A hundred years ago, the sky cracked open, and ferocious beasts and vital energy descended.
Humanity awakened its talents and engaged in a massive war against the ferocious beasts. However, the beasts were too powerful, leading humans to build numerous base cities to continue the fight.
...
In the Eastern Base City, at AnYue Academy:
Ye Chen sat under a crooked-necked tree, a piece of grass dangling from his mouth. A lazy expression appeared on his somewhat handsome face.
"Classmates, body-forging techniques can enhance a warrior's physical qualities, and..."
Some students on the square listened eagerly to the teacher explaining body-forging techniques.
Ye Chen, however, found it quite dull. He wasn't originally from this world; he had crossed over and, to make matters worse, ended up with a weak talent.
To cultivate, one must have talent, and with a weak talent, he could never become a true warrior in this lifetime.
So, Ye Chen, known throughout AnYue Academy as a waste, sighed.
Ding!
"Super Replication System binding in progress."
"10%... 30%... 60%... 100%."
"Super Replication System binding complete."
System?
Hearing the voice in his mind, Ye Chen couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Three years – he had been in this world for three years, being a waste with weak talent for all that time!
"Is that Senior Ye Chen? Why is he laughing so wildly?"
"Who knows? Probably Senior Ye Chen has gone mentally unstable."
"No way, Senior Ye Chen is just a weak talent, still at the second stage of body forging. His life has no hope."
Some freshmen on the square discussed Ye Chen.
Ye Chen realized he could actually see the talents and Other info of these students in his Vision. So he Kept Looking around.
"Inferior talent."
"Inferior talent."
"Inferior talent."
However, he couldn't see the talents of students farther away, likely due to the distance. At the same time, there were four words on his retina: "Copy or Not!"
Naturally, Ye Chen chose "No." Copying these inferior talents would be useless.
Talents were categorized as Weak, Inferior, Low, Intermediate, and High. Rumor had it that there were even higher talents beyond High, but Ye Chen didn't know about those.
Apart from that, there were elemental talents like Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Rain, Thunder, etc., which required awakening after birth.
"Ye Chen."
A voice entered Ye Chen's ears. He followed the sound and saw a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl approaching.
"Who is this? So pretty."
"You don't know her? She's our AnYue Academy's pride, the celestial beauty Lui Qianqian."
"What? Lui Senior, heard she's already an Intermediate Reserve Warrior."
Some freshmen on the square were astonished.
"Name: Lui Qianqian."
"Cultivation Talent: Intermediate."
"Realm: Intermediate Reserve Warrior."
Lui Qianqian's talent and realm appeared on Ye Chen's retina.
"Copy or Not!"
"Copy."
Without hesitation, Ye Chen copied the Intermediate talent.
Ding!
"Copy successful."
"Congratulations, host, you've obtained a super treasure chest."
Ye Chen's face lit up. Did copying succeed just like that?
"Ye Chen, why aren't you in class? What are you doing here?"
Lui Qianqian frowned, displeasure evident on her fair face.
"There's nothing worth attending." Ye Chen shrugged.
"You!" Lui Qianqian glared at Ye Chen.
Lui Qianqian, in frustration, looked at Ye Chen. "Ye Chen, in the wilderness trial a month from now, whether you like it or not, you're in my team!"
After saying that, Lui Qianqian left the square angrily.
The students on the square watched as Lui Qianqian left, exchanging puzzled glances.
"Why did Senior Lui do that?"
"You don't understand. I heard Senior Ye Chen once saved Lui Qianqian's life."
As this information surfaced, the students were once again stunned.
Ye Chen paid no attention to the bewildered expressions of the students. He opened his own attribute panel:
"Host: Ye Chen."
"Cultivation Talent: Intermediate."
"Realm: Body Forging Second Stage."
"Skills: None."
Ye Chen looked at his cultivation talent, a playful expression appearing on his face.
Ding!
"Due to the host's first talent replication, you've earned a talent upgrade opportunity. Would the host like to use it?"
"A talent upgrade opportunity?" Ye Chen marveled internally. "Could it upgrade my Intermediate talent to a High-level talent?"
"Use."
Seconds later, Ye Chen's Intermediate talent turned into a High-level talent.
Looking at the High-level talent on his attribute panel, Ye Chen was shocked. He felt happiness arriving too suddenly.
"Oh, there's also a super treasure chest."
Ye Chen opened the super treasure chest:
"Obtained Super Body Forging Experience Pill x1."
"Obtained Profound Tier Skill: Mighty Ox Demon Fist."
Super Body Forging Experience Pill? Mighty Ox Demon Fist?
Ye Chen's eyes lit up; these were great items.
Without much thought, Ye Chen used the Super Body Forging Experience Pill. Instantly, he felt a powerful force impacting his internal organs.
"Body Forging Third Stage."
"Body Forging Fourth Stage."
...
"Body Forging Tenth Stage."
The powerful force only disappeared after reaching the tenth stage of body forging.
In this world, warriors were clearly defined: Body Forging Tenth Stage, Reserve Warrior, Ten-Star Warrior. As for what was above a Ten-Star Warrior, Ye Chen didn't know.
He was now at Body Forging Tenth Stage, considered a genius among AnYue Academy students. Most students in AnYue Academy were only at Body Forging Fourth to Sixth Stages.
What was even more frightening was that the entire AnYue Academy had no students with High-level talents.
According to the information Ye Chen obtained from the system, there was a one-month cooldown period for talent replication.
As for the Profound Tier Skill Mighty Ox Demon Fist, only Intermediate Reserve Warriors could cultivate it.
"A month later, during the third-year students' wilderness training, I'll strive to reach Intermediate Reserve Warrior level." Ye Chen murmured.
After saying that, Ye Chen walked towards the school's training room.
Soon, Ye Chen arrived at the school's training room, his first visit.
The training room had a large one for group practice and individual ones where you needed to pay crystal elements.
At this moment, many students were in the training room. They looked at Ye Chen, all wearing astonished expressions.
"Why is he in the training room?"
"I think maybe he wants to try harder."
"Trying hard is useless. Everyone knows he's a waste with a weak talent. The highest achievement in his life is only Body Forging Tenth Stage."
The students in the training room sneered at Ye Chen.
"Oh, isn't this our academy's big genius?"
A harsh voice entered Ye Chen's ears.
"It's Baigang." A student whispered.
Ye Chen looked at Baigang, and his information appeared on his retina.
"Name: Baigang."
"Cultivation Talent: Low."
"Realm: Body Forging Sixth Stage."
Ye Chen had endured countless ridicules at AnYue Academy because the celestial beauty Lui Qianqian always liked to be with him.
Everyone at AnYue Academy knew that Yang Feng liked Lui Qianqian. Yang Feng was one of the academy's two geniuses, and Baigang was one of Yang Feng's many lackeys.
Seeing Ye Chen in the training room this time naturally led to more mockery.
"Ye Chen, are you here to practice in the training room?" Baigang's face revealed a mocking expression.
"Make way."
Ye Chen, however, only said two words.
"Make way?"
Baigang and the other students were all taken aback. They never expected Ye Chen to utter these two words.
"Ye Chen, do you know that Lui Qianqian is not by your side?" Baigang coldly stared at Ye Chen.
The students thought, indeed, Lui Senior isn't with you. How dare you say such things to Baigang? Where does your confidence come from?
"AnYue Academy prohibits fighting, but can't I bite back?" Ye Chen looked disdainfully at Baigang.
What?
The students were astonished. They couldn't understand how Ye Chen suddenly became so arrogant.
"Ye Chen, you!"
Staring at Ye Chen, Baigang was angry. He recalled Yang Feng's instructions to mock Ye Chen whenever Lui Qianqian wasn't around.
Before, Ye Chen would ignore them, but now...
Thinking of this, Baigang's face darkened.
"Ye Chen, while AnYue Academy prohibits fighting, I can still beat you, and no one will see."
The students in the training room were surprised, thinking Baigang was preparing to attack Ye Chen.
The students shook their heads and sighed at Ye Chen's fate. If Baigang beat Ye Chen, they naturally wouldn't spread the news; after all, Ye Chen wasn't anyone to them.
Perhaps this is called reaping what you sow, serving your own demise.
Ye Chen was taken aback, thinking that Baigang had indeed reminded him.
"Baigang, if you want to fight, what are you waiting for?"
Seeing the indifferent expression on Ye Chen's face, Baigang became furious.
"Courting death!"
After saying that, Baigang threw a fierce punch at Ye Chen.
The eyes of the students in the training room widened; they naturally knew how miserable Ye Chen's outcome would be.
To their surprise, Ye Chen didn't show any intention to dodge or resist. Could he be scared stiff? But looking at his expression, it didn't seem like it.
In an instant, Baigang's fist was about to hit Ye Chen's face.
Baigang smirked internally, thinking he would teach this waste a lesson!
However, to Baigang's disbelief, when his punch was just a hair's breadth from Ye Chen's body, Ye Chen dodged in a flash, and the punch missed.
Impossible!!!
The students in the training room exclaimed one after another. They couldn't understand how Ye Chen could suddenly become so formidable.
Just as Baigang thought of swinging a second punch, he realized it was too late because Ye Chen's fist was already coming at him.
This punch hit right on his forehead!
Baigang instantly flew backward, crashing heavily onto the ground, actually fainting.
Hiss!!!
The students were all shocked, inhaling sharply. They seemed to witness an impossible scene.
Ye Chen... wasn't he just a waste at Body Forging Second Stage?
The students exchanged glances, suddenly realizing a shocking possibility — Ye Chen had been hiding his talent and strength all along.
Playing possum!
Ye Chen had been pretending to be weaker than he was. With one punch, he knocked out Baigang, who was at Body Forging Sixth Stage. How terrifying was his strength?
"Who saw me hit Baigang?"
Ye Chen surveyed the students, casually asking.
The students shuddered at his words, not knowing how to answer.
Baigang was Yang Feng's underling, and Ye Chen had a good relationship with Lui Qianqian. Rumor had it that Ye Chen had even saved Lui Qianqian's life.
Ye Chen not only played possum but also had Lui Qianqian's help. They had nothing to counter that.
After weighing the pros and cons, the students shook their heads one after another and said in unison:
"No, we didn't see anything."
Ye Chen ignored the students and headed towards an independent Body Forging training room.
Now, he needed to reach the Preparatory Warrior level in the training room to be able to practice the Profound Grade skill, Great Strength Bull Demon Fist.
Moreover, he had to wait for a month before he could continue copying talents, and there was an outdoor trial in a month—perfect timing.
Thinking about this, a playful expression appeared on Ye Chen's face.
He then took out a crystal card from his pocket. In this world, crystal was the only currency, and his identity in this world was that of an orphan. Lui Qianqian had given him this crystal card.
Three years ago, when he crossed into this world, a fierce beast attacked Lui Qianqian in the wilderness. Ye Chen happened to appear in front of her. Although he didn't want to, he inadvertently saved Lui Qianqian's life.
After swiping the crystal card at the independent Body Forging training room door, it opened.
Entering the Body Forging training room, Ye Chen felt the dense vitality.
"The absorption speed of high-grade talents is indeed terrifying."
Ye Chen closed his eyes and began cultivating in a seated position.
...
One month later.
Ye Chen had been cultivating in the training room for a whole month. He opened his eyes and exhaled a breath.
"I didn't expect high-grade talents to be so terrifying. In just one month, I've advanced from Body Forging Tenth Stage to Intermediate Preparatory Warrior."
Ding!
"Host detected to be an Intermediate Preparatory Warrior. Would you like to cultivate the Profound Grade skill Great Strength Bull Demon Fist?"
"Cultivate."
"10%...30%...60%...100%."
"Cultivation of the Profound Grade skill, Great Strength Bull Demon Fist, successful."
This succeeded?
Ye Chen was somewhat astonished. This was a Profound Grade skill, after all.
No wonder, with a system in hand, the world is mine with a word.
He opened his personal attribute panel:
"Host: Ye Chen."
"Cultivation Talent: High Grade."
"Realm: Intermediate Preparatory Warrior."
"Skills: Great Strength Bull Demon Fist (Profound Grade Low Level)."
Ye Chen stood up and walked out of the training room. He noticed that everyone's gaze held a mix of astonishment and awe.
Now, he could copy the second talent, but...
"Inferior Talent."
"Inferior Talent."
"Low-Grade Talent."
Such talent information appeared in Ye Chen's eyes.
But it didn't matter. What he needed now was not cultivation talents, but attribute talents. Apart from cultivation talents, attribute talents were awakened through innate awakening after the age of 16, which required going to specific institutions for awakening.
Of course, attribute talents were extremely rare, but once obtained, the future achievements were limitless.
"Is he Senior Ye Chen?"
"So, Senior Ye Chen has been pretending to be weak all this time, actually knocking out Baigang, who's at Body Forging Sixth Stage, with a single punch."
"Senior Ye Chen looks so handsome. If only I could be Senior Ye Chen's girlfriend."
For a moment, some first-year female students in the square cast adoring glances at Ye Chen.
Listening to these students, Ye Chen felt puzzled. Since they knew it was he who knocked out Baigang, why hadn't the academic affairs office come looking for him?
"Ye Chen!"
Lui Qianqian's voice reached Ye Chen's ears.
Turning around, Ye Chen found that Lui Qianqian had run over. When she reached him, she looked at him angrily.
"Speak, why did you lie to me?" Lui Qianqian questioned.
Ye Chen smiled bitterly, "Qianqian, what did I lie to you about?"
"You knocked out Baigang with a punch, and you still want to hide it? Baigang woke up and immediately went to the academic affairs office to complain. If it weren't for me, you would have been dragged out of the training room by the academic affairs office."
Now Ye Chen understood. It was because of Lui Qianqian that the academic affairs office hadn't come for him.
After all, Lui Qianqian's father was the honorary principal of AnYue Academy.
"Qianqian, you're really something."
Ye Chen smiled, feeling a bit evil.
"Ye Chen, you..."
Seeing this smile, Lui Qianqian found herself inexplicably flustered, and her face felt hot.
Ye Chen looked at Lui Qianqian's face, as red as a ripe apple, and couldn't help but sigh.
Although he had accidentally saved Lui Qianqian's life, he had never wanted to do so. But Lui Qianqian had been helping him all along.
He was genuinely moved.
The students on the square watched Ye Chen and Lui Qianqian, their faces filled with envy, and even some teachers showed similar expressions.
"Ye Chen, the outdoor trial is the day after tomorrow. Can you tell me what realm you're in now?" Lui Qianqian asked Ye Chen.
"I am now..."
Ye Chen's words were cut off by an angry voice.
"Ye Chen, I thought you would hide in the training room forever!"
All the students on the square followed the sound, only to see Baigang leading a dozen students walking over.
"Huh! Yang Feng, the senior, is here too?"
The students were all astonished.
Yang Feng was an absolute figure at AnYue Academy. At the age of sixteen, he became an Intermediate Preparatory Warrior, with a talent level of medium.
Among the students at AnYue Academy, there were only two Intermediate Preparatory Warriors, one being Lui Qianqian, and the other, Yang Feng.
Yang Feng and Baigang's group approached Ye Chen.
"Ye Chen!"
Baigang stared at Ye Chen. Being knocked out by Ye Chen's punch had made him the laughingstock of the entire AnYue Academy.
"Baigang, what do you want?" Lui Qianqian frowned, staring at Baigang.
"I..."
Baigang dared not answer Lui Qianqian, as her strength and background were beyond his reach.
"Qianqian, don't be so angry. What Ye Chen did to Baigang, can't we just let it go?" Yang Feng smiled.
"What do you want then?" Lui Qianqian stared at Yang Feng.
Yang Feng smiled and said to Lui Qianqian, "I don't want anything. Just let Ye Chen and Baigang have a match in the trial field."
The trial field was the place for AnYue Academy's students to test their skills, but it was forbidden to cause serious injury or death.
As for Baigang, he was a junior Preparatory Warrior and was quite famous at AnYue Academy.
"No!"
Lui Qianqian rejected Yang Feng.
At this moment, Baigang was standing beside Yang Feng, and his information appeared on Ye Chen's retinas.
"Name: Baigang."
"Cultivation Talent: Low Grade."
"Realm: Junior Preparatory Warrior."
Most students thought Lui Qianqian's refusal was reasonable, as Baigang was only a junior Preparatory Warrior and possessed formidable strength.
"I agree."
At this moment, a somewhat lazy voice reached everyone's ears.
All the students were surprised and quickly looked in the direction of the voice. They were shocked because the speaker was none other than Ye Chen.
"Are you crazy?"
Lui Qianqian never expected that Ye Chen would agree.
"Don't worry, Qianqian. Isn't he just a junior Preparatory Warrior?" Ye Chen spoke slowly.
This statement shocked not only the students but also several teachers, who stared at Ye Chen in disbelief.
Ye Chen thought that, with his current status as an Intermediate Preparatory Warrior and practicing the Great Strength Bull Demon Fist, dealing with Baigang was like playing.
"Ye Chen, do you look down on me, Baigang?"
Baigang, standing next to Yang Feng, stared at Ye Chen.
"What is there to look up to? Aren't you just a dog by Yang Feng's side?" Ye Chen said indifferently.
Huh!
All the students on the square were astonished. They wondered if Ye Chen was so confident because he was also a junior Preparatory Warrior or even higher?
"Good! Ye Chen, I hope you won't kneel and beg for mercy in the trial field!" Baigang stared at Ye Chen and said firmly.
"What are you waiting for? Let's go to the trial field now." Ye Chen said calmly.
Immediately, all the students on the square and several teachers headed towards the trial field.
Trial Ground.
At this moment, the trial ground below is filled with students.
Ye Chen looked at the worried expression on Liu Qianqian's face and smiled, "Qianqian, are you so lacking in confidence in me?"
"I, I don't know," Liu Qianqian shook her head.
Bai Jun stepped onto the trial platform, looking coldly at Ye Chen.
"Ye Chen, come up!"
Ye Chen, hearing the words, walked slowly onto the trial platform.
Yang Feng looked at Ye Chen with a sneer, thinking about letting Bai Jun deal with him properly. He couldn't understand why Liu Qianqian would be with Ye Chen, this waste. Now he understood; Ye Chen was hiding his strength.
On the trial platform, their eyes met, and a fierce battle seemed imminent.
"Ye Chen, I remember what you said earlier!"
Bai Jun gritted his teeth, fists clenched.
"Do you always talk so much nonsense?" Ye Chen looked at Bai Jun indifferently.
Hearing this, Bai Jun's pupils contracted.
"Ye Chen, I'll make you pay a hundred times for what you said!"
After speaking, Bai Jun fiercely attacked Ye Chen, his speed extremely fast.
"It begins!"
All the students under the trial platform focused on the scene, afraid of missing any excitement.
Liu Qianqian's heart was in her throat, looking anxiously at the somewhat slender figure on the platform.
On the other hand, Yang Feng sneered, anticipating the scene of Ye Chen begging for mercy.
In an instant, Bai Jun reached Ye Chen.
"Great Power Ox Demon Fist!"
Ye Chen didn't want a prolonged battle with Bai Jun, directly using the profound-level skill, Great Power Ox Demon Fist.
Suddenly, the fist wind roared.
Before Bai Jun could launch an attack, he saw this terrifying fist coming at him.
"Ah!"
Bai Jun was instantly sent flying, vomiting a mouthful of blood as he fell heavily to the ground.
What!!! The students and several teachers were shocked beyond measure, their eyes widened as if they could swallow a large bowl.
Silence, deathly silence.
"Bai Jun was sent flying by a punch?"
"Yes, it seems so."
After a few seconds, the students finally regained their senses.
"How is this possible?"
Yang Feng was dumbfounded; he never expected such a scene.
Ye Chen looked at Bai Jun, who was more than ten meters away, thinking that he couldn't unleash the true power of Great Power Ox Demon Fist now, or it would have killed Bai Jun with that punch.
"Just now, Ye Chen's fist suddenly became incredibly strong; he probably used a skill."
"I need to inform the principal."
Several teachers discussed and then left the trial ground.
Liu Qianqian was also stunned; she originally thought Ye Chen would lose, but unexpectedly, he sent Bai Jun flying with just one punch.
"Big Brother Yang, this..."
Bai Gang was shocked, swallowing hard as he looked at Yang Feng.
Ye Chen took slow steps towards Bai Jun.
"Ye Chen, what do you want to do?"
Ye Chen ignored Bai Jun, walked to him, and spoke slowly, "Call yourself a dog, do you agree?"
Hearing this, the students below the trial platform couldn't help but sigh for Bai Jun; this was killing with words.
"I...!"
Bai Jun stared at Ye Chen; his heart was bleeding!
"Looks like you still don't agree." Ye Chen looked at Bai Jun and said with a smile.
Bai Jun was scared out of his wits, terrified by Ye Chen's punch just now. If another punch were to come...
"I admit, I admit." Bai Jun hurriedly said.
Amid the astonished gazes of the students, Ye Chen stepped down from the trial platform.
Yang Feng, leading a group of students, approached Ye Chen, glaring at him.
"Ye Chen, I never expected you to be so formidable!"
Ye Chen, however, didn't even look at Yang Feng. He walked over to Liu Qianqian.
"Qianqian, am I amazing?" Ye Chen smiled.
"Ye Chen, you're powerful. Why didn't you say so earlier? You made me worry about you every day before." Liu Qianqian smiled, "But I don't have to worry anymore."
Watching Liu Qianqian's smiling face, Ye Chen thought that this smile was worth protecting for a lifetime.
Observing this scene, Yang Feng's face turned iron-gray with rage. He stared at Ye Chen and said, "Ye Chen, wait for me during the wilderness training!"
"Ye Chen! Ye Chen!"
From a distance, a middle-aged man with a stout build shouted at Ye Chen.
The stout middle-aged man was named Lin Gensheng, Ye Chen's homeroom teacher.
Ye Chen smirked inwardly. Lin Gensheng had never regarded him highly before. Now, he personally came to call him. That's human nature.
"Name: Lin Gensheng."
"Cultivation Talent: Low."
"Realm: Two-star Warrior."
Only after advancing to a high-level reserve warrior could one be considered a true warrior. There were ten stars in total.
"Mr. Lin, why are you here?" Liu Qianqian looked at Lin Gensheng with confusion.
"Qianqian, I'm here to find Ye Chen." Lin Gensheng smiled at Ye Chen. "Ye Chen, a few teachers went to the principal's office and reported that you sent Bai Jun flying with a punch."
After speaking, Lin Gensheng continued, "Ye Chen, I've long seen your extraordinary potential. You're like a hidden dragon, making a stunning appearance."
Ye Chen's face remained unchanged. He said to Lin Gensheng, "Mr. Lin, you didn't come all this way just to say these words, did you?"
"Of course not." Lin Gensheng grinned. "The principal wants to see you."
Ye Chen thought it was normal. After all, he had sent Bai Jun flying with one punch, making him an absolute genius at AnYue Academy.
Soon after, Ye Chen and Lin Gensheng walked towards the principal's office.
...