Talent Upgrade

Back in his room, Mao Jin's heart pounded with excitement as he stared at the floating panel. This is it… the moment to change my destiny.

As the son of the sect master, how could he accept being mediocre? Even though his parents never showed it and always showered him with love, he knew deep down that no parent would want to have a talentless son.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he looked at the system panel.

[Name: Mao Jin]

[Race: Human]

[Talent: Brown Low-Grade]

[Cultivation: Mortal Rank-1]

[Influence Points: 100 IP]

[Store <>]

Frowning at the simple interface, Mao Jin asked, "System, why is everything so basic? What can I do with these influence points?"

[Simple? With Influence Points, you can buy anything in this realm. The system is not meant to monitor your progress or provide additional features. Its sole purpose is to help you make money and increase your influence.]

[To understand the importance of Influence Points, open the store.]

Without hesitation, Mao Jin clicked on the store, and a long list of items appeared on the screen.

His eyes widened as he sucked in a cold breath. He realized that the thousands of items listed were only from a single category.

Recovering from his initial shock, he browsed through different categories and quickly became overwhelmed.

His meager one hundred Influence Points could only buy the weakest items in the store. The things that truly interested him required hundreds of thousands of points, making him feel like crying.

Taking a deep breath, he asked, "System, can you list what I can buy with my current points?"

[Yes.]

Quickly, the interface changed, displaying items within his price range. However, nothing caught his eye.

It wasn't that they were useless, but at this moment, what he needed most was to change his trashy talent.

[Congratulations! You've received a welcome gift. Would you like to open it?]

Seeing the notification, Mao Jin furrowed his brows before a light smile appeared on his face. 'I hope it's something useful.'

"Yes."

A blinding light flashed across his vision, and a new notification appeared.

[You've received a one-time 90% discount on your first purchase.]

Huh?! Mao Jin sucked in a cold breath as he stared at the 90% discount voucher.

Earlier, when he had browsed the system store, he saw a High-Grade Talent for one thousand Influence Points. He had felt helpless, but now, it seemed like Lady Luck was on his side.

Without wasting time, he searched for the High-Grade Talent and immediately bought it.

[Blue High-Grade Cultivation Talent: (90% Discount) 100 IP]

[Purchased. New Balance: 0 IP]

[Would you like to use the High-Grade Talent?]

[Yes | No]

Mao Jin's heart pounded heavily against his chest. This is the moment to change my destiny.

"Yes," he said firmly.

Instantly, a searing pain shot through his body, making him wince in agony. He collapsed to the floor, beads of sweat dripping from his forehead.

'Huh! Ah! This… is so… painful…' He cried out in his mind.

'If this continues, I'll pass out.'

Just as he was on the brink of losing consciousness, the pain subsided and he let out a long breath of relief.

"That was hell."

However, the moment he thought about his newly acquired Blue High-Grade Talent, excitement surged through him. He immediately wanted to test it.

Sitting in a lotus position, he activated his Low-Grade Mortal Qi Nourishing Art.

Previously, with his Brown Low-Grade Talent, it took him half an hour to complete a single circulation.

This time, the difference was immediate. His body absorbed spiritual energy like a dry sponge soaking up water.

In less than ten minutes, he had completed an entire circulation.

His eyes widened in shock. Is this the power of a High-Grade Talent?!

Cultivation wasn't difficult—it was all about having the right talent.

Without hesitation, he continued cultivating, completely immersed in the new, exhilarating experience.

---

Meanwhile, in the Inner Court…

Zhao Tian was busy bragging to a group of female disciples, with a few male disciples who were close to him.

"Zhao Tian, what is it this time? I hope one day you don't die from bragging," a female disciple teased.

"Hahaha! Junior Sister, you must learn the art of bragging. It brings joy," Zhao Tian responded with a proud smile.

"So, Junior Brother, what have you wasted your money on this time?" a tall, handsome boy asked calmly.

"Senior Brother, what do you mean wasted? Everything I buy is valuable! Just because you don't see its worth doesn't mean it doesn't exist."

Seeing the fatty continue to boast, the disciples rolled their eyes.

'Must he brag all the time? So shameless.'

"Zhao Tian, just show us what you bought, or we're all leaving," a hot-tempered girl snapped impatiently.

She couldn't stand his posturing any longer.

"Haha! Why are you all in such a rush? I haven't even shown you the most amazing artifact in the world." A bright smile spread across his face.

"Fine! I won't waste your time. I know you're all dying to see it."

He opened his spatial pouch and took out a palm-sized jade.

The disciples' excitement instantly deflated when they saw the ordinary-looking jade.

"I knew it. It's just a trashy jade," the hot-tempered girl scoffed.

"What do you know?" Zhao Tian shot back, looking at her with disdain. "It may be made from ordinary jade, but that's not the important part."

He puffed out his chest. "Let me show you what a true artifact looks like."

Seeing his smug expression, the disciples felt only contempt.

This wasn't the first time Zhao Tian had acted like this, and in the past, his so-called "amazing" artifacts had always been disappointments.

"Call Green Snake."

Oblivious to their thoughts, Zhao Tian spoke to the jade.

Instantly, the jade vibrated, and a second later, a voice came through.

"Tian? Is that you?"

Zhao Tian smirked. "Did you hear that? That's my friend speaking from the sect gate."

All the disciples froze.

How is this possible?!

They hurriedly gathered around Zhao Tian, staring at the jade in shock.

"Did… did you just speak with someone at the sect gate?" the senior brother asked in disbelief.

"Yes." Zhao Tian nodded smugly. Then he said into the jade, "Green Snake, go to the guards and let them speak so my friends can hear their voices."

"Yes, Senior Brother!" Green Snake's excited voice replied.

A few seconds later, they heard the voices of the guards coming from the jade, and their shock deepened.

"Hmph! It's just a voice transmission talisman," the hot-tempered girl scoffed. "What's so special about it?"

"You know nothing." Zhao Tian clicked his tongue and ended the call. He then called another person.

Ten minutes later, the disciples were still in a daze.

They looked at the jade as if it were a divine treasure, especially the girls.

With this, they could gossip all night without getting bored!

Even the hot-tempered girl was speechless.

For the first time, they had seen an artifact that allowed multiple people to communicate as if they were standing next to each other.

"Senior Brother," a girl called out coyly, "can you sell it to me?"

Seeing this, the other disciples rolled their eyes in disdain.

"As your Senior Brother, I'll buy it for one thousand spirit stones," the senior brother declared confidently.

"Hahaha! I knew you'd all want it. But I'm not selling," Zhao Tian said with a smirk.

"Why? Is my offer too low?"

"No." He shook his head. "I was lucky to buy this from an old expert. But if I find him again, I'll make sure to get more for you all."