TL: Etude
"Three portions of intermediate beast blood should allow me to cultivate for five days, enough to increase my strength to 600 jin, or even more," Ye Tian roughly estimated.
A strength of 600 jin, coupled with his talents in speed and medium-level blade skills, would allow him to crush any Martial Disciple, and he wouldn't be much weaker compared to an early-stage Martial Warrior.
"Right, I still don't know what effects the stalactite liquid that I obtained has; I must look it up soon!" Ye Tian was also hoping that the liquid could significantly increase his cultivation. Perhaps it could allow him to advance to the rank of a warrior sooner.
During the hundred years since the apocalypse, many strange treasures had appeared. Naturally, some people had compiled a treasure atlas to avoid missing treasures for warriors venturing into the wilderness.
And such a treasure atlas wasn't expensive; one could purchase it for a mere thousand pieces.
In the past, Ye Tian wouldn't have been able to afford it, but now he wasn't short of money.
In addition to three portions of beast blood, the first-place reward included a hundred thousand pieces.
So, Ye Tian went to the store and bought a relatively comprehensive treasure atlas.
Back at home, he flipped through it page by page. After browsing more than half of the atlas, he finally found the entry on Zhongrǔ liquid.
"Earth Core Essence, a stone from the earth's veins that absorbs the energy of heaven and earth for a hundred years, solidifying into existence. It has the effect of enhancing cultivation talent, effective only for those with medium or lower cultivation talent. In the place where Earth Core Essence is born, there is a small chance for Earth Elemental Stone to form, which can enhance low-level talents!"
Staring at this introduction, Ye Tian's breath grew rapid.
"Heavens! It's a treasure that can enhance cultivation talent. If I sell it, not to mention a hundred thousand, even several million or tens of millions would have buyers, right?" Ye Tian muttered to himself.
But he quickly quashed this thought.
If he truly sold the Earth Core Essence, he was certain he wouldn't live to see the next day.
At this moment, he also understood why the spotted snake was able to break through its racial limitations and advance to the beast level.
He had glimpsed the snake's bloodline talent, which had reached a medium level, making it seem like a different species compared to other spotted snakes. Now, it seemed that the Earth Core Essence had enhanced its bloodline talent; otherwise, it would never have advanced to the beast level in its lifetime!
"It's a pity that the Earth Core Essence's effect on enhancing cultivation is too low, and I'm not worried about my talent. Even if it's useful to me, I don't need to take it, and it's useless to me with my medium cultivation talent. If it's useless to me and I can't sell it, what should I do with it?" Ye Tian said, feeling somewhat disappointed.
Suddenly, he thought of his younger sister, Ye Yu.
"That's right, my sister seems to have only low-tier talent. If I give her this Earth Core Essence, wouldn't it be possible to elevate her talent to the basic or even medium level?" Ye Tian thought.
During lunch, Ye Tian looked at his sister and said, "Sister, this is good stuff, you should drink it!" He then took out the Earth Core Essence and placed it in front of Ye Yu.
"What is this?" Ye Yu asked curiously.
She wasn't worried that her brother would harm her; she was only worried whether it would taste good.
"It's a great tonic!" Ye Tian replied seriously.
He didn't tell his sister about the effects of the Earth Core Essence, as she hadn't begun cultivating and didn't know what her talent was. Mentioning it might only cause unnecessary trouble.
"Brother, aren't you drinking?" Ye Yu asked, her big eyes fixed on her brother.
"I've already had some; this is saved for you!" Ye Tian said, caressing Ye Yu's head affectionately.
"Okay, then I'll drink it!" Ye Yu said, sipping the Earth Core Essence.
The quantity was not much, and Ye Yu quickly finished it.
"What does it feel like?" Ye Tian hurriedly asked.
He hadn't tried the Earth Core Essence himself and was uncertain about its specific effects. However, the treasure atlas stated that anyone could consume the Earth Core Essence without adverse effects, as its effects were very mild.
"I feel warm all over, very comfortable!" Ye Yu expressed her feelings.
"Little sister, this thing is very precious, don't tell anyone else, only you and I should know!" Ye Tian solemnly warned her.
He feared that Ye Yu might inadvertently let it slip while playing with other companions. If someone with ulterior motives guessed it, they would be in danger.
"Brother, I won't say anything!" Ye Yu nodded.
The two continued to eat. During the meal, Ye Tian kept observing Ye Yu's talent situation using his duplication talent.
About three minutes had passed, and Ye Yu's talent really changed.
Human: Ye Yu
Cultivation Talent: Basic
Ice Talent: Basic(Unawakened)
After finishing lunch, and approximately an hour later, Ye Tian discovered that Ye Yu's talent had changed again.
Human: Ye Yu
Cultivation Talent: Mid
Ice Talent: Basic (Unawakened)
Until the next day, Ye Yu's talents remained unchanged, clearly indicating that intermediate was the limit. This was because the Earth's Core Liquid only worked on those with mid-level talents or lower, and since Ye Yu had already been promoted to said talent level, she could not continue to improve.
"My sister has now reached mid-level talent, coupled with her ice talent, she won't have any problem becoming one of the top warriors at Linhai Base!" Ye Tian said, comforted.
Having money, Ye Tian then sent his little sister to a class. After all, she was only 13 years old and shouldn't stay at home all day. At school, she could not only learn more but also play with more friends. This was the life a young girl should have.
Initially, she disagreed because she was aware of their family's situation. But when Ye Tian took out 100,000 dollars, she agreed.
Regarding the origin of the money, Ye Tian claimed that he had won first place in a martial arts competition at the academy, and the 100,000 dollars was a reward. In fact, this was not a lie since the trial could also be considered a competition.
With his sister at school, Ye Tian practiced without worry.
In the blink of an eye, a month passed.
By that time, the intermediate beast's blood had already been consumed by Ye Tian.
A month of cultivation allowed Ye Tian's strength to break through again, reaching 800 jin of force. This level of strength was considered that of a high-level Martial Disciple, and he was not far from the realm of a true warrior. In terms of actual combat power, Ye Tian was almost comparable to a warrior.
Unfortunately, without the beast's blood, his progress slowed down, and his current strength was not enough to hunt beasts in the wilderness. He could only gradually increase his strength over time.
At the Mo family.
Mo Shaobei had emerged from seclusion.
Since the trial ended, he had been in closed-door cultivation aiming for the warrior realm, and now he had successfully reached the warrior level.
The entire Mo family was celebrating this joyous occasion.
While the outside world was discussing Mo Shaobei, he was talking to his old servant about something.
"Old Li, how is the investigation going?" Mo Shaobei looked at his old servant, Li Hai, and asked.
Chapter 14: Shadow Talent
TL: Etude
Li Hai was a Martial Warrior, but only a beginner. He was already sixty years old, and this was the level he had reached in his lifetime. He was a servant arranged by Mo Shaobei's father and had always been doing things for him.
"Young Master, I have already investigated thoroughly. Ye Tian comes from an ordinary family. His parents were once Martial Warriors, but they died in the wilderness more than a year ago. Now only Ye Tian and his younger sister are left," Li Hai truthfully reported.
"If it were not for my closed-door cultivation to become a Martial Warrior, he wouldn't have been able to live even for a month. Hmph, find someone to kill him!" Mo Shaobei said, his face filled with killing intent.
Li Hai's face changed, "Young Master, if we kill someone at the base and it's discovered, even our Mo family might find it troublesome!"
"If it's found out, indeed, it will be troublesome. But what if it's not discovered?" Mo Shaobei smirked coldly.
"If it's not found out?" Li Hai suddenly thought of someone, "Young Master, are you thinking of hiring Shadow to do it? But the price for Shadow's services is not cheap, at least 1 million!"
1 million to kill a Martial Disciple; in Li Hai's view, this was a waste.
And Mo Shaobei had just ascended to the level of a Martial Warrior, so the family funds he could mobilize were not much, perhaps just over 1 million.
"That young man's talent must be pretty good, as he's reached the Martial Disciple realm so young. He's not just a beginner Martial Disciple, his talent must be basic but probably not intermediate. But even so, with the aid of intermediate ferocious beast blood and spotted snake blood, he might be able to ascend to the Martial Warrior realm in a year or two. The cost required to kill a Martial Disciple is not the same as killing a Martial Warrior. I want to strangle him before he grows up. Do you understand? 1 million is indeed a significant amount for me now, but in a year or two, what is a mere 1 million?" Mo Shaobei analyzed.
"Young Master, I understand. I will contact Shadow right away!" Li Hai said.
With that, he left.
In the room, Mo Shaobei muttered to himself, "Although Shadow only has a low-level talent and cannot progress after becoming a beginner Martial Warrior, he is an incredibly rare multi-talented Martial Warrior. He has a type of shadow talent that enables him to hide in shadowy places, making him a terrifying existence among Martial Warriors. Even I might not necessarily be able to evade Shadow's lethal assassination. Ye Tian is as good as dead!"
Soon after, he put this matter aside and continued his cultivation.
...
A day later.
As usual, Ye Tian finished his cultivation in the small grove at the academy and prepared to return home. But just as he was about to leave the grove, his expression subtly changed, and a trace of shock appeared deep in his pupils.
He looked discreetly at a tree three meters away. It was a large tree, and under its shadow, there was nothing, completely empty.
However, Ye Tian knew that there was someone there.
Human: Li Cun
Cultivation Talent: Low
Shadow Talent: Basic
Copying talent had become an instinctive talent for Ye Tian. He could sense everything within three meters around him at any time. If anyone or anything approached him, he would know.
This was also a way for him to protect himself.
"This person called Li Cun must have used his shadow talent to conceal his form, so my naked eye can't see him. With an awakened talent, he is undoubtedly a Martial Warrior, but with only low-level cultivation talent, his strength is clearly at the weakest stage of a Martial Warrior!" In just an instant, Ye Tian had figured out Li Cun's situation.
It was now evening, and night was about to fall. Most of the academy's students had left, and only he was in this small grove. Li Cun's intention to hide here was obvious.
"Is he here to assassinate me?" Ye Tian thought to himself.
He didn't know Li Cun, so it was clear that someone had hired Li Cun to assassinate him. Without guessing, he knew who it was.
"Mo Shaobei!" Ye Tian's eyes flashed with murderous intent.
He had only thought that Mo Shaobei would use some petty tricks to give him minor trouble. He hadn't expected that Mo Shaobei would dare to hire someone to assassinate him.
"If I live, Mo Shaobei, you must die!"
Ye Tian swore.
The situation at hand was not very favorable for Ye Tian, but it also represented an opportunity for him. His talent for duplication could be used again, but he had not yet decided what to duplicate. Now, a magnificent talent had appeared before him.
The shadow talent was indeed a comparatively transcendent one for weaker Martial Warriors. Once he possessed the shadow talent, there were many things he would be able to do that had previously been impossible.
"If I want the shadow talent, I must first kill Li Cun!" Ye Tian had calmly stated.
He walked slowly, feeling in his bones a murderous intent about to envelop him. He knew that Li Cun was about to make his move.
However, just as Li Cun was about to act, Ye Tian struck first.
Whoosh!
The talent of speed was activated.
Ye Tian, with his 800-jin strength, was not slow to begin with. With the amplification of the speed talent, his velocity had already surpassed that of ordinary Martial Warriors, even rivaling those in the middle stages.
Li Cun had thought that killing a Martial Disciple would be easy, so he did not pay much attention to Ye Tian. He was immediately stunned by Ye Tian's speed.
"Die!"
Ye Tian's iron blade hacked down fiercely.
Rip!
The iron blade struck an object, and a spatter of blood burst forth.
"Kid, you're asking for death!"
Li Cun appeared from his shadow form, a wound on his right arm, the injury fairly serious. If Ye Tian's strength had been just a bit more substantial, his arm would have been severed.
With his right hand injured, Li Cun attacked Ye Tian with his left, holding the knife. Although this greatly reduced his combat effectiveness, he felt he could still kill a Martial Disciple.
But very quickly, he was dumbfounded!
Ye Tian's speed was too fast, much faster than his own, and his blade technique was incredibly sharp. Even Li Cun's twenty years of expertise in the blade did not compare to Ye Tian.
Ye Tian gradually suppressed Li Cun with his speed and blade skills, while Li Cun's injured right hand continued to bleed, causing his condition to deteriorate.
Suddenly, Ye Tian seized an opportunity and slashed at Li Cun's chest, severely wounding him.
"Kid, you wait!"
Li Cun's figure flashed, and he vanished.
However, Ye Tian did not stop, continuing to hack at an empty spot.
Boom!
With one strike, a figure was sent flying—it was Li Cun.
"Damn, you actually saw through my shadow talent; this is impossible!!!"
Li Cun was obviously incredulous.
At Linhai Base, not to mention Martial Warriors, even Elite Martial Warriors couldn't see through his talent ability. Only Great Martial Warriors who could extend their mental power could detect his presence.
Relying on his shadow talent, he had become an existence that many Martial Warriors at Linhai Base dared not provoke. He never expected that dealing with a Martial Disciple would be so embarrassing.
Ye Tian did not speak, only responding to Li Cun with his blade.
Soon, Li Cun could no longer hold on, and Ye Tian's blade cut through half of his neck, killing him outright.