The Card Apprentice - Breakthrough

2The shuttle-shaped perceptual vortex was continually spinning inside Chen Mu, though it was now twice as big as when it had just taken form.
    

It was going to be Chen Mu’s thirty-third test of the perception in his body. The test procedures were very detailed. To find out the different characteristics exhibited by the vortex at different rotational speeds, he did all the examinations systematically and in extreme detail.
    

From the results in front of him, he had separated the rotational speed of the vortex inside him into three phases; the slow-speed phase, the middle-speed phase, and the high-speed phase. He had also subdivided each of the phases into five sub-levels.
    

At that time, he was testing the fifth level of the high-speed phase. At that kind of speed, nearly all the perceptual tendrils had been mobilized, with a count of one hundred thousand being shot from within his body and dispersing into the space all around him. The effect of that was that his six senses had become more acute than they had ever been.
    

Those perceptual tendrils extended out to four and nine-tenths meters and then stopped. That was as far as he could extend his perception, having never broken five meters. Those formless perceptual tendrils were floating all around his body, like very tiny tentacles one after another, all extremely sensitive, and up to a certain distance, they could capture extremely fine fluctuations in perception.
    

He was already at the limit of the speed which he could control. Judging from the results of the tests in front of him, the higher the speed of the vortex, the more tendrils would be shot out.
    

What would happen if he were to continue raising the speed? He was hesitant, since he didn’t know if that might cause some bad reaction. If he increased the speed any further, he would exceed the scope of what he could control.
    

That wasn’t his idea of an adventure, so he rushed to gradually slow down the shuttle-shaped perceptual vortex.
    

The limit to how far the perceptual tendrils extended was at four and nine tenths meters, with no way to extend it further. That was the issue that had always perplexed him, and he had never been able to determine a reason for the length of those tendrils. 
    

The rotational speed of the vortex was tied to the number of perceptual tendrils which were shot out. The faster the speed, the more tendrils shot out. The reverse was also true.
    

But what influenced the length of the fine perceptual tendrils?
    

Without him being aware, the speed of the vortex had slowed down, and then it very quickly approached the lowest speed level. This was an autonomous state, with the perceptual vortex spinning at its slowest. It was the rotational speed which would be maintained in its normal state.
    

Chen Mu was suddenly aware that he had ignored a very important question. He had been raising the speed of the vortex all along, but he had never thought to slow it down.
    

What kind of change would the shuttle-shaped perceptual vortex undergo if it were slowed? Chen Mu became a little curious.
    

The perceptual vortex was soon restored to its previous rotational speed, and Chen Mu began to reverse his control of its rotation. It turned out to be feasible, which pleased Chen Mu as its speed gradually slowed.
    

Chen Mu couldn’t be careless as he experienced every little change in the perceptual vortex.
    

Within a short period of time Chen Mu was left with probably over a hundred perceptual tendrils scattered about all around him as its speed slowed, and the number of tendrils that were emitted rapidly decreased. Chen Mu tried controlling one of them, wanting to find out what sorts of changes would take place.
    

He very quickly concluded that as the number of perceptual tendrils decreased, his power to control them quickly grew.
    

He tried making that tendril move forward to a length where previously the perceptual tendril would have already reached its limiting state. The perceptual vortex would then give him a great deal of internal resistance, preventing it from extending any further.
    

But that time, the tendril moved! It quickly extended out, without Chen Me sensing any of the drag. 
    

Chen Mu was struck dumb.
    

The rotational speed of the perceptual vortex returned to its original speed after control was relinquished, causing that familiar drag to return, and retracting the perceptual tendril back to four and nine-tenths meters.
    

When Chen Mu came back to his senses, the elation on his face was hard to conceal. He was certain that that perceptual tendril just then had broken through five meters!
    

He only calmed down after fully ten minutes. He had to do his utmost to restrain his emotions. He started very cautiously to regulate the speed of the perceptual vortex, and the same situation appeared again.
    

“Five meters! The scope of his perception had finally broken five meters! He had finally achieved the demands of the mysterious card. It had already been a long time since he had made those twelve cards from the simple water world.
    

He didn’t relax but continued his experimentation.
    

He very quickly found another rule; the lower the speed of the shuttle-shaped perceptual vortex, the fewer the tendrils that would be emitted, while the distance that those could be extended was greatly increased. Chen Mu also discovered that not only did their distance increase, but in other regards relating to their control, they were much more responsive to him.
    

Still, simply slowing down the speed of the vortex also had some dangers. As the speed was gradually reduced, and as it approached a certain limit, there were signs of instability in the perceptual vortex. Chen Mu conjectured that if he were to continue to reduce the speed, the perceptual vortex would very likely collapse.
    

Chen Mu also gathered new data, that the furthest he could extend his perceptual tendrils was six and two tenths meters, which was already far beyond the requirement of five meters in the simple water world.
    

In the end it was so simple! Chen Mu smiled bitterly, since he had been bothered by that for such a long time, when it was only that he hadn’t thought of it.
    

He felt that his understanding of perception had suddenly risen a level, and that he had internalized better control. The shuttle-shaped perceptual vortex in his body also underwent another change, with its initial speed being almost imperceptible, and fluctuating according to Chen Mu’s control.
    

Chen Mu could control the speed of the vortex at will, though whenever he approached the upper or lower limits, there would be internal warning signs. It seemed as though the advance of his perception had also made his intuition sharper.
    

Breaking through five meters meant that he could trigger the next level in the simple water world. He didn’t know what kind of pleasant surprise the mysterious card had in store for him, but he felt the anticipation.
    

He didn’t really know to what level his perception had progressed, since he hadn’t gone through professional evaluation.
    

Taking out the mysterious card, and tearing off the disguising membranes, he put it into the apparatus on his wrist. He re-entered the familiar simple water world.
    

Without any hesitation, he took the speed of the shuttle-shaped perceptual vortex down to its slowest and sent dozens of perceptual tendrils to six and two-tenths meters in all directions.
    

“Congratulations, your perception has broken through five meters.” The calm hoarse old voice sounded again in Chen Mu’s ears.
    

“You still haven’t finished the swordfish challenge; would you like to enter a round?” This second phrase left Chen Mu stupid, being reminded at this time that he still hadn’t finished the swordfish challenge. Could the swordfish challenge be that important? Would it be gone after one more level?
    

He was hesitant.
    

Should he or shouldn’t he go to the next level? If his continuous daily hard practice and all of his suffering wasn’t for wanting to see the next level, then what was it for? The opportunity was in front of him at that moment, but it had also given him a reminder that was beyond what he expected. If he chose not to, would there be some irreversible change?
    

He couldn’t be careless about any phrase or word that the hoarse old voice had said. That was the most important and most direct clue that the mysterious card had given him. Only if he were to truly analyze the hidden meaning in these words could he make a comparatively precise and beneficial choice.
    

He though about it for over ten minutes and decided not to do it.
    

What let him breathe a sigh of relief was that apart from the hoarse old voice having disappeared, the simple water world was the same as always, with nothing having changed.
    

Only after he had retreated from the simple water world did Chen Mu have some retrospective fear, that if something had undergone an irreversible change he didn’t know how much regret he would feel. But the truly fortunate thing was the that his luck had been good that time, and he had gambled well.
    

He only had the swordfish challenge left! Chen Mu’s spirits were high, and he felt full of strength all over.
    

He put aside all his work for a while, and aside from the exercise gymnastics and perceptual training which even lightning couldn’t keep him from, all of the rest of his time was spent on the swordfish challenge. It was a good thing he had his swordfish training card, or he would have been seriously wounded dozens of times. That needle-like pain was still fresh in his memory.
    

So, he was running around every day without fail in the swordfish training, continually dodging and evading, and he made amazing progress. He hadn’t imagined how crucial perception was!
    

The longer his perceptual tendrils were, the farther away he could feel fluctuations; and the more tendrils there were, the more keenly he could feel the changes around him.
    

The second point was so important for him! Under conditions where he could maintain the speed of the shuttle-shaped perceptual vortex’s rotations, he could sense the smallest changes in the flow of the water all around him. Whereas he could normally have still felt those, it was far less clear than the current situation.
    

The one remaining issue was how to maintain steady control of his perception while running and dodging.
    

Could it be that there was a certain connection among all the exercises in the simple water world? Chen Mu had sometimes had that thought.
    

If he could only find the goal and the way, it shouldn’t be a terribly difficult issue for Chen Mu. He had enough tenacity and toughness to finish it.
    

For the entire fifteen continuous days of swordfish training, whether he was eating or doing other things, Chen Mu was maintaining control of his perception every second.
    

The results were very satisfying, and on the fifteenth day he had increased his probability to finish the swordfish challenge to seventy-five percent. For such a complicated challenge, any tiny factor could be the deciding factor. If he wanted to get to one hundred percent, that would basically be impossible for Chen Mu as he was.
    

He was already very satisfied with his success.
    

He rested an entire day, letting all his body’s functions be restored to their optimal state. Chen Mu was getting ready to enter the simple water world to get on with the swordfish challenge.
    

There was a knock on the door just before he took out the mysterious card.
    

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