Lin Lei had, after all, come from another world. Even though he deliberately kept a low profile, he was still far beyond what anyone his age could match.
He had always been the poster child for "someone else's kid" and "a first-rate genius."
Especially after Sa'er had taken a liking to him, his clansmen had all hoped—and believed, deep down—that Lin Lei's talent would be exceptional!
After all, the Zi'ao Family had been in decline for far too long. They desperately needed a heaven-sent powerhouse to shoulder the burden of restoring the family!
But his affinity for the Thunder Element was only average...
Well, it was better than nothing!!!
And although average elemental affinity wouldn't get him very far in magic, it was enough for a warrior's training. At the very least, it wouldn't hold Lin Lei back from advancing in the Wild Thunder Guard.
Lin Lei's parents, Jinli'an and Guyue, secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The master-disciple relationship between Sa'er and Lin Lei was secure!
The family's future was secure, too!
Only Lin Lei, standing in the middle of the crowd, felt a little dejected. I've known since I was little that I don't have what it takes to be a protagonist, but...
Oh well, average is average!
Looks like I'll have to arrange to latch onto someone powerful. With merely average affinity, I probably won't be able to reach the Saint Realm on my own, let alone stand firm amid all the turmoil whose intensity will grow exponentially.
I can't let fear of the butterfly effect ruining the plot keep me from taking action!
As he thought, Lin Lei walked over to the priest testing mental strength, ready to have his own tested.
He wasn't particularly concerned about the test, though. Mental strength could be trained and developed; an early advantage or disadvantage would only affect how quickly one refined magical power at first.
Of course, one's initial mental strength could also reflect one's aptitude for magical cultivation to some extent.
But his path ahead—at least until he reached the Saint Realm—would mainly be that of a warrior, so it really didn't matter much to him.
He was already thinking about what to eat for lunch!
But as the pressure test of the intimidation spell began, Lin Lei gradually realized something was wrong.
Isn't this intimidation spell putting way too little pressure on my mind? And haven't I been holding out for way too long?
It wasn't until he truly felt he couldn't hold on any longer that the priest testing his mental strength glanced at the crystal ball Lin Lei had used for the elemental affinity test. His face filled with deep regret.
He sighed. "Your mental strength is ninety-six times that of others your age. Your result is..."
"Exceptional!!!"
"Exceptional mental strength, but... average elemental affinity!"
At dusk, the rosy clouds trailed the sun as it slowly vanished beyond the horizon. A silver moon rose in its place, hanging quietly in the sky and casting gentle moonlight over the earth.
In his bedroom, Lin Lei quietly practiced his meditation technique!
Before the age of six, cultivation—whether as a warrior or a mage—was forbidden, partly because children's minds were still immature and partly to avoid affecting their physical development.
Otherwise, the slightest mistake could seriously harm their future cultivation.
That was also why aptitude tests were usually scheduled for the age of six!
Now that he was old enough and had completed his aptitude test, Lin Lei naturally began practicing magic at the first opportunity.
Yes, magic!
It wasn't that his exceptional mental strength had changed his cultivation plans. The main reason was that mental strength nearly a hundred times greater than that of others his age could be converted into genuine power in a short time.
The power of a third-level mage!
If he devoted a little more effort to magic, becoming a fourth-level mage wouldn't be difficult either!
Compared with warrior cultivation, which required him to gradually temper his body before he could condense battle qi, magic was undoubtedly the fastest way to experience supernatural power and gain the strength to protect himself.
Besides, in his previous life, he'd been an ordinary person. Both magic and battle qi held a powerful allure for him!
Lin Lei had held back for six years. Now that the restrictions on cultivation had been lifted, he didn't want to wait another moment!
Once he entered a meditative state, Lin Lei gradually sensed purple specks of light around him.
Using his mental strength to sense them, he somehow felt that the specks were a little indifferent toward him. But it didn't matter; he could just capture them by force with his mental strength.
A forcibly picked melon might not be sweet, but it would quench his thirst!
At that moment, he thought of the description in the original story of the concentration of magical elements around Linley, the protagonist, and couldn't help sighing. "Sigh, I can't compare to the protagonist!"
"But going by the timeline, it's the year 9988 of the Yulan Calendar. Linley is the same age as me!"
"So I became a mage two years before Linley. And by the time he becomes a mage, with my mental strength, I might even have become a fourth-level mage!"
"At least early on, I'm stronger than the young Controller!"
"Mm, I'm stronger than the Controller!"
"Just thinking about it gets me excited!!!"
While Lin Lei's thoughts wandered, the first wisp of magical power finally condensed inside him!
Then the magic power he had just condensed vanished without a trace!
In its place was a...
Bug!!!
The sudden change jolted Lin Lei out of his meditative state. Cold sweat covered his forehead as he hurriedly scanned the room. Only after confirming there was no assassin's dagger coming for him did he relax his suddenly taut nerves.
"It's not an assassin!" A bug had inexplicably appeared inside him. Who wouldn't be terrified? Lin Lei's first thought had been that someone had come to kill him.
After all, nobles would resort to anything in their power struggles. Because of his reputation as a "genius," Lin Lei had already survived more than one "accident."
Even after confirming that this wasn't an assassination, he immediately planned to call for help. Even if it wasn't an assassination, having a bug inexplicably appear inside him was still horrifying.
But he immediately forced himself to hold back, because the bug not only caused him no discomfort, it even made him feel an inexplicable sense of closeness.
Lin Lei carefully examined the bug inside him with his mental strength. Then...
"This..."
"Is this something my Golden Finger exchanged for me?!"
"Has my Golden Finger gone haywire? Wasn't I only supposed to get one exchange opportunity each year, on my birthday?"
"I already used this year's exchange!"
"And before, the things it gave me were always knowledge poured into my mind. Why has a bug appeared this time?!"
"Have the exchanges changed from knowledge to actual objects?!"
Lin Lei's throat bobbed as he thought, So...
Has my Golden Finger upgraded? Is it no longer limited to one exchange a year? And have the exchange rewards become actual objects, too?
But weren't the usual rewards the manufacturing knowledge for things like toilet paper, spicy snack sticks, broken blades, and battered swords? The best thing I'd ever gotten was the Taiji Fist manual.
What's going on with this bug? Is it a hint that I can exchange for living creatures now?
Before you continue