William finally saw the so-called psychic power testing device. It looked simple – two metal wires connected to a metal box, which in turn was connected to several wires leading to the next room. Between the two rooms was a piece of transparent glass, and Dr. Lopez was in the room on the other side, fiddling with a large computer.
“How is the test conducted?” Walker, visiting such a place for the first time, had never experienced a test like this.
“You lie down on the bed, and I connect this testing device to your temples. You just need to close your eyes, and you’ll enter a scenario similar to a VR game. Inside, you’ll see Dr. Lopez, who will launch a stronger attack on you every minute. The longer you withstand, the stronger your psychic power is proven to be.”
“Dr. Lopez? Is he a Soulmancer?” Walker asked, “What level is he?”
“He’s not a Soulmancer, but the testing device was also developed by him. The character inside is virtual and will launch psychic attacks on you, with the strongest being at the level of a mid-level Soulmancer. As for the principle, I don’t quite understand it,” Wes said. “Remember, during the test, if you feel you can’t hold on, don’t force it. It’s just a test. You can open your eyes, and I’ll turn off the device, or you can simply disconnect the wires from your temples.”
William roughly understood. So, Dr. Lopez simulated psychic attacks, and the longer one could endure various levels of psychic attacks, the stronger their psychic power.
This principle seems quite simple.
He just needed to ask how long an average newbie Soulmancer could last and open his eyes when the time was right.
“I’ll go first,” Walker didn’t ask further and directly lay down in front of the device. Wes attached two metal wires to the temples on either side of Walker’s head, then signaled to Dr. Lopez behind the glass wall and finally pressed a green button.
William quietly asked, “Deputy Director Wenzel, how long do you think I can last?”
“About five minutes,” Wes said. “A newbie Soulmancer at their peak usually can only withstand the fifth attack. You don’t have to push yourself. If you feel you can’t continue, you can open your eyes, or just disconnect the wires from your temples.”
“Oh!” William sighed. Since Wes said so, he just needed to open his eyes after five minutes. The most important thing now was to observe Walker’s physical reactions.
Five minutes passed quickly, and Walker showed no movement during that time.
But in the sixth minute, William noticed Walker’s eyebrows slightly furrowing.
In the seventh minute, Walker’s eyebrows were tightly knitted, and his fists clenched a bit more.
By the eighth minute, his face turned pale, his fists tightly clenched, knuckles whitening.
Wes whispered, “It should be soon.”
In the ninth minute, cold sweat began to appear on Walker’s forehead, and his body started to tremble.
Wes decisively pressed the red button, ending the test.
Walker slowly opened his eyes, sat up, and asked in confusion, “Why did we stop?”
“We’ve done enough,it’s just a test. Continuing could cause permanent damage to your psyche,” Wes smiled and said. “You lasted nine minutes, which is impressive. The tenth level is at mid-level Soulmancer strength. You’re still a beginner Soulmancer, right? Your psychic strength is already quite formidable.”
“I think I could have withstood the tenth attack,” Walker took a deep breath and said.
Wes chuckled, “Typically, beginner Soulmancers can only last six to seven minutes. You did very well. Remember, each attack’s intensity doubles, so your future is promising.”
“I can definitely become stronger.” Walker, facing Wes’s praise, smiled satisfactorily and then said to William, “William, you give it a try.”
William nodded and then lay down.
Wes attached a metal wire to William’s temple and pressed the green button on the device. Suddenly, a loud “boom” echoed as the advanced computer equipment in the adjacent room exploded, sending sparks flying and making a deafening noise.
Dr. Lopez and the staff in the base quickly sprang into action, grabbing fire extinguishers to put out the burning equipment.
Wes was somewhat dazed, feeling like it wasn’t his day. The high-tech device used for testing psychic strength had just exploded.
Of course, he wouldn’t think it was all because of William. As the explosion sounded around him, William could only helplessly open his eyes.
Sure enough, there was a problem.
William’s psychic power was too strong, completely overwhelming Dr. Lopez’s advanced device, making it incapable of testing him.
“What happened?” William could only pretend not to know what had just occurred.
“The machine exploded,” Wes said with a laugh. “You really have some bad luck. Looks like we’ll have to wait for the machine to be fixed before testing again.”
“Really? I thought my psychic power was too strong and caused the machine to explode.”
“Hahaha! What are you talking about?” Wes laughed. “Since Dr. Lopez developed this device, no one has ever made the machine’s readings explode. Even Zoey, that freak… uh, that powerhouse, only reached level nine at most. According to Dr. Lopez, there shouldn’t be anyone in the world capable of overloading the machine.”
“Did you just start to say Zoey is a freak?” William glanced sideways at Wes.
“No, no, you heard wrong,” Wes coughed lightly, then changed the subject, “Seriously though, Dr. Lopez is truly very creative. He developed many high-tech devices targeting Soulmancers. In fact, if that mysterious person hadn’t intervened, we would have had ways to suppress those ‘demigods,’ though the casualties would have been severe.”
William smiled and asked, “How exactly do you categorize these psychic levels?” Despite not having undergone the test, William was still interested in learning more about these novel concepts.
“Well, it’s hard to define psychic power. According to Dr. Lopez’s calculation method, lasting ten minutes already counts as the second level, and every additional ten minutes is an increase by one level,” Wes explained. “Soulmancers below the mid-level typically have only level one psychic power. Mid-level Soulmancers can reach the second or third level. Even at the peak of mid-level Soulmancer strength, they usually only reach up to level six. Zoey is purely an exception.”
“She lasted ninety minutes without changing her expression, and then she simply fell asleep. Dr. Lopez told us Zoey’s psychic power could be considered the strongest on Earth,” Wes laughed. “Actually, Zoey’s psychic power is probably more than level nine, but Dr. Lopez said there’s no point in further testing as it wouldn’t yield any new results… Anyway, why am I telling you all this?”