"See?" After hanging up, Chen Luo turned to look at the Herrscher of Knowledge.
"I told you there was a fifty percent chance they had some kind of surveillance method. That's how it always goes in novels."
"...Novels." The Herrscher of Knowledge had never expected her ten thousand years of accumulated knowledge to lose out to novels in the end.
"But how are you going to explain the fact that you can beat him? Are you planning to reveal your Talent? Or just part of it?" the Herrscher of Knowledge asked.
Actually, the Herrscher of Knowledge did not recommend that Chen Luo tell anyone about his Talent, because in her view, no one in this world was worth trusting.
Oh, right. Except herself.
She and Chen Luo were accomplices, after all.
"For that, we have to thank Venti. A Vision can also be disguised as a wind-type superpower." Chen Luo took out his wind Vision from his backpack.
Chen Luo's Vision could still be used normally even when it was inside his backpack, so it did not interfere with him pretending to be a wind-type superpowered person at all.
"And haven't you noticed something..." Chen Luo deliberately left her hanging.
"What?"
"The two Talents I've seen so far seem to be more or less connected to certain anime or game characters." As Chen Luo spoke, he took out his Unsheathed Sword again.
"If that's the case, then there shouldn't be any problem with me making a cameo as a character too, right?"
With a light toss, the Unsheathed Sword in Chen Luo's hand vanished instantly.
It had not been stored in his backpack. This was simply an inherent trait of the Unsheathed Sword.
It could disappear whenever it was not needed, then reappear whenever it was needed.
Chen Luo did not understand the principle behind it, but it seemed that every Genshin Impact character knew how to do this.
So the question was, what did wind, a one-handed sword, and a Vision add up to?
The Hymn of Humanity Was a Hymn of Courage
"Big Brother, long time no see!" A boy about Chen Luo's age threw his arms around him, looking incredibly excited.
"How many times have I told you not to call me Big Brother? I'm not your big brother. And why are you here?" Chen Luo did not understand. He truly did not understand.
Chen Luo had met the wrong person at the wrong time. No, it was not exactly wrong. It was just unexpected.
"Surprised? The moment Liu Wenxuan heard you'd been attacked, he was even more anxious than I was." Yun Xia stood nearby, looking somewhat jealous as she watched Chen Luo and Liu Wenxuan.
Although the two were hugging, the frail-looking and scholarly Liu Wenxuan was the enthusiastic one, while Chen Luo, trapped in his arms, looked thoroughly disgusted.
"Wenxuan, enough already. If you don't let go, I'm stabbing you." What Chen Luo found hard to believe was that he was actually weaker than the other boy right now. No matter how hard he pushed, he could not get Liu Wenxuan off him. Only when a sword suddenly appeared in Chen Luo's hand did Liu Wenxuan sheepishly let go.
"Hey, Big Brother, don't be mad. I was just too excited." Liu Wenxuan scratched his head awkwardly.
"Still, I never thought I'd see him under these circumstances." Liu Wenxuan gave the tightly bound Blondie a complicated look.
"So why is he here?" Chen Luo hid beside Yun Xia and pointed at Liu Wenxuan as he asked.
"Before I explain, A-Luo, could you show us your special ability first? Or is that ability to conjure a sword out of thin air your power? A spatial ability?" Instead of answering him immediately, Yun Xia asked a question first.
"Don't tell me you two belong to some special organization, and there's a rule saying you can't tell non-superpowered people about this kind of thing?" Chen Luo gave Liu Wenxuan and Yun Xia a strange look.
"Of course not. You could only call it an unspoken rule of the Dark World. Otherwise, I would have come to give Big Brother equipment ages ago." Liu Wenxuan shook his head.
"Fine. Since you insist, it's not exactly some secret I can't talk about. My Talent is Wandering Swordsman, an A-rank Talent. I can control the Wind Element and summon this sword out of thin air, though only this sword. And even though I originally knew nothing about swordsmanship, I've picked up some sword techniques." Chen Luo casually tossed the sword, and it vanished. Then, when he reached out and made a grasping motion, it reappeared.
Chen Luo suddenly realized that he really did resemble this Wandering Swordsman. He had suddenly learned swordsmanship, possessed a Wind Element Vision, and needed to travel...
"This is proof that I can use the Wind Element." Chen Luo brought out his Vision as well.
Chen Luo figured that if he was going to play the part, he might as well commit to it completely.
Since both Yun Xia and Yun Lian'er had similarities to anime and game characters, why couldn't he make himself one too? It would help him fit in.
"I don't know if you've played Genshin Impact..."
"Kaedehara Kazuha? Emperor Ye?" Liu Wenxuan blurted out instantly.
"Something like that, I guess. Anyway, I look a lot like him. And I can increase my strength by traveling everywhere. I think that rather than a Wandering Swordsman, I'm more like a traveler." Chen Luo casually revealed his real Talent.
"Are wandering and traveling the same thing? Big Brother, does that mean you can only sleep rough and live off the land while traveling? That's too miserable." Liu Wenxuan looked at Chen Luo sympathetically.
"How would I know? That's why I'm planning to travel all over the country during summer vacation. You probably won't see me then." Chen Luo curled his lips.
Forget this Talent I made up. Even if it were my real Talent, I still wouldn't understand it yet.
"Big Brother, can you take out your sword and let me have another look?" After rubbing his chin for a while, Liu Wenxuan spoke to Chen Luo.
"Sure." Chen Luo drew the Unsheathed Sword from the air and handed it to Liu Wenxuan.
"Hmm, it's actually growth-type equipment. In that case, there's no need for me to embarrass myself by taking out my equipment." A red glint flashed through Liu Wenxuan's eyes as he looked approvingly at the Unsheathed Sword.
"..." No, you should still embarrass yourself. The more equipment you give me, the better.
While silently protesting in his heart, Chen Luo glanced at Liu Wenxuan's information.
Chen Luo had just discovered that besides shaking hands, hugging was also a way to become friends.
Liu Wenxuan Courage (S-rank Talent): The hymn of humanity is a hymn of courage, and humanity's greatness is the greatness of courage. As long as courage remains in one's heart, one will never fall. What cannot destroy you will ultimately make you stronger. Price: 6000 Primogems (original price: 10000 Primogems) Eye of Discernment (Skill): Quickly perceive the weaknesses of others or appraise items. Price: 900 Primogems (original price: 1500 Primogems) Forging Mastery: 900 Primogems (original price: 1500 Primogems) Unsheathed Greatsword (Weapon): 600 Primogems (original price: 1000 Primogems) Armor of the Brave (Armor): 1500 Primogems (original price: 2500 Primogems) One Cut, Two Halves (Weapon)... Elf Bow... Explosion Scroll... Annihilation Arrow Po Jun Spear... ...
Liu Wenxuan had more items than anyone Chen Luo had ever seen. No exceptions.
And Liu Wenxuan actually had an S-rank Talent too, and it was this Talent.
What was more, Liu Wenxuan's items were directly discounted to sixty percent, an even greater discount than Yun Xia and Yun Lian'er received, second only to the Herrscher of Knowledge.
"Since A-Luo has revealed his Talent, I won't hide mine either. My Talent is the S-rank Talent—Witch..."
"Don't try to cling to the coattails of witches. Yours is called Magical Girl." Liu Wenxuan snorted disdainfully.
"Liu Wenxuan, are you trying to die?" Yun Xia glared at Liu Wenxuan angrily.
"Want to kill me? Sure, you're very welcome to try. I can let you hit me for two Tokiomi first."
Liu Wenxuan looked as refined as his name suggested. He was even a little shorter than Chen Heng, frail and scholarly-looking, like some pretty boy. Yet when he spoke, he was unbelievably tough.
"You..." Yun Xia gritted her teeth, but there was nothing she could do.
Fighting Liu Wenxuan was the most miserable thing possible. No exceptions.
"As for my Talent, Big Brother, it's Courage. Speaking of this Talent, I have you to thank for it. Otherwise, I might never have awakened it in my entire life." As he said this, Liu Wenxuan could not help giving the Blondie tied up on the ground a complicated look.
That was right. Liu Wenxuan was the one Chen Luo had helped shove a mop covered in feces into Blondie's mouth for.
The progress bar Chen Luo had received for helping Liu Wenxuan had even increased more than when he helped the police fight bank robbers.
He had helped ten times in total, and the progress rewards from those ten times had risen higher and higher.
Chen Luo had not understood why before, but now he did.
What frightened Chen Luo even more was that Liu Wenxuan was not actually the person who had given him the largest single increase to the progress bar.
God, what kinds of monsters had he helped in the past?
"What Courage? That's called berserk mode!" Since Liu Wenxuan had just mocked her, Yun Xia immediately fired back.
Don't be fooled by how frail, pale, clean-cut, and studious Liu Wenxuan looked now, with his plain glasses. Whenever a fight broke out, he charged straight in with a greatsword on his shoulder. No matter what demons or monsters stood in his way, Liu Wenxuan had never been afraid.
"Heh..." Liu Wenxuan gave Yun Xia a contemptuous glance.
Keep talking. If I so much as flinch, I lose.
Four-Star Material: Inner Demon Lure
"So that's why you haven't come to school for the past month. You awakened a Talent." Chen Luo suddenly understood.
"No, my Talent awakened quite some time ago. The main reason I haven't come for the past two months is that I've been attending intensive training."
"Enough about intensive training. A-Luo doesn't need to worry about that for now. Isn't the Inner Demon the important thing right now?" Yun Xia pointed at Blondie on the ground.
"Speaking of that, Big Brother, how did you make him develop an Inner Demon? This guy isn't exactly a good person, and I beat him into depression, but it still feels strange that he only awakened an Inner Demon now. And the target of his revenge is actually you, Big Brother?" After kicking Blondie twice, Liu Wenxuan asked Chen Luo.
Hearing this, Chen Luo could not help marveling at Blondie's success.
All by himself, he had fostered an S-rank Talent holder and an Inner Demon with boundless potential.
"This? Friday afternoon after school, I saw this bastard trying to pry open my bicycle lock. So I pulled a brick out of my backpack and knocked him unconscious right there. Yun Xia should know a little about that, right?" Chen Luo looked at Yun Xia.
"I do know about that. By the time I got there, he was already lying on the ground. I was the one who brought A-Luo's bicycle back afterward." Yun Xia nodded.
"Wait, Big Brother, why did you have a brick in your backpack?" Liu Wenxuan did not understand.
"When adults are talking, children shouldn't interrupt." Chen Luo glared at Liu Wenxuan.
"Oh..."
"Cough, cough." Yun Xia could not hold back her laughter, but she was afraid that laughing would make her fight Liu Wenxuan, so she could only cough twice.
There were plenty of people who could make Liu Wenxuan suffer, but the only person who could make him suffer without him daring to argue back was probably Chen Luo.
"Anyway, that night, this guy snuck into my house intending to commit burglary. Then I knocked him out with a frying pan. Come to think of it, that was also the day I awakened my Talent." Chen Luo said.
"And then?"
"Then I buried him in the dirt, leaving only his head exposed. I buried him for the entire night and covered his head with a bucket."
"Wow, Big Brother, you're even more ruthless than I am. I only hung him from a tree for one night before wiping his memories. You actually buried him. That's creative." Liu Wenxuan looked at Chen Luo admiringly.
"Is that what matters right now? What matters is how we deal with this thing. Do you have any methods for exorcising demons?" Chen Luo looked at Yun Xia and Liu Wenxuan.
"We do have exorcism methods. As long as we use spiritual energy to thoroughly purify him, we should be able to remove the Inner Demon. But the problem is that if we remove it that way, the recurrence rate is as high as sixty percent. And among the remaining forty percent who do not relapse, ninety percent end up turning to crime. After all, the fact that they can nurture an Inner Demon means that, in a sense, they're truly beyond saving." Liu Wenxuan looked at Blondie on the ground with disgust.
If this Inner Demon's fixation had not been Chen Luo, Liu Wenxuan would have smashed him into a meat patty with his greatsword long ago.
Only people who had suffered campus bullying could understand that true feeling of helplessness. But since he still had some use, Liu Wenxuan would not personally take his life.
"So that means we can only kill him?" Although the Herrscher of Knowledge had already told him this, Chen Luo still could not help asking.
"Yes. Generally speaking, everyone who has been possessed by an Inner Demon is dealt with this way. And it's best if Big Brother does it personally." Liu Wenxuan said.
"What does that mean? Why?"
"Because only if Big Brother, the Inner Demon's obsession, personally kills him will the killer avoid being cursed by the Inner Demon. And you'll also obtain something very special—an Inner Demon Lure." Liu Wenxuan nodded.
"An Inner Demon Lure?"
"That's right, an Inner Demon Lure. This is only produced when an Inner Demon is killed by the person it is obsessed with. After using it, there's a high chance the user will gain the Inner Demon's abilities. Inner Demons excel at mental bewitchment and consciousness invasion, creating illusions to exploit psychological weaknesses before taking control. It's an extremely terrifying ability. Of course, humans are not Inner Demons in the end, so the effects after using an Inner Demon Lure are usually limited. Even so, it's still an incredibly precious treasure." Liu Wenxuan said solemnly.
"Although you've never killed anyone before, Big Brother, and killing him may be difficult for you, acquiring an Inner Demon Lure would help your future development." Liu Wenxuan spoke sincerely.
Inner Demons might not be famous, but once they became known, they were peerless great demons, peerless great evils.
"Big Brother, do you need me to share some courage with you? My ability can help people muster courage, including the courage to kill." Liu Wenxuan asked with concern.
"That won't be necessary. This sword of mine has a similar ability. It can give me the courage to travel, and naturally it can also give me the courage to purge evil. Though that is all it can do, it is already enough." As Chen Luo spoke, he gripped the Unsheathed Sword tightly.
The Unsheathed Sword's initial attributes were very low. Rather than calling it three-star equipment, it would be more accurate to say that it was only equivalent to one-star equipment.
But it could grow alongside its owner and write its own story. That alone was enough to make it three-star equipment.
Before you continue