The sun filtered through broken tiles of the shrine roof, casting warm light over crumbling stone and dried moss. Birds chirped cautiously in the distance, unaware of the blood that had been spilled only hours ago.
Ye Tianfeng sat cross-legged, breathing slowly. His cloak was draped over the unconscious girl, while his fingers hovered before him—navigating a screen only he could see.
---
🔹 [Heavenly Engraving Panel]
> Talent Scan (Active) – UNLOCKED
â–¸ Range: 20 meters
â–¸ Scan Mode: Pulse / Continuous
â–¸ Filter: Affinity / Martial / Bloodline / Body / Misc
â–¸ Talent Preview: YES
â–¸ Threat Assessment: BASIC
â–¸ Active Lock-on: OFF
▸ Engraving Slot: Cooldown – 2h 1m
🔍 Nearby Talents:
– [3] detected
— Minor Earth Affinity (Lv.1) – Rabbit (4m)
— Hardened Skin (Lv.1) – Wild Boar (9m)
— Shadowstep (Lv.2) – Human Approaching (18m)
---
> "Shadowstep…"
Tianfeng's brows drew together.
> A rare stealth movement technique. From a human. And they're approaching.
Hunter? Assassin?
No normal villager carries Shadowstep.
He gently moved the girl aside and stood. His hand found the hilt of his blade.
---
Moments later...
A flicker of movement in the trees.
Too subtle for most to notice—but not him. Not anymore.
> "Come out."
His voice was low. Measured.
Silence. Then—a laugh.
A man stepped from the forest shadows. Dark leathers. Masked lower face. A short blade across his back.
> "Didn't expect to be seen. You're sharper than the bounty said."
Tianfeng didn't respond.
> "The sect wants your head, traitor. But I want your system. Let's make this easy—hand over the girl, and I might let you die clean."
Tianfeng's eyes flicked to the panel again.
---
🔹 [Target Scanned]
> Name: Unknown
Talent: Shadowstep (Lv.2) – Martial Movement
Threat Level: Moderate
Blood Qi: Stable
Suggested Action: Evade or Isolate
---
> No time for cooldown. No engraving slot available.
I have to beat him clean.
> "You want the system?"
He raised his blade.
"Then let's see if you're worth engraving."
---
The fight began.
The assassin blurred forward, vanishing mid-step. Tianfeng moved instinctively—Gale Step activating with a pulse of wind. Steel met steel.
Tianfeng was faster, but the assassin was slipperier.
Blades clashed again—and this time, Tianfeng feinted, ducked, and slammed his elbow into the man's ribs.
> "Kgh!"
The assassin staggered—just enough.
> "Hardened Skin."
"Wind around my feet."
He twisted, slashed low, then pivoted—and drove his blade straight into the assassin's side.
The masked man gasped, blood foaming at his mouth.
> "Wait… we could've—"
> "No."
Tianfeng's eyes were cold.
"You tried to take my freedom. That's enough."
He drove the blade in deeper.
---
🔹 [Talent Available for Engraving]
> – Shadowstep (Lv.2)
– Assassin's Instinct (Lv.1) – [Passive: Critical Awareness]
[Engraving Slot: Cooldown – 1h 42m Remaining]
Talent Marking: ENABLED (Auto-store for Later)
---
> "Shadowstep will be mine."
"In time."
---
He turned back to the shrine.
The girl was awake now, eyes wide and silent.
> "You killed him."
"He would've killed you first," Tianfeng replied.
"Do you know your name?"
She hesitated, then nodded.
> "Xiao Yue."
"My family… they were taken. I ran. They caught me."
Tianfeng looked into the fire, his voice quiet.
> "They took everything from me too."
"But I found something in the dark."
He raised a hand. The panel shimmered faintly in his vision.
> "And now I take from them."
---
🔹 [System Update Incoming]
> You have survived 3 Life-or-Death Encounters
Hidden Counter Activated
[Engraving Affinity +1]
Engraving Slot Cooldown Reduction: -5 mins
Talent Reserve Feature: UNLOCKED
---
[End of Chapter 4]
---
đź’ Talent Scan Interface (In-World Design)
Here's how you can describe the Talent Scan interface when Tianfeng uses it (and modify it as he unlocks features).
---
🧿 Talent Scan (Active Mode)
> A circular radar pulsed in the air before him—golden rings expanding outward with every breath. Dots flared softly, color-coded by strength and type.
Each ping returned data:
White Dot – Common creature/human with low-tier talent.
Blue Dot – Uncommon talent or affinity.
Red Dot – Aggressive or hostile target.
Gold Outline – Talent marked for engraving.
> He focused on one of the flares. Instantly, a translucent panel zoomed in.
---
Sample Output:
🔍 Target Scanned
> Name: N/A
Talent: Earth Vein Pulse (Lv.1)
Type: Body-Type
Distance: 12m
Blood Qi: Low
Engraving Compatibility: 76%
---
As Tianfeng grows, mo
re filters and threat levels unlock:
Filter By Type: Affinity, Martial, Body, Bloodline, Misc
Filter By Level: Lv.1–5
Search Radius: Grows by cultivation
Threat Colors:
White = Harmless
Yellow = Capable
Red = Hostile
Purple = Dangerous
Black = Unknown (???)