1: Chapter 1: On the Day of Awakening, I Became a "Prodigy Waste"?

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On the Awakening platform, the crystal pillar erupted with a blinding golden light.

That light was so intense, it was as if a second sun had risen inside the gymnasium.

More than two thousand people in the audience gasped in unison.

"My god..." The old principal presiding over the Awakening ceremony's hand trembled, his glasses nearly slipping off.

A golden pillar of light soared into the sky, transforming into a brilliant Glory Corona phantom on the gymnasium ceiling.

As the light and shadow shifted, ancient runes faintly drifted within the glow.

"Glorious Corona Physique!" The testing teacher's voice cracked with excitement. "Elemental affinity... 99%! A Light-attribute Prodigy-Rank Physique!"

The audience erupted into a frenzy.

"Holy crap! Prodigy-Rank?!"

"Our Third High School hasn't produced a Prodigy in ten years, right?"

"Who is this? Lin Feng from Class Three? Isn't he an Explorer's orphan?"

The youth standing in the center of the Awakening platform narrowed his eyes slightly.

Lin Feng felt a warm power surging within his body, as if every cell was cheering.

He could "see" countless golden specks of light floating in the air, affectionately surrounding him.

"Dad, Mom... did you see that?" Lin Feng clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms.

Six years ago, his parents disappeared in the "Abyssal Corridor" dungeon.

The Federation declared them dead, but he didn't believe it.

Today, he had finally awakened a sufficiently powerful Physique—

Glory Corona, Light-attribute Prodigy-Rank!

Textbooks said this Physique was a rare find in decades, known as the "Father of Light." Its initial attributes were twice those of an ordinary person, and its growth potential was limitless.

As long as it was paired with a decent Talent...

"Please place your hand on the Talent testing device on the right." The testing teacher's voice was filled with anticipation.

Lin Feng took a deep breath and pressed his right hand onto the black crystal plate.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

The crystal plate vibrated slightly, and a line of small silver text appeared.

The testing teacher leaned in to look.

The smile on his face froze.

"Talent Rank: F."

The voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the silent gymnasium.

"F-Rank?!" The old principal rushed over, staring at the crystal plate. "A skill-type Talent... [Fusion]?"

He read the Talent description: "Consumes mana to fuse objects. Rating: No direct combat value, life-support type."

The audience was dead silent for a moment.

Then, a buzz of discussion erupted.

"F-Rank? There must be a mistake?!"

"A Prodigy Physique paired with an F-Rank Talent? What kind of Hellish joke is this..."

"It's over, it's over. Such a good Physique completely wasted."

Lin Feng felt the blood rushing to his head.

His ears were buzzing.

F-Rank?

The lowest grade?

He stared at the small line of text on the crystal plate, his mind blank.

"Ahem..." The old principal patted his shoulder, his eyes complex. "Lin Feng, don't lose heart. The Glorious Corona Physique itself is very strong, even if the Talent is a bit poor..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone could hear the regret.

"Next, Wang Hao from Class Three!"

A slightly chubby boy quickly ran up to the Awakening platform.

As he passed Lin Feng, Wang Hao lowered his voice, the corners of his mouth curling up: "Yo, our great Genius, why are you standing here like a statue?"

Lin Feng glanced at him.

Wang Hao lived in the same neighborhood. Since they were young, his grades, physical fitness, and combat drills had never been better than Lin Feng's.

Every time he lost, he would say sourly, "An Explorer's son just has more resources."

Now, this guy's face was written all over with schadenfreude.

Wang Hao placed his hand on the Physique testing device.

A blue pillar of light lit up, above average.

"Water Element Affinity Physique, Elite-Rank, 72% affinity!" The testing teacher announced the data.

Wang Hao nodded with satisfaction and walked toward the Talent testing device.

He pressed his palm down.

The crystal plate glowed with a deep blue light!

"Talent Rank: B-Rank! Combat-type Talent [Water Control]!" The testing teacher raised his voice. "Compatibility with his own Physique... Excellent!"

The audience stirred again.

"B-Rank combat Talent! And it matches his Physique!"

"This combination is perfect!"

"Wang Hao is going to take off!"

Wang Hao walked down the Awakening platform with his head held high, intentionally circling in front of Lin Feng.

He patted Lin Feng's shoulder, his voice loud enough for everyone around to hear: "Lin Feng, it's really a pity. Say, if you gave me half of your Physique, wouldn't we both be perfect?"

Several followers laughed along.

Lin Feng remained silent and said nothing.

He just stared at his own palm.

F-Rank.

[Fusion].

"Move aside."

A cold female voice rang out.

Chen Lin pushed through the crowd and walked to Lin Feng's side.

The girl had a high ponytail and a clean, tidy school uniform. Her almond eyes were glaring at Wang Hao. "Are you so smug just because you awakened a good Talent? Did you forget when Lin Feng took you down in three moves during last week's combat class?"

Wang Hao's face stiffened. "Chen Lin, you..."

"You what?" Chen Lin took Lin Feng's arm. "Lin Feng, let's go. Don't pay attention to this kind of person who gets lucky and acts all high and mighty."

She pulled Lin Feng toward the exit of the gymnasium.

Behind them came Wang Hao's sarcastic voice: "Chen Lin, it's useless even if you protect him! With my B-Rank Talent, I'm definitely getting into the Nine Great Academies! What about him? A Prodigy Physique with an F-Rank Talent, which academy would want him? The Explorer team or the Pioneer team? Haha..."

The laughter was ear-piercing.

Stealing out of the gymnasium, the afternoon sun was a bit blinding.

Lin Feng gently pulled his arm away.

"Thanks," he said.

"What's there to thank?" Chen Lin turned around and looked at him seriously. "Lin Feng, don't listen to Wang Hao's nonsense. The Glorious Corona Physique itself is priceless, even if the Talent is a bit poor..."

"Poor enough to be F-Rank." Lin Feng interrupted her with a self-mocking smile. "Linlin, do you know what F-Rank means?"

Chen Lin opened her mouth but said nothing.

Both of them knew.

In the Federation's education system, Awakening at age 16 was the turning point of life.

Elemental Physique was like the "academic subjects," determining your attribute growth and elemental affinity.

Talent was like the "major subjects," determining your career direction and skill tree.

The admission standards for the Nine Great Academies were very clear—

Either the Talent rating reaches A-Rank or above.

Or the Physique is Elite-Rank and the Talent is C-Rank or above, and the two are compatible.

What about Lin Feng?

Physique: Prodigy-Rank (Top-tier).

Talent: F-Rank (Bottom-tier).

They were completely mismatched.

"I can go to the Explorers Guild and apply for special recruitment..." Chen Lin said softly.

"No need." Lin Feng shook his head. "You go to the academy. Three years from now..."

He stopped halfway.

What about three years from now?

If Chen Lin entered the academy, how many Geniuses would she meet?

She was currently an Elite-Rank Wind Element Physique with an A-Rank Talent [Wind Perception]; entering the Nine Great Academies was a sure thing.

Three years was enough for people from two different worlds to drift apart.

"I'll come find you," Chen Lin said suddenly, her eyes sparkling. "When I graduate from the academy, I'll apply to join the squad you're in. Whether you're an Explorer or a Pioneer."

Lin Feng looked at her serious expression, and his heart warmed slightly.

But then came a deeper bitterness.

"Don't talk nonsense." He rubbed her hair. "Go back, there are still classes this afternoon."

"Lin Feng..."

"I'm fine."

Lin Feng smiled and turned to walk out of the school.

His silhouette stretched long under the sunlight.

He didn't look back.

Because he knew that if he did, he would see the worried look in Chen Lin's eyes.

And what he needed least was pity.

...

Returning to his small 4-square-meter apartment, Lin Feng closed the door and leaned his back against it.

Silence.

Since his parents disappeared, the house had always been this quiet.

A family photo hung on the wall—taken six years ago, his father's arm around his mother's shoulder, and his eight-year-old self standing in the middle, smiling with a mouthful of little white teeth.

"Dad, Mom, I've awakened the Glory Corona."

Lin Feng said softly to the photo.

"But the Talent is F-Rank."

"If you were here, would you be disappointed?"

No answer.

Only the humming of hovercars passing by outside the window.

Lin Feng walked to the bedside and sat down, a thought crossing his mind.

A pale blue semi-transparent panel expanded before his eyes.

[Name: Lin Feng]

[Rank: 1 (0/100)]

[Physique: Glory Corona (Prodigy-Rank)]

[Talent: Fusion (F-Rank)]

[Strength: 1 (Attack Power 20)]

[Physique: 1 (HP 100, Defense 10)]

[Spirit: 1 (Spell Attack 50, Mana 100)]

[Agility: 1]

[Intelligence: 1]

[Free Attribute Points: ]

[Skills: None]

[Equipment: None]

[Human Credits: 350 (Remaining from parents' pension)]

The attributes were indeed higher than an ordinary person's.

Textbooks said that when a normal person just awakened, their basic attributes were all 5 points.

His were 10 points, doubled.

"Is this the bonus from the Glorious Corona Physique..." Lin Feng murmured.

His gaze fell on the Talent column.

[Fusion (F-Rank)]: Consumes mana to fuse any two or more rules, consciousness, objects, etc. This will change the original form or essence and sublimate them. Each Fusion consumes mana based on the quality of the fused items.

Lin Feng frowned.

Is this description... a bit too exaggerated?

Are words like "rules" and "consciousness" something an F-Rank Talent should involve?

He looked around the room.

His gaze fell on the two glass cups on the table.

Ordinary transparent glass cups, sold for 5 credits each at the supermarket.

"Let's try it."

Lin Feng picked up the two cups and locked his mind on them.

Activate Talent [Fusion]!

Buzz—

A prompt appeared in his mind:

[Detectable Fusion items: Glass Cup x2]

[Fusion of identical substances, Quality: White Common]

[Minimum consumption: 1 Mana (Simple combination)]

[Maximum consumption: 18 Mana (Deep sublimation)]

[Current Mana: 100/100]

Lin Feng chose 1 mana.

He wanted to see what the "simple combination" effect was.

The two glass cups in his hands suddenly softened, blending together like two globs of transparent liquid.

A second later, the light dissipated.

A... large glass cup appeared in his hand.

The capacity was about twice the original.

Other than that, there was no change.

"That's it?" Lin Feng twitched his lips.

As expected, it was only F-Rank.

But he didn't give up.

He went to the kitchen and brought back two more identical glass cups.

This time, he gritted his teeth and chose 18 mana—close to the maximum consumption.

"Deep sublimation... let me see what you can sublimate into."

Mana was instantly drained.

Lin Feng felt his head spin, as if he had pulled three consecutive all-nighters.

But the change in his hands captured all his attention.

The three cups melted simultaneously.

This time, it wasn't a simple blending.

They reorganized, deformed, and underwent a qualitative change within the light...

When the light faded, Lin Feng was holding an exquisite crystal night light.

The body of the lamp was crystal clear, with fine light patterns flowing inside.

[Obtained Item: Glimmering Crystal Lamp]

[Quality: F-Rank (Green Excellent)]

[Effect: Automatically emits soft glimmer in the dark, range 5 meters, adjustable brightness]

[Description: Formed from the Fusion and sublimation of three ordinary glass cups; the essence of the material has changed.]

Lin Feng stared blankly at the crystal lamp in his hand.

His breathing gradually became rapid.

Four 5-credit glass cups.

Became one...

He quickly opened the Federation's online shopping platform and searched for similar items.

"Similar portable night light, price... 20 credits?"

Lin Feng suddenly looked up.

He looked at his hands, then at the other clutter on the table.

F-Rank Talent?

To Hell with F-Rank!

If this thing is used well...

In the youth's eyes, the extinguished light reignited.

And it was even more intense than before.