Sin Becomes a God

Chapter 46: Selecting the Strongest Talent

“What am I best at? Sigh… My grades are average… My athletic ability is average… Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been like an ‘extra’ in a movie. Graduation is just around the corner… and the girls in my class still call me ‘that guy’… Talent? Do I even have that?” Lu Renjia mused to himself. For a moment, even the joy of having unleashed the “Assassin’s Heart” and advanced his internal energy by two levels faded somewhat. Seeing Lu Renjia with his head down and silent, the Russian assumed he was wrestling with a difficult decision. After all, based on what Lu Renjia had just said, there was no doubt he intended to elevate his strength to a new level in a short period of time; otherwise, upon returning to China, he would surely face certain death against a leader whose power was unfathomable. Bending down to gather the iron plate welded to the edge of the pool, the Russian man offered words of comfort: “Life is full of choices… At the right moment, you make the best decision, only to discover later… that everything you’ve done seems to have strayed from the path… Son, how should you choose? Just follow your heart…” Watching the Russian finish cleaning up, hoist the iron plate onto his shoulder, and walk away, Lu Renjia gave a wry smile. “I never thought someone would be dishing out inspirational advice to me…” He picked a random herbal bath pool and, having regained his normal skin color, settled comfortably inside. The flowing spring water seemed capable of cleansing one’s soul, bringing a sense of peace to Lu Renjia’s heart. Although this sense of comfort made him drowsy, Lu Renjia didn’t want to waste a single moment. Since advancing to the mid-stage of the First-Rank realm, he could clearly sense that the cultivation bonus from the “Marrow-Cleansing Pill” had diminished somewhat; he no longer possessed a cultivation speed fifty times faster than other martial artists, as he had when he was at the Second-Rank level. Sitting cross-legged in the water, Lu Renjia began his daily cultivation routine. With the Yang Qiao Meridian, Yin Qiao Meridian, Yang Wei Meridian, and Yin Wei Meridian now unblocked, the Nine Yang True Qi—having undergone another transformation—had evolved from a trickling stream into a surging river. The *Nine Yang Divine Art* had also advanced to the fifth level, “Nine Yang Brings Prosperity.” “Phew… It seems the potency of the ‘Marrow-Cleansing Pill’ has weakened considerably. The multiplier has dropped from fifty times to forty-five times. It appears that as one’s cultivation level rises, the effects of this ‘Marrow-Cleansing Pill’ diminish, doesn’t it?” Back then, Immortal Xuan Kui gave me two choices: the first was the ‘Great Rejuvenation Pill,’ which would instantly grant me thirty years’ worth of internal energy; the second was the ‘Marrow-Cleansing Pill,’ capable of completely transforming one’s very being. There must have been some deeper consideration behind that, right? Sure enough… these powerful figures who’ve completed twenty or thirty missions won’t just accept any old companion…” Lu Renjia mused. As the saying goes, you don’t fear god-like enemies, but you do fear pig-like teammates. If I were to lose myself to the temptation of power and blindly pursue improvement, only to hit a bottleneck later on and be unable to progress further, then even with the aura of being an Earthling Qualifier, I’m sure Master Xuan Kui and the others would look down on me. After all, how can someone controlled by power ever become the ultimate warrior? Although the effectiveness of the “Marrow-Cleansing Pill” had been reduced from a fifty-fold boost to forty-five-fold, Lu Renjia didn’t mind. After a session of meditation and energy cultivation, he had solidified his cultivation at the mid-stage of the First-Rank Martial Artist realm. Slowly opening his eyes, he saw the sky beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn. Lu Renjia seemed to have made his final decision, remarking self-deprecatingly, “Alright… even if my greatest talent is ‘eating,’ I’ll become the strongest foodie…” Having already experienced the activation of the “Assassin’s Heart” once before, Lu Renjia simply needed to follow that same sensation to raise his heart rate back to four hundred beats per minute. For a moment, a flush of color spread across his face as he sat cross-legged in the pool. “Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump…” His heart pounded rapidly, its pace steadily climbing. One hundred fifty beats per minute, two hundred, three hundred, four hundred. “Boom…” It felt as if his mind had exploded; memories from the past surged into his brain like a tidal wave. During his childhood—which was far from happy—whether in the classroom or among his neighborhood friends, he was always the one most easily overlooked. Although those classmates and friends who ignored him couldn’t remember his name, Lu Renjia could remember each of them. For a moment, the images flashing through his mind were like scenes from a movie. Lu Renjia watched his former, frail self—so forlorn—when suddenly everything in his memory faded away, replaced by utter darkness. Within that darkness, icons of varying sizes began to appear; some of these strange icons moved slowly, while others remained motionless. As he looked closely at these icons of varying sizes, Lu Renjia was so astonished he was speechless. It turned out that these icons were actually outlines of different shapes—ants, spiders,cockroaches—insects he would normally never even notice—were now clearly displayed as icons. On each icon, Lu Renjia could see a glow of varying intensity. Among all the icons, the brightest light emanated from the repairman lying in the medicinal bath not far from him. “Could it be that my strongest talent is actually ‘Perception’? No… even all the living creatures around me are appearing faintly in my mind—this is practically a holographic projection…” Just as Lu Renjia was about to further verify his hypothesis, the icy voice of the “Evil God System” rang out. “Congratulations, Qualified One, on acquiring a new attribute. ‘Perception’ has been rated by the system as a D-level skill. A new attribute, ‘Perceptual Power,’ has been derived. The Qualified One’s physical attributes: Internal Energy (Mid-tier First-Class Martial Artist), Reflexes 40 (40 times that of an average person), Strength 50 (50 times that of an average person), Speed 45 (45 times that of an average person), Comprehension 3 (3 times that of an average person), Perceptiveness 15 (15 times that of an average person). Overall Rating: E-Class Martial Artist.” Studying the attribute panel that popped up in his mind, Lu Renjia said self-deprecatingly, “Just as I thought… How could someone with mediocre results like me possibly possess the formidable talent of natural-born killers like Fox, the Gunsmith, or the Repairman? ‘Perception’? It’s probably just as useless as that Russian’s ‘analytical’ ability—which is fifteen times that of an average person…Otherwise, even after gaining a new attribute, the ‘Evil God System’ would still rate me as Grade E…” It was better than nothing, so he couldn’t really call it a disappointment. After all, “Assassin’s Heart” was a skill rated E+ by the “Evil God System,” and if he were to redeem it, it would cost at least ten thousand Sin Coins. According to the Russian’s notes, once you’ve identified your strongest talent, all you need to do is keep strengthening it. As for the “Mastery” stage—which comes after the “Application” stage—the Russian hadn’t delved into it yet, so the notes only provided a brief description. The main point noted was that once “Assassin’s Heart” advanced to the Mastery stage, each activation would last for at least thirty minutes, with a cooldown period of about one to three minutes. “Damn… so that means that guy Sloan can basically stay in the ‘Assassin’s Heart’ state twenty-four hours a day?” Lu Renjia mused. With that in mind, Lu Renjia decided to test the range of his “Perception.” Following his intuition, he let his mind expand; in his mind’s eye, he seemed to be standing at the center of a circle, and a translucent glow radiated outward in all directions like ripples. Ten meters… twenty meters… thirty meters… forty meters… fifty meters… one hundred meters… one hundred fifty meters… Finally, when the translucent glow reached a radius of one hundred fifty meters, it came to a halt. “Damn… I thought it was just a farm dog, but who knew it was a Tibetan Mastiff—a real gem in disguise!! With this ‘Perception’ skill, I’ll basically be a human radar, won’t I? Hehe… When that time comes, no matter where you hide—whether in the heavens or beneath the earth—you won’t be able to escape my eyes…” Lu Renjia was overjoyed. Back in the world of *The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Demon Cult Leader*, when he had possessed Song Qingshu’s body and become an Innate Martial Artist, his range of perception was no more than fifty meters—and even then, he could only detect targets by sensing whether they possessed inner energy or by picking up subtle sounds in the surroundings. But the “Perception” skill he had acquired now was entirely different. Not only did it clearly project everything within a 150-meter radius into his mind, but the varying intensities of light on each icon also allowed Lu Renjia to gauge the opponent’s strength. Lu Renjia, who had once been a die-hard fan of *Naruto*, had often fantasized about powerful dōjutsu like the Byakugan and taijutsu like the Gaten—but now, compared to the “Perception” skill he’d acquired, it seemed his own D-rank skill was actually a cut above. Lu Renjia understood better than anyone that this “Perception” skill was a priceless rarity. “One hundred fifty meters… Wow… That’s already beyond the range of pistols and rifles… In other words, as long as I’m fast enough and my reflexes keep up, bullets simply can’t hit me… Compared to ‘Gaiten,’ which can only be activated when I’m under attack, my ability lets me fend off enemies from a hundred meters away…” Overjoyed by this unexpected windfall, Lu Renjia was like a child who’d just gotten a new toy, having the time of his life. As his heart pounded at a rate of four hundred beats per minute, everything around him seemed to slow down immensely—especially the icons of ants, cockroaches, and spiders, which moved as if in slow motion. Just then, an icon with the outline of a Russian man slowly entered Lu Renjia’s field of perception. As for this guy—who was sometimes cunning, yet also both a mentor and a friend—Lu Renjia certainly didn’t want him to end up dying by the “Cross”’s gunfire. After giving it some thought, Lu Renjia decided to try his charm again. “Kid… how’s it going? Have you found your path in life yet? Don’t worry… let’s have breakfast first!” The Russian said, pulling out a lunch box he’d prepared especially for the occasion. If the Russian had originally set his sights on Lu Renjia’s strength, hoping to recruit this formidable Chinese man to join forces against Sloan, then after Lu Renjia chose the most unlikely path in the Russian’s research to awaken the “Assassin’s Heart,” the Russian had come to genuinely care for and cherish this young man with his extraordinary, heaven-defying talent. Smelling the aroma of grilled sausages and fried eggs wafting from the lunchbox, Lu Renjia waved his hand away. His deep, piercing eyes grew vacant and unfocused. “Don’t speak… I… I saw it… I saw it… Ah, good and evil will eventually be repaid; it’s not that it won’t be repaid… just that the time hasn’t come yet…” The way Lu Renjia was acting—as if possessed by a spirit—truly startled the Russian. He quickly set down the meal box and reached out to touch Lu Renjia’s forehead. With a soft “smack…,” Lu Renjia swatted the Russian’s hand away. “Come on! Can you please stop touching my forehead every time to check if I have a fever?” “No fever? You were rambling like a blind man just now… and you’re telling me you don’t have a fever?” “Pfft! Have you ever seen a blind person who can withstand ten seconds of a mechanic’s frenzied beating? This is my ultimate talent, okay? Hmph… Even though my talent has absolutely nothing to do with fighting, it’ll scare the crap out of you if I tell you… Brace yourself, listen up!! ‘Precognition’!!! Scared shitless, aren’t you?”