The Awakening of Talent: Sári’s Rise

  After Mustafa calmed down and returned to his melancholic composure, Elder Claudio invited both him and Rafar to join the banquet. The two, surprised by the invitation, took their seats on benches opposite the young Sári. The rectangular table was arranged with Huang Di to the north, the Princess to the south, Sári to the west, and Mustafa and Rafar to the east.

  Still in disguise, Huang Di encouraged everyone to set their worries aside and enjoy the meal. Coming from an elder, the remark sounded awkwardly youthful, drawing laughter from some and surprise from others. Even Mustafa, known for his seriousness, could not hold back a laugh, leaving the others unsettled.

  As the banquet progressed, the food, dense with energy, began to take effect, especially on Sári, who had the lowest cultivation among those present. The concentrated energy of Rank 5 beasts was too much for her inexperienced body, and Huang Di noticed the danger. Mustafa, also alert, was about to intervene, but Huang Di, in his Elder Claudio persona, acted first.

  He released a powerful aura that made everyone except Sári feel as if mountains were pressing down on them. Sári, in turn, began to glow intensely, her body temperature rising rapidly. Huang Di then spoke directly into her mind, guiding her to sit in a lotus position and begin meditating.

  Using the dragon’s aura, Huang Di applied pressure to Sári’s acupuncture points, opening them in a clearly visible way. He used a secret technique for opening hidden power points, learned from the Director’s inheritance pills. With precise control, he opened ninety acupoints, transforming Sári’s mediocre talent into that of a generational genius, tripling her cultivation speed and her capacity to learn.

  In addition, Huang Di helped her absorb the Rank 5 beast energy correctly, preventing an energy backlash. Under his guidance, Sári channeled that energy and further consolidated her cultivation.

  Those present watched in amazement as Sári, her skin clearer, her appearance rejuvenated, and her body in excellent health, floated in deep meditation, emitting rays of light and delicate fragrances from her skin. It was the typical sign of a special body, confirming Huang Di’s suspicions.

  Through a secret channel, Huang Di explained to Sári the nature of her special body and the dangers it could bring, offering protection and guidance. Sári, though grateful, appeared wary of his motives and reluctant to accept his proposal to become his disciple. Even so, she recognized that with his help she had reached the peak of the Foundation Rank and now stood only one step from the Profound Rank.

  Sensing her hesitation, Huang Di asked about her family, which immediately brightened her expression. She said her father and brother were talented miners, inspired by the ancient dwarves, and that they dreamed of finding a master who could teach them the domain of earth. Smiling, Huang Di knew exactly whom he could turn to in order to help them.

  When the exchange ended, Sári’s body descended back to the floor, and she opened her eyes to find herself surrounded by looks of envy and admiration. She turned toward Elder Claudio, who continued sipping his wine as if nothing had happened.

  The Awakening of Talent: Threats and Protection

  Rafar was the first to speak out loud, immediately recognizing what he had witnessed.

  "A Special Body. She has a Special Body. That’s a fortune, but for her, it’s a tragedy."

  Hearing the guest’s comment, Sári remembered Elder Claudio’s warning about how drastically her life had changed. With her talent now exposed, she had become a target for greater powers, who might want to use her as an incubator to produce powerful descendants, forcing her into an unwanted marriage.

  Recognizing the imminent danger, Huang Di promised to protect Sári from influential families and powerful cultivators, to guide her on the path of cultivation, and to help her develop her full potential. In return, he asked that she accept him as her master and accompany him when he left the city. Sári, though deeply grateful for an offer from someone so powerful, was reluctant to leave before reaching adulthood, unless she could bring her family with her.

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  Mustafa, who had hired her and recognized her value from the beginning, possessed a special talent: the ability to see people’s hidden potential. He had already identified talent in other employees of the Di Restaurant, as well as in Huang Di, whom he classified as a King of Alchemy, someone capable of producing Rank 7 pills. More than that, he detected the Goddess’s Chosen talent within Huang Di, something extraordinarily rare and tied to high-level divine connections.

  Because he owed his life to the owner of the Di Restaurant, Mustafa served as a talent scout for him. He understood well that people with exceptional gifts were often targets of greed and persecution, and he feared Sári might suffer the same fate.

  Huang Di, on the other hand, viewed Sári as a valuable piece on his board of power, someone he could protect, develop, and also benefit from as she rose.

  With a calculated smile, Huang Di asked everyone present to keep Sári’s Special Body a secret, emphasizing her youth and inexperience. He hoped for their discretion, though he knew that eventually her talent would become too evident to conceal.

  The Princess, even as she recognized the hypocrisy in his words, offered her protection to Sári.

  "You can count on me, little one. No one will dare intimidate you while you’re under my watch."

  However, the Princess had her own hidden motives. She was secretly building a group of loyal, talented specialists to secure her position. What she did not yet know was that two other individuals at that table, including Huang Di, possessed talents that could eclipse even her own.

  Attentive to everyone’s movements and intentions, Huang Di began to design a more ambitious plan: gathering talents under his command. What he still had not realized was that at his side there was already someone capable of attracting and assembling talents in massive numbers. After all, nothing was more powerful than having a talent work for you, except having an entire collection of exceptional talents, all loyal to you.

  The Subtle War: Conflicts and Opportunities

  After a hearty, satisfying meal, Elder Claudio, the disguise chosen by Huang Di, rose slowly, drawing everyone’s attention. With a serene smile, he thanked each person for attending, highlighting the honor of sharing that meal with such distinct individuals. His next words, however, carried intention. He announced with pride that he had accepted a young woman of extraordinary talent as his disciple. As he said it, he cast a meaningful glance toward the Princess, a gesture that did not go unnoticed and stirred murmurs of envy and admiration among the guests.

  He then turned his attention to little Sári, whose discovery as a bearer of a rare special body had been the highlight of the gathering. He explained that bodies like hers were extremely rare, appearing only once in every million individuals. These special bodies, he continued, could vary widely in their characteristics. Some were suited for devastating attacks, others granted impenetrable defenses, and still others offered support abilities capable of turning the tide of battle. Among beast clans and other non-humans, such bodies often manifested abilities inherent to the species itself.

  For humans, special bodies of rare distinction were generally associated with unique and extraordinary gifts. Huang Di described how those talents could manifest in surprising ways, allowing their bearers to perform feats that defied logic and reason. He mentioned rare cases in which individuals were born with treasures or mystical equipment sealed within them, accessible only upon reaching the Earth Rank or higher, when body and mind were developed enough to endure such power.

  He also spoke of inheritance-type bodies, capable of carrying abilities from past lives. They were like open books to those who knew how to read them, enabling the bearer to recover memories and techniques from previous incarnations. Little Sári, he reflected, was a classic example of a skill-type special body, with a singular affinity for the sword and flowers. That combination reminded him of the Princess’s own special body, which had an affinity with flames and roses. Yet while the Princess was connected to roses, Sári seemed to have a mystical connection to tulips.

  As Huang Di spoke, his mind moved quickly, weighing the implications of Sári’s discovery. He knew talents like hers would never go unnoticed and that many would attempt to claim her. But he had already decided that he would protect her and train her until she became an ally of immeasurable value.

  The conversation took a darker turn when Huang Di asked Rafar about the tense atmosphere hanging over the city. Sensing an opportunity to stand out, Rafar began explaining the situation with urgency.

  "It’s actually very simple. The city is at war, or rather, in a cold war."

  He went on to describe how two main factions were in conflict, each backed by powerful sects and influential families. The Qui and Che families, allied with the Three Brothers Gang, were in direct dispute with the Mio family, which had the support of the Strong Steps Sect.

  "These groups are engaged in a silent struggle, attacking each other’s supply lines, sabotaging businesses, and undermining the city’s economic stability. The sects have King Rank cultivators as leaders and Rank Sky elders. The families have only a few Rank Sky cultivators. For the sects, this dispute is trivial, but for the families, it’s life or death."

  Rafar explained that under immense pressure, the Mio family had promised large portions of its mining reserves to the Strong Steps Sect in exchange for support. Meanwhile, the Three Brothers Gang, the local representatives of the Butchers Sect, had been receiving reinforcements, which suggested the conflict could escalate at any moment.

  Huang Di listened carefully, grasping the severity of the situation. He realized the Mio family was on the verge of collapse, and that the city could soon become a battlefield. With that information, he began forming a plan. In the coming chaos, he saw not only a threat, but an opportunity to protect his interests and expand them.