Chapter 27: Prodigies of Divine Capital and Demon Capital

“Who awakened an SS-Rank Talent!”

The middle-aged man crashed down at the center of the crowd, his immense force shattering the exquisite floor tiles. Paying no heed to the damage, he rushed over to Chen An, towering over him as he lifted the boy’s small hands.

His unkempt, stubble-covered face broke into what he thought was a kindly smile. “Little brother, was it you who tested with an SS-Rank Talent?”

Chen An smiled awkwardly and pointed to Jiang Yan beside him.

“It was him.”

“Wow, what a handsome young man!”

The man agilely moved in front of Jiang Yan, gazing into his eyes with hopeful anticipation.

“Young man, was it you who awakened the SS-Rank Talent?”

Jiang Yan blinked and said, “Yes.”

“May I ask if you’re a local of our Linjiang City?”

“Yes!”

The man’s face grew even more excited as he enthusiastically grasped Jiang Yan’s hands:

“My name is Ma Shan, the person in charge of Linjiang City’s Martial Artist Tower. From now on, we’ll address each other separately—you call me Uncle, and I’ll call you Bro.”

Jiang Yan: “Uncle Ma?”

Ma Shan: “Bro Jiang!”

The onlookers: …

“Let’s go, it’s crowded here. We’ll discuss the details in my office.”

And so, the staff began dispersing the crowd while Jiang Yan was taken by Ma Shan to a lavishly decorated office.

Ma Shan snapped his fingers, and immediately a man in a suit and sunglasses entered through the door, carrying a metal case whose contents remained unknown.

“Let’s not waste words—I, Ma Shan, am straightforward. Since you’ve awakened an SS-Rank Talent, Bro Jiang, I’ll naturally grant you the rewards you deserve.”

Giving gifts right away? Jiang Yan quite liked this approach.

“Uncle Ma, what rewards come with an SS-Rank Talent?”

Ma Shan smiled without elaborating, simply opening the case to reveal its contents.

Inside, three medicine bottles were neatly arranged, their bodies wrapped in semi-transparent, semi-mechanical casings. The case’s interior was lined with soft, fine supports to prevent damage during transport.

“These contain three vials of Body-Tempering Liquid—special rewards from the nation for Martial Artists with SS-Rank Talent.”

Ma Shan stood up and continued:

“Moreover, your Martial Artist account will be granted permission to select one Heavenly Grade Martial Skill.”

“Heavenly Grade Martial Skill?” Jiang Yan murmured, surprised that certifying a Talent came with such benefits. How utterly cool was that?

“By the way, Bro Jiang, how old are you?” Ma Shan asked while pouring tea.

Jiang Yan: “Eighteen, why?”

“Hiss—” Ma Shan’s eyes widened. “Then you’re taking the College Entrance Exam the day after tomorrow?”

“That’s right.”

“Holy crap! Heaven shines upon our Linjiang!”

Ma Shan’s expression grew solemn for a moment before he inquired about Jiang Yan’s current strength.

Jiang Yan answered truthfully, and his Blood Coagulation Perfection Realm left Ma Shan quite satisfied.

“Excellent. Aside from those freaks from Divine Capital and Demon Capital, you’ll hardly encounter any real competition.”

With an excited heart and trembling hands, Ma Shan thought to himself that such a true dragon had emerged during his tenure.

The Martial Artist Tower, as an official organization, was established in every city with extensive authority—equivalent to half a mayor’s power, even exerting certain constraints on the mayor’s office.

It served as a supervisory mechanism from higher authorities over local governance.

Jiang Yan’s emergence was undoubtedly an honor for all of Linjiang City. Ma Shan believed that by the time Jiang Yan returned home today, various influential figures would be competing to visit him.

An SS-Rank Talent, once fully developed, would become one of the pillars of Blue Star, making them someone everyone would vie to befriend. Ma Shan clearly realized this and immediately sought to build a connection with Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan was quite interested in the “freaks” Ma Shan mentioned from Divine Capital and Demon Capital, so he asked, “About how strong are the examinees from those two places?”

Hearing this, Ma Shan’s expression turned serious, but he still replied, “Very strong. Any one of them could sweep through examinees from other provinces.”

Not wanting to discourage Jiang Yan, Ma Shan explained, “These two cities are independent of all provinces and possess the richest educational resources on Blue Star.”

“Children from prominent families, descendants of hidden sects, sons and daughters of Martial Saints… these geniuses have received the highest quality training since childhood. Even if examinees from other places awaken an SS-Rank Talent, they still can’t compete with them.”

As if afraid Jiang Yan might overthink it, Ma Shan smiled and said, “You haven’t enjoyed high-quality cultivation resources in a small place like ours, so it’s normal if you can’t match them. As long as you take the exam normally, I believe your chances of getting into one of those two cities are still quite high.”

“As long as you enter either Divine Capital Martial University or Demon Capital Martial University, you can accumulate strength steadily and still have hope of surpassing them someday.”

Ma Shan just wanted to encourage Jiang Yan a bit. As for actually surpassing those freaks?

He didn’t dare think about it, nor did he believe Jiang Yan could do it. This wasn’t discrimination or belittlement—it was simply the reality.

Jiang Yan didn’t say much, nor did he make any bold claims about surpassing those children from major families.

Although his current strength seemed freakish in Linjiang City, it was hard to say how he would perform outside.

Think about it carefully: your father is a Peak Martial Saint, your mother is a Saintess from a hidden sect, you’ve been soaking in Body-Tempering medicinal baths since childhood, and you naturally awakened your Talent when you came of age. Things like Body-Tempering Liquid, which others treasure like precious gems, are just a boring flavored drink you’ve grown tired of.

You practice Martial Skills personally refined by your Martial Saint father and receive meticulous guidance from your Saintess mother. Then one day, some brat from a small place jumps out and declares:

“Hahaha, I am the number one Prodigy of such-and-such city! I just successfully opened my Apertures less than a month ago, and now I’m going to crush you with my strength!”

After hearing this, you don’t feel anger—you just laugh it off as a joke. Until one day, he suddenly storms into the Heavenly Palace, one of your residences, and performs a backflip right in front of you.

Then, with a flick of your finger, you send him straight to Hell, as easily as swatting a mosquito.

How utterly despair-inducing is that?

It’s not that SS-Rank Talents haven’t awakened in other places, but so what? They still can’t shake those freaks and prodigies from those two cities.

Jiang Yan didn’t believe that just one month of hard cultivation would allow him to defeat these freaks, but…

Why not give it a try?

Seeking victory is merely a reward for the cowardly; battle is the eternal, undying medal.

“Hahaha, I shouldn’t have said so much. Actually, some of the truly outrageous freaks have already been directly admitted to those two academies and won’t take the College Entrance Exam, so you don’t need to feel so much pressure.”

Ma Shan, afraid that his earlier words might have shattered Jiang Yan’s Dao Heart, immediately tried to console him.

But when he looked into Jiang Yan’s eyes, his body suddenly stiffened, his scalp tingled, and a shiver ran down his spine.

Those eyes… held not a trace of despondency or resentment, not the slightest fear or retreat. What they held was a surging battle intent, that unyielding, unbreakable aura—even if you are stronger than me, I will still fight you!

Not to determine victory or defeat, but simply to fight!

Ma Shan suddenly smiled with a sense of release, his gaze drifting into reminiscence.

“It seems it wasn’t him who was suppressed, but the eighteen-year-old me~”