Chapter Twelve: The Sixth Level

Hearing this, Yin Seventeen was momentarily stunned. So this was the so-called sixth sense—Root Awareness. He carefully recalled that mysterious moment from earlier, but no matter how he tried to recapture that instant, he could not find that wondrous feeling again. That fleeting sensation was as if he had been dreaming.

Seeing his look of loss, Owen motioned for him to sit and continued, “The sixth sense, like the microcosm, exists innately in everyone, though with varying degrees of strength.”

“Some people have a naturally strong sixth sense and are more sensitive than others. They can foresee danger and perceive things ordinary people cannot.”

“For those with exceptionally strong sixth senses, they can even use their spiritual power to affect reality itself. That’s what people call supernatural abilities.”

“As for those with weak sixth senses—or ordinary people like you and me—it’s usually impossible to control it. Only in special, dangerous situations does it reveal itself.”

Hearing this, Yin Seventeen stroked his chin thoughtfully. “So, according to you, the sixth sense is hidden within our bodies, beyond our control—like a passive skill in a game, only activating in certain circumstances.”

“But if this uncontrollable sense is so elusive, how can we hope to control it at will and use it to ignite the power of the microcosm?”

Owen pulled a stick of dry wood over and tossed it onto the fire, then said slowly, “Just as the five senses can be enhanced through training, so too can the sixth sense.”

“Ordinary people can’t control their sixth sense because it is too weak, and they seldom use it, so they gradually ignore its existence and lose the ability to control it.”

“But if we train it, strengthen the sixth sense, and let the body adapt to its power, we can gradually regain control.”

At this, Yin Seventeen seemed to understand and ventured, “So the main practice at the training camp is to hone and master the sixth sense?”

“Exactly!” Owen gave him an approving glance and added, “You’ve probably heard this before: when trainee warriors leave the Sanctuary, every nation wants to recruit them—they become the most powerful figures in the world.”

“But do you know why they are so strong?”

Yin Seventeen thought for a moment before replying, “They must have developed powerful bodies and extraordinary skills in the Sanctuary, which gives them their remarkable combat abilities.”

Owen shook his head, speaking earnestly, “Before igniting the microcosm, the bodies of trainee warriors are no different from ordinary people. Even after long training, they’re not much stronger.”

“And as for superior combat skills, you overestimate us. Our fighting techniques are the same as anyone else’s—perhaps even inferior to those who have devoted decades to martial arts.”

“But I saw you today, taking food by force and easily knocking down more than a dozen people!” Yin Seventeen said in disbelief.

Owen laughed heartily. “That wasn’t due to any special skill—just that my reaction speed was much faster than theirs.”

“But…” Yin Seventeen still looked doubtful, unable to accept this answer.

Just then, Owen, sitting beside him, suddenly threw a punch at his face.

Faced with danger, Yin Seventeen instinctively tried to dodge, but as a newcomer to the camp, he was no match for a veteran like Owen. The thought to evade had barely formed when Owen’s fist was already before him.

Fortunately, Owen had no intention of actually striking him; at the last moment, he halted his fist abruptly, and only the wind stirred by his punch ruffled Yin Seventeen’s hair.

Even the nearby campfire was affected, toppled by the force of the punch, and the heat stung Yin Seventeen’s face.

“How many punches did I just throw?” Owen withdrew his fist and asked.

“One,” Yin Seventeen replied solemnly.

To have such an effect with only the wind of a punch—no wonder Owen was just one step away from igniting the microcosm.

“Wrong!” Owen gazed at him deeply. “I just threw sixteen punches.”

“It’s only because your reactions are limited that you couldn’t see my movements and mistook sixteen punches for one!”

“How is that possible?” Yin Seventeen stared in shock at this answer.

Owen straightened and explained, “An ordinary person—even a trained boxer—can punch at about ten meters per second.”

“A Saint who has ignited the microcosm can punch at the speed of sound at minimum—three hundred and forty meters per second.”

“In other words, while an ordinary person throws one punch, a Saint can throw at least thirty-four, and some can exceed the speed of sound, landing over a hundred punches in the same time.”

The speed of sound is only the baseline for Saints; supersonic speed is their norm.

Owen had once witnessed a Saint demonstrate a hundred times the speed of sound—their blows splitting mountains and rocks, a sight he could never forget.

“I haven’t broken the sound barrier myself, but I’m close to half that speed—several times faster than any normal person.”

“With such a disparity, skill becomes meaningless. No matter how refined their technique, an ordinary person would be struck before they could move,” Owen continued.

“This is why trainee Saints become the world’s foremost warriors.”

The difference in speed is so great that technique can’t compensate. In other words, trainee warriors don’t need to master sophisticated techniques—they just need to keep increasing their speed and strength.

“How can this be?” Yin Seventeen was completely bewildered by Owen’s words.

If Saints, with their microcosmic powers, could strike at supersonic speeds, that he could accept. But Owen’s inhuman speed, even if only half the speed of sound, was enough to dominate the world.

Where did such speed come from?

“Recall our earlier conversation carefully, and you may understand the root of it all!” Owen said mysteriously, offering no further explanation.

Yin Seventeen fell into deep thought.

“Could it be because of the sixth sense—Root Awareness?” he suddenly wondered.

Owen nodded and explained seriously, “Normally, human movement relies on the brain’s nervous system sending signals to control the muscles.”

“For example, when I punched at you just now, your five senses registered the danger and sent a signal to your brain. The brain processed it, decided to dodge, sent the order to your body, and only then did your muscles react.”

“But instinct can bypass the brain, allowing the body to respond directly—much faster than normal signal transmission.”

“Like when I threw your hand into the fire earlier—before your brain could react, your instincts had already pulled your hand away.”

“So, a trainee warrior who controls the sixth sense can bypass the brain’s signal path and move much faster than normal people.”

At last, Yin Seventeen understood everything.

A more efficient sixth sense, combined with the boundless power of the microcosm—this was the reason Saints could break the sound barrier.