Outdoor Training Ground.
Ye Chenyang stood to one side, watching the Wind Field rotating steadily around Jiang Mian, and fell silent.
It had only been half a day. She could already control it steadily?
Based on his experience from his Previous Life, if someone awakened "naturally" after being pushed to their limits, then in the early stages—before reaching the Second-tier—they would inevitably go through a period when their abilities were extremely unstable.
During that time, they needed to spend a long while exploring and adapting before they could gain basic control over their abilities.
For someone like Jiang Mian, who had gone from being unable to control it steadily to maintaining the basic shape of a Small Wind Field in less than a day...
The length of this stage varied from person to person, but her rate of progress seemed a little too fast to be reasonable.
Could she... really be a genius?
Among those who awakened the same Sequence Ability, there were still differences in talent. But Ye Chenyang had never met anyone quite like Jiang Mian.
That strange feeling he had about her surfaced again. This girl seemed to be hiding something unknown.
Jiang Mian was now "concentrating fully" on maintaining the Wind Field around her. Fine beads of sweat had formed on her forehead, and her breathing was a little labored.
At First Order, the maximum range of a [Eye of the Storm] Wind Field was probably around a ten-meter radius.
But to concentrate its power enough to shake an Awakened of the same tier, she would have to compress it considerably.
So, in Ye Chenyang's eyes, the Elemental Burst that had nearly flipped the warehouse on its roof earlier had been quite the "accident."
"How does it feel?"
Ye Chenyang stepped into Jiang Mian's Wind Field. His sleeves snapped in the wind, and his voice came through somewhat indistinctly.
"It's okay... My head's just a little dizzy. I think I used up too much mental strength."
He had seen plenty of geniuses in his Previous Life, even some with sequences in the forties who could hold their own against those in the top ten.
But people like Jiang Mian, who understood things at a glance and improved at lightning speed, were even rarer.
"Try shrinking the Wind Field and concentrating its power. Don't push yourself. Stay within your limits."
Come on, wasn't she progressing a little too fast?
Jiang Mian couldn't help wondering whether this guy had noticed something. She'd been worried herself that her progress was too fast...
She furrowed her brow slightly, but decided to do as Ye Chenyang asked and probe him a little more.
The circular Wind Field around her began to contract, and the airflow grew more and more turbulent.
Under her "difficult" control, it rapidly shrank into a head-sized, dark-cyan vortex that hovered in front of her.
The vortex carried a faint suction, and its edges were razor-sharp. If Jiang Mian threw it, it would probably have about the same effect as a high-explosive grenade.
"Is that... a Wind Pressure Vortex?"
The surprise in Ye Chenyang's eyes deepened.
A Wind Pressure Vortex was something only a seasoned First Order Awakened could manage. It had quite a high technical barrier and required extremely precise control over the Wind Element.
He'd only suggested it in passing. He hadn't expected Jiang Mian to actually pull it off.
"I-is this what you mean...? It's so tiring..."
Jiang Mian was sweating profusely and breathing slightly hard. She "struggled" to maintain the vortex in her hand, seeming close to losing control.
"That's right. Exactly like that. If you're tired, you can let it go for now."
"Huh? How—"
Before Jiang Mian could finish, a layer of Golden Light appeared on Ye Chenyang's hand. He reached out and touched the center of the "about-to-explode" vortex.
His action seemed to snuff out the vortex at its source. Its rotation slowed sharply, and the air pressure and speed began to fall as it dissipated.
Jiang Mian's almond-shaped eyes widened slightly, her surprise plain to see.
Something was wrong!
She had only been pretending just now, but the vortex itself had been the real deal!
Even if [Shining Blade] was an ability "on the same level" as hers, it shouldn't have been possible to snuff it out so easily.
And that golden power just now felt just like what she'd sensed in the warehouse last time. It gave her an extremely dangerous warning.
Though she didn't want to believe it, Jiang Mian had no choice but to admit that he was definitely hiding his ability—and that his actual sequence was definitely not low.
But since he could perfectly imitate [Shining Blade], the answer was obvious.
Is he the same type as me? But... why would he hide it...?
Jiang Mian couldn't make sense of it. In theory, if someone awakened an Apex Sequence, they would soar straight to the top. They could have anything they wanted. Why would they keep holing up here?
Who knew what that guy was planning? Was he playing the fool to catch the tiger? She could only blame her bad luck and secretly resolve not to let him find her out.
If it came down to it... she'd just have to kill him!
"When you're running low on energy, don't force yourself to maintain a highly compressed form. It can backfire."
Ye Chenyang calmly withdrew his hand and reminded her.
"I'm sorry... Was I too impatient?"
Jiang Mian lowered her head and looked at her toes. Her face was full of remorse, like a student who'd done something wrong.
Seeing her like that softened Ye Chenyang's heart. He'd have plenty of chances to spend time with her in the future, so he could keep a closer eye on her.
His doubts, which had only just begun to surface, were suppressed again.
"No. I understand how you feel. And besides... this only proves how talented you are."
"Really?"
Jiang Mian looked up, her eyes shining. She seemed happy to be praised, but also a little shy and reluctant to show it.
Ye Chenyang smiled and nodded encouragingly.
"All right. You've used up quite a bit of energy. Let's call it a day."
"Mm-hm."
Jiang Mian nodded, and the remaining currents around her subsided.
By the time the two walked side by side out of the Training Ground, night had fallen.
"What are you planning to do next? Have you thought any more about what happened earlier?"
As they walked and talked, the conversation soon returned to the official "Prodigy Cultivation Plan."
Jiang Mian shook her head, her eyes full of confusion, as if she still hadn't accepted that she was a "genius."
She was a hundred times unwilling to go along with it.
Even in Base City No. 144, she was already treading on thin ice. Going there... would be like walking straight into the spotlight.
An Apex "Calamity" that hadn't yet grown strong... once discovered, would almost certainly be contained, studied, and dealt with.
And... the New Law had come so suddenly. Could it be that the authorities had some way to detect the emergence of an Apex Calamity?
As her thoughts grew more and more chaotic, faint whispers arose in her ears, seeming to affect her state of mind.
I don't want to go. This guy's so annoying, always keeping an eye on me...
Jiang Mian's prolonged silence made Ye Chenyang sense that something was off.
He turned his head slightly and called her name:
"Jiang Mian?"
"Ah! Sorry, I-I spaced out."
Jiang Mian jolted back to her senses.
Her mood had been off just now. Those whispers at her ear... had she entered the second stage again? She needed to take her medicine...
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