Chapter 16: Ready (Revised)

This ability is absolutely incredible.

From now on, no matter what book I read, I only need to go through it once. For the rest, I can completely use this method to come back and review it.

Freed from the constraints of the physical body, the flow of consciousness was significantly, much faster. A page of dense, difficult ancient text was skimmed by Gavin at a lightning pace; it took him only a dozen short seconds to read through it entirely. Comparing it with the translation below, his understanding was almost flawless.

Hmm!

It seemed as though his memory capacity had also improved.

To confirm his sensation, Gavin interrupted his self-hypnosis and returned to reality. He rummaged through his belongings until he found a stack of parchment, a quill, and ink, and began to transcribe what he had just memorized from memory.

During the first transcription, Gavin did not translate it into Common; he used the original ancient Chinese directly.

He had a feeling that anything translated would be interpreted once, and what others would eventually interpret would be the translator's personal understanding rather than the original words and artistic conception intended by the author.

Besides, since he was currently only verifying his memory capacity, the original text was naturally more accurate.

As he wrote, Gavin himself was shocked. It wasn't just that he could recite it by heart; the entire book was vividly laid out in his mind. He wouldn't dare claim it was perfect, but at least seventy percent was correct.

He repeatedly entered and exited the state of self-hypnosis, and in only three attempts, he completed the reinforced memory. The transcribed content was flawless.

The only uncertainty now was how long this special memory would last, but re-copying the *Seven Military Classics* from memory without a single error was not difficult at all.

He wondered if all Soul Savants possessed such an abnormal ability.

If that were truly the case, these people would be terrifying; their learning capacity would be incomparable to that of ordinary people.

If Zhang You had possessed this ability in his previous life, he wouldn't have just scraped by as a graduate student at a key university; he likely could have breezed through the highest academic institutions and even become a national academician without much trouble.

Gavin was like a young boy who had found a new toy. He stopped researching other Soul Savant abilities and focused intently on memorizing the *Seven Military Classics*, intending to transcribe them as quickly as possible.

One copy of the original, and one annotated version in Common.

Once this task was finished, it would also mark the day of his departure from Zalanda.

After a brief experiment, Gavin's thoughts turned back to business; his level-up process was not yet complete.

Choosing a profession was only the first step; there was also the selection of feats.

He could choose a total of four feats: a first-level class feat, a Soul Savant bonus feat, a Fighter bonus feat, and a Human bonus feat.

According to the judgment of the Weave system, Gavin's half-elven bloodline was too thin and was treated as human. Then again, aside from *Outspell* and the advantage of *Elven Vision*, he hadn't gained anything else; it was normal for the Weave not to recognize him as an elf or half-elf. As long as there were benefits, it didn't matter.

Gavin made his choices without much hesitation.

For his first-level class feat, he chose *Toughness*. This ability would further strengthen his body; in terms of Weave data, it provided an additional two hit points per level.

For spellcasting classes, two hit points were quite significant. For a Soul Savant, it was normal to gain only two hit points per level.

For any class, the higher the hit points, the better—it meant being able to take a hit. This was especially important since the damage from some high-level spells was directly related to hit points. Certain enchantment spells could directly cause creatures with fewer than fifty or one hundred hit points to be frightened, paralyzed, or even obliterated. Without enough hit points, they wouldn't even have a chance to endure it; they would simply drop dead.

The Soul Savant bonus feat gave him *Psionic Affinity*. This ability allowed him to inject psionic power into psionic crystals, create psionic stones for storing psionic energy (though the success rate was relatively low without the *Craft* feat), and create the Soul Savant's exclusive familiar, the *Psionic Servant*. It could be considered one of the fundamental abilities of a Soul Savant and was a must-pick. However, since Gavin currently had no psionic crystals on hand, he had to set it aside and find a way to acquire them later.

For the Fighter bonus feat, Gavin directly chose *Evasion*. This was part of the survival skill series and would be his primary direction for future enhancement. The best defense was making it impossible for the enemy to touch you.

The choice he hesitated over the longest was the Human bonus feat. After ruling out various miscellaneous options, Gavin struggled for a while between *Endurance*, *Body of Spirit*, and *Iron Will*.

Ultimately, he chose *Iron Will*.

Willpower was crucial for spellcasters. The higher the willpower, the easier it was to concentrate, the easier it was to synchronize with the Weave, and the more likely spells were to succeed. This was especially helpful at lower levels when willpower was relatively low.

*Endurance* and *Body of Spirit* primarily focused on strengthening hit points. Since Gavin already had the first hit die reinforced by the *Echo of the Legendary Warrior's Soul*, plus *Toughness* and his own impressive Constitution, his hit point foundation was already relatively thick.

After a series of selections, Gavin's life data was summarized.

Hit Dice: 14 (10 from Fighter base + 2 from high Constitution + 2 from Toughness)

Attributes: Strength 13, Constitution 14, Dexterity 16, Intelligence 18, Wisdom 16, Charisma 16

Saves: Fortitude +2, Reflex +3, Will +7

After reviewing his physical data, Gavin couldn't help but let out a slight, smug smile.

His hit points, if placed on a Fighter, would be perfectly normal, perhaps even a bit low; a stronger Fighter would typically be in the sixteen or seventeen range.

But placed on a Soul Savant, it was somewhat heaven-defying. A normal Soul Savant having eight hit points was already considered quite high; five or six hit points were not uncommon. After all, most spellcasting classes did not focus on physical strengthening, prioritizing instead the excavation of mental and spellcasting abilities.

When synchronizing with the Weave, most power was used to strengthen their soul and consciousness, leaving much less magic to be allocated to the physical body.

The three major stats—Strength, Constitution, and Dexterity—were roughly as Gavin had estimated. After all, his physical condition was what it was; he had obtained his class levels nearly a year earlier than in his previous life, and his various aspects had not yet reached their peak. There would be room for fluctuation as he trained.

However, the latter three attributes were far beyond what he had expected—not low, but high.

He remembered that before his rebirth, his Intelligence was only 15, Wisdom 14, and Charisma 13. How had they suddenly increased so much?

As Gavin's question arose, the Weave quite thoughtfully displayed several lines of information to provide a detailed explanation.

The massive increase in Intelligence was because Gavin had previously received a high-level education. This education clearly referred to the Master's degree he had obtained on Earth, which directly boosted his Intelligence by four points. If he had completed a Doctorate and a Post-Doc, he wondered if he could directly break through twenty points and enter the transcendent tier.

The growth in Wisdom and Charisma was also due to the many people and events he had experienced on Earth, leading to new personal growth.

With these six attributes, if he were to take the Fighter route, it would truly be a waste of talent.

Among those of the same level, excluding bonuses from magic items, Gavin was an absolute anomaly. Considering this was the accumulation of three lifetimes, it was only natural.

This kind of enhancement was immediate, feeding directly back into the physical body.

Gavin couldn't help but strip off his clothes and stand before the window, observing his body through the blurred reflection.

His height was somewhat medium, just over 1.7 meters, but he was only sixteen and had plenty of room to grow. As long as he ensured sufficient nutrition, he might even grow taller than he did in his legendary warrior life; after all, during his key growth period in that life, he had been in a state of slavery with food scarcity.

His build was lean. This was influenced by his half-elven bloodline. His training volume was not lower than most fighters, but in terms of muscle growth, he was indeed far behind those with innate talent.

His muscles were more linear. In terms of sustained explosive power, he was indeed a bit lacking, but in terms of flexibility and instantaneous burst, he possessed a natural advantage. This difference could be compared to that between a cheetah and a lion; Gavin's muscle lines were what people called the "Leopard's Contour."

After feeling himself up from top to bottom, Gavin was very satisfied with the contours and size of everything, including his male assets. Well, this had always been a point of pride for him. During his time as a slave in his previous life, he had even received special treatment because of it. Sigh... those were painful memories; those noblewomen were more unrestrained and played more wildly than the men.

The biggest change, however, came from his spirit and aura.

The face reflected in the window was clearly similar to before, but the more he looked, the more different it seemed. He almost felt like he didn't recognize himself.

A vigorous vitality seemed to be overflowing.

Within his deep, azure eyes, endless stories seemed to be hidden.

No wonder Zalanda's gaze toward him had been somewhat strange lately; this change in spirit and aura was simply too obvious, too massive.

...

"Master Gavin... Master Gavin, are you there?" A knocking sound came from outside the door.

"What is it?" Gavin asked, his head not lifting as he transcribed at high speed.

"The Captain instructed us to come up and see if the Master needs anything carried, to help you move. Your carriage is ready. The Captain said we will depart when the sun is at its zenith. We won't be camping tonight, aiming to arrive at Kami Village before sunset tomorrow," the person outside continued.

"My things are already packed. If it's not too much trouble, please help me carry them down," Gavin said, finally stopping his pen and beginning to pack his paper and ink.

"It's no trouble, no trouble at all!" As they spoke, two boys of about thirteen or fourteen entered. They were servants from Noteburg, but since they had only arrived a few days ago, Gavin had only crossed paths with them a few times and didn't know their names.

As the two servants helped Gavin move his things, they couldn't help but steal glances at him, their expressions of reverence being quite undisguised.

The shorter one in the lead was clearly more active. Seeing that Gavin didn't seem difficult to talk to, he couldn't help but say, "Master Gavin, I didn't expect your horsemanship, spearwork, and swordsmanship to be so good. You're clearly not much older than us. I'm still practicing slashes with a wooden sword, and yesterday was my first time pulling a real bow. I wonder if the Master has any good experience to teach us? We also hope that one day, we can go out on missions with you and the Captain to protect our families."

Clearly, during this morning's defensive counterattack, these two boys had been on the city walls and had witnessed firsthand how Gavin rode his horse through the fray.

Especially since they were of similar age, it naturally caused them to develop feelings of admiration in a short time.

"There are no shortcuts to this matter. What I learned were the basic swordsmanship, spearwork, and horsemanship taught to the Noteburg militia by Captain Zalanda. There is no shortcut to success; practice makes perfect. As long as you practice what the Captain teaches you three hundred times every day and persist for three years, you will naturally see results. Perhaps you will be just like me today," Gavin said after a brief thought, offering a piece of advice that was more of a directive.

In truth, most people knew what he was saying, but very few could actually do it.

Gavin had done it in both his past and present lives. His dazzling performance this morning was not solely due to the combat techniques brought from his previous life, but also because of the eight years of consistent militia training. He wouldn't dare say he was the most hardworking or desperate, but he was certainly among the most disciplined—and Zalanda's strict supervision was equally responsible.

"Three hundred times?!" Upon hearing this, the faces of the two boys immediately slumped. They said with bitter expressions, "We feel like we're going to collapse just by persisting with a hundred times every day. No wonder the Master is so much better than us."

"You are different from me. The reason I can persist with three hundred times every day is that I don't have to perform manual labor. The fact that you can persist with a hundred times while doing all sorts of work is already very impressive."

Only then did Gavin remember that this was Faerûn, not Earth. Children their age were already part of the family's labor force, performing various complex tasks no less than adults; some had even married and had children.

"To be as great as the Master, we will definitely work hard to complete three hundred times every day!" The leading child's eyes flashed with determination as he encouraged his companion.

Gavin looked at the two children with a hint of appreciation. He didn't dampen their spirits but instead encouraged them: "Good. I will look forward to your performance. As long as you work hard, I believe there will surely be a place for you in the Noteburg cavalry in the future."

It was a pity he wouldn't be staying here much longer, otherwise, he would truly want to conduct a training session for them to see their performance. However, as long as they were willing to work hard, they would have the opportunity to make a name for themselves under Zalanda.

After seeing off the two boys, Gavin turned his gaze toward a corner of the room and said, "Get up. I know you woke up long ago. Don't tell me you don't understand Common."

The dark shadow in the corner stirred and slowly sat up. It was the goblin sorcerer that Gavin had captured alive. However, his hands and feet were tightly bound, and sitting up was his limit. Although he didn't speak, his movements indicated that he understood Common, or at least could comprehend it.

After returning to Noteburg, Gavin had selectively "forgotten" to hand the goblin sorcerer over to Zalanda.

Zalanda, also preoccupied, had either forgotten about it or simply defaulted to the idea that the goblin sorcerer was Gavin's private property. Recognizing Gavin's martial prowess, he hadn't sent anyone to inquire about the goblin.

Gavin drew the dagger from his waist and walked toward the goblin sorcerer.

"Don't kill me... don't kill me... I am willing to serve the Great One... to serve the Great One... I am willing to do anything for the Great One, I promise not to run..." The goblin sorcerer huddled into the corner like a pupa, wishing he could burrow straight into the wall. Although he could speak Common, it was very broken; for every ten words, two were still in Goblin.

(End of Chapter)