Shen Xingyan's gaze was fixed on the information on his attribute panel:
Talent: Skeleton Summoning (Growth +1) — Summons 2 monster skeletons with all attributes equal to 2 points for combat (Cooldown: 24 hours).
He couldn't believe his eyes, thinking it was some kind of illusion, but even after he vigorously rubbed his eyes, the information remained unchanged.
This left him bewildered, and as he gradually accepted reality, he began to ponder: "Why did the talent improve in the real world too? Didn't they say that extracting anything from the Star Source world requires money?"
This surprise was far too unexpected for Shen Xingyan. After all, transferring even a single attribute point from the Star Source world to reality required 10 gold coins. And something like a skill, especially an Innate Talent, was unimaginably expensive.
He had previously attempted to extract his improved professional skill into the real world, but the Star Source world hadn't even given him a specific amount, simply issuing the message: [Insufficient funds, extraction impossible]. Such a straightforward notification made Shen Xingyan feel that his attempt had been somewhat self-important.
And that was merely a professional skill, to say nothing of an Innate Talent, the cost of which was so prohibitively high that Shen Xingyan didn't even dare to imagine it.
Yet, the fact remained: such an incredibly costly Innate Talent had somehow smoothly appeared in the real world. An event like this would astound anyone.
Forcing himself to calm down, Shen Xingyan reviewed everything that had happened and found only one oddity—he had been kicked out of the Star Source world after using the Talent Stone.
"Could it all be because of the Talent Stone?" He instinctively focused his thoughts on the Talent Stone, recalling its properties: synchronous growth of Innate Talent +1.
Analyzing every word, he focused on the term "synchronous." Then, an incredible but logical idea formed in his mind: "Could this 'synchronous' not only mean the simultaneous attribute boost of Wangcai and the other skeletons, but also synchronization with the real world?"
This thought made Shen Xingyan leap out of bed, mentally exclaiming: "No way! Is this stone really that powerful?!"
Recalling how he was ejected from the Star Source world after using the Talent Stone, he was almost certain his guess was correct!
"The Talent Stone can synchronize with the real world—why have I never heard about this amazing piece of information? Could it be intentionally concealed? Indeed, this world is far more complex than it seems!"
Shen Xingyan was processing this exhilarating information, feeling an even greater desire to acquire more Talent Stones.
"No, this is too tempting. Now, breaking records has become an absolute necessity!"
In the early morning at Base #6, in a small house near the border, the 18-year-old youth made a firm decision based on his unique discovery.
But this youth was unaware of the massive turmoil the Star Source world's announcement had caused among the various influential families and secret groups in the real world, all of whom were desperate to obtain this small stone.
People who learned about the Talent Stone's properties and the record-breaking Professional through various channels perfectly understood what it would mean for them or their organizations to find this person. The temptation was so great that they swiftly moved from vague intentions to decisive action.
Various individuals, driven by greed or the desire for self-preservation, were frantically searching for this mysterious Professional from the announcement. Every Base was checking the farmers in its territory, paying close attention to unusual behavior or suspicious signs.
With the exception of a few high-level farmers, almost every representative of the profession was included on the inspection list. Anyone with unusual signs was detained for thorough investigation.
Such measures would have been difficult to implement among combat Professionals, but in this case, the targets were farmers. After all, in an era where combat power decided everything, representatives of the Farmer profession were merely secondary characters with no means to resist.
Therefore, this initiative was successfully carried out everywhere.
Base №6 was no exception—large-scale inspections began in all five districts.
Shen Xingyan, who had just returned home after taking his sister to school, hadn't even had time to pick up his staff to practice the Demon-Quelling Staff technique when he heard a warning signal from the security system.
As he turned to check what was happening, there was a loud banging on the door: "Open up! Routine inspection! Open up, and be quick about it!"
Following this shout, a displeased murmur was heard from outside:
"What the hell! Suddenly got the order to check all these farmers on the list. Who knows why? It's keeping me from killing monsters! I was just fighting an Elite Monster! Now the reward definitely won't go to me! Damn it!"
The person knocking spoke with clear irritation, his words full of impatience.
"Alright, alright, we're all in the same boat. Stop complaining. They say this inspection is related to yesterday's announcement. They want to find out who that mysterious Professional from the message is!" came the voice of the second man.
"What good is this inspection? If the person doesn't want to be found, they've certainly prepared. What can we, mere guards, hope to discover? A complete waste of time. And the first stop is in such a remote area! Let's finish up quickly and get out of here. It's much quieter in the inner ring."
The two men assumed the homeowner was still in the Star Source world, so they quietly grumbled as they waited for him to return.
Hearing their conversation, Shen Xingyan frowned.
When he first heard the knock at the door, he thought it was related to the recent "rat incident" and instinctively prepared for a fight. But he hadn't expected it to be linked to the announcement from the Star Source world.
Shen Xingyan easily guessed the intention of these people—it was most likely all about the Talent Stone. After all, what powerful person could resist such an enormous temptation as improving their Innate Talent?