Chapter 1: Innate Talent
His vision went black.
The next moment, he regained the sensation of having a body.
He had barely opened his eyes when
a grand, resonant prompt sounded in his ears:
[Welcome to the Trial Ground!]
[This trial is an internal competition among Earth's human civilization. Ultimately, the victor will lead the civilization.]
[Before the trial begins, please remember the following:]
[1. As you can see, this is a strange and dangerous otherworld, so survival is your primary need.]
[2. Surviving each day will add 1 point to your faction's score. Being eliminated will directly deduct 10 points.]
[3. The beasts in the Trial Ground will become more dangerous over time, but hunting them will earn you higher faction points.]
[4. While increasing your faction's score, you will also gain corresponding faction contribution. Additionally, helping trial participants from the same faction can earn you extra faction contribution.]
[5. The amount of faction contribution you have will determine your status and authority within the civilization in the future, provided your faction wins this competition.]
[6. The Initial Cabin is just an ordinary and crude shelter with no special functions. You can abandon it at any time, but be sure to take the Supply Box inside with you.]
[7. The Supply Box refreshes once daily at a fixed time. From it, you can obtain items including but not limited to: food, materials, weapons, skills, Mysterious Artifacts...]
[8. Death is not the only way to be eliminated. Trial participants can choose to give up on this competition, but they must recommend a faction other than their own. This action will add 10 points to that faction's score.]
[9. Earth humans without the ability to act independently will be defaulted as eliminated, such as infants, people in a vegetative state, etc.]
[10. This trial is limited to one hundred days. If all trial participants are eliminated, it will end early. The faction with the highest final score will be the winner.]
[11. Trial participants who exit without dying will be incorporated into the human civilization led by the winning faction after the trial ends.]
[12. After the trial, your civilization will join the Universal Civilization Championship. That is the true battlefield!]
...
[Based on your inner inclination, you have been assigned to the Huaxia Faction.]
Yan Cang's brow relaxed, the voice he had just heard still echoing in his mind.
As he gradually understood the content, the questions in his heart were also answered.
"I was wondering how, in the blink of an eye, I ended up in a square wooden cabin..."
"So it turns out I've been transported!"
Yan Cang muttered calmly on the surface, but inside, he was panicking like crazy.
Just a minute ago, he was still a high school senior who had just finished the college entrance exams. Naturally, he hadn't expected to face such a drastic change, and his emotions were in turmoil.
There was anxiety about the unknown, as well as excitement and longing for a plot from a novel to become reality...
Reason told him that the peace of the past would cease to exist, while emotion tempted him—the protagonist was none other than himself.
"No way!"
Letting out a breath, Yan Cang calmed himself down.
After struggling to steady his surging emotions, he began to carefully examine his surroundings.
"Not even a floor... what a truly ordinary and shabby wooden hut."
Yan Cang surveyed the cramped space, less than ten square meters, and the wooden walls that let in drafts through their gaps, letting out such a sigh.
Not only that, but aside from himself, the only thing in this small wooden hut was a square chest about knee-high.
This, he figured, must be the Supply Box.
Without much hesitation, Yan Cang instinctively walked over.
"Looks like everything depends on this box. Hope it brings something good."
"Blessings from heaven!"
Muttering to himself, Yan Cang crouched down, then slowly reached out with his hand, pressing it against the Supply Box while holding his breath.
The moment his fingers touched the box, this seemingly ordinary container suddenly underwent a dramatic transformation.
A flash of golden light appeared, and the box visibly morphed into a dazzling golden treasure chest.
As if heralding something.
"Golden legend?"
"Could I really be the protagonist?"
Yan Cang couldn't help but widen his clear eyes, a naive thought crossing his mind.
Worried that an unexpected turn might lead to joy turning to sorrow, he didn't dare dwell on it. Without delay, he used both hands to push open the lid.
With a soft thud, the treasure chest was opened.
A golden light flickered.
Compared to the spectacle when he touched the box, the opening process was rather unremarkable.
But that didn't matter.
Yan Cang held his breath, his gaze fixed intently on the contents inside the chest.
All he saw was a single fruit.
It was entirely golden, about the size of an apple, with strange patterns winding across its skin.
After staring for a moment, a line of descriptive text naturally appeared:
[Talent Fruit (Mysterious Artifact): Exquisite in taste. The eater can awaken a talent related to their own essence and origin.]
"Good stuff!"
Joy surged in Yan Cang's heart, and he immediately took the fruit out of the chest.
The moment the Talent Fruit left the box, the golden treasure chest directly dissolved into specks of golden light and dissipated.
No, it reverted back to its original, ordinary square box.
Only now, it looked like an illusory projection.
Perhaps it would only become solid again after tomorrow's refresh?
Yan Cang had no time to ponder this.
The instant he retrieved the Talent Fruit, he immediately brought it to his mouth.
He had only intended to take a small bite, but unexpectedly, the Talent Fruit melted on his tongue, turning into a sweet, cool juice that flowed down his throat.
In an instant, a warm current surged through his body.
An unparalleled deliciousness exploded in his mind.
It wasn't just a sensation on his taste buds, but an ultimate pleasure felt in his soul.
The dual ecstasy of spirit and flesh made him feel as if he were floating.
His vision suddenly soared.
His mind wandered as if roaming the heavens and earth, looking down upon the smallness of the world.
The entire primal and wild Trial Ground seemed to come into view, faintly revealing strange beasts darting among the trees, and small wooden huts scattered across various locations.
Some were in dense forests, vast deserts, islands in the boundless sea...
So the Trial Ground was this vast?
Wouldn't those who first descended in the desert be incredibly unlucky?
This stray thought didn't linger further.
Yan Cang's vision rose higher and higher, seeing more and more things, until it touched the edge of this space.
He began to feel the Trial Ground was somewhat small, preparing to see what scenery lay beyond this realm.
Yet this extremely subtle thought wasn't carried out.
Instead, it flashed by in an instant.
Yan Cang leaped into a higher-dimensional perception.
His mind became clear, and all things were laid bare at a glance.
In that moment, the fateful trajectories of everything in the world became crystal clear in his eyes, like countless spider threads interwoven together.
He seemed able to freely pluck these Threads of Fate, weaving the past, future, and present of all things.
But at this time, Yan Cang was in a state of neither sorrow nor joy, and wouldn't make any extra moves.
Everything was meaningless.
...
When he returned to himself, he didn't know how much time had passed.
The sensation in his consciousness felt like a very long time had gone by, but the physical perception of his body seemed to indicate it had only been an extremely brief moment.
In any case, he was startled awake by a prompt sound.
[Ding, you have awakened the talent "Great Fate Art"!]
[Detected changes in personal attributes. Status Panel has been opened.]
Yan Cang opened his eyes, his black-and-white pupils still as clear as before.
But his mindset had already changed.
Strange yet familiar knowledge surged into his mind, allowing him to understand how to use his talent.
With a thought, Yan Cang said, "Open the panel."
[Name: Yan Cang]
[Age: 16]
[Talent: Great Fate Art]
[Survival Days: 0 days]
[Faction: Huaxia]
[Faction Contribution: 0]
The information on the panel was very concise, but fortunately, each line could be clicked to view specific details.
Yan Cang focused on the talent line, and soon a small line of text appeared.
[Great Fate Art (Talent): The foremost among the Three Thousand Great Daos, wielding the Threads of Fate. With the power of a deity, you would be supreme. Yet, you are now weak, and your Mortal Body cannot bear its weight.]
Indeed, it was so.
Yan Cang deeply understood the terror of this talent, its power far surpassing even the descriptions of fate gods in ordinary mythological novels, possessing authority nearly at the narrative level.
With this "Great Fate Art," he could completely rise to the perspective of an "author" to edit everything.
But the prerequisite was having that immense power.
Although "Great Fate Art" was his innate talent, Yan Cang could use it even with pure physical strength.
However, as an ordinary person, he could at most use a mere fraction of the talent's power before exhausting himself.
The strength of a mortal was insignificant.
Of course, even being able to use this ability in a shallow way was enough to bring about enormous effects.
As for how to use it specifically, that required him to think carefully.
"Use it to avoid danger and seek good fortune? Or to bless myself with good luck? Or perhaps..."
Yan Cang pondered.
After thinking for a moment, he suddenly remembered the simple Status Panel from earlier.
He immediately cast his gaze back to it.
"...Does it not have the chat function standard in survival novels?"
"Wait!"
A flash of inspiration struck Yan Cang's mind.
"Perhaps... I could create one myself?"