He had long since lost count of how many times he had practiced the technique. The more he practiced, the smoother his movements became, and before he knew it, Lucian was drenched in sweat.
Yet there was no trace of exhaustion on his face. Instead, his eyes were filled with excitement. With the combined efforts of his Shadow Soldiers and himself, he could clearly feel his saber technique improving, while his mastery of the blade was rising at an astonishing pace.
"You really are a Cultivation maniac. You’ve been practicing the same saber technique for three hours without stopping. It’s already one in the morning."
Evelyn, who had been sitting cross-legged nearby and circulating her Spiritual Energy, finally opened her eyes. She stared at Lucian, who was still practicing as though he had no intention of stopping.
"Hahaha, the feeling of getting stronger is just too addictive. I completely lost track of time."
Lucian didn’t seem bothered in the slightest.
"Alright, get some rest. It’s already late. If you want to Cultivate, there’s plenty of time tomorrow."
"Alright. See you tomorrow."
...
The sun was shining brightly, birds were singing, and flowers were blooming. It was another beautiful morning.
"I’ve already spoken to your teacher this morning, so you can stay here and Cultivate without worrying."
At the dining table, Magnus’s calm voice drifted over.
In this world, even high school seniors had two days off each week. After all, without an awakened Talent, no matter how hard a student worked, their efforts would ultimately amount to very little.
But for students who had just awakened their Martial Souls, every day was precious. After all, the college entrance examination was only a month away.
The college entrance examination for Awakened students was all about real combat strength. The Otherworldly Beast hunting portion of the exam was especially dangerous, with a genuine risk of death. That was why students who chose not to attend school still had to provide a valid reason.
Lucian had been planning to report his absence to his homeroom teacher after breakfast, but he hadn’t expected Magnus to have already taken care of everything.
Looks like today would be another day of uninterrupted Cultivation.
"Thump!"
700 kg!
Looking at the number displayed on the force gauge, Evelyn was stunned.
"Lucian, have you already become a Martial Artist?"
"How is that possible? I’m still circulating my Spiritual Energy. Why would you say that?"
Evelyn immediately rolled her eyes at Lucian in annoyance.
"Didn’t you read the basic information about becoming a Martial Artist? Once a talented individual’s Physical Body has been continuously nourished and strengthened by Spiritual Energy, it will eventually condense a Spiritual Seed."
"Your physical strength increases as well. Generally, after completing the first stage of a Martial Artist through a Heavenly Cycle, a single punch can reach 200 kg. Through a Small Heavenly Cycle, it can reach 300 kg. Through a Great Heavenly Cycle, it can reach 400 kg. And through a Perfect Heavenly Cycle, a single punch can reach 500 kg.
"But your current punching strength is already 700 kg. You’ve clearly become a Martial Artist."
Lucian was secretly speechless.
I’m still doing my Heavenly Cycles. I never even bothered to check the basic information after becoming a Martial Artist.
And Evelyn was right about one thing—he was indeed still in the Heavenly Cycle Realm.
As of this morning, he had already completed 138 Heavenly Cycles, and he still had no idea where his limit was.
Others worried about reaching the limit of their Heavenly Cycles without being able to improve further, forcing them to break through and become Martial Artists.
Lucian, however, had the opposite problem. He was worried about not knowing when he would reach the limit of his Heavenly Cycles or when he would finally be able to become a Martial Artist.
Perhaps having too much talent really is a problem.
"Evelyn, do you believe me? I’m actually still not a Martial Artist."
Evelyn’s face was filled with confusion.
500 kg of punching strength is already enough to qualify as a Martial Artist through a Perfect Heavenly Cycle, and you’re already at 700 kg. Yet you’re telling me you’re still not a Martial Artist?
"Aren’t you going to explain? Yesterday, you single-handedly killed five Otherworldly Beast Wolves, and today you’re telling me you haven’t even become a Martial Artist yet. And there’s something else, why can your Martial Soul manifest so clearly now? It can even materialize and fight enemies.
"With your D-Rank Talent, it’s inevitable that your abilities will attract suspicion. From now on, it’s best not to display this kind of power in front of outsiders.
"Lucian, you might be confused because you don’t know the basic rules. Before reaching the Martial Ancestor realm, a Martial Soul shouldn’t be able to materialize and fight on its own. Yet you, without even reaching the Martial Artist realm, can already manifest your Martial Soul and use it to defend against enemies.
"If the Outer God Cult finds out about this, you’ll immediately become a target for assassination. And even if they don’t try to kill you, they’ll treat you like a lab rat."
Lucian looked at Evelyn, his heart filled with warmth. She hadn’t blamed him for hiding his secrets. Instead, she had warned him to be careful, clearly worried about what might happen if others discovered the truth.
"Evelyn, I’ll be honest with you. I actually have a Divine-Rank Martial Soul Talent. I don’t know why the Awakening Stone only showed D-Rank, but the information I received from my Martial Soul clearly says it’s Divine-Rank."
"Divine-Rank Talent? Are you sure you’re not messing with me? As far as I know, Martial Soul Talents have always ranged from F-Rank to SSS-Rank. Are you saying your Talent is actually above SSS-Rank?"
Evelyn looked at Lucian in confusion.
"That’s the information my Martial Soul gave me. I don’t know why either. Maybe SSS-Rank Talents are actually considered Divine-Rank Talents."
In truth, Lucian didn’t believe his Divine-Rank Talent could simply be an SSS-Rank Talent. Just the three ridiculous abilities he had already discovered were enough to prove that.
However, he had no idea what Rank his Divine-Rank Talent actually belonged to. For now, he didn’t care. As long as it was ridiculously powerful, that was all that mattered.
"My Talent is S-Rank. Even with the help of my Family’s resources, I’ve only managed to complete five Heavenly Cycles so far, and I’m still a long way from becoming a Martial Artist.
"But Lucian, you were able to kill five Otherworldly Beast Wolves all by yourself. From what I’ve seen, your Talent is clearly stronger than mine—at the very least, stronger than an S-Rank Talent.
"Thinking about it now, you’re probably an SSS-Rank Talent, which is incredibly rare throughout history. As for anything beyond SSS-Rank, I’ve never even heard of such a thing."
Lucian listened to Evelyn’s analysis without saying a word. He didn’t deny it either.
"Since the Awakening Stone failed to measure your true Talent, just pretend you know nothing about it. SSS-Rank Talents are already incredibly rare. If the major powers in the capital were to discover you, they might try to claim you or eliminate you before you have a chance to grow.
"You only have your grandmother protecting you, and you don’t have the backing of a powerful Family. You’re still too weak right now. Remember, the tallest tree is always the first to face the wind."
"Lucian, I’m really glad you trusted me enough to tell me your secret. I’ll keep it safe. But you have to be careful too. Never reveal this secret to anyone else."
Evelyn was genuinely happy that Lucian had trusted her, but her happiness was mixed with concern. All she could do was remind him again and again to be careful.
"Don’t worry. Other than my dear Evelyn, I won’t tell anyone."
Lucian looked at her affectionately.
Evelyn’s face instantly turned bright red....
"Divine-Rank Talent... the kind of power that could change the entire balance of Blue Star. Something beyond SSS-Rank..."
With Magnus’s formidable strength, he had naturally sensed the intimate conversation between Evelyn and Lucian.
A thoughtful look appeared in his eyes.
"It seems I’ll have to personally experience the power of this Divine-Rank Talent. Only then can I figure out how best to Cultivate Lucian."
Magnus muttered to himself, his gaze becoming increasingly serious....
"Dad, what are you doing here?"
Evelyn, who had been getting a little too affectionate with Lucian, was startled when she saw Magnus suddenly appear at the door.
"I’ve been resting lately, and since I have some free time, I thought I’d guide your Cultivation."
"Really? Dad, that’s great!"
"Thank you, Uncle Magnus."
"First, let me take a look at your Spiritual Energy Cultivation."
Hearing this, Evelyn and Lucian sat down cross-legged and began circulating their Cultivation Techniques. In an instant, Spiritual Energy from the surroundings began surging toward them.
Magnus focused his Divine Sense on Lucian.
The moment he sensed the powerful Spiritual Energy vortex surrounding Lucian and the terrifying intensity of the Spiritual Energy coursing through his Meridians, his expression changed slightly.
Magnus’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
Something wasn’t right.
As an S-Rank Talent himself, Magnus had become a Martial Artist after completing 108 Perfect Heavenly Cycles, so he knew exactly what a Perfect Heavenly Cycle should look like.
But the intensity of the Spiritual Energy flowing through Lucian’s Meridians had already far surpassed the level of a Perfect Heavenly Cycle.
Could it be...?
Has Lucian already exceeded 108 Heavenly Cycles?
Or is this some unique manifestation of his Divine-Rank Talent?
For a moment, even Magnus was stunned.