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"Skills tied to my innate talent?"
Su Mo froze when he saw that description.
He remembered the textbooks spelling it out clear as day—only profession-class awakened could unlock skills tied to their roles.
swordsmen got sword techniques, sword qi, slashes—or flashy stuff like "Sword Twenty-Three."
Non-profession awakened? No such luck.
Their awakened abilities were skills in themselves—like Su Mo's absolute defense.
Slap that on a heavy cavalry, and it's a skill right there.
Difference was, profession-types burned something like rage to cast.
Non-profession types? The moment they awakened, it was instinct—like moving an arm or leg.
So, non-profession awakened had to lean on skill scrolls for extras.
The world's got millions of wild skills—some trash like that "Trajectory Veers Left" he'd snagged before.
Good scrolls? Pricey as hell. Profession-types didn't sweat it.
Their skill books had clear, fair prices—not bank-breakers.
For them, a skill book didn't dictate the skill—just unlocked whatever fit their profession, like a key to their inner lock.
Su Mo hadn't messed with skill books, but he was damn sure these weren't the usual kind.
If memory served, regular ones only listed an awakening chance—some profession-types burned through hundreds chasing one skill.
These? "Guaranteed awakening," with just a level cap.
And Su Mo felt he could use them!
His heart thumped hard.
Could it be—skill books that even non-profession awakened could tap for talent-linked skills?!
If so—
No hesitation—he reached for the Blank Skill Book.
"Young man, I know what you're thinking, but hold off—best to use it with your master around."
A deep voice cut in, and a thirty-ish guy in a white robe strolled into view.
Nothing standout about his looks—except those thick, skyward brows.
"White God!"
The second Su Mo saw him, the name slipped out.
No mistake—this was Bai War God, the regular kid who hit top scorer at Level 12, climbed to God-rank in 20 years, and saved Great Xia from the brink time and again!
After blurting "White God," Su Mo caught himself—rude much?—and bowed quick. "This kid Su Mo greets White God."
"No need to tense up—this is just a wisp of my divine will.
I was curious what kind of genius broke my Level 12 top scorer record and got that old butcher Tu Hongwu hyping you up—plus, I'm here to hand out a reward.
Now I see you're the real deal. Great Xia's got another God-rank in the making."
Su Mo opened his mouth to play modest, but a blinding red flash stole the moment—Tu Hongwu, red hair and robe blazing, stepped in front of him.
He gave Su Mo an approving nod, then sneered at Bai War God:
"Hmph, isn't that obvious? My disciple—how could he be weak?
Not to brag, Old Bai, but your talent's a baby next to him!
Spill it—why're you here sniffing around my disciple? You're not trying to steal him, are you?
No chance in hell!"
By the end, Tu Hongwu sounded antsy, shoving Su Mo behind him like he was guarding a prized gem from a thief.
Fair point—Old Bai's reputation dwarfed his, and his looks…
Tu caught himself boosting Bai's ego, killing his own, and spat blood.
Pah! Just a pretty boy—what looks?!
"I'm not petty like you—I said I'm here to give him a reward and chat a bit."
Tu's guarded face eased at that, then he jumped back in front of Su Mo: "Nope—anything you've got, say it to me!"
They locked eyes, then vanished under Su Mo's baffled stare.
Su Mo shook it off—probably some private talk; they'd be back.
No sweat—he kept eyeballing his system rewards.
[Broke Top Scorer Level Record—Reward: King-Tier Dungeon Pass *5]
[Achieved Top Scorer Before Level 10—System Space Boosted 10x (Reward from Bai Yuanhao)]
Only now did it click—what Bai War God meant by his reward.
And why Old Man Wang drilled him to hit top scorer before Level 10.
System space 10x'd—normally, Level 10 bumped it to a 100x100 cube.
Times ten? That's a monstrous 1,000x1,000.
Su Mo'd been griping about tight space—now, he figured he'd be set 'til God-rank.
As he mulled, Tu Hongwu and Bai War God popped back in.
Bai stepped up, hand on Su Mo's shoulder, grinning at Tu:
"Alright then—I'm borrowing your disciple!"
Tu shook his head. "Not yet—I've gotta unseal his XP first, let him break Level 10. Might as well cash in your reward too."
Bai's cool facade cracked—next thing, he was cussing:
"Fuck you, you dog! I told you—no one's hitting top scorer sub-10!
You sneaky bastard sealed his XP bar! That's cheating!
You know how hard it is to expand someone's system space, even with my Space Dao Godhood?!"
"What're you yapping about? My disciple earned top scorer at Level 9 fair and square!
He just killed too many in the Three-Eye dungeon and would've hit 10—waste a prime seedling like that?
Quit bullshitting—you made the call back then, no takebacks! Still wanna borrow him or not?"
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