Talent.

In Shen Cong's understanding, Talent was aptitude — the foundation of a building; in a game, the gap between white gear and purple gear at the same level. Talent was the breadth of lateral development: when levels were equal, high Talent meant strong power.

"I'm growing stronger, every moment, my body transforming. My bone-gold is denser now, my flesh-gold pulls harder, my burst power is fiercer, my five senses keener, my Activity wave reaches farther."

"I can already see a clear range of four hundred meters in the fog zone, eight hundred meters fuzzy; merged as one with the Great Vajra, running Human Radar, I can see seven hundred meters clear, fourteen hundred meters fuzzy. My range of vision is absolutely without peer among evolved individuals."

"No evolved person can possess a more powerful Activity wave than mine, no evolved beast can understand the essence of the Activity wave better than I do. Others may still be struggling to break past two or three hundred meters — I've already reached a four-hundred-meter clear range!"

"Ultimate-grade iron person. Beyond-Four-Star Talent."

"I feel myself growing stronger and stronger."

Even as he ate, Shen Cong worked to adapt to his transformed body, then returned once more to the high-temperature furnace. In the graphite crucible, there was still a little under half a pot of the mask's iron-core solution, already congealed.

This iron-core solution was of no great use to Shen Cong anymore.

But to his three natural carrier vehicles it was of considerable use — it could be devoured once more, to increase Talent.

The Hell Plant Armor, the Dragon Saddle, and the iron box that had just been named the "workbench."

The three natural carrier vehicles split the half-pot of iron core evenly, and all of them grew. The Hell Plant Armor rose from an Activity Value range of around 1.9H to about 2.2H; the Dragon Saddle from around 1.1H to about 1.35H; the workbench from around 0.8H to about 1H.

The workbench was mainly responsible for producing and maintaining parts not yet alloyed into the Great Vajra, so whether it…