A total defeat

This was Shi Yu's first real head-on battle.

Whatever the true nature of He Siying's ability, its outward manifestation was simple and clear-controlling strong winds.

Shi Yu backed away slightly, silver flickering in his eyes as he considered what could have the greatest effect on the battle under these circumstances.

Hu Zihao, meanwhile, strode forward. He rolled his neck, producing a series of sharp cracks. He understood his role perfectly: of the three, he could take the most punishment, so he had to stand at the front.

Han He had stopped making any sound a moment earlier. Silence allowed a Hunter to gather strength. Several small pouches and jars were dropped onto the ground, the plants and animal bones inside already gone. Han He's outline grew somewhat indistinct, and his presence began to fade.

He Siying showed little reaction. She stood there quietly, with only the wind speaking for her.

Creak... crack...

While everyone remained cautious, the doorless frame creaked under a weight it could no longer bear. Several bricks and the iron frame above swayed, then finally broke and toppled with a crash just as Hu Zihao charged at He Siying. Rubble fell along with dust and the iron framework, and He Siying happened to be standing right beneath them.

"Hah!!"

In that instant, Hu Zihao fully demonstrated just how powerfully his Staircase had enhanced his physique. He slammed one foot into the ground, crushing the already cracked tiles beneath it, then leaped! Like a human cannonball, he hurtled toward He Siying on the steps!

Faced with the imposing Hu Zihao and the iron frame crashing down from above, He Siying did something none of them had expected.

Rather than retreating, she advanced, reaching straight out to intercept Hu Zihao's fist. With a guiding motion and a grip, she actually neutralized all his force. Taking his wrist, she spun inward along his arm, then drove her elbow forward and abruptly pitched her center of gravity ahead, throwing Hu Zihao, who stood a head and a half taller than her, clean away!

Hu Zihao had yet to figure out what had happened. He only felt his wrist sink, saw the girl's black hair fly, and then the whole world spun.

"Oh no!"

The force behind He Siying's move was unimaginably subtle, neither too much nor too little, tossing Hu Zihao precisely beneath the iron frame about to hit the ground.

Seeing the frame's pointed corner about to strike Hu Zihao's head, Shi Yu's pupils contracted. He hastily reached out and drove his Psychokinesis to its limit.

Fortunately, the falling iron frame was hollow, and its weight fell just within Shi Yu's current limit. Gritting his teeth, he caught it, then strained to fling it toward He Siying beside Hu Zihao.

He Siying remained calm before the flying iron frame. She turned slightly, and a vortex rolled out from beside her, directly redirecting the torque Shi Yu had imparted to the frame and effortlessly flinging it far away.

Clang!!!

The sound of the iron frame striking the ground rang out nearby. Shi Yu had no time to concern himself with that. With a thought, the dust remaining on the ruined doorway began pouring down like a waterfall, forming a dust storm with the vortices circling He Siying.

He Siying glanced at the surrounding dust and was about to wave it away.

But the instant she raised her hand, she felt a slight sting in her eye. The discomfort of a foreign object entering it made her instinctively close her eyes.

She had gotten dust in her eye.

Whoosh!!!!

He Siying immediately sensed trouble. The grain rubbing inside her eyelid brought an involuntary surge of tears. She could only keep her eyes closed for now while sharply waving her hand, instantly creating a ring of colliding air currents.

"Argh!!" Thud!

Hiss-

Two different sounds accompanied her movement.

The first was Hu Zihao, who had just climbed to his feet, being knocked over by the ring of wind.

The second was Han He.

Han He's figure resembled a black blade. Seizing the perfect moment, he chose his position and angle of entry, forcibly cleaving through the ring of wind expanding from He Siying and closing in on her in the blink of an eye!

Got her!

Han He did not let down his guard in the slightest. The moment he passed through the vortex, he drove off his feet, lowering his body slightly as he lunged like a savage wolf. The dagger in his hand, still in its sheath, darted toward He Siying.

At this moment, Han He carried three of Shi Yu's "Thoughts"!

"The silent are hard to find."

"The strong can break through fierce winds."

"The skilled will land their strikes!"

Just as Han He watched his dagger sheath about to touch He Siying, he saw her smile.

Then, all of a sudden, he saw the surrounding scenery rapidly recede from him, growing lower. Only afterward did the impact register in his nerves.

Han He had been tossed high into the sky.

Behind him, Hu Zihao, who had climbed up yet again, was abruptly hauled off his feet by a powerful cyclone and landed with a thump beside the already exhausted Shi Yu.

They had suffered a total defeat.

Shi Yu had some difficulty breathing. He struggled to raise his head, looking at Han He, who had landed after an air current cushioned his fall, and He Siying, who was gently clapping with her eyes closed.

Clap, clap, clap, clap-

"You did very well. For people who've never had actual combat experience, you were already very good."

As He Siying spoke, she held her eyelids open with her fingers. A tiny thread of wind swept past, blowing out the little grain of sand that had nearly drained Shi Yu's Origin.

That was right. Merely getting that single grain of sand into her eye had cost Shi Yu 90% of his Origin.

And clearly, this tactic had not affected the ensuing battle in the slightest. He Siying's performance plainly showed that she had a way of sensing external objects without relying on her eyes.

In other words, a "Coincidence" that had no effect on the event as a whole could drain Shi Yu's Origin dry.

Then just how vast was the gap between Shi Yu and He Siying?

"Ridiculous..."

After being thrown hard once and swept up twice by fierce winds, Hu Zihao climbed to his feet, helped Shi Yu up beside him, and helped him catch his breath.

By now, all the grass seeds on Hu Zihao had been blown clean off. He looked as though he had been put through a centrifuge for a couple of spins, and even his original hairstyle had been blown inside out.

As Shi Yu caught his breath, he marveled at Hu Zihao's physical toughness.

If I'd taken those three hits, they could already be making funeral arrangements.

Hu Zihao had actually also carried a Thought for resisting strong winds, but it appeared to have done nothing. The gap was simply too great.

Han He jogged back, looking somewhat dejected. Several broken twigs on his wrist signified that a Talisman had been rendered useless.

Sure enough... Han He only barely got through Sister Si Ying's wind because he'd prepared a Talisman ahead of time and had my Thought on top of that. Otherwise, he probably would've ended up much like Hu Zihao.

Shi Yu sighed. Once he felt a little better, he said:

"You're incredible, Sister Si Ying."

He Siying did not check her watch. She raised her hand and summoned a comfortable breeze, blowing away the surrounding dust as she said:

"You'll be better than me someday."

Seeing that Shi Yu had caught his breath, Hu Zihao sprang to his feet excitedly.

"Sister Si Ying, you're amazing! You took me down without even using your ability. Teach me, please."

Shi Yu looked at Hu Zihao, who seemed completely fine, and recalled how He Siying had moved.

She really was incredible.

Her movements had flowed seamlessly. She was a genuine trained fighter. Shi Yu had never seen movements so elegant and crisp even in television dramas.

And considering that Hu Zihao's strength was now far beyond that of an ordinary person, He Siying's combat skills could already be described as monstrous for someone with a non-melee Staircase.

Shi Yu turned to look at Han He.

Han He had said something when the school's Netherworld was destroyed.

"One of them is a trained fighter."

He really had been right. But the situation had been urgent then, with Hu Zihao beside him on the verge of death, and Shi Yu had not paid much attention.

He had never expected that the trained fighter would be He Siying, who looked so much like a little sister from next door.

While Shi Yu was thinking and reviewing the fight, Liu Yiyi's voice came from inside the factory.

"Not bad at all, not bad at all! Now we've got a rough idea of your abilities. A fight really is the most practical way!"

Shi Yu watched Liu Yiyi leap through the doorless doorway, followed by Shen Bai and Huo Qiuliang.

Looking at the excited Hu Zihao, Huo Qiuliang smiled and said:

"Sister Ying once took down a 'Wielder of the Sharp' from 'Weapons of War' barehanded, without using her ability at all... Reaching her level won't be easy."

As they spoke, Liu Yiyi and Shen Bai had already walked over to Shi Yu and the other two. After carefully checking that none of the three had any serious injuries, Shen Bai said:

"Your combat instincts are quite good. You just lack some experience and haven't seen enough abilities. We'll help you improve in those areas going forward. I believe you'll soon be able to handle things on your own."

After speaking, Shen Bai checked his watch and said:

"It's about time. Let's go inside to talk. We can give you your IDs and cards while we're at it. You can start using the relevant subsidies now."