Chapter 76: Spatial Perception

Su Chen’s surprise was because he discovered a distortion at the corner of his vision.

This distortion was hard to describe with words alone.

Strange fluctuations were bouncing off of Sumeru Void as a result of Si Li’s frantic attempts to escape. A strange expression began to surface on Su Chen’s face.

He had never seen these fluctuations before. They twisted and warped just like a strange luster, as if they were telling Su Chen that a completely new world was before his eyes.

This was an important discovery without question, even though Su Chen had no idea what it was yet. He could sense, though, that these fluctuations were important to uncovering the secrets behind space itself.

While others’s combat prowess would advance during battle, Su Chen’s eyesight would advance during battle.

He had discovered the Origin Energy flows on the battlefield in Ravager territory, which had allowed him to ignore the chaotic effects of the turbulent Origin Energy there. Now, he had managed to glean some insights into the secrets of a spatial realm.

This discovery made him incredibly excited, and his interest in killing Si Li drastically decreased. If at all possible, he would rather allow Si Li to continue trying to escape. That way, he would be better able to observe the situation.

As he activated his microscopic eye to its greatest extent, he committed everything he was seeing to memory so that he could analyze it properly later.

He also began to control Sumeru Void with intent, giving Si Li opportunities without actually allowing him to escape.

Si Li didn’t notice Su Chen’s change in attitude. All he noticed was that it suddenly seemed possible for him to escape, and it had become easier for him to move around in the void. Perhaps he would be able to get out if he just put in a bit more effort. Su Chen, on the other hand, seemed to be distracted by something. This situation seemed very good for him, so he threw himself into trying to escape with renewed vigor.

As Si Li charged forwards relentlessly, breaking through the restrictions at the cost of his own lifeforce, the fluctuations only grew stronger.

Of course, only Su Chen could see these fluctuations, so they only had meaning in his eyes.

“So that’s how it is…… So that’s how it is!” Su Chen’s eyes glowed with intrigue.

He was observing, and also understanding and analyzing.

Many things which Su Chen hadn’t understood in the past suddenly became clear to him as he mentally dissected these fluctuations.

When you could see what others could not, your vantage point would be superior to the vantage points of others.

Yes, this was precisely the case.

Su Chen wanted to shout with excitement.

Si Li was still valiantly attempting to escape, but his renewed vigor was already beginning to die down.

Why? Why could he still not escape?

No matter how hard he tried, it always seemed like there was a thin film preventing him from fully escaping. It clearly seemed as if one final push would be enough to break through, but nothing he did seemed to have any effect.

This caused him to fall into despair.

When a person fell into despair, their Qi would begin to leak, their battle intent would falter, and they would grow weak.

The Lotus Platforms that had been glimmering brightly only moments ago began to dim, and Si Li’s surging energy began to disappear. Sumeru Void once again returned to its formerly cold state, but didn’t suppress Si Li any further. The void was elastic in the sense that it only pushed back as much as you pushed against it, so if you didn’t fight against it, you wouldn’t be wounded much. Unfortunately, Si Li would not have done this even if he knew.

Once everything had calmed back down, Si Li’s face had taken on a greyish pallor.

This kind of coloration came from when a person had exhausted their last reserves of lifeforce.

“So your strength is only enough to reach this point, huh?” Su Chen sighed.

He wasn’t sighing that his opponent was too strong, but that he was too weak.

Anyone at the same cultivation realm as him, unless they possessed a Desolate Beast Bloodline like the Chu Clan, would most likely be killed in a single blow.

Perhaps soon, even those with Desolate Beast or Origin Beast bloodlines would no longer be able to compete with him in terms of strength.

However, Su Chen was not excited about defeating his opponent at this moment. He was still basking in the joy from making a new discovery.

Si Li stared at him in disbelief. “You……”

Su Chen said, “Did you know? The word ‘space’ is not necessarily abstract.”

“What?” Si Li didn’t understand.

“It actually has physical substance,” Su Chen said seriously.

Si Li glared at Su Chen. He didn’t understand what Su Chen was even talking about. “Are…… you…… kidding me?”

He barely eked out these last words before his legs buckled and he died.

“I’m being very serious,” Su Chen said very sincerely.

Yes, he was indeed talking about this matter seriously.

Space actually had physical qualities. It was not just a word used to describe abstract, intangible concepts; space actually existed. However, it was incredibly hard to grasp, just like wind was for most common humans. Even so, it was because it had tangible qualities that it could be ripped open, that it could be pierced, that all kinds of inconceivable occurrences would take place. Though people who knew how to use spatial powers did exist, they might not have fully understood the principles behind their abilities. For this reason, people had proposed theories like this in the past, but no one had any way of proving that this was indeed the case.

Until today.

Such a miraculous discovery even exceeded the importance of the bloodline-less cultivation techniques, in a fundamental sense. However, the only response Su Chen received to his miraculous proclamation was, “Are you kidding me?”

Perhaps this was a difference in level of comprehension.

He wasn’t qualified to listen in on the fundamental truths of the world they lived in. Even if he did hear them spoken to him, they would have no impact.

Si Li wasn’t the first, and he wouldn’t be the last.

“You are the one who helped me reach this understanding. Out of thanks to you, I will leave your corpse intact,” Su Chen said as he gestured, picking up Si Li’s body and preparing to bury him.

This time, he had given up his interest in Si Li’s bloodline.

After all, could a speed-type bloodline possibly compare with controlling the very fabric of space itself?

Of course, just because Su Chen could see the spatial fluctuations didn’t mean that he understood them, and just because he understood them didn’t mean that he could use them.

As long as he focused on his research, however, Su Chen was confident that he would make a breakthrough eventually. In ancient times, people were able to come up with all different kinds of Origin Skills based on hypotheticals and thought experiments. Could Su Chen, who had more complete information and resources, not accomplish even greater creations?

Su Chen was very confident about his ability to do so.

A Light Shaking Realm cultivator had died in this short battle, but it had happened without a sound. It wasn’t because the Origin Light Castle’s guards were incompetent, but because it had been too easy for Su Chen. The battle didn’t even stir up a gentle breeze.

After taking care of this issue, Su Chen was about to go find Patelocke when a sudden burst of inspiration came to him. He began to glance around him.

He still had some lingering perceptions remaining in his mind, as he had only just begun to comprehend some of the truths regarding the fundamental attributes of space. This had resulted in some small physical changes to his body, and even his use of the microscopic eye had improved. He could sense the vestigial traces of some spatial energy in his surroundings.

Su Chen began to unfurl his consciousness, allowing it to expand through its surroundings before he quickly discovered a familiar strand of will floating around.

“Patelocke!”

“Su Chen? How is it you?” Patelocke’s surprised voice could be heard resonating through his mind. “Even though your consciousness is powerful enough to reach this far, you shouldn’t have been able to confirm my location to contact me!”

Even though Su Chen could find where Patelocke had gone, this sense of location was still quite general and only gave him a rough idea where Patelocke was. It could tell him what street and what house Patelocke was at, but not what chair he was sitting in or what floor tile he was stepping on. And this was even given that Su Chen and Patelocke were in the same city; otherwise, this sense of location could only give him a rough direction, which would become clearer and more precise as Su Chen closed the distance between them.

Under these circumstances, it would have been normally impossible for Su Chen to directly link his consciousness with Patelocke’s.

Su Chen chuckled. “I’ve made a small breakthrough, but I didn’t expect to be rewarded so quickly.”

“What is it related to?”

“Space.” Su Chen didn’t try to hide it from him and explained everything that had just happened with Si Li.

“So that’s how it is!” Patelocke felt his consciousness tremble slightly. “So our former speculations have been confirmed now? Space indeed is not abstract, but real and tangible. I can’t believe you were actually able to see it with your eyes! Even we Arcanists were never able to figure out how to see it!”

“It was a lucky coincidence, I suppose,” Su Chen said faintly.

If it weren’t for the fact that Si Li had tried to desperately break free of Sumeru Void’s influence, he wouldn’t have seen those fluctuations, and anyone else wouldn’t even have noticed them in the first place.

Perhaps there were all kinds of profound happenings occurring all around every day that went unnoticed by the general public.

Su Chen had only happened upon this discovery by chance. For most people, this kind of occurrence was incredibly rare and hard to come by.

Because he understood some of the fundamental principles behind space now, he saw things in a different light than many other people. In his eyes, space was like a large net, and within this net, all lifeforms and objects were like bugs flying around in the net. Everything they did was encompassed by this net. As a result, there was a boundary to the world, but this boundary was everywhere because space was everywhere.

Once he perceived this principle, Su Chen found it much easier to trace Patelocke’s movements.

Of course, this was because he already had the ability to locate Patelocke. Su Chen’s spatial sensation would allow this sense of location to become even more refined and detailed. If his target were another person, Su Chen would probably have been able to do it, but he needed to get a bit closer in order for it to work.

Even though it didn’t seem particularly useful at the moment, who could say what kind of Origin Skill it would blossom into in the future?

“Perfect timing. I’ve got some discoveries on my end as well.”

“Oh? What have you discovered?” Su Chen asked.

“The guy who took me away is called Holly Keen, a true noble. He’s ranked in the top twenty amongst his tribe.”

“Ranked amongst the top twenty?” Su Chen’s eyebrows jumped. “So his status isn’t low then! But his overbearing attitude isn’t befitting his status and rank. How does he have such a high ranking?”

“He probably would have had an even higher ranking if it weren’t for this attitude of his. He is still the son of the current Holly Clan’s patriarch,” Patelocke chuckled.

“Ah, I guessed as much,” Su Chen said with a smile.

There was only one possibility given the situation. For the patriarch’s only son to be ranked at the bottom of the top twenty indicated just how unreliable this guy was.

But he was still at the very least within the top twenty, indicating that he had quite a bit of authority.

“That’s not that important of a discovery, though.” Su Chen said.

“Of course. The important discovery is that…… the Origin Light Castle is about to be finished."