Chapter Seventy-Seven: You Have Already Given

Liu Tian stood beneath the eaves, watching the raging storm and letting himself relax for the first time in ages.

Before his eyes, thick clouds blanketed the sky, blocking out the sun. Thunder, wild and fierce, surged like dragons within the clouds, its roar echoing across heaven and earth.

Beneath Liu Tian, the courtyard was packed with sports cars, as if money meant nothing. Wealthy, influential parents ignored the school's warnings, pressing their horns and shouting loudly as they came to collect their children.

Liu Tian knew that in this tempest, returning to his home in the slums would not be safe, and since he lived alone, the most precious thing there was himself. There was no real reason to go back.

Amidst the thunder, the blaring horns, the shouting, and the relentless drumming of rain upon the earth, Liu Tian found himself reflecting on his brief life—something he hadn't done in a long time.

From a very young age, Liu Tian realized he was different.

But when exactly did that realization dawn on him?

Was it twelve years ago, when he first opened his eyes in the orphanage?

When he watched, cold-eyed, as the other children squandered their once-in-a-lifetime chance at free education, choosing to play instead?

Was it when he named himself Liu Tian?

Was it the moment he chose, against everyone's expectations, a drunken man—who, after adopting several orphans whose whereabouts were unknown, shamelessly returned to adopt more—as his foster father?

Or was it, three months later, after gaining admission to Shilan Middle School, when he celebrated by breaking the legs of the man and his accomplice and then burning them both to death?

This was a ruthless world. As long as there were no reports, the deaths of certain people in the slums went unnoticed and uncared for.

In this society, human life was both priceless and cheap, as weighty as a mountain and as light as a feather.

The screams from before still echoed in his ears as Liu Tian tilted his head, lost in thought.

He was a child who loved books, loved history, and loved to observe.

From an early age, Liu Tian discovered that this was an abnormal world—fragments of history seemed to conceal secrets; the powerful and influential all kept themselves apart from the masses, yet each gave him a strange feeling.

He often heard of people, once isolated and awkward, suddenly revealed to possess extraordinary talents, and whisked away to better, more exceptional schools. Yet no one ever knew what talent could transform a child with nothing into one with a promising future, attracting countless investments.

Some children were more obedient, more sensible, smarter, and more determined, yet because they lacked so-called talent, they could not stand out.

This talent seemed unrelated to learning, to the body, or to willpower. It was a strange quality, perhaps present in everyone, perhaps only among a select few.

So, in this era, society vigorously promoted free education—even orphanage children enjoyed nine years of worry-free schooling and sustenance. Yet these children were left to waste their youth and society's resources in reckless play, unchecked.

Television commercials for major companies spoke daily of shortages—lacking people, lacking talent, lacking high-quality candidates. They offered extraordinary benefits but never specified what kind of talent they sought.

From Liu Tian's years of observation, he noticed that those with excellent resumes, abilities, and appearance, with limitless prospects, often hit invisible ceilings, while others—those who did nothing but play—could leap into special talent channels and parachute into high positions.

It was as if these massive, cross-regional, multinational companies had their own unique, unspoken standards for identifying talent.

Perhaps those living in this society found everything normal, thinking it had always been so and always would be. Education should be universal while children wasted time; big companies should block promotions while claiming to lack talent, without ever specifying what kind.

But Liu Tian knew what kind of talent they lacked—the kind that gave him that strange sensation.

Therefore, Liu Tian understood: beneath this seemingly "normal" society; beneath a world where ordinary people turn screws, fall in love, marry, have children who enjoy free education, and go on to turn screws themselves; beneath a society that seemed infinitely climbable, something lurked in the shadows, controlling everything.

Be it certain powers, certain people, or perhaps even certain races that blended into humanity yet remained apart!

Liu Tian suspected it was the latter—how else to explain those powerful figures and talents, strangers to him, yet all evoking that peculiar feeling?

He had wondered whether he might be one of them.

But whenever that thought arose, a voice deep within assured him—impossible, nonexistent, no one in this world was of the same kind as him.

He was unique, unmatched.

To him, everyone on this planet could be categorized as one type—ordinary people.

Liu Tian had no idea where this conviction came from, but he believed it utterly.

Thus, he never flaunted his uniqueness, always controlled his growing, increasingly abnormal strength, masking his exceptional learning ability with diligent study, hiding his anomaly as if preparing for the worst.

Therefore, he managed to leave the orphanage through adoption before anyone could suspect him and entered the city's best Shilan Middle School through an unobtrusive route.

Over the years, Liu Tian continued to observe, to sense those who gave him that strange feeling, gradually learning to gauge its intensity.

This was the reason he chose Shilan—because within its walls was someone who gave him a sensation stronger than any he'd felt before. And it was certainly not because Shilan had the best food in the city.

Lost in thought, Liu Tian noticed that the crowd had dispersed; the once-packed teaching building and playground now lay empty, the blue school flag trembling violently in the storm.

Now, under the eaves, only two remained—himself and the one who gave him that powerful feeling.

Lu Mingfei.

Liu Tian turned to glance at this delicate, forlorn boy—a stray dog abandoned by his parents, left in the care of an uncle and aunt who barely tolerated him.

A stray dog that, even in such a storm, had no one to fetch him.

And this stray dog was now shouting at a classmate, "Hey! Liu Miaomiao, Liu Miaomiao! Give me a lift!"

She was a girl who did not evoke that strange feeling in Liu Tian, though she was attractive and her family seemed well-off—a black BMW stopped before her, and a driver, holding an umbrella, knelt to change her shoes. She and the stray dog sheltering under the eaves clearly belonged to different worlds.

Indeed, they truly were not the same.

For if the intensity of that peculiar sensation were the criterion for talent, then this unlucky boy was a talent rare not just nationwide, but worldwide.

An unparalleled, world-shaking talent.

As for Liu Miaomiao, even counting her family background, at best she carried influence locally.

Yet Liu Miaomiao seemed unaware of what she was missing, replying without turning, "Lu Mingfei, walk yourself! My home isn't in your direction!"

She had just invited someone headed in the opposite direction.

Liu Tian watched as Lu Mingfei, like a stray dog kicked aside, wrapped himself in his coat and dashed into the curtain of rain. Pondering whether to return to the classroom and nap on the desks, he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder.

"Liu Tian, would you like a ride?" A voice like wind chimes sounded behind him. "It's pouring..."

Liu Tian turned. Before him was a girl with a stellar reputation at the academy—her face refined and cool, waist-length black hair smooth as silk, tall and shapely, snow-white legs beneath her short skirt.

Despite being underage, her figure surpassed many grown women. Truly, a future bride.

Yet what drew Liu Tian's attention most was the feeling she gave him—heavier than that of many powerful figures, second only to Lu Mingfei.

"Of course, Chu Zihang," Liu Tian replied, changing his mind.