Volume 1, Chapter 19: Mom, Dad, Your Daughter Has Made It

It was not until they had smashed the wolf’s head into a pulp, with scarlet gore splattering everywhere, that the three of them finally regained their senses.

Liang Yin stood up and searched the ground, discovering a white beast core. Suppressing her nausea, she picked it up and handed it to Chu Ge.

Chu Ge shook his head. A beast core below the first rank was of no use to him.

"You all did well. Keep it up. I will lure some weaker beasts for you to kill, and you can distribute the beast cores you obtain yourselves."

Ordinary people can refine their bodies by consuming beast cores before awakening their talents, but they must stick to the most basic white cores; otherwise, the energy is impossible to digest, carrying the risk of exploding from the inside out.

Roar!

Xiao Heizi trotted happily over to the first-rank wolf and began to gulp down the flesh. Xiao Heizi only needed to consume flesh and blood, whereas Chu Ge had much more to consider.

Once Xiao Heizi finished the wolf, the group of five and one dog continued on their way. Their destination was the Longhu Mountain Zoo. The demon tiger there had reached a significant level of power, and Chu Ge intended to kill it to advance to the second rank.

The group pressed forward, sweeping through everything in their path. The Royal Hotel was a half-hour journey from the zoo, but since the resurgence of spiritual energy, the roads were filled with obstacles. By dusk, they had only covered half the distance.

"We'll stop here for today and find a place to rest," Chu Ge said, scanning his surroundings before leading the group into a roadside supermarket.

"Boss, thank you so much," Jiang Tao and his companion said from the bottom of their hearts. After spending a day hunting beasts with Chu Ge, they were now capable of killing ordinary beasts on their own. With the mastery of power came a surge of self-confidence, and they were now full of hope for the future.

"Thank yourselves as well for having the courage to fight," Chu Ge replied with a smile. Jiang Tao and his companion were of good character and worth cultivating.

"Boss, if you don't mind, Weiwei and I would like to follow you from now on," Jiang Tao asked nervously.

Chu Ge nodded and said calmly, "Continue hunting tomorrow. Strive to awaken your talents as soon as possible."

The supermarket contained a few corpses gnawed on by beasts, but there were no other living souls. The group improvised, finding food to fill their stomachs.

"You're on watch tonight," Chu Ge said, tapping the dog on its head. Having consumed many beasts, Xiao Heizi had grown significantly, looking all the more majestic and formidable.

"Woof! Woof!" Xiao Heizi barked in protest.

"I'll find you ten little female dogs another day."

***

After settling Xiao Heizi, Chu Ge and Su Ran went up to the second floor. Chu Ge took out thirty first-rank beast cores, silently absorbing them to temper his physique. After absorbing the seventeenth core, he found that continuing with first-rank cores had no effect. He gave the remaining ones to Su Ran.

Once she accepted the cores, the woman pounced on Chu Ge with a wicked grin, and a fierce battle ensued. Young people are naturally full of energy, and after becoming practitioners, their needs had skyrocketed. Su Ran was defeated every time, left utterly helpless by Chu Ge. Yet, she was a "master of empty talk"—even knowing she couldn't win, she refused to concede. She was incredibly stubborn.

...

The young widow, Liang Yin, heard the commotion and instinctively looked up toward the ceiling. Her face flushed a deep crimson as she cursed under her breath, "Not a second of time wasted!"

The door to the room where Jiang Tao and Xu Wei were staying was shut tight. The young widow didn't want to disturb them. As the long night dragged on, she felt a pang of bitterness. She was the only one on the first floor—well, besides the dog.

She picked up a blanket, laid it down beside Xiao Heizi, and closed her eyes. In the silent night, the roars of beasts, the sounds of fighting, and the cries of a woman echoed periodically.

Liang Yin tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She sat up, hugging her knees, and stared blankly at the sky. "What am I supposed to do from now on?"

Thinking of her situation, her heart felt even more bitter. Unlike Jiang Tao and Xu Wei, who had each other to rely on, she was alone and possessed nothing.

Time passed. Suddenly, a spark of light fell from the sky like a shooting star. It seemed to have eyes; it pierced through countless obstacles and slammed directly into Liang Yin’s forehead.

"Ouch!" Liang Yin winced, reaching up to touch her brow. That was when she realized the object was a white fruit.

"A spiritual energy fruit?" Liang Yin’s eyes widened. Before the signals went down, she had seen plenty of information about cultivation online; she wasn't some ignorant novice. As her finger touched the fruit, it turned into a warm current and surged into her mind.

***

She couldn't help but tremble as a grand voice echoed in her ears: "Talent awakened... Violet Extremity... Special Category... SS-Grade."

Liang Yin remained stunned for a moment, initially thinking she was hallucinating. Once she confirmed it was real, she was overcome with euphoric excitement.

"Heaven never bars one's way! It’s done, it’s finally done! Mom, Dad, your daughter has made something of herself!"

...

The next morning, when Chu Ge and Su Ran came downstairs with smiles on their faces, they ran into Liang Yin. The aura she exuded was completely different—sharp and powerful, as if she were a completely different person.

Su Ran suddenly realized something and said in surprise, "You... awakened your talent? Can you show us?"

"My talent is called 'Violet Extremity,' an SS-grade special type. I still need to explore its specific effects, but it looks quite intimidating."

Liang Yin smiled, and streaks of violet light erupted from her body, coalescing into a three-meter-tall violet giant—only the upper body—that enveloped her. The giant’s face was blurred, its features indistinguishable, and its eyes glowed with a menacing red light. It held a long blade in its right hand and a longbow slung across its back. Both weapons were forged from violet light, radiating immense pressure.

Judging by its appearance, it was indeed quite intimidating.

"So big," Xu Wei said, her lips parted in shock.

"Holy crap, is that a Gundam?" Jiang Tao’s eyes widened, his face full of awe.

"What kind of talent is this?" Chu Ge stared at the violet giant and quietly asked his diary.

*The special category talents are bizarre and countless. Even with my extensive knowledge, I cannot discern its origin.*

Liang Yin waved her right hand, and the giant’s blade slashed down, carving a deep crack into the wall. The giant mirrored her movements perfectly. Just as Jiang Tao had said, it was very much like a Gundam.

"The attack power is good, but what about its defense?" Chu Ge asked curiously.

Liang Yin shook her head. "I'm not sure. Would one of you like to test it?"

"Let me," Su Ran said, summoning her Azure Lotus Sword and slashing down.

*Clang!*

A sound of metal clashing rang out, sparks flew, and the violet giant didn't even have a scratch on it. Su Ran increased her strength—twenty percent, forty percent, sixty percent...

It wasn't until she struck with eighty percent of her power that a web of cracks appeared on the giant's chest. As Liang Yin focused, violet light surged from her body, and the shattered chest healed in an instant.

"The defense is also excellent. It can block a strike at eighty percent of your power; ordinary beasts won't be able to break through it."