Bai Yunfei stood frozen for a full half minute. Then, just like before, he shot upright with a jerk. He slammed the brick down onto the ground with tremendous force and started jumping up and down, howling in utter disbelief and frustration. "DAMN IT ALL! SCREW THIS!! HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE?!"
...
Another five minutes passed before Bai Yunfei finally managed to calm his trembling body and mind. He bent down and retrieved the brick, which had embedded itself halfway into the earth. Brushing the dirt off its crimson surface, he felt a wave of helpless despair wash over him. "If only I'd tried enhancing the Ice Thorn instead…" He stared at the brick in his hand with a complex expression, a deep pang of regret striking him.
Concentrating slightly, the brick's properties flooded his mind:
"Equipment Grade: Common." "Enhancement Level: +13." "Attack Power: 9." "Additional Attack Power: 132." "+10 Additional Effect: 1% chance to inflict Confusion status (max 3 seconds) on target upon attack. (Chance increases to 5% if head is struck)." "+12 Additional Effect: 8% chance to inflict Stun status (max 5 seconds) on target upon attack. (Chance increases to 15% if head is struck)." "+13 Additional Effect: 30% chance to trigger Launching Effect upon attack." "Enhancement Cost: 50 Soul Points."
"This…" The look of utter frustration vanished from Bai Yunfei's face, instantly replaced by profound shock. He could scarcely believe the information appearing in his mind was real.
Stunned for a good ten seconds, he placed the brick back on the ground in a daze. Then he picked it up again, mentally checking its stats. He set it down, picked it up, checked again… He repeated this process several times before finally accepting the reality. Cradling the brick, he murmured to himself, "Well… at least this recoups some of the losses. Both Frost Silver Needles blew up, but this… this seems pretty good. At least it's not a total waste…"
"Right then! Time to test its power!" All traces of his earlier dejection vanished, replaced by a spark of excitement and eagerness. Gripping the brick firmly, he headed back towards the village.
Li Chengfeng was making his way through the village, effortlessly carrying two large wooden water buckets – normally a heavy burden requiring careful effort for the villagers – as if they weighed nothing. He had just finished his cultivation session and was using his break time to help fetch water. He had just finished filling one household's water vat and was preparing to fetch more when he saw Bai Yunfei charging back from the rear hillside, full of purpose. Bai Yunfei held the brick tightly, a look of keen anticipation on his face.
"Yunfei, what's going on?" Li Chengfeng asked, utterly baffled by his friend's appearance.
"Made something good just now, Chengfeng. Put that down for a moment, come help me test its power." Bai Yunfei hefted the brick meaningfully as he spoke.
"Uh… this? A brick?" Li Chengfeng blinked, not comprehending.
"Yeah, this one. Don't ask questions yet, just try it! Come on!" Without waiting, Bai Yunfei turned and strode purposefully towards an empty patch of ground outside the village, too impatient to delay.
"Oh… alright…" Intrigued by Bai Yunfei's urgency, Li Chengfeng set the buckets down and followed him.
"Alright, brace yourself. I'm just going to tap your shoulder with it." Once they reached the open space, Bai Yunfei instructed after a moment's thought.
Though utterly confused about Bai Yunfei's intentions, Li Chengfeng didn't press further. He channeled his soul force. The muscles and skin around his shoulder subtly shifted and tensed, bolstering his defenses. Internally, he was puzzled: What's this about? Attacking me with a brick? How could something like this possibly affect a Soul Disciple? Is the brick special? But it looks completely ordinary…
While Li Chengfeng was lost in thought, Bai Yunfei had already stepped in front of him. Without any flourish or technique, Bai Yunfei simply raised the brick and brought it down squarely onto Li Chengfeng's left shoulder.
Thud.
"Oww!"
The soft impact sound was almost drowned out by Li Chengfeng's sharp yelp of surprise and pain. He stumbled backward involuntarily, taking two full steps before stopping. He rubbed his shoulder vigorously, wincing and sucking air through his teeth.
"How?! That hit just now… Yunfei! Did you use the Tidal Wave Art? Like the Triple Thrust? Was that… a Triple Smash?!" Channeling soul force to soothe the lingering ache in his shoulder, Li Chengfeng stared at Bai Yunfei with utter incredulity.
"Smash your head! Did it look like I was using a soul skill just now?" Bai Yunfei retorted irritably. Then, a thoughtful look crossed his face. "Hmm… Triple Smash? Heh… that's actually worth considering…"
Li Chengfeng felt a wave of exasperation. You'd really apply a powerful soul skill… to a brick?
"Alright, let's keep going. This time, defend properly." Bai Yunfei decided after a moment.
Li Chengfeng was taken aback. "Again? What exactly are you trying to test? Sigh… fine. Go ahead, hit me again."
Just like before, Bai Yunfei tapped Li Chengfeng's shoulder three times in succession with the brick. This time, Li Chengfeng, prepared and having strengthened his defenses, only winced slightly each time and didn't budge. He watched Bai Yunfei with growing confusion as his friend paused after each tap, staring at him intently for a few seconds, seemingly waiting for something.
After the third tap yielded no apparent effect, Bai Yunfei looked down at the brick in his hand, visibly disappointed. "Strange… why hasn't it triggered yet?"
He then looked up at Li Chengfeng and grinned. "Chengfeng, your luck is surprisingly good, you know…" With that, he brought the brick down for a fourth tap.
"Huh? What do you mean? How is my luck…" Li Chengfeng started to respond, confused. He only got halfway through his sentence. The moment the brick made contact with his shoulder this time, something extraordinary happened.
Bai Yunfei felt a distinct surge of soul force flow into the brick. His eyes lit up. "There it is!"
Li Chengfeng, who had been talking nonchalantly a split second before, suddenly looked like he'd been struck head-on by a galloping carriage. The rest of his words were cut off as he was violently launched backwards. He sailed through the air for a good three meters before crashing to the ground, then skidded another ten meters across the dirt before finally coming to a stop.
Li Chengfeng sat there, mouth half-open, utterly dumbfounded. He wasn't injured, just completely bewildered by the sudden, inexplicable flight.
"Hah! Finally triggered! So that's the 'Launching Effect'? It's even more impressive than I expected, heh heh…" Bai Yunfei's satisfied, slightly gleeful laughter snapped Li Chengfeng out of his daze.
Li Chengfeng scrambled to his feet, staring wide-eyed at the brick still in Bai Yunfei's hand. "Yunfei! What in the world just happened? My body just flew backwards completely out of my control! But I'm not hurt at all… Was it… was it because of that brick?"
"Yep, exactly! Amazing, right? Heh, I'll explain it all later. Come on, let's keep going…" Bai Yunfei stopped his chuckling and started walking towards Li Chengfeng again, that eager look back on his face.
"Wait! Wait! Hold on!" The sight of Bai Yunfei's anticipation sent a shiver down Li Chengfeng's spine. He looked warily at the brick, which seemed to pulse with a faint crimson light. He took a step back, waving his hands frantically. "I'm not doing this anymore! This is some bizarre nonsense! I'm out!"
"Hey! Come on! It doesn't hurt you…" Bai Yunfei protested, seeing his friend retreat. "That launching effect only has about a one-in-three chance of triggering!" Realizing Li Chengfeng wasn't keen on being his test subject anymore, he changed tactics with a sigh. "Fine, alright. How about this? You hit me. That should be okay, right? I need to feel the effects myself."
"Uh… That works?" Li Chengfeng stopped backing away, looking uncertainly at the brick Bai Yunfei was now offering him. He took it hesitantly, hefted it in his hand, and a spark of curiosity gradually lit in his eyes. He looked up. "Alright, I'll help you test it. What do I do? Tap your shoulder again? How hard?"
"Let me think…" Bai Yunfei pondered briefly. "Actually, skip the shoulder. Aim for the forehead this time. But go easy, just a light tap, understand?"
"Forehead? Okay…" Li Chengfeng blinked, slightly taken aback. "Well… brace yourself. Here I go…"
"Yeah, tap me. After each tap, wait until I tell you before doing it again." Bai Yunfei lowered his head slightly, offering his forehead.
"Okay…" Li Chengfeng slowly extended his arm, bringing the brick forward with minimal force towards Bai Yunfei's forehead.
Crack!
Despite the gentle touch, the contact between the brick and Bai Yunfei's forehead produced an oddly sharp sound.
Then, Bai Yunfei experienced exactly what Li Chengfeng had moments before. It was as if he'd been struck full-force by a runaway carriage. With a soft whoosh of displaced air, he was catapulted backward, flying a considerable distance before landing hard.
Watching Bai Yunfei sit dazedly on the ground, then looking down at the brick in his own hand, Li Chengfeng stood frozen for a moment. Then, clutching his stomach, he burst into uncontrollable laughter. "What was that you said?! 'Less than one-in-three chance'?! HAHAHA! Well then, it seems your luck is WAY worse than mine!! HAHAHA!!"
Bai Yunfei climbed to his feet, dusting himself off, looking distinctly embarrassed. "Uh… fluke. Total fluke… Anyway, let's go again."
"Again? Yeah! Sure! Ready yourself, here comes another tap!" This time, Li Chengfeng seemed remarkably enthusiastic, even finding a certain perverse enjoyment in the situation. Regardless of the mechanics behind this 'launching effect', the sheer novelty and absurdity of it was undeniably entertaining… "Alright, go ahead." Bai Yunfei watched Li Chengfeng's eager expression, his own mouth twitching slightly.
I really hope… we figure out all the effects soon… Bai Yunfei prayed silently to himself.