Nezha and Lei Zhenzi, Generous Rewards

Feeling the grip on his hand and hearing Rhine's words, Ron froze for a moment. The sense of loss he had felt, as if he were an outsider just moments ago, vanished completely.

He gave his head a sharp shake, quickened his pace, and caught up with Rhine and the others.

The barrier at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters drew closer and closer. Excitement flashed in Rhine's eyes as he took the lead and charged straight into it.

The next second, the spot that had been a wall had turned into a wrought-iron archway.

A deep red steam locomotive stood beside a platform packed with passengers. A gleaming brass plaque hung on the train: Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock.

Seeing the scene with his own eyes, Rhine could not help curling his lips into a smile.

He had seen this scene in movies in his previous life, but that was ultimately different from experiencing it in person.

He had truly arrived at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters!

Beyond the feeling of a dream from his previous life coming true, what put Rhine in an even better mood was seeing Harry, Ron, and the others come through behind him.

Rhine did not dislike these two members of the original trio.

They both possessed valuable qualities. Harry had gone through so many terrible things, yet he had remained resolute and brave.

Even under the influence of Voldemort's soul fragment, and despite living a hard life since childhood, he had never come to resent the world, much less turn evil.

As for Ron, although he did not have Hermione's sharp mind or Harry's uniqueness, and had even had the blemish of parting ways with Harry in the original story—

He would always be the one who supported Harry the most, the most steadfast friend.

Ron was to Harry what Sam was to Frodo in The Lord of the Rings. Frodo might have had a special mission, but without Sam, he definitely would not have made it to the end.

Having Ron as a friend was undoubtedly a stroke of luck.

Of course, although Rhine admired them, he was not about to grovel before them.

The main reason he had brought Harry and Ron along was because...

The rewards on them were simply too tempting!

Rhine's gaze swept over Harry and Ron, and lines of information appeared across the system screen.

You and Young Deng Chanyu left Chaoge City for the Jade Void Palace of the Chan Sect, where you happened to meet the young Nezha and the young Lei Zhenzi along the way.

These two are both trailblazers of the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation. Their fortunes and origins are far from ordinary. Befriending them will bring great benefits.

Rhine's heart stirred.

Nezha and Lei Zhenzi?

Judging by this, the system had identified Harry as Nezha?

Come to think of it, they really did share some similarities.

Nezha was the reincarnation of a spirit pearl and possessed innate divine strength from birth.

Harry, meanwhile, housed a fragment of Voldemort's soul. If one had to put it that way, was he the reincarnation of a Horcrux?

His innate magical power was also far greater than that of ordinary people, as could be seen from his performance with spells such as the Patronus Charm and Accio.

Besides, Nezha possessed a lotus body, making him immune to all soul-based attacks.

Harry had a fragment of Voldemort's soul within him, and perhaps that was precisely why he had such high resistance to the Imperius Curse.

Even their combat abilities were somewhat alike. Nezha could slay dragons in his youth, while second-year Harry could wield a sword and kill a Thousand-Year Basilisk.

The system really did have a sharp eye!

As for why the system had identified Ron as Lei Zhenzi, perhaps it was because Ron's tall, skinny build somewhat resembled Lei Zhenzi's, along with that head of red hair?

Thoughts raced through Rhine's mind, but he quickly focused again.

Compared with how the system had determined that Harry and Ron were Nezha and Lei Zhenzi, he cared more about the rewards for building connections.

Soon, a dense stream of information appeared before Rhine's eyes.

Forming a casual acquaintance with Nezha grants the reward—Innate Divine Strength Talent. Those with this talent can easily tear apart tigers, leopards, bears, and other beasts with their bare hands. With a little training, they may even slay dragons in the sea. When combined with the Bronze Skin and Iron Bones Talent, this talent will undergo a qualitative transformation.

Forming a Close Friendship with Nezha grants the reward—Lotus Body Protection. Lotus Body Protection renders you immune to soul-based spells, unconsciousness, hallucinations, and more, while also eliminating the risk of cultivation deviation.

Forming a Life-and-Death Friendship with Nezha grants the reward—Three Heads and Eight Arms Divine Ability. Once activated, this divine ability steadily boosts magical power and physical strength, greatly enhancing real combat ability.

Rhine clenched his hand slightly.

He already had the Bronze Skin and Iron Bones physical talent, but it mainly enhanced defense, with increased physical strength only as a secondary benefit.

The Innate Divine Strength Talent, however, focused primarily on boosting physical strength, while its defensive capabilities were lacking.

If he possessed both, they would complement each other perfectly. No wonder the system said they would undergo a qualitative transformation!

Besides that, Lotus Body Protection was also highly useful. It was practically immunity to the Imperius Curse, Legilimency, and the like—even the Stunning Spell would be ineffective.

But what excited Rhine most was the Three Heads and Eight Arms Divine Ability he could gain by forming a Life-and-Death Friendship.

This was a divine ability!

Throughout Primordial Fengshen, many spells had appeared, but truly being called divine abilities was an honor reserved for very few.

The Five-Colored Divine Light and Heavenly Transformation were both famous divine abilities. Three Heads and Eight Arms was naturally inferior to them.

But compared to ordinary spells, it was still an overwhelming advantage.

Not to mention, just having several extra arms, each gripping a wand, would let Rhine fling spells around like a Gatling gun!

Next, Rhine's gaze moved to the rewards for befriending Lei Zhenzi.

The reward for a casual acquaintance was a talent called Soaring Wind Dance. It greatly increased flexibility in aerial combat, and could even make one's fighting skills stronger in the air than on the ground.

It had a wide range of uses. Take the aerial battle in the original story's seventh year, for instance—wizards' spell accuracy in the air was clearly far lower than on the ground.

But with the Soaring Wind Dance Talent, Rhine's spell accuracy would not be affected while airborne.

It would also be extremely useful when playing Quidditch.

As for the Close Friendship reward, it was a talent called Wing-Beating Wind and Thunder. It could greatly increase flight speed while improving control over wind and lightning spells.

Rhine felt that it was an upgraded and enhanced version of the Wind Riding Talent, with the added benefit of lightning control. It was quite useful as well.

Of course, what truly made Rhine's eyes light up was the reward for forming a Life-and-Death Friendship with Ron—Profound Fortune.

Another reward that could improve his luck!

Rhine's eyes gleamed as he looked at Harry and Ron, and a trace of fervor flashed in his gaze.

These rewards were fucking generous, but they definitely were not all that Hogwarts had to offer during his school years.

There were still countless rewards to obtain at Hogwarts. He had really made the right choice in coming here!

A moment later, Rhine had confirmed his goal for attending Hogwarts in his mind.

I, Lane Snow, have a dream.

I want to become a folk-dance star...

Ah, no. I want to become Hogwarts' number one social butterfly!

At that moment, the Hogwarts Express sounded its whistle and slowly pulled out of King's Cross Station, entering the wilderness beyond the city.

Before long, a loud clattering commotion came from the corridor outside Rhine's compartment. A smiling, dimpled woman pushed open the compartment door.

She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, a line Rhine had heard countless times surfaced in his mind by reflex.

"Peanuts, sunflower seeds, eight-treasure porridge—any passengers need anything?"

But the next moment, the ruthless merchants of the wizarding world broadened Rhine's horizons.

Did they even understand the sheer value of including wizard cards with Chocolate Frogs?

This was 1991. Little Raccoon and Magic Scholar instant noodles had not even appeared yet, but the wizarding world already had this idea!

The Witch selling snacks said mysteriously, "Children, yesterday's events in Diagon Alley must have scared you terribly, right?"

"The Chocolate Frog manufacturer has made a difficult decision that goes against ancestral tradition."

"To comfort you young wizards, anyone who buys ten packs of Chocolate Frogs today is guaranteed to get a rare card."

"And let me quietly tell you something else: this batch of Chocolate Frogs contains no Dumbledore cards, so you do not have to worry about the card pool being polluted. This is a perfect chance to complete your collection!"