The basement was a chaotic symphony of sparking wires and low-frequency hums. Deng Wei had partitioned the concrete floor into five "Zones of Calamity," each marked with neon-yellow tape. He sat behind his wall of monitors, wearing a pair of industrial ear muffs and a welding mask pushed up onto his forehead.
"The Generation 1 Sync-Bands are locked," Deng Wei announced over the intercom, his voice crackling with excitement. "They won't stop the power from coming out, but they'll stop it from backfiring and turning your internal organs into soup. Now, we begin Calibration Phase One: Intentional Manifestation."
"Calibration is a fancy word for 'trying not to die,'" Lin Feng muttered, standing in the center of the Wind Zone. He felt the Sync-Band on his wrist vibrating, a steady pulse that seemed to sync with his own heartbeat.
"Lin Feng, you're up first," Deng Wei commanded. "I've set up a series of weighted hanging targets. I want you to knock them down. Don't just blow at them. Focus the air. Think of it like a solid limb."
Lin Feng closed his eyes. He reached into that hollow, echoing space in his chest where the North Peak wind still roared. He flicked his hand toward the first target—a heavy punching bag. Instead of a gust, a localized blade of compressed air sliced through the room. It didn't just knock the bag down; it severed the steel chain holding it and sent the bag flying into the washing machines upstairs with a deafening CLANG.
"Whoops," Lin Feng whispered, staring at his palm.
"Too much! You're using a chainsaw when we need a scalpel!" Deng Wei yelled. "Mu Han, you're next. The 'Hydration Sink' test."
Mu Han stepped into her zone. She looked at a glass of water sitting on a pedestal ten feet away. She didn't move her hands. She simply breathed. The water in the glass didn't just move; it rose in a perfect, rotating sphere, hovering in the air. Then, with a twitch of her finger, she froze it into a jagged star-shape.
"Perfect precision," Deng Wei noted, scribbling on a digital pad. "But can you do it under pressure?"
He hit a button, and a high-pressure fire hose hidden in the wall activated, blasting water at Mu Han. She didn't flinch. She raised her hand, and the rushing water split around her like she was a stone in a river, not a single drop touching her uniform.
"Now for the heavy hitters," Deng Wei said, looking at Chen Shi and Zhao Yan. "Chen Shi, I want you to increase your density and walk across this pressure plate. I need to see how much gravity you can anchor."
Chen Shi stepped forward. With every step, the concrete beneath her feet didn't just crack—it pulverized into dust. By the time she reached the center of the plate, the digital readout on Deng Wei's screen began to flash red.
"You're currently weighing three tons," Deng Wei breathed, his eyes wide. "If you go any higher, we're going to sink into the city sewer system. Release! Release now!"
Chen Shi exhaled, her body lightening instantly. "It feels like my skin is made of lead. It's exhausting."
"Last one," Deng Wei said, his voice dropping to a serious tone. "Zhao Yan. Solaris. I've built a reinforced, heat-resistant chamber for you. I need you to generate a sustained flame for thirty seconds. No explosions. Just heat."
Zhao Yan stepped into the steel box. He looked focused, the usual smugness gone. He raised his hand, and a small, concentrated orb of violet fire appeared in his palm. The temperature in the basement spiked twenty degrees instantly. The steel walls of the chamber began to glow a dull cherry-red.
"Ten seconds... fifteen..." Deng Wei counted down.
Suddenly, a loud BEEP erupted from Deng Wei's console. "Wait. Energy signature detected. Someone is scanning the block with a high-frequency Aether-detecting radar. The Syndicate! They've found the energy leakage from Zhao Yan's test!"
"I thought this place was lead-lined!" Lin Feng shouted, the wind already starting to swirl around him in a panic.
"It is! But Zhao Yan just hit ten thousand degrees! He's literally shining through the walls like a lighthouse!" Deng Wei scrambled to shut down the power. "Kill the flames, Yan! Everyone, into the 'Void Closet'! Move!"
They piled into a small, lead-shielded room just as the sound of heavy tires screeched on the street above. Through a hidden periscope, they watched as black-clad Syndicate agents with glowing violet goggles surrounded the "Golden Dragon Laundromat."
The training session was over. The first real hunt had begun.