Chapter 259: Talent Circuits
“What comes after Named?”
With a trace of curiosity, Xu Zhi continued reading.
[Named: When a Long-Lived One completes at least four Trials and one Great Deed—or receives patronage—they may advance to become Named.]
[A Great Deed generally refers to certain undertakings or achievements accomplished by an extraordinary individual. It may be for others or for oneself. Regardless of good or evil, a Great Deed need not be known to the public, need not be famous, and may even remain secret. However, it must possess a certain degree of challenge, influence, and meaning. Depending on the scale of its impact, it may affect the extraordinary ability gained after advancing to Named.]
[For example, if one extraordinary individual prepares a massacre in order to accomplish a Great Deed, and another stops them, then the one who stopped the massacre has also completed a Great Deed.]
[However, a Long-Lived One cannot slaughter ordinary people merely to fabricate influence. Such acts lack any true challenge.]
“I see.”
So random slaughter wouldn’t qualify as a Great Deed. And even if one targeted a formidable opponent, one might instead become someone else’s Great Deed.
Who knew how many Long-Lived Ones were secretly watching each other, all hoping to step into the rank of Named?
[Upon successfully advancing to Named, the extraordinary individual undergoes a significant elevation in life rank, fully transcending the mortal body. At this stage, all who ascend will receive a unique Name within the Mansus—a title, epithet, or designation. It represents the path you currently walk and carries supreme authority.]
[The Name will be the Named’s most powerful extraordinary ability.]
“A Name…”
She hadn’t received such a thing—because she hadn’t truly advanced to Named.
But Xu Zhi was certain she had completed a Great Deed. Since a Great Deed could remain secret, if what she had done didn’t count, then she had no idea what kind of earth-shattering acts real-world Named must have performed to ascend.
For her, becoming Named would likely be a natural progression.
“I wonder what Name I’ll receive.”
She pondered for a while but couldn’t picture it. She knew almost nothing about the Names of the Named.
[After advancing to Named, only one path remains.]
[To begin the long search for Ascension.]
“Hm?”
So there were no further subdivisions beyond Named? From that point forward, one simply sought Ascension—the path to godhood?
[The most brutal struggles among extraordinary beings begin at Named.]
The text ended there.
Xu Zhi roughly understood why. The book did not elaborate further because students would never reach that level during their academic years. It was knowledge most extraordinary individuals would never need in their lifetimes. Even academy prodigies required long years to approach it. Naturally, it wasn’t included in detail in foundational coursework.
Among ordinary students, reaching Long-Lived before graduation already placed someone at the very top of their class.
In the Inner Academy, advancing to Long-Lived before graduation was no longer unheard of, but still rare—something only top-tier talents in each cohort achieved.
As for the Trials within the Great Dream, no student had yet reached that threshold at such an early age. They were too young—barely newly advanced to Long-Lived, unfamiliar with the Mansus, and having taken only a few steps into the Great Dream. The first Trial was still far beyond them.
Often, it required years after graduation—through steady accumulation—to even reach the position of the first Trial in the Great Dream.
And that was considered fast. Many extraordinary individuals exhausted their extended lifespans without ever passing a single Trial.
After finishing this section, Xu Zhi returned to the contents page and muttered,
“Doesn’t seem that hard.”
If nothing unexpected happened, she might recover to Long-Lived within this semester. The academy operated on a six-year system. What level would a first-year student be if they advanced to Long-Lived?
She tried to imagine it, but without knowing other students’ levels, she couldn’t draw conclusions. Shaking her head, she searched for knowledge that intrigued her more.
Soon, four words caught her eye:
Extraordinary Circuits.
“Found it.”
She opened the relevant section and began reading quickly.
The foundational knowledge on Extraordinary Circuits was vast and intricate. But even as new material, it wasn’t difficult for Xu Zhi to grasp. Before long, a relatively clear framework formed in her mind.
There were many types of Extraordinary Circuits. The simplest to understand was the Talent Circuit—an innate gift possessed by every extraordinary individual and extraordinary creature. Each being had one, and each was unique.
[The mysteries of the Talent Circuit are profound and self-contained. Extraordinary individuals may judge their talent by the precision of their internal Talent Circuit. The more intricate the circuit, the higher the talent. The more complete the circuit, the higher the individual’s rank.]
[Extraordinary abilities reside within the circuit. As the individual grows, the circuit gradually refines itself. Within the vast overall structure are several intricate patterns—these patterns are the extraordinary abilities. Thus, when a circuit is damaged, the corresponding abilities cannot be used.]
[Circuits generally possess some degree of self-healing capability, provided they have not suffered destructive damage. Even destructive damage may be repaired through resources and assistance from powerful extraordinary individuals of the same attribute. However, before attempting repair, ensure you possess a complete and precise memory of the circuit’s original structure. Not even the slightest error is permissible.]
[Even a deviation of one millimeter constitutes failure. Incomplete restorations will decay and infect nearby circuits, requiring immediate removal.]
[This process is unimaginably painful. Any error may cause additional circuits to necrotize, potentially resulting in death. Therefore, protect your Extraordinary Circuit carefully, and only attempt repairs with absolute certainty.]
[If uncertain, it is better to leave it untouched. The mysteries of the Talent Circuit remain incompletely understood. It may one day repair itself naturally. Any artificial interference carries a high risk of catastrophic consequences.]
Xu Zhi slowly raised an eyebrow.
Only now did she belatedly realize—
She might have done something extremely dangerous while utterly ignorant.
She didn’t even remember what her original Lamp circuit looked like. When she repaired it, she had essentially groped her way through in the dark.
“…Hiss.”
“I’m still alive. Guess my luck really is absurdly good.”
