My Talent Skill Mutated

"What just happened?"

The vice captain asked, looking at the disheveled state of Chen Yu’s group of four.

"Nothing much. We just ran into a little trouble," Cai Kun said.

’A little trouble...’

The vice captain frowned. He glanced at the distant explosion, then back at Chen Yu’s group. "Alright, everyone’s here. Let’s go."

"Yes, sir!"

One by one, the figures slipped into the Space-Time Gate, their forms quickly vanishing from sight.

——

Deep within a ravine on Crane Ridge Mountain, Chen Yu and his group stepped out of the Space-Time Gate.

Looking up at the sky, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The feeling of the Abyssal Realm was completely different from that of the Ancestral Star World.

The air on Ancestor Star was much fresher.

"Huh?"

"What is that?"

As his gaze swept the area, Chen Yu noticed that a black pillar had been added at each of the four cardinal directions around the Abyssal Space-Time Gate.

They weren’t there when he went in, but things had changed by the time he came out.

The others also saw the four black pillars.

There were four black pillars, each over ten meters tall and about the width of a person.

They gleamed with a metallic luster; they were specially-made metal pillars.

Just then, a group of figures appeared not far away.

They wore matching uniforms, but the color and pattern were different from the mercenary uniforms.

On their chests was a distinct purple-patterned insignia.

The dozen or so people crossed the distance and arrived before the group in the blink of an eye.

"It’s the Abyssal Administration Bureau. Looks like they’re here to take control of the Crane Ridge Anomaly..."

An Ran whispered as she watched the approaching group.

’The Abyssal Administration Bureau...’

Chen Yu was surprised to hear An Ran’s words.

It was the first time he had ever heard of such a department.

"What does this Abyssal Administration Bureau do?" Chen Yu asked in a low voice.

An Ran looked at him in surprise. "You don’t know about the Abyssal Administration Bureau?"

Chen Yu shook his head.

Cai Kun explained, "The Abyssal Administration Bureau is responsible for managing Abyssal Realms. Every Abyssal Realm on Ancestor Star is under their jurisdiction."

"It’s the same in the other eight realms. It’s a key department of the Five Great Federations."

"I see." Chen Yu understood now after hearing Cai Kun’s explanation.

Just then, the leader of the Abyssal Administration Bureau group approached Vice Captain Lin. "Vice Captain Lin, hello. I’m Deputy Group Leader Xu of Group 36 of the Abyssal Administration Bureau."

The vice captain nodded and shook his hand. "We’ve received the orders from above. Thank you for your hard work, Deputy Group Leader Xu and everyone."

Deputy Group Leader Xu smiled. "You’re welcome. It’s our duty."

The vice captain said, "We’ve completed the exploration mission. The rest is up to you."

"No problem," Deputy Group Leader Xu agreed with a nod.

The vice captain glanced at Chen Yu and the others. "Alright, let’s move out!"

Without another word, the group followed him and left one after another.

Chen Yu glanced at the group from the Abyssal Administration Bureau and sighed inwardly.

’Looks like I won’t have another chance to enter the Crane Ridge Anomaly for a while.’

Chen Yu had reaped huge rewards from this trip to the Abyssal Realm.

Although the risks were high, the rewards were proportional.

He actually wished he could go in a few more times.

However, with the Crane Ridge Anomaly now under the control of the Abyssal Administration Bureau, it would surely be sealed off for the time being.

As for when it would reopen, that was anyone’s guess.

...

About ten minutes later, at the foot of the mountain, a black bus was parked quietly on the roadside.

It was the same black bus that had brought them here. Everyone boarded one by one.

Sitting in his seat, Chen Yu looked toward Crane Ridge Mountain.

Deep within the ravine, a purple beam of light shot into the sky, then vanished.

’Looks like they’ve sealed it for now...’

Chen Yu thought to himself, having noticed the fleeting purple light.

’There are plenty of strange beasts outside, too. I’ll think about it when another opportunity comes up.’

Adjusting his mindset, Chen Yu called up his interface to check it.

Name: Chen Yu!

Talent: Infinite Physique (Tier Three 0/50,000) [Unique Talent]

Skills: Spirit Devouring (Perfection 0/200,000), Frozen Breath (Advanced 0/100,000), Biological Force Field (Golden Legend Intermediate 0/100,000) 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Source of Life: 26,530

’I’m still a long way from the next upgrade!’ Chen Yu sighed to himself as he looked at the interface.

Upgrading the Spirit Devouring Skill to Perfection Level had only cost 20,000 Source of Life, but upgrading it from Perfection Level required a whopping 200,000!

’I wonder if upgrading it past Perfection will be its final limit.’

The thought flashed through Chen Yu’s mind.

The Spirit Devouring Skill was crucial for recovering Qi.

Although the Biological Force Field skill didn’t consume Qi, the Frozen Breath skill did!

A single use of the Advanced Frozen Breath skill could practically drain all his Qi.

Without the recovery from the Spirit Devouring Skill, he wouldn’t be able to use it so recklessly.

Under certain circumstances, he could even use it like the "Star Absorption Skill," devouring others’ Qi to replenish his own.

Once upgraded to Perfection Level, the Spirit Devouring Skill could restore all his Qi in the space of a single breath.

Although the Spirit Devouring Skill wasn’t an offensive skill, support skills were also extremely important.

The further he progressed, the more crucial this would become!

As for whether it could be upgraded beyond Perfection, he didn’t know yet.

He would only know for sure once he upgraded it.

Looking at the information on his interface, Chen Yu was quite satisfied with his gains for the day.

His gains from one day in the Crane Ridge Anomaly were more than all his previous gains combined.

His strength had undergone an earth-shattering transformation!

This trip had also been a real eye-opener for Chen Yu.

He had seen all sorts of strange beasts.

His Martial Artist rank hadn’t changed, but his actual power had increased explosively.

Especially the Biological Force Field ability—once he mastered its use, his power would rise to an even higher level.

"Chen Yu, want to grab dinner together tonight?"

Meng Li’s voice suddenly called out. Chen Yu turned to look at her.

"Let’s all get together. And thanks for everything this time," Cai Kun added.

"Sure," Chen Yu nodded.

They had fought side-by-side, after all, so of course he wouldn’t refuse.

Besides, the status of a Superpower Academy student was a golden signboard!

"Here, let’s add each other’s contact info. It’ll be easier to stay in touch," An Ran said with a smile.

——

’For an ordinary mercenary to earn the approval of students from the Superpower Academy... he’s no simple character.’

Watching Chen Yu, Duan Feng couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion.

Students from the Superpower Academy wouldn’t give a second glance to ordinary mercenary team members, or even to a vice-captain like him—or the captain, for that matter.

It was a natural sense of superiority that came with being an Awakened.

Martial Artists were a dime a dozen these days, but Awakened were much rarer.

If an ordinary Martial Artist committed a crime, the law could punish them. But that changed if you were exceptionally powerful—at least Level 6 or higher—at which point ordinary laws could no longer touch you.

But Awakened were different. A top-tier Awakened, even if they were only a Level 1 Martial Artist, was beyond the law’s reach.

Of course, Awakened were policed by the Superpower Administration Bureau.

In the same situation, being an Awakened gave you a huge advantage!

And the further one progressed, the greater that advantage became.

Reality was just that cruel.

Of course, the fact that he had earned the respect and admiration of Superpower Academy students was a testament to Chen Yu’s own abilities.

As a fellow Awakened who had witnessed Chen Yu’s current strength firsthand, Duan Feng couldn’t even imagine what heights Chen Yu might reach in the future!

...

Around three in the afternoon, Chen Yu’s group took the black bus back to the Qing City Mercenary Corps headquarters.

After turning in their equipment, Chen Yu was just about to leave with the others when a voice stopped him.

"Chen Yu, wait a moment."

Chen Yu stopped and turned to see the vice captain.

"Come with me. Captain Xu wants to see you."

"Captain Xu wants to see me?"

Chen Yu paused for a moment, then nodded and followed the vice captain upstairs.