Xiao Wu's Draw, Gather Form, Disperse Qi

Chapter 13: Xiao Wu's Draw, Gather Form, Disperse Qi

When the white roulette wheel appeared before Xiao Wu, she was still somewhat unable to process it.

Tang San temporarily paused his game.

Hu Liena did not continue playing either. She stood beside them with her arms folded, her gaze fixed on the roulette wheel.

More than anyone else, she understood that this shop's rewards were no mere decoration.

She had only gained a preliminary understanding of the Fox Charm Movement, yet it had already made the transitions in her real combat movements far smoother. Xiao Wu had triggered a draw on her very first session. If she drew something suited to her as well, Shrek's strength could very well change immediately.

Xiao Wu did not think that much about it.

She merely looked at Lin Chuan. "Boss, how do I draw?"

Lin Chuan said, "Just use your mind to spin it. What you get depends on your luck, as well as your compatibility with the reward."

"Compatibility?"

Grandmaster sharply caught that word.

Lin Chuan did not explain in too much detail, only saying, "The same reward will have different effects on different people. This shop won't force something unsuitable on you."

Upon hearing that, Tang San relaxed slightly.

What worried him most was not that Xiao Wu would fail to draw something good, but that the shop's rewards might touch Xiao Wu's true origin.

For now, it seemed the system had its own judgment.

Xiao Wu closed her eyes.

The roulette wheel began to spin.

Streaks of light flashed past everyone's eyes.

There were weapons, pills, runes they could not understand, and several glimmers resembling afterimages of movement techniques.

Flender's eyes lit up.

He might hate spending money, but he was not stupid.

Ten Gold Soul Coins for one hour was indeed expensive, but if it could truly draw a reward that changed one's cultivation, then that price was not expensive at all—it was absurdly cheap.

The wheel spun more and more slowly.

Xiao Wu held her breath.

Tang San unconsciously clenched his fists as well.

Ma Hongjun watched without even blinking.

He claimed that rewards like this depended on luck, but his hand had already drifted toward his money pouch.

Oscar caught sight of that and was just about to laugh, only to remember that he himself was staring at the wheel too. He immediately swallowed his laugh.

No one had the right to laugh at anyone else.

Once this thing started spinning, it truly was impossible to look away.

At last, the pointer stopped on a pale blue-and-white afterimage.

[Congratulations to player Xiao Wu for drawing the reward: Gather Form, Disperse Qi · Moonshadow Linked Steps]

[Reward Description: A fragmentary insight into a movement technique from the game world. During short-range evasions, it can leave behind an extremely faint moon shadow, causing a momentary displacement between one's aura and position. After three consecutive perfect evasions, it can trigger "Linked Steps," making the next close-range opening attack faster. This reward is an insight into a movement technique. It is not a soul skill, does not add a spirit ring, and does not alter the origin of the Martial Soul.]

[Notice: Must be gradually mastered through real-world training.]

When Tang San saw the words "does not alter the origin of the Martial Soul," the last trace of worry in his heart vanished.

Xiao Wu, however, had already forgotten to read the full description.

A cool warmth rose from the soles of her feet, spreading up her calves and waist all the way to her shoulders and back.

It did not feel like Soul Power pouring into her. It was more like someone had broken countless minute combat experiences apart and told her when to restrain her aura and when to yield half an inch with her body.

She unconsciously stood up.

Her toes lightly tapped the ground, and her body swayed. To everyone's surprise, an extremely faint moon-white afterimage remained where she had stood.

The afterimage lasted only an instant before quickly dispersing.

Yet not a single soul master in the internet cafe missed it.

Hu Liena's eyes narrowed.

She could tell Xiao Wu's movement was still crude, but that only made the reward's value more apparent.

This was not a fixed move, but an instinct for evasion that could be integrated into one's own fighting habits.

Grandmaster had been mentally analyzing the system of soul skills, but after seeing this, his brow furrowed even more deeply.

It was not as though he had never seen soul masters with excellent movement techniques.

But what was strange about Xiao Wu's move was that there had been no spirit ring, no burst of Soul Power, and no fixed windup for a soul skill. Her toes had merely shifted, and her aura seemed to scatter as though a layer had been blown away by the wind. Even observers instinctively judged her position half a beat too late.

Half a beat might not seem like much to low-level soul masters.

But in a true fight to the death, half a beat was enough to decide who fell first.

More critically, after Xiao Wu landed, her steps did not come to a complete stop.

She seemed to ride the lingering momentum of that afterimage and slide another half-step to the side. With a light roll of her shoulder, she had already circled behind Tang San.

That brief sequence of Linked Steps carried no spirit ring glow, yet it was fast enough to make Dai Mubai's eyelid twitch.

Yan could not help asking, "Didn't this girl just enter the game?"

Ma Hongjun said sourly from the side, "Some people are just lucky. They can get a draw just from fighting a few little monsters."

His words were bitter, but his eyes honestly remained glued to Xiao Wu's feet.

Who would not want a movement-technique reward like that?

Not to mention Xiao Wu—even if he could shift half a body length farther while fleeing for his life, he would have a better chance of surviving against those people who chased after him screaming for his blood.

Hearing that, Xiao Wu immediately puffed out her chest.

"I dodged those attacks myself."

Her eyes sparkled when she said it, and the tension she had felt toward Spirit City seemed to have faded considerably.

Tang San walked to her side and asked softly, "How does it feel?"

Xiao Wu moved her ankles.

"Very light."

After thinking for a moment, she added, "It's not that my Soul Power has grown stronger. It's more like my body knows how to hide my aura a little, then move my position aside a little. If I dodge several times in a row, the move afterward will be smoother too."

Grandmaster listened thoughtfully.

Her words seemed simple, but they stirred up waves in his heart.

On Douluo Continent, soul masters relied heavily on spirit rings and soul skills for cultivation. Physical techniques were naturally important as well, but in the eyes of most soul masters, skill was merely supplementary.

Yet the rewards offered by this internet cafe were elevating "skill" itself to a level capable of changing the course of battle.

For low-level soul masters, that might be more practical than an ordinary spirit ring.

Lin Chuan watched everyone's expressions with satisfaction.

Xiao Wu's reward was not explosively powerful, but it suited her very well.

Moreover, it had not exposed Xiao Wu's identity. Instead, it gave her an additional explanation that fit the fighting style of human soul masters.

A system notification soon appeared before him.

[Customer Xiao Wu has completed a hidden achievement]

[Host has obtained points: 120]

[Obtained minor movement-technique synchronization: Moon Shadow Step Perception]

[Current points: Please check the panel yourself]

Lin Chuan's heart stirred.

Minor movement-technique synchronization.

He tried shifting a step behind the counter. The motion was not large, but he could clearly feel that his body was slightly more coordinated than before.

The change was small, but it was enough to prove that customers' rewards could indeed slowly feed back to him.

He had chosen the right path.

Still, Lin Chuan did not reveal too much delight.

Shrek, Spirit Hall, and several customers whose origins were difficult to explain were all standing in the shop now. Everyone was watching the rewards, yet none of them wanted to admit they were tempted.

The more composed he appeared as the owner, the more unfathomable this shop would seem in their eyes.

That was the basic cultivation of a businessman.

Just as he was preparing to inspect the system panel, another notification popped up.

[Reminder: Internet Cafe Expansion Card has not yet been used]

Lin Chuan froze for a moment.

Only then did he remember that the system had issued an Internet Cafe Expansion Card when the number of simultaneous online players had reached four.

Over the past two days, Spirit Hall, Shrek, Tang San, and Xiao Wu had taken turns entering the shop. One thing after another had happened, and he had actually forgotten about the card in the system inventory.

Lin Chuan raised his head and looked around the shop.

Four machines were already nowhere near enough.

Tang San, Xiao Wu, Hu Liena, and the members of Shrek were taking turns at the computers, while the Spirit Hall Golden Generation was still standing outside.

If this continued, even waiting in line would be enough to breed tempers.

Flender was staring at Xiao Wu's reward and doing calculations.

Hu Liena was wondering whether she could trigger a higher achievement next time.

Tang San had already turned back toward the game screen, clearly unwilling to stop exploring.

Lin Chuan lightly tapped the counter.

"Everyone, wait a moment."

Everyone turned to look at him.

Lin Chuan smiled.

"This shop is about to receive an upgrade."

The moment his words fell, he silently recited in his heart.

Use the Internet Cafe Expansion Card.