My Talent Skill Mutated

Ma Xiang nodded. "Yeah, I know. The academy sponsored my cousin to go to Pole Star for advanced studies, but I can’t get in touch with her now."

"Advanced studies..."

Chen Yu narrowed his eyes as he listened to Ma Xiang.

’It seems this is just a cover story the academy put out.’

’But that’s to be expected. After all, it’s not exactly a glorious thing for one of the academy’s Elite Students to turn out to be a spy.’

’Going to another world for "advanced studies"!’

’This excuse... hmm. It’s a bit of a stretch, but plausible enough.’

"Brother Yu, if you want to see her, I can try getting in touch. I’ll let you know if I hear back from her. How’s that sound?"

Ma Xiang said, looking at Chen Yu.

’If Chen Yu became my brother-in-law, that would be amazing!’

’We’d be even closer family!’

Chen Yu shook his head. "You’re reading too much into it. I’m not interested in your cousin."

"Then why were you asking about my cousin?" Ma Xiang stared at him, stunned.

"Just curious," Chen Yu said dismissively.

Since Ma Xiang didn’t know his cousin was a spy, Chen Yu had no intention of telling him.

’It’s best to let this stay under wraps.’

’If Ma Xiang got dragged into this, it would be a real mess.’

’Perhaps the academy has already investigated Ma Xiang, and he just isn’t aware of it.’

"Brother Yu, what’s your cultivation level now?" Ma Xiang asked, looking at Chen Yu.

Chen Yu released a sliver of his aura, and Ma Xiang’s heart skipped a beat.

"Late-stage Eight!"

"Holy shit, have you been eating Immortal Pills or something?" Ma Xiang stared at Chen Yu in utter disbelief.

If he remembered correctly, Chen Yu had only been at Level 6 Peak before he left. How could he be at Late-stage Eight after just one month?

Even taking Immortal Pills wouldn’t give you such absurd results, would it?!

What kind of mythical paradise is the Astral Realm?!

"You’ll have a chance to go in the future," Chen Yu said nonchalantly, looking at Ma Xiang.

Ma Xiang rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. I’m not qualified for that."

"Anything is possible," Chen Yu said with a faint smile.

...

After chatting with Ma Xiang for a little longer, Chen Yu headed back to his place.

Back at the villa, Chen Yu lay on the sofa while Sophie stood behind him, her nimble hands giving him a massage.

"BZZZT—!"

Just as he was closing his eyes to enjoy Sophie’s massage, the watch on his wrist vibrated.

He opened his eyes and glanced at his watch as a call from the dean came in.

He accepted the call, and the dean’s voice transmitted from the watch.

"I’ve sent you the data. Destroy it after you’ve reviewed it. Make sure it doesn’t get leaked."

"Understood. Thank you, Dean," Chen Yu replied. He ended the call and immediately opened the received file.

A virtual screen projected before his eyes, and Chen Yu focused on the information in the file.

"This is quite a list!"

The light in Chen Yu’s eyes intensified as he scanned the file.

This one file contained information on a total of nine top masters from the Heterodox Sect.

Of the nine top masters, six were Ninth-level Martial Artists, the strongest of whom was at Late-stage Nine.

The remaining three were all peak Level Eight experts.

In addition to the data on these nine masters from the Heterodox Sect, there was also information on one master from an Alien Race.

A member of the Celestial Eye Race!

A Ninth-level alien, at that!

’If I deal with all of them... then improving my Divine Speed Power will be no problem, and my Life Force will get a massive boost as well.’

A smile crept across Chen Yu’s face as he looked at the files.

’Using masters from the Heterodox Sect to empower myself, I can eliminate a threat to the people and rapidly increase my own strength. Hmm, it’s the best of both worlds!’

’Rest for a day. I’ll make my move tomorrow.’

After finishing with the files, Chen Yu closed the virtual screen and glanced at Sophie.

Sophie came over to him and slowly knelt. Chen Yu closed his eyes, a comfortable expression on his face.

...

「The Academy, Dean’s Office.」

A man in a trench coat sat on the sofa, watching the dean sip his tea.

"The files on these individuals are top-secret, and they are all extremely dangerous. Are you sure he’ll be alright?"

Hearing this, the dean smiled faintly, set down his teacup, and looked at the man in the trench coat.

"What, you don’t trust him?"

The man in the trench coat frowned. Seeing the dean’s calm and composed demeanor, he said, "Chen Yu is certainly powerful, I’ll admit that. But against so many formidable targets, I doubt he can handle it all by himself, can he?"

"Then how about we make a wager?" the dean asked, looking at the man in the trench coat.

?

"Let’s bet on whether he can take care of them. If he eliminates more than half, you give me ten Divine Spirit Pearls. If he gets less than half, I’ll give you ten. If he wipes them all out, you’ll give me an additional ten Superior-grade Divine Spirit Pearls. And if he doesn’t manage to kill a single one, I’ll give you that same amount. How about it?"

The man in the trench coat was stunned by the dean’s words.

’The stakes are that high?’

’Could it be? Is he really that confident?!!’

The man in the trench coat fell silent.

The dean looked at him and chuckled. "What’s the matter? Scared?"

The man looked down, wrestling with the decision for a moment before looking up at the dean. "Does that include the member of the Celestial Eye Alien Race?"

The dean’s gaze flickered. He considered it for a moment, then said, "Fine."

The man in the trench coat smiled and abruptly stood up. "Alright, I’ll take that bet."

"However, there has to be a time limit, right?"

The dean replied, "The deadline is the day he leaves for the Stellar Battlefield!"

"Deal."

The man in the trench coat nodded.

The dean went back to drinking his tea, seemingly completely unconcerned.

...

After a day of rest, Chen Yu set out the next morning.

East Asia!

This was a city with a history spanning several millennia.

It was also a base city!

After the Great Cataclysm a thousand years ago, it became one of the few base cities that had not been overrun by a top-tier beast tide.

The inner city was built upon the foundations of the former Ancient City, while the Outer City was a forest of futuristic skyscrapers.

One city, two completely different atmospheres.