In the Kitchen
Aunt Fang Hui Lan and her family of four were sitting at the table in the kitchen.
On the table, aside from some simple home-cooked dishes, there were two strange light-blue vials of medicine.
Aunt Fang's younger daughter, Jiang Xiaoyu, stared at the two vials and grumbled angrily.
"Mom, there are three of us, but only two vials? The talent test is coming up soon. How can we go without this medicine? My classmate's dad used connections to buy her ten vials! Now, in our class, only a few of the really poor kids don't have it!"
Aunt Fang Hui Lan responded apologetically, "Xiaoyu, this stuff is really hard to get right now. Even these two vials were obtained after your dad and I pulled a lot of strings, and it's ridiculously expensive.
Your dad and I talked it over, and we decided that since you're still young, you don't need to take the talent test this time. Let your sister and your cousin Fang Xin use them. Next time, we'll get you two new ones, okay?"
Jiang Xiaoyu slammed her hand on the table. "No! That means one of those should've been mine, but Fang Xin took it, right?"
"Don't talk nonsense!"
Jiang Xiaoyu stood up, her voice trembling with anger. "Is that nonsense? You're just biased toward that orphaned nephew of yours. He eats our food, uses our things, and now he wants to take what's mine! Doesn't he have any shame?"
"You!" Aunt Fang was furious, but Jiang Xiaoyu turned to her father, Jiang Weidong, her voice breaking. "Dad, tell them it's not fair! Why does Fang Xin get my potion? If it weren't for us taking him in, he would've starved to death by now!"
Jiang Weidong looked at the two vials on the table, then said, "Hui Lan, how about we give Fang Xin's potion to Xiaoyu? After all, Xiaoyu is our own daughter. Fang Xin has eaten and lived off us. We've already done enough for him."
"No!" Aunt Fang immediately rejected this. "The talent test is very important. It's tied to their future, whether they can get a good job. If their talent is good enough, they might even get national training! My brother and sister-in-law both served the country when they were alive. If Fang Xin can follow in their footsteps, they'd be so proud of him."
Jiang Weidong banged his fist on the table. "Why not? Your nephew is the precious one, but my daughter isn't? Who's the head of this family, me or you? If it weren't for us, your nephew Fang Xin would be nothing but a stray dog!"
At this moment, Jiang Xiaoyu's older sister, Jiang Xiaochai, who had been quietly eating, pushed up her glasses, looked up, and calmly spoke. "To be honest, everything we have—what we eat, use, and even the house we live in—was left to Fang Xin by his parents. Without us, he might be living a better life. We're the real stray dogs here."
She paused and added, "And if I'm not mistaken, the money used to buy these two vials also came from the inheritance left by my uncle and aunt to Fang Xin, right?"
Jiang Weidong was stunned into silence.
Jiang Xiaoyu, still not giving up, persisted, "But the money his parents left is already spent! And Fang Xin has been living in our house all this time—hasn't the cost of taking care of him already offset that money? I don't care, this potion is mine! I don't want my classmates laughing at me, saying my family couldn't even afford a potion for me!"
She grabbed one of the vials, claiming it as her own.
Just as Aunt Fang was about to speak, they heard some noise at the door.
The family turned their attention toward the door.
Aunt Fang stood up to greet him, "Fang Xin's back! It's so dangerous at night. Why are you back so late?"
Fang Xin changed his shoes and replied casually, "I was at the bookstore for a while."
"Come eat!"
Jiang Xiaoyu glared at him, rolling her eyes, muttering under her breath, "Shameless."
Fang Xin didn't respond, though he had heard everything that had been said earlier.
After his parents died, leaving behind a huge fortune, many relatives came hoping to get a share. They all wanted a piece of the inheritance.
It was during that time that Fang Xin learned how deceitful and greedy people could be.
He had later lived with his grandfather for a while. During that time, his grandfather told him many stories that he had never heard before.
At the start of the last century, a mad scientist discovered that the world had changed in an inexplicable way—human genes had been dramatically altered by some unknown force.
At first, people thought it was just the ramblings of a madman.
Then, one day, someone was able to lift a ton of weight with one hand. Someone else could summon storms, or become invisible, or do push-ups without using their hands...
It was from that moment that everything changed.
After human strength grew exponentially, desires within human hearts also swelled.
The awakened humans split into two factions: the Holy Light Army and the Eternal Night Army.
The two sides fought endlessly.
By the end of the century, the legendary Battle of the Gods took place.
It ended with a bitter victory for the Holy Light faction.
Years later, the process of awakening became more regulated.
Awakened individuals were strictly monitored by the government. From high school onward, a talent test was given to determine whether someone would awaken.
Talent levels were ranked from E to the highest SSS.
The higher the rank, the rarer the talent.
Every year, in the Dragon Kingdom, there were millions of students taking the talent test, but fewer than twenty would reach the SSS level.
Every one of them had a bright future ahead of them.
Fang Xin didn't know his exact talent level, but based on his current abilities, he was probably at level 4, making him unbeatable among others at the same level.
Fang Xin had once researched the history of the Dragon Kingdom and found that only two people in history had reached level 4 at his age, and both were SSS-level talents.
The higher your talent, the higher your potential for growth, and the better the treatment you received. Those at the top were often recruited by government agencies or other powerful forces.
Fang Xin had awakened his "Slaughter Talent" after his parents' death.
Through killing, he could enhance his overall power.
He also awakened his "Strength Talent" through this ability.
When he told his grandfather about it, he clearly remembered the shocked expression on his grandfather's face.
That night, his grandfather sat outside smoking all night, muttering about fate, the Twilight of the Gods, and Godslayers.
The next day, his grandfather said he was going on a long journey. Before leaving, he reminded Fang Xin not to show anyone his abilities and gave him a pendant to wear, which would hide his abilities from detection. Since then, his grandfather had disappeared without a trace.
During the time his grandfather was missing, Jiang Weidong, Aunt Fang's husband, had fallen into financial trouble and was heavily in debt. The whole family was on the verge of starvation and ended up begging Fang Xin for help.
At that time, Jiang Weidong was still trying to be a decent person. Fang Xin helped him settle his debts, and since Aunt Fang's family had nowhere to stay, he allowed them to move into the house his parents had left him.
Aunt Fang Hui Lan served Fang Xin a bowl of rice and gently patted his head. "Xiao Xin, I heard from Xiao Feng's mom that you were second in the grade on the recent monthly test, is that true?"
Fang Xin nodded.
"Xiao Xin is so impressive!" Aunt Fang smiled at him with pride.
Jiang Xiaoyu sneered, "Being good at studies doesn't matter anymore. The times have changed. Awakening talent is the most important thing now."
Jiang Xiaochai, who had been eating quietly, chimed in, "If you're not smart, awakening talent won't help you either—you'll just end up as cannon fodder!"Aunt Fang motioned for her daughters to stop arguing, then turned to Fang Xin. "Xiao Xin, the talent test is coming up. I've gotten you some medicine too! Xiaoyu, give the potion to your cousin."
Jiang Xiaoyu stuffed the vial into her pocket. "Why should I? It's mine!"
Aunt Fang was about to speak when Jiang Xiaochai wiped her mouth, picked up the vial in front of her, and pushed it toward Fang Xin. "Here, take it, it's yours."
"I've finished eating. I'm going to my room."
"Xiao Cha!" Aunt Fang called out, but Jiang Xiaochai had already left for her room.
Jiang Xiaoyu smiled smugly. "Well, if she doesn't want it, so be it."
Aunt Fang stared at the door of the room, her expression complicated.
Jiang Weidong put down his chopsticks, turned sideways in his seat, and glared at Fang Xin. He picked up a newspaper and coldly said,
"Fang Xin!"
"Hmm?" Fang Xin looked up.
"This potion wasn't easy to get!"
"Oh?"
Jiang Weidong shook the newspaper aggressively, his finger tapping sharply on the table. "Do you have any idea how much effort it took to get this potion? I had to use all my connections!"
"Huh!"
Seeing Fang Xin's nonchalant reaction, Jiang Weidong's anger flared. "Listen, don't waste this! I've put in so much effort! If you don't show some results, you'll have to move out!"
"Pfft! Never heard of it!"
Jiang Weidong was furious. He slammed the table and stood up, his finger pointing accusingly at the air before throwing the newspaper down onto the table.
Jiang Weidong stormed off to his room, kicking the trash can in frustration as he passed.
Fang Hui Lan gritted her teeth and followed him into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.
"Jiang Weidong, what's your problem?"
Jiang Weidong's voice was loud, intentionally meant for Fang Xin to hear. "What do you think I mean? What's there to misunderstand? Look at him! A useless thing that's been raised but never taught! Does he talk to his elders like that? Damn it, I'm dying to see what kind of talent he'll awaken after stealing my daughter's potion!"
Jiang Xiaoyu, sitting at the table, chewed her chopsticks with a smug look and hummed.
"Fang Xin, I specifically asked a senior. Being good at studies doesn't mean you'll awaken a good talent. We had several smart students at school who didn't awaken any talent at all.
If you end up awakening the lowest-grade E-level talent, I'm going to laugh at you for two and a half years!"