Measuring Spiritual Power

Early the next morning.

Chu Yan practiced the basic movements of the Hunyuan Staff Technique twice in the backyard Martial Arts Arena as usual. Sweat trickled down his temples, soaking his collar.

The Ironwood Staff spun in his hands; every strike, sweep, lift, and thrust was executed with meticulous precision.

After several days of repeated refinement, his movements had become increasingly fluid, and his application of force more integrated. He had already made significant progress compared to the days immediately following his awakening.

Just as he prepared to begin his third round of practice, Chu Yuntian walked in from the entrance of the arena.

Today, Chu Yuntian wore a dark gray soul master's formal attire, looking more official than usual. He held a sealed file folder in his hand.

"Yan'er, stop for a moment."

Hearing this, Chu Yan stood still with his staff tucked away and wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve.

Chu Yuntian walked up to him, looked his son up and down, and nodded with satisfaction. "The results of your training these past few days are good. You've built a very solid foundation. However, we won't be practicing staff techniques today; I'm taking you to do a test."

"A test?" Chu Yan raised an eyebrow slightly.

"A mental power test." Chu Yuntian patted the file folder in his hand. "I had this idea the day you awakened, but I've been busy with your school enrollment. I finally have time today. The Chu Clan has a complete set of mental power testing equipment, which is perfect for giving you a comprehensive evaluation."

Chu Yan's heart stirred.

He had thought about mental power testing before.

The control of the Yan Divine Weapon relied entirely on mental power. How many small swords he could control, the precision of that control, and the effectiveness of the Phantom Sword Style were all inextricably linked to his mental power.

However, he could only vaguely perceive the growth of his mental power and lacked an exact numerical value to measure it.

If he could obtain specific data, it would be of great help to his future training plans.

"Alright," Chu Yan nodded.

"Let's go." Chu Yuntian turned and walked out of the arena, continuing, "The equipment is in the Chu Clan's Core Training Room. It's rarely used, but I had someone preheat and calibrate it this morning."

Seeing this, Chu Yan followed him.

The Chu Clan's estate occupied a vast area. After leaving the backyard arena, they passed through several long corridors and circled around a small garden before Chu Yuntian stopped in front of a thick, silver metal door.

The location of this door was quite secluded, and it was rarely visited. The surface of the door was covered in dense soul guidance array patterns. There was no physical lock, only an induction panel the size of a palm.

Chu Yuntian pressed his palm against the induction panel. A pale blue light swept across it, followed by a soft "beep."

Immediately after, a sound of gears turning came from inside the metal door, and it slowly slid open to both sides, revealing a staircase leading downward.

"The Core Training Room is down there," Chu Yuntian said as he led the way down the stairs. "This training room was personally set up by your great-grandfather. It has an independent soul-gathering array and a soundproof barrier inside, so you don't have to worry about outside interference while training. That Mental Power Measurement Pod was also purchased during your great-grandfather's era; although the model is a bit old, its precision remains extremely high."

As they walked, Chu Yan observed his surroundings.

Pale blue soul guidance lamps were embedded in the walls on both sides of the staircase, casting a soft and even light. The walkway was very clean, free of any dust, and clearly maintained regularly.

Moreover, he could clearly feel that the surrounding energy was much denser here.

After descending about a dozen steps, the view opened up.

It was a circular room of about seventy or eighty square meters. The ceiling and walls were made of a silver-gray alloy, covered with fine soul guidance patterns that emitted a faint blue glow.

In the center of the room, a semi-enclosed, egg-shaped silver alloy pod stood silently.

That was the Mental Power Measurement Pod.

There were also several other instruments around the room that Chu Yan did not recognize.

Chu Yan walked closer to the Mental Power Measurement Pod to take a better look.

The pod was about one and a half times the height of a person, shaped like a large egg with a third of it removed. The shell was made of smooth, silver-white alloy, also engraved with complex soul guidance patterns.

The lower half of the pod was fixed to the floor, while the upper hatch was slightly open, revealing an independent seat.

The seat was ergonomically designed, with an induction helmet connected to the headrest, its interior lined with dense sensory contact points.

A giant, high-definition display screen was embedded in the outer wall of the pod. It was currently in standby mode, showing only a gray light bar and a large "0" in the center.

"This is the Mental Power Measurement Pod." Chu Yuntian walked to the side of the pod and patted the shell. "The current federal standard for mental power testing is divided into six major realms: Spirit Origin Realm, Spirit Connection Realm, Spirit Sea Realm, Spirit Abyss Realm, Spirit Domain Realm, and the legendary God Origin Realm. Most ordinary people remain in the Spirit Origin Realm their entire lives, with values between 0 and 50."

He paused, then continued to explain, "Those who can reach the Spirit Connection Realm have mental power far exceeding that of ordinary people, with a corresponding range of 51 to 500. Most average Great Soul Masters and Soul Elders have mental power around 70 or 80. Since your first soul skill is so powerful, I estimate your mental power shouldn't be low."

"Sit inside." Chu Yuntian opened the hatch and gestured for Chu Yan to take the seat.

Chu Yan complied and sat inside the pod.

The material of the seat was softer than he had imagined, conforming to the curve of his back and providing excellent support. He adjusted his posture and his gaze fell on the induction helmet at the headrest.

"Rest your head back," Chu Yuntian instructed from the side. "The induction helmet will fit against your head. Once activated, it will scan your mental power fluctuations with blue light. The whole process takes about three to five minutes. During this time, don't think about anything; just empty your mind. This device is not offensive and won't cause you any harm."

Chu Yan nodded and leaned his head back.

The induction helmet automatically closed, enveloping his entire head. It felt cool to the touch, and the fine sensory contact points pressed against his scalp like many ants crawling gently.

"Are you ready?" Chu Yuntian walked to the control panel on the outside of the pod, his finger hovering over a blue button.

"Ready," Chu Yan's voice came from inside the helmet, sounding slightly muffled.

Chu Yuntian pressed the button.

Hum...

The measurement pod vibrated slightly, and immediately after, Chu Yan felt a soft light ignite inside the induction helmet.

The pale blue scanning light swept downward from his scalp, passing over his forehead, temples, and the back of his head in turn, as if an invisible hand were gently stroking his brain.

It felt comfortable, like soaking in warm water.

Chu Yan closed his eyes, emptying his mind just as his father had instructed.

He thought of nothing, simply feeling that layer of scanning light wandering back and forth within his mind.

Suddenly, he felt the golden mark of the Yan Divine Weapon within his body vibrate slightly, as if it had been touched by something, but the tremor quickly subsided without any further reaction.

Chu Yan paid it no mind and continued to maintain his empty state of mind.

Time ticked by, second by second.

About three minutes later, the scanning light of the Induction Helmet slowly extinguished; the helmet automatically loosened, detached from Chu Yan's head, and retracted into the headrest.

"Alright, you can come out now." Chu Yuntian's voice came from outside the pod, carrying a hint of irrepressible eagerness.

Chu Yan rose from the seat and stepped out of the Measurement Pod.

The moment he emerged, he saw Chu Yuntian standing before the giant display screen on the outer wall of the pod, frozen in place as if nailed to the floor.

On the display screen, the gray light bar had turned a brilliant gold, shooting straight up to the number "78," with the name of a realm marked in red text beside it.

Spirit Connection Realm.

Chu Yan walked over, and when he saw the number on the screen, he was slightly surprised himself.

78 points.

For a six-year-old child, a mental power of 78 points was indeed a bit beyond his expectations.

But he quickly understood the reason: he had lived two lifetimes, so his soul strength was naturally not comparable to an ordinary child. Furthermore, the Yan Divine Weapon Martial Soul itself had a natural tempering effect on mental power, and the night of his awakening, the condensation of his Soul Ring had caused his mental power to surge significantly.

The superposition of two lifetimes of soul strength, combined with the passive tempering of his Martial Soul and the breakthrough improvement during the condensation of his first Soul Ring—these three factors combined had created the current 78 points.

To him, this was not outrageous, but on this continent, it was already considered top-tier.