Bai Yunfei watched Li Chengfeng's eager expression, his own mouth twitching slightly.
I really hope… we figure out all the effects soon… he prayed silently to himself.
Taking their positions again, Li Chengfeng resumed gently tapping the brick against Bai Yunfei's forehead – his face filled with anticipation (sheesh…).
On the third tap, Bai Yunfei abruptly felt a peculiar force surge into his forehead. Before he could react, a wave of dizziness washed over him. Stars exploded across his vision, painting everything in swirling gold. His mind fogged, the soul-force-enhanced defense around his forehead instantly dissolved. His body staggered backward uncontrollably, taking two unsteady steps before swaying precariously.
As Li Chengfeng brought the brick down, he felt a wisp of soul force flow uncontrollably into the object. Then he saw Bai Yunfei's eyes glaze over. His friend stumbled backward, seemingly on the verge of collapse. Li Chengfeng lunged forward, grabbing Bai Yunfei's shoulders to steady him, his voice laced with concern.
"Yunfei! What's wrong? What happened?"
By the time he finished speaking, Bai Yunfei had already snapped back to normal. He shook his head, straightened up, muttered "I'm fine," and immediately fell deep into thought.
"Chengfeng? How long was I dazed just now?" Bai Yunfei looked up after a moment.
"Dazed? Oh, it was brief. Maybe three seconds…" Li Chengfeng thought for a second before answering, still puzzled.
"Three seconds? The Stun effect says 'up to five seconds'... so the duration depends on the individual?" Bai Yunfei mused aloud, his eyes sharp with calculation. "That means… against a stronger opponent, it might only last a second, maybe even half a second… But at that level, even half a second of stun could be enough to turn the tide of a battle…"
Seeing the mixture of confusion and worry on Li Chengfeng's face, Bai Yunfei offered a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. I promise I'll answer all your questions in detail soon. There's one more effect we need to test. Let's keep going."
"Uh… again? Alright, fine. But I'm holding you to that explanation later!" Li Chengfeng sighed, nodding reluctantly.
Following this, Bai Yunfei endured two more sudden launches and one combined launch-and-stun incident. Finally, they triggered the 'long-awaited' Confusion effect.
The moment it activated, Bai Yunfei's vision warped violently. It felt like his mind was suddenly crammed full of buzzing static – chaotic but not as debilitating as the intense dizziness. He could still control his body and his internal soul force, yet everything felt profoundly off, disjointed.
He shook his head sharply and tried to take half a step forward. Reaching out to grasp Li Chengfeng standing before him, his hand closed only on empty air.
Then, as abruptly as it began, the strange sensation vanished. The world snapped back into focus. Bai Yunfei blinked in surprise. He found himself standing not directly in front of Li Chengfeng, but two steps to the man's left. His body wasn't facing Li Chengfeng either – he was inexplicably turned sideways to the right.
"Yunfei! Are you okay? What was that?" Li Chengfeng hurried over, brow furrowed. "You suddenly looked completely disoriented!"
"I'm alright…" Bai Yunfei murmured, already lowering his head in deep contemplation. So that's the Confusion effect? Similar to Stun, but distinctly different…
"Yunfei? What are you thinking about? Do we keep tapping?" Li Chengfeng prodded impatiently after Bai Yunfei remained silent for a long while.
Bai Yunfei looked up, a wry grin forming.
"What, you've gotten addicted to hitting me with it? We're done. Testing's complete. Hand it over."
"Oh…" Disappointment flashed across Li Chengfeng's face as he reluctantly passed the brick back. Bai Yunfei's mouth twitched again – a flicker of reluctance crossed his face as he tucked the brick away. He sat down on the grass, patting the spot beside him.
"Alright. Sit. Time for answers."
Li Chengfeng instantly perked up, plopping down next to him, eyes bright with curiosity.
"Excellent! Spill it! What in the world is going on with that brick? How is it so utterly bizarre? Actually… now that I think about it… those two daggers you gave me feel kinda strange too, similar to this brick…"
Bai Yunfei nodded.
"Correct. The daggers I gave you, this brick, my Fire-tipped Spear, the Ice Thorns… they all possess certain unique 'effects'."
"What do you mean?" Li Chengfeng looked genuinely perplexed.
"Uh…" Bai Yunfei paused, genuinely grappling with how to explain. "They have powers that defy normal logic – incredible, inexplicable abilities. Take the brick just now. Does flinging someone wildly through the air seem 'logical' to you? Or your daggers… One of them has the effect: '2% chance to reduce target's speed on attack, duration ten seconds'. Remember our first fight together, when we took down that Hall Master Zhong? We finished him precisely because you triggered that effect."
Seeing the dawning recognition in Li Chengfeng's eyes, Bai Yunfei continued.
"Then there's your other dagger. The one that slows wound healing. Or my spear's explosive effect… These aren't inherent properties of the weapons themselves. I imbued them with these traits. I possess… a special ability. I can grant specific, unusual 'effects' to objects… Does that make sense?"
"The specifics… still lost on me," Li Chengfeng admitted with a blank shake of his head. "But simply put… you have an incredible power. You can give ordinary things incredible abilities. Is that it?"
"Uh… yes. That's a remarkably accurate summary," Bai Yunfei conceded after a moment's thought.
"Oh… I see…" Li Chengfeng's reaction wasn't the wide-eyed astonishment or excitement Bai Yunfei had expected. Instead, he absorbed the information calmly, pondering for a few moments before asking seriously:
"This… it's a secret of yours, isn't it?"
Bai Yunfei was momentarily taken aback. "Yes. So far, you are the first and only person who knows about this."
"Right. Understood." Li Chengfeng met Bai Yunfei's gaze squarely, his voice firm with conviction. "Yunfei, you have my word. I will never reveal this secret to anyone."
A warm smile spread across Bai Yunfei's face. He punched Li Chengfeng lightly on the shoulder.
"I told you precisely because I trust you. You don't need to swear oaths like I doubt you!"
They talked for a while longer about the various weapon effects. Li Chengfeng's curiosity seemed boundless. He even looked tempted to pull out his own enhanced daggers and give himself a small nick or two just to personally experience their effects. Bai Yunfei didn't delve into the specifics of the Enhancement Art itself – it was too convoluted to explain easily – and Li Chengfeng, respecting his friend's boundaries, didn't press.
"Speaking of which, Chengfeng," Bai Yunfei said, as if struck by a sudden thought. "I need you to go to Falling Stone City tomorrow."
"Huh? Falling Stone City? What for?" Li Chengfeng asked, puzzled.
"Go buy some daggers. Since you've decided to specialize in them, I'll craft you a pair with even greater power!"
"Really?! Excellent! I'll head out first thing tomorrow!" Li Chengfeng's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Good. Go to the city's largest weaponsmith, the 'Treasure Armory'. Their quality is superior. If we're doing this, we get the best materials." Bai Yunfei handed him a heavy money pouch. He hesitated for a brief moment before adding, his voice lowering slightly. "Also… while you're in the city… keep an ear out. See if there's any… news circulating about me. But be careful. Don't draw attention."
Li Chengfeng accepted the pouch without ceremony, tucking it away. He paused at Bai Yunfei's final words, a slight frown creasing his brow. Understanding seemed to click into place just as quickly. His expression smoothed over, and he gave a firm, understanding nod.
"Right. Got it. I'll be discreet."