In the kitchen, Fang Xin's aunt, Fang Huilan, and her family of four were seated.
On the table, besides simple home-cooked dishes, there were also two peculiar light-blue potions.
Fang Xin's aunt's youngest daughter, Jiang Xiaoyu, looked at the only two potions and grumbled angrily.
"Mom, there are three of us, so why are there only two potions? The talent test is coming up, and what will we do without this potion? My classmate's dad pulled strings and bought her a full ten of these potions! Now, only a few really poor students in our class don't have them!"
Aunt Fang Huilan said apologetically, "Xiaoyu, this item is in short supply right now. Your dad and I had to pull a lot of strings just to get these, and they're ridiculously expensive.
Your dad and I discussed it. You're still young, so don't participate in this talent test. Let your sister and your Xin Ge participate! Next time, I'll buy you two new ones, okay?"
Jiang Xiaoyu slammed the table, "No! So that means one of them should have been mine, and Fang Xin took it, right?"
"What kind of talk is that, child!"
Jiang Xiaoyu stood up angrily, "Am I wrong? You're just biased towards your nephew who has no parents. He eats our food, uses our things, and now he's trying to take what should be mine! How can he be so shameless!"
"Are you going to keep this up, child?"
Jiang Xiaoyu turned her head, tears in her eyes, to look at Jiang Weidong, who was sitting at the head of the table. "Dad! Say something fair. Why should Fang Xin get what belongs to me! If our family hadn't taken in that stray dog, he would have starved to death long ago!"
Jiang Weidong looked at the two potions on the table. "Huilan, why don't we give Fang Xin's potion to Xiaoyu? After all, Xiaoyu is our own daughter. Fang Xin eats our food and uses our things; we've already done more than enough for him!"
"No!" Fang Huilan immediately said, "The talent test is very important. It concerns whether one can find a good job in the future. If one's talent is good enough, they can even receive special training from the state! My brother and sister-in-law also served the country during their lives. If Xiao Xin can be like them, they would surely be very pleased."
Jiang Weidong slammed the table and said, "Why not? Is your nephew a treasure, but my daughter isn't? Am I in charge of this house, or are you? If it weren't for us, your nephew, Fang Xin, would have been a stray dog long ago!"
Sitting at one side of the table, the eldest daughter, Jiang Xiaocha, who was eating slowly, looked up and adjusted her rimless glasses. "Strictly speaking, what we eat, what we use, and even where we live, were all left to Fang Xin by his parents. Without us, Fang Xin might have had a better life, and we would be the stray dogs!
If I'm not mistaken, the money used to buy these two potions also came from the money my uncle and aunt left for Fang Xin, right?"
Jiang Weidong choked.
Jiang Xiaoyu was relentless, "His parents' money was spent long ago, and hasn't the cost of our parents taking care of him while he's lived with us for so long already offset that? I don't care, this potion can only be mine! I don't want to be ridiculed by my classmates, saying my family can't afford to buy me potions!
And I've already boasted to them that my parents will definitely buy me potions!"
As she spoke, Jiang Xiaoyu grabbed one of the potions, claiming it for herself.
Just as Fang Huilan was about to speak, there was a sound from the doorway.
The family looked towards the doorway.
Fang Huilan got up to greet him, "Xiao Xin, you're back! It's so dangerous out at night, why are you home so late!"
Fang Xin changed his shoes. "I went to the bookstore to read for a while."
"Come eat!"
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Jiang Xiaoyu rolled her eyes at Fang Xin with full hostility, muttering softly, "Shameless thing."
Fang Xin ignored her; he had heard every word Fang Huilan's family had said earlier.
When his parents passed away, they left behind immense wealth, which attracted the covetous gaze of many relatives, each wanting to seize everything.
It was then that Fang Xin saw through human nature.
Later, he lived with his grandfather for a period, during which his grandfather told him many stories he had never heard before.
In the early 20th century, a mad scientist discovered that the world had changed; human genes were undergoing earth-shattering alterations due to some inexplicable force.
Initially, people dismissed it as the ravings of a mad scientist.
Until one day, someone could lift a one-ton object with a single hand, someone could summon wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, someone could become invisible, someone could do push-ups without using their hands...
And from that moment on, everything changed.
After the surge in power, human desires also grew proportionally.
Awakened gradually split into two factions: good and evil, also known as the Holy Light Army and the Eternal Night Army.
The two sides fought ceaselessly.
Later, at the end of the 20th century, The Chaos of the Gods, an event recorded in history, occurred.
It concluded with the light faction achieving a Pyrrhic victory.
Many years have passed, and awakening has gradually become standardized.
Awakened are also strictly controlled by the authorities; from high school onwards, talent tests are conducted to determine whether one will awaken.
Talent levels are divided for easy memorization, ranging from E-rank to the highest SSS-rank.
The higher the rank, the rarer it is.
Across the entire Dragon Country, out of millions of test-takers each year, there are no more than twenty SSS-rank geniuses.
Each one has a promising future.
Fang Xin doesn't know his specific talent. His current combat power, judged by Awakened standards, should be Level 4, and he is unrivaled within his rank.
Fang Xin had previously researched data and found that in the history of the Dragon Country, only two people had reached Level 4 at his age, and both possessed SSS-rank talent.
Different talents result in different ultimate growth ceilings.
Therefore, the higher the level, the better the benefits and treatment one receives, and they will also be recruited by official forces, various powers, and other terrifyingly powerful organizations.
Fang Xin's Slaughter Talent Awakened after his parents' passing.
He could enhance his overall strength through slaughter.
He also Awakened the Power Talent through this talent.
When he informed his grandfather about this, Fang Xin still remembered his grandfather's astonished and shocked expression.
That day, his grandfather didn't sleep all night, sitting in the courtyard smoking cigarettes, continuously muttering words like 'destiny,' 'Ragnarok,' and 'Godslayer.'
The next day, his grandfather said he was going on a long journey. Before leaving, he repeatedly instructed Fang Xin not to display this talent to others and gave Fang Xin a pendant to wear around his neck, which could help him avoid detection. Since then, his grandfather has been out of contact.
During the period of his grandfather's disappearance, his uncle Jiang Weidong coincidentally ran into trouble with his business, accumulating a mountain of debt. The family was almost scavenging for food, and finally sought help from Fang Xin.
At that time, Jiang Weidong still acted like a decent person. Fang Xin helped settle the debts, and since his aunt's family had nowhere to live, Fang Xin let them move into the house his parents had left behind.
Fang Huilan served Fang Xin a bowl of rice and handed it to him, rubbing Fang Xin's head. "Xiao Xin, I heard from Xiao Feng's mother that you were second in your grade on the midterm exam a few days ago, right?"
Fang Xin hummed in response.
"My Xiao Xin is so amazing!" Fang Huilan looked at Fang Xin with satisfaction.
Jiang Xiaoyu sneered disdainfully, "What's the use of being good at studying? The times have changed; awakening a talent is better than anything."
Jiang Xiaocha, who was eating slowly, chimed in, "If your brain isn't good, even if you awaken a talent, you'll just be cannon fodder!"
Fang Huilan gestured for her two daughters to stop bickering and continued to Fang Xin, "Xiao Xin, the talent test is in a few days. Auntie also bought you a potion! Xiaoyu, give the potion to your Xin Ge..."
Jiang Xiaoyu clutched the potion to her chest. "Why? This is mine!"
Just as Fang Huilan was about to speak, Jiang Xiaocha wiped her mouth and pushed the potion in front of her towards Fang Xin. "Xin Ge, this is yours!"
"I'm done eating. I'm going back to my room!"
"Xiao Cha!" Fang Huilan quickly called out, but Jiang Xiaocha had already returned to her room.
Jiang Xiaoyu gloated, "Mom, if she doesn't want it, then forget about it."
Fang Huilan looked at her eldest daughter's closed door, her expression complex.
Jiang Weidong put down his chopsticks, sat sideways, glared at Fang Xin, and then forcefully picked up the newspaper, saying coldly.
"Fang Xin!"
"Hm?" Fang Xin looked up.
"This potion wasn't easy to come by!"
"Oh?"
Seeing Fang Xin's attitude, Jiang Weidong vigorously shook the newspaper, tapping his fingers on the dining table, "Do you know how much face I had to lose and how many connections I had to use to get this potion!"
"Hmph!"
Seeing Fang Xin like this, Jiang Weidong angrily said, "I'm telling you, don't you dare waste it! Don't let my efforts be in vain! If you don't show some results, then move out of my house!"
"Pah! Never heard of such a thing!"
Jiang Weidong was so angry he slammed the table and stood up.
Pointing at Fang Xin, he jabbed his finger at the air, then threw the newspaper onto the table.
Jiang Weidong got up and returned to his room, deliberately kicking the trash can as he passed it to vent his anger.
Fang Huilan gritted her teeth and chased him into the bedroom, slamming the door shut.
"Jiang Weidong, what do you mean?"
Jiang Weidong's voice was loud, deliberately spoken for Fang Xin outside. "What do I mean? What else could I mean? Look at him! An uncultured thing! Is that how you talk to your elders? I'll be damned if I don't see what kind of talent he awakens after stealing my eldest daughter's potion!"
Jiang Xiaoyu chewed on her chopsticks, shaking her head smugly and humming.
"Fang Xin, I specifically asked my seniors, and being good at studying doesn't necessarily mean you'll awaken a good talent. There were several good students in our school before who didn't even awaken any talent.
If you awaken the most useless E-rank talent, I'll laugh at you for two and a half years."