Chapter 193: Synthesizing the Fourth Talent Skill (6k)

Zhou Qing took a deep breath, steadied himself, then spoke.

"The 【Star Array】 produces an array plate, which must be activated according to the environment when used against an opponent."

"Especially the distribution of surrounding spiritual plants, as their spiritual energy interacts with the array."

"Among the array materials, one—Guard Demon Spiritual Sand—has an exceptionally unique property."

"It naturally absorbs and transforms spiritual energy, and when paired with spiritual plants of different natures, it produces radically different reactions."

At this point, Zhou Qing paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over the group.

Everyone held their breath, eyes fixed on him, their expressions shifting from initial skepticism and disdain to focused curiosity.

He felt a little more confident and continued: "If the surrounding spiritual plants are mild, it's manageable—but if the ground is sandy or otherwise, it might lead to…"

Zhou Qing laid out his views clearly and precisely, each word ringing with weight, leaving many with complex expressions.

Lin Daochen listened, nodding slightly, his eyes filled with approval.

Even his right hand unconsciously stroked his beard, his smile deepening—a quiet satisfaction of finding a kindred spirit, of seeing a junior surpass his master.

Occasionally, a flicker of surprise crossed his gaze, as if Zhou Qing's insights had sparked new revelations in him.

This was a piercing question—not like those earlier ones, which only circled shallow surface issues.

When Zhou Qing finished, Lin Daochen was the first to clap, and others quickly followed.

Zhou Qing bowed slightly and said again: "If I have erred, I humbly ask Master not to blame me."

Lin Daochen looked at Zhou Qing with gentle eyes and said sincerely: "Nonsense. The path of scholarship advances through exchange and debate. I indeed overlooked this—thank you."

Zhou Qing could only smile and sit down.

Er Dadie beamed, nudging him gently with his elbow, his eyes brimming with approval: "Kid, good job—I've got faith in you!"

"Just guessing," Zhou Qing murmured in reply.

The lecture continued; Lin Daochen wove Zhou Qing's insights into his subsequent explanations, expanding upon them further.

Afterward, upon learning another instructor would teach sword techniques that day, Zhou Qing hurried toward a courtyard…

【Ignore Points +2】

【Ignore Points +3】

【Ignore Points +1】

…

Zhou Qing hadn't expected that, over the next few days, moving between different lecture halls would continuously generate point gains.

This academy was truly the right place to come to!

"Zhou Senior Brother, why are you here? Did you come specially to see me?"

A few days later, when Zhou Qing arrived at Lu Yuanzhi's lecture hall, Lu Yaoyao rushed forward excitedly to ask.

Zhou Qing glanced at Lu Shi, cold as ice on the dais, then at the sparse audience—fewer than ten students total—and knew this session would yield no points.

Too quiet!

Faced with such an icy, unapproachable beauty, no one even bothered to flatter her—this scene stood in stark contrast to the bustling halls of popular instructors.

"Uh, yeah, I just came to check how you're doing—study hard under Lu Shi!" Zhou Qing said with a smile, then turned to leave.

Lu Yaoyao's eyes instantly dimmed, her face etched with disappointment.

But Zhou Qing had barely taken two steps when Lu Yuanzhi's cold voice echoed in his ear.

"Yao Yao's constitution, talent, and physique are all exceptional. If she follows me, I can help her reach Soul Transformation within fifty years. You understand what I mean, don't you?"

Zhou Qing wasn't a fool—he understood Lu Yuanzhi's implication.

He quickly replied: "Senior, please don't misunderstand. Lu Sister lost all her family as a child. Because I resemble her elder brother, she's grown attached to me, and I treat her as a younger sister."

"There is no romantic bond between us—rest assured, Senior!"

Lu Yuanzhi nodded slightly; a faint, almost imperceptible relief passed over her icy face. "Good. If you have time, come listen to my lectures."

Zhou Qing bowed respectfully: "Thank you, Senior."

In the following days, Zhou Qing quietly observed fellow students, searching for traces of Sikong Yan, while moving between instructors' lectures to earn points.

Days seemed ordinary, yet brimmed with quiet surprises and anticipation—he found them quite pleasant.

【Ignore Points +1】

【Ignore Points +2】

【Skill Fragment +1】

Half a month later, upon hearing that long-awaited prompt, Zhou Qing froze, then burst into elation, immediately checking his panel.

【Skill Fragments: 3/3 (Available)】

Hard-won—truly hard-won!

"Acquire."

Zhou Qing, eyes alight with anticipation, immediately initiated synthesis.

The skill fragments instantly vanished; "Available" became "Unavailable."

Soon, a message appeared in his mind.

【Talent Skill—Random Post: As the name suggests, it randomly generates different posts.】

【Quantity random, content random, duration random, potency random, form random, trigger method random, geographic association random.】

【Today's posts are refreshing…】

【A new post has been added to the Odd Post Register—please check promptly.】

Seeing the new skill description, Zhou Qing's eyes widened in delight.

This was truly random enough.

With a thought, his personal panel appeared.

【Name: Zhou Qing】

【Age: Twenty-seven】

【Cultivation Base: Nascent Soul Realm, Late Stage】

【Heart Method: Yin-Yang Scripture】

【Talent Skill: Daily Inspection】

【Random Post】

【Heart-View Vision—LV4 (289/400)】

【Reduce Presence—LV4 (93/100)】

【Skill Fragments: 0/3 (Unavailable)】

It seemed 【Reduce Presence】 was about to reach Level 5—then even Soul Transformation cultivators would have a chance to overlook him.

But the difficulty of generating points would rise sharply—even among Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators, he might not earn a single point in half a day.

He turned to the new talent skill, 【Random Post】—beside it now rested a book-like object.

On its cover were engraved three characters: 【Odd Post Register】.

Upon opening it, a yellowed post lay embedded on the first page.

The text on the post was crooked, as if written with a dried branch dipped in ink, radiating an eerie glow.

【Bad Luck Post: Can be implanted into another's body. Once triggered, misfortune clings like a shadow, calamities follow one after another—duration: three days!】

Zhou Qing blinked at the description.

"This thing is… surprisingly odd."

He couldn't help but smile; with a thought, the Bad Luck Post materialized in his hand.

"If used well, this kind of post might produce effects no one expects!"

Zhou Qing studied it carefully, his curiosity piqued about what other posts might appear.

"Old Four, help me tonight!"

At that moment, Zhou Qing received a message from Yan Xiao.

The Bai Yu Tai Xu Academy imposed no strict restrictions on disciples from different sects—their personal communication devices were permitted to remain unchanged, unblocked or interfered with.

The tokens, after all, contained only basic communication arrays—simple in structure, not advanced, hence their limited range.

After receiving the message, Zhou Qing checked today's lecture schedule, confirmed no conflicts, then headed toward the outer courtyard.

"Third Senior Brother, what's wrong?" Zhou Qing asked.

Yan Xiao looked furtive, grabbed Zhou Qing's arm, pulled him aside, his face flushed with anger.

But he lowered his voice: "That man came again last night. To avoid handing over my hard-earned money to the Enforcement Hall, I held back my rage and stayed inside. But I've got a feeling—he'll come again tonight."

Zhou Qing fell silent.

He'd thought the man had vanished for good—yet here he was again.

"Understood. I'll stay with you tonight. Let's see who's behind this ghostly trickery!" Zhou Qing said.

Yan Xiao nodded frantically, gritting his teeth, snarling: "You're faster—if you catch him, I'll rip his mouth apart and pull out his tongue!"

With so many outer courtyard disciples, Zhou Qing pretended to part ways with Yan Xiao, then slipped quietly to his residence.

He'd planned to set up arrays to trap the intruder—but then reconsidered: he didn't know if the man understood arrays at all.

If the man sensed the arrays and didn't show up, all this effort would be wasted.

After careful thought, Zhou Qing abandoned the idea.

That night, the moon shone bright, stars sparse.

Zhou Qing, who had been meditating cross-legged, suddenly opened his eyes—his gaze sharpened with sudden intensity.

Simultaneously, Yan Xiao sprang to his feet, fists clenched with a sharp crackling sound.

"Here he comes!" Yan Xiao immediately turned to Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing nodded, his expression grave, and slowly rose to his feet.

Yan Xiao, face flushed with rage, shoved the door open and stepped out—far off, a white-robed figure stood silently atop the tree canopy, back turned.

The figure tilted his head slightly and spoke slowly: "If you don't try, how will you know how hopeless it is?"

"Fuck!" Yan Xiao cursed, desperate to rush forward and tear the man apart.

The next instant, silver light flashed beneath Zhou Qing's feet, like a bolt of silver lightning, closing the distance in an instant.

The other seemed unfazed; as Zhou Qing neared, his form blurred and he reappeared on the opposite side, every movement exuding calm ease.

Zhou Qing snorted coldly, spiritual power surging around him as he chased after once more.

At the same moment, Yan Xiao circled in from the other side, roaring: "Monster, if you've got guts, don't run!"

But the man's movement was uncanny and elusive, vanishing like a ghost—even Zhou Qing's current speed couldn't catch him.

"Interesting!"

The next instant, golden scales emerged layer by layer beneath Zhou Qing's clothes, his pupils turning gold, and a vast, imperial aura spread outward.

His figure instantly split into multiple afterimages, hurtling toward the white-robed man at blinding speed.

The man clearly froze, surprised Zhou Qing possessed such a technique.

Yet he reacted swiftly, accelerating instantly.

The two raced under the moonlight, one chasing, one fleeing, their forms like lightning—within moments, they left Yan Xiao far behind.

Yan Xiao panted heavily, hands on his knees, watching their retreating figures, cursing: "They're not even human!"

…

Under the night sky, Zhou Qing frowned tightly.

He had to admit—the man was far faster than him, and clearly hadn't even used his full strength.

Each time Zhou Qing closed in, the white-robed man precisely extended the distance again, as if deliberately waiting for him.

Even facing Li Hanshan and Yu Ziqi before, he'd never struggled this much—could this man be… a Soul Transformation?

Zhou Qing's heart jolted—only this explanation made sense!

If so, why target Yan Xiao?

After all, Third Brother had only ever gone as far as Lingyun Prefecture; this was his first time in Haomiao Prefecture—no enemies here.

Suddenly, he recalled what Senior Brother Gao Xuan had said.

But the man's build didn't match.

"No good—this won't work!" Zhou Qing's gaze sharpened; suddenly, a yellow slip appeared in his hand.

Who you are doesn't matter—this freshly refreshed 【Bad Luck Slip】 is perfect right now!

Zhou Qing closed the distance again, aimed the 【Bad Luck Slip】 directly at the man, infused it with spiritual power—the slip blazed bright, like a golden lightning bolt, shooting toward him.

The white-robed man's face changed instantly; he waved his hand, and several long swords flew out, slicing toward the slip.

But strangely, the slip passed through as if insubstantial—no hesitation, no resistance—slipping cleanly through the sword array and continuing its rush.

Seeing this, the man instantly maximized his speed, nearly vanishing from Zhou Qing's sight in an instant.

Yet the slip still clung to him—its speed didn't slow, even accelerated—and it vanished into the void, reappearing right before the man's face.

The man had no time to react—the slip struck his chest and vanished.

He immediately checked himself—no mark on his chest, no trace inside his body.

Watching this, Zhou Qing inwardly marveled.

The 【Bad Luck Slip】 was truly terrifying—once a target was locked, no matter how powerful, it clung like a parasitic worm, refusing to stop until it entered the body.

At that moment, the white-robed man turned his head slightly, gazing deeply at Zhou Qing.

Then his speed surged again—he became a streak of light and vanished into the endless night.

"Definitely Soul Transformation," Zhou Qing stopped, murmuring softly.

Moments later, Yan Xiao rushed over, glancing around anxiously: "Where is he?"

Zhou Qing looked at Yan Xiao and said helplessly: "He escaped."

"Escaped? Even you couldn't catch him? Oh no, this is really bad—now he'll just target me alone! What did I ever do to deserve this?!"

Yan Xiao's face fell in despair.

Zhou Qing hesitated, then said: "He's probably Soul Transformation."

Yan Xiao spun around, eyes wide with disbelief.

"Little brother, I'm a coward—I'm serious, don't joke!"

For safety's sake, Zhou Qing decided to apply to the academy to have Yan Xiao stay with him.

After all, his cave was spacious enough, and none of them would stay long at the academy.

Though this violated academy rules, thanks to the joint guarantee of three inner-disciple students—Li Daoxuan, Lu Yaoyao, and Zhou Qing—and some spirit stones spent, everything was quietly arranged by dawn.

After all, rules are rigid, but people are flexible!

【Latest update: The one who received the slip, after failing to locate the 【Bad Luck Slip】 inside his body, ingested numerous detox pills by mistake and accidentally swallowed a poison pill—his heart meridians damaged, now unconscious.】

At that moment, a strange line of text, like a pop-up banner, floated before Zhou Qing's eyes.

Zhou Qing blinked, stared closely, confirmed he wasn't imagining it, then burst into laughter.

The 【Bad Luck Slip】 is already active?

That's hilarious?

Too bad it only lasts three days.

But anything from the system? No matter how hard you search, you'll never find it.

Even after it fades, the target will know something's inside him—yet he can't find it. Isn't that terrifying?

Thinking of this, Zhou Qing couldn't help but chuckle.

This was a perfect revenge for Third Brother.

As daylight fully broke, another message arrived.

【Latest update: After regaining consciousness, the one who received the slip left the academy. While passing through a mountain range, he was targeted by a Soul Transformation beast—both engaged in a fierce battle.】

Seeing this, Zhou Qing's heart stirred—he quickly sought out Li Daoxuan to ask if he could find out which outer-disciple students were currently absent from the academy.

Li Daoxuan shook his head after listening.

"Hard to check—outer-disciple conditions are complicated, and many are on missions daily. Especially now, with all the factions in Haomiao Prefecture in chaos, covert competition is fierce."

Zhou Qing, though reluctant, could only reluctantly give up.

Around nightfall, another message came.

【Latest update: The one who received the slip, in his secret base, used a brutal secret technique to examine his body—due to improper spiritual energy flow, his body was damaged again, now unconscious.】

Hmm…

Seeing this, Zhou Qing didn't know what to say.

The man had a secret base?

"Little brother, your place is really comfy!" Yan Xiao had carved out a small cave beside his own, laid down bedding, and grinned as he poked his head out.

Everyone needs privacy—he didn't really want to come, but his little brother was so kind to him.

Besides, the guy was Soul Transformation.

Zhou Qing smiled faintly: "What's so comfy? No gold nest or silver nest compares to your own doghole."

Yan Xiao nodded in agreement, a hint of homesickness on his face: "Yeah, I'm starting to miss home—I wonder how Old Mo is doing?"

Zhou Qing fell silent, instead found a spot bathed in moonlight, and began to cultivate.

After all, among the Four Petals of the Crown, the silver petal allowed him to cultivate under moonlight with double efficiency.

Seeing the silver glow surrounding Zhou Qing, Yan Xiao immediately entered cultivation mode.

As an elder brother, he couldn't keep dragging his little brother down.

Besides, geniuses were working so hard—how could he dare sleep?

For a while, both fell silent, fully immersed in cultivation.

【Latest update: The Soul Transformation beast that suffered losses yesterday summoned allies, used its innate divine ability to trace the scent, located the one who received the slip's secret base, and is now attacking.】

Zhou Qing was feeding his old hen when another message appeared.

He couldn't help but whistle.

The 【Bad Luck Slip】 truly lives up to its name—once hit, misfortune follows relentlessly.

"Little brother, is the inner-disciple cafeteria this lavish? Not as good as our Jade Banquet Hall, but still decent… Little brother? Where'd you go again at this hour?"

Yan Xiao entered with a food box, glancing around, muttering to himself.

Zhou Qing, still feeding the hen, sighed and stood up: "Right here!"

His sudden voice startled Yan Xiao.

"How the hell did you sneak up like a ghost? You scared me half to death!" Yan Xiao patted his chest.

Zhou Qing opened his mouth, then shook his head.

No choice—his talent skill 【Reduce Presence】 was about to reach Level 5; for Nascent Soul cultivators, there was a 90% chance they'd ignore him.

Third Brother, as a Nascent Soul beginner, was no exception.

"Come quick and taste!" Yan Xiao grinned, pulling out various dishes.

Zhou Qing walked over: "Third Brother, you don't need to bring meals back—I can get them myself."

Yan Xiao waved his hand: "You cultivated late last night—this is just a small favor."

Zhou Qing knew this was Third Brother's way of making up for staying here—he was doing what he could to repay the kindness.

But we're fellow disciples; being so formal only makes us distant.

【Today's posts are refreshing…】

【A new post has been added to the Odd Post Registry; please check promptly.】

Just after eating a few bites, a system prompt suddenly rang in his mind.

This made Zhou Qing pause—it was truly random enough.

But I like you precisely for being unpredictable.

After glancing at Third Senior Brother amusing the old hen, Zhou Qing immediately turned his spiritual sense toward the Odd Post Registry.

As he opened it, a post radiating a soft golden glow appeared before his eyes.

On the post, a golden carp seemed to swim faintly across its surface.

【Lucky Post: Can be absorbed into yourself or gifted to another; once activated, good fortune accompanies you, blessings come one after another, duration: one day!】

Looking at the newly refreshed post, Zhou Qing felt a surge of excitement.

The new talent skill 【Random Post】 was bringing him more and more surprises.

After brief thought, Zhou Qing decided to use it on himself.

Mainly because 【Random Post】 is too unpredictable—you never know its pattern. What if it has an expiration date?

What if one morning you wake up and it's gone? Wouldn't that drive you mad?

"It'd be perfect if I were in the Celestial Cave right now—maybe I'd get a huge stroke of luck!" Zhou Qing muttered to himself.

Fortunately, today there was another lesson from Master Lin, so after a quick meal, Zhou Qing hurried toward the Formation Hall.

Just as he was halfway through flying on his sword, Zhou Qing blinked, turned back, and landed.

On a secluded patch of grass, three mid-grade spirit stones lay scattered, and beside them, signs of being trampled by human feet.

It looked like someone had engaged in some unspeakable activity here last night.

Zhou Qing looked around—no one else had passed this way.

Since leaving his cave dwelling, he had promptly infused the 【Lucky Post】 into his own body, yet he hadn't expected its effect to manifest so quickly—this soon, it had already brought him unexpected wealth.

Zhou Qing cleared his throat, then whispered: "Anyone here? Whose money fell here? If no one claims it, I'll take it."

After calling out three times and confirming no one responded, Zhou Qing calmly picked up the spirit stones and continued toward the lecture hall, his steps noticeably lighter…

(End of Chapter)