On the fifth day of intensive training, the trainees gathered in front of the laboratory building after breakfast.
It had been dark the previous night, so no one had paid much attention. But now, in the early morning light, they saw that the main door of the laboratory building was a thick, black steel door, seemingly even thicker than the walls. All the windows were made of integrated explosion-proof glass, and ventilation depended entirely on the ventilation system. Even without curtains, no one from the outside could see in.
"Could this be the so-called one-way glass frequently featured in those romantic action movies?" Yuan Dang said seriously, his words completely at odds with his dignified appearance.
Generally speaking, Ren Suo's roommates were quite ordinary. They maintained appropriate distances and weren't foolish enough to rank themselves by age—what was the point of such formalities when they'd only be roommates for five days? They mostly just chatted casually and hadn't revealed much about their backgrounds.
However, this training wasn't military; it was a step for them to transition from ordinary people to Transcendent beings. In their excitement, even the most stoic individuals couldn't help but reveal their true emotions. Despite some reservations, they did become good friends, and those risqué nighttime conversations were a critical part of their bonding.
Although Xie Qiansi befriended others with an agenda, his appearance and manner of speaking were indeed appealing. In the eighth team, he managed to become friends with most people and could converse easily with them. Yuan Dang was the first to master the Intermediate Cultivation Method; he had graduated from one of the top two institutions in Mysterious Country and usually carried himself like the group's witty advisor, loving to make provocative jokes once he got to know people. Zhao Huo, on the other hand, was simply engrossed in his Cultivation, quite ordinary in his demeanor.
"We're leaving this noon, aren't we supposed to cultivate?" Ren Suo sighed. "I haven't even reached the first turn yet."
Like forming a Qi Cyclone, achieving the first turn didn't necessarily take much time. However, this was highly dependent on Talent—some took only a few days, while others might need a year. A middle-aged scholar in the Spiritual Energy Recognition Class had used an analogy: forming the cyclone was akin to the fusion of sperm and egg, whereas achieving the turn was like the embryo's full development.
Some were like 'seven-star babies,' born prematurely yet still developing, while others were like the mythical Nezha, who gestated for three years before finally emerging.
So far, it had been discovered that achieving the turn didn't significantly correlate with Talent. Some Cultivators with low Talent could form their Qi Cyclone in just a few days, while others with high Talent might see their Qi Cyclone form in the morning and achieve the turn by evening.
The underlying principles weren't yet understood, so it largely came down to luck. However, Cultivation could undoubtedly speed up the process, which was why Ren Suo was so eager to seize every opportunity to cultivate.
Having witnessed the power of Cloth and Lock the previous day, Ren Suo yearned to master such Transcendent forces, even though he owned the Little Overlord game console. After all, for now, the console's rewards seemed limited to the 'ordinary person's' capabilities, with the only exception being the 'Physical Fitness Optimization,' which he suspected might have helped activate his Qi Cyclone.
However, as soon as Ren Suo spoke, his roommates turned their heads, their expressions clearly saying, 'I understand.' Looking at him with the pity one reserves for a complete loser, they kindly patted Ren Suo's shoulder.
Xie Qiansi said, "I know, you surely want to maintain your distance... But there are plenty of fish in the sea."
Yuan Dang added, "Besides, it's not like there's no chance; after all, we are all from Lianjiang City."
Zhao Huo just nodded. "Mhm."
After speaking, they glanced at the girls in the front row of the eighth team, then back at Ren Suo, and sighed.
Ren Suo rarely bothered to analyze what they were saying. Realizing the previous night that his 'magical' approach could actually impress girls was the first time he'd shown such awareness in his twenty-odd years. He usually focused solely on his goals, indifferent to everything else.
At exactly eight in the morning, the instructors began to arrive one after another. Yu Kuangtu, who had only appeared once before, showed up again. He went straight to the steel door, grabbed the handle, and yanked it open with sheer Force!
The trainees were stunned. The instructors quickly seized the opportunity to show off, saying, "If 'Cloth' is enhanced to its limit, it can even negate the Force feedback from objects. This is a basic operation. You all are too young."
Yuan Dang muttered, "This is indeed the strongest Lock..."
No one opposed Yuan Dang's statement. Facing this plain iron door, all high-tech decryption devices were meaningless. Only the most brutal, basic Force could open it!
Or perhaps, it could only be opened by a power that surpassed human imagination—the strength of an immortal!
After opening the door, Yu Kuangtu led some people in first. The rest, under the instructors' command, lined up and entered the third floor of the laboratory building. The teams that weren't called stayed downstairs, waiting.
This situation, reminiscent of a final inspection on the last day of military training, naturally caused some dissatisfaction. However, the instructors waiting downstairs weren't just standing idly by. They signaled for the others to sit on the ground while they demonstrated some derivative techniques of Cloth and Lock.
Although the trainees had learned Cloth and Lock, they understood that this was like learning '1+1'; it didn't mean they could solve Fourier equations. The instructors then demonstrated some more advanced applications, which left the trainees exclaiming in awe. These included techniques like 'Partial Cloth Transmutation,' 'Cloth Tough Armor,' 'Deadly Scissor Lock,' and so on.
The most impressive was a supreme technique demonstrated by Zhao Jingzhong: the Cloth Lock Secret Technique! Anyone who came into contact with Zhao Jingzhong's invisible outer 'Clothing' felt as if they had been attacked by a Lock, losing control of their bodies and stopping in their tracks!
It was then that everyone realized Zhao Jingzhong was actually a prominent figure among first-turn Cultivators. This Cloth Lock Secret Technique was considered top-tier even among the military Cultivators who had been the first to practice these arts. Even if they were taught the intricacies of such a technique, it would require countless hours of practice. Moreover, it wasn't guaranteed they could learn such a skill even if they wanted to.
When others asked how to learn these techniques, the instructors just smiled faintly and said, "You'll know once you return."
"That sounds like a flag; it feels like disaster will strike once we leave the base."
The long-absent, gender-neutral, sourceless voice of sarcasm spoke up again, and the trainees downstairs immediately quieted down. They had previously thought it was just some mischievous student making quips. But now they realized that even the instructors couldn't identify the speaker. This likely meant the person was using some advanced, undetectable Spiritual Energy Technique.
A while later, Team Seven came down one after another, some looking joyous, others calm, giving nothing away about what they had experienced. Zhao Jingzhong led Team Eight up to the third floor, where they waited outside a sealed room. Each person entered for a few minutes before coming out.
When it was Ren Suo's turn, he entered and found the room extremely spacious. Only Yu Kuangtu and three Black Body Armors were seated to one side. On the ground was a strange, four-square-meter black tile, next to which were four items resembling soft light screens used in photography.
Yu Kuangtu signaled Ren Suo to enter the black tile area and said, "Perform the Breathing Technique; a minute or two will suffice."
Ren Suo followed the instruction. After a minute or two, Yu Kuangtu and the three Black Body Armors all raised their eyebrows.
Meeting Ren Suo's anxious gaze, Yu Kuangtu said calmly, "Spiritual Energy Breathing Talent is 1.25."
After a pause, he added, "The current average Talent among new Cultivators is 1.77."