Another Episode

Xu Xiaoshou currently possessed five passive skills. Three had already reached the Innate level, while the remaining two were still at Lv.6 and urgently awaiting upgrades.

After setting aside ten thousand Passive Value, he still had a balance as high as thirty-eight thousand to use.

Last time, when he drew Endless Vitality, he had also obtained three Passive Keys. So Xu Xiaoshou bought another seven keys, intending to make it a ten-draw.

He pressed his palms together and silently prayed to the heavens for good fortune.

The Red Roulette in the shop was still shrouded in gray mist as Xu Xiaoshou inserted the keys one by one.

He hesitated for a moment, then still shouted loudly, "Luck Emperor, possess me!"

Mysticism could turn bad luck around, and spending could change one's fate! This was a principle Xu Xiaoshou had always believed in.

The two staff members in the waiting area heard the shout and exchanged glances in perfect unison. "Here we go again!"

The two crept over to the corner of the wall. One squatted while the other stood, both poking out their faces with curiosity as they silently observed Xu Xiaoshou.

The staff member below nudged the one above with his head. "Go prepare the emergency supplies."

"Wait, let me watch too!"

"Hurry up, or what if something happens again later?"

Xu Xiaoshou squatted on the lounge chair and turned his gaze to the information panel. "Thank you for your patronage!"

"One More Key!"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"One More Key!"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

Thud! The two staff members behind the wall watched Xu Xiaoshou's devout appearance as though petrified, then crashed heavily to the ground. Both wore expressions that said, Just as expected.

The one above instantly turned around to fetch pills and equipment, while the one below charged out, wondering as he ran whether artificial respiration might be necessary.

Xu Xiaoshou, sprawled on the floor, abruptly turned his head. "What are you doing?"

One staff member puckered his lips and entered a dazed state. The other stopped in his tracks, wearing heatproof gloves and holding two bottles of pills.

"You're alright?" the two asked in astonishment.

"Heh, what could possibly be wrong with me?"

Xu Xiaoshou sneered. This damn system was getting harder and harder to get anything out of. He had long been mentally prepared; he would not be shocked into fainting again.

He waved at them. "Making a mountain out of a molehill. Go back!"

"Okay, okay!"

The two staff members looked back every three steps, whispering to each other. "He doesn't seem to be running a fever today. These gloves probably won't be useful, right?"

"Who knows? You can't go wrong wearing them."

Xu Xiaoshou watched the pair disappear around the corner. His expression instantly twisted into a knot as he clutched his heart.

Damn it! Another ten thousand Passive Value had sunk into the sea without a trace.

Even if he had prepared himself, who could bear it?

"Heh, ten thousand Passive Value, two keys..."

He remembered that the first time he had used the roulette, three keys had yielded Sharpness, plus one One More Key. But now?

Hmph! Xu Xiaoshou exchanged for another eight keys to make up the number, then viciously jammed one into a hole on the Red Roulette.

Nine more...

Another one!

Keep going...

"Ha! Luck Emperor, possess me!"

Xu Xiaoshou roared in defiance, glaring fiercely at the information panel as though staring harder could increase the drop rate.

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"One More Key!"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"Obtained extended passive skill: Perception!"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

With a bang, the lounge chair beneath him was kicked to pieces by his out-of-control Innate body. Xu Xiaoshou was so ecstatic he shot upward and slammed his head into the ceiling.

"Wonderful... mmph!"

Wood chips rained down as Xu Xiaoshou's head became embedded in the ceiling.

Behind the wall, the two watched Xu Xiaoshou brace both hands against the ceiling and struggle to pull his head free, then looked at each other.

"He's awfully generous, but he really is sick."

"Mhm, mhm!"

"Since we've already taken the pills, we can fix the chair and ceiling ourselves later. Let's not make him pay."

"Mhm, mhm!"

"Ah, such a fine person. What a pity... only half of him is still working properly..."

"Mhm, mhm!"

Xu Xiaoshou had pulled his head halfway out when he suddenly froze in the ceiling. The two behind him immediately grew anxious.

Couldn't pull it out?

Did he need help? Naturally, Xu Xiaoshou could pull himself free. The reason he had frozen was that his head was clearly embedded in the wood, leaving him unable to see anything—yet he could somehow "see" the anxious figures of the two staff members behind the wall below.

More precisely, a blurry image of everything within several meters had appeared in his mind.

He could even sense a little of the pair's emotions.

This was...

"Perception!"

Xu Xiaoshou was overjoyed. This passive skill was far too powerful! It could manifest his surroundings directly in his mind. Wouldn't that make it perfect for guarding against enemy assassinations, peeping on gi—

Ahem.

What a good skill! "Can you get down?" A concerned voice came from below.

In his mind, the blurry image showed that a staff member had already brought out a ladder. Xu Xiaoshou nearly fainted. It was such a trivial matter, and they had even brought a ladder?

He hurriedly popped his head free with a "pop," jumped down, and waved his hand to signal that there was no need for such trouble.

The two staff members sighed, feeling utterly exhausted.

They had never encountered such a bizarre contestant in previous years. Going mad, hurting himself, bouncing all over the place—he had every ghostly trick imaginable, with strange moves appearing one after another.

The pair silently carried the ladder out, then silently carried it back, as though they had lost the ability to speak.

Cursed, Passive Value +2.

Xu Xiaoshou smacked his forehead. There were only the two of them here—could they not make it so obvious? He fetched another chair, squatted on it, and without another word exchanged for ten skill points, throwing all of them into Perception.

Perception (Acquired Lv.2).

"..."

Perception (Innate Lv.1).

The visible range in his mind expanded to around ten meters. That was fine, but what truly shocked him was how sharply the image clarity improved.

Xu Xiaoshou closed his eyes. What had been blurry, mosaic-like quality instantly became high definition. He could even clearly see the two timid heads peeking out from the corner behind the wall.

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly turned his head, and six eyes met.

Bang! Clatter!

The two behind the wall abruptly pulled their heads back, only to collide with each other and knock over the teapot on the table. Startled, they muttered in low voices, "Does Xu Xiaoshou have eyes on the back of his head?"

"Damn it, you scared me to death just now. How did he know we were watching him?"

"Shh!"

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned. Everything the two said and did... was as clear as day! Before this, he could sense that they were spying on him, but he had no idea what they were saying or what movements they were making.

But now, it was as though a surveillance camera had been installed above his head, with the footage projected directly into his mind.

"My heavens!"

Xu Xiaoshou seemed to see Wen Chong sneaking up on him again. But this time, he would not need to turn around. He could directly unleash a Divine Dragon Tail Sweep, coupled with Innate-level Sharpness, and slice him in two from bottom to top.

"Another ultimate move for ambushing people from the shadows..." Xu Xiaoshou exclaimed excitedly.

Twenty thousand Passive Value vanished from his mind at once, leaving twenty thousand. Gritting his teeth, he decided to go all the way and bought another nine keys.

Together with the previous one, that made ten keys left!

"I've never tried continuing to draw after getting something. What if I hit consecutively..."

Xu Xiaoshou pressed down on his wildly pounding heart and carefully inserted the keys into the Red Roulette one by one.

"Ha! Luck Emperor, possess me!"

Let the storm rage even fiercer!

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"One More Key!"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"One More Key!"

Bang! Clatter!

"Ah—"

Beyond the wall, the two staff members heard the earth-shaking roar. The teacups in their hands trembled, nearly spilling over.

The two exchanged a look, drained their tea in one gulp, and sprang into action.

One put the gloves back on and grabbed the pill bottles; the other puckered his lips and held up three fingers...

Two!

One! "Charge!"

"Quickly!"

"He's having another episode—hold him down!"

The next second, another panicked voice rang out. "Damn it, what are you doing?"

"Damn it, shut up!"

"Mmph..."