Effective Capture Rate: 100%.

Misjudgment Rate: 0%.

Average Response Time: 0.03 seconds.

This string of cold data could no longer be described as merely "sharp."

This was basically a walking, talking human radar.

The female instructor’s fingers tapped rapidly on the console.

She pulled up the most difficult command directly.

"Engage Extreme Mode!"

She was determined to see just what this kid’s limit was.

BZZZT—!

The scene inside Han Feng’s helmet completely shattered.

Hundreds, even thousands of light motes, as fine as dust, came crashing down, wrapped in intense waves of mental interference.

Yet, the corners of Han Feng’s mouth curled up uncontrollably.

In his [Spiritual Vision], this so-called chaos still had clear patterns and trajectories.

Catch.

Catch again.

Still catching.

One minute later, the test ended.

Han Feng took off the helmet and just shook his head slightly.

Aside from using up a little Spiritual Power, he felt no discomfort at all.

He looked toward the console.

The female instructor was staring at him intently, her eyes like she was looking at a prehistoric beast.

Her knuckles were white from gripping too hard, and the stylus in her hand looked like it was about to snap.

"Instructor, is the test over?"

Han Feng asked, feigning ignorance.

The female instructor’s body shuddered as if waking from a nightmare.

She forced a smile uglier than a crying face, and her voice was a little hoarse.

"It’s over, it’s over! You’re Han Feng, right?"

The coldness in her eyes from before was completely gone.

In its place was an almost fanatical scrutiny.

"Your Perception Power... it’s not rare, it’s monstrous! A+ Level! Definitely A+ Level!"

In the evaluation field, her trembling fingers heavily typed a glaring "A+".

"Come, let’s do the final test."

The smile on the female instructor’s face grew more enthusiastic, even taking on a hint of ingratiation.

She pointed to the transparent cylinder in the center of the room.

"Energy affinity and absorption speed test."

"Step inside and place your hand on the Crystal Ball."

"Remember, no matter what happens, do not let go until I tell you to stop!"

Han Feng did as he was told and walked into the cylinder.

The glass door slid silently shut. He reached out his right hand and placed his palm on the fist-sized, pale blue Crystal Ball.

"Beginning energy infusion."

As the female instructor operated the console, a stream of pure, gentle Spiritual Qi flowed out of the Crystal Ball, entering Han Feng’s body through his palm.

The moment the Spiritual Qi entered his body, the [Sword Bone] within him suddenly trembled.

An indescribable, overwhelmingly tyrannical suction force erupted from the depths of his Dantian.

HUM!

The Spiritual Qi, which had been a mere trickle, was instantly pulled into a roaring river of energy.

[Ding! High-quality, non-elemental Spiritual Essence detected. The Sword Bone has begun converting and absorbing it...]

[Sword Bone Transformation progress increased!]

Han Feng’s spirits lifted.

’A Talent test that comes with a free buffet?’

This Energy was even purer than the Tier Two Spirit Plants he had consumed before.

’Then why hold back!’

’Since I’m already here, I can’t just leave on an empty stomach!’

With a thought, Han Feng stopped holding back and pushed the [Sword Bone]’s Devouring Power to its absolute limit.

At the same time, a shrill alarm blared from the monitoring console, echoing throughout the testing room!

"Warning! Warning! Energy output power overloaded! Overload at 300%!"

The female instructor’s eyes went wide as she stared at the red curve on the screen, which was now almost perpendicular to the ground.

"Is the equipment malfunctioning?!"

She snapped her head up and looked at Han Feng inside the cylinder.

A single glance was all it took for her to gasp.

A visible, high-speed vortex of Spiritual Qi had actually formed around Han Feng.

The Crystal Ball, which served as the Energy Source, was dimming at a rate visible to the naked eye.

It was like a star caught by a black hole, about to be sucked dry at any moment.

"What is this kid doing?!"

"Is he absorbing energy? No, he’s devouring it! Isn’t he afraid of bursting?!"

She soon realized that there wasn’t the slightest hint of pain on Han Feng’s face.

Quite the opposite.

That expression was clearly one of... enjoyment?

CRACK—

An extremely faint, crisp sound came from the surface of the Crystal Ball.

Han Feng’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly reined in his power by thirty percent.

’Oh crap, I overdid it.’

’This thing looks incredibly expensive. If I actually break it, I couldn’t afford to pay for it even if I sold myself.’

Meanwhile, at the monitoring console, the female instructor was completely numb.

She stared at the terrifying number that the readout had finally stabilized on, utterly dumbfounded.

Energy Absorption Speed: 380 standard units/second.

What did that even mean?

The highest absorption speed ever recorded at the university, from an S Level Talent, had barely reached 400!

’This guy... is he even human?!’

"Stop! Stop! The test is over!"

The female instructor practically screamed as she cut off the Spiritual Qi supply.

If she let this monster keep absorbing, this top-tier testing apparatus, worth tens of millions of Contribution Points, would be prematurely scrapped today.

The cylinder opened.

Han Feng reluctantly pulled his hand back, glancing guiltily at the Crystal Ball, which was now dull and even had a faint crack on it.

He performed an Introspection and saw that his Sword Bone Transformation progress had jumped from 52% to 53%.

Just a dozen or so seconds had equaled several days of his arduous cultivation.

’What a shame.’ 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

The female instructor quickly worked the console and printed out a report sheet made entirely of a special metal that shimmered with a golden luster.

She walked up to Han Feng, her expression as complex as if she were looking at a newly descended Demon God.

"Han Feng, you’re not a pleasant surprise; you’re a terrifying shock."

"Perception Power: A+. Energy Affinity and Absorption Speed: A+. Overall Evaluation... A+ Level."

She handed the heavy report sheet to Han Feng.

"Congratulations. This is the fifth A Level Talent certificate issued by East Sea Martial Arts University this year."

Han Feng accepted the weighty certificate. The gilded ’A+’ on it almost seemed to burn under the lights.

"Thank you, Instructor."

"You’re welcome, but I must also give you a reminder."

The female instructor pointed to the "drained" Crystal Ball, her tone exceptionally grave.

"I’m afraid your Talent’s upper limit is far beyond A+."

"But a devouring-type Talent like yours also means that your future cultivation will consume dozens, or even hundreds of times more resources than other geniuses at your level."

"Spiritual Transformation?"

Han Feng keenly caught the unfamiliar term.

"Instructor, what is the specific process for breaking through to the Meridian Passage Realm?"

The female instructor gave him a deep look.

’This kid’s Cultivation has improved so quickly, yet his foundational knowledge is so weak.’

She sighed and began to explain patiently.

"A Martial Artist’s breakthrough to the Meridian Passage Realm is divided into three steps."

"The first step is ’Spirit Transformation.’ This involves using Potions or your Talent to guide your body’s cells to produce Spirituality. You were born having already completed this."

"The second step is ’Strengthening.’ You use massive amounts of Spiritual resources to nourish your entire body until every inch of your flesh and blood has completed its transformation."

"The third step is ’Opening the Qi Sea,’ which is when you officially step into the Meridian Passage Realm."

"Right now, you’re stuck on the second, most expensive step."

The female instructor looked at him and continued.

"Other A Level geniuses might complete the ’Strengthening’ phase with just a dozen or so Tier Two Spirit Plants."

"But you, based on the test data from just now... might need hundreds!"

"Without a colossal power pouring all its resources into you from behind the scenes, you’ll likely be stuck at the Peak of the Body Tempering Realm forever."

"Forced to watch as those with far inferior Talent surpass you one by one."

After hearing all this, Han Feng finally understood.

No wonder an elite like Senior Brother Zhao Yu, who had reached the Body Tempering Tenth Layer long ago, hadn’t broken through yet.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to.

It was that... they were held back by poverty.

Of course, he also heard the unspoken meaning in the instructor’s words.

"Since you’ve put it that way, Instructor, there must be a solution, right?"

"Of course there is."

The female instructor smiled, a shrewd look in her eyes that spoke of experience.

"Once your A+ Level evaluation report is uploaded, it won’t even be three days before the military’s ’Fire Seed Project,’ the Celestial Craft Group’s ’New Star Project,’ and the Su Family’s ’Genius Support Initiative’ come swarming in like sharks that have smelled blood."

"As long as you nod your head, future Cultivation Resources will be no problem at all."

She suggested enthusiastically.

"Han Feng, take some advice from your instructor. If Talent can’t be converted into strength, it’s completely worthless."

"Finding a sponsor with a powerful background and reasonable terms is the wisest choice for you right now!"