spirit Warrior’s form flickered before Yang Zicang, and on his indistinct face, a faint smile could be discerned.
{I commissioned someone with the –Psionic Alchemy- ability to forge three hidden rewards. If you, my friend, can complete a perfect challenge of this training ground three times in a row within four days, you may pick one to take away.}
Three psionic phantoms instantly appeared before Yang Zicang.
They were a ring, a pair of round-framed crystal glasses, and a strange little object shrouded in smoke.
As Yang Zicang swept his gaze over them, the names of these three items slowly surfaced in his mind.
[Memory Drill Ring, Level Gaze Glasses, Unrest Evil Force.]
[The Barking Gate informed me that I could choose the current reward, or rest and then continue to challenge for an even greater one.]
Hearing this, Yang Zicang finally let out a sigh of relief.
Moxel’s arrangements were fine, but this raging wind and scorching flame truly took it out of me. If I kept pushing on now, I’d probably end up with my body collapsing from mental exhaustion.
–I’ll come back tomorrow.-
He turned around and saw a bunch of heads peering at him through the isolating force-field wall.
–Ha, sorry, folks. No way you can sneak in and clear the stage for me.-
On the corridor paved with vintage floor tiles, ancient brass tubes hummed faintly as they transported steam power. Under the watchful gazes of iron orcs and marble statues lining the walkway, Wei Zhenguo and Yang Zicang—who looked a bit mentally drained—walked along the long hallway.
–Not bad at all—strong enough to trigger the hidden level.-
–Hehe, thanks. I know my own situation well.- Yang Zicang smiled bitterly. –That scene is simply not something someone at my level can clear. Even if my mental control precision were five times higher, I’d barely scrape by with a SUPER rating. Getting through it by luck was entirely because of Moxel.-
–By the way,- Yang Zicang continued, –I chose to continue the challenge, so I won’t be able to get back the Xuling Chronos I invested for now.-
–Hahaha. Don’t sweat that tiny bit of Chronos.-
A flicker of hesitation crossed Yang Zicang’s face, as if he wanted to speak but held back.
–Want to ask something?- Wei Zhenguo saw through the awkward, cautious thoughts of the young man beside him at a glance.
–Yeah, I thought of a question, but I don’t dare ask. If I happen to guess right, I might not be able to resign.-
–If it’s information you deduced yourself, as long as you don’t spread it far and wide outside, it’s not a violation. So don’t worry about that.-
–Alright.-
A silver ring materialized on Yang Zicang’s chest, and he pointed at his own Moxel.
–Everyone has this thing. What… what exactly is it?-
Wei Zhenguo stopped in his tracks.
Yang Zicang’s eyes met the man’s square-jawed face. The man said thoughtfully:
–Actually, I’ve discussed this question with many colleagues. Everyone has proposed all kinds of possibilities, but in the end, we still don’t know which one comes closest to the truth.-
The young man frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and said, –Then let me offer one possibility, Uncle Wei. Listen and see—have you guys discussed this one before?-
–Go ahead, let’s hear it.-
–Could it be… the thought of someone from the old world?–
–This…– Wei Zhenguo saw that Yang Zicang didn’t seem to be joking, –How did you come to that conclusion?–
–Because of the Frequency-Lost Land… Ah, forget it.– Yang Zicang didn’t want to speak with such conviction based on mere speculation.
Wei Zhenguo noticed Yang Zicang seemed a bit deflated and smiled, –Speaking of which, someone else had a similar idea—that Moxel is a manifestation of our own energy. After all, some people can upgrade the lines of Moxel using just their consciousness.–
–That’s true.–
The two continued walking. Wei Zhenguo said as they went, –By the way, Xiaozang. We haven’t invested in each other yet, have we? I’ll be heading onto a new trajectory of fate soon, and maybe we’ll meet again over there. Let’s exchange some lifespan with each other, so we can stay in touch through Moxel later.–
–I couldn’t ask for more.–
[Wei Zhenguo intends to perform a Pro-Investment on me.]
[Wei Zhenguo invested 1N Full Authority Chronos in me.]
[I, the great quadrilateral, returned 1.1N to Wei Zhenguo.]
–Those invited by the Lost Mirage Company are all exceptionally talented people. If we meet again on a new trajectory of fate, I believe we can work hand in hand. Keep it up—I’m very optimistic about your future performance.–
Yang Zicang was deeply moved.
A thread of light shot over. After sensing the information, Yang Zicang smiled and said, –Team Leader Jiao Ma has invited us to dinner.–
–Haha, you two young folks go ahead. I’m too old to be a third wheel.-
–……–
Yang Zicang finally caught on: so this old guy was trying to set him up with the little team leader. Was the so-called –wanting to drink wedding wine before leaving- referring to this?
Come to think of it, do people of this age—regardless of gender—all love playing matchmaker?
Speaking of which… Yang Zicang stroked his chin.
He himself was probably no different.
–…I’ve recently read a lot of information about certain continents in the Old World… Along the replicated trajectory of fate, perhaps…-
Yang Zicang, walking with his head lowered, found it increasingly strange. The voice of the man beside him was beginning to tremble more and more, as if distorting.
Yang Zicang turned his head. Wei Zhenguo, who was even a bit taller than him, seemed to have noticed his own problem too.
He looked down at his hands—wisps of vapor were spreading from his palms, then his hair, and then his entire body!
–This is…-
Yang Zicang’s eyes shot wide open as he stared in shock at the man beside him dissolving like mist.
In that instant, semi-transparent energy figures violently wrenched out from the metal statues that had stood silently on both sides of the corridor for years.
They materialized around the two men instantly, as if exploding into existence from nothing.
A tiger-faced man in a top hat and magician’s robe grabbed Yang Zicang and pulled him back two steps. The remaining figures—some tall, some short—quickly converged on the vanishing Wei Zhenguo.
Several force fields flickered to life, as if trying to contain the energy radiating from his body, but they were utterly useless.
–What’s happening to him?- Yang Zicang cried out nervously. He had already sensed something was wrong, but why was a living person suddenly dissipating like mist right before his eyes?
{No high-energy attack detected, not energization.}
{No fluctuations in the five elements.}
{His ether field energy is rapidly depleting.}
The energy in the corridor twisted violently. The concentrated mass was abruptly compressed into a sphere by an invisible force, then stretched vertically. In a moment, it swelled into the silhouette of an adult man. The next second, a man in a gray casual uniform appeared with a grim expression, stepped in front of Wei Zhenguo, and reached out to grab his fading body—but his hand passed straight through it.
Everyone fell silent.
The tiger-man released his grip on the young man’s arm. Yang Zicang rushed forward, staring wide-eyed at the center of the corridor, where only smoke now drifted lazily.
Even the smoke was now spinning rapidly and dissolving.
–What is this?!- Yang Zicang exclaimed in horror. Yet he felt his thoughts growing hazier, as if he began to doubt why he had even asked that question.
The man in the gray casual uniform said gravely, –His past has been altered. In this timeline, he no longer exists.-
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