Section Fifty
These were hands of astonishing speed. Hack never imagined that someone not from Black Corner could possess such incredible hand speed. Hands are the most agile part of the human body, capable of the most tasks. The faster the hands, the more tasks that can be completed within a certain time frame, and the implications of that are obvious without even thinking. In a life-or-death situation, the difference between survival and death could very well hinge on a single action or a fraction of a second. Such exceptional hand speed was extremely rare even within Black Corner!
And Mu didn't seem to be aware of the true power of these hands yet.
Hack looked at Ye Zhong standing quietly to the side and nodded, saying, "Not bad, quite impressive!"
Ye Zhong remained silent and didn't speak.
Hack seemed to be lost in thought about something. After a long while, he finally spoke: "Tell me your understanding of what a Shifter is!"
Ye Zhong tilted his head and thought for a moment before saying, "The controller of a Light Armor."
Hack nodded: "Most ordinary people would probably think the same!" Ye Zhong was slightly surprised and looked up at Hack.
Hack spoke leisurely, his tone full of nostalgia: "Shifters aren't what you imagine them to be. The definitions of Shifters outside and all those so-called assessments are utterly meaningless things. Hmph, child's play! The real world of Shifters is far beyond your imagination and is unknown to outsiders. Do you know what the predecessors of Shifters were?"
Ye Zhong shook his head.
"The predecessors of Shifters were people who pursued power. The rise of mechanical civilization made people discover the immense power of machinery. Traditional秘术 (mì shù - esoteric arts/secrets) and ancient martial arts rapidly declined, replaced by the rise of Shifters. Later, people discovered that if ancient martial artists or秘术师 (mì shù shī - masters of esoteric arts) piloted Light Armors, they could exert even greater power and had a higher chance of survival in harsh environments. Eventually, someone thought of combining ancient martial arts and秘术 with Light Armors, creating a new type of Shifter. These Shifters were no match for ordinary ancient martial artists or秘术师 in bare-handed combat, but once they piloted Light Armors, the strength they displayed was astonishing. About five hundred years ago, a great catastrophe occurred, an unprecedented calamity. Many people died in this catastrophe, and most of the survivors were Shifters, which directly led to the destruction of other power systems. Then, three hundred years ago, some more events happened, and only then did the knowledge of Shifters spread to the outer star domains and become known to outsiders! However, what they obtained was undoubtedly extremely backward. As for the exact details of what happened, I'm not very clear either!" Hack continued, "But expecting you people from the Five Great Star Domains to understand what ancient martial arts and秘术 are is really not an easy task!"
Ye Zhong's mind was in turmoil! He never imagined there was such a backstory! From Hack's words, he could glean that Hack was not from the Five Great Star Domains, but came from another mysterious, unknown place. Furthermore, there seemed to be a very subtle relationship between that place and the Five Great Star Domains!
"The three most important factors for a Shifter are the body, the Light Armor, and the spirit. This directly led to the emergence of the three main schools of thought. One follows the path of combining ancient martial arts and technology, aiming to temper the body. Another follows the path of combining秘术 and technology; well, those who practice秘术 generally have stronger spirits. The last one follows the path of pure machinery. To be honest, this is the most detested school. They directly modify the body, making people neither human nor ghost. However, their strength is still very powerful! And undoubtedly, their Light Armors are the most advanced among the three schools!" Although his distaste for the third school was evident, Hack had to acknowledge their strength.
Ye Zhong listened with rapt attention!
"You must have guessed it by now. We belong to the first school. It must be said that ancient martial arts have truly remarkable effects on developing the human body. Ancient martial arts are undoubtedly profound and extensive, but we only take this particular aspect of their function. I don't know how you trained. I don't detect any energy fluctuations on you, yet your muscular strength has reached such a level without the muscle fibers thickening like an ordinary person's. This puzzles me greatly!" However, Hack obviously didn't want to delve into this issue. "Alright, follow me!"
Hack led Ye Zhong into a huge hall. Inside the hall were many ovular instruments. The shells of these instruments were made of transparent material, filled with a silvery liquid that looked very viscous. Many of the ovular instruments had people soaking inside, eyes closed, expressions serene, looking quite comfortable.
Pointing to an empty ovular pod, Hack said, "Get in and try it!" Ye Zhong, half believing and half doubting, walked up to the ovular pod. Swish—an opening large enough for Ye Zhong to enter slid open. Ye Zhong walked in. Swish—another light sound, and the ovular pod closed. The silvery liquid gurgled as it rose from his feet, first to his knees, then to his waist, then to his chest, and finally stopped just below his neck.
A lazy feeling suddenly washed over Ye Zhong. His whole body felt warm and cozy, so comfortable that he almost moaned. Gradually, drowsiness seemed to creep up on Ye Zhong, yet he also felt awake, as if he was in a state between sleep and wakefulness.
He didn't know how much time had passed before Ye Zhong felt as if he had suddenly woken up. He saw Hack staring intently at him from outside, his thoughts unknown beneath the black mask. The silvery liquid receded like a tide. In moments, the ovular pod was completely empty. Ye Zhong was astonished to find that not a single drop of the silvery liquid remained on his body, and his clothes were exactly the same as when he had entered.
Hack, seeing Ye Zhong walk out, asked, "How do you feel?"
Ye Zhong nodded: "Good, very good."
A strange look flashed in Hack's eyes: "Do you feel now as if your whole body is full of strength, wanting to vent it somehow?"
Ye Zhong had noticed it as soon as the silvery liquid left his body – he felt hot and restless all over, his body seemingly brimming with power. Prompted by Hack's question, the urge to release this energy grew stronger and stronger within him. He couldn't help but nod!
Hack led Ye Zhong to a spacious training ground equipped with all sorts of training facilities. "Use up all your physical strength here. Then go back and soak in that pod until you wake up naturally. Do this cycle three times in total! Alright, train by yourself now!" Having said that, Hack left.
Ye Zhong followed Hack's instructions, exhausting all his strength each time before crawling back into the ovular pod for replenishment. Inside the ovular pod, Ye Zhong could almost feel his physical strength gradually gathering again, a truly wonderful sensation.
Once replenished, Ye Zhong would run to the training ground to expend his energy. After three cycles, Ye Zhong noticed that the rate at which his strength recovered inside the ovular pod had significantly increased. Moreover, when he emerged, his whole body no longer felt as feverish as the first time, but began to feel normal again.
By the time Ye Zhong finished the three cycles, it was almost evening. He hadn't eaten all day, yet he didn't feel the slightest bit hungry, guessing that it was probably due to the function of that silvery liquid.
He found some steel balls on the training ground and casually put them in his pocket. He walked all the way back to his room. On the way, he ran into Johnsen. Neither of them spoke, merely nodding slightly to each other as they passed by.