"What exactly are you?"
…
Beneath the old house's eaves, Lin Tuo asked seriously.
What had just happened was far too mysterious — no one would believe it if he told them. At this moment, he was both excited and anxious.
And as he asked, the Evolution Sand Table in his mind actually responded:
[Keyword detected. Initiating "Beginner's Guide."]
[Evolution Sand Table: A tool of mysterious origin.]
[Primary function: Assist the host in collecting "Ether" energy to achieve advancement in the level of life.]
Squatting under the eaves, Lin Tuo froze. So… he really had stumbled upon a system?
And this system was a tool for collecting so-called "Ether" energy?
"What is Ether?" Lin Tuo asked.
He remembered that when in Observation Mode earlier, the Ether concentration in Yang City had been marked as low.
[Ether: The stream of consciousness that makes up space, the very first and most fundamental element created when the Spirit Realm formed the material world. It exists widely throughout the universe, wherever intelligent life dwells, and possesses the power to elevate the level of life…]
As the explanation came, a surge of related knowledge poured into Lin Tuo's mind. He pressed his forehead, closed his eyes, and organized the flood of information before finally grasping the concept.
Put simply, "Ether" was similar to the "spiritual energy" often described in literature — a substance that coexists with life.
Its source was the so-called Spirit Realm.
According to the data provided by the Evolution Sand Table:
In the universe, on any planet where intelligent life appears, Ether will also appear.
The amount and concentration of Ether were closely tied to the overall quality of a planet's intelligent life.
In other words —
Ether is present wherever humans gather on Earth, whether in cities or villages.
If everyone had the same physical health and mental state, then the greater the population, the more Ether would flow from the Spirit Realm into the material world.
If the number of people were fixed, then the healthier and more spirited each individual, the more Ether would be produced.
Thus, in cities, the concentration of Ether is far higher than in rural areas, and in prosperous, developed regions, much higher than in impoverished lands.
And Ether levels also change dynamically with the state of intelligent life.
When the world is at peace and nations thrive, Ether concentration rises.
But during war, famine, or plague… Ether concentration drops.
Normally, Ether is invisible, but through special means, it can be observed, absorbed, and used to achieve life's evolution.
And the Evolution Sand Table was a tool designed to aid in collecting Ether.
…
Opening his eyes again, Lin Tuo exhaled slowly. He roughly understood the system's purpose now, and his curiosity about Ether deepened.
"According to what you've said, how do I collect Ether?"
[Please follow the guide to proceed.]
[1. Click on the virtual panel to return to the main page.]
The instruction appeared in his mind. Lin Tuo blinked, shifting his focus back to the virtual panel hovering on his retina. It was still in "Observation Mode," but since he had moved away from the Sand Table, the view was empty.
Looking carefully, he noticed for the first time a small, faint "Return" icon in the top left corner — he hadn't seen it before.
"So this Observation Mode is just a sub-page?"
He tried clicking it with his intent.
The panel immediately shifted, exiting Observation Mode and returning to the Main Page.
From a designer's perspective… the Main Page was still very barebones.
On the left were just two vertically arranged options:
Observation Mode
Creation Mode
On the right, hanging alone in the distance, was a single button: Shop.
And that was it.
[2. Please open the "Shop."]
"…Why does a tool even have a shop?"
Lin Tuo grumbled inwardly, but still clicked with his mind.
The Shop page opened.
It was almost empty too.
Only two items were available:
[Breath-Absorption Method: Free]
[Observation Range Expansion: 1000 Ether points / per 10,000 square kilometers]
Lin Tuo's gaze first landed on the second option, and a side window popped up with an explanation. After a quick read, he understood: Ether could be spent to buy observation range in the Shop.
In other words, the Sand Table's observable city area.
Currently, he could only observe Yang City and its surroundings — about 15,000 square kilometers. If he wanted to expand that, he would need to spend Ether points.
Each expansion of 10,000 square kilometers required 1000 points of Ether.
"How much Ether do I have now?" Lin Tuo asked instinctively.
[Current Ether points: 0]
Lin Tuo: …Fine.
Resolutely, he shifted his focus to the free Breath-Absorption Method. As expected, this must be the technique for collecting Ether.
"Purchase!"
With a mental click, a "Purchase Successful" message appeared. Immediately afterward, a flood of new knowledge poured into his mind.
[3. Please re-enter Observation Mode and use the Breath-Absorption Method to begin collection.]
Lin Tuo rose at once, returned to the old house, and stood by the Sand Table. He entered Observation Mode again.
The miniature Yang City appeared, bustling as usual. Cars drove along highways, citizens crowded malls and cinemas, living their ordinary lives.
The city sky remained covered in piled clouds, and the gap Lin Tuo had torn earlier had already closed.
The scene was full of prosperity.
"Hm?" This time, however, Lin Tuo noticed something new above the clouds.
There, drifting across the sky, were wisps of faint, azure-white gas. They rippled like unseen currents, clearly different from the clouds. They were denser above the city center, thinning toward the outskirts, and nearly invisible above the farmlands beyond.
"Could this be Ether?"
With sudden clarity, Lin Tuo's body moved almost instinctively. He adjusted his breathing according to the Breath-Absorption Method.
Instantly, the azure-white wisps seemed drawn to him, streaming from above the Sand Table and into his nostrils.
It was a surreal sight.
In a blink, all the Ether produced by Yang City's six million residents was drawn into Lin Tuo's body.
And yet — none of the people in the city felt a thing.
No harm came to anyone.
According to the Evolution Sand Table, Ether was simply energy. If not collected, it was wasted. Drawing it away caused no effect on intelligent life. And soon enough, life would produce more Ether again.
But Lin Tuo no longer cared about that. As the azure-white streams entered his body, every cell of his being felt awakened.
It was like rain after a long drought.
An indescribable rush of clarity and exhilaration filled him. This was transcendence. Evolution. A transformation of life itself!
Heat surged through his body. His veins roared like rushing rivers. An inexhaustible force seemed to demand release.
"Whoosh!"
Leaping out of the old house, Lin Tuo landed in the middle of the courtyard's spacious martial arena — once the training ground of the family's martial hall.
There, he settled into a stance.
His aura shifted instantly. His eyes gleamed like stars. His spine bent like a bow. With a single punch, so fast it cracked the air, the courtyard thundered.
"Crash…"
The blast of his fist made the overgrown weeds sway violently. Leaves on the centuries-old trees rustled madly in the courtyard walls.
This was not the Breath-Absorption Method. It was the martial art passed down in his family.
A fierce fist technique inherited from his grandfather:
Weapon-Transforming Fist!
It used the human body's bones and limbs to simulate various weapons. Simple, direct, brutal — meant for killing.
At its peak, one could shatter weapons bare-handed, crushing all before them.
Though obscure and little known, this style had been practiced in his family for generations. As a child, when the martial hall still stood, Lin Tuo had trained under his grandfather daily.
After more than twenty years, every move was ingrained in his muscles.
But until today, he had never felt this technique flow so naturally — so utterly flawless.
Synchronizing its rhythm with the Breath-Absorption Method, channeling the Ether currents within his body, Lin Tuo moved like lightning as he performed the entire set.
Fist, finger, elbow, waist, knee, shin, foot…
Every joint, every limb, seemed forged of steel. Each strike ripped the air, heavy and unstoppable.
And as he reached the later stages of the Weapon-Transforming Fist, his entire being immersed into a strange state. Decades of practice fused into sudden enlightenment.
Instinctively, his moves slipped free of the fist manual, formless and flowing. Wisps of azure-white Ether seeped from his pores, wrapping his body in a divine glow.
"Hah!"
At the final move, Lin Tuo let out a low shout. His right hand shifted aside, twisting into the shape of gripping a weapon.
In the next instant, the Ether around him condensed into a shimmering spear!
"Go!"
He thrust his arm.
The Ether spear shot skyward.
"Whoosh!"
It soared a hundred meters before bursting apart in a resounding explosion —
"BOOM!!"
…
At the foot of Mount Li.
A few nearby villagers looked up curiously at the cloud-covered sky.
"Thunder? But it doesn't look like rain's coming…"
"Who knows… Weather reports are never right."
The sound was loud, but muffled by the mountain's forest. No one gave it much thought. None could imagine the true source of the blast.
…
In the martial courtyard.
Lin Tuo stood silently, sweat beading his skin.
The surge had passed. He stared at his trembling hands in disbelief.
"Was that… still the Weapon-Transforming Fist I knew?"
(End of Chapter)