Chapter 38
Chapter 38
“Whew…”
After removing his helmet, Zhou Ming exhaled heavily. At some point, he had become drenched in sweat, his clothes soaked through.
The battle with Ning Wushen had put him under tremendous pressure.
But in the end, he had gotten exactly what he wanted.
He found it difficult to imagine any SSS-Rank Talent with a higher ceiling than Sovereign’s Descent.
It provided him no bonuses at the moment, but from now on, whenever he faced a powerful opponent, he could obtain an even stronger version of their Talent. The magnitude of that advantage spoke for itself.
Putting his swirling thoughts aside, Zhou Ming got up, washed, and went peacefully to sleep, filled with anticipation for the next day.
…
At the same time, inside a courtyard house in Beijing…
“Well? How much longer?”
Zhang Nianwen, who had watched Zhouyou Shijie’s battle with the Gaibang Guild and concluded that the man would not remain arrogant for long, questioned his grandson.
“Two days!”
Zhang Liwei answered with confidence. “In two more days, I’ll inherit that expert’s legacy. Then I’ll publicly challenge Zhouyou Shijie and claim the bounty!”
“Are you sure nothing will go wrong?” Zhang Nianwen pressed repeatedly.
“Nothing will!”
Zhang Liwei smiled. “Before the rankings came out, I still had a few concerns. Now, there’s nothing left to fear.”
“Excellent!”
Zhang Nianwen nodded in satisfaction.
He might struggle to achieve much within Destiny himself, but he understood perfectly well how much a Talent could enhance combat power.
Everyone had originally guessed that Zhouyou Shijie most likely possessed an SS-Rank Talent. Then the rankings appeared and left the entire world stunned.
He hadn’t even made the top hundred!
Anyone below one hundred wasn’t even worthy of being displayed to the public.
Rapid footsteps interrupted their conversation.
One of Zhang Nianwen’s subordinates hurried forward. “Elder Zhang, something terrible has happened!”
“What could possibly justify such panic?” Zhang Nianwen asked irritably.
“Just now, Zhouyou Shijie obtained an SSS-Rank Talent! The entire city is in an uproar. Everyone online is talking about it!”
“What did you say?!”
Zhang Nianwen and Zhang Liwei shouted in unison, their faces filled with shock.
Ring, ring…
Before Zhang Nianwen could recover from the news, Lin Zhongshan called him. A bitter laugh came through the phone.
“Elder Zhang, perhaps we were both wrong this time.”
…
Countless people were destined to lose sleep that night. Even a number of international organizations had launched investigations.
The only SSS-Rank Talent on the entire server had appeared in the Eastern Region, obtained by a player whose ID was Zhouyou Shijie!
The news was explosive!
“I thought Zhouyou Shijie had botched it. Turns out he waited until Level 30 to activate his Talent!”
“Damn it, he got back on top again!”
“Destiny launched globally. Once national wars open, he might be able to take on an army by himself!”
…
Discussion erupted everywhere.
Anyone who had participated in the Talent Trial knew exactly how outrageous the later stages became.
Under those circumstances, Zhouyou Shijie obtaining an SSS-Rank Talent could only prove one thing.
He had cleared it!
From beginning to end, he had defeated every last guardian!
…
The man responsible for all this turmoil remained utterly unaware, fast asleep.
Perhaps no one would ever imagine that the person capable of causing such a global uproar was a young man who had nearly been unable to pay his rent after buying a gaming helmet.
The next day dawned bright and clear beneath a gentle breeze.
After a wonderful night’s sleep, Zhou Ming filled his stomach with two fried dough sticks and six pan-fried buns, then logged back into the game.
Beep, beep!
The moment he came online, a congratulatory message arrived from Tingfeng Xiyu.
“Congratulations on obtaining an SSS-Rank Talent, boss! Your name is shaking the world!”
“Just lucky, that’s all!” Zhou Ming replied modestly, then asked with a smile, “Where are you?”
“At the town gate!”
Tingfeng Xiyu sent over a goofy emoji. “I’ve been waiting forever!”
…
“All right, I’m on my way!” Zhou Ming hurried over.
At the gates of Qingshui Town, Tingfeng Xiyu spotted him from afar and immediately came forward to greet him.
“Boss, you stole the entire internet’s attention all by yourself yesterday!”
“Did I?”
Surprised, Zhou Ming casually opened the official forums. Every post that met his eyes was related to him.
“Zhouyou Shijie Obtains an SSS-Rank Talent!”
“S-Rank Talents Are Already This Strong. What Can SSS Rank Possibly Do?”
“Ladies, Zhouyou Shijie Is the CEO of a Public Company and Crazy Rich and Handsome!”
…
The entire screen was filled with posts about him.
“Forget all that. Let’s go!” Zhou Ming cared little for the attention. He immediately led Tingfeng Xiyu toward their leveling spot.
On the way, he opened one of the more amusing posts.
The CEO of a public company? Crazy rich and handsome?
Zhou Ming couldn’t help admiring the poster’s exceptional insight. Somehow, they had guessed almost everything correctly!
He wasn’t as impressed by the post itself.
“Girls, I heard from one of my besties that Zhouyou Shijie is super rich and handsome in real life. Sadly, he already has a girlfriend.
“Apparently, his girlfriend is thirty-six. She used to be ordinary just like me, but Zhouyou Shijie never looked down on her. Now she lives in a villa and drives a Mercedes. I’m so jealous! If only I’d waited a little longer!”
…
What could he even say?
There were far too many layers to that post for him to offer an immediate opinion.
“Ding!”
[You have entered the Luminous Mining Area!]
Before they knew it, the two had reached their leveling spot. Jagged mountains rose and fell before them, carved with tiered mine paths like terraces. It was an imposing sight.
Crystal-like minerals remained embedded in every corner of the mining area, shining with translucent light as they waited to be harvested.
Rustle…
This was clearly no safe zone. As Zhou Ming looked around, he saw long, thick black centipedes writhing aimlessly in every direction. Their shells looked exceptionally hard, while their densely packed legs sent chills down the spine.
[Mining Centipede] (Normal Monster)
Level: 50
HP: 12,000
Attack: 1,200-1,250
Defense: 600-680
Skills: [Venomous Bite] [Death Throes] [Lesser Toughness]
Description: The most common creature in the Luminous Mining Area. Its considerable lethality is why no one dares casually mine here.
…
“Brother Zhou, all I can see on the centipede’s panel are question marks. I don’t think I can contribute!” Tingfeng Xiyu, who had only just reached Level 15, was extremely cautious. He was terrified of drawing a venomous centipede’s aggro and being killed instantly.
“I’ll handle them!”
Zhou Ming gestured for him to relax, then seemed to remember something. “Come to think of it, your Talent looked pretty good too…”
He opened the Talent Rankings. Tingfeng Xiyu’s name was right there in the top ten.
6. Tingfeng Xiyu, S-Rank Talent: Extreme Shadow
There was no question that his Talent stood out even among other S-Rank Talents.
“Just luck. Pure luck!”
The moment his Talent came up, Tingfeng Xiyu perked up and began speaking with obvious delight. “I only cleared the fifth stage, so I thought a high-rank Talent was out of the question. I never expected to find an absolute gem!”
“Oh?”
Zhou Ming was intrigued. “What does Extreme Shadow do?”
“Secret!” Tingfeng Xiyu put on a mysterious expression. “All I can tell you is that it’s strong!”
Zhou Ming: “…”
You’re doing this too?
Unfortunately, your secret probably won’t stay secret for long!
“Hahahaha!”
Looking at Tingfeng Xiyu’s beaming face, Zhou Ming couldn’t help laughing along with him.
Sovereign’s Descent, activate!
…