TL: Etude
Just established, Ye Tian's new power didn't have any geniuses joining yet. Most real geniuses came from major powers or families, where descendants of the strong almost always possessed decent talents. It was unrealistic for Ye Tian to recruit the descendants of established families or powers, as they were unlikely to join, and he couldn't guarantee their loyalty.
Therefore, Ye Tian had no choice but to look for suitable talents among the commoners. Zhonghai Super Base had several populous civilian districts, among which Jinghu District was relatively developed. Many residents in these districts were either descendants of once-strong but now fallen families or individuals with no powerful ancestors, living difficult lives with no martial warriors venturing into these areas.
However, despite the lack of prosperity in these districts, they were home to a large population, among which some talents inevitably emerged. But these talents often couldn't rise to prominence without sufficient cultivation talents. For example, a person with an ordinary cultivation talent but a top-tier special talent might give up cultivation and turn to ordinary work, thus burying their potential.
One day, Ye Tian arrived at Lunan, one of the many civilian districts in Zhonghai Super Base, with about 200,000 residents. Upon entering Lunan, his copy talent covered a two-kilometer radius, allowing him to see the talents of all the people within it.
"Indeed, the talents of civilians aren't very high," Ye Tian frowned. Most civilians only had lower or basic-level talents, and it was rare to find someone without any talent. Such a distribution of talent was much poorer than in the Linhai Base and the Demon Sea Base but quite typical for Zhonghai Super Base.
Ye Tian had strict requirements for his subordinates. If someone had a Morning Star-level talent, even without any special talents, he was willing to nurture them. If they had a powerful special talent, even if their cultivation talent was slightly weaker, he would still consider training them. But without a strong special talent or a Morning Star-level cultivation talent, he wouldn't bother, as he preferred quality over quantity.
"Nothing worthwhile," Ye Tian shook his head and moved on, continuing his search.
—
In Lunan Civilian District, a 16-year-old boy named Lin Ze, exhausted from work, clutched a packet of medicine tightly – it was vital for his sick sister. He had worked for a month to afford this expensive medicine, which was merely ordinary for stronger warriors.
"One day, I'll also become a strong warrior," Lin Ze said firmly, although the reality of his daily work to support himself and his sister left little time for cultivation.
Moreover, with only a lower-level cultivation talent and practicing basic body strengthening techniques, he couldn't train too often without being too tired for work the next day. Having started cultivation at 15, he had only just reached the martial disciple level in the rich spiritual environment of Zhonghai Super Base, ranking at the very bottom even within Lunan.
As he neared home, Lin Ze relaxed slightly, but then a voice called out, "Lin Ze, what precious thing are you carrying there?"
Hearing the voice, Lin Ze's expression changed; he was afraid of exactly this situation. He hurried home, knowing that once inside and the door closed, he'd be safe, as the laws of Zhonghai Super Base were strict, and even strong warriors wouldn't dare to rob a house.
But now, he feared the man would snatch his medicine, and without evidence, he couldn't do anything against him. Even if he managed to bring the man to justice, it would take time, and his sister couldn't wait that long.
Whoosh! A figure appeared in front of him – Zhang Long, a boy who always bullied him. Zhang Long, a year older than Lin Ze with a medium cultivation talent, had become a powerful warrior, but such strength and talent confined him to the civilian district.
Zhang Long enjoyed bullying weaker martial disciples, and Lin Ze was one of his frequent victims, often robbing him.
"Hand it over!" With incredible speed, Zhang Long snatched the medicine packet from Lin Ze before he could react.
"What's this?" Zhang Long muttered, looking at the packet.
"Zhang Long, this is medicine for my sister's illness. It's useless to you. Please give it back!" Lin Ze pleaded tearfully.
"A medicine packet?" Zhang Long opened it and saw several medicinal herbs. While not particularly precious, they were still worth a few thousand dollars.
"Hahaha, not bad. If I sell this, I can get about 2000. This is your one-month salary, right? Hehe, now it's mine!" Zhang Long laughed heartily.
"Please, give it back!" Lin Ze rushed over, trying to take back his medicine packet.
But a mere Martial Disciple like him stood no chance of snatching something from a Martial Warrior.
"Looking for death!" Zhang Long coldly said. He wouldn't dare to kill Lin Ze, but injuring him was another matter, for which he could simply pay some medical expenses.
However, just as he was about to make a move, he found himself unable to move.
"Such arrogance from a mere late-stage martial warrior!" A young man stepped forward, and in that instant, everything seemed to freeze. Then, everything returned to normal, but Zhang Long sat on the ground, sweating profusely and gasping for air.
Terrifying! Truly terrifying!
Zhang Long had never seen such a fearsome young man. Even the powerful Grandmasters in the civilian district couldn't match this presence.
"A big shot from the wealthy district!" Zhang Long realized the identity of the young man.
"Forgive me, sir!" Zhang Long knelt down, trembling in fear.
This young man was, of course, Ye Tian.
Ye Tian paid no attention to Zhang Long and approached Lin Ze.
"Go and get your medicine."
Lin Ze nodded, walked over to Zhang Long, took back the medicine packet, and Zhang Long dared not resist, as it was the command of this distinguished person.
"Leave now," Ye Tian said coldly.
Hearing this, Zhang Long quickly ran away.
"Thank you, sir!" Lin Ze knelt down, expressing his gratitude.
"Stand up," Ye Tian said indifferently.
Lin Ze got up and said, "Sir, I need to go home to brew this for my sister. She's ill."
"Go ahead, I'll come with you," Ye Tian casually said.
"Sir, my home is a bit messy," Lin Ze said somewhat embarrassedly.
"Are you not welcoming me?" Ye Tian teased.
"Of course not!" Lin Ze, slightly frightened, hurriedly said, "If the sir wishes to visit my home, please follow me."