This was in the bag!
Li Xing flung himself toward Sun Wukong in a panic. Before he could even move, he landed in Sun Wukong's arms.
The atmosphere—
This was absolutely in the atmosphere!
Li Xing looked panicked on the outside, but inside he was thrilled.
His plan had been through a few twists and turns, but it was sure to work.
He wriggled around in Sun Wukong's arms, then stealthily slipped the little pouch tucked into Sun Wukong's waistband away.
While Sun Wukong landed and his attention was elsewhere, Li Xing quickly stuffed it into his pocket.
A smug look flashed in Li Xing's eyes as he tensed his whole body.
I'll break free!
A bad feeling rose in Li Xing's mind.
He strained!
Li Xing felt as if steel bars were binding his body.
No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't budge an inch.
It's over! This time I've flown all the way into outer space.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
Sun Wukong's puzzled voice reached him. Li Xing was already standing firmly on the ground.
Li Xing was completely stunned. What was this? Why had things turned out like this?
Not far away, Bulma struggled to her feet, gritting her teeth as she brushed the dust off herself.
Li Xing's mind raced as he silently howled.
Damn it, system, I've already gotten the Four-Star Dragon Ball. Why haven't you given me my reward?
"Task three is to snatch the Four-Star Dragon Ball. The reward will be calculated only after you leave."
Just as he'd expected, the system wasn't going to give him any loopholes.
Li Xing's heart sank. From the corner of his eye, he spotted the swift river behind him.
With a sigh, Li Xing understood that his only way out was to fall into the river below.
As Bulma stormed toward him, Li Xing pretended to be afraid and backed away a few steps, his feet landing at the edge of the cliff.
"Hey, be careful!"
Sun Wukong's warning was still on its way when Li Xing had already fallen backward off the cliff.
As an orphan, he could be ruthless to others, and he wouldn't hesitate to be ruthless to himself.
He could do anything to survive.
In the Dragon Ball World, what was the difference between being an ordinary person and being dead?
He plummeted with a howl of wind. The feeling of weightlessness had barely begun when it abruptly stopped.
Hanging upside down, he came to a halt in midair, his back slamming into the cliff wall and stinging with pain.
With great effort, he raised his head and stared at Sun Wukong's toothy grin, his mind full of questions.
Dude, how are you so strong? And so willing to sacrifice yourself for others?
Sun Wukong's eyes were red.
"Hang on! I'll think of something!"
If he hadn't been able to feel Sun Wukong's sincere concern and seen Bulma panicking beside him, he would have suspected his plan to steal the Four-Star Dragon Ball had already failed.
"Let me go. Otherwise, we'll both die."
Sun Wukong's face twisted as he stubbornly replied,
"Don't talk nonsense. I can definitely get you back up."
Li Xing's face flushed red. He felt as if he were about to suffocate.
Damn it!
Letting go was how he'd save him. "Let go, or we'll both die."
As he spoke, he kept both hands braced against a protrusion in the cliff wall, his palms nearly bursting from the strain.
Sun Wukong was ridiculously strong. If Li Xing didn't grab hold and struggle, he might actually pull him back up.
A cold glint flashed through Li Xing's eyes.
If they kept this up and he passed out before dropping into the river, he'd really be done for.
If he jumped into the water himself, his odds of survival would still be pretty good.
Thinking this, Li Xing put on a grateful, guilty expression and shouted,
"Let go! You have to let go!"
"The river below is running fast. I might die if I fall in, but I can't drag you down with me."
He kicked hard, slamming his feet against the inside of Sun Wukong's wrist.
Sun Wukong had never expected Li Xing to be so 'fierce.' To avoid dragging him down, Li Xing had actually pushed him away, giving up his last chance to survive.
His wrist hurt. He let go instinctively, and when he saw Li Xing falling again, he shouted and leaped off the cliff after him.
Li Xing cursed inwardly.
You stupid Goku. You're so kind and easy to fool.
"Don't worry. I'll save you."
Li Xing was practically in tears. Please, I'm here to steal your Four-Star Dragon Ball. I don't want you to save me!
That was what he thought.
He was in free fall, so he was naturally slower than Sun Wukong, who had jumped down with all his strength. Sun Wukong caught up with him in no time.
Even Li Xing hadn't expected that just jumping off a cliff could turn into such a drawn-out ordeal.
Grimacing through the pain, he twisted his waist and slammed into a rock, making him grit his teeth in agony.
His potential erupted. He grabbed Sun Wukong with lightning speed and hurled him upward.
To put more force into it and get away from Sun Wukong as quickly as possible, Li Xing also kicked off the cliff wall.
Sun Wukong flew upward, while Li Xing plunged toward the river like a cannonball.
As stones clattered down around him, he hit the water with a splash and finally fell into the river.
Li Xing had no time to worry about choosing a task. He held his breath, sank beneath the river's surface, and swiftly swam along with the current.
Sun Wukong watched helplessly as Li Xing fell into the river. His eyes red, he braced his feet against the cliff wall and knocked loose another shower of stones, sending them into the water.
Sun Wukong himself shot into the air like a cannonball, landing back on the road.
It might have sounded like a long time, but it had all happened in just a few dozen seconds.
Bulma hadn't even had time to react before Sun Wukong had grabbed Li Xing, jumped after him, shot through the air, and landed beside her.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Sun Wukong ignored Bulma and hurried to the edge of the road, leaning over the cliff. "Hey, are you all right?"
Rumble!
Aside from the roaring river, there was no sign of Li Xing, let alone any sound from him.
Li Xing had landed in the water. Using the force of a few impacts, he spat blood and swam dozens of meters downstream.
Only then did he cling to the riverbank, slowly poke his head out, and gasp for air.
Even so, his insides were churning as though a giant hammer had pounded them over and over.
What a loss. I lost this round.
As Li Xing thought this, the system's voice sounded.
"Congratulations, host. You have completed option three. Reward: Devouring Power."
This time, there were no more complications. The reward was delivered to Li Xing without a hitch.
As the system's voice faded, Li Xing felt a strange change in his body. The force of the rushing river against him lessened considerably.
The danger had eased, and Li Xing finally caught his breath.
Knowing he wasn't in immediate danger anymore, he swam downstream with the current.
"System, that's it? Nothing else changed? At least tell me how to use it."
Li Xing wasn't satisfied, so he continued questioning the system in his mind.
Whoosh!
A light screen appeared before Li Xing's eyes.
A wavy line of utter dismay crossed his forehead.
A light screen? This system's style seemed all wrong.
Without saying anything more, he used the Devour Ability to counter the various forces buffeting him, shifting most of his attention to the light screen.
Host: Li Xing Lifespan: 25 (Short-lived Ghost) Battle Power: 0.8 Constitution: 0.8 Mental Strength: 1 Energy: 1 Ability: Devour Ability (Grows stronger with use and comprehension.)
Li Xing's vision went black, and he nearly passed out.
He'd risked his life for this, and all he got was a battle power of 0.8?
He should've gotten at least ten thousand or eight thousand. Wouldn't that be more fitting for a transmigrator?
And his lifespan was only 25. What was that supposed to mean, Short-lived Ghost?
Damn it!
Which transmigrator was a short-lived ghost?
No, wait. Weren't all transmigrators short-lived ghosts?
With his mind in chaos, Li Xing hurriedly distracted himself by questioning the system.
"Does this Devour Ability not increase my strength?"
"It does. Just use it more."
Li Xing was incredibly frustrated.
He'd thought that once he got a system, completing the tasks would bring earth-shattering changes to his strength. In the end, he'd be able to crush the heavens, the earth, and everything in between.
Every novel and anime portrayed it that way.
So why was it different for him? How could it be different?
Could it really limit his battle power?
He was about to ask for more details when he remembered something else, and his heart tightened.
Before you continue