The Two Rules of Talent Copying

"You want to fight me a second time?"

Chen Yu walked up to Wang Qianjun, looking surprised.

He had fought Wang Qianjun before only to copy his talent, and as expected, he had copied [Martial Dao Grade-B Bone].

He had not expected Wang Qianjun himself to be dissatisfied.

"What, is a Martial Arts Madman afraid of fighting?" Wang Qianjun pulled a wooden saber from the weapon rack beside them and tossed it toward Chen Yu.

At the same time, he drew a wooden spear for himself, gave it a few light shakes, and seemed somewhat dissatisfied.

After yesterday's battle, word that Chen Yu was a Martial Arts Madman had thoroughly spread throughout the Martial Arts Class.

After all, he had fallen unconscious with a satisfied smile from the fight still on his face. If that was not a Martial Arts Madman, what was?

"A Martial Arts Madman... naturally does not fear battle." Chen Yu reached out with his right hand and accurately caught the saber by its hilt. Then he grinned.

"The more fights, the better!"

He knew that the Martial Arts Madman image he had deliberately cultivated was beginning to work.

All he had to do next was maintain it.

The standoff between the two naturally drew the attention of the other students in the Martial Arts Class once more.

"Chen Yu again. This guy really is a Martial Arts Madman. He just lost yesterday, and now he's clinging to Wang Qianjun again like a stubborn leech."

"Hmph, I think he's just thick-skinned. He already lost once, yet he still has the nerve to challenge Wang Qianjun. Isn't he ashamed?"

"The gap in strength is too huge. There's no suspense at all. Boring."

Whispers drifted into his ears, most of them mocking Chen Yu for overestimating himself.

But he did not care in the slightest.

What the hell was face worth?

Bang!

With one step, he covered nearly ten meters in a flash.

Chen Yu chose to attack first. His Thunder Extreme Saber at Greater Mastery moved as fast as lightning as it slashed toward the calm-faced Wang Qianjun.

"Whew~"

Wang Qianjun refused to be outdone. The long spear in his hands swept wide and freely, carrying astonishing force.

Army-Breaking Spear Technique!

The moment they exchanged blows, Chen Yu sensed that something was off. He abruptly raised his head and stared into Wang Qianjun's eyes.

This guy... he's deliberately suppressing his strength and speed, keeping them at a level not much different from mine.

He wants to compete with me in pure martial skill?!

Chen Yu instantly saw through Wang Qianjun's intentions.

Wang Qianjun did not hide it either, instead shouting in a low voice, "After yesterday's fight, I know your saber technique is good."

"Today, I want to see whether your saber is faster, or my spear more ferocious!"

Though Wang Qianjun appeared calm after yesterday's battle, his thoughts had been churning within.

With his strength, even if he had not been serious, he had still failed to defeat Chen Yu in one strike and had instead been blocked by him.

Given Wang Qianjun's pride, that naturally left him feeling somewhat dissatisfied.

He considered himself strong—not only in martial cultivation, but in martial skill as well!

That was why today's scene had come about!

He would defeat Chen Yu with pure martial skill and prove that his victory did not rest solely on his martial cultivation!

Only then could his mind be at ease!

"Then let's try it!"

A sharp gleam flashed through Chen Yu's eyes, and fighting spirit rose in his heart as well.

If Wang Qianjun suppressed him with cultivation, the gap in strength and speed would be like a chasm. Naturally, he would be no match for Wang Qianjun.

But if they were talking purely about martial skill?

The Blade Technique Grandmaster talent did not merely speed up his saber training!

Its grasp of combat was even more astonishing!

In an instant, the wooden spear and wooden saber clashed madly. The dull impacts made the onlookers' hearts tremble.

By now, how could they fail to see that Wang Qianjun intended to defeat Chen Yu with pure martial skill?

Yet what shocked them even more was that Chen Yu showed no sign of losing ground!

Bang!

"Chen Yu really does have some skill!" After several exchanges, not a trace of wishful thinking remained in Wang Qianjun's heart.

His Army-Breaking Spear had reached the Proficient Stage, while Chen Yu's Thunder Extreme Saber was only at Greater Mastery. By all logic, Chen Yu should not have been his match.

Yet Chen Yu's timing was extraordinarily precise. Every time, he struck before Wang Qianjun had finished exerting his force.

It forced Wang Qianjun to use only seven parts of his full strength, leaving him extremely uncomfortable.

I can't drag this out. I'll finish him in one move.

The next moment, Wang Qianjun took a step back, gripped the wooden spear tightly with both hands, and thrust forward fiercely!

Army Breaker—Piercing the Sun!

Wang Qianjun's low shout exploded forth.

His body shot out like an arrow released from its bow!

The wooden spear became a dark streak that tore through the air. The cold gleam at its tip carried a desperate resolve as it stabbed straight for Chen Yu's chest!

I've finally been waiting for this!

Chen Yu's heart stirred. He knew his opportunity had come.

Though he could see the direction of force flowing through Wang Qianjun's body, Wang Qianjun was no weakling either. Every thrust left him a way to retreat, making it difficult for Chen Yu to bring him down.

But now that he had unleashed his ultimate move, there was no way back!

His weakness was also exposed to the fullest!

The next instant, Chen Yu moved!

His movement was minimal, yet swift as thunder.

His strength condensed at one point, driving the Thunder Extreme Saber at an unbelievable angle. It struck after yet arrived first, slashing toward Wang Qianjun's waist and hip.

Slash—!

Time seemed to freeze.

Wang Qianjun only felt a sharp pain in his waist and abdomen. His body involuntarily toppled to one side, while the spear tip passed beneath Chen Yu's armpit.

Looking at the wooden saber resting against his waist, Wang Qianjun showed a trace of astonishment.

After a moment of silence, he tossed aside the wooden spear in his hand and gave a helpless, bitter smile.

"I lost."

"You never lost to me." Chen Yu slowly sheathed his saber, feeling extremely favorably toward Wang Qianjun. "Luck, intelligence, cultivation... they are all part of strength."

"If you had fought without limiting yourself, at the Eighth Level of Body Tempering, I would have been no match for you."

"That is your standard." Wang Qianjun shook his head. "I have mine."

"As you wish." Chen Yu said no more.

Everyone had their own martial path. Which path was better? Who could say for sure?

Meanwhile, the many Martial Arts students watching had fallen silent, staring at one another without a word.

"Wang Qianjun actually lost!"

"Even though he deliberately suppressed his cultivation, Wang Qianjun still lost to Chen Yu. Am I dreaming?"

Even with the truth right before their eyes, they still found it hard to imagine.

Just days ago, Chen Yu had been at the bottom of the Martial Arts Class. Yet now, in terms of martial skill, he had defeated Wang Qianjun, the famed martial arts genius!

"This kid! This saber technique! The more I watch, the more he resembles me when I was young!" Fang Xiong had watched the entire battle from beginning to end.

Within Chen Yu's saber technique, he had actually glimpsed traces of his younger self.

That made him even more satisfied with Chen Yu!

"Tsk, it feels like heaven deliberately sent him here to inherit my legacy!" Fang Xiong sighed with deep emotion.

Unfortunately, he had no interest in taking on a disciple at the moment, nor did he particularly want one.

Despite being immensely pleased with Chen Yu, and despite Chen Yu looking more and more like his younger self, Fang Xiong had no such intention.

After all, becoming his disciple was not a good thing.

After defeating Wang Qianjun, Chen Yu could clearly feel that the way people around him looked at him had completely changed.

The contempt and hostility from before... had all vanished, replaced entirely by wariness and respect.

Even though his martial cultivation was still only at the Third Layer of Body Tempering.

"So it seems a person's talent can only be copied once."

After his battle with Wang Qianjun, Chen Yu confirmed this point.

At the same time, he took the opportunity to proactively invite the others in the Martial Arts Class to spar. While reinforcing his Martial Arts Madman persona, he also confirmed a second point.

"Most people are ordinary. Not everyone has a talent that can be copied."

"Or perhaps, once one of my talents becomes strong enough, an ordinary person's similar talent no longer counts as a talent to me."

Besides Wang Qianjun, he fought a total of fifteen people. Yet he only copied two talents:

[Strong Kidneys (White)]: Purifies the blood, invigorates qi and blood, leaves one full of energy.

[Exceptional Swordsmanship (White)]: Swordsmanship comprehension increased to three times that of an ordinary person.

The effects of White-Quality Talents were fairly noticeable. [Strong Kidneys] made Chen Yu feel much more energetic, and even his concentration improved considerably.

As for [Exceptional Swordsmanship], it was a White-Quality Talent, above Gray-Quality Talents, and its effect was quite straightforward.

Chen Yu summarized his two discoveries and named them the Two Rules of Talent Copying:

First, a person's talent could only be copied once, and the result was highly random. It was not guaranteed that the best talent would be copied.

Second, not everyone possessed a talent. Most people had average aptitude and simply had no talent to copy.

"Looking at it this way, precisely seeking out martial arts geniuses is still more cost-effective."

"But ordinary talents are better the more I have. They're free, after all. Better than having nothing."

Chen Yu established the basic framework for his future talent-copying plan.

Top geniuses as the focus, ordinary talents as support.

He would pursue both!

After school, Chen Yu did not linger at school for long.

As he mentally simulated training in the Thunder Extreme Saber, a lively burst of firecrackers suddenly sounded from the roadside.

Chen Yu raised his head slightly toward the source and discovered that a martial arts hall was holding an opening ceremony. The atmosphere was extremely festive.

"A martial arts hall!"

"How did I forget about that!"

His eyes lit up, and Chen Yu immediately formed a plan.