Chapter 37
Chapter 37
“Ding!”
[Congratulations! You have successfully cleared every stage of the Talent Trial and earned the right to select a corresponding Talent rank!]
“Ding!”
[Congratulations! You may select a Talent from S Rank through SSS Rank! Note: Every available Talent is closely related to your class, skills, and combat style.]
S Rank through SSS Rank!
Zhou Ming’s spirits soared. He nearly lost his mind with excitement.
All his effort had finally paid off!
After fighting his way through the entire trial, he had at last gained access to the highest rank of Talent!
“He actually defeated that man?”
“Defeated? It was only a draw!”
“Even so, the boy’s potential is clearly extraordinary. No wonder the Divine Ember Queen so readily handed an opportunity like the God-Demon Orb to a complete stranger.”
…
The watching gods had complicated feelings.
Envy and jealousy mingled with greed and killing intent.
Possessing treasure was no crime, but it made one a target. The more exceptional Zhouyou Shijie’s performance became, the more intense their hostility grew.
After all, the two sides were already enemies.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
When the Talent Trial officially ended, energy spheres of every color appeared within the pure white space. They clustered around Zhou Ming, waiting for him to choose freely among them.
“Ding!”
[You have 30 minutes to select your Talent!]
Zhou Ming didn’t dare take his time. He hurriedly brushed a hand over the spheres, and their information immediately appeared before him.
[City Incinerator] (S Rank): All area-of-effect skills deal 50% more damage and gain 50% more range!
[Flame Venerable] (SS Rank): Fire-element skills deal 100% more damage and gain 20% Attack Speed!
[Crimson King] (S Rank): Max HP +60% and regenerate 0.5% HP per second!
…
“Every one of these Talents is highly compatible with you. There isn’t a single useless choice among them,” Qianying said. “Just choose from the highest ranks and you can’t go wrong!”
“All right!”
That was exactly what Zhou Ming intended to do.
Most of the energy spheres in view carried S-Rank Talents, while a smaller number contained SS-Rank Talents. But after clearing the entire trial, why would he waste time on any of those?
After rapidly scanning the Talents, Zhou Ming soon noticed that the larger an energy sphere was, the more powerful its effect seemed to be.
He searched with painstaking care and soon fixed his gaze on a red-gold sphere.
It was conspicuously larger than all the others. The surrounding spheres almost seemed afraid to approach it, leaving it to occupy a vast patch of space by itself.
Without hesitation, Zhou Ming stepped closer and reached out with eager anticipation.
[Sovereign’s Descent] (SSS Rank): The owner may copy another person’s Talent unconditionally and raise its rank by 1.
“Hiss!”
Zhou Ming sucked in a sharp breath, barely able to believe what he was seeing.
A divine skill!
This was absolutely a divine skill!
It would grow stronger whenever he met someone stronger. It could never become obsolete!
Zhou Ming couldn’t even be bothered to glance at the other spheres. He immediately claimed it, treating it like the most precious of treasures, his face glowing with delight.
Damage bonuses? HP bonuses? In the face of Sovereign’s Descent, they were all worthless!
System, buddy, I love you so much!
“What kind of Talent has you this excited?” Qianying asked curiously.
“Secret!”
Zhou Ming couldn’t stop grinning.
“…I didn’t expect you to turn that back on me.” Qianying laughed and thought nothing more of it.
Everyone had a few secrets when they ventured out into the world.
“Ding!”
[Bind the Talent Sovereign’s Descent? Note: Once bound, a Talent cannot be changed and will remain with you permanently.]
“Yes, yes, yes!”
Zhou Ming answered three times in a row, terrified that something might go wrong.
Whoosh!
The moment he made his decision, the red-gold sphere transformed into a vast torrent of energy and poured endlessly into his chest. Fire-element energy surged throughout his body, sweeping away every trace of fatigue and leaving him bursting with vitality.
“What Talent did he choose?”
“Judging by how happy he looks, it has to be SSS Rank!”
“We must eliminate him as soon as possible, or the consequences will be unimaginable!”
…
Harboring thoughts of every kind, the gods withdrew their gazes.
The Talent Trial had reached its conclusion.
Even Ning Wushen had failed to stop Zhouyou Shijie. All that remained was for the latter to enjoy the fruits of victory. Within this space, where no outsider could interfere, the gods had no way to investigate even if they desperately wanted to know more.
After a long while, Zhou Ming finally absorbed the last of the tremendous energy. Feeling refreshed from head to toe, he heard a system chime announce the official end of his Talent Trial.
“Ding!”
[Congratulations! You have obtained the SSS-Rank Talent Sovereign’s Descent. As the first adventurer in Destiny to obtain an SSS-Rank Talent, you receive an additional reward: Luck +2!]
“Ding!”
[Your Talent Trial has ended. Leave the trial space?]
…
“Yes!”
Zhou Ming hurriedly opened his character panel. Once he confirmed that the Talent had truly become his, he released a breath of complete relief and chose to leave.
In an instant, spatial force pulled him back to Qingshui Town. The bustling street before him was filled with noise and movement.
Even late at night, countless lights illuminated the town as residents and adventurers streamed through its streets.
“Qianying, do you know Ning Wushen?” Zhou Ming asked after a moment’s thought.
“I wouldn’t say we’re familiar, but given his strength, of course we’ve met before,” Qianying replied.
“Where does he live?” Zhou Ming asked the question he truly cared about.
“Why do you want to know?” Qianying sounded puzzled. “He may have invited you to share a drink, but at your current level, you can’t possibly reach him.”
Zhou Ming tried lowering the bar. “Can’t I at least look at him from a distance?”
Right now, he very much wanted to meet Brother Ning, the friend he had made through exchanging blows.
Even if the gulf in their status was vast, simply meeting briefly would be more than enough.
“…Your level is too low,” Qianying said bluntly. “You can’t reach the place where he lives.”
“All right!”
Zhou Ming had no choice but to give up for now.
At present, his level only allowed him to operate in tertiary towns. Secondary cities and primary capitals had not yet opened to adventurers.
Still…
They would meet eventually!
Zhou Ming suppressed his impatience.
He desperately wanted to know what would happen if Sovereign’s Descent copied Ning Wushen’s SSS-Rank Talent. Would it break through the system’s limit?
For now, however, there was no way to find out.
“Forget it. Time to rest.”
Seeing how late it had grown, Zhou Ming logged out.
He had promised to power-level Tingfeng Xiyu tomorrow. Naturally, he had no intention of breaking his word.
Motes of white light drifted away as Zhou Ming departed the Destiny Continent.
What he didn’t know was that as he vanished, Qianying sat cross-legged inside the God-Demon Orb in his inventory. Her fingers repeatedly formed seals as her consciousness left her body, transformed into white light, and attempted to follow him.
Bang!
She soon struck an unfathomable barrier. Even attacking it with her full strength only made it tremble slightly. She could not shatter it.
“It seems I still can’t break through it.” Qianying frowned faintly.
To the natives of this world, adventurers were outsiders who came from a mysterious realm beyond their own.
She was quite curious about what the adventurers’ world looked like, and what kind of life Zhouyou Shijie lived there.
…