Purple Talent, Monster Descends

In the pure white settlement space, Ji Ye's soul floated in mid-air, gazing at the flashing S-rank evaluation for a long time without speaking.

S-rank.

This was earned with countless lives, including his own.

He had won the battle, but lost the war. Qin Wuji's sword strike made him realize that in this low-martial world, pure physical strength had its limits. Even with his perfected Dead Flesh Armor, it couldn't protect his heart against the internal energy of a peak Organ Tempering realm cultivator.

That tier possessed not only power, but also "techniques."

[Drawing Purple Rare Talent...]

The turntable before him spun rapidly, countless purple light dots streaking by like meteors.

Ji Ye held his breath. Purple meant transcending the mundane, touching upon the rules.

The light stopped abruptly.

A star, brilliant as amethyst, landed in his palm.

[Talent Acquired: Martial Arts Through Divinity (Purple)]

[Effect: Your comprehension is transcendent. You will master any martial arts move after seeing it once, and perfect it after ten repetitions; internal energy cultivation speed increases by 500% with no risk of qi deviation. You have meticulous control over your body, able to precisely control every muscle and nerve.]

Ji Ye's pupils contracted sharply as he read the description.

Just what he lacked, just what he got.

In his previous life, his greatest shortcomings were crude techniques and a complete lack of internal energy. He possessed brute force, but could only wield it like a wild beast. Qin Wuji's strength stemmed from his family's profound sword techniques and the deep internal energy cultivated with medicinal herbs since childhood.

Now, this shortcoming was filled.

And it was filled with a vengeance.

[Please host configure talent for the next life.]

Three empty slots reappeared.

Ji Ye's gaze flickered between [Brute Force (White)] and [Martial Arts Through Divinity (Purple)].

Brute Force was useful, a safeguard for early survival.

But this life, he wanted to live differently.

He no longer wanted to be a meat shield that could only take hits; he wanted to be the fastest blade.

With a thought, Ji Ye dragged [Martial Arts Through Divinity] into the first slot.

Then, the second slot.

The third slot.

[Ding!]

[Configuration Complete.]

[Talent Slot 1: Martial Arts Through Divinity (Purple)]

[Talent Slot 2: Martial Arts Through Divinity (Purple)]

[Talent Slot 3: Martial Arts Through Divinity (Purple)]

[Current Stacked Effects:

1. Monstrous Comprehension: Cultivation speed increased by 1500%. Any martial art is mastered upon first use, and can be deduced, fused, and improved.

2. Microscopic Control: Your control over your body reaches the micron level. You can control heart rate, blood flow, and even hormone secretion.

3. Martial Arts Heavenly Eye: In combat, enemy movements will be deconstructed into their most basic force-generating structures, with flaws infinitely magnified.]

This was no longer a quantitative change.

This was a dimensional strike.

"Qin Wuji..."

Ji Ye looked at the panel, a cold smile curving his lips.

"This time, I'll see if your sword is faster, or my eyes are."

[Reincarnation commencing.]

[Target World: Great Liang Dynasty (ID 098).]

[Resetting...]

The biting cold wind, the familiar earthen walls, and the one-eyed old crow cawing hoarsely on the withered tree.

Ji Ye opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw were a pair of hands, purple from the cold and covered in chilblains, tightly clutching half a piece of black steamed bun as hard as stone.

He was back.

Third life.

The body was still weak, the chest still ached with a bellows-like pain. Without the boost of Triple Brute Force, this body felt like a heavy burden.

But Ji Ye's feelings had changed.

The world had changed in his eyes.

The trajectory of the wind blowing past the corner of the wall, the frequency of the old crow's wing beats, even the subtle vibrations from the distant one-eyed beggar stepping on the frozen earth... everything was terrifyingly clear.

A massive amount of information flooded his mind, instantly parsed and categorized.

"Hey, Sour Scholar."

That familiar, detestable voice rang out again.

The one-eyed beggar walked over, treading through the mud, a permanent sneer on his face. He reached out to snatch the black steamed bun from Ji Ye's hand.

"This bun is hard. I'll take it off your hands."

The exact same opening.

In his previous life, Ji Ye had crushed his wrist with brute force.

But this time, Ji Ye didn't move.

He sat there, quietly watching the one-eyed man's outstretched hand.

In his vision, the beggar's movements were as slow as a slideshow. He saw the shift in the beggar's center of gravity, the sequence of muscle activation in his arm, and a minuscule gap in the joint of his wrist.

It was a weakness.

A fatal flaw.

Just as the beggar's dirty hand was about to touch the black steamed bun.

Ji Ye moved.

Not grabbing, not pinching.

He extended a single finger—an index finger as frozen as a carrot—and lightly tapped a point on the outside of the beggar's wrist.

He didn't use much force, as if flicking dust off his sleeve.

But this single finger severed the beggar's point of force application.

"Huh?"

The beggar felt his wrist go numb. His entire arm instantly lost sensation, and the large hand that had been reaching for the bun drooped limply.

"You..."

The beggar was shocked and instinctively tried to punch Ji Ye in the face with his other fist.

Ji Ye remained seated, his eyes as calm as still water.

He saw the twitch of the beggar's left shoulder and predicted the trajectory of the punch.

He tilted his head slightly, and the fist grazed his ear. At the same time, the half-eaten black steamed bun in Ji Ye's hand moved.

Holding the bun, its edge as sharp as a knife, Ji Ye lightly sliced across the beggar's neck, along the opening revealed by the punch.

Not smashing, but cutting.

Although the black steamed bun wasn't a knife, under his microscopic control, its hardness and edge were utilized to their utmost.

"Thump."

A faint muffled sound.

The beggar stiffened. He clutched his neck, looking at Ji Ye in terror. Although the carotid artery wasn't severed and bleeding, the precise strike had compressed his carotid sinus.

His brain instantly suffered from insufficient blood supply.

The beggar rolled his eyes and, like a puddle of mud, collapsed straight at Ji Ye's feet.

There wasn't a single scream throughout the entire process, nor did it even attract the attention of the other beggars nearby.

Ji Ye retracted his hand and gently blew the dust off the black steamed bun.

"As expected."

He took a bite of the bun, savoring its dry, rough texture.

"Killing doesn't always require strength."

He stood up, no longer looking at the beggar on the ground. This body was too weak; he needed to start cultivating immediately.

This time, he didn't need to beg Wang Meng to teach him the Mountain Splitting Saber Technique.

Because in his previous life, all the martial arts he had seen, practiced, or even just heard about in the army were now clearly imprinted in his mind.

Mountain Splitting Saber Technique, Tiger Demon Bone Forging Fist, Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield...

And even the elegance of Qin Wuji's sword strike.

Ji Ye walked out of the alley, facing the biting cold wind, his gaze directed towards the county office.

"Captain Wang, this time, let's play a different game."