Jinshi, a dark alley beside Nankai University.
"Hmph~ You're... Mmmph!"
The greasy, red-haired middle-aged man struggled desperately to get up.
But someone had a foot planted on his back, and his hands were bound behind him. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't break free.
He couldn't understand it. He'd only wanted to get some money from a female student, so how had this young man managed to subdue him? Before he could figure it out, another blow landed on his head.
"Can't be helped—you're just unlucky! Hey, kid, you made quite a haul today~"
He quickly tied up the middle-aged man, then took four or five phones and nearly ten thousand yuan in cash from the thief.
He wasn't worried that the information he'd given Xu San would be questioned. For a minor detail like this, Cycle Paradise would naturally arrange things so they made sense.
After all, even Hogwarts existed in The Outcast's world, so the Druid Sect—which existed in orthodox history—was perfectly plausible too.
In this world of Otherworldly Persons, where legendary sects and practitioners had been made part of the established order, the Druid Sect was based overseas, but its existence was still reasonable.
But beyond the basic setup, Paradise wouldn't provide any other assistance. Aside from an ID card, he had nothing in Mark Space.
In this Derivative World, he was utterly broke. And this world had not only the laws and order of China, but also the oversight of the company called "Nato Tong."
That meant he couldn't acquire resources by killing and looting or robbing people like he had in the previous world, Doomsday Roulette.
Well, punishing evildoers probably didn't count.
Unless Wang Changle wanted to be hunted by the police or put under close surveillance by Nato Tong.
Still, every society had people in gray areas, living on the border between the law and crime, yet scattered through every corner of the city.
The most common examples were thugs, thieves, and hoodlums!
After searching the man for valuables, Wang Changle didn't just let him go. He knocked him unconscious with a blow, then secretly took out the Human-faced Rose.
Using Mental Power to help, he molded a face identical to the middle-aged man's. Then he put it away again.
He strolled into a shopping mall, changed into the middle-aged man's face among the crowd, and instantly stowed his jacket in Mark Space, shaking off the people following him.
"Nato Tong's courier really is fast. They followed me as soon as I entered the city."
Wang Changle was glad he'd taken two sticks of Spirit Calming Incense before entering the world.
The moment he'd parted ways with Xu San, he'd used one to dispel the negative effects of "Lustful Color."
Otherwise, he'd have to resist the effects of Lustful Color while dealing with Nato Tong's surveillance. He'd have been hard-pressed to take a single step.
His reason for choosing Spirit Calming Incense had been simple. In The Outcast's world, there might not be any earth-shattering battles, but he'd have to face all kinds of bizarre techniques.
In this world, where practitioners were part of the established order, too many characters had strange abilities—and all of them came with frightening side effects.
Whether it was the Four Maniacs' control, Palm Thunder's paralysis, Jiang Gong Water Organ's invasion, or Bai Shi Xue's ability to consume qi—
or the Tang Sect's poisonous miasma, they all came with negative effects that lasted a long time.
That was why he'd taken two sticks of Spirit Calming Incense right away. And look—it had already come in handy.
After shaking off his pursuers, Wang Changle quietly returned to the mall. He bought several different outfits, then took out the thief's phone and started looking up the city's gray-market businesses.
Jing'anli, Guang Yue Club.
"246, big~"
The greasy middle-aged man stood beside a big-or-small betting table, collecting another pile of winnings. The chips in front of him had already formed a small mountain.
A little over ten minutes earlier, the middle-aged man had come to the table and bet four times in a row, winning every time.
As the onlookers watched enviously, his chips multiplied exponentially. In their eyes, he was practically the God of Wealth, and they gathered behind him, ready to place their bets too.
But the greasy middle-aged man picked up his chips and headed for the service counter. The beautiful dealer glanced into the distance and carried on working as usual, though a trace of disdain appeared at the corner of her mouth.
"Someone wins at a casino and thinks they can just leave? What a joke~"
Wang Changle glanced at the two stubbled men in plain clothes walking side by side toward him.
His eyes flickered. With a deft sidestep, he slipped between them.
"Hey, kid, I'm talking to you! Stop right there! You've got some nerve, stealing money from your Brother Hu!"
The stubbled man turned and shouted, reaching out to grab him.
"If you touch me even once, I'll place another bet. I won't just wager everything—I'll even call the number!"
The middle-aged man stood still without dodging, letting the big hand reach for him as he tossed the chips in his own hand.
With his sharp senses, he'd not only learned to control energy through visualization, but had also made considerable progress in using his Mental Power. Sensing the numbers was naturally no problem.
As an Otherworldly Person, he couldn't think of anywhere more reasonable than this to earn a lot of legal money in a short time.
Just as Brother Hu's hand was about to land on the man's shoulder, it suddenly dropped.
He glanced inconspicuously toward the rooms upstairs and could only let Wang Changle complete the exchange.
Ten minutes later, in an alley behind Jiangmenli.
"Robbed a thief in the morning, extracted a thug in the evening. Mm, perfectly reasonable. Thanks for your business—catch you later!"
Four men lay sprawled on the ground, beaten by Wang Changle in his armor. He rolled his shoulders and limbs as a green line connected to one of them.
[Life Essence (Common)] Origin: The Outcast world White: 4 Type: Recovery item Effect: Slowly restores 20% of Health. (With 10 or more points of Stamina, recovery is reduced by 50%. For every additional 5 points of Stamina, recovery is reduced by 25%. With 20 or more points of Stamina, recovery is fixed at 1%.) Life Apostle: When used, immediately restores 5 points of Life Force. Description: A mass of impure life energy. Price: 150 Paradise Coins.
After extracting 24% of the target's Life Origin, Wang Changle stared wordlessly at the dull gray mass of Life Essence in his hand.
That was a pretty useless effect. Must've been the person.
In a flash, he changed into the face of a middle school student again, kicked the man in the face, and took a cab to a distant part of town.
Lying on the bed in his hotel suite, Wang Changle brought up his status panel, checked how much time remained on the mission, and began making plans.
The next day, at the front desk of Tianxia Group.
"Hello, sir. Tianxia Group is happy to assist you! Who are you here to see?"
"Um, I'd like to see Miss Feng Shayan or Young Master Feng Xingtong."
"Hello. Young Master Feng isn't here, but Miss Feng is. Do you have an appointment?"
"Not at the moment. I heard the Tianxia Association was recruiting Otherworldly Persons from the public, so I've come to apply to join. Sorry for the trouble—could you let her know?"
As Wang Changle spoke with the receptionist, the revolving door behind him opened. A brisk female voice came from behind, carrying a hint of swagger.
"No need to let her know. I'm right here! Are you the Malfurion Ode who helped Nato Tong capture Quanxing's new recruit?"
Feng Shayan wore a leather jacket and a strapless top, standing in the corridor.
Clearly, in the day and night since then, word of Qi-State Origin-Flow and Quanxing's Lu Liang being captured had spread, along with his name.
"Yes, I'm Malfurion Ode. I've long admired the Tianxia Association's reputation, so I've come to join."
Wang Changle cupped his hands, striking the pose of a martial-arts hero.
"You look the part, and you seem pretty solid. But I wonder how strong you really are."
Feng Shayan raised an eyebrow at the deferential middle school student in front of her and rubbed her fists together.
"Miss, you're welcome to put me to the test."
"Oh~? Then come on. Let's head to the training ground and see what you can do!"
Before you continue