[Human: Wei Tian
Cultivation Talent: Weak
Unique Talent: Copy Talent]
"What... what is this?" he whispered, reaching out instinctively to touch the floating text only to have his fingers pass through it. The interface remained perfectly visible regardless of where he looked or how he moved his head. It seemed to exist solely within his perception.
"Copy Talent? Is this... my awakened ability?" Wei Tian's pulse quickened. While he'd heard tales of secondary talents, he'd never imagined possessing one himself. Especially not after the crushing disappointment of his weak cultivation talent.
After several minutes of failed attempts to interact with or dismiss the interface, Wei Tian decided there was only one way to understand its purpose. He needed to venture outside!.
The streets of Sector 7, one of the lesser sectors within East Haven Survival Base, bustled with the usual morning activity. Vendors hawked their wares, laborers trudged toward their assignments, and the occasional Martial Warrior strode through with an unmistakable aura of authority.
Wei Tian moved carefully through the crowd, unsure what to expect from his new ability. As he walked past a middle-aged woman at a produce stall, something unexpected happened. The interface in his vision flickered, then displayed:
[Human: Lin Mei
Cultivation Talent: Weak]
Wei Tian froze mid-step, nearly causing someone to collide with him from behind. The information had appeared the moment he was in close physical proximity with the woman. Testing his theory, he deliberately walking close to a passing worker, a new information materialized:
[Human: Zhao Jun
Cultivation Talent: Low-tier]
"It reveals others' talents," Wei Tian whispered in awe, his mind racing with implications. He continued his experiment, with several more people as he moved through the market square. Each time, the result was similar—mostly weak or low tier talents with no secondary abilities.
As he walked, Wei Tian wondered about the "Copy" aspect of his talent. Could he somehow acquire others' abilities? The possibility seemed too extraordinary to believe.
His opportunity came unexpectedly when he bumped into a burley man near the district boundary. As their shoulders connected, the familiar interface appeared:
[Human: Chen Li
Cultivation Talent: weak
Strength Talent: weak]
But this time, something different happened.
[Copy strength talent: weak? Yes/No ]
Wei Tian immediately choose yes, the interface flickered, then updated:
[assimilate strength talent: weak? Now/Later]
This time wei tian was cautious, he remembered the pain when awakening his copy talent, thus he choose to assimilate later and entered an empty alley and in a meditative position, he choose to assimilate. And with that whisp of energy courses through his body, but pain was bearable that what he was expecting, he concluded that, it may be due to the talent being weak.
After some time wei tian checked his talent.
[Human: Wei Tian
Cultivation Talent: Weak
Unique Talents: Copy Talent
Strength Talent: weak]
"I... I copied his talent!" He flexed his fingers, feeling an unfamiliar density in his muscles. Testing his newfound strength, Wei Tian pushed against the alley wall, leaving slight indentations where his fingertips pressed into the concrete.
His mind whirled with possibilities. If he could copy abilities from simple physical contact, what were the limits? Could he acquire cultivation talents beyond his weak classification? The thought sent a thrill of anticipation through him.
He immediately with new found enthusiasm tied to bumb into other people, but despite his enthusiasm, he found himself unable to utilize the copy talent for cultivation.
Further experimentation over the next few days revealed a critical limitation: his Copy Talent appeared to have a cooldown period. No matter how many people he contacted, he couldn't copy another ability. The interface remained unchanged.
"A time limit," Wei Tian muttered, sitting cross-legged in his house. "But how long?"
---
One week later, Wei Tian stood before the imposing gates of the Eastern District Cultivation Academy, the smallest and least prestigious of East Haven's four academies. With his weak talent, it was the only one that would consider his application, and even then, only because they were desperate to fill their quotas.
The entrance examiner, a middle-aged woman with the stern demeanor of a career administrator, barely glanced at his talent assessment.
"Wei Tian, fifteen years old, weak cultivation talent," she recited mechanically. "You'll be assigned to Beginner Class 3. Monthly evaluation tests will determine if you remain enrolled. Failure to demonstrate adequate progress will result in immediate expulsion."
Wei Tian bowed respectfully. "Thank you for the opportunity."
The woman looked up, momentarily surprised by his polite response. Most weak-talent students arrived with either defeated resignation or misplaced bravado. "The first cultivation manual is provided free of charge. Additional resources require merit points earned through performance or service."
Wei Tian accepted the thin handbook she offered—"Fundamental Qi Circulation: Beginner's Method"—with another respectful bow. It wasn't what he'd hoped for, but it was a start.
---
For three weeks, Wei Tian diligently practiced the basic cultivation technique while seeking opportunities to encounter more powerful talents. The academy proved disappointing in this regard; most students possessed only weak or low-tier talents, with instructors maintaining a careful distance from their charges.
His breakthrough came during a rare visit by representatives from the Central Academy—the most prestigious cultivation institution in East Haven. These elite students moved through the Eastern District Academy like royalty touring a peasant village, barely concealing their disdain.
Wei Tian positioned himself along their path, waiting until the group passed before pretending to trip and stumble into one of the leading students. The young man—tall, handsome, and radiating the unmistakable aura of refined cultivation—reacted with irritation, shoving Wei Tian away.
"Watch where you're going, trash," he sneered.
But that momentary contact was all Wei Tian needed. His interface flashed:
[Human: Lin Jian
Cultivation Talent: Medium-tier]
The familiar tingling sensation spread from Wei Tian's shoulder throughout his body as the copy prompt appeared once more. He apologized profusely, backing away as the medium-talent student continued with his group, unaware of what had just transpired.
Once alone, Wei Tian went back to his dormitory room and accepted to assimilate the medium talent.
Once again the familiar feeling occured but this time an unbearable pain courses through him. Gritting his teeth he endured through the pain for half an hour.
[Human: Wei Tian
Cultivation Talent: Medium-tier
Unique Talents: Copy Talent
Strength Talent: weak]
His weak cultivation talent had been replaced with medium—a classification that placed him among the elite 10% of humanity.
"One month," he whispered, understanding dawning. "I can copy one talent at a time, and the cooldown time is 1 month."
With this knowledge, Wei Tian threw himself into cultivation with renewed determination. The basic Qi Circulation method combined with his temporarily acquired medium talent produced astonishing results. Spirit Qi flowed through his meridians with unprecedented ease, accelerating his progress far beyond what should have been possible.
By the end of the month, Wei Tian had shattered all expectations. During the monthly evaluation, instructors watched in disbelief as this previously unremarkable student demonstrated strength surpassing 500 jin—halfway to the threshold required for Martial Warrior classification.
"Breakthrough to Martial Disciple, fourth level," announced the chief examiner, unable to mask his surprise. "Wei Tian, explain this unexpected progress."
Wei Tian bowed, concealing the gleam of satisfaction in his eyes. "Respected instructor, I was able to awaken a weak strength talent during cultivation."
The instructor nodded his head envious, awakening a strength talent even weak tier is still a rare opportunity.
As wei tian straightened, his mind raced with possibilities. With his Copy Talent and this newfound understanding of its mechanics, the path forward was clear. One month at a time, one talent after another, he would ascend beyond the limitations of his birth.
The Talent Era had created a rigid hierarchy, but Wei Tian now possessed the means to subvert it entirely. And this was only the beginning.