Talent Bead

This information was simple, yet it contained earth-shattering revelations.

This mysterious bead that had crossed over with him was called the "Talent Bead."

Its function was, astonishingly, to accumulate energy by "absorbing nutritional essence," thereby "awakening innate divine abilities."

So-called "absorbing nutritional essence," put bluntly, meant... eating!

Devouring food, digesting and absorbing it, then converting its energy into nourishment to activate the Talent Bead.

However, the information also clearly stated that the energy required for each awakening would be a multiple of the previous one.

The first awakening might be relatively easy, but the further he went, the more astronomical the required energy would become, the difficulty soaring in geometric progression.

After digesting this information, Wang Yuan lay motionless on the bed, his chest heaving violently and his breathing heavy.

Innate divine abilities!

In this unfamiliar world where survival was uncertain from one day to the next, what could provide a greater sense of security than strength?

What could better change one's fate?

Wang Yuan raised a hand and lightly touched the cool, mysterious black bead-shaped mark on his chest.

The sensation was strange, as though he could feel the terrifying, boundless potential contained within it.

This was his only cheat in this brutal world—what would let him establish himself, protect his family, and even... climb upward.

He pulled his clothes back together, covering that secret the world could not tolerate.

The confusion and fear in his eyes were gradually replaced by calm.

Though his body still hurt, his family was still poor, and the threat of the Black Tiger Gang still remained.

At this moment, however, Wang Yuan's heart was already filled with hope.

He needed food.

A great deal of nutritious food.

Thin rice porridge was far from enough.

He needed meat, grease, and anything that could quickly be converted into energy.

Yet as he looked at the bare walls around him.

Wang Yuan knew perfectly well that even this first path would be difficult to accomplish.

"Poor scholars, rich martial artists" was no empty saying.

It seemed he would have to make long-term plans.

He closed his eyes, stopped letting his thoughts run wild, cast aside every distraction, and focused on sensing the mark on his chest.

Wang Yuan could vaguely sense that the bowl of medicinal broth he had just drunk had also contributed an extremely faint current of warmth, merging into the mark.

But compared to what was needed for awakening, it was like a cup of water against a cartload of firewood.

[Energy Absorption in Progress... Current Energy: Below the standard for first awakening.]

[Estimated Requirement: (2/100)]

A vague sensory response returned to him.

"Only two percent..."

Wang Yuan repeated the number silently, a bitter smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"Save it up, little by little."

Several more days passed. Most of Wang Yuan's injuries had healed. Though he still felt a faint ache when he walked, he could already get out of bed and move around.

His fragmented memories and his awareness of the present world completely fused.

He was no longer a lonely soul fallen from another world. He had truly become Wang Yuan of Bluestone Alley in the outer city of Gaoye City, Cloud Province, Great Yin Dynasty.

As dusk settled, a small oil lamp was lit in the narrow house.

Its bean-sized flame flickered, barely driving away the darkness in one corner.

The four members of Wang Yuan's family sat around the creaking old wooden table for dinner.

The food on the table was so simple it was practically shabby.

There was a basin of thin porridge clear enough to reflect their faces, a dish of blackened salted pickles, and a small bowl of steamed coarse-grain buns with a somewhat yellowish color.

The only splash of color was a boiled egg in a tiny clay dish at the center of the table.

For poor families in the outer city, eggs were already a rare nourishing food.

Madam Zhou silently picked up the egg, deftly peeled away the shell, and revealed the tender white beneath.

Then, without the slightest hesitation, she placed it directly into Wang Yuan's bowl.

"Yuan'er, your injuries haven't fully healed yet. Eat more and build up your strength."

Her voice was gentle, carrying concern that allowed no refusal.

Wang Yu glanced at the egg, quickly lowered her head, and took small sips of porridge from her own bowl without saying anything.

Wang Gui picked up a coarse-grain bun and bit into it hard, chewing slowly, his brows habitually furrowed.

Wang Yuan looked at the round, white egg in his bowl. His throat tightened, and a warmth rose in his heart.

He knew this was not merely an egg. It was a little "nutrition" his family had saved by pinching it from between their teeth.

It was also energy the Talent Bead desperately needed to awaken.

Wang Yuan did not decline. He merely gave a quiet "Mm," picked up his chopsticks, silently lifted the egg, and put it into his mouth.

The egg white was tender and smooth, while the yolk carried its distinctive fragrance. Set against the bland porridge, it seemed especially precious.

He chewed carefully, feeling the food sink into his stomach.

A current of warmth, far clearer than what he felt after drinking porridge, slowly arose. Like a trickling stream, it flowed toward the black mark on his chest.

[Energy Absorption in Progress... Current Energy: (21/100)]

The progress was slow, but it was truly increasing.

One egg was worth far more than several bowls of thin porridge.

The atmosphere at the table was oppressive. Only the faint sounds of chewing and bowls and chopsticks clinking could be heard.

Suddenly, Wang Gui set down the bun in his hand and let out a heavy sigh, his voice breaking the silence.

"The tribute for the Black Tiger Gang this month... has been delayed for several days. We can't delay it any longer."

"Their men were wandering around the alley entrance again today."

Madam Zhou's hand trembled, and her chopsticks nearly fell onto the table. Some of the color drained from her face.

Wang Yu also abruptly raised her head, a flash of fear passing through her eyes.

The Black Tiger Gang was the tyrant of this neighborhood.

Wang Gui rubbed his rough hands together, his face full of struggle and sorrow.

"Originally... originally, I thought that if we tightened our belts for a few more months and saved enough money, we could send Yuan'er to study under a master at that Panshi Fist Academy in South City."

"I heard their instructors have real skill. Even if he could only become an outer academy disciple, after enduring for a few years, perhaps he could make something of himself. Then..."

He did not finish, but the meaning was obvious.

In this world where martial artists could split steles and shatter stones, where strength reigned supreme.

If their family could produce even someone who had merely touched the threshold of becoming a martial artist, their circumstances would become completely different.

Small gangs like the Black Tiger Gang would no longer dare bully them so easily.

For poor families like theirs, this was almost the only path they could see to turn their lives around.

The money they had saved for apprenticeship was the spark of hope into which their entire family had poured its thrift and hardship.

And now, this spark was about to be forcibly snuffed out by the Black Tiger Gang and used to fill that bottomless pit of greed.

Madam Zhou's lips trembled. She wanted to say something, but in the end, it only became a helpless sigh.

Wang Yu lowered her head again, her shoulders sagging slightly.

Amid that suffocating atmosphere of despair.

A calm voice rang out.

"Father, give them the money."

Three pairs of eyes instantly turned toward the source of the voice.

It was Wang Yuan.

Wang Yuan set down his chopsticks. The porridge and egg in his bowl had already been eaten clean.

He raised his head and met his father's astonished, puzzled gaze. There was little expression on his face, only a calmness that did not match his age.

"Give the Black Tiger Gang their tribute first."

He repeated himself, his tone neither hurried nor slow.

"The apprenticeship matter isn't urgent."

"Not urgent?"

Wang Gui looked as if someone had stepped on his tail, and his voice suddenly rose.

"Yuan'er! Do you know what you're saying?"

"If we miss this chance, who knows when we'll save enough money again?"

"You can't just enter Panshi Fist Academy whenever you want."

"Only with skill can we stop swallowing this humiliation!"

"I know."

Wang Yuan's voice remained calm, like a deep pool without a ripple.

"It is precisely because I need to learn skills that we cannot anger the Black Tiger Gang now."

"If they come looking for trouble every day, how would I have the time or peace of mind to learn fist techniques?"

He paused, looked into his father's eyes, and continued, "What this family needs right now is stability."

"Give them the money and buy temporary peace. I need time... to completely nurse my body back to health."

He could not reveal the Talent Bead's secret, so he could only use "recovering his health" as an excuse.

"Learning under a master can wait a few months. Once my body has recovered and I'm in better condition, it won't be too late to go."

"By then, perhaps... there will be a better choice."

He left room in his words, hinting at some unspoken confidence.

Wang Gui froze. He looked into his son's dark eyes, which no longer held his usual liveliness or the fragility of illness.

There was only a steadiness and certainty that felt unfamiliar to him.

He opened his mouth, wanting to argue, only to find that his son's words did make some sense.

Going head-to-head with the Black Tiger Gang now would be like an egg striking a stone. Not only would they fail to keep the apprenticeship money, they might even invite greater disaster.

Temporary forbearance, in exchange for a chance to catch their breath...

Madam Zhou looked at her husband, then at her son, and hesitated. "What Yuan'er says... makes sense too."

"His body truly needs to be nursed for a while longer."

"If he rashly goes to the Fist Academy, I'm afraid he won't be able to endure it either."

Wang Yu also softly agreed, "Yes, Father. Let's... let's get through this hurdle first."

Wang Gui remained silent for a long time, his chest rising and falling. At last, as if all strength had been drained from him, he said dejectedly:

"...We'll do as Yuan'er says."

"Tomorrow, I'll deliver the money."

After the decision was made, the atmosphere at the table became even heavier.

That money was hope. Handing it over with their own hands was like cutting flesh from their bodies.

Wang Yuan said nothing more and silently cleared away his own bowl and chopsticks.

He felt the faint warmth emanating from the Talent Bead on his chest, along with its slowly climbing energy progress.

[Energy Absorption in Progress... Current Energy: (22/100)]

Develop quietly and build up energy.

He would put the Black Tiger Gang's debt on the ledger for now.

He needed time.

And in his view, using a little money to buy this precious time to develop undisturbed was more than worth it.