Jiangnan City, Third High School, Playground. Before the College Entrance Exam, National Awakening Day.
The massive playground was bustling with noise. The air was thick with the smell of sweat, tension, and excitement.
"Next, Class 3-2, Zhao Tai!"
With a cold shout from the military examiner in charge of the Awakening, a burly boy with an arrogant face strode towards the Awakening Platform.
As he passed the end of the queue, he deliberately paused and slammed his shoulder hard into a thin teenager standing there.
"Move it, trash."
Zhao Tai sneered. His voice wasn't loud, but it was enough for those around them to hear. "Lin Zhiran, your Vitality stat is only 0.7, right? You don't even meet the standard for a normal person. If I were you, I'd go deliver food right now instead of embarrassing yourself up there."
A burst of laughter erupted from the surrounding students.
The boy who was shoved was named Lin Zhiran. He was thin and wore a school uniform that had been washed until it was faded white. In this world full of muscular men and martial arts fanatics, he looked completely out of place.
Facing the humiliation, Lin Zhiran remained expressionless. His eyes didn't even waver. He simply silently brushed the dust off his shoulder, as if the person who had just bumped into him wasn't a human, but a buzzing fly.
Calm. Extreme calm.
This was Lin Zhiran. Although his family was poor and he often had to survive on the cheapest synthetic nutrient paste, his eyes were always like deep pools—bottomless and unreadable.
"Zhao Tai, if you're going to Awaken, hurry up. Cut the crap," Lin Zhiran said indifferently. His voice was soft, but it carried a chilling undertone.
"You—! Still stubborn even when you're about to die!"
Zhao Tai huffed coldly, turned around, and walked up to the platform. He pressed his hand onto the black Awakening Stone Monolith.
Buzz—!
The monolith instantly erupted with dazzling red light, accompanied by the faint roar of a tiger!
The numbers on the big screen jumped frantically:
[Name: Zhao Tai] [Talent Rank: A-Rank!] [Talent Name: Berserk Beast Blood (Strength increased by 300%)]
The entire field went dead silent for a second, followed immediately by a deafening roar of shock!
"Heavens! A-Rank! It's actually an A-Rank!" "That's a top-tier talent! As long as he doesn't die young, he'll be at least a Grandmaster in the future!" "Young Master Zhao is too strong! The Thunder Dojo will definitely recruit him directly, right?"
Zhao Tai basked in the cheers of the crowd, walking down the stage triumphantly. As he passed Lin Zhiran, he made a throat-slitting gesture. "See that? This is the difference between a genius and trash. Lin Zhiran, in this era, having no talent is the original sin."
Lin Zhiran remained silent.
Indeed, this was the Era of High Martial Arts. A hundred years ago, rifts in space-time opened, and beasts rampaged across the globe. Humans could only survive in this cruel world by practicing martial arts and Awakening talents.
Talent ranks ranged from F-Rank to SSS-Rank. The hierarchy was strict and insurmountable.
"Next, Lin Zhiran!" The examiner's voice sounded again, tinged with impatience.
Lin Zhiran took a deep breath. Carrying the rusty, standard-issue iron spear provided by the school, he walked up the steps to the Awakening Platform.
This was his only chance.
If he couldn't awaken a combat talent, he would live at the bottom of society for the rest of his life, unable to even earn enough money to treat his sister's illness.
He pressed his palm against the cold monolith.
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.
The monolith showed no reaction.
Boos began to sound from below the stage.
"I told you so. How can trash with 0.7 Vitality awaken anything?" Zhao Tai mocked loudly. "Don't waste everyone's time! Get down!"
Lin Zhiran ignored the noise from the outside world. Eyes closed, he could feel a faint but extremely sharp stream of heat rushing from the monolith into his body, charging straight for his mind!
In that instant, the world seemed to freeze.
A cold, mechanical voice, devoid of any emotion, suddenly exploded in the depths of his mind!
[Ding! Detected host's Soul Strength is extremely high... System adapting...]
[Adaptation successful!]
[Congratulations to the Host. You have awakened the Unique Hidden Talent: SSS-Rank · Heart of the Spear God!]
Boom—!!!
Lin Zhiran's consciousness felt like it was pulled into a vast starry sky. There, a golden spear that seemed to bridge heaven and earth stood proudly, radiating a terrifying sharpness capable of piercing the firmament!
That sharp aura instantly washed over his entire body.
[SSS-Rank · Heart of the Spear God Effects:] [1. Supreme Spear Dao: Instantly master any spear technique at a glance to the level of perfection!] [2. Absolute Armor Break: All spear attacks by the Host ignore defense and possess 100% Armor Penetration!] [3. Slaughter Evolution: Infinite Slaughter Panel unlocked. Kill living beings to plunder Origin Energy and add points infinitely!]
SSS-Rank! And it was an SSS-Rank of the Spear type, known for the most terrifying attack power!
Lin Zhiran's heart beat violently. He knew better than anyone what this meant. This was the ladder to godhood!
However, the next second, the System's voice sounded again.
[Warning! Detected that the Host is currently too weak. SSS-Rank talent fluctuations may attract assassinations from high-level powerhouses or alien races!]
[Self-Protection Mechanism activated... Tampering with display results...]
The light on the Awakening Platform flickered a few times. Finally, a dim, gray-white light lit up.
That was the color of the lowest, trashiest tier.
The text on the big screen jumped out:
[Name: Lin Zhiran] [Talent Rank: F-Rank (Inferior)] [Talent Name: Basic Spear Mastery]
"Pfft—Hahaha!"
Zhao Tai laughed so hard he leaned back and forth. "Basic Spear Mastery? F-Rank? I'm dying of laughter! Can this even be called a talent? Isn't this just for circus performers?"
"It really is a trash talent. Aside from handling a spear a bit more skillfully than a normal person, it has no stat bonuses." "What a pity. He's quite handsome, but he's destined to be a security guard for life." "F-Rank... His path as a martial artist is basically cut off."
Mockery, pity, and disdain surged like a tide.
The examiner waved his hand indifferently. "F-Rank. Get down. Don't block the people behind you."
Lin Zhiran slowly opened his eyes.
Deep within his pitch-black pupils, a cold spear glint seemed to flash past.
Looking at the glaring "F-Rank" on the big screen, not only was he not disappointed, but the corners of his mouth also curled up into an imperceptible arc.
F-Rank? Good.
The wind howls around the highest peaks. In this dog-eat-dog world of High Martial Arts, exposing an SSS-Rank talent before having the strength to back it up would only lead to becoming a sliced-up lab experiment or a corpse assassinated by alien races.
This camouflage was exactly the protective color he needed most.
Lin Zhiran gripped the worn-out iron spear in his hand tightly. In the eyes of others, it was just a piece of scrap metal; but in his eyes now, this spear seemed to come alive. Every grain, every center of gravity of the spear body was reflected in his mind with incomparable clarity.
If he wanted to, he could pierce Zhao Tai's throat with this piece of scrap metal right now.
"Laugh. Laugh all you want."
Carrying his spear, Lin Zhiran straightened his spine amidst the laughter of the crowd and walked down the Awakening Platform step by step. His back was as solitary and proud as a spear.
The next time I thrust my spear, you will know what a true... God is.
[Ding! Detected Level 0 Beasts nearby. Infinite Slaughter Panel activated.] [Newbie Mission Issued: Achieve First Kill. Reward: Free Attribute Points +5!]
Lin Zhiran's footsteps paused slightly, and a trace of bloodthirsty light flashed in his eyes.
That was the look of a hunter seeing prey.
The hunt had begun.