Building Strength to Complete the Form

Chen Chuan had been waiting for that thing to appear. For days, whenever he ate or trained, he had felt a gaze watching him.

So he had developed a habit: whenever he began eating, he deliberately built up his strength. Partly, it was to practice controlling the prism-shaped stone. He was also waiting for the watcher to show itself.

Now, almost the instant he willed it, the stone shot toward the thing, and the feeling of being watched vanished.

The result fell a little short of what he had hoped. The thing might have been hiding underwater; once the stone entered the sea, it slowed slightly and failed to achieve the effect he had intended.

A moment later, the stone returned to him with a hum.

He was certain it had struck the thing, and it had brought back a little "prize." He examined what had scraped onto its surface. Some kind of bone powder? Was the creature like a stone crab, with a hard shell? That was entirely possible.

So far, such creatures seemed to be the most common in these waters. There were White Head Fish, wrapped in exoskeletons, that rammed prey with their sturdy bodies, and Multi-Legged Stone Clams, which secreted a special fluid to trap prey. Among such numerous populations, one was most likely to produce a creature that had leaped to a higher level of life.

At the very least, he could now be fairly sure that whatever was watching him was at the same level. Otherwise, it could not have evaded his strike at the last moment.

As he had suspected, it had probably taken him for prey. That was why it kept watching him.

He looked out over the sea. Then he would wait for it here.

He raised a hand, and the