The light on the Awakening Stone flickered back and forth, changing color every few seconds.

And each time it changed, the hearts of the spectators below would tremble in response.

White, blue, purple...

In the end, the golden light that Li Cang was reluctant to see appeared after all!

But... it lasted only half a second before vanishing without a trace and was replaced by a purer white light.

This time, the Awakening Stone finally stabilized, maintaining its white state without any further changes.

Yun You's talent was determined.

She ultimately ended up with a "white" talent.

Seeing this, the spectators all felt a sense of regret.

They had thought they would witness the descent of a golden talent, but instead, it turned out to be a "malfunction" of an awakening ceremony.

However, more than regret, what people felt was mostly relief and ease.

People do not wish to see things that exceed their expectations, nor accept those that defy common sense.

More than miracles, they prefer to believe that an ordinary person can only acquire an ordinary talent.

The notion of a grassroots comeback is sufficient to appear in literary works, but in reality, most people are unwilling to accept it.

Li Cang thought the same way.

But besides feeling relieved, this old Death God had a trace of smugness that others did not.

"It seems your apprentice is quite unfortunate, Old Jin,"

He glanced at Old Jin and said with a smile, "Having a white talent isn't very impressive..."

"Although everyone says that the talent color is only related to rarity, at our level, we should be more aware than anyone that the level of a person's talent ability often determines the [upper limit] of their lifetime achievements."

"No matter how hard your poor little apprentice works, she can at most reach Tier Three in the future, and taking a step further would be a luxury..."

"But my student is different."

Li Cang waved his hand and beckoned the young man to stand behind him.

"As long as this child of mine stays alive, at worst, he can mix up to Tier Three, with a little effort he can reach Tier Four or even Tier Five..."

"His future is truly incalculable."

"..."

Listening to Li Cang's relentless taunts, Old Jin shook his head slightly.

He did not refute, just stood with hands behind his back and quietly said, "Regardless of the girl's talent... Li Cang, there's something you've been wrong about from the start."

"So-called talent and achievement are not determined by the color of light on a broken stone."

"Using this to measure a person's value or predict a child's future is quite foolish."

"It decides nothing... whether it's combat power or future status, it has nothing to do with color."

"The only thing this might affect is your vanity."

Old Jin's words were not harsh, not even vulgar.

But to Li Cang, these words felt like a cold palm slapping him, from the surface words to the deep-rooted beliefs, completely negating his long-held "talent theory."

Unconsciously, Li Cang's breathing became heavier, and the veins on his neck bulged like angry green snakes, trembling slightly.

He didn't know how to refute Old Jin's words... the truth is, he never could out-talk Old Jin, lost in big reasonings and completely crushed in sophistry.

So, after a long while, he slowly spoke, squeezing a word from his throat.

"Duel."

Li Cang pressed his student's shoulder and said in a deep voice, "Since Old Jin says... the color of talent cannot determine a person's combat power, let's prove who's right with the most direct and simple method – a duel."

"Let my apprentice and your student enter a virtual duel in the Ethernet with 100% pain simulation, to verify the truth in pure combat, how about it?"

Upon hearing the word "duel," the pale eyes of the youth suddenly brightened, filled with irrepressible excitement.

Clearly, this blonde youth was not just a bookworm who only knew training, but a warrior with battle experience.

For a warrior, a virtual duel where no injury needs to be worried about is a splendid experience.

This not only hones combat skills but also satisfies the primal urge for violence, indulging in unrestricted slaughter...

Of course, the youth would naturally prefer such combat.

However, as the invited Old Jin did not immediately agree.

Seeing this, Li Cang squinted and said coldly, "Not exciting enough, is it? Then let's add a wager."

"I'll put up 10 million..."

"No."

Old Jin interrupted with a raised hand.

"If you want to play, go big, what's 10 million?"

Li Cang was slightly stunned, then nodded heavily.

"Good, very good."

He pointed a few times in the air to the Ethernet panel, and retrieved a small silver handgun from his private inventory.

"Prototype of [Kiss of Nothingness], a leading product of next-generation military technology. Mastercrafted, only 12 exist worldwide, capable of boosting bullet power by adjusting the gun's [calibration scale], even the lowest setting can penetrate a main battle tank's front armor."

"I'll bet this with you."

"As for what I want..."

Li Cang paused slightly.

"I don't want money, nor your treasures."

"I only want you, Old Jin, to bow and apologize to me in front of everyone, and say... I, Jin, am an incompetent teacher who ruins talents, that's all."

"Well? Old Jin, do you dare accept this bet?"

"I don't mind..."

Old Jin shrugged and said, "But a duel is something I must discuss with my student to get her consent."

"After all, she's the one going into the duel, not me... and I never like making decisions for others or forcing anyone to do anything."

Hearing this, Li Cang was rather taken aback.

In his world view, apprentices should unconditionally follow their master's words, doing whatever is asked, where is the logic in "seeking consent?"

But thinking carefully, Old Jin indeed has this easy-going personality, without the demeanor of a master, and devoid of any superiority complex.

So, he nodded, casually echoing, "Alright, as you wish... wait for your student... to agree."

Having said that... Li Cang didn't say much else, just quietly watched Yun You, hoping the girl would accept the challenge.

Meanwhile, the young man also stared at the little girl, eyes burning with boiling battle intent, and with a warrior's disdain for the "weak."

Of course, Yun You was completely oblivious to this exchange and glances.

At the moment, she was immersed in the sea of souls, with only one string of words from the depths of her being in her mind.

It was the name of her talent ability.

Its name was —

[Pre-Borrowing]

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.