I Have Infinite Skill Points-Chapter 562 Unparalleled Natural Talent

Mr. Zhang looked up at the clock on the wall. It was already close to eight o’clock. His daughter had said she would go to Mr. Liu’s house after school, and Zhang had no doubts. Mr. Liu and Zhang Xiaotong had a good relationship, and Mr. Liu often invited Zhang Xiaotong over to his place.

Zhang was very confident in his daughter. In terms of strength, she was probably already above him. He considered himself to have average talent and felt that apart from teaching and educating, he hadn’t achieved much in his life. However, having raised such a daughter, Zhang still felt very gratified.

But now it was already eight o’clock. Normally, Zhang Xiaotong would surely be home before seven.

Taking out his cell phone, Zhang hesitated. Should I call Mr. Liu...?

WEE-OO WEE-OO—

The sound of a siren rang out. It grew closer and closer, until it stopped at the intersection in front of his house. Mr. Zhang’s hand, poised to dial, paused slightly. He sighed, giving up the idea.

Footsteps quickly approached from a distance. Mr. Zhang opened the door and saw his daughter at the front of a group of people dressed in military uniforms. Clearly, they were from the Tianjian Bureau. Why is my daughter with them? he wondered, but then dismissed the thought. It’s no longer important.

"Please come in!" Zhang said, opening the door wider and shooting a fierce glance at his beloved daughter. But that look held more relief than reproach.

My daughter’s talent is so great, Zhang thought. Yet, because of me and the White Lotus Sect, she’s had to live in obscurity. It’s too unfair to Zhang Xiaotong. Although Zhang lived as an ordinary person, he had always kept an eye on the changes in the world of Star Martial Warriors.

Recently, the record for the youngest Star Sea Stage expert had been broken successively: first by Yu Ruoyun, then Wang Lan, and now Jiang Xinyu. The former two had already become Titled Strongmen, and it probably wouldn’t be long before the third was honored.

But that’s only because my precious daughter hasn’t made her debut, Zhang knew. If she did, all these unparalleled geniuses would pale in comparison. Her Innate Ability? Autonomous absorption of Star Power! What an outrageous talent! Perhaps unprecedented in all of history.

Others needed countless resources and had to undergo arduous training to increase their Star Power and Star Martial levels. But Zhang Xiaotong didn’t need to; her body was like a perpetual motion machine, naturally growing stronger as she matured.

While other powerful individuals had to struggle every step of the way, Zhang Xiaotong was a natural-born powerhouse.

Now that the Tianjian Bureau has come knocking, our identity with the White Lotus Sect must have been exposed, Zhang mused. The White Lotus Sect... from now on, it will be a thing of the past. My daughter can finally step into the light as an unmatched genius.

"Sect Master Zhang, it’s a pleasure to meet you," Wang Lan said, getting straight to the point as he entered.

"And this young gentleman is...?" Mr. Zhang asked.

"I am a special investigator dispatched by the Ministry of Defense, specifically here to consult with Mr. Zhang."

"So, these recent Scarlet Lotus Assassins were actually a ruse orchestrated by you? That explains it! I was wondering how my senior brother could attract trouble daily, yet it was always such minor disturbances."

"Sect Master Zhang, you’ve hidden yourself too well. Without resorting to such measures, it was truly difficult to find your whereabouts. We are now facing a crisis and must ask for your assistance, Mr. Zhang."

"A crisis? What crisis?"

"The Evil Spirit has escaped."

"Impossible!" Mr. Zhang exclaimed, his first reaction one of utter disbelief. "The Evil Spirit’s physical body is still sealed by us! How could it have escaped?"

"The Evil Spirit’s physical body is still sealed, but its Primordial Spirit has escaped. Although it has lost its physical body, it can inhabit human bodies and still wreak havoc on the world."

A look of realization dawned on Mr. Zhang’s face. "While the Evil Spirit can inhabit a human body, its power must be greatly diminished. It will come looking for me."

"Precisely. That’s why we had to find you before the Evil Spirit does."

"But even if you obtain the Evil Spirit’s physical body, it’s useless." After pondering for a long while, Mr. Zhang silently shook his head. "Possessing its physical body only ensures the Evil Spirit cannot reclaim it. But even when inhabiting a human body, its strength is still formidable.

"Three thousand years ago, it wasn’t the Evil Spirit’s true form that crushed the righteous martial world of the time into a disorganized mob, but its puppets. In just ten years, the Evil Spirit nearly unified everything south of the Yangtze River. Apart from the Jiangnan area in the east, its influence and minions spread even to the Huguang regions.

"Back then, the ancestors of the White Lotus Sect and Buddha Shakyamuni joined forces, gradually shifting from defense to offense. We struck directly at the Evil Spirit’s lair, believing we could wipe out the Longevity Sect in one fell swoop. But to our surprise, the Evil Spirit we had fought multiple times had merely been inhabiting human bodies, never revealing its true strength.

"Buddha Shakyamuni and the founding patriarch of the White Lotus Sect from that era were far beyond what today’s Star Martial Warriors can compare to, nor can their power be comprehended by them. Even when they joined forces, they barely fought the Evil Spirit to a standstill. But when the Evil Spirit revealed its true form, neither Buddha Shakyamuni nor our patriarch could withstand a single one of its moves.

"In the end, Buddha Shakyamuni executed the Diamond Seal and the Heavenly Dance Treasure Wheel, extracting the Evil Spirit’s Primordial Spirit from its body. He then severed one of his own golden bodies to suppress the Primordial Spirit, finally succeeding in sealing the Evil Spirit.

"The White Lotus Sect merely guarded the Evil Spirit’s physical body. To seal its Primordial Spirit, only the Diamond Seal can be used."

"Although Buddhism has survived through millennia of war, many Buddhist scriptures, including the Diamond Seal and the Heavenly Dance Treasure Wheel, have been lost," Wang Lan said, his brow furrowed with concern.

"When Buddha Shakyamuni departed, he entrusted his disciple Jia Nan with guarding the Primordial Spirit. He also left behind the secret method for the Diamond Seal. If you can find Niehua Temple, you might still have a chance."

"We’ve already found Niehua Temple. Unfortunately, we were a step too late. The temple has been destroyed by the Evil Spirit’s minions."

"Is that so..." Mr. Zhang mused. "Then this is problematic. The heritage of Buddhism is spread throughout the world. Perhaps you should ask if other countries possess the Diamond Seal. Even if not, any sealing technique might work. The only way to deal with the Evil Spirit is through a sealing technique."

"We will consider that," Wang Lan nodded. "Right now, the priority is to find the Evil Spirit’s physical body and place it under strict guard. Its Primordial Spirit is already so formidable; we absolutely cannot let the Evil Spirit regain its body."

"It’s already so late today," Mr. Zhang said. "Perhaps... we could go tomorrow?"

"Very well," Wang Lan replied. "However, I must trouble you and your daughter to come with us. We need to ensure your safety until we find the Evil Spirit’s physical body. How about you stay at the Tianjian Bureau?"

Mr. Zhang thought for a moment and finally nodded.

Having found the successor of the White Lotus Sect, the weight in Wang Lan’s heart finally lifted. He and Mr. Zhang chatted freely in the car. Wang Lan turned to look at Zhang Xiaotong, who was sitting in the back seat.

"A young girl in the bloom of youth, possessing earth-shattering strength, her talent surpassing all those from ancient times to the present..." Wang Lan remarked, looking at Zhang Xiaotong.

"General Wang, you’re only twenty years old yourself," Mr. Zhang said with a light laugh, shaking his head. "You’re only three years older than Tong Tong. Why act so prematurely world-weary?" 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Perhaps it’s because I’ve experienced too much," Wang Lan said. "Honestly, these past few years, both Yu Ruoyun and I have been under immense pressure. Every older generation expert I’ve met has told us that we are the future pillars of Jade Country. Whether it’s the Five Emperors or the Titled Strongmen, they all say the same thing.

"During many life-and-death situations, they would place us at the rear. They’d tell us they were old, that any of them could die, but we absolutely could not. If we died, Jade Country’s future would face a void.

"They repeated it so often that I almost started to believe it. But now, seeing Zhang Xiaotong, I finally understand..."

"Understand what?" Mr. Zhang asked.

"I’m not the one; she is! They’re the ones who are old, who can’t keep up with the times. They believe that without me, Jade Country’s future is finished. But in reality, Jade Country’s future is constantly improving. Zhang Xiaotong is much stronger than I was at her age—far, far stronger. And that’s without her having faced any real difficulties or trials yet.

"She hasn’t been fully honed, yet she’s already a divine weapon, peerless among her contemporaries, a first-rate existence in this world. Once she is polished, perhaps only King Jiangshan will be her equal. With King Jiangshan leading the way and Zhang Xiaotong to follow, Jade Country will be secure for the next hundred years."

"General Wang, that’s far too much praise," Mr. Zhang said.

"It’s no exaggeration. Even with the White Lotus Sect’s legacy from an ancient cultivation civilization, she remained hidden as an ordinary person, never engaging in battle or undergoing trials, yet she possesses such strength. She is much stronger than I am."

"Actually..." Mr. Zhang sighed. "The White Lotus Sect’s true inheritance has long been severed. Aside from the duty to protect the sect’s secrets, the Star Martial Skills we pass down are much the same as those taught outside.

"If the White Lotus Sect had truly inherited ancient cultivation methods, we would have handed them over and disseminated them long ago. Two thousand years ago, the Demon Clan invaded in force. Behind our lines were the eight million people of the Cloud Sea region.

"The alliance of the righteous martial world fought to the death, never retreating, to buy time for the civilians to evacuate. Ultimately, the entire front of the twenty-eight allied righteous sects was breached, and all twenty-eight cultivation sects were exterminated. Only a few managed to leave behind a flicker of their legacy; most perished completely.

"After another two thousand years of turmoil and change, the White Lotus Sect was left with nothing but its name."

"The indomitable will of our ancestors is admirable. But without that ancient heritage, how did Zhang Xiaotong improve her strength without Soul Beads?" Wang Lan asked.

"That’s due to her Innate Ability," Mr. Zhang explained. "Ever since she awakened her talent as a Star Martial Warrior at the age of six, her body has been able to absorb and convert the Heavenly Earth Star Power.

"Sometimes, when she absorbed too much, her body would undergo bizarre changes. For the first few years, I was constantly on edge, terrified that one day the Heavenly Earth Star Power might transform her into some grotesque creature.

"But fortunately, she later learned to control the absorption and maintain a balance in the transformation process, so her body never became abnormal again. By the age of ten, she had broken through to the Star Shine Stage. By twelve, she reached the Star Cloud Stage, and by sixteen, the Galaxy Stage."

Wang Lan was utterly astonished by this answer. Although most Star Martial Warriors don’t possess Innate Abilities, a fair number do awaken them. And the variety of these Innate Abilities is truly bizarre and extensive—it seems there’s nothing one could imagine that doesn’t exist as an ability. For instance, there’s Shadow, Song Jia’s intangibility, or my own Physical Healing Ability. So, someone awakening an Innate Ability to independently absorb and transform Heavenly Earth Star Power isn’t entirely inconceivable...

It’s just... if word of this talent got out, some people’s minds would probably shatter from jealousy.

You toil and struggle in your cultivation, not daring to relax for even a moment. Time slips away relentlessly, and you must race against it to reach one milestone, only to face the next starting line. Meanwhile, Zhang Xiaotong can just lie in bed and be practically carried to the finish line. She grows stronger even in her sleep... It’s truly beyond human.

"With such a talent," Wang Lan finally said, "calling it unprecedented and unrepeatable is no exaggeration at all."