Chapter Fifty: Sparring

Ardonsa reached out and, with brutal force, thrust his hand into Chen Tu’s head, wrenching out the man’s brain in a bloody mess. The tender brain, formed from the Splintered Ones, was still steaming with heat, its taut nerves stretching below as if protesting Ardonsa’s violence.

Ardonsa examined Chen Tu’s brain closely, and suddenly discovered a structure he had never seen before: the overgrown pineal gland had formed a bridge-like structure, fusing the two hemispheres of the brain. The intense fluctuations of the Delta Wave radiated from this very spot, surging through the entire body.

A hypothesis formed in Ardonsa’s mind. He abruptly separated the brain from the body, severing the remaining nerves. Instantly, the Delta Wave within the flesh dissipated without a trace, and Chen Tu emitted a cry of excruciating pain.

When the brain was reconnected, the highly active Splintered Ones swiftly repaired the damaged nerves.

Chen Tu glared at Ardonsa in a mixture of shock and fury.

“As expected, the so-called ‘Qi channels’ do not exist anatomically; they are merely metaphors in the theory of the Channelers.”

Channelers like Chen Tu believed there were Qi channels in their bodies. Even after Ardonsa had parasitized him, he had managed to induce a set of Qi channels through which Delta Waves flowed. In reality, the true source of their power seemed to be the mutated pineal gland in the brain.

This pineal gland greatly amplified the frequency of the brain’s Delta Waves, and its direct effect was to allow Channelers, through strong self-belief, to distort reality.

In other words, this was a form of cultivable superpower.

Channelers enhanced the impression within their subconscious, practicing deep self-hypnosis. Using the yin-yang and five elements from Eastern philosophy, they twisted reality to grant themselves the ability to make wishes come true, pitting their flesh and blood against cold steel.

They called this mental state—the Martial Will.

When an ordinary human body was suffused with this special Delta Wave, it gained the power to withstand modern weaponry.

Thus, until the moment a Channeler made contact with the outside world, their sense of self remained in a state of quantum uncertainty. At the instant of contact, they forced the material world to acknowledge their power, creating the illusion of superhuman strength.

Ordinarily, such self-perception would amount to little more than severe hysteria, but with the aid of the mutated Delta Wave—Qi—it became real.

This extraordinary power was founded upon their unique philosophical system, a concept both unbelievable and astounding.

Yet, ultimately, the power of Qi was simply another form of superpower, albeit one with remarkable plasticity and potential for growth.

It was, however, extremely difficult to wield; Channelers had studied for millennia to devise an effective cultivation system, making widespread adoption impossible.

For this reason, Channelers resembled classical philosophers more than superpowered beings—defining the essence of the world in their own language, a thoroughly idealistic endeavor.

Idealistic? Why would such a power, grounded in pure idealism, emerge in a materialistic universe? Why was it that only Channelers possessed this ability?

The underlying principle was so profound that Ardonsa could not yet draw a conclusion; he could only attempt to replicate and mass-produce it, seeking patterns.

Suddenly, Ardonsa withdrew all psychic suppression, allowing Chen Tu to gasp for breath.

He had not relented out of mercy or resignation, but because continuing the experiment would inflict irreparable damage on Chen Tu’s psyche. Such a valuable specimen could not be so carelessly abused.

Previously, Che Juchen had lost all research value because Ardonsa failed to show restraint the first time.

Half-dead from torment, Chen Tu said with forced bravado, “You’ll never control me.”

“Oh?” Ardonsa replied calmly. “I recall you care deeply for a group of human children. They’re not your blood, so… are you a lolicon?”

Enraged, Chen Tu snapped one of the blood vessels coiling around him. “You—!”

Ardonsa suddenly realized that while the Qi channels were a figment of imagination, the unprecedented Qi network generated by the Splintered Ones had actually become a practical organ for combat, boosting Chen Tu’s Qi power by more than thirty percent.

This demonstrated the mysterious connection between mind and matter—consciousness could affect the physical, and the physical could in turn nurture the mind; they could not be analyzed in isolation.

In the face of Chen Tu’s anger, Ardonsa remained tranquil: “Enjoy your new life.”

Looking out the window, he saw the aftermath of last night’s battle had yet to subside. Frightened people cowered indoors, afraid to venture out, leaving the once-bustling city in utter silence.

Now armed with sufficient power, Ardonsa rapidly increased the number of Splintered Ones. Soon, he would be able to dominate the entire city.

The Splintered Ones scattered throughout the metropolis, making seemingly insignificant arrangements, but in fact quietly taking control of every vital aspect—economy, resources, and, most importantly, the humans themselves.

Ardonsa had no intention of devouring all the city’s inhabitants to bloat himself into a cumbersome colossus. There were two reasons.

First, keeping large numbers of civilians around allowed him to manipulate public opinion, making the authorities hesitate to use weapons of mass destruction and thus preventing the city from being razed in an instant.

Second, while human flesh was nothing special, the human brain was nature’s greatest masterpiece—its potential and value beyond measure. Ardonsa had no wish to waste such treasures through indiscriminate consumption.

For now, the chaos from last night could still be blamed on Yamest, but the ruse would not last long.

Humanity—especially the Channelers—would soon discover the presence of this alien intruder.

Given the Channelers’ deep-seated hatred of evil, his position was indeed precarious.

Yet, after passing through the second stage of evolution, Ardonsa’s strength had increased a hundredfold.

Unless forced to face overwhelming firepower head-on, Ardonsa actually looked forward to encountering the legendary Channelers for a more thorough exchange.

In a moment when Ardonsa seemed lost in thought, Chen Tu suddenly broke free from the blood vessels binding him and lunged fiercely at Ardonsa.

He had lost his signature weapon, the silver threads, but as one of the most powerful Channelers, he could still punch through steel with his bare hands.

Yet midway through his attack, his entire body went numb. A higher-order command easily locked down all his motor nerves. He could only collapse to the ground in a comical heap, completely immobilized.

Ardonsa looked down at him. “I respect you, Channeler. So I will forgive this offense. But remember—if you dare to defy me again, I’ll be forced to do something unpleasant.”

A screen emerged on the fleshy wall, displaying a familiar dormitory. The children inside were trembling, evidently terrified by last night’s chaos.

The caregivers, though clearly frightened themselves, still did their best to comfort the children—a touching scene of solidarity in adversity, yet perilous as a house of cards.

“Ardonsa, you don’t understand anything. You don’t know why I care for them so much…”

Chen Tu, trembling, finally gave up struggling. He bowed his head in submission.

Ardonsa nodded and released the paralysis. Chen Tu sighed deeply, lowered his eyes, and walked out of the fleshy chamber.

Ardonsa did not wish to further provoke the proud Channeler and did not try to detain him.

In the distance, the roar of fighter jets echoed across the sky. Ardonsa frowned.

The Tianjing State was acting swiftly.