Prototype: Resonance of the Net and the Circle

Morning sunlight filtered through gaps in the leaves, scattering dappled patches of light across the training ground.

Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong stood here once more, but their state of mind was completely different from yesterday.

"Yuhao, are you sure you want to do this?" Wang Dong looked at Huo Yuhao, her eyes filled with concern. Last night, Huo Yuhao had laid out his entire "Plan 2.0." It sounded far too crazy, far too grand.

"I'm not sure," Huo Yuhao admitted frankly. "But we have to begin. Ji Juechen won't stop, and neither can we. Today, we'll do only one thing—build the prototype of the 'net.'"

The "net" he spoke of was the first step of the Distributed Neural Network.

"I need you to trust me completely, Wang Dong." Huo Yuhao's gaze was exceptionally serious. "In a moment, I'll fully open up Spirit Detection. Instead of broadcasting with 'me' as the center, I'll try to turn you into a 'node' as well. We'll share our senses, but there will no longer be any distinction between primary and secondary. We'll think and act like one whole."

Wang Dong drew a deep breath and nodded firmly. "I trust you."

The two closed their eyes, and their Spiritual Power slowly merged.

At first, the process did not go smoothly. Huo Yuhao was used to being the "host" of the Spiritual Power, while Wang Dong was used to being the "receiving end." This deeply ingrained master-servant relationship filled their Spiritual Link with rough "edges."

"Relax, Wang Dong. Don't resist. Treat your senses as if they were my own," Huo Yuhao gently guided her through the Spiritual Link.

"I'm trying... but your Spiritual Power is too strong. It's like an ocean, while I'm only a small boat..." Wang Dong was finding it difficult.

Just then, Electrolux's gentle voice rang out within Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness.

"Yuhao, your method is wrong. You are trying to fit the ocean into a small boat, so of course it overflows. What you need to do is make both the ocean and the small boat part of the 'Rivers,' flowing together into the 'sea.'"

"The sea..." Huo Yuhao's heart stirred, and understanding dawned on him in an instant.

He no longer tried to "control" Wang Dong's Spiritual Power. Instead, he actively "scattered" his own Spiritual Power, turning it into countless tiny "threads," then used them to "weave" Wang Dong's Spiritual Power rather than "wrap" it.

Wang Dong immediately sensed the change. The oppressive feeling vanished, replaced by a comfortable sensation of perfect harmony. Her Spiritual Power seemed to have been granted new life, intertwining with Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Power to form a tiny yet incomparably resilient "net."

[ Ding! A mutation has been detected in host 'Huo Yuhao's' Spiritual Power structure. Reanalyzing... Analysis failed. The data model is too complex and exceeds current authorization.]

In Ji Juechen's dormitory, the system notification suddenly sounded in his mind just after he finished his morning training. He paused slightly, then a smile curved across his lips.

"Has it begun... my 'Chess Players'?"

On the training ground, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong opened their eyes at the same time.

At that moment, their gazes seemed to merge into one.

"Did we succeed?" Wang Dong could scarcely believe it.

"We succeeded in the first step." Huo Yuhao sensed the brand-new Spiritual Link. It was no longer a one-way broadcast, but a two-way, self-repairing "circuit." Even if one of the "threads" broke, the entire network would not collapse.

"Now comes the second step." Huo Yuhao's gaze sharpened. "Build the prototype of the 'circle.'"

The "circle" he spoke of was Structural Optimization for soul skills.

"Wang Dong, attack me with your Butterfly Goddess's Light."

Wang Dong froze for a moment, but immediately did as he said. She controlled its power as a golden sphere of light slowly flew toward Huo Yuhao.

In the past, Huo Yuhao would have chosen to dodge or use a soul skill to block it.

But today, he did not.

Through the perception of that Spiritual Net, every energy fluctuation in the sphere of light, every minute change in heat, was presented with absolute clarity within their shared "consciousness."

"Its energy structure is a standard 'sphere.' Energy spreads evenly outward from the core, so its blast radius is wide, but its piercing power is weak," Huo Yuhao said through the Spiritual Link. This was no longer his unilateral analysis, but their shared understanding.

"And then?"

"Then we use a 'circle' to break it."

Huo Yuhao raised his hand, and his second soul ring lit up.

"Ice Empress's Claw!"

Extreme cold enveloped both his arms, but instead of condensing it into ice armor or an ice sword as usual, he released the chill in an exceedingly peculiar manner.

It was not a stream of cold air, but a... thin, nearly transparent "Ice Ring."

The Ice Ring spun at tremendous speed. It did not block the sphere of light. Instead, like a precise surgical blade, it pressed close to the sphere's surface and spun rapidly, "cutting" through its energy structure!

"Buzz—"

A strange hum rang out.

Just as the golden sphere of light was about to touch Huo Yuhao, it bizarrely broke apart in midair. It did not explode. Instead, it turned into pure Light Element and dissipated into the air.

Wang Dong stared in stunned disbelief.

"Th-this... what was that?"

"This is the 'circle.'" Huo Yuhao looked at his hands, excitement gleaming in his eyes. "I didn't use greater power to 'cancel' it out. I used a more intricate structure to 'disintegrate' it. Your 'sphere' and my 'ring' are both 'circles.' But my 'circle' is dynamic. It has an 'edge.' I used my 'circle' to cut open your 'circle.'"

At that moment, Wang Dong understood completely.

What Huo Yuhao was doing was utterly overturning everything they knew about soul skills!

Soul skills were no longer fixed equations of "1+1=2." According to "rules," they could become an entirely new calculation: "1x1=1"!

"Yuhao..." Wang Dong's voice trembled slightly. "If we really complete this plan... then we..."

Huo Yuhao raised his head and looked toward Ji Juechen's dormitory, unprecedented confidence and Fighting Spirit blazing in his eyes.

"Then we'll become the most unreasonable 'variable' on his 'chessboard'!"

"Ji Juechen, your 'subtraction' is impressive."

"But from today onward, our 'addition' will be different too!"