"What are you staring at?!"
In the street, a fierce-looking mercenary kicked a boy of about sixteen to the ground. He didn't let up with his mouth, either, and proceeded to warmly greet Xiao Lei's parents.
"Aw, forget it, forget it. That guy's just like that. He loves staring at people and has already been beaten up by plenty of mercenaries. He's probably got something wrong with his head! Don't mind him."
Most of the mercenaries watched with interest. A few older ones spoke up to advise the mercenary who had just attacked, though. They were a little older and not as hot-tempered as these young men.
"Hmph! Since someone's speaking up for you, I'll let you off for today. If I catch you staring at me again, I'll smash your balls!"
After cursing him out, the mercenary kicked Xiao Lei once more, finally seeming ready to let it go.
But then the boy on the ground suddenly shouted:
"So what if I'm staring at you?!"
The whole street fell into a deathly silence. Everyone around them seemed to have their brains freeze for a moment, then looked at Xiao Lei as if he were an idiot.
"You can't talk sense into someone determined to get himself killed..."
"Is this guy an idiot? We even spoke up for him, and he still goes and gets himself killed!"
Many people looked disgusted—and more than a little gleeful.
"You little punk, you're asking for it... you... son of a—"
The mercenary who had beaten Xiao Lei was furious at his retort. He immediately rolled up his sleeves, ready to give Xiao Lei a proper beating.
His fist hadn't landed yet, but the insult had already flown!
[ Ding! "So what if I'm staring at you?!" progress complete.]
[Target: An utterly ordinary Dou Zhe-level mercenary.]
[Cultivation: Four-Star Dou Zhe.]
[Technique: Flame Control Art, Yellow Tier Low Grade.]
[Dou Technique: Void-Splitting Palm...]
[Constitution: None.]
[Please select an option to copy.]
"Cultivation. Give me his cultivation!"
Without a second thought, Xiao Lei shouted in his mind. The mercenary's fist was already swinging toward him.
The system's words had barely faded from Xiao Lei's ears when a surge of Dou Qi several times stronger than his own burst from within him. Even his physical strength grew substantially.
With no time to get used to the Dou Qi, Xiao Lei clenched his fist, sprang to his feet, and punched the mercenary in the face.
The mercenary's pupils contracted. He wasn't shocked that Xiao Lei had fought back, but that Xiao Lei had suddenly become so fast he had no time to react.
Though hot-tempered, the mercenary wasn't foolish enough to throw his life away. Xiao Lei was a member of the Xiao Clan. His parents were both dead, and he was one of the clan's least-valued members, so beating him up might be fine if the mercenary was in the right. But if things got serious, the Xiao Clan would definitely step in.
A mercenary like him couldn't afford to take on the Xiao Clan, so he'd been holding back.
But Xiao Lei wasn't holding back. He was now a Four-Star Dou Zhe, and he'd attacked with all his strength.
Thump!
Xiao Lei's fist landed squarely on the mercenary's face, sending him stumbling several steps backward and nearly toppling to the ground.
Taking advantage of his opponent's lost balance, Xiao Lei showed no mercy. He rushed forward and attacked again, kicking out hard.
"Ah!"
No one knew exactly where Xiao Lei had kicked him, but the mercenary immediately collapsed to the ground and began writhing like a cooked shrimp.
"So what if I'm staring at you? So what if I'm staring at you! I'm asking you!"
Seeing the mercenary sprawled on the ground, Xiao Lei taunted him without holding back. The first line had been required by the system; the next two came straight from the heart.
The system required Xiao Lei to answer, "So what if I'm staring at you?!" whenever a target asked why he was staring at them or said something similar.
Xiao Lei had awakened the bizarre "So What If I'm Staring at You?!" system some time ago. He had to keep staring at a target for a certain length of time to obtain some of their attributes—cultivation, techniques, Dou Techniques, even soul power and constitution.
After taunting the mercenary, Xiao Lei didn't stick around. He'd be in trouble if he'd killed the man, and he also needed to get used to his new cultivation as soon as possible.
"The clan's Coming-of-Age Ceremony is in two days. I managed to copy his cultivation just in time, so I won't have to leave the clan. My plan can go ahead, too!"
Thinking this, Xiao Lei couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. Before he'd copied the mercenary's cultivation, he'd only just reached the Sixth-Stage Dou Qi. Once the ceremony was over, he would probably be kicked out of the clan.
It really wasn't his fault that Xiao Lei's cultivation had progressed so slowly.
After transmigrating, he'd worked hard at cultivation the whole time. Unfortunately, the script hadn't gone according to plan, and his situation was the exact opposite of Xiao Yan's.
Xiao Yan had a soul from a previous life, so his soul power was exceptionally strong and he cultivated quickly.
Xiao Lei, on the other hand, seemed to have suffered damage to his soul power. He absorbed Dou Qi so slowly that he wished he could reach inside and give himself a push.
Fortunately, every cloud had a silver lining: Xiao Lei had obtained this "So What If I'm Staring at You?!" system.
The system was a bit of a pain, and some of its features were rather questionable, but it was still his trump card. He had to cherish it.
A while later, Xiao Lei returned to the Xiao Clan's grounds. He didn't go looking for anyone, but headed straight for his shabby little house. After a tiring day, all he wanted was to get back and rest.
"Xiao Mei!" Xiao Lei caught sight of a figure from the corner of his eye and casually looked her over.
Xiao Mei happened to look over at that moment, too. Their eyes met, and Xiao Lei had been about to greet her. They weren't close, but at least they were both members of the Xiao Clan.
Before he could speak, Xiao Mei immediately turned her head away. Xiao Lei's half-open mouth snapped shut.
It was obvious she didn't want to give him the time of day. If he still greeted her, wouldn't he just be pressing his hot face against her cold backside?
Xiao Lei wasn't that desperate for attention!
"Hmph! Xiao Lei is just an ordinary member of the clan. He freeloads here, and once the Coming-of-Age Ceremony is over, he'll be kicked out. There's no need to get to know him!"
That was what Xiao Mei thought. If Xiao Lei hadn't spent the past few days fighting with mercenaries in town and become a topic of conversation around the Xiao Clan, she probably wouldn't even have known his name.
"I'm already at the Eighth Stage of Dou Qi. The only person in the clan who can match me is Cousin Xiao Ning!"
"No, there's Xiao Yan, too. His talent has actually recovered—and he seems even stronger now!"
At the thought, Xiao Mei's mood sank for no apparent reason. Some time ago, Xiao Yan had revealed his Seventh Stage Dou Qi cultivation during a clan test.
He'd reached that level in just one year. His talent left Xiao Mei's in the dust.
Thinking about what she'd done all these years made Xiao Mei feel even more stifled. She could only walk away, gloomy and dejected.
As for Xiao Lei, he hadn't taken the matter to heart. He'd transmigrated here, so he knew exactly what kind of person Xiao Mei was.
When Xiao Yan had been strong, she'd shamelessly clung to him every day. Once his talent disappeared, she'd immediately cut ties.
There wasn't much wrong with that besides the lack of decency—after all, people naturally admired the strong. But Xiao Lei could still say that he simply didn't like people like her.
"Heh, she seems pretty pleased with herself. In two days, I'll get to make her misjudge me a second time and give her a good shock."
Thinking this, Xiao Lei couldn't help looking forward to the Coming-of-Age Ceremony he'd always dreaded...
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