The so-called supernatural abilities, as the name suggests, refer to the extraordinary powers that individuals possess from birth.
In general, the evolutionary path in this post-apocalyptic era can be divided into several stages for a normal person. First, undergo extreme training to reach the body's limit. Then, break through the genetic lock and delve into the realm of unlocking the mysteries of the human body.
After breaking through the genetic lock, there are generally five gene chains: Strength Chain, Reflex Chain, Toughness Chain, Nexus Chain, and Willpower Chain. Each person's potential, talent, and postnatal training direction vary, leading to different degrees of development in these five major gene chains, ranging from strong to weak.
When any gene chain is developed to a level above five, or when all gene chains reach a total of ten levels of development, a special reaction occurs, giving rise to unique extraordinary powers. These powers are known as "elements," and individuals possessing such powers are referred to as "elementalists."
Take Judith as an example; she is an advanced Demon Hunter who has unlocked the Nexus Chain to the fourth level, on the verge of becoming an elementalist. In addition to the four developed levels of the Nexus Chain, she has also developed two levels of the Willpower Chain and one level of the Toughness Chain, reaching a total development level of seven.
Eileen, on the other hand, has gone even further. Although she has also developed seven levels of chains, she has five levels in the Willpower Chain, putting her one step ahead of Judith and making her an elementalist.
It is worth noting that even though two individuals may have the same development level, the difficulty of deepening a single chain increases. Moreover, the deeper the development of a single chain, the earlier the manifestation of the element. While multidimensional development may take longer to manifest elements, it has its advantages, such as a higher chance of creating composite elements and addressing weaknesses. For example, someone solely focused on evolving the Nexus Chain may have formidable mental power but a fragile body, a critical weakness.
Judith and Eileen belong to the category of individuals who focus on the deep development of a single chain while supplementing weaknesses with other chains. This is a commonly adopted evolutionary approach, balancing unique characteristics and avoiding mediocrity. The specific distribution of development levels among gene chains depends on personal choices.
Looking at the evolutionary path of individuals, it is evident that to obtain special abilities, one must reach the stage of becoming an elementalist. Before reaching this stage, although skills mastered by the Nexus Chain and Willpower Chain may achieve a mode of extraordinary strength, they are fundamentally different from elements.
Elements have three main characteristics: they cannot be learned, are exclusive to the individual, and possess unique features.
Talent abilities, on the other hand, are similar to elements in essence, although there is a vast difference in strength. For an evolver, having a talent ability is equivalent to possessing a weakened version of elemental abilities, emphasizing their precious nature.
Having a talent ability doesn't necessarily mean greater potential than those without. However, overall, the difference between the two is comparable to that between jade and jade ore. The former, regardless of quality, will eventually become valuable, with variations in size and value. The latter, though it may include an emerald, is more likely to be worthless.
Li Wei's Sharingan and Devil's Left Hand closely resemble talent abilities. The Slashing Steel Flash he mastered seems more like a skill.
After understanding these concepts, Li Wei roughly understood why Eileen was so excited.
Talent abilities themselves are already rare, let alone having two of them. Not only Eileen but also many onlookers around Li Wei's house were excited after the battle.
These were all members of the 17th Street Branch's hunters. Gathered together, they whispered and chatted not far away, their conversations similar.
"Zhang Zongming is done for."
"The training slot is definitely Li Wei's, right?"
"It seems that our 17th Street Branch will also produce a genius that will shock other branches!"
"Having dual talent abilities is so powerful and rare."
...
The saying "to the victor go the spoils" was evident at this moment. Li Wei received continuous congratulations, while the defeated Zhang Zongming?
No one paid him any attention.
Through the crowd, Li Wei saw Zhang Zongming walking away with his severed arm and long spear, staggering and lonely.
What could he say? Nothing but a sigh.
Li Wei also thought of himself. Could he be considered a genius? Who among the geniuses would need a C-grade genetic fluid injection just to break through extreme training?
The so-called dual talent abilities were admired by others, but he himself was well aware. This was not some extraordinary talent but the ability bestowed by the Book of Ten Thousand Laws.
However, precisely because of this, he needed to work harder. With a weapon like the Book of Ten Thousand Laws, the obstacles posed by talent to his progress had been minimized. Nevertheless, he had to exert enough effort, even shedding sweat and blood, to truly advance on this endless path of evolution.
...
Zhang Zongming was defeated, and the training slot for the 17th Street Branch was undoubtedly Li Wei's.
However, there were still more than three months before the training began, so there was no need to rush.
After dealing with Zhang Zongming, Li Wei did nothing at home and took a good rest for two days.
Then, he was summoned by Eileen.
Arriving at the "Wild Delicacies" tavern, Li Wei met Eileen.
"What do you want from me?" Li Wei leaned against the bar, asking.
Eileen said, "There's a commission I want you to take."
Li Wei quickly became alert and asked, "What commission? Be clear about it. I won't go if it's a trap."
He still harbored resentment from the last time Eileen tricked him into dealing with a vampire. Who knows if Eileen might try to deceive him again?
Seeing Li Wei's expression, Eileen smiled and said, "This commission is something you got yourself into."
"Huh?"
"It's about Yasha."
This was indeed a commission he got himself into, but Li Wei still had some doubts. "Is it about taking her to Lake Wa? Isn't that too dangerous?"
"No, it's not to Lake Wa." Eileen gave Li Wei a reassuring pill, making him much more at ease.
Heading to Lake Wa meant leaving Wistdom City. In this era, leaving a large city was a perilous endeavor.
Wistdom was a supercity established in the new era, with a population exceeding thirty million. This gigantic city, resembling a massive hollow cylinder, was divided into upper and lower districts.
The lower district was built on the ground, surrounded by high walls, ensuring safety. However, it lacked sunlight, and natural plant life struggled to survive, relying on artificial light sources for illumination. The upper district, situated a hundred meters above the ground, bathed in sunlight, enjoyed a better environment without safety concerns.
If we were to make an analogy, the actual core of the city, where only about ten percent of the population resided, was the upper district. This is where modern aspects of a city, such as finance, commerce, trade, and entertainment, were concentrated.
As for the lower district? It was dirty, with poor living conditions and chaotic social environments. Various factories were established there, producing basic goods for consumption.
However, regardless of the conditions in the upper or lower districts, this was still within a supercity, so there was no need to worry about large-scale monster attacks or deadly radiation and viruses. At least, personal safety had the most basic guarantee.
Out in the wilderness, things were entirely different. It had already been occupied by monsters, deadly radiation, and viruses.