Noxus Glory

Chapter 30 Introspection: Self-Observation and Photographic Memory

Night falls, it's time for dinner.

Gregory and Hojixing continued chatting as they went downstairs, even during their meal, laughing and talking animatedly.

Seeing this, Amorline, who was carrying a tray, looked helpless and shook her head slightly.

Since Hojixing arrived, Gregory seemed to have found a like-minded person. He often forgot about time and spent day and night sharing his extraordinary insights with Hojixing.

"Good evening, Madam!" Huo Jixing greeted Amoline upon seeing her.

Amoryn nodded, a smile appearing on her cool face, and sat down on a wooden chair covered with a blanket, supported by Gregory.

"What are you talking about? You seem to be having a lot of fun."

"Some extraordinary anecdotes from within the Empire," Gregory replied with a smile, gracefully sipping his dinner with a knife and fork.

Amoryn was slightly lost in thought as she stared at the smile on Greg's face.

It seems that Gregory has rarely smiled like this since leaving the capital of Noxus and arriving at the northern border.

The last time was when I was pregnant.

"What? What are you looking at?" Gregory waved at Amoryn, asked in confusion, and then turned to look at Hoji Star.

"Star, is there something on my face?"

Huo Jixing, who was looking down, trying to avoid the sweet scene in front of her, had no choice but to raise her face and say, "It's very clean, there are no food scraps."

"It's my fault, I was a little distracted," Amoryn said hastily, her face slightly flushed.

Perhaps the scene had been a little awkward, so she looked at Huo Jixing not far away and asked, "Xing, how's your studying going lately?"

"Very good. Mr. Gregory's teachings have given me a deep understanding of the extraordinary system of Valoran." Huo Jixing swallowed the slice of cooked meat in his mouth and spoke sincerely.

This is not flattery!

It can civilize the border regions of the Noxian Empire and allow the power of Noxus to be demonstrated.

Gregory's abilities are absolutely beyond question.

"Amoline means that if you have any questions, you can ask her," Gregory said with a smile, looking at his wife.

"Don't underestimate Amoryn. She is a wizard apprentice who studied at the Imperial Academy for several years."

"A wizard's apprentice?"

Huo Jixing looked surprised, never expecting that Amoline, who appeared to be pregnant, would be a superhuman.

In their previous conversations, he had only heard Amoryn mention that she came from a backward village in the Noxian Empire called Finsworth.

Then, Huo Jixing recalled the days they had spent together recently, and he seemed to have never seen Amoline use her supernatural powers.

"Star, your abilities lean towards fire magic?"

Amoryn put down the silver cross in her hand, rested her chin on her hands, and blinked her blue eyes.

"Yes, he awakened unexpectedly during a life-or-death battle." Huo Jixing nodded.

This was no secret; he believed Wilson had already mentioned his information in the letter, otherwise he wouldn't have gotten this opportunity to study.

"I heard my teacher say that..."

As Amorline turned her knife and fork, the face of an old woman suddenly appeared in her mind.

Her gaunt face, covered in wrinkles, gave her a somewhat fierce look. She was stubborn and prone to anger. She had once helped me escape a place of suffering, but she had also deeply hurt me.

"You must learn to deal with your power; it is neither an enemy nor a friend."

"It is yourself."

"You need to deeply understand your own power, especially the power that you awaken through your own efforts."

"That means you have a talent that will set you apart from other ordinary superhumans."

"Of course, I'm only referring to the knowledge taught in the academy."

Huo Jixing listened intently. Unlike Gregory's teachings, Amoryn's words were somewhat professional, yet concise and easy to understand, clearly stating her relationship with supernatural powers.

Upon closer reflection, it seems that after awakening his [Talent·Star Spirit·Vermilion Bird], he never truly understood his own power, but simply used it.

Because in his mind, the power was his own, and he only needed to exert his full strength to achieve it.

Amorline's words directly shattered his preconceived notions.

Until dinner is over.

While still lost in thought, Huo Jixing quickly greeted the Gregory couple and returned to his room.

"What a strange and contradictory guy!"

Gregory watched Hojixing's departing figure and murmured softly.

"Is there something wrong?" Amoryn asked thoughtfully, looking at her husband.

"Nothing's wrong. He was introduced by Wilson, and I trust Wilson's judgment." Gregory shook his head, recalling his interactions with Huo Jixing during this time. He had a good personality, but he harbored a secret.

Although it seems like they've only just begun to explore the extraordinary world, they possess unique insights into certain matters, and even know more about some rumors and stories than they do themselves.

It is a very contradictory existence.

He couldn't see it clearly!

"Alright, don't overthink it, let's clean up." Amoryn, with her pregnant belly, slowly got up and started clearing the table in front of her.

Everyone has their own secrets.

Hojixing has it, she has it, and Gregory has it too!

Back in his room, Huo Jixing lay half-reclined on the bed, leaning against the wall, lost in thought.

This is a habit from a past life; when the night is deep and quiet, a person's thoughts are completely emptied, and they become incredibly rational.

The words Amoryn had just spoken in the restaurant echoed in his mind like a spell.

"A deeper understanding of one's own power!?" Huo Jixing murmured to himself, "Is it a mage-like meditation?"

His awakened [Talent: Star Spirit: Vermilion Bird] is a power granted by the data panel.

Based on his trust in the data dashboard, he never considered delving into his own capabilities.

Looking back, it seems that after activating [Talent·Star Spirit·Vermilion Bird], he only had research on the power aspects of the Vermilion Bird's Shadow, the Well Constellation Star, and the Southern Fire, but he never really understood them in depth.

Actually, it's not Huo Jixing's fault.

He was like a wild, overgrown weed, able to figure things out on his own, and was clearly different from the Gregorys.

Gregory's extraordinary knowledge was inherited from the school.

Amoryn, on the other hand, comes from the Imperial Academy.

Perhaps in the future, Hoji Star might enter an academy in the Noxian Empire, but for now, he can only learn the corresponding extraordinary knowledge from Gregory.

Close your eyes and concentrate.

Huo Jixing saw the unfolded data panel in his pupils, and then he subtly tapped on his talent.

A crimson star map appeared in my consciousness, with raging flames suddenly igniting and illuminating the shadow of the Vermilion Bird overlooking the universe.

"Where is my body?"

Huo Jixing, suspended in mid-air above the starry sky, looked down at his own body.

The crimson-gold Southern Fire was flowing along the meridians of the human body, faintly corresponding to the Vermilion Bird in the sky.

Huo Jixing reached out and made a grasping motion, as if a crimson star appeared in his palm.

"The constellation Jing (井) ignites the fire of the Southern Fire, gaining the balance of the Vermilion Bird!"

As the words fell, the Southern Fire within his body suddenly blazed up, as if burning his body and flesh to ashes.

"So this is what meditation and observing the body is all about!"

Huo Jixing looked up at the soaring shadow of the Vermilion Bird and felt the warmth emanating from the Southern Fire with perfect clarity.

The seemingly terrifying flames, under his conscious control, adhered to the surface of his skin.

"Unfortunately, this is just the consciousness space within the data panel!"

He thought about the terrifying amount of blood energy required to ignite the Southern Flame, and felt a headache coming on. He needed a sufficiently strong body to use the Southern Flame without restraint.

However, he was already very satisfied with this unexpected gain.

Compared to his previous clumsy use of the Southern Fire, he can now reduce the consumption of Qi and blood to a certain extent.

"Um?"

Huo Jixing, who was about to exit the data panel, seemed to notice something and looked closely at the lines of dark green data.

Name: Huo Jixing

[Essence: 5]

【Strength: 2.17】

[Physical Fitness: 2.25]

[Agility: 2.37]

【Spirit: 3.50】

[Skills: Advanced Warrior, Wilderness Survival, Inner Vision, Photographic Memory]

[Talent: Vermilion Bird]

"Internal observation of oneself, photographic memory?" Huo Jixing looked at the two new entries in the skill list, his expression one of astonishment.

Wait, what's going on?

How come there are two obviously extraordinary entries?

"I really owe them a huge favor," Huo Jixing muttered to himself, rubbing his face.

He looked at the entry "Inner Observation of Oneself," which should be the special state he entered when he was observing the shadow of the Vermilion Bird in the starry sky of the data panel.

In reality, he closed his eyes again.

You can feel the scorching Southern Fire flowing through your blood and meridians with unparalleled clarity, as if it has completely merged with you, giving you a feeling of being connected by blood and as easy as using your own limbs.

This also confirms his idea that the amount of flesh and blood needed to fuel the Southern Fire has decreased again.

The meaning of "unforgettable" is even simpler.

It means that you can remember what you've read; you have an exceptionally strong memory.

Huo Jixing's gaze fell on the mental attribute, which had reached a value of 3.5, and he secretly speculated.

This may be a belated entry following a spiritual transformation.

In a daze, he felt a strange sense of familiarity with Gregory and Amoryn, as if he had seen them before, but he just couldn't remember where he was looking, and he felt extremely irritable.

"Damn, this feeling of familiarity!"

Huo Jixing thought about it carefully for a while, but when he realized that he really couldn't remember it for the time being, he had to give up and suppress his frustration.

Based on feedback from readers, the previous skill classification for tanks was indeed somewhat out of place, so it has been changed to shield guards, as follows:

Apprentice Shield Guardian, Junior Shield Guardian, Intermediate Shield Guardian, Senior Shield Guardian, Fearless Shield, Shield Guardian Master.

Thanks to Strange Aqua and Dreamlike Dream for the suggestion!

(End of this chapter)