Looking at the envious glances from her classmates, Zhang Yuyan's expression did not change at all, as if everything that just happened had nothing to do with her.
At this moment, standing on the podium, Zhang Li said in a deep voice: "A word of advice for everyone, the talent awakened by a Beast Master must be kept secret, don't reveal it lightly even to your own family. Alright, let's continue with the awakening ceremony." With that, he started calling names again.
Upon hearing this, Chu Chen couldn't help but nod to himself. The talent of a Beast Master is like a trump card. A Beast Master can choose their contracted Guardian Beast based on their talent, which allows the Beast Master to better plan their future and get a step ahead.
The so-called "do not have the intention to harm others, but be wary of others harming you", in this turbulent age, danger is everywhere. Compared to Star Beasts, malice from the same species can be even more terrifying.
The awakening ceremony continued, and soon it was the turn of Class Four. Wang Lu was the first to undergo the awakening.
When Wang Lu was called, his expression immediately became tense. He turned his head to look at Chu Chen, as if seeking encouragement from his friend.
Seeing this, Chu Chen naturally would not be stingy. He raised his fist towards Wang Lu and said loudly, "Come on."
Upon hearing this, Wang Lu nodded slightly, his tense expression eased a bit. He took a deep breath and walked towards the podium.
Wang Lu placed his right hand on the Awakening Stone, then closed his eyes tightly, fearing to see a bad result.
A few moments later, there was a gasp of surprise from below the podium. Hearing this, Wang Lu's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly opened his eyes to look at the Awakening Stone.
He saw the Awakening Stone was emitting a dazzling yellow radiance.
Seeing this, Wang Lu was overjoyed at heart. This result had already surpassed his expectations. He originally thought that if his Cultivation Talent reached Orange Rank Middle Grade, it would be very good. Now it seems that Yellow Rank Upper Grade Cultivation Talent is assured.
At this moment, a strand of green radiance appeared within the yellow radiance. However, the speed of the green radiance's encroachment became extremely slow. It took a full ten moments for the green radiance to fully manifest.
Once the green radiance fully appeared, it began to dim until it completely disappeared.
Zhang Li nodded in satisfaction at this, saying, "Not bad, Green Rank Lower Grade, Initial Soul Power Early-Stage Fourth Rank."
Upon hearing this, Wang Lu hurriedly thanked him and then walked back to the line.
Seeing this, Chu Chen extended his fist towards Wang Lu, who responded with a proud smile.
This was a way for the two of them to encourage each other.
A quarter of an hour later, "Chu Chen, come up and awaken your soul power."
As Zhang Li's words fell, everyone present stopped talking, and they all turned their gazes toward Chu Chen's location.
Seeing this, Chu Chen remained calm. Such a scene only counted as a small occasion for him.
As a Reincarnator, he showed astonishing learning ability from a young age. He had participated in countless competitions and speeches, and his mental resilience was far beyond that of ordinary people.
People focused their attention on Chu Chen, not because he had a beauty comparable to Zhang Yuyan, but because as the school's acknowledged top student, everyone was curious whether Chu Chen's Cultivation Talent would be as brilliant as his academic performance.
Under the curious gazes of everyone, Chu Chen walked up to the podium with confident steps. Without the slightest hesitation, he placed his right hand on the Awakening Stone.
The familiar radiance shone again. The red radiance lasted for a moment before turning into orange radiance. However, the orange radiance took several moments to strengthen.
Seeing this, Chu Chen's brow furrowed. From the awakening experiences of Zhang Yuyan and others, the higher the Cultivation Talent, the quicker the initial awakening speed, and vice versa.
This meant that his Cultivation Talent would not be too high. Thinking of this, Chu Chen's heart sank.
At this time, sighs of regret were heard from the crowd below the stage.
As a thread of yellow radiance slipped into the orange radiance, the once vibrant orange radiance began to fade.
When all the orange radiance disappeared, the yellow radiance started to intensify.
A few moments later, the yellow radiance finally reached its peak. Just as Chu Chen was hoping for the appearance of that trace of green radiance, the yellow radiance suddenly dimmed and finally disappeared completely.
Seeing this, Chu Chen couldn't help but sigh. He shook his head, withdrew his right hand, and was about to turn and leave the podium.
At this moment, a golden radiance suddenly appeared in his mind, followed by a book with a golden cover appearing before Chu Chen's eyes.
At this point, Zhang Li said in a deep voice: "Yellow Rank Upper Grade, Initial Soul Power Late-Stage Third Rank, Awakened Talent Unknown."
Hearing this, Chu Chen finally reacted and quickly walked to the back of the class queue.
Seeing Chu Chen frowning as he walked over, Wang Lu hurriedly consoled him in a low voice: "Don't be discouraged, I've got your back in the future."
Chu Chen smiled and said, "You're only a little stronger than me. It's not certain who will have whose back in the future." With that, he waved his hand and returned to the back of the line.
Upon hearing this, Wang Lu felt at ease. His friend's emotions were still stable, and this setback hadn't disrupted his mindset.
Little did he know, Chu Chen's mind was in turmoil. Although his Cultivation Talent couldn't compare with those talented geniuses, it was still much better than most people. Moreover, with his academic performance, getting into a Beast Taming University wouldn't be difficult. However, he feared he wouldn't have a chance at the top Beast Taming Universities.
Chu Chen shook his head and dismissed these thoughts. He had just awakened an F-rank talent "Heaven Rewards Diligence" during the ceremony, which could increase cultivation speed by ten percent. Moreover, this boost wasn't limited to him; his contracted Guardian Beasts could also enjoy this ten percent increase in cultivation speed.
Well, although not entirely useless, its effect was extremely limited.
This ten percent increase in cultivation speed only allowed Chu Chen's cultivation speed to be slightly lower than Wang Lu's. For every small grade difference in cultivation talent, the cultivation speed differed by twenty percent. For a difference of one major rank, it differed by sixty percent. This meant that Chu Chen's cultivation speed was nearly one and a half times slower than Zhang Yuyan's. Her one day of cultivation was equivalent to about three days for Chu Chen.
Initially, the gap wouldn't be obvious, but after a month, a quarter, or even a year, this gap would become increasingly significant.
Take Zhang Yuyan, for example. She awakened a Blue Rank Cultivation Talent. Her family, school, and the Alliance would provide her with abundant cultivation resources. This meant she wouldn't need to worry about resources in the early stages; she simply had to cultivate step-by-step to reach heights most people couldn't achieve.
Thinking of this, Chu Chen shook his head helplessly. He was just a child from an ordinary family. The resources his parents could provide were extremely limited, and most cultivation resources would have to rely on school-issued rewards. However, to earn rewards, one had to have the corresponding strength, as schools weren't charitable organizations.
After pondering for a moment, Chu Chen placed his only hope on the golden book that appeared in his mind.
On the cover of the book were four golden radiant characters: "Slaughter Atlas". These words weren't in a language he was familiar with, but he could recognize them, making Chu Chen feel very puzzled.
However, he didn't dwell on this matter. "Slaughter Atlas", as a golden finger, was naturally extremely mysterious. Such an existence wasn't something he could delve into.
Looking at the "Slaughter Atlas" suspended in his mind, Chu Chen couldn't help but muse, "Do you know how I've lived these past eighteen years?"