The Original Seeker
Chapter 31: Converging All Things Into a Blade

Adm Note: This is a test AI MTL from DeepSeek R1 + glossary compiled by Gemini 2.5 Pro.

If you want to continue, go to the MTL section: /mtl-reader/1206351/index/

***

"Good morning, General Zhang."

"Fortune favors you. Someone upstairs mentioned you. They're having you directly take the Deputy Captain position in First Squad."

"Understood."

"Aren't you wondering why they assigned you as Deputy Captain?"

"Asking won't make me the Captain. There's no point wasting mental energy." Bai Mo stated it as pure fact.

He never questioned what he couldn't change.

"Good mindset for a young man. I came today to introduce you to the captain of my ability user unit—Wen Jian. You two should exchange insights." Zhang Jinqu had recomposed himself after the earlier, unintended shock, once more assuming the lofty stance of a senior superior.

Compared to newfound faith in power, the worship of authority remained more deeply entrenched in his mind.

"Greetings." Wen Jian extended his hand to Bai Mo.

Bai Mo grasped it lightly.

His initial impression of Wen Jian was positive. Unlike the middle-aged man whose face screamed 'bureaucrat', Wen Jian's strong military bearing seemed far more trustworthy.

Both being men of few words, an awkward silence fell after the handshake.

After ten uneasy seconds, Wen Jian finally broke it.

"Let's spar downstairs."

"A soldier's approach... though it could also be that old man's ploy, using him to test me as a pawn." Bai Mo felt resigned, but his face remained expressionless.

He'd considered refusing politely; pointless sparring held little appeal, especially if it was merely a probe. But the chance to gather data on his opponent changed his mind.

Probing was inevitable anyway. Might as well settle it here.

...

They arrived at the rooftop training ground, trailed by a gaggle of onlookers.

The entire twentieth floor comprised four combat chambers. State-of-the-art sensors, rivalling World Cup broadcasts, lined the chamber walls. They recorded fights for post-match review and provided training data for the entire Daoist Academy.

Specially heightened ceilings stretched twenty meters up, designed for physique-enhancers whose leaps easily cleared several meters.

Walls, floor, and ceiling used layered composite structures engineered for shock absorption and force dispersion.

The outermost layer was a disposable material simulating common ground soil. This minimized damage containment to this layer, reducing repair costs.

"Hard to imagine all this was built in a month."

"It's about the nation's will." Zhang Jinqu stated.

Once spectators reached safe zones, the two men took stances.

...

Stances aside, Bai Mo looked much as usual. He wasn't some super-soldier. He hadn't even experienced real combat. Weeks of practice had only granted him basic control over his explosive strength. He no longer ripped his clothes stretching, crushed cups drinking water, or wrenched door handles off.

Combat techniques, systems – they were alien to him.

Existing martial arts – Chinese Kung Fu, Karate, Taekwondo, Muay Thai – felt designed for baseline humans. His own physical stats soared beyond human norms, making orthodox forms feel irrelevant. With the Life Field shielding all body parts uniformly, frailties like eyes or groin ceased to exist as vital points.

He craved not human martial forms, but a fighting system forged specifically for posthuman beings. Crafting such discipline could never be the work of mere months.

...

Wen Jian darted straight at Bai Mo, fingers fused like a blade aiming a thrust.

"A lightsaber?!" Bai Mo's spiritual sense saw Wen Jian's entire forearm saturated with spiritual power, projecting forward like a laser sword. Concealing his telekinesis meant relying solely on his Life Field's defensive strength. Could it withstand an 'energy handblade'? Unclear. Bai Mo used telekinesis to move himself, bending gravity with uncanny grace, avoiding the strike.

...

"His profile says a secondary ability lets him see the energy expended when powers are used. That perception reveals Wen Jian's invisible blades, weakening his prime advantage. A visible blade is simpler to block. But that near-antigravitational motion..."

Neither man wasted words on boasts like 'You should be honored to face this technique!' Pre-battle announcements were idiocy. Ultimate moves and hidden cards were deployed silently, ideally leaving foes bewildered in death. Efficiency reigned. Especially for Wen Jian – the soldier executed only the mission.

...

Each avoided the other's blows. Wen Jian's handblades possessed lightsaber-like lethality. Bai Mo wouldn't gamble flesh against that edge. Yet Wen Jian dared not absorb Bai Mo's punches either; his physical reinforcement wasn't extreme. Five tons of force could cripple him instantly.

Battle locked into stalemate. Bai Mo held overwhelming speed and strength but lacked the finesse to wield them. He refused even minor injury, maintaining strict distance from Wen Jian's blades.

Wen Jian possessed elite combat training augmented by arm-blade projecting abilities, yet couldn't pin down the vastly faster Bai Mo, who evaded relentlessly.

After ten minutes of this high-speed stalemate, Wen Jian felt his stamina diving dangerously low from sustained power usage. Time to gamble. He charged again, certain Bai Mo would dodge the lethal arc of his arms—the usual pattern.

This time, however, Wen Jian didn't attack. Instead, he rolled violently at Bai Mo's feet. A tremor surged through the floor. The disposable top layer simulating earth fractured, kicking up thick dust.

Through the haze, Bai Mo's spiritual awareness saw Wen Jian summoning the fractured floor material. Dust coalesced under spiritual energy, forming a blade suspended in air like a legendary sword immortal's flying weapon.

"Slay in ten steps, leave no trace in a thousand miles!" Wen Jian bellowed.

He aimed to catch Bai Mo unawares. But Bai Mo had already predicted the trajectory with his spiritual awareness. He evaded effortlessly. The flying sword shattered back into dust.

...

Bai Mo searched Wen Jian's impassive face. He *knew* more was coming.

Right on cue, Wen Jian discarded solid forms. He condensed the air itself with his power, shaping an invisible blade of pure spiritual force. He slashed towards Bai Mo.

Onlookers gaped in confusion. They saw only one man 'wielding' an imaginary sword, the other 'dodging' nothing—like actors in a farce. It felt demented, an 'Emperor's New Blade'.

"Converging all things into blade... Wen Jian's ability has ascended another level."

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