Testing the Ability

"Dad, you're finally back." Yao Si pounced on him. Did you know? Your baby was so afraid! 

"Mu. Xuan," he spat out resolutely. "Or father."

"Mu Xuan dad."

"..." He sighed. "I heard you met some bad people?" he asked before she could speak again. 

"Yea!" Yao Si stilled, shaking her head. "That's not important, I've got something to tell you... I think there's a problem with my ability." She instantly went to the important part since she was used to clarifying things with him.

Mu Xuan frowned, taking a good look at her. After he confirmed that there wasn't anything visibly wrong with her, his temples relaxed slightly. His cub was unusually unlucky, constantly in harm's way—outside she was kidnapped, at home she met burglars. He probably had to keep a tighter watch on her in the future. How could he allow others to bully his cub after he had not been part of her life for so long. 

"What's wrong with your ability?" He reached out for her arm, transferring some energy over to investigate her condition. The energy went one round but wasn't able to catch anything, hence, he brought it back. 

Yao Si had no idea about it, so she explained what happened last night in detail.

"Isn't space summoning the main skill of the space type abilities?" Space splitting was the more advanced version, but only the very best were able to accomplish that. "Why was my space ability only able to move those three burglars..." The main point was that she still couldn't feel anything! 

Mu Xuan lowered his head in deep thought before replying. "It's possible… that it isn't a normal space ability."

"Not normal?" Then what was it? She had clearly opened a black space portal similar to the one created by that burglar Lao Da. 

"Yours could be negative space."

"Huh?" What is that?

"Even though the space ability is split into space summoning and space splitting, it is fundamentally the same ability," Mu Xuan explained seriously. "It works by first creating a space opening and then placing objects in it to send them elsewhere. But your space ability acts different, it works in the opposite way."

"... How so?"

"Opposite in sequence."

"Sequence..." Yao Si stilled, her eyes going wide. "You mean, I don't put things into the space opening but rather take them out?"

"That's right." He nodded and reached out to caress her head approvingly. "Negative space allows you to take anything from the surrounding space, and at that moment the three burglars were the closest objects that had entered a space opening, hence it was what you removed."

"Hmm..." Why did this ability seem so weird? Was that why a single thought was enough for her to automatically unravel the three burglars' optical computers, tossing all their loot out? Her ability seemed like the ultimate way to keep things where they are. With such an amazing ability, should she join a cult or something?

"I have one more question!" She weakly raised a finger.

"Mmh?"

"My ability... is it a one time thing?"

"..."

Yao Si confessed everything, about how the ability disappeared soon after she activated it.

Mu Xuan sunk into deep thought before replying once again. "There are strong and weak abilities, and sometimes one's energy will be exhausted, but I haven't heard about a one time ability."

"Then why can't I—"

"There's no need to hurry." He reached out to caress her head, comforting her. "I'm sure it's because you aren't familiar with your ability yet, that's why it only erupts when you really need it. When you're relaxed, it might..."

He stilled, as if having thought of something. He lowered his head and glanced at her with contemplation. 

"Wha- what's wrong?" Yao Si wriggled away, starting to feel uneasy from his gaze.

He pulled her up. "Follow me somewhere."

"Ah? Ah," Yao Si replied blankly.

By the time she processed his words, she was already brought to a large field with walls covering all four sides. Even the ceiling was shielded, enclosing the entire field. 

"Where's this?"

"A practice field," Mu Xuan replied.

Practice field? Wasn't it the field bloodlings used for practicing their abilities, which in reality meant it was a real battlefield?

"Why are we here?"

"Try it." Without further explanations, Mu Xuan raised his arm, and the next moment a gigantic fire dragon flew into the skies. It was completely different from the galactic pirate's ability, for Mu Xuan's fire was blue. The gigantic fire dragon few about in the air as though it was alive.

"What's wrong?" Mu Xuan asked. "Do you feel your ability?"

Yao Si stilled, lowering her head to feel for something, then shook her head. "No." She still felt empty inside.

Mu Xuan lowered his arm, and the fire dragon instantly disappearing. He frowned deeply once more. 

"What's wrong with my ability?" Yao Si asked. Is there a real problem?

"I'm not sure yet..." he replied as he sent a text out on his optical computer. "I need to test it out first."

After this he tried several more abilities, the water series, gold series, and space series, displaying all of them in front of her.

Is he trying to demoralize me? -.-"

Just as she was about to voice her inner thoughts, Yao Qian rushed over.

"Your Majesty, what do you need me for?" Yao Qian asked as he looked at the both of them.

"You have the earth ability?" Mu Xuan asked.

"Yea." He nodded.

"Practice with Sisi."

"Ah! Ah?" Practice? What did practice mean? Wasn't her highness' ability not stable yet? But when he was about to clarify, Mu Xuan was already at the entrance a few hundred meters away, not giving him an opportunity to understand the situation. 

"Your Highness?" He turned to look at Yao Si.

._."

Mu Xuan's personal display wasn't enough, he specifically got someone else to flaunt their abilities? 

Forget it… She had already gotten used to it. 

"Unleash your ability!" Please start the performance!

Yao Qian turned to look at the both of them once more with a face full of confusion, but he still did as commanded. "Your Highness, please be careful."

The next moment Yao Si could feel an immerse energy rising within her body. It was unlike anything she had felt before. Yao Qian's energy was so massive that even after his deliberate attempt to restrain it, it still devoured the entire practice ground. Even the air seemed to slow, turning oppressive and hard to breathe. When contrasted with the burglars, Yao Qian perfectly presented a senior's capability, turning his opponents into amateurs. 

The ground started to shake, and rows of vines sprouting from below. They seemed like rows of sharp fangs, crawling in Yao Si's direction. She could also feel a strange sense of suppression, as though something was forcing her to the ground.

Her legs weakened and she was on the verge of collapsing, but right at that moment, she felt a surge of energy within her, dissipating the sense of suppression and freeing her body.