What the heck? Talent awakening? Giving out martial arts manuals? Is this some kind of cultivation world?"
I swear!
[BGM Starts]
I'm rockin' a bamboo hat, sword on my back,
Standin' on a mountain top, ready to attack.
You're lookin' all shady, with that sneaky stare,
Face full of sleaze, man, I don't even care.
I wave my hand, lightning strikes, you get buried in light,
The cultivation world's here, and I'm feelin' alright!
Yo...[BGM Ends]
Bufan's blood was pumping hot. He grabbed the girl's little hand.
"Let's go!"
The girl made a soft sound, a blush creeping up her pale face.
This guy—he's usually so listless, but what's gotten into him today?
As they reached the school gate, the girl pulled her hand away. Some classmates came over to greet her. Bufan learned the girl's name was Mu Lan.
"Hey, isn't that 'Trash'?"
A skinny guy whistled, and a few street punks crowded around.
Bufan wasn't sure about the relationship between the original owner of this body and the other person, so he just gave a vague greeting.
"Haha, looks like Bufan's finally being reasonable today, huh? Finally admitting he's 'trash.'"
The skinny guy clutched his stomach, crouching down and pounding the ground with laughter.
I see! So that's what they mean! Yeah, if he wasn't a worthless loser, he wouldn't have been holed up in a room, nearly hanging himself.
Bufan's face darkened.
"Stop picking on Bufan!" Mu Lan frowned and scolded them.
"Heh heh heh, let's talk about something serious." A big, muscular guy, like a walking tower, stepped forward and pushed the smaller guys aside. "When are you going to pay back those 500 spirit stones?"
What the hell? Am I really that unlucky? Just got here, and I'm already in debt?
"Didn't he only borrow 200 low-grade spirit stones from you? Why is it 500 now?" Mu Lan put her hands on her hips, standing up for Bufan.
"Do you understand compound interest? Get lost." The big guy gave Mu Lan a disdainful glance.
Oh, so now I've got some loan sharks on my back? Nice.
"Alright," Bufan said, looking straight at the big guy. "I've awakened my talent today, no time to waste. After class, let's talk."
"Ha, I'm gonna die laughing! Trash's gonna awaken his talent! What's it gonna be, 'Chain Fart'? Just thinking about it makes me shiver." The skinny guy pretended to be scared, pulling a ridiculous face.
"Who cares if he awakens or not? What's it to us? Stop acting like a little boy playing with himself!" The big guy in the back, wearing a cap, folded his arms and grumbled in annoyance.
"How about it?" Bufan stared at the big guy, completely ignoring the other two. In his eyes, they were already as good as dead.
Normally, this guy would've cowered, but today… he's fearless? Something's off!
The big guy sneered. "Fine, after school, behind the co-op, the alley on the north side."
Bufan smirked, pulling Mu Lan into the school. If that big guy dared make another move, Bufan's fist would already be on its way.
This body's got a solid build. Why is it so weak, though?
And as for the co-op? Guess I'll figure it out when I get there.
A few minutes later, Bufan stared at the nameplate outside the classroom.
Class 1, Grade 2. So this body must be around three or four years younger than me.
Since everyone had arrived early, when the two of them entered, they found there were only two empty seats next to each other. Mu Lan took the one on the left, and Bufan naturally sat on the right.
He pulled a notebook from his desk.
"Hey,Bufan, are you still going tonight?" A fat kid poked him from behind.
Bufan glanced at the kid's name on the notebook—"Geng Di." It sounded all artsy, but didn't quite match his physique.
"Of course, gotta go." Who cares where? Not like I'm picky.
The fat kid gave him a thumbs-up. "Nice, I thought you were scared."
"Scared? I don't even know what that word means." Bufan straightened up.
A few classmates turned their heads to look at him, then checked if they were dreaming.
Even Mu Lan's arm had turned purple.
Could it be that Bufan's possessed by some strong spirit?
Suddenly, someone whispered, "Mr. Hu's here!"
Everyone quickly turned to the door.
A muscular man walked into the classroom.
"Class, today marks the first martial arts class since you entered high school. I'm sure you've all been waiting for this day."
"Back in elementary and middle school, you were just constantly training your bodies, refining your spirits, and focusing mostly on cultural knowledge.
So why weren't you allowed to practice martial arts before? Because you were too young and didn't know how to control your emotions. Martial arts are incredibly powerful, and if they go out of control, they can cause major disasters.
That's why up until now, you could only tap into a fraction of your potential—about one-fifth.
But now that you're all sixteen, you've entered adulthood. Legally, you're responsible for your actions, so you can officially start learning martial arts."
Some students couldn't help but ask, "Teacher, can't we all just learn the highest-level martial arts?"
Mr. Hu smiled. "Not everyone is suited for the same techniques. The system will assign you based on your physical traits after a potential test. Only a few will ever get Earth-level techniques. As for Sky-level techniques? Don't even think about it. Historically, only a handful of people have ever acquired them, and only three have survived long enough to see the end of their journey. The rest all died prematurely."
"Why?" The class gasped in unison.
"Because once you have Sky-level techniques, if you don't manage them properly, you can easily become a martial emperor or even higher. When that happens, everyone will come after you.
No matter where you go, your enemies won't sleep easy, so it's better to eliminate you before you even have the chance to grow."
The students looked at each other in shock. This world is dark.
"Teacher, why not join the city guard? It'd be great for promotions, right?"
Mr. Hu sighed. "Sure, you could join the city guard, but the people who get assassinated the most aren't the captains. It's usually those with Sky-level techniques or special talents."
"Anyway, I advise you all—if you get a Sky-level technique, either retreat into the mountains or find a powerful faction to back you up. Otherwise, it's nothing but trouble."
"Teacher, what's the point of these martial arts techniques?"
"Martial arts techniques serve three main purposes: first, they increase the density of your inner spiritual energy so you can hold more; second, they help you control spiritual energy more efficiently, greatly enhancing your strength; third, based on the nature of the technique, they provide additional damage during attacks.
The levels of martial artists are: Martial Artist, Warrior, Master, Dominator, Emperor, Immortal, Sage, Immortal God, and Martial God—nine levels in total.
As for the enhancement benefits of your techniques, they'll kick in once you reach the Warrior stage, which will take at least a year or more. There's no point telling you this now.
After the potential test, the system will automatically awaken each of your talents. You'll only awaken one, and it's like a superpower related to your potential—not related to cultivation—and it'll stay with you for life."
"Alright, now, let's get started with the potential tests and awaken your talents!"