1: Chapter 1: The Genius Persona Must Stay!

[Please, Godfather, scan the code to store your brain]

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"Su Ming, aren't you the top of the grade? From now on, you aren't even fit to carry my shoes!"

Zhao Kuo stood on the awakening platform, a dark red pillar of fire erupting from beneath his feet, scorching the edges of his school uniform sleeves.

He looked down at the indifferent face below, his smile filled with three years of pent-up resentment.

"S-rank Elemental Type talent—[Lava Earth Fire]!"

The mentor's voice trembled as he looked at the rating on the light screen.

The crowd erupted!

"S-rank! How many years has it been since Jiangcheng No. 1 High School produced an S-rank?"

"Zhao Kuo is a beast! He's on track for the top three universities in the Federation!"

"He's already the young master of the Zhao family. With all those resources, isn't an S-rank awakening a given?"

In this high-martial arts world, once you turn eighteen, you get a chance to awaken a talent.

But not everyone succeeds.

Talents are divided into five categories: Elemental Type, Enhancement Type, Mystery Type, Auxiliary Type, and Lifestyle Type.

Each is ranked into nine levels: F, E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, and SSS.

F-rank is universally considered trash; awakening one is no different from not awakening at all.

SSS-rank is a legendary existence, rarely seen in a century, capable of rewriting the landscape of an era.

Moving down, an A-rank guarantees entry into the top ten national universities, not to mention S-rank.

That is an absolute core existence destined to become a titan guarding a region; Jiangcheng might not even produce one in a decade.

Zhao Kuo walked off the stage, deliberately passing in front of Su Ming and slamming his shoulder into him.

The fire-elemental power grazed Su Ming's right arm, scorching a mark.

It had been three years. What was Zhao Kuo's status at Jiangcheng No. 1 High School? Class monitor, rich second generation, the only son of the Zhao Group.

Yet, there was this poor orphan who not only beat his grades by a mile but was also better-looking and, damn it, could put on such a good act!

What he couldn't swallow was the girl beside Su Ming.

The recognized school beauty of Jiangcheng No. 1 High School, with skin as white as congealed fat.

Her almond-shaped eyes seemed to hold a pool of autumn water; when she smiled, even the air turned three parts sweeter.

The boys who secretly loved her could line up from the teaching building to the school gate, and Zhao Kuo was the most obsessed among them.

Zhao Kuo had everything he wanted, except for that one woman, who was devoted to a poor kid who couldn't even afford a house.

The feeling of being rejected was more painful than being slapped in the face.

"Wait until you finish awakening, then we'll see who the real trash is."

Zhao Kuo sneered, his gaze sweeping intentionally or unintentionally toward the slender figure in the crowd.

"By then... there are some things you won't be worthy of either."

Su Ming frowned, looked at the burn on his arm, but didn't say a word.

Inside, however, he was already cursing!

"Damn it! The flames almost burned my hair!"

"Is S-rank so great? Just wait until I awaken, I'll hang you up and beat you! I'll show you what the wrath of a top student is."

He was a transmigrator, his soul coming from Blue Star, a poor corporate slave sent away by the 996 "blessing."

Fortunately, the body he inherited was well-built, and the brain was sharp.

For three years, he had painstakingly cultivated the persona of a "genius youth" and a "cold, aloof top student."

Living in the cheapest house, putting on the biggest act.

As long as he took first place, the school scholarship and the admiring gazes of female classmates provided him, this "poor loser," with immense spiritual satisfaction.

Life was hard, but he couldn't say it out loud.

After all, have you ever seen a top student who was a clown?

These three years, he had acted so hard.

Zhao Kuo's hostility was just karma.

But well, once you start acting, you get used to it.

"Su Ming..."

Liu Ruyan held his sleeve tightly.

Su Ming turned to look at her.

Liu Ruyan was indeed very beautiful, the cold, aloof type of beauty.

"What's wrong?"

"It's almost my turn."

Her voice trembled, her eyes reddening.

"What if my awakened talent is very poor? Will you leave me?"

Su Ming ruffled her hair.

"What are you saying? Of course not."

Liu Ruyan bit her lower lip.

Her family background was no better than Su Ming's, and her grades were always at the bottom.

Except for a pretty face, she had nothing to show for herself.

Su Ming was the only light in her gloomy life.

He explained problems to her, helped her get food, and carried her to the infirmary when she had a fever.

Every time she held Su Ming's hand, she felt at ease, felt that her brain was much clearer, and felt that life had hope.

"Su Ming, after we both awaken, let's go to the best university together, okay?"

Su Ming nodded and held her small hand a little tighter.

The two had been dating for three years, and the most intimate gesture was just holding hands.

He had wanted to take Liu Ruyan to bed several times to do the deed.

But this woman insisted on waiting until they got into university.

Su Ming's coming-of-age ceremony wasn't just these few days anyway.

"Liu Ruyan!"

The mentor called her name.

She let go of Su Ming's hand and walked onto the awakening platform with wobbly legs.

The moment her trembling palm touched the stone tablet, she closed her eyes.

Hum!

A pink, ghostly light exploded from inside the stone tablet without warning.

The color was so rare that even Zhao Kuo's dark red fire pillar paled in comparison.

The mentor widened his eyes and said excitedly while looking at the light screen: "Liu Ruyan, awakened A-rank Mystery Type talent, Luck Companion!"

The whole venue went dead silent.

Then came cheers even crazier than when the S-rank was awakened.

Mystery Type; the number of people who awaken this annually in the entire Federation can be counted on one hand.

And an A-rank [Luck Companion] is hailed by the higher-ups as the ultimate talent for a "perfect partner"!

As long as she forms a Daoist companion bond with a strong individual, both sides can form a perfect cycle of luck.

She can not only share the other party's cultivation results, but the high-purity source energy converted by her talent can also greatly nourish the host, doubling the other half's cultivation speed and even forcibly breaking through cultivation barriers!

This is simply a walking "humanoid breakthrough pill"!

Such a talent, in the Federation's circle of geniuses, is something that major noble families would fight tooth and nail to marry into their homes.

The crowd below had gone crazy.

"Holy crap, A-rank Mystery Type? Liu Ruyan? That bottom-of-the-class Liu Ruyan?"

"It's Luck Companion, brother. If this talent marries the right person, it's even more fierce than an S-rank!"

"Truly a peasant girl turning into a phoenix..."

Liu Ruyan stood on the stage, so excited she almost cried.

Her constitution was naturally special; even before her talent awakened, she could absorb the luck of those around her.

It was precisely Su Ming's luck that had pushed her from mediocre potential to the threshold of an A-rank awakening.

Liu Ruyan stood on the high platform, her gaze sweeping across the crowd.

She looked at the boy below who was wearing an old school uniform and smiling at her with a thumbs-up.

At this moment, she felt not a shred of guilt.

Instead, it was a feeling of extremely cold, entitled justification.

"Holy crap! Holy crap!! Mystery Type? And it's [Luck Companion]? Isn't this just the legendary 'top-tier dual cultivation furnace'!?"

Su Ming was stunned on the stage; if not for the crowd, he would have wanted to do a set of military exercises right there.

My girlfriend awakened a dual cultivation talent!

They say every transmigrator must have a cheat.

Isn't this the cheat God gave me?

With this start, I wouldn't trade it even if the gods came!

He almost laughed out loud, but quickly tightened his face, put on his cold mask, and continued to pose.

After more than a dozen people passed, it was finally the turn of the name everyone was looking forward to most.

"Su Ming!"

It was finally his turn.

When the mentor called this name, there was obvious expectation in his tone.

Top in theory, mental strength twice that of his peers, and his analytical ability in simulated battles was monstrous.

A student like this should at least start at A-rank, right?

The gazes of all the teachers and students in the school focused on him.

"Go for it, Senior Su Ming! You must be S-rank!"

Several lower-grade girls stared infatuatedly at his thin, upright figure, their cheeks flushing.

"Wuwuwu, he is so handsome standing there, even though he's just wearing an old school uniform..."

"I don't care, I just want to see him shine!"

Everyone was waiting for him to do something big.

Su Ming straightened his school uniform collar.

"Although I'm poor, I'm the protagonist."

He walked onto the awakening platform and placed his hand on the stone tablet.

"Stone tablet, oh stone tablet, give me some face and shine like crazy!"

Hum!

The stone tablet really did light up.

Awakening successful!

Wait, this color... something is wrong!?