Th-th-th-th-this...
What kind of power-up is this?!
Nainai’s mind went blank, utterly stunned by the sight of Fusiming literally *sucking* the iron mesh gate down with his bare fist.
In her twenty-five years as a spectator to street fights across Ashi City’s eastern district—a place notorious for brawls—she’d never witnessed such eerie power from mere fist-swinging brutes.
Rain poured heavily. As the wire mesh twisted and spiraled toward the young man’s fist, Nainai clearly saw raindrops near Fusiming’s knuckles spinning at insane speeds in the *opposite* direction. Like a washing machine executing a spin cycle.
Despite the downpour...
During the brief moment his Spiral Force held, Fusiming’s right forearm and fist stayed completely dry. Not a single raindrop clung to his skin.
It was as if a counter-spiral force erupted from within his arm—a perfect inverse to the vortex radiating from his fist. Like opposing forces of action and reaction.
No wonder the faint, crisscrossing scars on Fusiming’s hands—both old and new—were likely carved by this inward-crushing "counter-spiral."
Though Nainai’s senses weren’t sharp enough to perceive details... up close, she’d distinctly felt the Corruption Essence inside him. Under his conscious control, it surged precisely through his flesh and veins, unleashing power far beyond ordinary Extraordinary Beings of his rank.
This shattered her understanding completely.
"This is impossible. Aren’t you Weak Rank?" Nainai whispered, disbelief thick in her voice.
"Precision flow control... That’s something only Strong Rank can achieve."
"You’re not Weak Rank."
The Little Succubus locked her gaze onto Fusiming.
---
What defined an "Extraordinary Being"?
Simply put: "New Humans" who emerged after the Erosion Disaster twenty-five years ago—those capable of manipulating the Corruption Essence within their own bodies. Like fictional cultivators, warriors, or fighters from old tales, they harnessed this essence to gain superhuman strength, speed, and resilience.
After decades of research, the Federation classified Extraordinary Beings into five tiers based on their control over Corruption Essence:
**No Rank**: Unable to sense or control internal Corruption Essence. No special abilities. Ordinary humans.
**Weak Rank**: Basic control over internal Corruption Essence. Enhanced physicality. The threshold of becoming an Extraordinary Being.
**Strong Rank**: Perfect, precise control over every trace of Corruption Essence. Fully unlocked physical potential—heightened senses, combat intuition, reflexes. Capable of executing refined techniques.
**Ferocious Rank**: Preliminary control over Corruption Essence *outside* their bodies. Can manipulate its flow using willpower as an anchor. Elite individuals manifest personal "domains" mimicking Special Abilities. Resistant to high-concentration Corruption Essence in deep Containment Zones.
**Extreme Rank**: Body and spirit fused completely with Corruption Essence. Near-tangible energy entities retaining human form and mind. By Federation definition, they border on "monsters." The pinnacle of known human power.
(What exactly constituted a "monster" was another matter.)
This classification was public knowledge in the digital age. As a hardcore netizen otaku, Nainai knew it by heart.
Online, a popular analogy compared Corruption Essence to a brick:
- **No Rank**: Can’t see the brick beside them—or can see it but can’t touch it.
- **Weak Rank**: Can grab the brick and throw it to hurt someone.
- **Strong Rank**: Can levitate the brick like a drone, steering it to smash heads with mental focus.
- **Ferocious Rank**: Can gather dust and gravel from the ground, shape them into a brick, then hurl it.
- **Extreme Rank**: *They are the brick.* Or a dump truck full of bricks.
Rumors persisted online about a mythical tier beyond Extreme Rank—the "Transcendent Rank." But with no proof and no witnesses, it remained pure legend.
A separate, rarer group existed: Esoteric Ability Users. But that was a story for another time.
---
From any angle, Nainai refused to believe Fusiming’s technique belonged to a Weak Rank.
Ordinary Weak Rank Extraordinary Beings—like her old acquaintance Xu Yingsnow—could only use Corruption Essence to crudely reinforce their bodies. Some boosted defense in specific limbs; others amplified striking power or speed. It was like stuffing more armor plates into a bulletproof vest: more essence, more strength.
They couldn’t possibly craft techniques. They lacked the finesse to steer Corruption Essence like a master painter—let alone produce art that made viewers cringe.
Yet Fusiming’s spiraling pull undeniably crossed into "technique" territory.
This guy was absolutely hiding his true strength!
"No. I am Weak Rank," Fusiming replied, shaking his head at the Little Succubus’s accusation.
"I don’t believe you."
"I am."
"I don’t believe you."
"I am."
...
"Stop arguing! No normal Weak Rank could do that!" After rounds of childish back-and-forth, Nainai finally snapped. She wriggled on his shoulder, wailing loudly, stubborn as a turtle chanting sutras.
She wasn’t wrong. Ordinary Weak Rank beings truly couldn’t.
But Fusiming was far from ordinary.
"I really am," Fusiming said hoarsely, adjusting the squirming creature on his shoulder. He spoke truthfully. He *was* Weak Rank. No deception.
His ability to wield the violent Spiral Force at this tier stemmed from a hidden factor: his Esoteric Ability. It amplified his control, making the impossible possible. A secret no outsider could replicate.
He couldn’t reveal it. This ability was his trump card—a life-or-death secret guarded for decades. Only his foster father, Wanghong, knew fragments of it. Others who’d uncovered it... well, just look at Wild Wolf. Last night, after Le Zhi’s "interrogation," he’d been dragged to Ashi City’s mental hospital—physically intact but mentally shattered.
"I can’t explain why... but I *am* Weak Rank," Fusiming said quietly, slightly lowering his head to meet the Little Succubus’s delicate profile. "I have no reason to lie to you."
He fell silent. He’d said all he could. Whether she believed him was up to her.
