Ning Rongrong's Surprise

As twilight deepened, the lanterns along the pedestrian street flickered to life one by one.

Orange light spilled across the bluestone pavement. The blacksmith's shop had already shuttered its doors, but several snack stalls were still billowing steam. The fat from roasting meat dripped onto the charcoal, sizzling loudly, and the savory aroma drifted halfway down the street.

Xiao Wu pulled Ning Rongrong toward the West Street outside the academy, jogging all the way to the entrance of the "Happy Claw Machine."

The lights were on inside.

Qin Chuan sat behind the counter, a wrap spread out before him, his mouth glistening with grease as he ate.

Beside him sat a steaming bowl of beef soup, brought back from Old Wang Noodle Shop.

Hearing movement at the door, he looked up—oh, the girl with the scorpion braid was back, and she had brought someone with her.

Qin Chuan hurriedly wiped his mouth, shoved the wrap under the counter, and stood up.

"Welcome to the Happy Claw Machine."

"Hey, Boss, I brought you a customer," Xiao Wu said with a grin, pushing the girl beside her forward.

Ning Rongrong was nudged to the front; she lifted her head, her gaze meeting the young man behind the counter.

Qin Chuan took a clear look at the newcomer.

Ning Rongrong. The young miss of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect.

She was a bit shorter than Xiao Wu, but her proportions were exquisite.

Her blue skirt fell just past her knees, revealing white silk stockings that caught the shop's warm light with a soft sheen.

The heels of her short boots were low, and she swayed slightly as she walked, her waist so slender it looked as if a gust of wind could snap it.

With an oval face, she possessed a gentleness that Xiao Wu lacked, though she was less playful. Wisps of hair fell naturally across her forehead, and a silver clip was tucked behind her ear.

She surveyed the six claw machines in the shop, her eyes lingering on the colorful plushies for a few seconds.

"So cute..." Ning Rongrong bent down, peering through the glass at the dolls inside, her gaze drawn to a small white cat. "This cat is so sweet."

Qin Chuan chuckled. Another one who couldn't resist the dolls.

"Boss, this is Ning Rongrong, my roommate," Xiao Wu introduced.

Ning Rongrong straightened up and nodded at Qin Chuan. "Hello."

"Hello, hello." Qin Chuan was very enthusiastic; after all, every customer was his meal money for tomorrow. "If it's your first time, just place your hand on this crystal ball to register."

Ning Rongrong looked at Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu nodded vigorously, her rabbit-ear hair accessory bobbing along.

Ning Rongrong walked to the counter, hesitated for a moment, and pressed her right palm against the fist-sized crystal ball.

The sphere lit up.

A voice flooded her mind.

[Congratulations, system registration successful! Welcome to the God-Tier Claw Machine!]

[Basic Info: Ning Rongrong, 18 years old, Level 59 Soul King.]

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

Ning Rongrong read through the information line by line, her fingertips beginning to heat up.

Ten-thousand-year soul rings. Thousand-year soul bones. Innate full soul power.

Her Seven Treasures Glazed Sect possessed the top resources on the continent, yet she had never seen a shop dare to offer such things as prizes for a claw machine.

The penalty clauses in the non-disclosure agreement sent a slight chill down her spine. If her soul power were reduced to Level 1, how would that be any different from being crippled?

Ning Rongrong snuck a glance at the boss. He looked like an ordinary mortal—tall and thin—and she couldn't sense even a shred of soul power fluctuation from him.

What exactly was his background?

The thought crossed her mind, but Ning Rongrong pushed it down. Whatever his background was, she would try it first.

Ning Rongrong fished a gold soul coin from the small pouch at her waist and pressed it against the crystal ball. The coin was absorbed, and three copper game tokens rolled out.

She picked up the tokens and walked to the machine on the right side of the ordinary section—the white cat was right inside.

Xiao Wu crowded over, as excited as if she were watching her own family compete. "Go, go, you can do it!"

Ning Rongrong inserted the first token.

The machine lit up, and the joystick popped out. She gripped it with both hands, moving it cautiously. The mechanical claw overhead followed, swaying as she aligned it with the white cat.

She pressed the button.

The claw descended, opened, and closed.

It caught the cat by the tail.

It lifted, rose two centimeters, and then slipped.

The cat fell back to its original position, not moving an inch.

"Ah..." Ning Rongrong sighed, her brows knitting together.

The second coin.

This time, she adjusted her position, aiming for the cat's waist.

The mechanical claw descended, its three iron fingers closing to grip the cat's belly. It lifted steadily.

Halfway up, it wobbled twice, and the cat dropped.

Ning Rongrong's hand tightened around the joystick, her lips pressed into a thin line.

"This is the last one." Xiao Wu stood by, rubbing her hands together nervously.

Ning Rongrong inserted the final game coin and stared at the little white cat inside the glass for three seconds.

She recalculated the angle.

She nudged the joystick, moving the claw to a position slightly in front of and directly above the cat.

She pressed the button.

The mechanical claw dropped, its three open iron fingers catching perfectly between the cat's neck and front legs, scooping up the entire body as they closed.

It lifted, steady.

It moved toward the exit, hovering over the chute.

The claw released, and the little white cat dropped into the hole.

Thump!

The lights at the bottom flashed, and a chime rang out.

"You got it!" Xiao Wu shrieked, grabbing Ning Rongrong's arm and shaking it vigorously.

Ning Rongrong crouched down and reached into the retrieval slot to pull out the little white cat pendant. It was palm-sized, finely crafted, and the white velvet felt soft to the touch.

She had just gripped the cat in her palm.

A telepathic message exploded in her mind.

[Congratulations, Player Ning Rongrong, you have obtained one kitten pendant!]
[Bonus Prize 1: Soul Power Level +2! Effective immediately!]
[Bonus Prize 2: 8,000-year Medusa Tribe Head Bone! Automatically bound!]
[Skill Obtained: Medusa's Gaze! (Due to limited age, can only be used on non-human life forms.)]

Ning Rongrong froze.

She felt a surge of warm energy flow from her palm into her meridians, traveling up her arm, through her shoulder and neck, and finally converging at the Baihui acupoint on the top of her head.

Her scalp tingled, and a subtle vibration emanated from deep within her bones, as if something were growing and fusing.

Two levels of Soul Power added, jumping straight from 59 to 61.

An 8,000-year Medusa head bone, complete with an active skill.

Ning Rongrong's knees felt weak.

The Seven Treasures Glazed Sect had poured all their resources into her, allocating tens of thousands of gold soul coins worth of cultivation materials every year, just to get her to level 59.

And yet, for one gold soul coin, three tries, and a palm-sized plush cat.

Level plus two. Plus an 8,000-year soul bone.

It was insane, absolutely insane!

Ning Rongrong's hands were shaking, her fingertips trembling as they held the cat. She tried desperately to control her expression, but she couldn't suppress the curve of her lips.

Seeing her like this, Xiao Wu leaned in close and lowered her voice: "You won, right? Come on, let's go, we'll talk outside."

"Mm-hmm." Ning Rongrong tucked the cat into her pouch and turned to flash a smile at Qin Chuan.

"Thank you, Boss, I'll be back tomorrow."

Qin Chuan poked his head out from under the counter, still chewing on half a wrap, and said vaguely: "Welcome, welcome, come back often."

He watched the two girls walk out hand-in-hand, his hand holding two more silver soul coins in commission.

"Haha, it's just a pendant, no need to act like they hit the jackpot."

He tucked the silver coins into his pocket and happily continued munching on his wrap. Tomorrow's meals were covered too.

On the stone-paved pedestrian street, the lanterns stretched their shadows long.

Xiao Wu dragged Ning Rongrong into an empty alleyway, and after confirming no men were passing by, the two heads leaned in together.

"How is it? How is it? What did you get?" Xiao Wu stomped her feet in anticipation.