"That's nothing special, is it?"
Zhao Su scratched his head. He'd heard that all the First-Class Academies in Hengzhou set up online platforms and opened virtual Combat Rooms where students could fight without restrictions.
"It's different."
Gao Pao waved the "instruction manual" in his hand and explained:
"The 'afterimages' copied onto these things are genuine Spirit Imprints, preserved inside the crystals.
An afterimage's combat strength depends on the user's spiritual strength.
They're not just for sparring, either. You can also listen to their teachings, as if you were crossing the river of history to speak with your predecessors.
That experience is nothing like the virtual characters created by data models."
Zhao Su sucked in a breath, his eyes shining.
If the Afterimage Crystals contained a grandmaster of the Martial Path, or a top figure from the Psionic Path, wouldn't that be a huge score?
"These Afterimage Crystals have been gathering dust in the Yellow Springs Training Camp's storerooms for years. If there'd been anything good, someone would've picked it already."
Qin Shi carried two cases. The left one held three purple crystals, all the same color.
They were about three fingers wide, shaped like cylinders, and glowed softly. Threads of particles could just be seen swirling within them.
The right case held five tubes of highly concentrated Black Medicine, as red as blood. The substance had solidified into a semisolid crystal; when the case was moved slightly, it jiggled like jelly, springy and elastic.
These were their biggest gains so far!
"Brother Qin, what if you draw a good card?"
Gao Pao was brimming with excitement, already imagining himself imprinting a grandmaster's will onto a crystal and comprehending peerless techniques.
Qin Shi smiled faintly. He'd not only received personal instruction from a grandmaster, he'd also witnessed an inheritance close to