Hu Liena took a Gold Soul Coin from the pouch at her waist.
The coin flipped over between her fingertips. She glanced at the imperial crest on it, then pressed her hand against the Crystal Ball.
A suction force yanked the coin inside. It vanished into the Crystal Ball, without leaving so much as a shadow.
Immediately afterward, three copper-colored Game Coins rolled out of a small round hole at the bottom of the Crystal Ball.
Hu Liena pinched the three coins in her hand and weighed them. They felt heavy, with a texture unlike ordinary copper coins, and a smiling face was engraved on each one.
"Only three chances?"
"That's right. One Gold Soul Coin gets you three tries." Qin Chuan leaned against the counter. "But if you're lucky, you might get one on the first try."
Hu Liena snorted and ignored him. Holding the Game Coins, she walked over to the first machine in the Ordinary Zone.
She bent down to look at the dolls inside. A few cloth rabbits, cats, and dogs were piled together. The workmanship was decent, but nothing stood out. Her gaze shifted to the right and stopped on the little orange-red fox.
The Little Fox lay on top of the pile, in a good spot. Its paws were tucked beneath it, its tail curled behind it, and its two black-bean eyes were round and shiny. It looked a little goofy.
Hu Liena inserted her first Game Coin.
The machine lit up with a ding. A joystick popped out of the control panel, topped with a red ball-shaped handle.
Hu Liena gripped the joystick with both hands and gave it a tentative push. The mechanical claw overhead moved with it, iron fingers spread as it shifted back and forth over the dolls.
The controls felt a little stiff, and the joystick's resistance was high. It took a bit of force to push.
Hu Liena moved the claw directly above the Little Fox, adjusted its position twice, then pressed the red button.
The mechanical claw descended slowly.
Its three iron fingers opened, then closed around either side of the Little Fox's head.
It had caught it.
The claw began to rise, lifting the Little Fox away from the pile. It swung twice in midair.
Hu Liena's eyes followed the Little Fox.
It swayed as it moved toward the middle, wobbled once, then steadied. It continued toward the exit.
It made it two-thirds of the way there.
One of the iron fingers slipped open.
The Little Fox's head slid through the gap, and it dropped back onto the pile with a plop.
"Shit." Hu Liena furrowed her brow.
She inserted her second Game Coin.
This time, she'd learned her lesson. Instead of going straight for the head, she moved the claw to a spot just below the Little Fox's waist. It was wider there, so the iron fingers could get a steadier grip.
She pressed the button. The mechanical claw descended, and its three iron fingers landed squarely around the Little Fox's belly and closed tight.
The Little Fox was lifted securely into the air.
Hu Liena stared at the orange-red doll, holding her breath.
The claw moved toward the exit, steady this time, hardly swaying at all.
It reached the spot directly above the exit and released its grip.
The Little Fox dropped straight down.
Thump. A ring of colorful lights flashed around the prize chute, followed by a crisp ding-dong.
"I got it." Hu Liena crouched and fished the Little Fox out of the chute.
The doll was palm-sized, made of soft orange-red plush. Its tail was fluffy, and it really did feel nice to the touch.
Qin Chuan clapped twice behind the counter. "Well, you got it on your second try. Not bad luck at all."
Hu Liena ignored him. She still had one Game Coin left, so she walked over to another machine and inserted it. She aimed for a little white rabbit and pressed the button.
The claw came down off-center. It didn't even touch the rabbit.
She'd missed on her third try, but Hu Liena no longer cared.
And just as she closed her hand around the Little Fox, a voice rang out in her mind.
[Congratulations, Player Hu Liena! You have obtained one Little Fox Accessory!] [Bonus prize: Soul Power Level +3! Due to the Ordinary Member restriction, the gifted level cannot exceed Level 81!]
Hu Liena's hand clamped around the Little Fox. Her entire body went rigid.
A scorching warmth surged from her lower abdomen, as if someone had poured a bucket of hot water into her dantian. It raced through her meridians and into her limbs, so fast she had no time to react.
Hu Liena's knees buckled. She braced her right hand against the glass of the claw machine. The icy touch against her palm clashed violently with the heat surging inside her.
When the warmth rushed into her arms, all ten fingers went numb at once, as if they were crawling with ants. When it reached her legs, a tingling sensation ran from her thighs to the soles of her feet, and her knees nearly gave way.
Her meridians were expanding.
She could feel it clearly: the channels through which her Soul Power flowed, already broad, were being forced wider by some external power. Her Soul Power was flowing faster, as if a dirt road that had only been wide enough for a horse-drawn cart had suddenly become a broad highway where Soul Tool trains could race along.
The Soul Power pool in her dantian churned violently. Bubbles rose from its depths, one after another, and each time a bubble burst, it released a small cluster of dense Soul Power.
The Level 79 bottleneck—the barrier she had failed to break through after countless nights of meditation, every kind of medicinal aid, and three treatments from Bo Saixi herself to clear her meridians...
It shattered. Just like that!
Like a thin layer of window paper, it was pierced, then torn apart in one sweeping rip.
Hu Liena stood there with one hand braced against the claw machine, her mouth slightly open and her eyes unfocused.
Level 81, a Soul Douluo!
Qin Chuan watched the woman stand motionless behind the counter. Her expression shifted from surprise to shock, then from shock to a baffled sort of confusion.
He didn't get it. She'd only won a doll. Was there any need to get this excited?
"Hey, miss?" Qin Chuan called tentatively.
No response.
"Hey?"
Still no response.
Qin Chuan walked over to Hu Liena and gently patted her shoulder.
Hu Liena snapped back to her senses.
"Ah!" She instinctively hid the Little Fox behind her back.
Her reaction startled Qin Chuan. "Are you okay? Did winning a doll really get you this worked up?"
Only then did Hu Liena remember the Confidentiality Agreement. She couldn't let the man in front of her learn anything.
She took a deep breath, then another, forcing her heartbeat to slow.
"N-no, I'm fine." Hu Liena brought the Little Fox out from behind her and clutched it in her hand. She managed a smile. "I just thought the doll was really well made, and got a little distracted."
Qin Chuan studied her. Something felt off, but he didn't think much of it.
"Haha, look how excited you are. So, the doll's pretty good quality, huh?"
"It is, it is. Thank you, boss." Hu Liena stuffed the Little Fox into her cloth bag with the underwear and hair accessories she'd bought.
Qin Chuan smiled. "My name's Qin Chuan. You can call me Brother Chuan. If you had fun, I hope you'll come by the shop again."
Hu Liena nodded. Her mind was still filled with the voice she'd just heard.
Soul Power Level +3, but the gifted level couldn't exceed Level 81 due to the Ordinary Member restriction.
In other words, she'd only gained two levels this time. She should have gained three, but the membership limit had capped her.
Without that restriction, she would be Level 82 now.
"Okay, Brother Chuan. My name's Hu Liena. I'll definitely come back and play tomorrow."
Qin Chuan's eyes lit up. Another returning customer. Business was getting better and better.
"Take care, miss!"
"Okay, goodbye." Hu Liena turned and headed out.