[Would you like to Sign-In?]
[Yes / No]
For a second, Qing paused before thinking, ’It said that the rewards are completely random... so it isn’t even dependent on luck?’ With a sigh, he shook his head as he realized that dwelling on this matter would only create more questions without giving him a single answer, so he stopped thinking about it and simply went ahead with his decision. ’Yes, Sign-In.’
The moment he agreed internally, the System window flickered, and new words began appearing across the translucent screen.
[Ding! Congratulations on your first Sign-In!]
[Reward Generated.]
[Congratulations, Host has obtained Talent: Ultimate Comprehension!]
Qing stared at the name of the reward for a few seconds before thinking, ’Ultimate Comprehension?’ Just as the thought crossed his mind, the screen flickered again, and another descriptive window opened in front of him.
[Talent: Ultimate Comprehension]
[Talent Effects (Passive):
1. Host can comprehend any Cultivation Technique, Martial Art, Skill, Law/Dao, and other forms of Knowledge in an instant.
2. Host can perceive the memories of past wielders of any weapon, comprehend their Techniques and Skills, and permanently acquire them.
3. Host can instantly identify the weaknesses, flaws, and limitations of any Technique, Skill, Formation, or Ability after comprehending it, allowing him to improve and perfect them.]
[Note: Host can only improve the Grade of a Skill by removing its existing limitations, weaknesses, and flaws. The Host needs to either practice or use Soul Essence to advance an acquired or learned Skill to the next Stage.]
Qing could only stare at the description before him. Even though he had seen and experienced many absurd things during his past life, he still couldn’t believe the absurdity of this particular Talent. ’I can comprehend any type of Knowledge in an instant. Isn’t that basically a Cheat?’ He thought for a moment before shaking his head with an internal sigh, ’Well, this System itself is a cheat to begin with, so I shouldn’t be surprised.’
After that, he quickly reread the other two effects, which were also absurd enough to make him scratch the back of his head. ’This is something similar to those novels... Alright, I have to test at least one of these effects.’ He had no reason to simply trust the System’s description without testing it himself, especially when this Talent could potentially become one of the most important advantages he possessed in this new life.
Qing turned toward Shen for a moment and noticed that the man who had been unconscious beside him was beginning to wake up, with Shen helping him slowly get back on his feet. ’Hmm, I need to meet those Nine Lotus Sect members who have come to the Stoneheart Sect. My only clue about how Demons came into this World starts from there...’ He thought as he remembered that he had never heard of Demons invading any Cultivation World during his previous life, not even from his Master.
He narrowed his eyes as another possibility began surfacing in his mind. ’...Higher-Ups. That Demon said Higher-Ups, and it also spoke about harvesting the planet...’
Qing shook his head again as he saw no reason to overthink something he currently had no way of investigating. Earth had already been destroyed, so there was no hope left for him to do anything about its fate. His desire for revenge had been the only reason he continued fighting against the Demon King until his final breath, and now that he was already dead, thinking about Earth wouldn’t change anything.
However, those words from that strange Demon might still become useful to him here. After all, he had sworn to kill every Demon in his previous life, and that hatred had followed him into this life as well. ’Is this also an effect of the Talent? I’m overthinking many things at once...’ He wondered internally before shifting his attention toward the Status window.
The moment his eyes landed on the Silent Steps Technique listed there, something immediately clicked in his mind, and he realized that this was the perfect Technique to test his new Talent. Qing immediately got into a stance, extending his right leg slightly forward while sliding his left leg one step backward before circulating Spiritual Energy throughout his veins and directing it toward his legs.
The moment he activated the Technique, his body suddenly vanished from his original position, making both Shen and Chen startle. Qing, on the other hand, felt the sudden burst of speed come under his control much more smoothly than before, and three afterimages began forming one after another as he moved forward.
After reaching the other side of the corpse pit, Qing came to a stop, and the afterimages gradually disappeared. He looked down at his own hand for a moment before thinking, ’There are three flaws in this Technique. This Talent really is absurd.’ With that thought, Qing immediately got to work, sitting down in a lotus position before closing his eyes and recalling every detail of the Technique he had just used.
Shen and Chen continued staring at him in confusion while Shen quietly filled Chen in about the entire situation they had experienced. Neither of them understood what Qing was doing, but they could tell that he was focused on something, and neither dared to interrupt him after everything that had already happened.
Meanwhile, Qing’s mind was completely focused on Silent Steps. One by one, he identified the flaws within the Technique and began removing them, correcting the inefficient parts and eliminating the limitations that prevented the Technique from reaching its full potential. The process didn’t take long, and the moment he finished correcting the final flaw, several System notifications immediately rang inside his mind.
[Three flaws have been removed from the Technique Silent Steps!]
[The Technique Silent Steps has Evolved from Earth Grade directly to Heaven Grade!]
[A completely new and flawless Technique has been created from the crude Silent Steps: Void Steps.]
[Comprehension of the Technique Silent Steps has exceeded all Limits. Host has advanced to the Perfection Stage in the evolved Technique, Void Steps!]
With that, the process finally came to a stop. Qing opened his eyes and slowly stood up before looking at himself for a moment, and then his body suddenly vanished completely. It did not blur, nor did it produce any afterimages like before; he simply disappeared from his original position and reappeared far ahead on the opposite side of the corpse pit.
Shen and Chen immediately turned their heads and saw Qing already standing there, causing their eyes to widen as their pupils contracted in disbelief. They had just watched this man sit down and close his eyes, and they knew very well that when a Cultivator sat down like that without exerting Spiritual Energy, it usually meant they were trying to comprehend something.
Because of that, they immediately understood what had happened. Qing had comprehended the Technique he had just used and somehow reached an entirely different level within only a few seconds. It was absurd, so absurd that both of them felt as if their eyes were deceiving them, yet reality was right in front of them.
Before either of them could even recover from their shock, Qing’s figure suddenly appeared in front of them again. Sweat was running down his chin as he exhaled heavily before speaking, "Hooh... this Technique costs too much Spiritual Energy."
Qing took another deep breath and finally turned toward the two men before speaking again, "Alright, both of you, now show me the way to your Stoneheart Sect. I need to meet these Nine Lotus Sect members."