Talents

Teacher Tiao was observing Meng Tian because she thought he was a promising student in Swordplay. She never expected him to go out of his way to prove that he was weak in the physical fitness test today. When she wanted to give a good beating, Principal Ren's messaged her telepathically stopping her from exposing Meng Tian. She was puzzled by the sudden turn of events.

The Principal even asked her to bring this student to him after the class. Teacher Tiao didn't think much though, as she had known the Principal for quite a few years and he had always been a mysterious one.

The one thing that shocked her was the Principal's attitude towards Meng Tian when she brought him to her office in the gym. She had only seen him being calm and cold and never this cheerful persona. She was then asked to leave the room for a few minutes.

Meng Tian was standing in front of the Dean and did not know how to respond. He wanted to apologize when suddenly he felt a life threatening danger. A sharp dagger appeared out of nowhere and was coming straight towards him at a frightening speed. His body suddenly burst out with a huge amount of power and he side-stepped the dagger avoiding it.

Unfortunately, the dagger also changed directions again and kept on attacking various parts of his body. Meng Tian used all of his concentration on the newly learnt Basic Movement Technique and executed it with all his might.

Finally after about a minute of such high intensity dodging, the dagger suddenly vanished. Meng Tian could no longer stand up, his legs felt like jelly and the entire body was a mess. There were even some blood marks resulting from shallow cuts by the dagger.

[Basic Movement Experience +90]

[Movement Level 1 (Basic)]

Meng Tian was terrified of the experience. If he did not have the movement technique, he probably would have been stabbed multiple times. He ignored the part where his Basic Movement Technique became a level 1 skill. Meng Tian immediately added 10 of his Energy Points into strength and his body healed almost instantly.

His strength stat now increased to 1.1, the current highest of all his stats. It was only now did he get back up to look at the Principal who was still sitting and smiling at him. Meng Tian was pissed by his attitude. 'You old man, you almost killed me.'

The Principal finally spoke, "Xiao Tian, I am Martial General Ren Xiyang, Principal of the Xianchu High School. You can call me Principal Ren. I was passing by the gym yesterday and noticed a young man testing his physique... It seemed like he had never even kept a foot into the testing facility during his time here. I was a bit amused and decided to have a look at his results. They were well below average, but I could see a sense of utter confidence in his eyes that looked like he could crush this score within a very short time..."

"My curiosity did not just end there. I went ahead and looked at his academic results. Again, they were at the bottom of his class. So, I decided to conduct a school wide test to see if there really are any students like him who could show me that confident look. Again, he was the only one. Even when taking his academic tests, fitness tests and the martial technique tests, the confidence in his eyes was off the charts. So, Xiao Tian, tell me why do you keep your abilities hidden?"

Meng Tian was shocked by Principal Ren's attitude which seemed to look at him with much favor. He also cursed his luck which seemed to throw him under the bus when he was just trying out the fitness tests. He went silent for a few seconds and finally sighed, "Principal Ren...Uhm... I don't want my life to be too complicated. From what the history had shown us, the tallest tree always attracts the strongest wind."

"Of course, I can keep growing taller to keep my friends and family safe under my shade... but a single mistake could leave me with a life full of regrets. So, I took the cowardly way and decided to increase my strength in secret, keep my family safe in secret and pass my life away in a carefree manner. Although I knew that my abilities would attract attention, but this is way too fast. Principal Ren, what is going to happen next?"

Principal Ren started laughing boisterously, "You little punk, why are you worrying about all these things? And frankly, you seem to be a bit too narcissistic. Hahaha... Keeping your family safe should be your priority but if you keep yourself hidden, how many years will you waste before growing strong enough to keep them safe? Human life is precious but also weak."

"The Beasts out there are ever increasing in number and the people fighting out there are also dying for their families. But they have a belief that another one will rise in their place and keep the territory safe including their own families. This is a virtuous cycle where the falling leaves of the old tree become fertilizer for the new. The tallest ones will hold the heavens making time for everyone else to mature."

Principal Ren moved a little closer to Meng Tian, looked into his eyes and spoke out, "Xiao Tian, I am going to give you a chance... A chance to hold your fate in your own hands... A chance to move across this world unhindered... Ana a chance to protect what you love... If you agree to take this chance, you will push forward in power much faster but if you disagree, then I will erase your memory of this meeting from your mind. Either way, you won't lose anything. The choice is yours."

Meng Tian was distressed by both the choices. What Principal Ren didn't know was that Meng Tian had always been a lazy guy. He just made up all kinds of reasons, not to work more than what was necessary.

He was excited to try out his new abilities but he was a natural sloth. He prepared a nice monologue but it backfired against him. Oldman Ren was obviously the sticky type. So Meng Tian met his match.

He was anyway thinking about how to get the required energy points to level up his abilities, but he didn't want to be under supervision all the time. The other choice was even more daunting. His soul was not of this world and he did not know if the powerhouses of this world had any special methods to search through his memories. He would be fucked if his secret was out. So, his only choice was to accept this 'offer'.

He looked at the Principal and nodded his head. Principal Ren laughed again and waved his hand. A colorless crystal sphere appeared out of nowhere floating in mid air. Principal Ren held the crystal sphere in his hand which almost immediately started glowing a bright blue.

"This is a Talent testing sphere, an elemental crystal. It is made from a natural material that is very rare on our planet. So, it is not usually available for public use. You might not understand what a 'Talent' is, let me explain..."

"The evolution of humans started just a few decades ago, but it had been quite rapid. The reason is not only the special radiation energy in the atmosphere, but also the human talent to use this energy to refine our bodies. Different environments are suitable for different people which depends on their talent."

"The talent is nothing but an affinity towards a particular element that makes up the world around us. You must have learnt about the five major elements- the Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth. Some humans also have special talents like lightning, ice, etc. Some even have multiple talents..."

Principal Ren stopped his explanation as he saw a weird expression on Meng Tian's face. Meng Tian already understood all of this because a blue pop-up screen had just appeared in front of him. And a new row of characters appeared under his Talents column which had been gray since yesterday.

[Talent Unlocked: Elemental Water Affinity]