As I walk past a few shops, I discover that most of the workers and owners are from Bo City. Their southern accent is too pronounced. It does seem like they're enjoying themselves here, each with a smile on their face.
"Holy crap, what kinds of goods are these? A pile of rubbish, did I seriously waste over a hundred thousand on this crap? Give me back my money!" a slightly hoarse voice echoes in the shop.
I perk up; the voice is familiar to me. I glance over and see that the owner of the store has a tanned face, small eyes, and a shrunken nose. Even though his face has changed slightly, he doesn't look too different from his high school self.
"Zhao Kunsan!" I greet the man with a smile as I walk into the store.
"Shit, it's you!" Zhao Kunsan's eyes widen. It takes him quite some time to collect his thoughts.
"Boss, should I call people over to throw this guy out? Doesn't he know whose territory this is?" a worker blurts out when he sees his boss's reaction.
"Piss off, it's none of your business," Zhao Kunsan says impatiently.
Excellent reply.
"It seems like you're enjoying yourself here," I pat Zhao Kunsan's shoulder heavily. He puts on an ugly smile and answers my questions unwillingly.
As expected of Zhao Kunsan, the obedient subordinate, he quickly texts Mu Bai about my arrival. Mu Bai responds quickly too. I've only enjoyed a few sips of tea in the shop when he walks in expressionlessly.
"Mu Bai, it's been a while," I comment while observing his appearance.
As always, Mu Bai is well-dressed and groomed. He basically still looks like he's from a wealthy family. However, I notice that the arrogance and pride he used to display between his brows have disappeared, replaced with a hint of steadiness. It does seem like he's changed after the calamity in Bo City. According to Shorty, Mu Bai has bought the entire street—apparently Mu Bai is quite skilled at doing business.
From what I've observed, Mu Bai is focusing on his cultivation, while his subordinate Zhao Kunsan handles the businesses on the street. Most of the people who've moved here from Bo City are working for him. It's a good deed that the guy has done, helping the people who survived that calamity take care of themselves.
"Since you're here, I will ask Zhou Min to hang out with us tonight."
"Zhou Min is here too?" I ask, astonished.
Speaking of which, I haven't talked to Zhou Min for so long. The calamity in Bo City basically separated everyone. I have no idea where they went or how to contact them; the only people I kept in touch with were Zhang Xiaohou and my family.
"She's studying at the Ancient Capital Institute, same as me. She's been cultivating in seclusion a lot because of the preliminaries. It's been a while since I last saw her," Mu Bai says, taking a sip of his tea.
"I see."
"Of course, she basically has no hope of getting a nomination."
I nod. It's not easy to win the nomination preliminaries. Besides, Zhou Min comes from an average family. It's too difficult to be ranked in the top ten at the Ancient Capital Institute with just hard work.
The atmosphere is far less volatile than when we were younger. We've all survived the calamity in Bo City, so we've been through a lot together. The minor grudges we had in school are insignificant.
"I've booked a place. She and Wang Pangzi both agreed to come knowing that you've come to the Ancient Capital," Mu Bai says a bit later, putting his phone aside.
"Mu Bai, are you doing this for the Mu Family, or yourself? Buying the entire street cannot have been easy, even if you had wealth to begin with."
"Myself. The Mu Family… hmph, they're treating us like beggars," Mu Bai harrumphs coldly.
"What's wrong?" I raise my eyebrows, intrigued by the topic.
"Basically, the main Mu Clan has no respect for a little branch family like us. Their only interest is Mu Ningxue, because of her Innate Talent," Mu Bai says.
"That is characteristic of a renowned clan, raising the talented and discarding the others," I agree, recalling her incredibly powerful Ice Crystal Bow.
…
…
Zhou Min and Wangzi meet us, and we eat, drink, and catch up in a restaurant, agreeing to fight the undead at night. Apparently, the rankings in the Ancient Capital Institute are determined by how many undead you've killed (in a small team if you're a supportive role), so Zhou Min wants to up her score. I want to get more loot.
We end up slaughtering 1042 Soldiers and 80 Warriors over the next week, with me doing most of the tanking and damage dealing while the others pitch in with the occasional spell when I'm in a pinch. Zhou Min is so excited that she kisses everyone on the cheek—the past few days will propel her into the top 10 in the institute.
I'm more excited about the loot. Together with the hordes of undead I butchered to protect the villagers and the original stores in Nyx, I've accumulated 44 Soldier and 8 Warrior refined Soul Essences, along with 7 and 1 natural ones respectively, plus the undead crystal from the Hatchet Corpse General. I immediately use all 44 Soldier Soul Essences and 1 Warrior Soul Essence to upgrade the stars in my Shadow Nebula, unlocking two new spells. Shadow Evade: Fake Shadow is what Tang Yue used in our escape from the Enforcement Union; its improvement from the 3rd tier is that along with me blending into the shadows to move around, it creates a temporary clone that moves in a mirrored direction to fool others. Shadow Nails: Shadow Array fires 6 nails instead of 3, with each nail after the 3rd dealing additional soul damage. I used it to insta kill an Average Warrior right as the sun rose.
However, most pertinent are my valuables. I sell all 7 Soldier and 1 Warrior Soul Essences, and I pawn off the undead crystal to various shops thirsting for them. My account grows from 35 million to 122 million yuan, just like that. I could get rich hunting these undead, even taking into account that I already had some of those essences and that the mutated Giant Corpse General's undead crystal and Soul Essence was a lucky find.
Unfortunately, the balance drops to 10 million immediately as I buy a Galaxy Vein; my Light stars are restlessly shifting around, and I need a potent source of energy to break through to the next level. I head back to Mu Bai's apartment, where he has a guest room I'll stay in for now. I'm tired of being stuck at the Intermediate level, having to flee from Commanders. I really hope the Galaxy Vein isn't flawed.
…
…
As usual, my Light Nebula is shifting around. The dust inside flows in a violent storm, and the bright yellow stars amidst the other particles are bouncing everywhere energetically. I curse the glowing barrier surrounding the Nebula: it's the reason I haven't been able to increase the Nebula's size through meditation ever since Jinlin City!
I hold the Galaxy Vein, which is a shining egg-shaped crystal the size of my hand. Breathing deeply to calm myself, I start channeling its energy into my Spiritual World. The sheer volume of energy dwarfs everything inside, but I manage to direct it to the Light Nebula, brightening the dust and the stars immensely. Hold on, the fact that I've upgraded all 49 stars… seems to be assisting with the breakthrough. They're slamming into the barrier, causing cracks that have me wincing in pain. Over time, small fissures in the barrier accumulate. However, I feel the flow from the Galaxy Vein begin to stem off.
[It's now or never.]
Ceasing the natural process of allowing the stars to crash into the barrier, I condense as much energy as I can and thunder it against the obstruction in an explosion that blacks me out for a few moments from the sheer agony. Luckily, I didn't need the concentration, since all the energy fades away after that strike. What remains is a shattered barrier and an expanded Nebula, a brilliant Light Galaxy with 343 stars amidst the clouds of dust. It's over twice as large and finally has a shape: a gorgeous spiral, far more pleasant to look at than the nearby blobby Nebulas.
[Thank goodness.]
My worry did not come to pass; the Galaxy Vein worked.
It's time to awaken a new Element. My heart throbs like never before: a fourth Element, when every single Advanced Mage in the world has three.
I've come to a realization about the Elements. As long as you're able to improve them to higher levels, there is no such thing as a weaker or stronger Element, except in the special cases of Healing and maybe some Dimensional magic. The Light and Water Elements might be defensive now, but aren't I confident of attaining the Super level eventually? At that point, the most potent single-target Super spell is the 3rd tier Holy Execution: Punishment Axe, and it's of the Light Element.
I won't buy an expensive Awakening Stone looking for a certain Element. Look where that got me with Fire: I awakened its complete opposite, Water! There's no point unless I can afford the most expensive ones that practically guarantee an Element, but those cost over 500 million, which might take over a year looting the undead to obtain. Something that guarantees Space might cost 5 billion yuan, or more. And for what? Although I admit the Space Element is far stronger than most others, I can't afford it. And it simply isn't worth it for any others: ensuring I get Fire when I could have gotten Wind is a waste of 500 million, since they're both incredibly powerful at the Super level.
No, I think the best choice is to buy a regular, cheap Awakening Stone filled with the energy of various Elements. I'll save my money for better swords; the ones gifted to me by Zhan Kong have served their purpose, and they'll be completely useless against Commanders. Moreover, Soul-grade Elemental Spirits are a must for any strong Advanced Mage, but they're at the bare minimum over 10 times as pricey as the most expensive Spirit-grade Elemental Spirits: hundreds of millions at least. That is a far better use of my money than an Awakening Stone.
With my intentions straightened out, I head to the Clock Tower Magic Association in the morning.
…
…
It's certainly an impressive structure. Nearly as large as the Oriental Pearl Tower, it's an enormous cylinder over 500 meters high. The lobby is packed for some reason, and I have to climb 5 floors before I finally find an empty reception desk.
I ask the clerk, "How much for an awakening? Just the default stone will do."
"What's your cultivation?"
"I just became an Advanced Mage."
His eyes widen in shock. "A young man like you? Wow! The price will be 25,000 yuan."
[Barely anything. I can hardly remember when I thought that was a hefty sum.]
I hand him my card, and he swipes it. After returning it, he leads me to a booth on the fringes of the same floor and shuts the black curtains behind me.
Whew. Breathe.
An Awakening Stone floats above a stone pillar. I place my right hand on it and close my eyes, allowing its energy to flow into my Spiritual World. Yes! A Stardust is forming!
[Wait, where are the stars?]
At first glance, I don't see any stars circulating in the small cloud of dust. I try to feel for them, and I manage to grab one. It's… colorless. Nearly. It has a slight tinge of gray, but it's translucent.
This…
My thoughts are interrupted by a second thrum of energy rushing into my Spiritual World, and yet another Stardust materializes. And it grows into a Galaxy without me doing a single fucking thing. I'm dumbfounded by the sheer lunacy of this situation, what in the world is happening?
My will rushes into the Galaxy. I can see these stars, but they're… reddish black. A really dark shade of blood red. I try to shift a star into one of the positions for a Star Path, but I don't receive any feedback of it 'clicking' into place. Strange.
I recall the fact that powerful Super Mages can use their mana without aligning their stars, so I try to manipulate the mana in the Galaxy to directly manifest it in the real world.
My heart starts pounding. My vision slowly tinges with red, and I stop immediately, feeling a bit tired already. I've experienced this before.
The Demon Element. It's taken residence in my Spiritual World, but it doesn't act like any other Element. There's no spells associated with its stars. In fact, the stars seem like mere decoration. The Demon Stardust turned into a Galaxy without any assistance from me. I can manifest its energy directly, something I can't accomplish with my other Elements.
I don't dare to experiment, fearing bedevilment. Instead, I shift my attention to the other Element I obtained. This gray-translucent phenomenon is something I've read about: the strongest and most mysterious Element.
Chaos. I've awakened Chaos.
Although I cursed my luck after obtaining Elements that felt like complete duds for the past 2 awakenings, I can only slap myself now. Serendipity has found me.
"YEEESSSS!" I scream at the top of my lungs.
I'm on cloud nine. I float out of that blessed booth, where glances from other people are focused. Doubtless due to my cry of jubilance. But I don't care. I've gotten Chaos.
In truth, no matter what Element I got here, I was planning to save enough money to purchase a Chaos Awakening Stone with a success rate close to 100% for my next awakening. Even if it costs billions of yuan, tens of billions, it's still worth every penny in my eyes. If I couldn't possibly earn the money in the Advanced stage, I simply wouldn't awaken any Elements upon reaching the Super level, and my strength would certainly be enough to obtain such gargantuan profits.
However, there's no longer any need. I have it right here, right now.
Even as I walk out of the building, I'm admiring my two newly acquired Elements: one Stardust and one Galaxy. My Spiritual World's appearance is incredible with these spirals and multitude of star clusters.
I've just realized. I have two newly acquired Elements, not one. Something isn't right.
Hold on, I've noticed yet another thing that I must have been absolutely blind to miss. Something other than the bright clouds of dust is in my Spiritual World. I didn't notice it at first because it was right next to the three Magic Boots and Black Snake Magic Armor, and the appearance of a fifth object over there was obfuscated by the two new Elements.
What in the shivering ballsacks is this? It looks like a pair of black shortswords. Subconsciously, I summon them into my hands. My mind goes black for a few minutes as I take in their sheer beauty.
The blades, each a meter long, exhibit an obsidian hue with a hint of iridescence. Each blade and its edge are finely honed, reflecting light in a dazzling display. Intricate white engravings adorn their surfaces, forming elaborate patterns that coalesce to form a dragon on each blade with incredible detail. The hilts are wrapped in smooth black leather, providing a secure grip for my hands. The jet black quillons jut out 8 cm on either side of the union between the hilt and the blade. The barely noticeable black pommels on the ends of the hilts ensure my hands don't slide off the grips.
I could sit down at a table, draw images of a sword for weeks straight, and still not come up with anything that looked a quarter as mesmerizing.
But this begs the question: how did it get into my Spiritual World? And why did I awaken two Elements again? Twin Elements only doubles the first awakening. Do I have a mutated version that doubles every awakening after the first? But how does that explain the swords?
I've got to think. My preconceptions on what an Innate Talent should be are flawed.
Can I have more than one Innate Talent? Perhaps I have that mutated Innate Talent plus a second one that created the swords? That doesn't feel like it explains everything properly, more of just a catch-all statement that sums up what I currently have.
What if I get an Innate Talent on every awakening?
Wait, what if every awakening is considered a "first" awakening? That means I have a chance at obtaining an Innate Talent during each awakening. This also explains getting two Elements twice: I got the Twin Elements talent in my second awakening and the swords in my third awakening. Normally, the Twin Elements only occur in the first awakening, but both subsequent ones were considered "first" due to my first talent, so I got two both times.
Then what about my actual first awakening?
[That's brilliant.]
On that fateful day at school, I obtained an Innate Talent that blows every single one I've read about straight out of the water. Always Considered First-Time Awakening. That's got to be the talent I obtained on my first awakening.
Everything fits naturally. Twin Elements the second time, swords the third time, two Elements both of those times.
It even follows the subtle rule of Innate Talents: either you get one on your first awakening, or you don't receive one at all. I certainly got one. I just thought I didn't at the time.
I'm walking back to Mu Bai's apartment, feeling more relaxed and relieved than ever. There's been moments before I fall asleep that I wonder about my place in this world.
What if close combat doesn't give me an advantage in future stages of cultivation, despite what Dean Xiao said? I could kill Advancing Soldiers without spells as a Basic Mage, albeit while suffering injuries if I hadn't properly investigated beforehand.
As an Intermediate Mage, I had to obtain equipment that supplemented my fighting style. Even then, I fought a battle of life and death with that mother demoness, whose abilities were on par with those of an Advancing Warrior. I quite literally used everything I had.
The gap between Commanders is far larger than that of Warriors. I've read that an Advancing Commander can have ten times the power of an Inferior Commander, often even more. Things that can cut through Inferior Commanders might barely leave scratches on a defense-oriented Advancing Commander.
I won't be able to pull off a feat akin to soloing an Advancing Soldier as soon as I become a Basic Mage. That simply isn't possible; an Advancing Commander would tear me apart before I could even react. And if the creatures grow to become too fast for me to evade, maybe even to predict… All I'll have left at the Super level is my battle sense. And one extra Element.
At least, that's what I believed. However, it no longer makes any difference, which is why I feel so carefree now. Simply awakening two Elements at every stage is enough to give me an enormous advantage. Let alone these swords, which I find difficult to even look away from. I can sense a connection with them far deeper than any I have with the Magic Boots. It's as if they're… a part of me.
…
…
I arrive at Mu Bai's apartment. It's still morning.
[Where can I find someplace secluded?]
I don't really know why I came here. Maybe because it was the last location in my mind before I contemplated something that overturned the order of my entire existence.
Fine, I'll take a nap, and those undead will feel pain for the first time when I fight them at night. Before I sleep, though, I want to test something.
…
…
I decide to head to the outskirts without the others, though I do wave them off at the south gate; they're disappointed I don't join them a second time, but they understand they'll just hold me back. I reassure them that's not why I'm splitting off, that I'll fight with them tomorrow, and they cheer up.
After 30 minutes of walking, I'm a decent distance away from the city in a level, grassy area. I've already eliminated all the undead that rose from the ground on the way here, and I haven't seen any teams or solo people come this way.
It's time. I take the swords out of my sheath. Yes, that's the thing I tested, leaving them in the real world to see when they'd wake me up by returning to the Spiritual World. And they never did. They were still patiently waiting, somehow looking wronged that I was ignoring them. Okay, that's not actually true; constantly anthropomorphizing objects can be an indicator of schizophrenia. But excuse me? They haven't returned to my Spiritual World even after it's night?
I thought they were like regular Magic Equipment, meant to be used as a trump card for a few minutes. Maybe even a few dozen minutes if they were especially long lasting. But half a day?
Most weapon-shaped Magic Equipment are Deathstrike Equipment. These are single-use and will disappear from the owner's Spiritual World after unleashing its energy. Fewer are rechargeable. Even fewer are long-lasting and rechargeable. The rarest weapon-type Magic Equipment are continuous-use ones.
That's what my swords seemed to be. They combined the continuous use of my old cold weapons with the magical nature and transportability of Magic Equipment.
Speaking of, I don't see any slots for magic stones. It'd be pretty depressing if all the swords can do is slice through things, even if they're pretty.
[Fuck it.]
I try channeling the mana from my Light Galaxy into the swords. A wondrous sight unfolds before my very eyes…
It's nothing. No reaction, no flow of energy from my Spiritual World into the blades.
I examine the swords more closely. The engraved dragons' mouths are set in a roar, facing the tip of the sword. Their white bodies run all along the swords, and their tails taper off at the pommels.
Instead of directly transferring Light mana, I align 7 Light stars atop the pommel of the blade in my right hand. And this time, the carved white dragon absorbs the finished Basic Light spell, preventing it from being manifested as a Gleamstrike. A brilliant golden hue suffuses the previously white carving.
My gaze shifts to a rotting zombie covered in rags, shambling its way over to me. When it ventures within 10 meters of me, it suddenly lunges, aiming to land on or near me and tear me to shreds. But a swift upward flick of the golden sword in my right hand slices the zombie in twain, its left and right halves tumbling down next to me. Business as usual would involve me stabbing the zombie's undead crystal, which I'm confident is located behind its right kneecap due to my prior altercations with its local brethren on the way here tonight.
But this is not business as usual. The wounded surfaces gleam gold, and the zombie halves start evaporating as if I'd cast multiple Gleamstrikes all over them, except I'm not lifting a finger even as the final strands of raggedy cloth glow and then disintegrate into dust and ash. The sole remaining object is the undead crystal, located where the zombie's right knee used to be.
As I'm lost in thought, a few more zombies limp over. I experimentally slice through them in various ways: bisecting the torso, beheading, taking off an arm, cutting off a leg, and slicing off a hand. The first two methods result in the zombie pieces glowing and slowly disintegrating as before, and the zombies that I merely maimed are still staggering around just fine, albeit missing a limb—one that has now evaporated. Also, the golden radiance emanating from my sword dimmed with each slash, and after I carve through 2 more zombies, the dragon carving regains its original brilliant white color.
Instead of casting a Gleamstrike, I opt for Illumination: Blindness, aligning the 7 stars on the sword's pommel as before. As expected, the dragon carving shines with a golden hue. However, after cutting through 4 zombies, the golden radiance dissipates.
[Half the power, half the number of allotted strikes?]
My experiments continue through the night, much to the dismay of the undead nearby.
…
…
My thorough experimentation yields a few fruits.
The swords behave like a continuous-use Magic Equipment in every way, including self-repair. An additional feature is that a sword's hilt won't leave my palm, even if I splay my five fingers and release the sword, and this is the default state. Once I decide that I no longer want to hold it (in the same way I might decide to bend my index finger), it finally drops from my hand.
I can unsummon the swords no matter where they are located, but resummoning always puts them in my hands.
The swords can't change forms, like into a spear or bow. Or at least not via any methods I tried. But their sharpness and rigidity is astounding: the swords cleaved off the tip of my original short sword like slicing through butter. Even the Black Snake Armor, crafted from the most superior scales on the shed skin of one of the strongest Rulers, parted way like it didn't even exist when met with the edge of a sword.
The might of the lingering elemental radiance on a sword scales directly with the might of the base spell used to infuse the dragon on the sword. If I use a tier 3 Basic spell, it lasts for 4 strikes. A tier 4 Basic spell? 8 strikes. A tier 3 Intermediate spell? 160 strikes on Soldiers, 4 strikes on a General. Elemental Spirits, like the ones my Light and Water Nebulas possess, do not provide any boost to the sword's power. Also, it seems that the radiance is really only useful when I'm attacking a creature that's weak to a particular Element that I have. Hacking at a zombie with an infused Water spell is no more effective than just stabbing it directly.
Although these weak zombies, Lesser Soldiers, die in one slash, stronger ones won't fully melt away immediately—only the parts of the body in close proximity to the wound melt away, which is still sufficient to kill the creature if I stab it near its undead crystal.
I may find out more after using them for longer. For now, I'm content to head back. There's some things I want to look up.
…
…
Apparently, this weapon talent is extremely rare, but it might not be unique. However, it wasn't mentioned in any textbook explanations of Innate Talents because the possible holders of the talent have never verified that they have it.
Famous warriors in history. Sun Wukong and his staff. Arjuna and his bow. Thor and his hammer. Several more legends from all over the world, telling the tales of the strongest Mages to ever live, ones that did not fight like others. They relied on their intimate connections with their weapons to dominate everything (though clearly it wasn't enough to wipe out the beasts). However, no talent like this has surfaced in the past few hundred years, so researchers were hesitant to place it among the list of official Innate Talents, since none of these mythical figures ever claimed their weapons were bestowed upon them when they first awakened. Believers in the existence of the talent suspect they all self-awakened from an early age, so the heroes thought the weapons had been with them from birth and didn't think about whether they received it when they awakened.
Every weapon and its master are unique. I've never read any myths about black shortswords with white dragons carved onto them, for example. Now that I've educated myself, I predict the swords will unlock magical abilities when my cultivation progresses some more.
I'm tired. My brain is completely spent, my mana is almost exhausted. I need to rest.