Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Talent Merger
Faced with the glowing Talent, Zhao Chi couldnāt help but reach out and click.
A system prompt popped up:
ćThe current Talent meets the conditions for "Transplantation." Transfer information?ć
Gold font again!
This notification was also gleaming gold!
āTransplantation can transfer a Talentās information?ā
āSo *this* is how this Talent is used!ā
Zhao Chi immediately clicked "Transfer."
ćPlease select a transfer target.ć
There was nothing else to choose from.
He could only select the first Talent, "Female Scholar."
ćPlease select an Effect to transfer.ć
Zhao Chi thought for a moment.
He tried to transfer the positive Effect of "Judging by Appearance" to replace the Negative Effect of "Female Scholar."
And it actually worked!
ćFirst time transferring Talent data. Restrictions lifted. Success rate: 100%. Confirm?ć
āSo there are usually restrictions and a success rate.ā
āBut this time, itās unrestricted with a 100% success rate.ā
Zhao Chi had no other choice. He immediately clicked "Confirm."
His first Talent changed instantly:
[Talent] Female Scholar
[Level] C Level (Upgradeable)
[Effect] 1. +20% Effect when using Skills on female allies. For every 1 point of the targetās Appearance Attribute, the Effect is increased by an additional 5%.
[Effect] 2. When using Skills on allies of the opposite sex, +5% Effect for every 1 point of their Appearance Attribute.
The Level rose from E Level to C Level.
A jump of 2 Levels.
After all, the Talentās Negative Effect was gone.
Plus, it had gained a new positive Effect, which merged with the original one.
There was nothing to hesitate about.
He selected this Talent directly.
A system prompt arrived:
[You have obtained the Initial Talent "Female Scholar."]
āSo this is my Initial Talent.ā
āLooks like in the future, Iāll not only have to recruit female subordinates, but high-appearance female subordinates.ā
āBut it seems thereās a shortage of beautiful women in any world.ā
āFortunately, this Talent no longer has a Negative Effect.ā
āEven without beautiful Female Soldiers, itās still usable with Other Soldier Types.ā
The Talent Awakening was complete.
Only then did Zhao Chi look up at his surroundings.
The surrounding chatter had died down. Everyone was staring ahead.
Principal Liao Zheng walked over.
He cleared his throat and then said to the students, "Alright, everyone, quiet down."
The students quickly fell silent.
Principal Liao Zheng continued:
"Students, regardless of the outcome, whatās done is done."
"Those of you with good Talents, donāt get arrogant."
"And those who didnāt awaken a Talent, donāt be discouraged. There are still other chances."
"Next, we will be distributing the āWorld Stonesā."
"As you all know, World Stones donāt come easy. They were obtained by our predecessors who risked their lives."
"We canāt compare to the nobles. Each of you will only receive one World Stone, so you must treasure it."
"Manage your own territories well. Donāt slack off, and absolutely do not waste this one-week break."
"When school resumes, there will be the first test."
"The entire grade will participate."
"The higher your rank, the richer the rewards from the school. You must seize this opportunity."
"Today, the school will also be issuing an additional āHeroic Soulā to each of you."
"Please choose a Heroic Soul that suits your Talent and actual circumstances."
"All of your various information is private."
"Do not reveal it lightly."
"The school will not casually ask you to provide detailed information either."
"We will only monitor your battles and evaluate your territories."
"This is also to provide more targeted training."
"In the future, it will also help us match you with suitable enemies in battle."
"Alright, the Chief Instructors of each class may now distribute the āWorld Stonesā and āHeroic Soulsā."
As soon as he finished speaking, the previously quiet students erupted in cheers.
The moment had finally arrived.
The Chief Instructors became the targets of the swarming students.
"Class 2, form a line! No chaos."
"Donāt push to the front! Class 3, donāt crowd together, everyone will get one."
"Class 7, form two lines! Iāll hand them out one by one!"
The students waited excitedly.
Zhao Chi was a student in Class 4.
The Chief Instructor for Class 4 was Li Ruanyu, who specialized in teaching Sewing.
In terms of both figure and looks, she could be considered the reigning queen of the entire Lord Academy.
Today, she was dressed very formally.
Silk Stockings, High Heels, a Short Skirt, and a black, waist-cinching uniformāthe standard attire for a female instructor.
The gazes of all the male students around were drawn to her.
Many students from other classes cast envious glances at the students of Class 4.
Li Ruanyu patted a student who hadnāt Awakened a Talent.
"Take these and keep them safe. Donāt be discouraged. You must work hard during the break; you still have a chance."
"Sigh... I understand. Thank you, Instructor Li."
"Youāre welcome. Keep it up."
Li Ruanyu continued down the line.
Soon, she reached Zhao Chiās side.
Zhao Chi felt himself enveloped in a fresh, floral fragrance.
Li Ruanyu smiled and asked, "So, are you satisfied with your results?"
Zhao Chi nodded. "I am."
Li Ruanyu nodded. "Thatās good. What Type of Initial Hero do you want?"
Zhao Chi hesitated. "I want a female Hero, and a beautiful one at that."
As soon as he said it, the atmosphere changed.
The surrounding students, who had all been looking at Li Ruanyu, now turned their gazes to Zhao Chi.
"Wh-what is he trying to do?"
"I donāt know. Is he trying to get Instructor Liās attention?"
"Using his future to get her attention? Is there something wrong with his head?"
"Heās Zhao Chi. Of course his brainās got a problem. Heās always been slow."
"Donāt be like that. Heās a 20-year-old young man, after all. Itās understandable."
"Yeah... I want a beautiful female Hero, too."
"Then go ask for one."
"Forget it..."
Li Ruanyuās delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly.
She pressed her rosy lips together.
Then she said seriously, "Zhao Chi, your Initial Hero is very important. You canāt just randomly choose based on your personal interests. It needs to fit your Talent and strengths. Thatās the only way it can help you develop better."
Zhao Chi nodded. "I understand. A female, and a beautiful female Hero, is exactly what fits my actual situation."
Li Ruanyu sighed. "Fine. But there are no Heroic Souls specifically designated as ābeautiful,ā only as āfemale.ā Iāll give you this one, then. Accept it through the system."
A system prompt arrived:
[Li Ruanyu has sent you a Trade request. Accept?]
Accept!
Instantly, a Trade interface popped up before his eyes.
There were 3 items inside.
All of them had just been placed there by Li Ruanyu.
[Li Ruanyu has confirmed the Trade. Do you confirm?]
Zhao Chi clicked "Confirm."
System prompt:
[You have obtained the following items:]
[Random Female Heroic Soul Ć1]
[Small World Stone Ć1]
[Lordās Toolbox Ć1]
"Thank you, Instructor Li."
Li Ruanyu looked at him with a complicated expression. "Do your best. Female Heroes might be weaker in terms of Power, but their Other Attributes will be higher. This was all covered in class. I trust your choice."
With that, she moved on to the next student.
Zhao Chi looked at the 3 items.
āThis is the first time Iāve ever gotten something so precious.ā
As he was looking, someone suddenly called out to him.
"Zhao Chi! Zhao Chi! Did you activate it yet?"
He looked up and saw Yang Xiong, who was diagonally in front of him.
Yang Xiong was Zhao Chiās good friend.
The two had similar backgrounds.
Zhao Chi was an orphan whose parents had both passed away.
Yang Xiong, on the other hand, was the son of his fatherās seventh concubine and wasnāt well-regarded in his family.
As they were in similar boats, they got along well.
Zhao Chi asked, "Activate what?"
"Your Heroic Soul! What else?"
"I just got it. I havenāt had time to activate it."
"Then hurry up and activate it! My Heroic Soul isā"
"Stop! Stop, stop, stop!" Zhao Chi quickly cut him off. "The principal just said we shouldnāt share this information casually."
Yang Xiong waved his hand dismissively.
He said with conviction:
"Initial Talents and Initial Heroes are fine. Theyāre just Basic stuff; thereās no need to hide them."
"Besides, weāll have to do team battles later. When we fight, everyone will be able to guess each otherās information anyway."
"And we need to understand each other to coordinate. Thereās nothing to keep secret."
"We can start being secretive after we learn some Rare Skills."