Chapter 4: Ch 4- Talent Transformation
The Fourth Academy had very chill management. The teachers didn’t care whether students attended class or not. Even skipping school wasn’t a big deal.
After all, once students learned the Body Tempering Method, they mostly cultivated on their own. The academy didn’t have enough teachers to personally guide every student.
That was how the most Academy’s operated, however the First Academy was completely different.
Strictly speaking, it was the only real academy in Dong Hai Base.
The other academies were closer to martial arts halls than proper schools.
After returning home, Mo Yuan saw his younger sister, Mo Ran, quietly reading books about cultivation.
Those books had been left behind by their parents.
Although she was still two years away from beginning cultivation, she spent her free time studying so she would be prepared.
Mo Yuan returned to his room and locked the door.
"Paste."
Boom!
A mysterious force instantly spread throughout his body.
It flowed from his head to his feet, washing over every part of him.
Pain.
An unbearable pain exploded inside his body.
It felt as if every bone and muscle was being torn apart.
"Holy shi..."
"I didn’t think pasting a copied talent would hurt this much."
Mo Yuan cursed inwardly.
Still, even if he had known beforehand, he wouldn’t have hesitated.
Changing his aptitude was like being reborn.
Compared to that, a little pain was nothing.
"Brother? What’s wrong?"
Mo Ran seemed to hear something and called from outside the room.
"It’s nothing!"
Mo Yuan gritted his teeth and forced out an answer.
He didn’t dare scream.
There was no way he could explain what was happening. Fortunately, the pain didn’t last forever. About ten minutes later, the agony slowly faded away.
In its place came a warm and comfortable feeling that spread through his entire body. It felt as though every cell in his body had come back to life.
The first thing he did was to immediately look at his talent information.
Human: Mo Yuan
Copy and Paste Talent: Unique
Cultivation Talent: Superior Grade
Seeing those words, Mo Yuan couldn’t stop himself from smiling.
He was no longer trash.
His aptitude had completely changed.
This meant his future had changed as well.
Origin Vessel.
Origin Core.
Origin Sea.
None of them would be his limit anymore.
As long as he continued copying stronger talents, one day he would surpass even the Origin Sea Realm.
"So I can copy another talent after 33 days."
That information naturally appeared in his mind.
"This limit is weirdly specific"
"Now let’s see what Superior Grade Talent is really capable of."
Mo Yuan couldn’t wait any longer.
Yesterday, after learning the twenty seven movements of the Body Tempering Method, he had secretly tried cultivating.
The result had been disappointing.
He had only felt a faint numbness throughout his body.
If his soul hadn’t been much stronger than an ordinary person’s, he probably wouldn’t have noticed anything at all. Because of that, he had attended today’s lecture, thinking he had practiced something incorrectly.
Unfortunately, he hadn’t.
His cultivation speed with Inferior Grade Talent was simply that slow.
Without the Copy and Paste Talent, becoming an Origin Vessel would have been pipe dream.
"First movement."
"Second movement."
...
Mo Yuan carefully performed every movement of the Body Tempering Method.
The movements looked strange and even awkward.
However, they were the most efficient foundation technique humanity had developed after countless years of testing.
Half an hour later, he completed all twenty seven movements.
Only after finishing the entire set would the tempering effect appear.
The moment he completed the final movement, warmth suddenly spread through his body.
The heat flowed through his muscles, bones, and organs, slowly strengthening every part of him.
This warmth came from the hidden potential inside the human body.
The Body Tempering Method was simply a way to unlock that potential.
Of course, forcing out too much potential could damage the body.
After years of research, cultivators had discovered that the Body Tempering Method should be practiced no more than ten times a day and no more than three rounds at once.
"As expected."
"The cultivation effect is completely different."
"It’s easily a hundred times better than when I had Inferior Grade Talent."
Mo Yuan was extremely satisfied with his progress.
Still, he knew Superior Grade wasn’t the strongest talent.
Peak Grade existed.
There might even be talents beyond Peak Grade. Those true geniuses cultivated at speeds he couldn’t even imagine. He couldn’t afford to become complacent. Once the warmth from the first round faded, he immediately began the second.
Then the third.
By the time he finished, his entire body was soaked with sweat. Thin layers of black impurities covered his skin.
Mo Yuan quickly took a bath before eating more than a dozen steamed buns. Body tempering consumed a huge amount of energy. Without enough food, cultivation speed would slow down.
One month later.
Inside a small grove behind the Fourth Academy, the sun was beginning to set.
The area was quiet.
Almost no one came here.
This had become Mo Yuan’s favourite place to cultivate.
"Phew..."
"That’s ten rounds finished."
Cough* Cough
"why did that sound sus"
After completing today’s cultivation, Mo Yuan walked toward Training Ground Number Three.
Large stones of different weights were neatly arranged there.
One hundred jin.
Two hundred jin.
Three hundred jin.
Anyone who could lift a one hundred jin stone for three seconds possessed one hundred jin of strength.
The same rule applied to every heavier stone. It was the simplest way to measure strength.
On the eighth day of cultivation, Mo Yuan had already reached one hundred jin of strength and officially stepped into the Origin Seed Realm.
"I should be able to lift the two hundred jin stone today."
Mu Fan had the principal personally guiding him, so his cultivation speed was naturally fast.
Still, Mo Yuan wasn’t worried.
"My aptitude is actually a combination of Superior Grade Talent and my original Inferior Grade Talent."
"In theory, I should be slightly stronger than Mu Fan."
"Besides, I haven’t missed a single day."
"I’ve completed all ten rounds every day for the past month."
"The more rounds you do, the more painful they become."
"Most people can’t even finish ten rounds."
"With Mu Fan’s personality, I’d be surprised if he does more than seven or eight."
"My progress shouldn’t be slower than his."
"It might even be faster."
After resting for a while, Mo Yuan walked over to the two hundred jin stone.
"Get upppp for mee!"
He grabbed the stone with both hands and lifted with all his strength. Slowly, the massive rock rose off the ground. Once it passed above his head, he held it there.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Bang!
The stone crashed back onto the ground. Mo Yuan dropped beside it, breathing heavily.
His strength had been completely drained.
"I did it."
"I’ve reached two hundred jin of strength."
A smile appeared on his face.
"This is only the beginning."
"With Superior Grade Talent, I should be able to reach the Origin Vessel Realm within a year."
He couldn’t help clenching his fists in excitement. He finally have some strength to protect himself now.
After resting for more than ten minutes, the sky had become completely dark.
Mo Yuan left the academy and walked back toward home.
The streets were still lively. Many shops remained open despite the late hour. The entire base was dimly lit. Electricity no longer existed in this era.
It was said that some powerful bases had learned to use Primordial Qi as a replacement, creating all kinds of incredible machines and bringing back part of the civilization that had existed before the apocalypse. But those were large bases. Dong Hai Base wasn’t capable of that.
Here, people still relied on candles and oil lamps for light. Walking through the streets, Mo Yuan felt as if he had returned to ancient times.
Suddenly, someone shouted.
"Whoa! Look! It’s a Beast!"
In an instant, people from every direction began rushing toward the source of the commotion.