Spin (Rotation), Part One

When Dai Mubai saw Jodio again, he was sitting in a corner of the barbecue restaurant, enjoying dinner with Oscar and Ma Hongjun. Just a light meal tonight: sixty skewers of insanely spicy lamb, thirty skewers of mild lamb, a roast chicken, grilled peppers, corn, cabbage, garlic, chives, and eggplant—the works. Jodio's appetite was poor today, after all. That would have to do for now.

"If I said I could make Oscar capable of fighting, would you believe me?" Jodio asked Ma Hongjun.

"Boss, every time I think about respecting you, you open your mouth."

"Hm? What did you just say?"

"Boss, your hearing things is getting worse. I didn't say a word." Ma Hongjun answered with a grin.

"I'm serious, Little Oscar. I can give you the ability to fight." Jodio picked up a round ball from the table. He had just gotten it from a blacksmith that morning. Well, it was usable, barely, and it sort of looked like the one Gyro had used.

"A ball?" Oscar asked curiously.

"Yes. A ball—or rather, a Steel Ball."

Jodio gently turned his palm, and the black Steel Ball resting in it began to spin. It gradually accelerated until it became a blur. Then Jodio gave his palm another flick, and the Steel Ball immediately slowed to a stop.

"Oh, hey, Little Dai. Sit down and order whatever you want." Ma Hongjun was the first to spot Dai Mubai hurrying over. He waved him into a seat, then turned back to Jodio's demonstration.

"Remember my third Soul Skill?" Jodio asked Oscar.

"Fang? It works by firing something that spins at high speed..." Oscar's eyes lit up as he spoke. No way. He can teach that to someone else? Someone else can learn it?

"Why not? Once you figure out the rules governing how a Soul Skill activates, what's to stop you from reproducing it?" Jodio replied casually.

That was the principle behind the Soul Tools of later generations: they used Soul Power to simulate the activation rules of Soul Skills and produce similar attacks. How was that different from swordsmanship or saber techniques? If you grasped the principles and rules behind a Soul Skill, then in theory, you could use it without possessing the Soul Skill itself.

That was a Self-Created Soul Skill!

"Ever heard of the Golden Spin?" Jodio asked. As a mentor and friend to the two younger boys, he had spent plenty of time teaching them about life, history, and a little basic science. The term "Golden Spin" might be hard to grasp, but a drawing would usually give them the general idea.

"This spiral has a remarkable property: it preserves energy as it spins. That's why an object spinning according to the principles of the Golden Spin can gain a greater, almost unbelievable amount of energy. That energy is what we're going to learn to use. I call it Golden Spin Power," Jodio continued.

"With precise training, that energy can be used to realign bones or repair nerves. It can also dull pain or certain external sensations, increase kinetic energy, or alter a trajectory. All of that comes from the energy generated by the spin. Now, imagine I put both hands on Ma Hongjun's shoulders. Hey! I'm not trying to wipe grease on your clothes. Get back here!"

Dai Mubai watched them bicker, at a loss for words. Every time he thought Jodio and the others seemed like gloomy adults, they started fooling around like little kids. No, wait! What am I thinking? This is freedom! They've clearly reached a profound state of complete freedom! Sigh. I let appearances fool me. I still have a long way to go before I can become strong!

"Imagine I put both hands on Ma Hongjun's shoulders and push. See? With a certain amount of force, I can make him feel pressure and pain. Let's call that force ten. Now, what if I use this Steel Ball instead? Do you think it could do the same thing?" Jodio asked, picking it up.

"Boss, did you sleep at all? I could knock someone out by throwing that thing at them," Ma Hongjun replied flatly.

"Right. But how much force would you need to throw it hard enough? Seven? Eight?" Jodio asked as he spun the Steel Ball.

"There's a limit to your strength. Here's another example: suppose I wanted you to temporarily numb Oscar's pain receptors. How hard would you have to press to do that? And how would you make sure he recovered afterward? Roughly how much force would all that take?" Jodio spread his hands.

"Maybe a hundred?"

Jodio sent the Steel Ball spinning toward Ma Hongjun, where it pressed against his wrist. The skin there immediately twisted with the rotation, as though something had pinched and pulled it upward. Jodio then gave the back of Ma Hongjun's hand a hard pinch. Ma Hongjun merely blinked. He felt nothing, as if Jodio had pinched someone else.

"That's the Spin Technique. You don't need to use much force. Through its own rotation, the ball can generate an unimaginable amount of energy. Little Oscar, want to learn?" Jodio retrieved the Steel Ball. Ma Hongjun immediately clutched the back of his hand, grimacing as the pain returned. Jodio had pinched him hard for the demonstration, though probably not hard enough to leave a bruise.

"Coach! I want to learn the Spin!" Oscar immediately clung to Jodio's leg, wearing a /(ㄒoㄒ)/~~ expression.

"I haven't mastered it myself. I've only barely begun to get the hang of it, and it still works only some of the time. But one thing's certain: its potential is practically limitless. It could give every support-type Soul Master a way to defend themselves and handle a simple fight. At the very least... combat-type Soul Masters below level forty—or thirty—would have a hard time completely overpowering a support-type Soul Master of the same level who knew the Spin Technique," Jodio explained.

"Boss, I want to learn too," Ma Hongjun said pitifully. Why does Oscar get to learn it? That's it! He's got the face of a scheming courtier! He must have bewitched Boss Jo!

"Boss, why don't you start a sect?" Oscar asked curiously. This technique was more than worthy of being passed down as a sect secret. A sect built around it would surely be a paradise for support-type Soul Masters.

"It'll become obsolete. Sooner or later, it'll end up as just another support tool. You could certainly build a sect around it, but you'd better be ready for that day."

Jodio wasn't too worried about the Spin Technique's future standing. Nothing could hold an exalted position above the masses forever. Sooner or later, as Soul Tool technology advanced, the Spin Technique would settle into its proper place. There was no need to cling to it the way a certain Tang clung to his hidden weapons.

"I can't follow your thinking, Boss. The thing hasn't even been born, and you're already imagining its death," Oscar complained.

"Let's change the subject. Little Dai, what brings you here?"

Information currently available to the public:

Spin Technique:

A secret art passed down through generations of the Zeppeli Family, an executioner family in the new world. It applied the Golden Spin to a Steel Ball, which was then thrown at a target. Its purpose was to let condemned prisoners face execution without resisting and die with as little pain as possible. The Zeppeli Family also used it in their public role as doctors. Drawing on the boundless energy of the Golden Spin, they could treat all manner of supposedly incurable conditions—even performing operations as delicate as suturing an optic nerve.