Chapter Thirty-Six: The Talent Emporium
Chapter Thirty-Six: The Talent Mall
The two of them no longer belonged to the same world.
She was just an ordinary person, while Shen An was an Awakened.
He would live a long life, but as for herself...
"You're not an ordinary person anymore. I want to hold you a little longer."
He Zhouzhou didn't want to let go, clutching him tightly. Suddenly, the corners of her eyes grew damp.
This was her first love, and it had ended just like that.
She wished she could hold onto Shen An forever.
"Zhouzhou, where did you go? You scared us half to death."
He Zhouzhou's parents, upon seeing her, hurried over.
At this moment, He Zhouzhou released her grip from around Shen An's neck, wiping away her tears.
Shen An, oblivious to He Zhouzhou's inner turmoil, assumed she was simply reacting instinctively after being frightened and reunited with her parents.
So he didn't think much of it.
Seeing that she was unharmed, Shen An turned and left.
He Zhouzhou’s parents told her about the recent events, and when they turned to thank Shen An, they found he was already far away.
He An gazed at the receding figure, then at his daughter’s sudden silence and the tears at the corners of her eyes—he felt the same ache in his heart.
But that person was no ordinary man.
He patted his daughter’s head. “Good girl, you’ve grown up.”
...
"Where are you going?"
Bai Weiwei blocked Shen An and asked.
"I don’t know."
Shen An stopped in his tracks. “I haven’t decided yet.”
He truly hadn’t decided.
What had happened tonight would undoubtedly be known by those with a mind to find out. Moreover, he had killed quite a few of the Chen family, and at the same time, exposed his powers to the world. How those above would react to someone like him—who could say?
Would they seek to eliminate him, or recruit him?
Yet, from what Bai Weiwei knew, Shen An was absolutely not the kind to be recruited.
She could sense his pride.
He was the sort who would bow to no one, heed no rules—or perhaps, he never cared for them at all.
Bai Weiwei recalled their first encounter. Perhaps, from the very beginning, this man had been playing the fool, always seeming as timid as a mouse, weak and unremarkable—until that day he killed Lei Jin.
Perhaps, from that moment, he had already begun to disregard certain things.
With this thought, Bai Weiwei’s gaze sharpened.
She remembered her own awakening.
That man with the monkey mask.
In an instant, cold sweat drenched Bai Weiwei’s back.
If that man back then were He An, just how powerful was he now?
"The Chen family will stop at nothing to kill you," Bai Weiwei warned.
She knew the strength of the Chens, and felt compelled to remind Shen An.
"And Lei Jin's master," Shen An replied.
He had never set out to make enemies—he simply did what he thought was right. Killing Lei Jin, killing the Chen family members—it was all the same. These people believed their backgrounds shielded them, looked down on him, assumed he was a mere ant. Little did they know, Shen An had become his own backing.
Who was the ant, who the elephant—only the last one standing could say.
Perhaps Shen An would fear the four great families because of their reputation.
But he would not retreat.
If the Chen family wanted to deal with him, let them come. If pushed too far, he would take the fight to their doorstep!
"Thank you for the warning, but I know what I’m doing."
Shen An thanked Bai Weiwei for her concern.
In the end, they exchanged contact information.
Under cover of night, after shaking off a few followers, Shen An arrived at a hotel.
The receptionist was a beautiful woman, who glanced at Shen An and instinctively looked again.
Experienced front desk staff usually remembered the faces of guests after a single glance.
Yet, after looking at Shen An, this receptionist found she had no recollection of his features—as if a fog obscured him, like a nearsighted person peering at someone across the room.
She rubbed her eyes, supposing too many late shifts had left her seeing things.
She thought nothing more of it.
Shen An entered his room, ensured there were no cameras, shut the door, and summoned his panel.
Talent: [Devour], Talent Value: Grade A (1/50,000)
Talent: [Space], Talent Value: Grade S (1/1,000,000)
Hidden Talent: [Connection to the Future], Talent Value: Grade SA (1/10,000,000)
Available Talent Points: 80,000
Talent Mall: Eye of Insight 100,000; Psychic Mastery 500,000; Primal Body Refinement 1,000,000; and so on...
Shen An hadn’t expected a mall to appear this time.
He had never noticed it before.
Looking back, perhaps there was a notification at the time, but with Mu Linqiu present his mind had been elsewhere.
"What’s changed? I can’t see anything!" his future self grew anxious.
Shen An was staring absentmindedly at something before him—it was clear he was looking at the panel, which existed not in reality but in his mind, visible only to himself.
Though his future self could see what he saw, that didn’t mean everything was revealed.
Shen An told him about these new developments, and his future self was delighted.
"Let’s upgrade the Devour ability first."
Ding. Talent upgraded. 50,000 points deducted. Remaining talent points: 30,000. Devour Talent upgraded to Grade S.
Shen An felt the change immediately.
At the moment of the upgrade, he sensed a surge of power within him.
As his talent strengthened, so did his own abilities.
He felt as if a shackle in his body had been unlocked—his body grew more agile.
This must be Third Tier, he mused.
"Third Tier—much faster than I was in my day," his future self remarked lazily.
"What tier were you then?" Shen An asked offhandedly.
"Uh... You’d better go into the space."
Shen An rolled his eyes. Was this guy only First Tier back then?
Shen An entered the inner space.
As his mind entered his internal world, he noticed the space had expanded greatly.
Moreover, it was oppressively hot.
He dove into the lake.
At that moment—
Talent Points +1500
Talent Points +1500
...
A series of prompts sounded, leaving Shen An stunned.
That sound was all too familiar.
It was the same one he’d heard upon first awakening this ability.
Now, it rang out again.
In just a brief moment, another 30,000 points had been gained, filling Shen An with joy.
Now, his talent points had risen to 60,000.
Though it seemed little for the moment, it was better than nothing. He believed that as time went on, he would earn more and more.
Talent: [Devour], Talent Value: Grade S (1/1,000,000)
Talent: [Space], Talent Value: Grade S (1/1,000,000)
Hidden Talent: [Connection to the Future], Talent Value: Grade SA (1/10,000,000)
Available Talent Points: 80,000
Talent Mall: Eye of Insight 100,000; Psychic Mastery 500,000; Primal Body Refinement 1,000,000; and so on...
The interface looked much more pleasing now, though the points required to further upgrade Devour had increased astronomically.