Light Barrier - Chapter 26: Talent

“I have to say that Gu Shen is an incredibly resilient person. Although he’s comprehended the breathing technique, improving his physical fitness still requires some time.

“He’s never once complained about being tired from running fifteen kilometers with weights every day. In the boxing ring, after being knocked down a hundred times, he’ll stand up a hundred times.

“Knocked down by wooden swords, struck by setbacks, no matter what happens, he will always have the courage to try again. This kid is really admirable.”

Thirteenth day.

Looking through the soundproof glass, Zhong Wei watched the young man on the training ground. Under Nan Jin’s guidance, the young man held a wooden sword tightly with both hands and kept striking at a dummy.

He said helplessly, “But what is his transcendental ability? Why can’t we see any signs of it?”

“…”

Through the glass window, Luo Er silently looked at the sweating young man.

The young man chopped at the wooden dummy tirelessly. Nan Jin kept hitting his shoulders, wrists, and lower abdomen with her scabbard to correct his sword-raising posture. The young man gritted his teeth in pain, but he only gritted his teeth. He didn’t utter a single word of complaint nor show any signs of giving up.

He always managed to adjust quickly and grit his teeth to persevere until the end.

As Luo Er watched Gu Shen’s efforts from behind the glass window, her emotions were somewhat complicated.

She and Zhong Wei were the first disciples that their teacher had accepted, and they had spent the longest time in the Adjudication Bureau.

Over the years, they had seen too many newcomers. Some were as dazzling as shooting stars, while others were ephemeral like morning glories. But there was no doubt… Those who could be discovered and specially recruited into the Adjudication Bureau were all talented geniuses.

But judging from Gu Shen’s current performance, he didn’t seem to have much to do with the so-called ‘S-grade geniuses’. This young man was more like a cactus growing in a barren desert. He was extremely plain and unadorned, and searching him from head to toe, there were no other characteristics besides resilience.

Due to his resilience, he could stubbornly survive even without rain.

But so what if he survived? Cacti were never attractive, no matter how people looked at them.

“Senior Sister, I know your Profile has never been wrong. But Gu Shen… hasn’t even shown a hint of natural talent.” Zhong Wei sounded perplexed. “I used many methods to guide him, but he completely lacks the manifestation of the power of fire control. He can’t sense the free elements or control tangible flames. It’s too unreasonable.”

Looking at the training ground, Zhong Wei asked softly, “Clearly, he’s not an assault type… So, he’s a mental type, right?”

In the beginning, they came to Oto City with anticipation, eager to see the brilliance of an ‘S-grade’ newcomer.

But as the days passed, many of their expectations had come to naught. The transcendental talent that could outshine all others was not displayed, but Gu Shen’s resilience and perseverance were definitely ‘S-grade’.

Perseverance would pay off. Having such perseverance was truly terrific.

But Gu Shen only had a total of fifteen days.

From the looks of it, the assessment two days later…

It didn’t seem very optimistic.

“Don’t forget. Our exploration of transcendental power is merely the tip of the iceberg. The spectrum chart is still being updated, and new transcendental abilities appear every year.” Senior Sister Luo finally spoke. “Do you still remember that three years ago, a special awakened person appeared in the Central Continent who couldn’t be categorized into the three types?”

“You mean… the special type?” Zhong Wei came to a realization and whispered, “That… would explain it. But the probability is too low, isn’t it?”

“Is that so? Then, how does that compare to the probability of being S-grade?”

Senior Sister Luo smiled. “Miracles are called miracles because the probability is too low, and people often find them hard to believe.

“Okay, the assessment team will determine what Gu Shen’s potential is. This isn’t an issue we should worry about. What’s important is that he hasn’t given up. He’s still persevering. How can we lose confidence in him?”

Senior Sister Luo looked at Zhong Wei and said earnestly, word by word, “If we hadn’t met Teacher, then you and I would have been abandoned by fate. Now it’s Gu Shen’s turn. We can’t let him lose hope in this world. At the very least, his efforts should receive the corresponding rewards.”

Laughter came from outside the glass window.

It was Gu Shen.

Senior Sister Luo narrowed her eyes and looked over.

Gu Shen was sitting leisurely on the floor, supporting himself with both hands on the green grass and laughing heartily. In front of him was a crooked wooden dummy that had been split open from the shoulder. It didn’t matter whether he had struck it a thousand times or ten thousand times to split it.

The not-so-tall wooden dummy had a slit from its shoulder to its abdomen. The worn wooden sword was embedded in the gap, looking like a roly-poly toy. It swayed and rocked back and forth along with Gu Shen’s laughter.

At the side, Nan Jin held her scabbard. Under her sunglasses, her face was cold and expressionless, but the corners of her lips curled up subconsciously.

She quietly reached out her hand and pointed at Gu Shen for their senior brother and senior sister behind the glass window.

Persistence paid off. Dripping water could wear down a stone, but it took time.

And wearing down a stone began with a single crack.

This was the first time in thirteen days that Gu Shen had completed Nan Jin’s extra allocation of strength training. It wasn’t easy for a newcomer, especially a non-assault-type transcendent, to achieve this.

He found the slashing technique and understood the significance of finding weaknesses.

This wasn’t a task that could be completed solely with strong perseverance.

Although… this level was far from enough for the official assessment, what Gu Shen had accomplished could already be considered a small ‘miracle’.

…

Luo Er and Zhong Wei walked out of the soundproof room.

“Phew… Senior Sister, Senior Brother…” Gu Shen sat collapsed on the floor, his clothes drenched in sweat. He smiled and pointed at the swaying wooden dummy. “I… I did it… Not bad, right?”

Nan Jin, holding her saber at the side, immediately poured cold water on him. “You merely cut down a wooden dummy. What’s there to be happy about?”

“Do you think everyone is a freak with A’s in strength and speed like you?” Gu Shen lay sprawled on the ground, feeling annoyed. “If I were as fierce as you, would I still be chopping wooden dummies here? I would have long gone to the airport to wait for the so-called assessment team. When they land, I’ll cut them down one by one. If they come in pairs, I’ll cut them down pair by pair. I’ll cut them into pieces and chop up their bullshit S-grade.”

“If you can really cut down all the people in the assessment team, then S-grade is indeed bullshit.” Senior Sister Luo chuckled. “The assessment team will arrive in Oto City tonight. How about it? Do you want to consider taking action?”

Zhong Wei smiled. “There are many important figures in the assessment team this time, and the big shot in charge of issuing the pardon is very interested in you. Therefore…

“The MP (member of Parliament) came to assess me personally?” Gu Shen was startled and instantly cowered. “I was just… just joking.”

“Look at how scared you are.” Nan Jin smiled. “How can the MP have the time to assess you personally? Don’t worry. Those big shots are very busy.

“It’s the assistant of that big shot coming to Oto City. He’s traveling with the assessment team. He said he wanted to see your performance personally. Zhong Wei and I are going to meet this MP’s assistant and settle the assessment team.”

Senior Sister Luo said seriously, “The special training is almost over. Take the next two days to relax. Nan Jin, you’re responsible for keeping Gu Shen away. Don’t let him meet the assessment team in advance.”

Nan Jin nodded.

Gu Shen was confused. “Senior Brother, Senior Sister, are you leaving?”

“Yeah. There are some acquaintances in the assessment team. I’ll go greet them and see if I can pull any favors.” Luo Er thought of something. “Gu Shen, I have good news for you. The matter that Teacher has been busy with recently is about to come to an end. If everything goes well, he’ll be able to rush back to Oto to see you one last time before the assessment.”

Gu Shen scratched his head. See me one last time… Why does it sound so strange?

“In short, these two days, eat well, sleep well, and… don’t think too much about the assessment,” Zhong Wei advised considerately before leaving. “There’s still some money in the card the Adjudication Bureau gave you. You can spend it all.”

Hey! The more I listen, the more ominous it sounds.

It seems like no one is optimistic about my assessment. But…

It seems it should be like this…

Gu Shen looked at the wooden dummy he had chopped down. It was rocking back and forth and seemed to be laughing at him. He smiled faintly.

He remembered what Chu Ling had said to him.

[“Belief is more important than anything else.”]

He lay on the floor of the training ground and stretched out his palm to shield his eyes from the blazing light.

Senior Sister Luo suddenly spoke. “Hey, Little Gu.”

Gu Shen sat up.

“Don’t take those messy matters to heart.” Luo Er, standing at the door, smiled. “Don’t worry too much. We’re here.”