TL: Etude
In a tower within the Zhonghai Super Base, Wang Yan stared at the newly received information, utterly stunned. This was the fifth time she had received news about Ye Tian, each time more shocking than the last. Not long ago, Ye Tian was ranked 62nd on the King's List, which she could hardly believe, attributing it to his strong talent. Yet now, in such a short time, Ye Tian had achieved seven-star king-level combat power, completely beyond her expectations.
Even now, she doubted the authenticity of this information, but after several inquiries, she finally confirmed its truth. "Seven-star king-level, huh? That opportunity suits him perfectly. It's useless for me. Ye Tian is an outsider here in the Zhonghai Super Base with no significant backing. He definitely can't get that opportunity on his own. If I give it to him, it'll be a huge favor!" Wang Yan muttered to herself.
"Once Ye Tian comes out of the War God Tower, I'll go find him!" she decided firmly.
In the War God Tower, after Ye Tian passed the seventh floor, Ling, the AI, said to him, "Ye Tian, you've passed the seventh floor. Anyone who passes the sixth floor of the War God Tower can become an official member, enjoying privileges not available to ordinary kings."
"Official member?" Ye Tian was curious. "What kind of privileges?"
Ling explained, "Due to the damage to the War God Tower, many functions are lost. Currently, there are only two privileges – the War God Ring and member cumulative points. The War God Ring is a special artifact that allows one to enter a virtual world for combat training, refining battle skills, and even testing one's attack power, speed, defense, etc. As long as you are within a hundred thousand kilometers of the War God Tower, you can use the War God Ring. Member cumulative points are a benefit for official members; you can collect one point each month, which can be accumulated!"
"Really?" Ye Tian was surprised. The War God Ring was incredibly convenient, allowing instant access to a virtual world for combat and testing abilities. And the monthly cumulative point was also a great perk – accumulating 12 points in a year, which could be used for contemplating in front of the War God Stele. Who wouldn't want such extra rewards?
Ye Tian also learned from Ling that the War God Tower was damaged; the seemingly normal tower was actually incomplete. If it were complete, the benefits for official members would be even greater.
"If the War God Tower were complete, wouldn't the benefits for official members be even better?" Ye Tian imagined. But getting such benefits now was already good enough; being too greedy wouldn't be right.
"Ling, I want to enter the War God Stele space!" Ye Tian said.
After being transported into the War God Stele space, Ye Tian began contemplating sword intent. A month passed in the blink of an eye. One day, Ye Tian opened his eyes, "It's too hard. A month ago, my sword intent was at 70%, but now it's only at 75%. It seems I might barely reach 80% after using all my cumulative points."
He decided not to continue and left the space. This time, he not only wanted to copy two good talents but also to find a golden-level sword technique; otherwise, his high level of sword intent would be wasted.
Leaving the War God Tower, Ye Tian headed home. Along the way, he used his talent copying ability to scan the talents of those around him but didn't see any particularly good talents.
Returning home, Ye Tian was preparing to make something delicious to eat when suddenly someone came to visit. Surprised, he saw Wang Yan standing outside his villa.
"May I come in?" Wang Yan asked.
"Please!" Ye Tian quickly invited her in. He was grateful to Wang Yan, who had given him the Turtle Breathing Technique, saving him a lot of trouble at the beginning and providing some introduction to the Zhonghai Super Base, which, although not very valuable, helped him understand the base more quickly.
Ye Tian was impressed by Wang Yan's gesture.
"Ye Tian, you've really surprised me. In such a short time, you've gained seven-star king-level strength. I thought it was a fake message when I first heard it!" Wang Yan said with a smile.
"It's just a bit of talent," Ye Tian replied modestly.
"It's not just a bit, it's a lot!" Wang Yan said with a laugh, yet her tone didn't show too much awe towards Ye Tian's seven-star king-level status. A typical king-level would have trembled in front of Ye Tian, but she spoke quite casually.
"Wang Yan, do you know why there are so many kings on the King's List? Many of them have reached the pinnacle of the king level, including those with Morning Star-level cultivation talents. Such talents, especially those who have forged a perfect foundation, could easily enter the saint level, but they remain at the king level. Do you know why?" Wang Yan suddenly asked.
Ye Tian fell silent for a few seconds, then shook his head: "I don't know!"
He had thought about this question but hadn't pondered it deeply. Now, it seemed like a significant issue. For example, Holy Maiden Xiyue had been famous for a long time and had a Moonlight-level cultivation talent. It should be easy for her to break through to the saint level, but she remained at the king level, which was strange.
"There are a few reasons," Wang Yan explained. "One is the issue of talent quantity. Even those who have forged a perfect foundation find it hard to add more talents through artifacts once they enter the saint level. For example, geniuses who lack speed talents might want to use artifacts to add such talents. True geniuses want to fill their talent gaps before entering the saint level, ideally having all three basic talents, but artifacts that add talents are rare, and most only add low-level or mid-level talents, which many geniuses don't value."
"The second reason is the comprehension of mysteries. You must have comprehended mysteries, so I don't know how many you've mastered, but even if a genius has comprehended mysteries, most of their talents are only at the pseudo-mystic level and hardly reach the true mystery level. Once they have a mystic-level talent, they can control the power of laws. Such mysteries are called law mysteries, and their power is far beyond what pseudo-mystic talents can compare to. It is said that when one ascends from the king level to the saint level, the soul undergoes a transformation, and the comprehension ability at that time increases many times. If one can contemplate a pseudo-mystic talent to 70%, they can use the breakthrough moment to comprehend all the way to a true mystic-level talent. So, true geniuses want to comprehend their pseudo-mystic talents to 70% before ascending, and that's why they stay at the king level."
Ye Tian had a moment of realization. This secret might be common knowledge among the top echelons of the Zhonghai Super Base and some top geniuses, but it hadn't spread outside, and ordinary kings were unaware of it. With no background, no one had told Ye Tian about it.
"Why are you telling me all this?" Ye Tian asked, puzzled.
Wang Yan smiled, "Ye Tian, when I first saw you, I thought you were the disciple of some old monster, but then I realized you weren't because you knew so little. If you were truly taken as a disciple by an old monster, they would have taught you this knowledge. When you quickly rose to be a strong contender on the King's List, I was even more certain you weren't someone's disciple, because your talent is too high. If you were, they would have done everything to help you step into the saint level and wouldn't dare let you leave just after reaching the king level. At this stage, without guidance, it's easy to go astray. For example, what I just told you, if you didn't know, you might recklessly rush into the saint level and miss the chance to elevate your talents to the mystery level. You don't have much background or opportunity, so I can invest in you. Now there's a great opportunity I think you need. Would you be willing to let me invest in your opportunity?"