Becoming a Transcendent Requires a Mom

"No, what I mean is, don't you want to know how I became a Transcendent?"

"Go on."

"Then promise me..."

"Fine, I promise not to kill you," Bai Ye cut in.

Li You's heart skipped a beat. He hesitated. "You agreed so quickly that I don't feel safe at all."

"Then let's do that again."

Li You: "..."

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, then slowly said, "After Fate Roulette lost to you, King Snake flew into a rage and crippled my right hand, leaving me to fend for myself. Magic Hand was the skill I had painstakingly trained for over ten years, the means by which I made my living. When my right hand was crippled, I wanted to die.

But when I thought of my mother back home, still waiting for me to make something of myself and return in glory, a fire ignited within me. I swore I could not let her down. I had to survive.

Then I suddenly felt a piercing pain in my head, as if something were stirring around inside my brain. After the pain passed, I discovered that my right hand, which had suffered a compound fracture, had actually healed somewhat. I still couldn't lift anything heavy, but I could at least move it a little.

And an invisible arm had grown from my right hand!"

"I see." Bai Ye nodded solemnly. "To become a Transcendent, you first need to cripple your right hand."

Li You: "..."

"And have a mom."

Li You: "..."

He was now utterly convinced that Bai Ye was a lunatic. He had heard people talk about Bai Ye's behavior on the battlefield before, but he had only half believed them. Now, he believed every word.

What kind of nonsense was that?

"Deputy Commander Bai, the important thing isn't the mother or the right hand. It's a transformation of the mind. Simply put, a person suffers a major shock that causes mental distortion and mutation, which then awakens them as a Transcendent."

Bai Ye nodded. Of course he knew it had nothing to do with mothers or right hands. He had merely made a little joke, but unfortunately, these barbarians did not understand humor.

He had heard other wasteland hunters say that during the era of the Great Cataclysm, whether people or objects, even if they appeared normal, had all undergone some degree of distortion and mutation.

Ordinary people simply had shallower mutations, so nothing showed on the surface. But it was like a seed buried deep inside everyone. Once certain conditions were met, the seed would sprout.

Li You, who had become a Transcendent, was an obvious example.

In other words, in the age of civilization, no matter how badly your mind was traumatized, at most you would become mentally ill. But in the era of the Great Cataclysm, you might become a Transcendent.

Hiss!

The more he thought about it, the more terrifying it became. Did all Transcendents have the potential to become mentally ill?

He suddenly felt that the Great Cataclysm sweeping across the world might not be entirely harmful. It also contained an opportunity—an opportunity to begin the evolution of all things. Mutant beasts seemed more like products of failed evolution, while Transcendents were those walking the correct path of evolution.

Wait. Perhaps... it was still too early to say whose evolution was more correct.

"Deputy Commander Bai, I've told you everything. Could you please put the gun down first? I'm scared..."

"You're begging me, yet you can't even call me 'sir.' Is that how you beg someone?"

His fists clenched!

Li You gritted his teeth in fury. If a gun had not been pointed at him, he would have loved nothing more than to smash Bai Ye's mouth with one punch.

"Could you please put the gun down first, sir?"

"No."

Fuck you!

"Then can I at least lower my right hand first? It hasn't fully healed yet. I can't keep holding it up like this."

"No."

"Bai Ye!" Li You sprang to his feet and said angrily, "I told you, we're not enemies. I came here to work with you!

Haven't you realized your situation yet? King Snake and Tan Jie have no room for you at all. They already agreed that once you drive away the Hyena Pack, they'll join forces and kill you. Then they'll sell your taboo item and split the money!"

"So?"

"So working with me is your only chance to survive. I'm a Transcendent, and you have a taboo item. If the two of us join forces, we may not lose to them. Besides, King Snake crippled my Magic Hand. I'm definitely going to get revenge on him!"

"You came to see me in the middle of the night just to say this?"

"That's right. And I already have a detailed plan. The next time you leave the city, I'll lie in ambush outside beforehand. Once they've fought until they're exhausted, you and I can attack from within and without. We'll take them down in one stroke!

Once it's done, Gray Soil Town will be yours to rule. I won't interfere at all."

Bai Ye was slightly surprised. "Then what do you want? Revenge?"

Li You shook his head. "Revenge is only part of it. I need money. Once it's done, Gray Soil Town is yours, and the money is mine. The moment I get it, I'll leave.

To be honest, after becoming a Transcendent, I have no interest whatsoever in being the commander of Gray Soil Town. I plan to take the money to Dawn City and find the best physician to heal my right hand. Awakening as a Transcendent greatly improved my physical abilities and let my right hand move a little, but it still can't match its former flexibility or strength.

My transcendent ability is closely tied to my right hand. If it can be healed, my combat power will be far beyond what it is now. I want to restore Magic Hand to its former glory!

Once I, Magic Hand Li You, establish myself in Dawn City, I'll bring my mother into the city and let her enjoy wealth and luxury!"

Li You's words made Bai Ye see him in a somewhat different light. Whatever else could be said, although Li You was not much of a person, he was at least filial.

And thinking about it, the two of them had no grudge against each other. On the contrary, they shared a common enemy.

With that thought, Bai Ye put away [Breath of Bones].

Hearing the movement, Li You was immediately delighted. "You agree to work with me?"

"No, I don't." Bai Ye shook his head.

"Why? This would bring you nothing but benefits." Li You could hardly believe it. He could not understand why Bai Ye would reject such a good proposal.

"Alas." Bai Ye sighed, raised his head at a forty-five-degree angle, and gazed deeply at the bright moon. "I could certainly join hands with you and kill King Snake and the others, but have you considered what will happen to the Hyena Pack? What will happen to the people of Gray Soil Town?"

Li You froze. The look in his eyes changed several times. After a moment of silence, he said, "I can help you deal with the Hyena Pack."

Bai Ye shook his head again. "How many people would die? You may be a Transcendent, but you're probably still no match for King Snake and the others. Otherwise, you wouldn't have come to me seeking cooperation.

Even they can't deal with the Hyena Pack, let alone you. So before every last hyena is killed, I won't work with you."

Li You looked anxious. "But once the Hyena Pack is dead, they'll attack you immediately! And with the way you're killing them, you might not even live long enough for them to make their move."

"Say no more!" Bai Ye angrily swept his sleeve. A cloud of dust rose from his patch-covered clothes. "Am I, Bai Ye, the sort of man who fears death? Is one man's life more important, or are the lives of eight hundred people in Gray Soil Town more important?"

His impassioned voice was like a heavy hammer, striking Li You's heart hard.

In this damned age, there really was someone like this...

For some reason, standing beside Bai Ye suddenly made him feel ashamed of himself.