Chapter Thirteen: Artificial Stimulation

The two of them talked happily late into the night, and only then did Yin Seventeen reluctantly return to his stone hut. Whether it was because the Sanctuary was blessed by the gods, or something about the climate of Greece, he didn’t feel cold at all despite nothing more than a fire in the room—there wasn’t even a blanket. He slept the whole night on the stone bed and felt fine, though the bed was so hard it made him sore.

When he opened his eyes, daylight was already streaming outside. The fire inside the hut had gone out. Owen was sitting at the stone table, eating bread—Yin Seventeen had no idea when he’d come in.

“Sorry, I woke up too late!” Yin Seventeen rubbed his sleepy eyes and slowly got up.

Since Owen was already having breakfast, it meant meal time was over.

“No worries, we all went through the same thing at first. It took us quite a while to get used to it,” Owen said, waving his hand nonchalantly. Having been through it himself, he knew there was no rushing this adjustment, and that’s why he hadn’t tried to wake Yin Seventeen that morning.

“I brought you breakfast. Eat quickly! When you’re done, come with me and we’ll start training.” He pointed at the bread on the table.

“Alright.”

Yin Seventeen climbed off the stone bed. After breakfast and a quick wash, dressed in his protective gear, he followed Owen out of the encampment. Perhaps because he’d woken up late, most of the trainee warriors had already headed out for training—the whole encampment was quiet.

As they got further from camp, the surroundings grew ever more desolate. Not a blade of grass was to be seen, only strange, jagged stones everywhere. Yet, as the landscape grew barren, the number of people gradually increased. Along the way, Yin Seventeen saw many trainee warriors engaged in training: some sparring in pairs, some striking rocks, others meditating in silence—each absorbed in their own practice.

After walking a while, Owen stopped with Yin Seventeen in a relatively flat area.

“Here will do,” Owen said, glancing back.

Within a hundred meters, there was no third trainee in sight—they wouldn’t disturb anyone, nor be disturbed themselves.

Then, Owen pulled a black cloth from his pocket, tossed it to Yin Seventeen, and instructed him seriously, “Cover your eyes.”

Though puzzled, Yin Seventeen did as he was told.

“If you want to control your Sixth Sense at will, you must first let your body grow accustomed to being guided by it. Only then can you recognize that feeling, and gradually master it,” Owen said gravely.

“Accustomed to it?”

With his eyes covered, Yin Seventeen couldn’t see where Owen stood and could only guess his position by voice.

“To become used to something, it has to happen often. But the Sixth Sense can’t be summoned at will—how can I let it guide my body frequently?” he asked, still confused.

“You can’t yet control it freely, but it can be triggered by external stimuli,” Owen replied. He picked a pebble from the ground. “And the most effective way to stimulate the Sixth Sense is through danger.”

“In other words, when you encounter danger, your Sixth Sense will drive your body to react.”

“But there’s no danger here,” Yin Seventeen said, bewildered.

He vaguely remembered that within a hundred meters, the ground was flat and empty except for scattered stones.

“There’s no natural danger, but we can create danger ourselves!” Owen’s lips curled into a playful smile as he aimed and tossed the pebble at Yin Seventeen.

Whoosh!

Hearing it cut through the air, Yin Seventeen tried to dodge, but unable to see, he had to judge by sound. He moved a beat too late and failed to evade. A sharp sting flared at his waist.

Before he could protest, Owen explained with a laugh, “I’ll throw pebbles at you to create artificial danger and stimulate your Sixth Sense.”

“But your movements are much faster than mine, and the pebbles must fly quickly. Even with my eyes uncovered, I probably couldn’t dodge them,” Yin Seventeen said, rubbing his aching side.

“Don’t worry, I’ll control my strength so you have a chance to dodge,” Owen assured him. He picked up another handful of stones. “Normally, your body relies on sight and hearing to detect danger, so your brain can judge and send signals for you to evade.”

“But with your eyes covered and your ears blocked, my thrown stones become threats your five senses can’t detect.”

“Your only help is your Sixth Sense.”

“Now, plug your ears, relax your body, and let your instincts take over. Rely on your intuition to dodge my stones.”

Understanding Owen’s plan, Yin Seventeen rolled two balls of paper and stuffed them in his ears. Though not completely soundproof, it was enough for him—he was no martial arts master with the ability to locate by sound.

The faint sound of air being cut by stones was now all but impossible to hear.

His only hope of evading Owen’s attacks was the Sixth Sense—Root Perception.

He would have to sense the incoming stones and let his Sixth Sense guide his body to avoid them.

It seemed mystical, but in this mythic world, the mystical had become reality.

He took a deep breath, relaxed his body, and stood quietly, waiting for the stones to come.

Understanding was one thing; accomplishing it was another—especially with a Sixth Sense that worked only when it chose.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Owen moved without pause, throwing every stone in his hand.

Yin Seventeen didn’t dodge a single one—not even a flinch—standing there like a wooden post as stones pelted him.

“Relax your mind, or your rational thoughts will suppress your instincts!” Owen called out.

Yin Seventeen said nothing, silently repeating to himself, “Relax, relax…”

But the more he tried to let go, the more tense he became—much like someone lying awake, growing more anxious the harder they try to sleep.

He was no different—the more he told himself to relax, the more nervous he grew.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Owen gathered another handful of stones and threw them, but Yin Seventeen still didn’t manage to dodge a single one.

“Relax, don’t be tense!”

“Okay, I know.”

…

With Owen’s repeated reminders and Yin Seventeen’s responses, the entire morning slipped by.

The result was nothing short of a mess. Yin Seventeen spent a whole morning being pelted with stones—without dodging even once.

He couldn’t even sense the stones coming.

His first training session ended with no progress at all.