After completing the Quasi-Martial Artist exam, Wei Wen rushed home and immediately began practicing the Five Hearts Facing the Origin method.
Compared to Luo Feng, Wei Wen's genetic aptitude wasn't as strong. Even though this method was a refined and optimized version of the Five Hearts Facing the Sky technique, he still couldn't get it to work.
It wasn't surprising. The original world made it clear: those with weaker talent often couldn't even sense Genetic Force within a year—or longer.
"Looks like I can only hitch a ride on Luo Feng's coattails," Wei Wen thought, half-joking but half-hopeful.
Night fell, quiet and still.
Luo Feng sat cross-legged, his feet and palms facing upward, breathing so softly it was nearly undetectable.
With excellent focus and self-discipline, he quieted his mind and directed his full attention toward the subtle energy permeating the cosmos—Genetic Force.
Sensing it for the first time was always the hardest. You couldn't absorb what you couldn't perceive.
But Luo Feng was a natural. A prodigy.
Within just an hour and a half of meditation, his eyes suddenly opened—startled, then calm.
"I wonder if Wei Wen has managed to sense it too?" Luo Feng thought. "He's sharp enough... he might even get there faster than I did."
What Luo Feng didn't know: Wei Wen hadn't sensed anything—until Luo Feng succeeded.
[Your bound friend Luo Feng has successfully sensed Genetic Force using the 'Five Hearts Facing the Sky' method. You have now successfully sensed Genetic Force using the 'Five Hearts Facing the Origin' method.]
[Your bound friend Luo Feng has absorbed Genetic Force and gained a significant boost in strength. You are now gaining strength as well.]
"What the hell?!"
Wei Wen had been lying flat in defeat, eyes half-shut. But the moment the notification appeared, he sat up like he'd been struck by lightning.
He'd failed to sense anything on his own. Yet now—out of nowhere—he was absorbing Genetic Force.
A rush of cosmic energy surged through his body, funneled in by the Five Hearts Facing the Origin technique. Wei Wen could feel it: every cell in his body, starved for energy since birth, was greedily drinking it in.
His skin, muscles, bones—every layer of his physical structure began transforming, evolving at high speed.
Even his genetic code was changing. And that was the entire essence of becoming a Genetic Martial Artist: pushing the body's evolution beyond human limits.
Wei Wen wasn't just improving. He was ascending.
His talent might not match Luo Feng's, but with the advantage of the advanced technique—and the system feedbackfrom being linked to Luo Feng—his first breakthrough was even greater.
"According to this world's logic," Wei Wen reflected, "because the body has never actively absorbed energy before, it's been in a long-term starvation state. The first absorption is always the most intense—and sets the ceiling for future growth."
In that moment, Wei Wen could feel his entire body shifting.
His bones grew denser. His cells shrank, becoming more efficient. Muscle fibers reorganized and strengthened. Even his deep genetic structure was being rewritten.
His power skyrocketed.
"Luo Feng gained around 600kg of punching power the first time, not counting the impact of awakening as a Psycher Master..." Wei Wen thought. "But I've gained over 1000kg... and it's still rising."
Because it wasn't just his body changing.
Deep in his brain, Genetic Force seeped into a region he couldn't consciously detect—stimulating the mysterious Sea of Consciousness.
His latent Mental Power core, the hallmark of a Psycher Master, began to stir.
The mist-like energy began to flow out of that spinning core.
Wei Wen didn't even notice it yet. But that didn't matter. His rapidly evolving body could now withstand the pressure of the Mental Power within him—and so it started to release on its own.
His entire physique leapt to a new level again.
The reason? The raw power of a Psycher Master's Mental Force dwarfs that of a martial artist. But it stays hidden unless the body can handle it.
The stronger the body, the more Mental Power gets released.
Normally, a Psycher Master's body and Mental Power differ by two levels. So if Wei Wen's body was now around Advanced Warrior level, then his Mental Power had jumped straight to Intermediate Warlord level.
And as his body continued to evolve, his Mental Power would keep rising in sync.
Of course, there's a limit—Mental Power reserves are finite. Once fully released, you can't go further without outside stimuli.
But for now?
Wei Wen had hit a jackpot.
When the absorption finally settled, Wei Wen opened his eyes.
Boom!
He threw a punch, and the air exploded with sound.
His muscles surged with power. His estimate: his current strength was equivalent to a 6,000kg punching force—far beyond what Luo Feng achieved in his first breakthrough.
"Luo Feng only hit about 2,000kg with body and Mental Power combined. I've tripled that." Wei Wen grinned."And because a Psycher Master naturally punches two levels above their physique… that makes me an Intermediate Warlord-level Psycher Master."
Not just that—he could feel it now.
His Sea of Consciousness. The spinning Mental Power core. Before, he could barely sense it. Now it responded to his will.
Wei Wen closed his eyes and focused—and began to float gently into the air.
Flight.
The signature early-stage advantage of a Psycher Master.
Flying let him scout further, avoid danger, and outmaneuver enemies. It was one of the reasons Psycher Masters dominated early battles.
The next morning.
Instructor Jiang Nian made a beeline for Wei Wen's home.
He'd been keeping an eye on the boy for a while now. First, Wei Wen had shown Advanced Student-level strengthduring verification. Then, in the Quasi-Martial Artist test, he demonstrated Micro-level movement control, something even full martial artists struggled with.
Jiang Nian had a hunch: Wei Wen could sense Genetic Force within a day. Maybe… just maybe, he'd awaken as a Psycher Master too.
And if he did? If Jiang Nian was the one who spotted and recommended him?
The rewards would be enormous.