Newcomer Bloodlines

Ghosts, spirits, vengeful ghosts, evil spirits, and the like—whether in the East or the West—were essentially beings that relied on negative energy to exist.

For that very reason, they all shared one particular weakness:

Positive energy.

Things of a fierce and unyielding nature! And positive energy could be further subdivided.

Classical Chinese tales of the strange often claimed that ghosts and monsters dared not approach the bodies of the living when they were brimming with vitality. This was especially true of battle-hardened generals and ruthless killers: the baleful aura surrounding them could easily wipe out demons and monsters. The same went for butchers, a profession that had consequently taken on an air of mystery.

Thus, little ghosts and painted-skin demons only dared prey on sickly, frail scholars living alone, secretly draining their yang energy...

"Vitality is positive energy in its purest form."

Honestly, Fang Xiu wasn't particularly worried. At least the power system he'd just strengthened himself with was perfectly suited to the next trial. He silently considered the possibilities. In other words, Yang Release can counter evil spirits!

Of course, that didn't mean positive energy could counter negative energy with absolute certainty. There was the saying, "The Dao rises one foot for every foot the devil rises."

It was like how water could put out a fire, but a large enough fire could also evaporate water. Neither had an absolute advantage over the other.

If they were talking about something that truly had a natural advantage over negative-energy beings, it had to be lightning...

In Taoist belief, the Ministry of Thunder, headed by the Universal Thunder Lord of the Ninth Heaven, often used heavenly lightning to carry out Heaven's will!

Thunder techniques gathered the power of utmost yang and strength, making them the bane of all sinister beings in the world.

Even if a sinister being hid beneath a tree, whenever heavenly lightning struck nearby, it could turn the tree into lightning-struck wood.

And if that tree happened to be a jujube tree, it would yield the magical material Thunder-Struck Jujube Wood. Since Thunder-Struck Jujube Wood was the essence formed by the union of yin and yang energies of Heaven and Earth, struck by heavenly lightning among the Five Thunders of Heaven, Earth, Water, Spirits, and Society, it retained miraculous energy.

"Main God, search for Super Electromagnetic Soul Armor!" A thought crossed Fang Xiu's mind, and he suddenly remembered a relevant item from the derivative novel Death's Beginning. It was created with technology by the Three-Eyed Race, the protagonist species of a negative universe, and was specifically designed to destroy spiritual beings.

"No such exchange exists."

The reply came as swiftly as ever.

Fang Xiu wasn't disappointed in the least by the negative answer. He had plenty of ways to resist supernatural threats.

Even with the Sharingan, the high-quality power of Yin Release meant he had nothing to fear from ghosts and monsters! But against a Ghost King so terrifying that he could cause fluctuations in spacetime, he couldn't be sure that the Three-Tomoe alone would be enough to take him down... He'd have to rely on the Mangekyō! A simplified Sage Body paired with the Mangekyō Sharingan's two instant-cast ocular techniques would provide high durability and rapid recovery, allowing him to charge in at full power!!

"Once I've arranged the newcomers' enhancements and helped them exchange for useful items, I'll return to my private space and complete my bloodline evolution."

Fang Xiu had always been highly decisive. After making up his mind, he looked toward his teammates, who were discussing the plot while watching Death's Beginning for the second time, and got straight to the point:

"The next instance is supernatural. I can offer some advice on enhancements."

"Of course, the choice is yours."

The room fell silent at once.

The projector playing the film was paused as well.

"I have one C-rank side-story and two thousand reward points."

Tang Tian, who had practically appointed himself Fang Xiu's follower and made a point of being obedient, spoke up eagerly. "Boss, just arrange whatever you think is best. I'll do exactly as you say."

"..."

After a moment of silence, Fang Xiu quickly searched for the corresponding items using his team leader authority and projected them.

A small coin appeared.

It looked much like an ordinary one-yuan coin, except that one side bore an image of lightning and the other a girl's profile.

"The Summoning of the Railgun. Rating: 81. A one-time-use item. Using it summons an apparition of the Railgun Girl, who delivers a powerful strike to a target within ten meters!"

"A dual-D-rank, one-time-use attack item. It costs two D-rank side-stories and eight hundred reward points.

"Investing so many resources for a single critical hit can unleash power far beyond your usual limits."

There was no doubt that an offensive item like this had nothing to do with the user's own strength. Even a rookie could kill a veteran with it, provided the timing was perfect.

"So no matter how powerful the Ghost King is, he'll definitely be injured if he's hit by this railgun."

"Under the contribution-based system, if you make it back alive, the Main God will give you a reward."

Then Fang Xiu added, "Use your remaining D-rank side-story to exchange for the most basic bloodline that interests you, or traditional qigong, and improve your physical attributes."

"After you've used up your side-story, spend the few hundred reward points you have left on some one-time-use malicious talismans, Spirit Bullets, and other supplies."

[Basic Bloodlines]

[Low-level Mutant Spider Lineage, from the Marvel series. Requires one D-rank side-story and 800 reward points. This bloodline is compatible with most story worlds.]

[Degraded Orc Mutant Lineage, from the Warhammer 40,000 world. Requires one D-rank side-story and 1,200 reward points. This bloodline is compatible with most story worlds.]

[Low-level Mutant Werewolf Lineage, from the Underworld series. Requires one D-rank side-story and 1,000 reward points. This bloodline is compatible with most story worlds.]

[Primary Mutant Ghost Hand Lineage, from the Dungeon Fighter Online system. Requires one C-rank side-story and 1,500 reward points. This bloodline is compatible with most story worlds.]

The options were so numerous they made your eyes swim.

Just as he'd said, Fang Xiu was only offering advice. Using his authority, he projected items the newcomers could afford, saving them time.

Who would make the final decision? That was up to them! Not long after Fang Xiu finished speaking, Tang Tian suddenly raised his hand, formed the number six with his fingers, then pointed at two places.

A moment later, two sparkling beams shot from his wrist, and the other three newcomers watched as a massive spiderweb burst forth.

Primary Spider Sense.

Primary Cliff Climbing.

Primary Tough Webbing.

After awakening three superpowers in a row, his vision, strength, and agility had all improved. Tang Tian had become superhuman to an extent, and he immediately felt much more confident—especially after exchanging for a coin...

"Haha! The electric light dancing between your fingers is the undying faith of my life!"

Fang Xiu was speechless. "..."

Lightning Release.

For the next while, besides awakening his Mangekyō and adapting to his surging power, he'd have to find a way to uncover the secrets of techniques like this. If he couldn't develop Chidori, he'd lower the difficulty and explore other paths instead.

As he considered this, a roar came from beside him.

Emir, the Middle Eastern man, grew ever more imposing. It was as if he could barely restrain his beastly instincts. He let out one savage, vicious growl after another, each one growing longer, bringing to mind the howling of wolves deep in the woods at night.

At the same time, fine, pale wolf fur sprouted from his pores.

Crack, crack, crack—the sound of bones breaking and stretching grew louder. His face twisted with pain and began to change as well: his jaw and nose thrust forward, and a pair of pointed ears emerged from his temples.