While indeed the Talent Appraisal Stone could show a person's Qi absorption talent, that was all it could do.
It didn't reveal other things, like attributes or affinities, which also mattered—especially when pairing with a cultivation technique.
Cultivation techniques were already rare and precious in Liangzhuo City, and obtaining one that matched your attribute was only possible if you were very very lucky.
Otherwise, one would usually end up with an incompatible technique—some even hindering cultivation instead of aiding it.
But even then, most people would dismiss such cases by saying that the person simply lacked talent.
All of this stemmed from ignorance and lack of knowledge.
Now, what Li Fengyuan was doing was finding out everything about Jia Hao's talent in order to determine the most suitable cultivation technique for him.
Li Fengyuan closed his eyes, letting his Qi probe deeper into Jia Hao's meridians.
What he discovered made his smirk fade for a brief moment, replaced by genuine surprise.
Within Jia Hao's body, not only did Qi circulate on its own, but it carried with it a faint crackling resonance—like a storm trapped beneath flesh and bone.
Every breath Jia Hao took drew in threads of invisible lightning, so faint that only someone with extremely keen perception could notice.
Li Fengyuan's lips curled once more.
(This is… Heavenly Tyrant Thunder. Hah, now this is interesting.)
He finally released Jia Hao's wrist, stepping back with a casual wave of his hand.
Jia Hao blinked in confusion.
"What is it?"
Li Fengyuan folded his arms, his smirk widening.
"You've got a rare attribute. Heavenly Tyrant Thunder!"
Both Jia Hao and Zhao Dazhu were left puzzled.
"Heavenly what?"
Zhao Dazhu scratched his head.
Jia Hao looked equally puzzled.
First of all, they didn't even know what an attribute was, let alone something called Heavenly Tyrant Thunder.
They had no idea what Li Fengyuan was trying to achieve here, so naturally, they were confused.
Li Fengyuan chuckled.
"The Talent Appraisal Stone only measures how fast you can absorb Qi. It doesn't account for the nature of your Qi—your attribute. That's why most people never realize their true potential and end up stuck with techniques that don't suit them. You, however… your body naturally resonates with thunder. And not just any thunder—the Heavenly Tyrant Thunder."
He paused, his eyes narrowing with rare seriousness.
"It's an attribute that thrives on domination. The more ferocious the storm, the stronger you become. With the right lightning-based cultivation techniques, your power could surpass almost anyone of your generation. Without them, though, you'll only ever touch the surface of your true potential."
???
They listened but understood only about ten percent of what Li Fengyuan said.
The only thing they grasped was that Jia Hao had something amazing—something very powerful, at least according to Li Fengyuan.
Whether his words could even be trusted… Well, like their understanding of ten percent and ninety percent, they half-felt he was just spouting nonsense.
Li Fengyuan fell silent, his eyes half-closed as if drifting into deep thought.
(Heavenly Tyrant Thunder… that's not something you can just throw any cultivation technique at. If I pair him with the wrong method, it won't just waste his talent—it could cripple him or even destroy him outright. But… if it's guided properly, he could become a monster far beyond what this little city can imagine.)
He sifted through the endless treasury of techniques within his memory.
He had studied hundreds—no, thousands—after the fall of Liangzhuo, countless scriptures that most clans would kill just to glimpse.
To him, the so-called "high-grade" techniques of Liangzhuo City were nothing more than trash.
Among them, three thunder-path cultivation techniques stood out.
The first was the Silent Thunder Scripture—a safe, steady technique.
It cultivated lightning Qi slowly, refining it gently like water dripping onto stone. It carried no risk, and its stability was unmatched.
But its speed… was too slow compared to the other two. Jia Hao might surpass his peers, but it would take forever to touch his true heights.
The second was the Wrath of the Nine Heavens—a ferocious method that drew directly upon heavenly lightning.
Its power was unmatched in raw destructive force. With it, Jia Hao could surge in strength at terrifying speed.
But it was a double-edged sword. A single mistake in cultivation could tear his meridians apart, leaving nothing but a charred husk where a genius once stood.
The third was the Heaven-Shaking Azure Thunder Method—a technique born from harmonizing one's body with the endless cycle of heaven's storms.
Neither overly safe nor recklessly dangerous, it carried no limit to its growth. It allowed the user to refine lightning Qi endlessly, fusing with it, becoming part of himself.
With perseverance, it could climb without a ceiling, unbounded by limits.
Li Fengyuan weighed the three.
(Silent Thunder… slow. I need him to get stronger quickly. Wrath of the Nine Heavens… too risky. Even with guidance, his chances of survival are slim. Which leaves… Heaven-Shaking Azure Thunder.)
His decision was made.
Opening his eyes, he looked directly at Jia Hao.
"I've chosen the cultivation technique that suits you best. The Heaven-Shaking Azure Thunder!"
Jia Hao blinked, still clearly lost. Zhao Dazhu tilted his head.
"Heaven-Shaking Azure Thunder? Sounds… scary."
Li Fengyuan smirked faintly.
If Zhao Dazhu knew the true value of Heaven-Shaking Azure Thunder, he wouldn't just call it scary.
Leaning closer, his gaze locked onto Jia Hao.
"I'll impart the first part of Heaven-Shaking Azure Thunder to you. Whether you can reach its full potential… that's up to you."
Li Fengyuan stepped closer, his hand hovering just above Jia Hao's forehead. With a gentle touch, he pressed his fingers against Jia Hao's skin.
A sudden warmth surged through Jia Hao's mind, like a storm awakening within.
Knowledge, techniques, and principles—all poured in at once.
Lightning coursed through his meridians, weaving with his body's natural flow, merging with the Heavenly Tyrant Thunder.
Jia Hao collapsed to one knee, gasping, his mind struggling to contain the torrent of information.
When he finally opened his eyes, they shone wide with awe.
"This… this is…"