Luck Never Makes Sense

Chen Xuan walked home, still thinking about the hand Tang San had placed on his shoulder.

The force had been light, and the placement just right.

Like an elder comforting a junior.

They were both six years old. What was with that senior act?

Chen Xuan wanted to laugh.

He had seen it clearly. When Tang San said, "Don't lose heart," his eyes had been lowered.

Not because Chen Xuan was short, but that sort of... how should he put it... the look you gave when you passed a stray dog and casually reached down to pet it.

The kindness had been genuine.

So had the condescension.

Blue Silver Grass was useless?

Heh.

If Blue Silver Grass was useless, then the entire Douluo Continent was nothing but a garbage dump.

Chen Xuan did not take it to heart.

Tang San was Tang San, and he was himself.

They would each walk their own path. There would be plenty of intersections in the future.

This was not the time to fuss over such things.

The blacksmith shop's door was ajar, and the sound of a wine jug knocking against the table came from inside.

Chen Xuan pushed the door open and entered.

Chen Tiezhu sat on a low stool beside the forge, with a jug of cloudy wine before him, more than half of it already gone.

The furnace was unlit, and the room was cold.

"Dad."

Chen Tiezhu looked up at him, then lowered his head again.

"You're back."

"Yeah."

Chen Xuan sat on the stool opposite him.

Chen Tiezhu took another swig of wine and wiped his mouth.

They were silent for quite a while.

"Dad has let you down."

"What are you saying?"

"If your mother were still here, maybe... maybe your martial soul wouldn't be like this."

Chen Xuan did not reply.

He knew it was not scientific. Martial soul inheritance had nothing to do with whether one's mother was alive or not.

But he was not about to argue about that with a drunk blacksmith.

"Dad, did you stew any meat?"

Chen Tiezhu froze for a moment, then smiled.

It was a bitter smile, but it was a smile nonetheless.

"Not yet. There's still half a rabbit at home. I'll make it for you."

With that, he stood up and swayed toward the stove.

Chen Xuan watched his father's back and said nothing more.

After dinner, the sky had gone completely dark.

Saint Soul Village had no nightlife to speak of. Once night fell, everyone went to sleep.

Chen Tiezhu had drunk too much and collapsed onto the bed, snoring like a bellows.

Chen Xuan returned to his own room and closed the door.

Moonlight leaked through gaps in the roof, strip after strip, falling across the floor.

He sat on the edge of the bed and spread open his right hand.

Five gray stones floated up.

He turned them over and examined them several times.

Ordinary.

They really were ordinary.

Tap them, and they were hard. Touch them, and they were cold. Smell them, and they had no scent.

Yet he knew they were not simple.

Metal, wood, water, fire, earth.

Five colors, five attributes. They had appeared and vanished at the same instant during his awakening.

Su Yuntao had not seen them because all his attention had been on Tang San at the time.

No one else had seen them because it had happened too fast.

But Chen Xuan had seen them.

He had a strange intuition that these five stones needed something to activate them.

What did they need?

He did not know.

He drew the stones back into his body and looked toward the translucent dot in the upper-right corner of his vision.

The countdown was still running.

[Time until first draw: 00 hours 03 minutes 12 seconds]

Soon.

Chen Xuan leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, pretending to rest.

In truth, he could not sleep at all.

He had been transmigrated for six years, and his memories of his previous life remained crystal clear.

He knew how vast, dangerous, and wondrous this world was.

He knew how far Tang San would rise in the future.

He also knew that if he did nothing, he would most likely spend his entire life forging iron in Saint Soul Village.

Innate soul power level nine, with a useless martial soul.

This combination was probably unprecedented in the history of the Douluo Continent.

But that was fine.

He could wait.

"Ding."

A crisp notification sounded in his mind.

Chen Xuan opened his eyes.

A light screen appeared out of thin air before him, no bigger than his palm.

The words on it were simple:

[Light-Shadow Lottery System successfully bound.]

[Host: Chen Xuan.]

[Rules: One random draw may be conducted at midnight each day. The prize pool contains items from countless worlds, with random grades and random categories. Luck determines everything.]

[Current number of draws: 1.]

[Draw immediately?]

Chen Xuan read the rules twice.

Items from countless worlds.

Random grades.

Luck determined everything.

In plain terms, it was a blind box.

He thought about it. There was nothing to hesitate over.

"Draw."

The words on the screen vanished, replaced by a spinning halo.

Golden light circled the room twice, slowing more and more.

Then it stopped.

Something fell into his palm.

Chen Xuan lowered his head to look.

Round. Smooth. Gray.

Cool and warm to the touch.

It was about the same size as the five stones of his martial soul.

It was a pebble.

Chen Xuan stared at the thing in his hand for three seconds.

Then he looked at the light screen.

[Congratulations, Host, you have obtained: Light-Shadow Stone (Inactive) ×1]

[Description: Light-Shadow Stones are exclusive media of the system. Collect and activate all five to unlock special functions. Current progress: 1/5.]

[Light-Shadow Stone illumination: 0/5.]

Chen Xuan held the stone up under the moonlight and turned it around.

It really did look very similar to the stones of his martial soul.

But on closer inspection, this one was smoother, with the rounded polish of something washed by water for tens of thousands of years.

He glanced at the system panel again.

1/5.

Five stones.

His martial soul was also five stones.

A coincidence?

It did not seem like one.

Chen Xuan put the Light-Shadow Stone into the system inventory—yes, this system also came with storage, though it only had ten slots.

He leaned back against the wall, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

His first draw had given him a stone.

Other transmigrators began with divine artifacts in hand and max-level cultivation techniques.

He began by... picking up stones.

"Luck really never makes sense."

But he was not disappointed.

1/5.

That meant there were still four chances.

It also meant there was probably some connection between this system and his martial soul.

Chen Xuan closed his eyes. This time, he truly fell asleep.

He had things to do tomorrow.

The next day, dawn had barely broken.

The roosters had crowed twice, but Chen Tiezhu was still asleep.

Chen Xuan was already up, holding a horse stance in the yard.

The body was the foundation.

Innate soul power level nine was a good base, but without a strong body, it was all useless.

He held the stance for half an hour. When he stood up, his legs were trembling.

Just as he was loosening up, the courtyard gate was pushed open from outside.

Old Jack walked in.

The village chief of Saint Soul Village, he was in his sixties, with graying hair and a slightly stooped back.

He held two sheets of paper in his hand.

"Xuan, where's your father?"

"Still asleep. He drank too much last night."

Old Jack sighed and waved his hand. "No need to wake him. Telling you is the same."

He handed over one of the sheets.

Chen Xuan took it and gave it a quick glance.

Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy, work-study student admission certificate.

The name field was blank.

"The academy gives the surrounding villages a few work-study spots every year. This year, our village got two."

Old Jack paused. "One is for Tang San. The other... I want to give it to you."

Chen Xuan looked up at him.

Old Jack's expression was somewhat complicated. There was pity, expectation, and something else that was hard to put into words.

"I know your martial soul isn't exactly..." Old Jack faltered. "But your soul power is truly level nine. At the very least, you can earn a diploma at the academy. Xuan, don't spend your whole life forging iron."

Chen Xuan lowered his head and looked at the paper again.

Nuoding Academy.

A junior soul master academy.

Tang San's starting point.

The place where every story began.

He folded the paper and tucked it into his chest.

"Grandpa Jack, when are we leaving?"

Old Jack's eyes lit up. "The day after tomorrow. With Tang San."

Chen Xuan nodded.

"Alright."

Old Jack left.

Chen Xuan stood in the courtyard, reaching into his chest to touch the paper.

Nuoding Academy.

Zhao Wuji.

And...

He narrowed his eyes.

The system panel flickered quietly in the corner of his vision.

[Time until next draw: 23 hours 14 minutes.]

[Light-Shadow Stone progress: 1/5.]

Five days.

In five days at the earliest, he would learn what trump card this system truly held.

And the day after tomorrow, he would step into the world of soul masters.

Chen Xuan turned and went back inside to pack his things.