Chapter 187: A Prodigy of the Ages

Chapter 187: A Prodigy of the Ages

"Have you practiced this before?" Fang Songhe couldn't help but ask.

There were some tutorial videos on spiral energy techniques to be found online, and a portion of them were genuine. Following those practices could indeed help one grasp the basic entry-level skills.

"No," Ji Xinghuo shook his head.

As he replied, he focused his stellar energy, meticulously guiding it to follow the path of an Archimedean spiral without the slightest distraction, despite continuing the conversation.

Fang Songhe observed for about half a minute before suddenly instructing, "Increase the speed. Keep accelerating until you reach your limit."

Ji Xinghuo immediately complied.

The curve of stellar energy in his arm quickened.

The Archimedean spiral, also known as the equiangular spiral, maintained a constant angular velocity regardless of how fast or slow it went.

Ji Xinghuo increased the speed with each revolution of the stellar energy curve, quickly reaching his upper limit—about fifteen times his initial velocity. If he went any faster, the curve would collapse as the stellar energy could no longer maintain its cohesive form.

Fang Songhe's face remained calm, but his heart was astounded.

"Add more stellar energy curves."

"Increase the number of curves to your limit as well."

He continued.

Ji Xinghuo silently obeyed, focusing his mind and gathering all his stellar energy into his arm. A new curve of stellar energy formed every ten seconds or so.

However, as the number of stellar energy curves reached five, the rotational speed inevitably slowed down.

He balanced the two, maintaining a relatively fast rotational speed while ensuring the curves remained cohesive. He then slowed down the pace of forming new stellar energy curves, taking one to two minutes to adapt to the current state after each addition before forming another curve.

Half an hour later, the total number of stellar energy curves reached 29.

More than 70% of his stellar energy had been gathered in his arm. One could see the transparent arm filled with parallel curves revolving slowly around the central axis.

Each stellar energy curve rotated at the same speed, perfectly adhering to the standards of the Archimedean spiral!

Yet, this was still not his limit.

Although Ji Xinghuo appeared to be straining, his brows furrowed in concentration with a sheen of sweat on his forehead, it was all an act for Fang Songhe's benefit.

During the practice, he had realized something.

If the spiral energy technique was truly as powerful as Fang Songhe claimed, with limitless potential that even surpassed the starfall ability, then it would require faster neural reactions and cognitive speed. One would need to perform numerous calculations during combat to unleash the spiral energy technique's maximum power.

This gave him an additional reason to integrate "high-frequency thinking."

Ji Xinghuo secretly activated the acceleration ring for a few seconds, and as expected, it made maintaining the stellar energy curves noticeably easier.

Seeing that Ji Xinghuo wasn't adding any more stellar energy curves, Fang Songhe nodded and said, "Start running at your fastest speed."

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Ji Xinghuo immediately began sprinting across the martial arts arena.

Running could be distracting, so at first, he dared not run too fast or swing his arms too widely. Gradually, he adapted to the state of his body, and his speed increased rapidly. He circled the arena, his arms swinging freely, yet the stellar energy curves remained undisturbed.

Ji Xinghuo was like a cheetah, running with freedom, stability, and agility.

"That's enough."

Fang Songhe called out to stop Ji Xinghuo. Seeing him return, he noted that Ji Xinghuo was neither out of breath nor flushed. The transparent arm still maintained 29 stellar energy curves, rotating uniformly.

He was thoroughly convinced.

Such terrifying talent was something Fang Songhe had never encountered before.

In his century-long association with the Extreme Martial Arts Hall, where he had apprenticed under Gun Saint Xing Lie, he had witnessed countless martial arts prodigies. Yet, none of them had left him as shaken as Ji Xinghuo.

Even in his own case, when his master had praised him for having top-notch martial arts talent globally, he had undergone similar tests when first learning the spiral energy technique. Whether it was the number of stellar energy curves, their rotational speed, or his running ability, Fang Songhe's performance had been less than a tenth of Ji Xinghuo's.

"A prodigy of the ages!"

"I fear even my master might not be his match..."

Fang Songhe's heart was in turmoil, and for a long while, he couldn't speak. At that moment, a strong desire arose within him to introduce Ji Xinghuo to his master!

However, considering that Ji Xinghuo was already a famous Red Cloud Swordsman, the appeal of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall might not be that significant.

The Sword Bureau wouldn't let go of him easily, either.

"I'll think of something later," Fang Songhe thought to himself. "Even if I can't get this unparalleled genius to join the Extreme Martial Arts Hall, I must befriend him first."

He made up his mind, but his face remained calm.

"The Archimedean spiral is the most basic of basics. Your talent and performance far exceed my expectations. You will definitely be able to master the spiral energy technique."

Fang Songhe continued, "Now, let's switch to practicing with another body part."

He applied the potion to other parts of Ji Xinghuo's body, introducing it as the "Aether Star-Revealing Agent," which could make the body transparent, revealing the flow and trajectory of stellar energy within. It was an excellent auxiliary tool for practicing various star energy techniques, doubling the results with half the effort.

Soon, Ji Xinghuo's left arm, thighs, calves, waist, abdomen, and back became transparent, allowing a direct view of the internal stellar energy state.

Under Fang Songhe's guidance, he further controlled the rotation of his stellar energy.

Two hours later.

Fang Songhe said with a complicated expression, "You've completely mastered the stellar energy curve of the Archimedean spiral. Now, let's move on to the Fermat spiral."

Back when he was learning this, it had taken him three whole weeks!

On the large screen in the martial arts arena, the image switched to a new spiral and its polar coordinate equation.

Fang Songhe explained it first and then let Ji Xinghuo practice.

This was also one of the basics of the spiral energy technique, and for Ji Xinghuo, it posed no difficulty. His micro-perception and third-level star energy technique gave him unimaginable control over his stellar energy. As long as he understood the principle, he could master it instantly.

In less than two hours, Ji Xinghuo grasped the method of the Fermat spiral.

Next were the Fibonacci spiral, isometric spiral, hyperbolic spiral, chain spiral, and more. From morning to evening, Ji Xinghuo's learning speed increased. What had initially taken two hours now took only half an hour to master a new spiral.

"Let's end here for today."

Fang Songhe was numb. This was the first time he had met someone who could master ten spirals in a single day.

It was something he wouldn't have dared to dream of.

Yet, his demeanor remained calm as he said, "What you've learned today are all two-dimensional spirals, which are the most basic and the least challenging. Once you've completely mastered and become proficient with them, we'll move on to three-dimensional spirals, which are several times more complex. You'll need to practice more when you get back."

"Yes, Senior Fang," Ji Xinghuo replied humbly.

Although they weren't in a master-disciple relationship, Fang Songhe's willingness to impart these skills deserved his respect.

"Senior Fang," Ji Xinghuo called out, stopping him in his tracks. "May I teach the spiral energy technique to others?"

"Your master has always disliked keeping his skills to himself. As long as you have his permission, you can teach it to whoever you want. However, if the spiral energy technique were that easy to learn, there would be more practitioners of it in the martial world." Fang Songhe smiled and asked casually, "Who do you want to teach it to?"

As soon as he asked the question, he had a guess as to the answer.

Although Fang Songhe was over a hundred years old, he was not an old-fashioned man. He kept up with the news and current affairs, and with over a century of internet usage, there were few in the world who had been online longer than him.

"If you want to teach Zhao Manying, then I approve."

"Thank you, Senior Fang," Ji Xinghuo said hastily.

When he had started learning the spiral energy technique in the morning and learned about the mathematical principles behind it, he had immediately thought of Zhao Manying. With her quantum intellect, she was even more suited to master the spiral energy technique than he was!

Fang Songhe nodded and left.

Ji Xinghuo went to Zhou Yishang's office, and as expected, he had not left work yet. Ji Xinghuo expressed his gratitude for the arrangement with Fang Songhe.

Zhou Yishang waved his hand dismissively. "You are the Red Cloud Swordsman, and the bureau will always consider your needs and support your growth. Since Senior Fang was available, I asked him to teach you the spiral energy technique to make up for your lack of offensive skills. Focus on mastering it."

"Yes, Director Zhou," Ji Xinghuo replied respectfully, his heart filled with gratitude. He would remember this favor.

Riding his light wheel motorcycle out of the base, Ji Xinghuo sped off to the Tianqin Stadium, where he picked up Zhao Manying. From there, they rode to a reserved restaurant for dinner.

In the private room, the couple indulged in their sweet time together.

"Xinghuo," Zhao Manying said, remembering something. "A general manager from a Class A club came to me today. We're on good terms, and she invited me to extend an invitation to you to join their club. Are you interested?"

"Which club?" Ji Xinghuo asked.

"Tianfu Panda Club," Zhao Manying replied.

Ji Xinghuo had heard of this club; it was a well-known veteran team in the country, having been a part of the Super League for many years. However, their performance had declined in recent years, and they had been relegated to the Class A League.

The professional league in the Asia-Pacific Community was divided into three levels: Super, Class A, and Class B.

The Super League was, of course, the most popular and consisted of the strongest teams.

The Class A League was a significant step down, as the league rules stipulated that out of the five competing espers on the field, only three could be super espers, and the remaining two had to be high-level espers. The Class B League had even lower restrictions, with teams comprising three high-level espers and two medium-level espers.

These rules were designed to give young, talented espers a chance to shine.

Otherwise, if every level of the competition was dominated by super espers, many gifted espers would have to wait for years before getting their opportunity to play.

Most talented individuals would be buried and never get their chance.

Ji Xinghuo's second brother, Zhong Ming, was a medium-level esper, which was why he could participate in the Class B League.

Ji Xinghuo understood the club's intentions.

He was a high-level esper with strength far surpassing that of super espers, currently ranked 49th on the Tower. His presence on the team would only take up a high-level esper slot, making him an incredibly efficient addition.

"What do you think?" Zhao Manying asked with a smile. "The Panda Club is willing to do whatever it takes to return to the Super League, and they are very sincere in their offer."

"What did they offer?" Ji Xinghuo asked.

"They're offering you a salary of 500 million yuan per year, with a maximum contract of ten years." Zhao Manying replied, "There are also additional collaboration terms that can be discussed if you agree."

Ji Xinghuo was stunned for a moment, then sighed. "That's indeed a very generous offer."

Just the salary alone was quite extravagant.

With Zhao Manying's fame and strength, her current annual salary was also around 500 million yuan. A total of 5 billion yuan in salary, when considering the global professional league, would place them among the top five earners.

Including other sources of income for competing espers, such as championship bonuses, endorsements, and more, it wouldn't be difficult for them to earn 20 to 30 billion yuan in the next ten years.

For a moment, Ji Xinghuo was truly tempted and seriously considered the offer.

"Well?" Zhao Manying asked, hoping that Ji Xinghuo would become a competing esper.

With his strength, he could quickly help the Panda Club return to the Super League, and then they could face each other fairly on the field.

"Never mind," Ji Xinghuo finally shook his head after considering it. "Please thank the general manager for her kindness, but I don't want to be a competing esper."

Although they could earn a lot of money, an amount that most people could not earn in several lifetimes, in this era dominated by supernatural powers, money was just an accessory to strength.

The stronger one became, the less valuable money became.

If he had nothing to begin with and needed money to support his journey of life evolution, becoming a competing esper wouldn't be a bad idea.

But he didn't need that now.

Moreover, all competing espers would eventually have to enter the Stellar World for adventures. Unless one was content with their current achievements, indulging in the praise of fans, and giving up on greater possibilities on the path of evolution, there was no other option.

If Ji Xinghuo became a competing esper now, he would be taking a step backward.

"I knew you wouldn't agree," Zhao Manying said, shaking her head regretfully.

In fact, she had expected this outcome and so wasn't too disappointed.

A thoughtful look appeared on her face, and she suddenly said, "In three years, my contract will end, and I'll retire and enter the Stellar World with you for adventures."

"Won't that be too soon?" Ji Xinghuo asked, a little surprised.

Zhao Manying explained, "It's been almost two years since I became a super esper. In three years, I'll probably hit the bottleneck to becoming a legendary esper, and my strength won't improve much further. Continuing to compete in the club would just be a waste of time."

"What about your revenge?" Ji Xinghuo asked softly.

"If I can't get my revenge within these three years, I'll take a different path." Zhao Manying's voice turned solemn. "I'll prioritize becoming a legendary esper, and if I'm lucky enough to become a Celestial King, I'll find Shi Hongyi and take my revenge openly. Anyway, he still has a long life ahead of him, and he's not dying anytime soon."

Ji Xinghuo nodded slightly.

In fact, he had always thought that this was the most reasonable path to revenge.

"I wish you an early ascension to the legendary realm!" Ji Xinghuo raised his cup and smiled. "That way, I'll have one more powerful teammate."

Zhao Manying clinked her cup with his and drained her drink, her cheeks slightly flushed as she said, "Maybe you'll become a legendary esper before I do."

"Hahaha..."

Ji Xinghuo laughed, remembering his promise to Ren Mian.

After dinner, the couple took a stroll along the famous Tianjie Street in Chang'an, enjoying the vibrant night view from a suspended corridor hundreds of meters above the ground. They passed through connecting skyscrapers, taking in the dazzling night scenery of Chang'an.

Upon returning to the Miyang Building, Ji Xinghuo visited Zhao Manying's home.

She had a spacious cultivation room, and Ji Xinghuo smiled and asked, "Are you interested in learning the spiral energy technique?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end