Talent Combinations

As Rhine's whisper echoed in his mind, the information on the system screen began refreshing at a rapid pace.

Current Connections: Uncle Bigan (Life-and-Death Friendship), Spirit Crane (Close Friendship), Yuan Hong (Casual Acquaintance), Young Deng Chanyu (Close Friendship), Artifact Forging Sect Leader (Casual Acquaintance), Beast Taming Sect Leader (Casual Acquaintance)

Current Enmities: Xiao Sheng, Cao Bao (Cold Indifference)

Current Rewards: Seven Orifices Exquisite Heart Talent, Night Vision Talent, Wind Riding Talent, Bronze Skin and Iron Bones Talent, Metallurgy and Silver Refining Talent, Spirit Beast Affinity Talent, Mount Mastery Talent, Skilled in Martial Arts

As the reward column filled with dense lines of text, strange changes began taking place within Rhine as well.

Most noticeably, countless experiences in wielding weapons flooded into his mind out of nowhere, swiftly transforming into muscle memory.

It was as though he truly were a martial arts prodigy who had trained day and night for years.

Fists and kicks, blades and swords, staves and clubs, bows and crossbows—at that moment, there was nothing Rhine did not understand.

"Is this the Skilled in Martial Arts I got from Hermione?"

Rhine took a deep breath, gripped his weighty wand, and suddenly swung it like a staff.

A fierce gust from the staff instantly filled the study, while a faint golden-bronze sheen flowed across his skin.

At that moment, Rhine felt that even if a troll from the wizarding world stood before him, he could beat it flat with one strike after another.

Did they understand the power of Bronze Skin and Iron Bones combined with Skilled in Martial Arts?

As Rhine experienced the reward of Skilled in Martial Arts, a trace of surprise gradually appeared in his eyes.

The martial skills he had just obtained seemed to be quietly improving as he practiced them.

"No, that's not right. It isn't just Skilled in Martial Arts. The Seven Orifices Exquisite Heart is at work too."

Rhine's expression shifted uncertainly.

He recalled the description of the Seven Orifices Exquisite Heart in Fengshen: understanding all things, probing their essence, possessing peerless intelligence.

If someone with a Seven Orifices Exquisite Heart became a civil official, they would surely be an unparalleled talent capable of supporting the realm and restoring the nation.

After Uncle Bigan died and entered the Investiture of the Gods List, the divine position he was granted was precisely—

Wenqu Star!

And if such a talent were used for martial arts, it would be equally extraordinary.

The original story had not shown this, but Rhine could clearly feel it now.

The martial arts Rhine had obtained from Hermione were, according to the system's assessment, merely the martial arts of Young Deng Chanyu. Though skilled, they were only quite impressive among mortals.

They could not compare with Hagrid's Staff Mastery Talent. Gifted by nature, Hagrid could casually swing a staff to reach a level Young Deng Chanyu could never rival even after decades of arduous practice.

But now, under the enhancement of the Seven Orifices Exquisite Heart, Rhine's martial skills were advancing toward a higher realm.

Perhaps, years from now, Rhine's martial skills could reach a level comparable to the Staff Mastery Talent.

But after a moment, Rhine shook his head and stopped practicing.

"Why work hard on my own when there's a ready-made Staff Mastery Talent I can get for free?"

Rather than training his own martial skills to a level capable of rivaling Immortal Gods, Rhine was more interested in whether the Staff Mastery Talent could also receive the Seven Orifices Exquisite Heart's enhancement.

What era was this? The system had already arrived—who still trained bitterly? Building more connections and exploiting cheats was the proper path!

Next, Rhine gently rubbed the wand in his hand, and a strange sensation surfaced in his heart.

Previously, he had only felt that the wand was seamless and exquisitely made. But now, with just a gentle touch, he could sense that some of its patterns were of differing ages. They must have been repairs made by the Ollivander Family.

Some other patterns were missing metal, and even now had not been filled in. That was likely the flaw Ollivander had mentioned.

Rhine licked his lips. As this sensation emerged, he seemed to feel a greater affinity with the wand in his hand.

It was not just the wand. Take the fountain pen of unusual material on his desk, for example. After rubbing it in his hand for a while, Rhine could sense its general composition.

If he were given some raw materials and a furnace, Rhine felt he could reproduce an identical fountain pen.

Not only that, he had a similar feeling even toward Galleons.

Given time and materials, he could figure out the formula for Galleons. Other than the anti-counterfeiting magic, which he could not add, everything else should be exactly the same!

"The Metallurgy and Silver Refining Talent from the Primordial Artifact Forging Sect is indeed extraordinary."

"But I haven't encountered alchemy yet, so it won't be very useful in that regard. In combat, though, it brings some unexpected benefits."

For any metal object Rhine touched, he could sense its composition and properties.

It was similar to the feeling of being one with a weapon, as if he had handled it for a long time and become intimately familiar with it.

Combined with Skilled in Martial Arts and the Seven Orifices Exquisite Heart's enhancement, the resulting effect was...

With a casual flick of his hand, the Galleon in Rhine's hand whistled through the air and struck the Lincoln Assassination Painting hanging on the wall with perfect accuracy, punching another hole through Lincoln's head.

"A weapon master?"

"Wizards don't die by unarmed combat?"

A surge of delight churned within him.

The chain reaction between the Seven Orifices Exquisite Heart, Metallurgy and Silver Refining, and Skilled in Martial Arts had undoubtedly raised Rhine's practical combat ability by a great deal.

It also opened up a new line of thought for him—talents could work in combination with one another.

"The system already hinted at it. The Essence of Sun and Moon Talent can work with Feast on Wind and Drink Dew, greatly improving the effect."

Rhine's eyes shone as his gaze turned toward the Gray Owl he had bought home.

It was worth mentioning that Rhine had named it Hermes, after the messenger god of ancient Greek legend who crossed boundaries and delivered messages.

At that moment, Hermes, already utterly loyal to Rhine, clearly showed even greater intimacy in his eyes.

"The Spirit Beast Affinity Talent from the Beast Taming Sect..."

Rhine pondered carefully.

"Besides that, I have the Mount Mastery Talent from Hermione. Oh, right, and the Wind Riding Talent from the Owl Roberts. Can these be combined somehow?"

Then an idea surfaced in Rhine's mind.

Could owls be used as mounts?

A single Hermes certainly could not lift him, but with enough of them, carrying his weight should not be a problem. After all, owls were birds of prey.

As for the bumps and swaying during flight, as well as the fierce winds, those should not be a problem with Mount Mastery and Wind Riding Talent.

If this worked, he could fly right now—and without being regulated by the Ministry of Magic!

After all, he would not be casting any magic in this process. No one could interfere!

Once the thought was born, it took root firmly in Rhine's mind.

Riding Hagrid's Flying Motorcycle before had felt far too exhilarating.

Flying was humanity's ultimate dream. Now that he had a chance to make it happen, he had to try it no matter what.

But as he looked at the surroundings near his estate, he fell into thought.

This was a high-end estate, with people maintaining the grounds every day. Wild animals were scarce, let alone owls.

How was he supposed to gather owls?

After pondering for a moment, Rhine's gaze fell upon Hermes.

"Hermes, you're a male owl, right?"

"Ahem, your master needs you to do something for me."

Hermes looked at Rhine with innocent, dazed eyes and nodded as if it were only natural.

"I'll do anything my master asks me to do."

A smile appeared on Rhine's face.

"Good. Just as expected of my most beloved owl."

"Here's what you'll do. Pretend to be a female owl and fly out. Put on a high-pitched voice and call out something like, 'Seeking a mate with a generous dowry, food and lodging included,' then lure every owl within dozens of miles over here for me."