The Claw Machine on the Second Day

In the boys' dormitory, at the same time.

Tang San lay on his bed with a medicinal patch on his waist, which Ma Hongjun had retrieved from the infirmary. The patch had a pungent, spicy odor that permeated the entire room.

Oscar sat on the bed opposite, a piece of hemostatic cotton in his mouth. His tongue kept brushing against the gap where his left front tooth used to be, and the stinging pain made him knit his brows.

Dai Mubai leaned against the wardrobe by the door, his long legs crossed and his arms folded across his chest.

Ma Hongjun had pulled a chair into the middle of the room, his feet propped up on the edge of the table.

"Third Brother, tell us again, what exactly is going on with Xiao Wu today?" Ma Hongjun asked.

Tang San pressed down on the patch and hissed.

"She was level 62 at noon. When I pulled her braid, she kicked me, and I caught it with one hand."

"And then?"

"Then, around five in the afternoon, on the sports field, she kicked me flying. The second kick landed right on my kidney; I didn't even have a chance to react. Her speed and strength were at least that of a level 70 Spirit Saint."

Ma Hongjun took his feet off the table.

"Up eight levels in four hours?"

"I think it's absurd too. But my kidney is still aching, so you tell me if it's absurd."

Ma Hongjun turned to look at Oscar. "What about that business with your mushroom sausage turning into stone?"

Oscar spat out the hemostatic cotton, his speech slurred through the gap.

"I swwear, the Flying Mushroom Sausage was right at my lips when it turned into stone. It knocked my front tooth out. I have to go look for the tooth tomorrow morning."

"Swear," Ma Hongjun corrected.

"Right, swwear."

Ma Hongjun held back a laugh.

Dai Mubai, who had been silent, finally spoke up.

"Is there a possibility that you two were just in bad shape today? Or perhaps Xiao Wu used some kind of one-time amplification spirit tool? There are forbidden items on the market that can skyrocket one's strength for a short period."

Tang San thought for a moment and shook his head.

"Doesn't seem like it. Forbidden items usually have obvious side effects—chaotic spirit power, pale complexion, or even vomiting blood on the spot. But after Xiao Wu beat me up, she was energetic and perfectly fine, even lecturing me."

Dai Mubai frowned. "That is strange."

Ma Hongjun yawned. "I think you guys are overthinking it. What resources does the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect not have? As for the mushroom sausage turning into stone..."

Ma Hongjun glanced at Oscar and left the sentence unfinished.

Oscar grew anxious. "You don't believe me? My tooth is gone! Do you think I'd knock my own tooth out just to lie to you?"

"Then why is your mushroom sausage fine now? Maybe you were just too nervous and bit into a rock nearby without realizing it."

"How could I possibly mistake a rock for a mushroom sausage!" Oscar slapped his thigh in frustration.

Tang San raised a hand to stop them.

"Enough, stop arguing. Regardless, today's events are abnormal. My suggestion is to observe for a few days. If Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong really have stumbled upon some opportunity, they won't be able to hide it for long."

Dai Mubai nodded. "Agreed, let's wait and see."

Ma Hongjun shrugged. "It has nothing to do with me anyway. Investigate if you want, just don't drag me into it."

Tang San ignored him, laid back down, and pulled the quilt up to his chest.

The patch on his waist was radiating heat, and the pain was slowly subsiding, but the thorn in his heart had only dug deeper.

The next morning, just as the sky began to brighten.

Xiao Wu woke up.

To be precise, she had been too excited to sleep all night. She had tossed and turned until the small hours before finally drifting off, and she sprang up the moment the sky lightened.

She washed her face and changed her clothes. Today, she wore the same pink long tulle dress, gray silk stockings, and crystal high heels. Her scorpion braid was re-plaited tightly, tied with a pink ribbon at the end, and her rabbit-ear hair accessory was pinned to the top of her head.

Ning Rongrong was also up, wearing a blue skirt, white stockings, and short boots. She tucked her stray hairs behind her ears and secured them with silver clips.

Zhu Zhuqing was the third to rise. She wore black leather clothes and trousers that clung tightly to her tall, slender frame. The zipper on her chest was pulled to just the right position—neither revealing nor tight—yet her full silhouette remained distinct. She had changed into a pair of black ankle boots.

Bai Chenxiang was the last to get ready, dressed in a light green dress that reached mid-calf, wearing white flat shoes, with two low ponytails resting on her chest.

The four of them left the dormitory and walked along the academy's main road toward the school gate.

At 8:50, most of the shops on the pedestrian street were still closed. The blacksmith shop's shutters were down, the sign for the spirit herb shop hung crookedly, and only the breakfast stalls were emitting steam.

When the four of them arrived in front of the "Happy Claw Machine," the shop door was still shut.

Xiao Wu pressed her face against the glass to look inside.

The shop was pitch black; the colorful lights of the six claw machines were off, and the area behind the counter was empty. The owner hadn't woken up yet.

"It's not open yet," Xiao Wu pouted.

"Didn't you say nine o'clock? It's only 8:50," Ning Rongrong said, looking at the sky.

The four of them waited right at the entrance.

Zhu Zhuqing leaned against the wall of the pharmacy next door, arms crossed over her chest. She didn't say a word, but her eyes remained fixed on that glass door.

Bai Chenxiang stood beside Xiao Wu, clutching her skirt with both hands and stealing glances into the shop every now and then.

Nine o'clock sharp.

A commotion came from inside the shop—a loud clatter, as if something had been knocked over—followed by a man's groggy voice.

"Who is it... so early in the morning..."

The glass door was pushed open from the inside, and Qin Chuan walked out, yawning. His hair was a mess, his grey-blue work uniform was wrinkled, and his eyes weren't even fully open yet.

He looked up to find four young women standing in a neat row before him.

Qin Chuan's yawn got stuck in his throat.

Xiao Wu waved with a grin: "Boss, morning!"

Qin Chuan blinked, looking from Xiao Wu to Ning Rongrong, then shifted his gaze to the two unfamiliar faces behind them.

One was a tall girl in a black leather jacket with an incredible figure and a cold expression. The other was a quiet girl in a light green dress, keeping her head down, not daring to meet his eyes.

"These are..."

"My roommates!" Xiao Wu took the initiative to introduce them, pulling Zhu Zhuqing's arm to push her forward. "This is Zhu Zhuqing, and this is Bai Chenxiang."

Qin Chuan's brain hadn't fully woken up yet, but the moment he heard "new customers," he perked up instantly.

Customers meant meal money. Two new customers meant a commission of four silver soul coins.

"Welcome, welcome! Come on in, come on in!" Qin Chuan stepped aside, ushering them in with enthusiasm.

The four of them filed into the shop.

Qin Chuan scrambled to turn on the shop lights. The neon lights of the six claw machines flickered on one by one, making the colorful plushies look exceptionally vibrant under the glow.

Zhu Zhuqing's gaze swept across the shop.

It was a small, twenty-square-meter store filled with six square cabinets packed with stuffed toys. There were rabbits, cats, and dogs in the standard section, and Kuromi and Pikachu in the high-tier section.

It looked like nothing more than a run-down little shop.

But remembering the force of the punch Xiao Wu had landed on her the night before, Zhu Zhuqing said nothing and walked up to the counter.

"Put your hand on the Crystal Ball first," Xiao Wu reminded her from behind.

Behind the counter, Qin Chuan nodded like a woodpecker: "Right, right, new customers just need to register on the Crystal Ball."

Zhu Zhuqing looked down at the fist-sized Crystal Ball, paused for two seconds, and pressed her right palm against it.

The sphere lit up.

A voice flooded her mind.

[Congratulations, system registration successful! God-Tier Claw Machine welcomes you!]

[Basic Information: Zhu Zhuqing, 18 years old, Level 62 Soul Emperor.]

[Membership Level: Standard Member (Current EXP 0/10)]

Zhu Zhuqing scanned through all the information in a flash.

Ten-thousand-year soul rings, thousand-year soul bones, innate full soul power... non-disclosure agreement... soul power reduced to Level 1...

Zhu Zhuqing's pupils contracted—it was real.

Everything Xiao Wu had said last night was true.

Zhu Zhuqing withdrew her hand, her expression blank, but her clenched fist felt slightly warm.

Bai Chenxiang followed suit and placed her hand on the ball.

Registration complete.

The four of them began to play.

Xiao Wu took out a gold soul coin, fed it into the Crystal Ball, and exchanged it for three game tokens.

The first token: missed.

The second token: grabbed it, but it dropped halfway.

The third token: dropped again.

"Ah!" Xiao Wu punched the machine. "My luck is terrible today!"

Ning Rongrong also struck out with all three tokens.

Bai Chenxiang fared even worse; her hand shook when she dropped the first token, causing the claw to veer off to the side. Although she aimed correctly for the next two, neither managed to grip the prize.

All three of them were wiped out, looking utterly dejected.

The last one to step up was Zhu Zhuqing.

Zhu Zhuqing walked to the machine in the middle of the standard section. Inside were various animal plushies: cats, dogs, rabbits, and bears.

Zhu Zhuqing's gaze settled on a small black cat plushie.

The craftsmanship wasn't particularly exquisite, but the black velvet was smooth and glossy, and the two eyes were green beads sewn on, looking somewhat like her martial soul, the Nether Spirit Cat.

Zhu Zhuqing inserted the first game coin, and the joystick popped out.

Zhu Zhuqing gripped the stick with both hands and gave it a push. As an agility-attack system soul master, her hand-eye coordination was exceptionally strong, and her precision in controlling the joystick was far better than the average person's.

The mechanical claw moved directly above the little black cat.

Zhu Zhuqing watched for two seconds before pressing the button.

The mechanical claw descended, its three iron fingers opening and then closing.

It caught the little cat by the waist and lifted it up. Steady.

It moved toward the exit. No swaying. It reached above the exit. The claw released. The little black cat dropped straight down.

Thump.

The colorful lights at the bottom lit up with a ding-dong sound.

"You got it!" Xiao Wu shrieked from the side.