The Second Innate Talent

"Let me think... what price should you pay for this secret."

As Jiang Yuan spoke, his gaze fell on the Azure Dragon Pendant hanging from Mo Fan's chest.

It wasn't that he didn't want to take the pendant—he simply couldn't. It belonged to Mo Fan, and no one else could claim it.

If anyone else took it, it would just be an ordinary Little Loach pendant.

"Good brother, you're called... Jiang Yuan, right?" Mo Fan's mind was still sharp enough to remember. He slung an arm around Jiang Yuan's shoulders and grinned. "Brother Jiang Yuan, I've awakened dual elements. From now on, I'll be punching every demon in my path and stomping on every noble family. As long as you keep this secret under wraps, I, Mo Fan, promise you'll be eating and drinking well right alongside me!"

"Keeping this secret for you is fine. No price needed." Jiang Yuan smiled faintly.

Aside from the Azure Dragon Pendant, there was nothing else worth scheming over in Mo Fan's current state. Planting a seed of goodwill wasn't a bad move.

Mo Fan was the type to go through fire and water for the people close to him.

"Now that's what I call a true brother!" Mo Fan was deeply moved and immediately acknowledged Jiang Yuan as his sworn brother. He insisted on dragging him out for a meal.

Jiang Yuan declined. He needed to return and practice meditation, to link the seven Star Particles into a Star Track as soon as possible and obtain a Beginner-level spell.

Mo Fan didn't press the matter. He was eager to head home and practice meditation himself.

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, three months had passed.

The school's daily curriculum was simple—after theoretical lessons came large stretches of time dedicated solely to meditation.

The release of magic was divided into three steps.

Meditation.

Control.

Release.

For Jiang Yuan, the high school magic theory had long been exhausted in the library, so he spent his entire days meditating.

For some reason, Jiang Yuan's meditation time was double what the textbooks described.

He guessed it was because, like Mo Fan, he was a soul from another world fused into this body. That meant his meditation time was also doubled, just like Mo Fan's.

Even his Innate Dual Elements might be a result of the two souls merging.

When it came to controlling the Star Particles, the textbooks clearly stated that the deeper one's understanding of magic theory, the faster the progress.

In fact, the original story had mentioned the connection between magic theory and cultivation speed when Mo Fan first awakened.

There was no need to elaborate on Jiang Yuan's grasp of magic theory. Unless it was a researcher specializing in magic theory, no ordinary academy student could match his depth of understanding.

At this point, Jiang Yuan's control over the seven Water-element Star Particles had reached the final one.

Inside his mental space.

Six Star Particles were already arranged in a fixed pattern within the blue stardust, waiting obediently like well-behaved children for their last companion.

Jiang Yuan focused his mind intensely, guiding the final Star Particle toward its designated position.

But this Star Particle seemed to have a will of its own—stubborn as a bratty child. One moment of inattention and all progress was lost, the nearly completed Star Track collapsing into chaos.

This last Star Particle had stumped him for days.

He had a feeling he would finish it today. Just a little more!

Jiang Yuan sank deeper into concentration, meticulously controlling the Star Particle's movement.

The seventh Star Particle raced through the stardust, slowing down under his command, inching toward where it was supposed to be.

Slowly. At a snail's pace.

Finally, the seventh Star Particle came to a halt.

Success!!

In that instant, the Star Track formed by the linked particles erupted with a dazzling blue light, surging like tidal waves as each Star Particle danced like a shooting star.

The moment the Star Track was completed, a blue Water flow coalesced around Jiang Yuan.

"Beginner-level Water element spell, Water Guard!"

Jiang Yuan opened his eyes, feeling the moisture brought by Water Guard.

This was magic!

This was the supernatural power he had mastered!

Water Guard—the only defensive spell at the Beginner level.

The gently flowing Water stream stood guard around Jiang Yuan, ready to intercept any incoming attack.

It might only be a small Water flow now, but Jiang Yuan believed that one day it would become a towering tsunami sweeping across the ocean!

"Three months to control seven Star Particles." Jiang Yuan sighed with emotion. This was faster than he had expected.

After all, Mo Fan had taken an entire semester to control his Lightning-element Star Particles. With a deeper understanding of magic theory, it was only natural for Jiang Yuan to finish one or two months ahead.

Jiang Yuan looked at his Water Guard spell with satisfaction. A strange feeling arose within him—as if he could control the temperature of the Water Guard, just like moving his own arm.

He immediately thought of lowering the temperature.

The moment the thought took shape, the water flow of the Water Guard magic truly began to plummet in temperature. In the span of a single breath, a biting chill surged forth.

The original water flow had already turned into ice crystals!

Water Guard had become Ice Control!

"Is this...?" Jiang Yuan's eyes were full of astonishment as he immediately tried to continue manipulating the temperature.

In the room, the Water Guard shifted between the form of freezing ice crystals, the form of flowing water, and the form of boiling vapor.

Solid, liquid, gas—the three states interconverted as if they were extensions of his own limbs!

Jiang Yuan only stopped when his magical energy was completely exhausted.

The emptiness in his body and the lethargy in his mind did nothing to calm him down; instead, the excitement in his heart grew fiercer.

"My Water element actually has a layer of Attached Effect!" Jiang Yuan exclaimed in shock.

When Mo Fan reached the Super tier, he awakened the Earth element and gained a layer of Attached Effect talent, allowing his Earth element to become more indestructible and its destructive power stronger.

And Jiang Yuan's Water element similarly had a layer of Attached Effect, letting him freely control the temperature of water and achieve the conversion of the three states!

An Attached Effect was also an Innate Talent!!

With this Attached Effect, Jiang Yuan could wield the power of Ice and the power of water vapor. Although boiling vapor couldn't compare to the high temperature of flames, it was still an extraordinary force!

Jiang Yuan was overjoyed—his chances of reaching the top of the world had grown a little larger.

Having completed the control of the Water element Star Particles, he suddenly remembered a very important matter.

That was the End-of-Term Test every semester, which required checking everyone's cultivation progress. This was hard to avoid.

Now that he had fully mastered all the Water element Star Particles in just three months, it was nothing short of astonishing.

Even by the time of the End-of-Term Test, it would only be a little over four months. Such a short time could easily get him suspected of being from the Black Vatican.

Many people at this point might not have even mastered a single Star Particle.

If he went to take the test, the trouble would definitely be significant.

And there was no way he could use the Undead element for the test.

Perhaps he should think of a way to skip this test, and when the next semester's Annual Assessment came around, revealing seven Star Particles would be much less of a problem.

In the following days, Jiang Yuan did not focus on continuing to raise the level of his Beginner Water element.

While thinking about how to avoid the test, he also began controlling the Undead element Star Particles.

Since he already had experience controlling Star Particles, the process for the Undead element went even more smoothly.

According to his progress, two months would be enough to master all seven Star Particles of the Undead element and gain its Beginner magic.

Barring any accidents, by the next semester, Jiang Yuan would become a dual-element Beginner mage!