50: Chapter 50: The First Awakened [Fire-Type Ability User] Appears!

Real world.

The next morning.

Jiang Jin stretched and got out of bed in the top-floor bedroom of the homestay.

"It really rained heavily last night; the stone platform outside is covered in rainwater that hasn't drained away yet."

Opening the curtains and seeing the scene outside, Jiang Jin muttered to himself.

He then washed up in the bathroom and went downstairs to have breakfast prepared by the homestay's chef.

"This cooking is truly not bad, far better than my own half-baked skills."

"It seems I won't need to cook myself in the future; I can just hand the ingredients to the homestay chef to handle."

Eating the exquisitely presented breakfast, Jiang Jin commented with satisfaction.

"How long have you two been here?"

"I've been here for over five years, and he's been here for exactly three."

At the dining table, the older chef stood to the side and responded with slight nervousness.

"In the future, I will bring some top-tier ingredients. You should prepare them according to your understanding of the dishes; don't worry about ruining the ingredients."

"If you cook them well, I will naturally reward you."

As Jiang Jin spoke, he glanced at Zhao Ruohan, who was dining nearby, and added:

"From now on, the salary and benefits of these two chefs will double. As long as they use the ingredients I provide to make exquisite delicacies, their salaries will continue to double."

"Thank you for your grace, Master!"

The two lost their nervousness and were full of excitement, almost kneeling on the ground.

"You may go about your work."

Consuming Transcendent ingredients directly results in limited absorption and utilization of Transcendent energy, but cooking them into exquisite delicacies can greatly increase the body's absorption rate.

Therefore, necessary rewards are needed to improve their dedication to researching Transcendent dishes.

After breakfast, Jiang Jin went to the empty stone platform in front of the homestay.

At this moment, Zhou Guanying and the others were practicing there. The punches they threw were occasionally wrapped in streaks of force, causing the air to emit faint cracking sounds.

"How is it? After consuming that wild pheasant egg last night, you should have all initially stepped into the Transcendent realm, right?"

"Yes, Master. All seventeen of us have now just entered the Transcendent realm. We just sparred a bit and found that Liu Jie has the highest talent; he can actually take on two people at once!"

Zhou Guanying retracted his Qi and glanced at Liu Jie on the other side of the stone platform, his expression filled with amazement.

"Oh? Just having stepped into the Transcendent realm, he can already take on two?"

Jiang Jin laughed and said, "It seems Liu Jie's talent for Cultivation is very high."

"Liu Jie, come here."

Hearing this, Liu Jie immediately put down the stone grinder in his hand and trotted over with some pride.

When he arrived, Jiang Jin's mind stirred, and Liu Jie's four-dimensional data appeared before his eyes:

[Name: Liu Jie]

[Race: Human]

[Ability: ???]

[Strength: 17]

[Agility: 16]

[Physique: 16]

[Spirit: 18]

[Comprehensive Life Rating: F+]

"Huh? You kid just stepped into the Transcendent realm, and you've already awakened an Ability?"

Seeing the [Ability] box appear on the panel, Jiang Jin was somewhat surprised.

Liu Jie was clearly hearing this term for the first time and rubbed his head with some embarrassment:

"Master, what is... an Ability?"

Hearing Jiang Jin's earlier exclamation, the other team members who were exercising on the stone platform also stopped one after another.

They gathered around, looking like curious babies.

"Ability... *cough cough*, well, to be honest, I don't fully understand it myself either."

Jiang Jin coughed a few times, feeling slightly awkward.

His own life level was only [F+], and when he entered the Transcendent realm, he hadn't awakened an Ability either, so his understanding was naturally based only on personal speculation.

The crowd was stunned for a few seconds, then Jiang Jin spoke slowly again:

"The so-called Ability should be a kind of 'Innate talent'."

"Some people in the real world are born with 'photographic memory,' 'spatial memory,' 'absolute pitch,' or Innate intuition for certain subjects that rivals big data simulations."

"The brain is the control center of the human body."

"Normally, the brain is like a computer hard drive; it periodically clears some unimportant memory fragments."

"But some people's brains do not clear them periodically, which creates these five senses and memory capabilities that far exceed ordinary people."

"And [Ability] can be imagined by analogy; it's just that its target of existence is the 'Transcendent'."

Zhou Guanying asked, "Master, if that's the case, does it mean the more someone awakens an Ability, the higher their talent for Cultivation?"

"That is only one aspect."

Jiang Jin shook his head and said slowly:

"Awakening an Ability can give you a head start over other Transcendents of the same period at the starting line, but the path of Cultivation cannot be judged solely by the starting line."

"'The tortoise race' is a living example. Without a firm belief in Cultivation, without great Opportunity, and without top-tier Cultivation Techniques as support, even the best talent is not as good as 'constant, diligent effort'."

Speaking of this, he smiled, "Wealth, Companions, Dharma, and Land—these are all indispensable."

"Of course, as my subordinate, Liu Jie is at the center of the Transcendent resurgence, so he naturally doesn't lack these."

"Master, so you're saying that this kid Liu Jie is about to take off!"

Lin Shaoyong grinned and rubbed his fists. It seemed that if he wanted to bully Liu Jie, he should do it early, otherwise, he might not have the chance in the future.

The other team members realized this too and all gave Liu Jie a meaningful smile.

"Master, I am the first person to awaken an Ability. Why don't you take me by your side and guide me personally?"

Liu Jie shrank his shoulders and hurriedly requested of Jiang Jin.

"No need. You have to experience the wonders of an Ability yourself; I can't give too much advice."

After Jiang Jin finished speaking, he beckoned to Liu Jie.

Liu Jie understood and immediately stepped forward, extending his arm.

"...Hmm?"

"Do you feel very hot?"

A few seconds later, Jiang Jin withdrew his two fingers from Liu Jie's pulse.

Liu Jie was stunned for a moment, then nodded affirmatively:

"Yes, since stepping into the Transcendent realm in the second half of last night, it feels like there is a ball of blazing fire in my body, with a strange sense of heat."

"It seems you have awakened... a Fire-type Ability!"

"Fire-type Ability?"

Zhou Guanying interjected, "Master, is it like those fire users in anime? Can Liu Jie control 'flames' in the future?"

Hearing this, the others looked astonished. Can... control flames??

Is this still the strength a Mortal should have?

"Pretty much."

Jiang Jin pondered for a moment and said, "After mastering it proficiently, you can release the Transcendent power in your body, which can be described as [Fire Element]."

"From our perspective, it's not much different from controlling flames."

"Of course, there should be many types of Fire-type Abilities. Whether it's attack, flight, defense, or weapon techniques, we will only know after it has fully gestated."

"Since you are the first human to awaken an Ability, I will grant you a reward."

As Jiang Jin spoke, his palm moved slightly, and a bunch of crystal-clear 'Green Grapes' exuding rich Transcendent energy appeared before him.

"This is [Tier 1 • Green Grapes]. After you refine and absorb them, I imagine you will be able to fully gestate your Fire-type Ability."

"Wow!!"

"Master, I can't stop drooling, what should I do?"

"Me too!"

"Alright, don't be envious. This is a reward for Liu Jie. If you want some, wait until you awaken an Ability."

"What—?"

"Master, after stepping into the Transcendent realm, is it still possible to awaken an Ability?"

"Of course."

Handing the bunch of Green Grapes to Liu Jie, Jiang Jin nodded affirmatively: "Just as there are Innate Abilities, there are naturally 'Acquired Abilities'."

"Wow—!"

"I want to Cultivate!"

"I want to awaken an Ability!"

"I want to eat Transcendent crystal grapes!!"