What exactly are you?
Beneath the dripping eaves of the old house, Lin Tuo asked the question in all seriousness.
What had just happened was far too bizarre. If he were to tell anyone, nobody would believe it. At this moment, he felt both excitement and unease.
And as he asked, the Evolution Sandbox in his mind actually responded:
[Keyword detected. Activating "Beginner Tutorial."]
[Evolution Sandbox: a mysterious tool of unknown origin]
[Main function: Assist the host in collecting Ether energy to achieve advancement in life's levels]
Squatting under the eaves, Lin Tuo froze for a moment. So… he really did stumble upon a system?
And this system was for collecting some so-called Ether energy?
What is Ether? Lin Tuo tried asking.
He still remembered that in Observation Mode, the Sandbox had shown Yang City's Ether concentration as low.
[Ether: A flow of consciousness that makes up space, the very first and most basic element created when the Spiritual Realm manifested the material world. It exists widely throughout the universe, wherever intelligent life is found, and possesses the power to elevate lifeforms to higher levels…]
As the explanation unfolded, a vast stream of related information poured into his mind. Lin Tuo pressed a hand against his forehead, shut his eyes, and sorted through it for a while before he finally understood.
Put simply, this Ether was akin to the spiritual energy found in works of fantasy a substance that accompanies life itself.
Its source lay in the Spiritual Realm of mysticism.
According to the Sandbox,
In the universe, any planet that birthed intelligent life would naturally give rise to Ether.
The density of Ether was directly tied to the overall quality of that planet's intelligent life.
In other words
Ether existed all over Earth, wherever humans gathered, be it cities or villages.
If everyone's health and mental state were the same, then the more people there were, the more Ether would be drawn from the Spiritual Realm into the material world.
If the number of people remained constant, then the healthier and more vibrant the individuals were, the more Ether they would generate.
Thus, on Earth, the Ether concentration above cities was much higher than that of the countryside; developed regions of economy and culture produced far more Ether than impoverished lands.
And Ether fluctuated dynamically with the state of intelligent life.
Simply put, in times of peace and prosperity, Ether density would rise.
But when there was war, famine, or disease… Ether density would fall.
Normally invisible, Ether could nevertheless be observed, absorbed, and used for life evolution through special means.
And the Evolution Sandbox was just such a tool to help collect Ether.
…
Opening his eyes again, Lin Tuo exhaled slowly. He had more or less grasped the purpose of this system, and now found himself fascinated by this so-called Ether.
"So… how am I supposed to collect Ether?"
[Please follow the instructions.]
[1. Click the virtual panel and return to the main page.]
The information appeared in his mind. Lin Tuo blinked, then focused on the virtual panel hovering before his retina. It was still in Observation Mode, though empty now since he had stepped outside the Sandbox's range.
Looking more carefully, he finally noticed a faint, tiny Return icon at the top left corner of the panel something he had overlooked before.
So this Observation Mode is just a sub-page?
He tried clicking it with his thoughts.
At once, the virtual panel shifted, exiting Observation Mode and returning to the Main Page.
From a designer's perspective… the main page was still incredibly plain.
On the left, two lines of text stacked vertically:
Observation Mode
Creation Mode
A little further to the right, a lone button floated: Shop.
And that was it.
[2. Please open the Shop.]
…Why would a tool even have a shop?
Lin Tuo muttered to himself, but still clicked it with his mind.
The Shop page popped open.
Equally bare.
There were only two items available:
[Breath-Absorbing Method: Free]
[Observation Range: 1000 points / 10,000 sq km]
Lin Tuo first looked at the latter. A side window appeared with an explanation: basically, he could consume Ether points to expand the Observation Range the area displayed by the Sandbox in Observation Mode.
At present, he could only observe Yang City and its surroundings, totaling about 15,000 square kilometers. If he wanted to expand further, he would need to spend Ether points.
Every 10,000 square kilometers required 1,000 Ether points.
How much Ether do I have right now? Lin Tuo asked instinctively.
[Current Ether points: 0]
Lin Tuo: …Figures.
He quickly looked away and fixed on the free item Breath-Absorbing Method. As expected, this must be the way to collect Ether.
Purchase!
He clicked it with his mind. The next moment, a Purchase Successful message appeared, and then a torrent of information surged into his head.
[3. Please enter Observation Mode and use the Breath Absorbing Method to collect.]
Lin Tuo rose immediately, returned inside the old house, and approached the Sandbox again. Entering Observation Mode once more
Yang City inside the Sandbox still bustled as usual. Cars moved orderly along the roads, crowds filled shopping malls and cinemas, citizens living their daily lives.
Above the city, the dark clouds had reformed, covering over the rift he had torn open earlier.
Everything seemed lively and prosperous.
Huh? This time, however, Lin Tuo noticed something new above the city, higher than the cloud layer.
There, drifting across the sky, were faint wisps of ethereal, bluish-white vapor. They pulsed and undulated like a current, distinctly different from the clouds more abundant above the city center, thinning as they spread outward, until nearly vanishing over farmland and villages at the Sandbox's edges.
Could that be Ether?
Lin Tuo's eyes brightened. Following an instinctive impulse, he drew closer and adjusted his breathing rhythm, circulating the Breath-Absorbing Method.
At once, those bluish-white vapors seemed drawn to him, flowing from the skies above the Sandbox toward Lin Tuo, and being inhaled through his nose and mouth.
The scene was bizarre. In the blink of an eye, the Ether produced by the nearly six million residents of Yang City was completely absorbed by Lin Tuo!
And yet, the people themselves felt nothing.
Nor did they suffer any harm.
As the Sandbox had explained, Ether was merely energy. If left uncollected, it would dissipate. Absorbing it didn't damage intelligent life, and soon enough, more would be generated again.
But at this moment, Lin Tuo had no time to dwell on such matters.
As the bluish white gas entered his body, every cell seemed to awaken.
Like parched earth quenched by spring rain.
An indescribable sensation of exhilaration filled him transcendence, evolution, metamorphosis!
His body burned with heat, his blood surged like a roaring river, and he felt as though limitless power was begging to be unleashed.
"Whoosh!"
Lin Tuo spun around, leapt out of the old house, and landed in the wide courtyard the old martial arena of the dojo.
Standing in the center, he let his spirit stir, suddenly taking a starting stance. In an instant, his aura transformed!
His eyes shone like stars, his spine curved like a bow. He launched a fist so fast it split the air with a thunderous boom!
Crashhh…
The gale from his strike sent the wild grasses shivering, while the leaves of century-old trees along the courtyard walls rustled violently.
This was not the Breath-Absorbing Method.
This was the martial art his family had passed down for generations:
Weapon-Transforming Fist!
A style that mimicked weapons through human muscles and bones simple, unadorned, purely destructive.
At mastery, one could shatter blades barehanded, overwhelming all opposition.
Though little known in the world, this fist art had been passed down from his grandfather's line. When Lin Tuo was a child and the dojo still stood, he had trained under his grandfather's guidance.
For over twenty years, he had practiced every move, until the forms were etched deep in his bones.
Yet until today, he had never felt such seamless fluency as though the technique itself had been reborn within him.
Synchronizing his breathing with the Breath Absorbing rhythm, Lin Tuo channeled the swirling Ether inside him. His figure flashed like lightning as he worked through the entire sequence.
Fists, fingers, elbows, waist, knees, shins, feet, every joint, every limb felt forged from tempered steel, cleaving air, weighty and unstoppable.
And as he reached the latter half of the routine, Lin Tuo's mind sank into a strange state. Two decades of practice fused together in this instant, flowing effortlessly.
Insight after insight welled up in his heart.
Gradually, his movements drifted beyond the written form, no longer traceable, while strands of bluish-white vapor leaked from his pores, cloaking him in a divine aura.
Hah!
At the finale, Lin Tuo gave a low shout, his right hand sweeping to the side, wrist twisting into a grasping gesture.
The next instant, the vapor condensed forming a spectral short spear!
Go!
His arm lifted slightly, and he hurled the etheric weapon skyward.
Swish!
The spear shot hundreds of meters before exploding in midair with a deafening boom, like thunder:
BOOM!!
…
At the mountain's foot
Some nearby villagers looked up at the cloud-strewn sky, puzzled.
Thunder? But it doesn't look like rain…
Who knows… weather forecasts are never right anyway.
The noise was loud, but muffled by the forested slopes, so it caused little stir. No one could have guessed its true source.
…
In the courtyard
Lin Tuo stood in silence, sweat beading his body.
He had finally returned to his senses, staring blankly at his own hands.
This… is this still the Weapon Transforming Fist I know?