The image of Zhu Yin handing him the manual surfaced in Yang Zicang’s mind.

This guy in front of him was planning to use this psychic training ground to send a message to others, wasn’t he?

“There’s no time to cut this one with the sword,” Yang Zicang muttered to himself as he looked at the large crate falling from the sky.

Walking was fine, but once he started running, he felt like a toddler learning to walk, completely unable to control his body’s coordination.

[The Barking Dog Gate told me that Group Leader is secretly laughing at my movements.]

“Ha!” Yang Zicang looked up.

[Graviton Arc activated.]

Bang! A silver spear spun into view from the horizon, chasing after the large crate that had suddenly accelerated to evade.

Boom!

With one strike, the crate split into eight smaller crates at an altitude of less than thirty meters, their collision trajectories scattering in even more complex patterns.

The stone bricks on the ground lit up one by one without any discernible pattern, but each one was quickly pinned down by a falling crate.

In some office, the Montai Officer sensing the scene in this training ground through the Luminous Tube shook her head.

“This kid, without his model ability, it would be almost impossible for someone with less than the third ring of psychic power to clear this training ground.”

“Yeah. To do it with just hands and weapons, you’d need a genius who can control their mental power with extreme precision, getting ten times the effect out of every ounce. That kid got incredibly lucky.”

“It really was a stroke of luck for him.”

In Yang Zicang’s office, a young woman named Jiaoma sat quietly at her desk, her hand gently touching the flickering Luminous Tube.

Through the contact, a blurry image from the training room was transmitted to her.

Hearing Yang Zicang’s faint, dismissive “Hmph” clearly in her mind, a small dimple appeared at the corner of the girl’s mouth.

Box after box came crashing down in rapid succession.

In an instant, nearly ninety wooden boxes were already firmly piled up across the square.

Just as he was about to fill the last ten gaps, a huge metallic crate engulfed in flames suddenly appeared in the sky, moving at incredible speed, even whipping up layers of spinning clouds.

“Is this the last one?”

Amidst the blazing heat, Yang Zicang, already feeling immense strain, tightened his heart. Stumbling to the center of the square, the moment his hand touched the sword’s hilt, it felt as though a shapeless force extended from the sword, spreading over his body like an external projection of his mental power.

The collision between this covering energy and his own outwardly released mental power gave rise to a cacophony of murmurs, countless whispers.

{…Remember…}

{…Trajectory…zzz…}

Indeed, relying solely on the training ground to convey messages is easily discovered. Even though this information transmitter had cleverly utilized the tones vibrated by the collision between energy membranes and mental force, it still failed.

The large metal box came crashing down.

Yang Zicang calmed his expectant heart. He braced his right leg back, held the sword horizontally with both hands, and only when the box got closer did he let the sword actively lead his arms in an upward slash, striking the final large box.

It was as if it was teaching him how to use a sword.

Instantly, a blazing gale spun into existence along the blade, crashing onto the metal box like a azure dragon.

Boom! The large metal chest exploded into eight smaller metal chests, and all the remaining wooden chests fell together at that moment. Silver-white model lines flickered, rapidly replacing and adjusting their exploding trajectories.

The scorching high temperature finally began to subside.

In the wind, Yang Zicang swayed as he sheathed the sword and stood upright, watching these final chests decelerate from high speed and slowly settle into the empty spaces.

{Perfect, my friend.}

[SUPER!]

{Congratulations, you have successfully obtained a SUPER rating in the “Heroic Legend: Pushing Boxes in the Gale” training ground, and triggered a hidden challenge.}

The voice of the Barking Dog Gate rang out.

{Do you wish to continue the hidden challenge?}

“Huh? The hidden challenge isn’t over yet?”

Yang Zicang looked toward the blurry figure that had not yet dissipated, but he was already feeling a bit overwhelmed.

{For a genius like my friend, how could a mere “Blessing Mark” be enough as a reward?}

The Wind Spirit Martial Artist’s silhouette flickered before Yang Zicang, and a faint, indistinct face subtly revealed the trace of a smile.

{I commissioned someone to use “Mental Alchemy” to forge three hidden rewards. If you can perfectly clear this training ground three times in a row within four days, you may choose one to take away.}

Three mental phantoms instantly appeared before Yang Zicang.

They were a ring, a pair of round-framed crystal glasses, and a strange small object shrouded in smoke.

As Yang Zicang scanned them, the names of these three objects slowly surfaced in his mind.

[Memory Drill Ring, Glasses of Equal Perspective, Unjust Evil Force.]

[Barking Dog Gate informs me that I can either claim the current reward or rest before continuing to challenge higher-tier rewards.]

Hearing this, Yang Zicang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The model’s deployment was manageable, but the gale and scorching flames were truly too much for him to handle. If he continued the challenge now, he would likely end up mentally exhausted, with his physical body collapsing as a result.

“I’ll come back tomorrow.”

He turned around and saw many heads pressed against the isolated force field wall, watching him.

“Ha, sorry, everyone. None of you can get in here to clear the stage for me.”

Along the corridor paved with retro floor tiles, the old brass tubes hummed faintly as they transported steam power. Under the watchful gazes of the iron orcs and marble statues lining both sides, Wei Zhenguo and Yang Zicang, who looked slightly weary in spirits, walked down the long hallway.

“Not bad at all. To think you’re strong enough to trigger the hidden level.”

“Hehe, thanks. But I know my own situation well enough.” Yang Zicang smiled bitterly. “That scene was simply not something someone of my strength could clear. Even if my control over mental power were five times more precise, I’d only barely meet the standard for an SUPER rating. Being able to clear it by sheer luck was entirely thanks to the model.”

“By the way,” Yang Zicang continued, “I chose to continue the challenge, so for now, I can’t recover the Virtual Zero Sequence I invested.”

“Haha. That bit of timing, don’t keep it on your mind.”

A slightly hesitant expression appeared on Yang Zicang’s face, as if he wanted to say something but held back.

“Want to ask a question?” Wei Zhenguo saw through the awkward little secret on Yang Zicang’s face at a glance.

“Yeah, there’s a question on my mind, but I don’t dare ask. I’m afraid that if I’m right, I might not be able to resign.”

“If it’s information you’ve deduced yourself, as long as you don’t go around broadcasting it outside, it’s not really a violation. So no need to worry about that situation.”

“Alright.”

A silver ring emerged on Yang Zicang’s chest, and he pointed at his own model.

“Everyone has this thing. What… is it exactly?”

Wei Zhenguo stopped in his tracks.

Yang Zicang’s gaze met that of the square-faced man, who said thoughtfully:

“Actually, I’ve discussed this issue with many colleagues. We’ve come up with many possibilities, but in the end, no one knows which one is closest to the truth.”

The young man furrowed his brow slightly, thought for a moment, and said, “Then let me propose a possibility. Uncle Wei, listen and see if you’ve discussed this one before?”

“Go ahead and tell me.”

“Could it be… the remnant of someone’s thought from the old world?”

“This…” Wei Zhenguo saw that Yang Zicang wasn’t joking, “How did you come to that conclusion?”

“Because of the Lost Frequency Land… Ah, forget it.” Yang Zicang wasn’t willing to make assertions based on mere guesses.

Seeing Yang Zicang a bit discouraged, Wei Zhenguo smiled and said, “Speaking of which, someone’s had a similar idea, but it was about the model being a manifestation of our own energy. After all, some people can upgrade the model’s lines just by using their consciousness.”

“That makes sense.”

The two continued walking. As they walked, Wei Zhenguo said, “Speaking of which, Xiaocang, we haven’t invested in each other yet, have we? Anyway, I’ll be heading to a new Fate Track soon, and maybe we’ll run into each other over there. Let’s exchange some lifespan, so we can contact each other through the model.”

“I couldn’t ask for more.”

[Wei Zhenguo wants to make an active investment in you.]

[Wei Zhenguo invested 1N all-power timing in you.]

[I, the Great Quadrilateral, repaid Wei Zhenguo 1.1N.]

“Those invited by the Lost Illusion Company are all exceptionally outstanding individuals. If we meet again on a new fate track, I believe we can join hands and move forward together. Keep up the good work—I have high expectations for your future performance.”

Yang Zicang was deeply moved.

A strand of thread shot over. After sensing the information within it, Yang Zicang smiled and said, “Group Leader Jiaoma has invited us to dinner.”

“Haha, you two young ones go ahead. This old man won’t be a third wheel.”

“……”

Yang Zicang finally caught on. So this older guy was trying to set him up with the young group leader? Was that what he meant by wanting to drink wedding wine before he left?

Speaking of which, did people of this age love playing matchmaker, regardless of gender?

Come to think of it… Yang Zicang rubbed his chin.

He wasn’t much different himself.

“…I’ve recently read a lot of information about certain continents from the Old World… and on the replicated fate tracks, it’s possible that…”

As they continued walking side by side, Yang Zicang found himself increasingly unsettled. The voice of the man beside him—once steady—was now trembling more and more violently, as if losing its clarity.

Yang Zicang turned to look. Wei Zhenguo, who was even slightly taller than him, seemed to be noticing the same problem.

He stared at his own hands. Wisps of vapor were spreading from his palms. Then came his hair—and then his entire body!

“This is…”

Yang Zicang’s eyes flew wide open in shock as he watched the man beside him dissolving into mist.

In that instant, the metal statues standing along the corridor—unchanged for years—suddenly ripped free with translucent, spectral bodies of energy.

They instantly surrounded the two, appearing as if out of thin air.

A tiger-faced figure in a top hat and magician’s robe grabbed Yang Zicang and stepped back two paces. The remaining few figures, of varying heights, quickly converged around the vanishing Wei Zhenguo.

Several force fields lit up, seeming to try and envelop the energy spreading from his body, but it was futile.

“What’s wrong with him?” Yang Zicang cried out tensely; he had already felt a sense of dread, but he couldn’t grasp why a living person could suddenly scatter like mist right before his eyes.

{No high-energy attack sustained, not energy assimilation.}

{No fluctuations detected in the five elemental forces.}

{His ethereal field’s energy is rapidly diminishing.}

The energy in the corridor warped as the concentrated force was suddenly compressed into a sphere and then stretched vertically. Taking shape quickly, it formed the silhouette of an adult man. The next second, a grave-faced man in a gray casual uniform appeared, striding in one step to stand before Wei Zhenguo, reaching out to grab what little remained of his body, only to have his hand pass straight through it.

They all fell silent.

The tiger-man released his firm grip on the young man’s arm. Yang Zicang rushed forward, his eyes wide, staring at the middle of the corridor, where nothing but a slowly swirling mist lingered.

Even that mist was now spinning and dispersing rapidly.

“What’s going on!” Yang Zicang exclaimed in shock, but he found his thoughts growing increasingly hazy, as if questioning why he even asked that question.

The man in the gray casual uniform said solemnly, “His past has been altered. In this timeline, he no longer exists.”