Chapter 111 - 96: Recommendation and Little Tricks

Chapter 111: Chapter 96: Recommendation and Little Tricks

Looking at the incredibly thin metal piece, Chen Shang shook his head. "Master, I’ve only barely managed to achieve Force Touch Perception. I haven’t learned the subsequent steps yet."

Hathaway’s eyes lit up, her gaze growing even more fervent. "So you’ve actually completed Force Touch Perception? How long have you been cultivating?"

Chen Shang scratched his head, unsure of how to answer. After growing accustomed to studying knowledge on his own for so long, harvesting traits from others gave him a sense of guilt. Although he hadn’t stolen anything and the traits were gathered by his system panel, the feeling of skipping over years of others’ hard work in a single step made him reluctant to elaborate.

Hathaway didn’t press the matter. She pulled out a few testing tools from her cabinet and set them on the table. "Come, give it a try."

Chen Shang sighed. Stretching out his hand, he hovered his palm over the metal piece and closed his eyes. Force Touch Perception flared to life within his Sea of Consciousness, and the force field lines in the surrounding space became clear one by one. He extended his Spiritual Power into one of the lines and gave it a gentle pluck. The metal piece slid across the stone table by a finger’s width. He plucked it again, and it slid a bit further.

Hathaway remained silent, her eyes fixed on the metal piece, on Chen Shang’s hand, and on his closed eyes.

Changing the direction of his Spiritual Power, Chen Shang switched from plucking the repulsive force lines to tugging on the gravity lines. The metal piece was slowly pulled back from afar until it came to a halt on the stone table. The entire process was quiet and steady, without a single wasted movement.

Hathaway stayed silent for a moment before picking up her Crystal Plate to send Haimer a message. "Wait here for a moment. I’ll notify Lord Haimer."

Chen Shang opened his eyes, startled. "Master... what are you doing? There’s no need to disturb Lord Haimer for this, is there?"

Hathaway didn’t look at him, her fingers tapping rapidly on the Crystal Plate. "You are merely a Second Level Apprentice. It’s only been a few days since your Dragon Blood Body Refinement ended, yet you’ve already achieved Force Touch Perception. I’ve never seen such speed." After sending the message, she set the Crystal Plate down and looked at him. "Do you really think Lord Haimer won’t be interested?"

Facts proved that Haimer was highly interested. In less than a quarter of an hour, he appeared at the doorway of Hathaway’s High Tower. There was no Teleportation Gate and no sound of footsteps; he simply materialized at the end of the corridor out of thin air, as if he had sprouted from the very atmosphere itself. He was a Third Level Wizard and the director of the Starfall Laboratory.

This was only Chen Shang’s second time seeing him. The last time was several years ago when he had accidentally stumbled into a Plane Battlefield, back when this lord was coordinating the construction of a plane High Tower. It was also this lord who had arranged for him to enter the Wizard World, something Chen Shang was deeply grateful for.

Haimer stepped into the laboratory. His gaze swept past Hathaway before landing on Chen Shang. "You’ve completed Force Touch Perception?"

Chen Shang gave a slight bow and told the truth. "I have."

"I need to test you," Haimer announced, extending a hand.

Chen Shang only felt an invisible power radiate from Haimer’s fingertips, washing over his body like a gentle ripple of water. It wasn’t a Spiritual Power probe, nor was it a Magic Power scan; it was some higher-tier method of perception that he couldn’t even begin to comprehend. After a few breaths, Haimer retracted his hand. The corners of his mouth ticked up slightly, as if he were quite satisfied.

"How did you do it?"

Taking a deep breath, Chen Shang answered, "His Majesty the Dragon Emperor gifted me a Gravity Crystal. With its help, I achieved Force Touch Perception at the Nebula Plaza." He took the Gravity Crystal out from his Space Book and handed it over.

Haimer accepted it. Clasping it in his palm, he closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. "So it’s Him." He returned the Gravity Crystal to Chen Shang. "His judgment is excellent. If He is willing to invest in you, it proves your talent is indeed passable."

Just as Chen Shang was putting the Gravity Crystal away, Haimer added a baffling remark. "Years ago, you unexpectedly awakened a Spirit Talent and were taken into my laboratory. Now, you are able to cultivate the Starfall Legacy. Perhaps this is the intervention of Destiny."

Chen Shang froze for a second. He wasn’t sure if Haimer was simply musing aloud or genuinely referring to some ultimate entity in the Star Sea known as "Destiny." However, he knew that he denied it in his heart. This wasn’t Destiny’s arrangement; it was the work of his Golden Finger. If he had been placed in the Nightmare Laboratory, he would have had a "talent" for nightmare-related abilities. If he had been placed on the Mechanical Throne, he would have had a "talent" for Mechanical Resonance. The traits didn’t care where he was; they only cared whether he could come into contact with the vessels of those talents.

Haimer didn’t wait for a response and continued, "Since you possess this ability, I want you to master the Repulsive and Attractive Dual Force as quickly as possible. Ideally within seven years, before the academy assessments."

Chen Shang frowned. "Master, even if I barely manage to master this Witchcraft within seven years, the boost to my combat prowess will be limited, won’t it?" The Repulsive and Attractive Dual Force was basic Witchcraft, not a Forbidden Curse or Divine Techniques. Even if he learned it, he had no idea how much leverage it could provide or how much use it would be in actual combat.

Haimer shook his head. "Combat prowess is only one part of the assessment. The mastery of legacy Witchcraft... will bring about a massive impact.

"If you gain the recognition of the Truth Continent’s Core Layer, it will bring more resources to the Starfall Laboratory. And of course, the benefits for you will be even greater."

Realization dawned on Chen Shang. Since the Starfall Laboratory was one of the Outsourced Academies, the achievements of its apprentices were the achievements of the academy. Nothing could prove a laboratory’s teaching quality better than the cultivation of its legacy Witchcraft. What Haimer wanted were results, resources, and perhaps an improvement in Starfall’s ranking within the Pan-Wizard Alliance. And Chen Shang, at this exact moment in time, happened to be the most promising candidate to deliver those results.