Chapter 36: Triple Micro-Manipulation

At the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall, the morning sun had just begun to rise.

"Wushang, how do you feel?"
"What is your progress in mastering it?"

Zhang Qingwei, who had been sitting cross-legged, exhaled a deep breath of white mist. She looked toward Luo Wushang, blood trickling from the corners of her mouth and eyes, yet her gaze burned with a brilliant, intense light.

Despite this startling sight, Luo Wushang did not stop her work of repairing the wall. With one hand, she continued the repairs, while with the other, she casually struck out at the adjacent wall. Six loud bangs instantly echoed through the air.

"This Stellar Explosion Visualization Technique is incredible. I’m currently at 3% mastery," Luo Wushang said, glancing at the six finger-shaped indentations in the wall with great satisfaction. "Back at the Pilgrimage, I could only reach the thirty-three-star level, and my limit here was only five stars. But this technique has improved my body control and reaction speed. I can easily reach six stars now."

"I feel that with a bit more improvement, I should be able to reach seven stars. Even if I encounter a novice-level apprentice in the wild by then, I should be able to hold my own."

"You're improving that fast?" Zhang Qingwei was taken aback. "We started at roughly the same time, and you’re already at 3% while I’m only at 2%. No, I’m not going to headquarters to report today."

With that, Zhang Qingwei transformed her hand into a blade and struck the wall. Suddenly, a starlit mark formed by three distinct impressions appeared on the surface, with a faint crack spreading from the center.

"2% mastery, and it already allowed me to execute the first layer of the Raging Wave Blade. This is truly powerful." Zhang Qingwei looked at the marks on the wall, her heart racing with excitement.

The Raging Wave Blade was her signature technique from the Pilgrimage. Unlike the speed-based Star Point, it was a power-based blade technique. While techniques like the Crushing Stone Fist doubled one's physical strength, the Raging Wave Blade used specialized mechanics to combine three strikes into one, effectively doubling its destructive power. Ever since her car accident, her body’s reflexes had slowed, and she had been unable to use the technique—until now.

"What are you two doing?" Lin Qi looked at the pair practicing against the wall early in the morning, his expression darkening. "I brought you here to repair the martial arts hall, not to destroy its walls. That’s a penalty of two hundred points each. Furthermore, you must repair ten walls today as compensation, or you will be expelled from the hall."

As Lin Qi spoke, the two women, who had been so excited just a moment ago, were on the verge of tears. They would have preferred ten times the physical punishment. Earning points in the High Martial World was grueling; even after working hard all day, they could only scrape together about a hundred points. A two-hundred-point fine set them back two days in their quest for new weapons.

Lin Qi watched them quietly return to their repairs, his expression softening slightly.

"These players are becoming stronger and stronger; the hall simply cannot withstand their antics. As more players arrive once the repairs are finished, I won't be able to keep an eye on them all. It seems necessary to establish some new rules," Lin Qi mused, glancing at the cracked wall.

The visualization technique, which was supposed to be purely theoretical, had actually been mastered. And not just by one person, but by three. With this Stellar Explosion Visualization Technique, even as mere quasi-apprentices, they now possessed the strength to challenge novice martial arts apprentices. This meant the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall now effectively had four novice-apprentice-level combatants—a force comparable to a small gang in the wild, capable of handling transport and trade missions.

***

Blue Star, Kurong City, Storm Shadow Club.
Simulation Battle Arena.

"The map for this battle is Ruined City; it’s not ideal for sniping," Li Ranxing said, observing the arena and commanding through the team channel. "The four of you switch to close-combat mode. Find a way to lure away the four members of Blue Enchantress. I will deal with Chen Ya!"

"Understood!"

Fang Zhen and his three teammates, randomly scattered across the city, began moving toward the city center. In the Mecha Continent’s team competitions, ten players fought on a map where their starting positions were randomized. The map would constantly shrink; failing to move toward the center meant being killed by the collapsing boundary. Thus, everyone moved toward the center at the start, and meeting teammates or enemies along the way was entirely a matter of luck.

"My luck is terrible. I’m playing rear-line support and didn't bring any close-combat weapons. My mecha is a long-range model," Fang Zhen muttered, looking at his gear with frustration. "I guess I’ll have to set an ambush."

In the Mecha Continent, mecha combat was divided into melee and ranged. Melee mechs were adjusted for agility and speed to facilitate quick entries, while ranged mechs prioritized stability and were often cumbersome, making them overwhelmingly disadvantaged if closed in upon.

Before Fang Zhen had traveled even two kilometers, an explosion erupted from a nearby building, followed by a distress call from his teammate through the short-range comms.

"Requesting backup! Requesting backup! Is anyone nearby? I’ve been spotted by two melee members of Blue Enchantress. I’m retreating toward the east. Backup, please!"

As the communication ended, Fang Zhen saw a red melee mech on the street ahead, locked in a fierce struggle with two blue melee mechs.

In Mecha Continent team matches, teams were usually color-coded—red versus blue. This time, Storm Shadow was red, and Blue Enchantress was blue, allowing for instant identification on the battlefield. Before Fang Zhen could react, the red mech was sliced into several pieces by the two blue mechs and eliminated.

"Oh, lucky me, there's another one," said Meng Gang, a member of Blue Enchantress wielding a battle spear. He caught sight of Fang Zhen on the street and smiled. "Knife, leave this one to me. That last fight was boring. The captain said my dodging is subpar, and this long-range mech is perfect for practicing my evasion skills."

"Fine, but make it quick. If you’re too slow, the captain’s fight might already be underway," replied the member known as Wang Yidao. "Ten seconds! I’ll give you ten seconds to end it."

Although the Storm Shadow team had made it into the national tournament, they were only a top-32 squad. Compared to constant top-4 contenders like Blue Enchantress, they were a step behind in technique and reflexes. That was why they held Storm Shadow in such low regard.

"Done! Start counting!"

Meng Gang didn't hesitate. He activated his mecha's thrusters, raised his ten-meter-long battle spear, and charged at Fang Zhen. He moved so quickly that he left afterimages, yet his mecha skillfully avoided every obstacle on the street.

"So fast!"
"To make such precise maneuvers at that speed... is this the strength of the national top four?"

In front of the Storm Shadow Club's giant screen, the team members gasped as they watched the blue melee mech moving with the agility of a monkey. In the Mecha Continent, mecha control was notoriously difficult—it wasn't like other virtual games where one could move as if it were their own body. It was more like driving a vehicle, but far more complex. Even first-tier experts struggled to make a mecha move with human-like fluidity. Yet, Meng Gang was doing exactly that.

"Who is piloting that long-range mech? Why aren't they firing?"
"I think it's Fang Zhen."
"Fang Zhen’s luck is terrible. Meeting a melee mech at such close range—he only has one chance to fire. If he misses, he’s dead."

The Storm Shadow members shook their heads. Normally, a long-range mech would be sniping from three kilometers away. With the Blue Enchantress mech now less than a kilometer away and the street filled with cover, it was far too easy to dodge shots.

*Bang!*
*Bang!*
*Bang!*

Just as the blue mech with the spear reached a distance of less than five hundred meters from the red long-range mech, three gunshots echoed through the street.

"Has Fang Zhen lost it? Firing three shots in a row? Does he think blind firing will hit anything?"
"He's probably panicking."

Everyone watching felt Fang Zhen had given up. Because of recoil, long-range sniper rifles became harder to control with each consecutive shot; firing three in a row was no different from shooting blindly.

"Giving up? How boring."

Meng Gang shook his head. He had hoped to practice his dodging, but now it seemed unnecessary. Aside from the first shot, which required a slight adjustment, the other two could be ignored entirely. Meng Gang performed a sharp displacement, easily dodging the first bullet aimed at his head.

But just as he prepared to tear Fang Zhen’s mech apart, he suddenly saw another bullet appearing right before his eyes.

"Damn it!"

Meng Gang instinctively raised his spear to block.

*Clang!*

A crisp metallic chime rang out. The spear trembled as the bullet struck it, knocking it off its path. The next moment, Meng Gang’s vision went black.

"Triple Micro-Manipulation!"
"He can actually do Triple Micro-Manipulation? Is he... Li Ranxing?"

Meng Gang woke up in his virtual game pod, staring fixedly at the giant screen, filled with resentment. Triple Micro-Manipulation was a technique only captain-level experts in the national top eight could master. He had thought he was bullying a mere Storm Shadow member, only to run into a disguised Li Ranxing.

As Meng Gang watched the battle on the other side of the screen, he was struck dumb. On that battlefield, Captain Chen Ya was fighting a red mech, and the two were locked in an intense stalemate.

"What the hell! Who is that?"