Chapter 2: Top Talent
Yuichi Senku quickly surveyed his surroundings. Once he confirmed there was no immediate danger in the dilapidated Taoist temple, he immediately summoned the game system.
He had to see the details of the immortal cultivation qualifications he had just activated.
While everyone's underlying spiritual aptitude was determined at birth—meaning he was merely activating what was already inside him, not drawing a random lottery—the anticipation was still thrilling. It was like holding a winning lottery ticket; the actual prize was set, but the moment of scratching it off was the most exciting part.
"I hope I haven't been saddled with a mortal-grade path," Yuichi silently prayed as he summoned the game panel.
Instantly, a digital interface materialized before him.
In the center of the panel were his Personal Attributes:
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name | Yuichi Senku |
| Sect | None |
| Realm | Mortal |
| Spiritual Roots | Gold (Divine-grade), Wood (Divine-grade), Water (Divine-grade), Fire (Divine-grade), Earth (Divine-grade), Wind (Divine-grade), Thunder (Divine-grade), Ice (Divine-grade) |
| Special Physique | Cosmic Origin Body |
| Luck | Good Luck |
| Comprehension | ??? |
| Skill | Qi-Inducing Secret Art |
| Magical Power | None |
"Holy smokes."
Yuichi stared, genuinely stunned by the results of his immortal cultivation qualifications.
"Did I save the entire universe in my past life?"
The quality of a cultivator's spiritual root determined two main things: the speed of cultivation and the ease of breaking through bottlenecks. The better the root, the faster and smoother the path. Naturally, Yuichi's eyes went straight to the Spiritual Roots section.
According to the Eternity website, spiritual roots were graded from one to nine, with grades above nine being Earth-grade, Heaven-grade, Saint-grade, and the legendary Divine-grade (replacing "Tao-grade").
* Grades 1–3 (Low-grade): Barely capable of cultivation, making significant progress nearly impossible.
* Grades 4–6 (Medium-grade): Decent talent. With hard work and sufficient resources, a cultivator could achieve a respectable path.
* Grades 7–9 (High-grade): A guaranteed path to becoming a leader in the world of cultivation. Hard work and a normal temperament would ensure a prominent place in the realm.
Above the ninth grade, the rarity became astronomical. Earth-grade roots appeared once in a billion, and Heaven-grade roots were seen maybe once in ten thousand years, signifying an inevitable climb to the world's peak. Saint-grade and Divine-grade roots were, officially, only theoretical—mentioned briefly on the website as mere legends.
The number of spiritual roots wasn't as critical as the quality of the best one. Yet, here he was, staring at eight distinct roots, all of them Divine-grade.
Yuichi excitedly ran a hand through his hair. "Haha, the path to immortality starts today!" With this kind of talent, his cultivation speed wouldn't just be fast; it would be like riding a rocket. He instantly felt a surging yearning for the day he might truly ascend to the Immortal World.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. "Can't get arrogant. This is just the beginning. I haven't even figured out the situation yet." He reminded himself that he was limited by the information on the Eternity website, and the reality of this world might be different.
Examining the Other Attributes
After reigning in his excitement, Yuichi focused on the rest of the panel, having overlooked it in his initial shock.
"Hmm, what is this Cosmic Origin Body?"
He racked his brain, recalling the website's initial details, but found no mention of "Special Physiques."
"Does this mean I'm special? That I have something extra that others don't?" He decided not to worry about it too much for now. Something "special" and tied to the cosmic origin probably wasn't a bad thing.
Next, he looked at his Luck attribute: Good Luck. According to the website, this was the highest luck rating. Yuichi didn't put too much stock in metaphysics, though. As long as he wasn't constantly walking into disaster, he was fine.
Then came the baffling one: Comprehension: ???
Yuichi scratched his head again. The website had clearly stated that player comprehension was ranked on a simple scale of 1–10. What did three question marks mean?
"Does it mean my comprehension is off the charts? That it literally exceeds the system's limit for measuring it?" He quickly dismissed the unlikely idea that it meant he was a complete idiot with zero comprehension.
He decided to put aside the unknowns for later. His Skill was a basic Qi-Inducing Secret Art, built-in when he entered the game—a quick tutorial on how to start cultivating. As he was still a Mortal, he naturally had No Magical Powers.
Exploring the System
Satisfied, Yuichi looked away from his personal panel and explored the rest of the Eternity system. It was simple, featuring only four functions:
* Personal Attribute Panel
* Chat Channel
* Trading Market
* Log Out
He clicked on the Trading Market, which was, as expected, empty. Everyone had just logged in, had no currency, and nothing to sell.
"Let's see what everyone else is up to," he thought, clicking on the Chat Channel.
Strings of text rapidly scrolled across his view.
"Damn, everyone's already this hyped up?"
Unlike other games, Eternity had only one global chat channel. With nearly 10 million qualified players on Earth, the information scrolled by at a blistering pace.
"Holy cow, this isn't a game at all. It feels completely real."
"Indeed! No matter how advanced the technology, it shouldn't be able to replicate this effect."
"You guys are still talking about science? We're cultivating immortals! Focus!"
"Enough with the useless chatter. How are everyone's qualifications? I only have a Fourth-grade Fire Spirit Root, Wuwuwu..."
"Fourth-grade is fine! I have a Second-grade Spirit Root. I don't even want to talk about it."
"Third-grade Gold Spirit Root passing by."
"Fifth-grade Water Root here. It's okay."
"A scumbag with a First-grade Earth Spiritual Root here. I want to go back to Tokyo and cultivate instead!"
"Don't panic! Our generation of cultivators is meant to defy the heavens!"
"Defy the heavens, yeah, just endure for now. If it doesn't work, go offline and sleep early."
"That's right, thank goodness there's a log-out function. Otherwise, I'd be a little freaked out."
"Haha! I have a Seventh-grade Fire Spiritual Root! Come hug my thigh, everyone!"
"Little brother with the Seventh-grade root, where are you from? Come take me flying!"