Xiao Wu instinctively thought it was a scam. But sending a secret message through a Crystal Ball wasn't something an ordinary con artist could do. And the penalty in that Confidentiality Agreement—her Soul Power dropping to Level 1?
Just thinking about it sent a chill down her spine.
"Interesting," Xiao Wu muttered. She looked up at the eager young boss behind the counter. "I'll try the Ordinary Zone first. How do I pay?"
"Just give the Gold Coin to the Crystal Ball," Qin Chuan said.
Xiao Wu took out a Gold Coin. The instant her fingertips touched the Crystal Ball, the coin was sucked inside. A moment later, three copper-colored Game Coins rolled out from the bottom of the sphere.
Xiao Wu picked up the Game Coins and walked to the first machine in the Ordinary Zone.
She put one in.
The machine lit up, and the joystick popped out.
Xiao Wu gripped the stick with both hands and rocked it from side to side. The mechanical claw overhead moved with it. She aimed at a pink rabbit plush, held her breath, and pressed the button.
The claw slowly descended. Its three metal fingers opened, then closed around the prize!
"Wow, I got it!"
The claw began to rise, the little rabbit swaying in midair. Xiao Wu rose onto her tiptoes and clasped her hands together.
Halfway up, the metal fingers loosened a little.
Plop. The rabbit fell back down.
"Ahh!" Xiao Wu stamped her foot. "So close!"
She put in her second Game Coin.
This time, she was smarter. She moved the claw directly over the rabbit, waited two seconds, and then pressed the button.
The claw caught the rabbit by the ear and lifted it. It swayed all the way toward the exit, but when it reached the edge, it loosened its grip again.
The rabbit flipped over and got stuck at the edge of the exit, just a finger's width away.
Xiao Wu slapped the glass in frustration. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"
Qin Chuan couldn't help grinning, but he didn't dare laugh out loud in case he scared off his only customer.
"This is my last try..." Xiao Wu took a deep breath and put in her final Game Coin.
She pushed the joystick all the way, lining up the claw perfectly.
Then she pressed the button.
The claw descended and seized the rabbit around its middle, lifting it steadily. Xiao Wu didn't dare blink as she watched it pass the halfway point, then two-thirds, until it was above the exit. The claw opened.
The rabbit dropped into the exit.
Thump.
A ring of colored lights lit up around the prize chute, followed by a bright ding.
"I got it, I got it, I got it!" Xiao Wu crouched down, pulled the pink rabbit plush from the chute, and hugged it to her chest. Her eyes curved into crescent moons as she beamed.
Qin Chuan was just as delighted. "Congratulations! You're the first customer to win a prize. What a lucky streak!"
He was genuinely happy. The toy had been won, and it would automatically restock at midnight tomorrow. He hadn't lost a thing. More importantly—someone had spent money. He could afford a meal today.
But just as Xiao Wu took the rabbit plush in her hands, a new message flowed into her mind.
[Congratulations, Player Xiao Wu! You have obtained one Rabbit Ornament!]
[Bonus prize: Soul Power Level +8! Takes effect immediately!]
Xiao Wu's smile froze on her face.
She looked down at the palm-sized pink rabbit in her hands, then sensed the Soul Power within her.
A warm current surged from her dantian and spread through her limbs and bones. Every inch of muscle, every meridian, frantically absorbed this power.
From Level 62 to Level 70.
Eight levels.
A chasm others might toil for three or five years to cross—she'd crossed it just by winning a toy.
Xiao Wu's hands began to tremble.
She quickly stuffed the rabbit plush into her clothes. By the time she looked up, her expression had returned to normal.
"Thanks, Boss. I'll come again tomorrow!"
"Sure thing! Come by anytime!" Qin Chuan waved with a smile.
Xiao Wu turned to leave, her steps growing faster and faster. She nearly ran into the sign outside the herbal shop next door.
She hadn't noticed that Qin Chuan had no idea what prize she'd won.
After Xiao Wu left, Qin Chuan eagerly placed his hand on the Crystal Ball and brought up the settlement screen.
The Crystal Ball shuddered and spat out two Silver Coins.
Sales commission: twenty percent.
Qin Chuan clenched the coins in his palm, nearly kissing them.
"I've been hungry for three days. I can finally get a proper meal." He locked up the shop and strode toward Old Wang's beef noodle shop next door. "Old Wang! Two bowls! Large ones! Extra meat!"
Meanwhile, Xiao Wu had already returned to the academy.
The setting sun dyed the athletic field orange-red. Students chatted in twos and threes beside the track.
From far away, Xiao Wu spotted a figure that made her sick.
Tang San.
He was kneeling in the middle of the athletic field, holding a bunch of wildflowers he'd presumably picked somewhere, gazing soulfully at a girl with a ponytail.
"Huo Wu, my feelings for you are genuine. From the first time I saw you in the classroom, I knew you were the person I wanted to protect for the rest of my life."
Quite a few students had gathered to watch. A few girls were already covering their mouths and sighing, "How romantic!"
Huo Wu was a new student who'd transferred from the Heaven Dou Empire just last month. She was a Level 55 Soul King with a solid foundation and a decent Thousand-Year Soul Ring.
"But... we've only known each other for three days..." Huo Wu hesitated.
Tang San gave her a gentle smile. "Three days is enough. I'm a Level 69 Soul Emperor and a direct disciple of the Clear Sky Sect. I swear I'll protect you for the rest of my life. I can help you stabilize the fit of your Thousand-Year Soul Ring."
At that, Huo Wu's gaze wavered.
Her third Soul Ring really did have an unstable fit, a problem that had troubled her for a long time. If someone really could help...
"Bah!" A sharp spit rang out from behind the crowd.
Xiao Wu pushed through the onlookers and strode forward, hands on her hips. Her Scorpion Braid swung in front of her as she looked down at the kneeling Tang San with disgust.
"This routine again? Huo Wu, don't believe him."
"Who are you?" Huo Wu asked, startled.
"My name's Xiao Wu. You can ask around and find out what kind of person he is." Xiao Wu held up three fingers. "Since the start of the school year, he's gone after six girls, all of them new transfers. He uses the same lines every time. And what happens? He either cheats them out of their Soul Rings or seduces them."
The athletic field erupted in an uproar.
"Is... is that true?" Huo Wu took a step back, looking at Tang San differently.
The gentle expression on Tang San's face cracked. He stood up, crushing the bouquet in his hand. Through clenched teeth, he forced out, "Xiao Wu, don't make false accusations."
"False accusations? Should I call Meng Yiran over here to face you? You cheated her out of her Soul Ring last month."
The crowd began to whisper. Some who knew Meng Yiran were already nodding.
Huo Wu went pale and ran off.
Tang San watched Huo Wu's back disappear into the crowd. The muscles at the corner of his mouth twitched twice. He whipped around and glared at Xiao Wu.
"So you're determined to make trouble for me today, huh?"
He threw away the flowers and rolled his wrists. The watching students instinctively stepped back. They'd seen Tang San fight before: a Level 69 Soul Emperor who could throw his weight around the academy.
"I wanted to deal with you at noon, but I let you off because we're classmates." Tang San's face turned cold. "A Level 62 Soul Emperor thinks she can strut around in front of me?"
Xiao Wu tilted her head, the corners of her mouth lifting.
Level 62?
Sorry, that was half an hour ago.
"If you want to fight, come at me." Xiao Wu tossed her Scorpion Braid behind her. "This is the athletic field, not a classroom. There's no teacher here to stop you."
Tang San didn't waste another word. He turned his right hand over, and Soul Power surged.
His Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul activated in an instant. Dozens of blue stalks spread from his palm, rapidly unfurling across the ground. Five Soul Rings—[yellow, yellow, purple, black, black]—lit up one after another in the dusk, with one Soul Ring slot still empty.
"Fourth Soul Skill, Blue Silver Cage!"
More than twenty thick stalks of Blue Silver Grass burst from the ground and wove together into an airtight cylindrical cage, surrounding Xiao Wu within a three-meter radius.
Each stalk was wrapped in a pale blue glow, its surface sprouting barbs that would inject paralyzing poison on contact.
The cage formed in less than a second.
The watching students drew in sharp breaths. The move had trapped several Soul Masters of the same level at the academy, and not one of them had broken free within ten moves.
Tang San smiled and folded his arms, ready to enjoy the sight of Xiao Wu struggling in the cage.
Then he heard a soft laugh.
It came from inside the cage.
"That's it?"
Xiao Wu sounded positively delighted.
"Third Soul Skill—Teleport."
Her figure vanished from the cage.
She hadn't broken through it or tried to withstand it. She had simply disappeared.
The next instant, Tang San caught a flash of pink from the corner of his eye, appearing on his right.
Smack!
A kick landed squarely in his waist.
Tang San flew sideways, rolled three times across the ground, and crashed into a row of wooden weapon racks by the edge of the field. Spears and short swords clattered down all over him.
The athletic field fell silent for two seconds.
Then it exploded.
"Holy crap!"
"Xiao Wu kicked Tang San flying?"
"Isn't she only Level 62?"
"Tang San's Level 69! That's a seven-level difference!"
Tang San crashed down onto the ground, his head ringing.
He clearly remembered grabbing Xiao Wu's braid in the corridor after class at noon. She'd been so angry she kicked him, but he'd caught that kick with one hand and even mocked her for being weak.
But that kick just now—was that really the strength of a Level 62 Soul Emperor?
Tang San climbed to his feet, wiped the blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, and glared at the girl opposite him. She was swinging her Scorpion Braid, looking pleased with herself. For a moment, he thought she had to be some great expert in disguise—or Xiao Wu's older sister, Da Wu.
"Who... are you, really?"