I Just Crossed Over, and Now I Have to Awaken a Talent?

"Elemental, wind, D-rank."

"Beast, wolf, D-rank."

Ye Chen stood among the crowd as the awakening ceremony was underway.

In this world, everyone awakened a talent after turning eighteen.

There were elemental talents, beast talents, and a few special kinds.

But Ye Chen wasn't from this world.

More precisely, his soul wasn't from this world!

Ye Chen couldn't make sense of what was happening before him.

How had he woken up in a different world?

And now I have to awaken a talent? Did I live those last eighteen years for nothing?

Several instructors held tablets, recording the strength of each student's awakened talent.

There weren't many categories of talent, but their strength varied.

Ye Chen's head was throbbing. What would he do when his turn came?

Just grit my teeth and go through with it?

As Ye Chen was fretting, an excited voice rang out ahead of him.

"Special-type talent! Spirit Eye! B-rank strength!"

The teacher looked even more excited than the student. Before the student had time to celebrate, the teacher was already grinning from ear to ear.

Meanwhile, the school's senior staff were watching the awakening ceremony.

"This year's students aren't much to write home about. It took this long to get our first B-rank."

"You can't say that. Last year was quiet too, and then an S-rank student appeared at the end!"

Zhang Daosheng sat at the head of the room, silently listening to the department heads talk.

"You mean Zhang Yuan? An S-rank Fire Element talent. I hear he's already reached the Third Awakening Realm!"

A teacher seated farther back said this as he adjusted his glasses.

Everyone fell silent.

In this world, people normally awakened their talents at eighteen, though plenty of geniuses awakened on their own before then.

And high schools weren't there to teach students how to become powerful!

Their main job was to teach students how to be decent people!

To be a proper person, someone who could be useful to the Human Race!

That was why the teachers weren't especially strong.

Few of the teachers present had reached the Mountain-Moving Realm. No wonder they had gone quiet—a student who had only recently graduated had already surpassed them.

The gap between people could be enormous.

"All right. That's not something we need to worry about."

Zhang Daosheng took a deep breath, breaking the silence.

"We've taught them everything we can. If a promising talent appears, the school will certainly support them. But..."

Zhang Daosheng said no more, but everyone present understood what he meant.

The talent awakenings had begun early that morning, and now the sun was nearly overhead.

The temperature climbed steadily in the summer heat.

Yet not even half the students had finished awakening.

Ye Chen glanced back at the long line behind him, the corner of his eye twitching helplessly.

I guess I'm lucky, at least. I'm not last.

"Mutant Beast talent! Swiftwind Two-Headed Wolf! A-rank!"

Whoa!

The entire square erupted!

Finally! An A-rank talent!

"A Mutant Beast talent? That's incredible! My neighbor's cousin's husband has an older brother with a B-rank Mutant Beast talent. He reached the Mountain-Moving Realm, and when he transforms into his beast form, he looks awesome!"

"Right? Mutant Beast talents are so rare, but they're all so strong!"

"Hey, what kind of Mutant Beast talent does your neighbor's cousin's husband's brother have?"

"You'll be shocked when I tell you! It's a Demon-Eyed Pig!"

"...Never mind."

Ye Chen was speechless. He'd thought it would be something impressive.

Instead, it was a pig—and a common, low-level Mutant Beast found in markets everywhere...

Ye Chen looked toward the talent awakening orb in front of the teacher.

His eyes burned with anticipation!

I want to... stand at the pinnacle of this world!

"Elemental, Wood Element, C-rank!" After the shock of the Mutant Beast talent earlier, the teacher recording the results seemed unimpressed by a C-rank.

He shook his head and sighed. "C-rank strength is quite good. Unfortunately, Wood Element talents can only serve a support role, though their healing abilities are exceptional."

The girl, who had been delighted a moment ago, froze.

Noticing the change in her mood, the teacher comforted her. "But as a healer, you can still make an outstanding contribution to the Human Race!"

The girl felt much better after hearing that.

She thanked the teacher and left.

Ye Chen heard every word of their conversation.

"Next!"

Ye Chen stepped forward. At last, the talent orb he had been waiting for was right in front of him!

His stomach tightened. His soul wasn't from this world!

What if I don't have a talent?

It seems like everyone can awaken one, but what if I can't?

Wouldn't that make me an outsider in this world?

"Take a moment to settle yourself. Relax. It's natural to be nervous."

Ye Chen drew a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

He reached out, just about to place his hand on the orb.

Then, without warning, everything changed!

An icy-blue pillar of light shot into the sky!

In an instant, its chill swept the blazing heat from the entire square!

It even overpowered the forty-degree heat!

"The Human Race has produced a True Dragon! Our Zanghai City has produced a True Dragon!"

Zhang Daosheng suddenly shot up from his chair and rushed toward the square.

None of the others had ever seen anything like it. They could only stare, wide-eyed.

After Zhang Daosheng left, the only sound in the office was people swallowing hard.

In the square, thousands of eyes turned toward the figure beneath the icy-blue pillar!

It was a girl in a long blue dress!

Coldness seemed etched into her face.

The Lan Family! Lan Lengshuang! She lived up to her name!

"Goddess Lan... she's as amazing as ever!"

"Good grades, good looks, a wealthy family, and now a great talent too!"

"God opened a door for her, then opened all the windows while he was at it! I'm so jealous!"

"Nonsense. God shut your door and sealed your windows while he was at it!"

"What rank is that talent? This is ridiculous!"

Ye Chen's hand stopped just short of the awakening orb!

Is this the very peak of what an awakening can be?!

He looked up at the icy-blue pillar as it slowly faded.

Ye Chen's eyes filled with a longing for power!

"Elemental! Ice! SSS-rank talent!!!"

As the icy-blue pillar vanished, the teacher came to his senses and announced Lan Lengshuang's talent.

The entire square fell silent!

An SSS-rank talent? The Lan Family is about to soar!

Zanghai City is going to be famous! Zanghai No. 1 High School is going to be famous!

Zhang Daosheng arrived just as the pillar disappeared!

His eyes blazed. After all these years, he had finally encountered a student with an SSS-rank talent!

"Will you become my disciple?!"