Chapter 280 – Ability Identification’s New Function Area
Tu Ran was undoubtedly a star candidate; Ye Hongci’s gaze was intense with interest.
Every move Tu Ran made was not only incredibly fast but also at an unusual angle. She didn’t aim for style, only precision, seeking to strike with every hit. Her strength was equally formidable.
Ye Hongci, who had personally trained Tang Ying, knew exactly how strong Tang Ying was. Yet, when their legs collided, it seemed as though Tang Ying was subtly considering retreat.
Ye Hongci had a growing sense that Tu Ran wasn’t giving her all—that she was suppressing her strength and speed.
She was far stronger than Tang Ying!
Ye Hongci’s mind remained unsettled for a long time.
That someone from the wasteland star could be so exceptional was beyond her expectations.
What she didn’t understand, however, was why Tu Ran was hiding her true power.
Curious to see what Tu Ran could do at her full potential, she raised her voice and announced, “The winner of this match will receive a reward of ten thousand mental power points.”
The crowd gasped.
Not only were they shocked by the generous reward of ten thousand mental power points, but they were equally stunned that Ye Hongci would use a prize to encourage a winner to emerge. This showed that Ye Hongci had a high opinion of Tu Ran, believing she had the ability to go head-to-head with Tang Ying and was eager to see the outcome.
After all, Tang Ying was Ye Hongci’s goddaughter, her right hand, and a weapon she had personally honed.
Yet, here was an unknown figure from the wasteland star who could go blow-for-blow with Tang Ying. Though the outcome was still uncertain, Ye Hongci’s offer of a reward suggested that even if Tu Ran lost, she would still gain Ye Hongci’s favor.
Her future looked exceptionally bright.
The crowd felt a pang of mixed emotions.
These were all new recruits, and they hadn’t lasted ten minutes under Tang Ying’s relentless assault, ending up completely overpowered. Yet, Tu Ran could go toe-to-toe with Tang Ying to the point where General Ye herself added a reward. How could the gap be this wide?
Ai Meigui, sitting in the front row on an empty stool beside her, was fixated on the intensifying fight between Tu Ran and Tang Ying, biting her lower lip with clenched fists.
Bang!
Tu Ran’s stick struck Tang Ying’s left arm, causing her whole arm to go numb, and she quickly stepped back.
Tu Ran didn’t pursue her, and the two of them created some distance.
“Do you want to continue?” Tu Ran asked, looking at Tang Ying.
Tang Ying clutched her left arm, massaging it, her expression ice-cold and her eyes filled with frost. She replied firmly, “Yes!”
“Then maybe you’d like to pick a weapon too?” Tu Ran asked politely.
It felt unfair if she was the only one with a weapon.
“No need.”
Tang Ying’s voice was edged with anger as she charged at Tu Ran with her right hand curled into a claw.
Tu Ran shrugged, thinking Tang Ying clearly hadn’t dealt with failure before. She was stubbornly avoiding a weapon even when she couldn’t win without one, just to save face. If it were Tu Ran, she’d definitely choose the most powerful weapon available to increase her chances of victory.
As Tang Ying’s attack closed in, Tu Ran casually lifted her wooden stick, easily blocking the blow. This time, Tu Ran took control, seizing the offensive, and swung her stick swiftly towards Tang Ying’s waist.
Tang Ying sidestepped, but Tu Ran relentlessly pursued her from every angle—left, right, up, down, front, back—a full 360 degrees of unyielding attack. The stick moved so swiftly it blurred into a white streak.
Tu Ran genuinely enjoyed this style of fighting. She’d felt a similar satisfaction when she’d taken down Zhou Ming with a sniper rifle, and later in the Wanle Temple when she used a submachine gun on the Pang family’s bodyguards—she’d wanted to keep going if time hadn’t been a constraint.
There was something deeply satisfying about the solid impact of each strike on her opponent, the sounds of her sniper and submachine gun hitting their mark, a hundred times more gratifying than simply shooting from a distance.
But now, facing Tang Ying, Tu Ran wasn’t going all out. She was still under someone else’s roof and needed to show restraint.
At first, Tang Ying managed to dodge most attacks, even finding brief moments to counter. But as Tu Ran ramped up her speed yet again, Tang Ying’s reflexes started to falter. Her leg, arm, waist—hit after hit, the stick struck her with unerring accuracy.
Tang Ying’s rhythm broke entirely, leaving her with no room to counterattack, focused solely on evading Tu Ran’s strikes. But the more she retreated, the more Tu Ran pressed forward, not needing to defend, pouring all her energy into an unrelenting offense.
Soon, the entire training ground echoed with sharp, resounding strikes—“Bang! Smack! Crack! Thud!”
The watching recruits winced, the sound reverberating as if it hit them personally. Many of them couldn’t help but glance at General Ye. Her adopted daughter was practically being pinned down and beaten, yet General Ye’s expression remained calm, her face adorned with a faint, unreadable smile.
With one final blow, Tu Ran’s wooden stick shot forward, aimed straight for Tang Ying’s temple.
This strike would be lethal if it connected. Tang Ying sensed the impending danger, but her mind was dazed, her movements sluggish—she had no chance to block it in time.
Tu Ran was too fast, her gaze too unwavering. Everyone believed, for a heart-stopping moment, that she intended to finish Tang Ying for good.
In an instant, faces paled all around, hearts leapt to throats, and the observing instructors leaped forward to intercept her.
But just one centimeter away from Tang Ying’s temple, the stick halted midair.
The powerful force of the swing sent a gust of wind past Tang Ying’s face, causing her hair to lift and fall over one eye.
Seeing this, the instructors froze in mid-stride, then glanced at each other awkwardly, touching their noses in embarrassment as they quietly retreated to their places.
“You lost,” Tu Ran said, lowering her arm. She tossed the stick back onto the cart.
Tang Ying’s eyes showed a flicker of disbelief. The pride she once held seemed shattered. She looked up, dazed, at Tu Ran. “You… you’re very strong.”
In that moment, she acknowledged her opponent’s skill without hesitation.
Tu Ran smiled. “You’re not bad, either.”
Tang Ying was truly formidable; without any powers of her own, she had lasted this long against someone like Tu Ran, a feat most ordinary people could hardly achieve.
From the sidelines, Ye Hongci clapped, her applause echoing through the quiet training grounds. “Tu Ran is the winner. The ten thousand mental energy points will be awarded to you this afternoon.”
With her applause, the crowd snapped out of the tension from that near-fatal swing. They let out a collective sigh of relief and then joined in, clapping alongside Ye Hongci.
A wave of applause filled the training grounds.
Tang Ying silently walked back to Ye Hongci’s side, her expression unreadable.
Ye Hongci looked at her, giving her shoulder a reassuring pat. “Stand tall. It’s just one match. You’ve won so many times before. I hope that besides feeling embarrassed, you learned something useful from losing just this once.”
Tang Ying lowered her gaze without responding.
The morning’s sparring ended with Tu Ran’s victory.
As Tu Ran was about to follow the crowd to the cafeteria, Ai Meigui grabbed her by the hand and pulled her into a quiet corner.
With a serious expression and a determined look, Ai Meigui asked, “Tu Ran, I need to ask you something.”
“What is it?” Tu Ran asked, puzzled.
“Will you forget about me someday?”
Tu Ran blinked. “Huh? What kind of cheesy question is that?”
“Just tell me—if you make it big, you won’t forget about me, will you?” Ai Meigui hugged Tu Ran’s arm tightly, holding on like she would never let go. Being a head shorter, she had to look up at Tu Ran. “Tu Ran, we’re good friends, right? And good friends stick together through thick and thin, right? I went through all this tough training with you, so you’d better not abandon me once you’re successful.”
Tu Ran couldn’t help but laugh. So she was here to cling to her like this? She had never seen someone ask for help so openly before.
“Alright, alright, I won’t forget you,” Tu Ran promised, pulling her arm free. “Now, let’s get some food. I’m starving after this morning.”
Ai Meigui followed her like a loyal shadow, chatting nonstop. “Tu Ran, you’re so strong. I can’t believe you held back from showing off! If I had your skills, I’d make sure everyone in the Haenden star system knew who I was! Hehehe! Maybe I’d even end up like Instructor Tang, becoming…”
They finally reached the cafeteria, where Tu Ran silenced her with a plate of food.
Midway through her meal, Tu Ran suddenly paused and looked across the table at Ai Meigui. “Besides controlling mechas, what else can mental power do?”
Ai Meigui quickly swallowed her food, clearing her throat. “Mental power is super versatile. Piloting mechas is the main thing, sure, but humans with a high enough mental power can develop an acute sense of perception. They can sense things ordinary people can’t, like an instinct for danger or the location of alien beasts.”
“Not only that, but overall physical attributes can improve with strong mental power. Strength, speed, reflexes—everything’s enhanced. Even longevity is extended. That’s why some wealthy people buy mental power from others.”
“So… Tang Ying’s speed—is that because of her mental power?” Tu Ran asked, a bit slow to catch on.
“Exactly. Tang Ying was born with strong mental power; that’s why General Ye chose her as her goddaughter.” Ai Meigui looked at her curiously. “Tu Ran, do you think your mental power is stronger than Tang Ying’s?”
Tu Ran shook her head. “I don’t know. I’ve never measured it.”
She guessed her mental power probably wasn’t that high. She won against Tang Ying because of her inner cores, which belonged to an entirely different world system. The inner core and mental power were distinct, though they both enhanced physical abilities in similar ways. However, the two systems didn’t directly connect.
Suddenly, a line of green text flashed in her vision:
[Congratulations! The owner of this inner core has realized the distinction between mental power and the inner core. A new function area has been unlocked.]
Tu Ran’s hand trembled as she held her chopsticks.
‘What is this?!’
[I am the support function area of the ability [Ability Identification]. Operating within the mental power system, I will serve as your proxy in place of [Ability Identification]. You may call me “Tally Board.”]
