That night, Xue Xi still ate a huge Hong Rank braised pork knuckle. She refused to believe it—if she could end up transmigrating, surely she could win the pork-knuckle lottery at least once!
Ten minutes later, Xue Xi hugged her round little belly, on the verge of tears. Why did this happen? I cooked the food myself, but I can't experience its miraculous effects. I hate the lucky ones!
What could she do? She could only comfort herself by saying she'd get lucky next time. Xue Xi stood up and told the Housekeeping Dolls to clean up the messy dining room. Tonight was a night worth looking forward to, after all. How could she waste time cleaning?
Though she'd been busy all day, Xue Xi moved with a spring in her step. After assigning the tasks, she hurried up the stairs. She didn't stop on the second floor, heading straight for the third floor, which had been locked away and had dealt her such a blow.
As soon as she stepped inside, Xue Xi didn't even glance at the other five newly unlocked pages of the catalog. Excited, she clicked the reward for the catalog's dissemination stage in the book in her mind.
County-Level Reach: 1,000 Diner Likes (Achieved). Click to claim the reward: Full Apprentice cultivation!
Who said only the young were passionate? Xue Xi had often imagined that one day she'd be able to fly through the sky and burrow underground, be invincible, restore her homeland, and roam the vast universe!
After arriving in this world and getting through her first frightening night, Xue Xi had wondered what she was supposed to do here. But what difference did it make if she'd simply changed places?
Then the starry sky filled her vision, and Xue Xi had an epiphany. There was no task she absolutely had to accomplish. Wasn't living about becoming stronger? About experiencing the mortal world and the vast universe?
From then on, the thought of cultivating never left her. She'd even gotten up in the middle of the night to try things like the Five-Heart Facing Heaven posture, but perhaps she lacked talent—she'd gotten nowhere.
So she'd focused on her only hope: completing the Intangible Cultural Heritage Gourmet Catalog that had come with her when she transmigrated. It was just cooking, right? She was in!
And now, the button that would lead her to transcendence in this world sat quietly in Xue Xi's mind. All she had to do was press it with a thought, and she would step into the ranks of Martial Artists.
The finger formed by her will paused over the page. After a moment's hesitation, her gaze turned resolute, and she claimed the reward without another thought. In an instant, Xue Xi felt a powerful force of suction emanate from the Great Book before her, pulling her entire body inside.
When she opened her eyes again, Xue Xi was stunned by the scene before her. She was in an endless, boundless space, where clouds of every color twisted and coiled together like chains. Above her, the red-covered catalog had grown countless times larger and hung in the void.
As Xue Xi gazed curiously at the sight, the Great Book above her drew in a multicolored cloud and transformed it into a rainbow-colored thread that reached toward her.
Xue Xi trusted that the Great Book wouldn't hurt her, so she stood still and waited. (Actually, she felt as though the rainbow thread was connected to her by cause and effect, so she couldn't escape it no matter how she tried.)
The thread shot straight into Xue Xi's brow, then split in two. One strand turned into liquid and spread throughout her body, while the other became a colorful orb that hovered in her mind, constantly releasing colored mist that suffused her spiritual world.
As soon as the thread entered her mind, Xue Xi passed out. Her body and spiritual power continued to grow stronger, while the Great Book in the void shone like the sun, casting down a faint curtain of light to protect her. It flickered as it radiated an ancient, dignified aura that suppressed the surrounding space and time.
Xue Xi had no idea how long she'd been unconscious. When she woke up, she found herself lying on the speed-testing track on the third floor. She sat up and stared blankly as she clenched and unclenched her fist. I was supposed to feel invincible after breaking through. Why don't I? Was I tricked?
Still doubtful, she got to her feet, switched on the force tester, clenched her little fist, and slammed it into the center of the target. Boom!
The explosive sound of her punch startled Xue Xi. She quickly covered her ears and backed away. The nearby speed tester beeped, its numbers flashing red.
Once she realized no one had set off firecrackers beside her ears, Xue Xi slowly edged over to the force tester, which she'd knocked crooked with a single punch. Sparks crackled from its wires. The number "286000kg" flashed twice on the display before the screen went dark as the power cut out.
Xue Xi's mouth fell open. She murmured in disbelief, "Th-this is how strong I am now? Let me calculate. 1,000 kg is 1 ton, so even a light punch from me has a force of 286 tons?"
The value of 690 meters per second on the speed display beside her clearly showed that the person being tested was a High-Level War God—in other words, at the Full Apprentice level.
After her initial shock, the light in Xue Xi's eyes grew brighter and brighter. So this is what a superhuman body is like. So this is the world of Martial Artists? It feels... kind of amazing.
Suppressing her excitement, Xue Xi turned her thoughts inward again, ready to see if the catalog had changed. She'd also unlock the new pages and claim their rewards while she was at it.
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