In the image, Zhou Yang finished rummaging through the heads of several zombies, slung the fire axe over his shoulder again, and walked toward the other end of the street, swearing all the way.
He looked a mess from behind.
But Fang Xu could tell that this guy was pretty hard to kill. Even after losing his Attribute Panel, he could keep killing zombies.
As long as a system-equipped transmigrator like him stayed alive, he would definitely stir up more things later.
The image gradually faded. The stinking street, the wrecked cars, and Zhou Yang dragging his axe all seemed to be swallowed by gray mist.
The next instant, Fang Xu's consciousness returned to his little house in Konoha.
The candle flame flickered gently before the table. His palm was empty, and that tuft of black Uchiha hair had long since disappeared.
Fang Xu was not disappointed. Instead, his breathing grew slightly heavier, because the notifications in his mind had arrived.
[Exchange complete.] [Obtained: Attribute Panel.] [Notice: This panel is a system plugin that can display quantified information about the host's attributes, condition, skill proficiency, and more.] [Notice: This plugin originally belonged to Zhou Yang, a transmigrator in the apocalypse world. His system's integrity has decreased.] [Notice: Exchange Talent has removed all hidden risks from this plugin.] [Notice: This plugin could originally have accompanied Zhou Yang to the pinnacle. Through the joint intervention of Exchange Talent and the Apocalypse World Will, its ownership transfer has been completed.]
Fang Xu looked at the notifications in his mind and went completely still for several seconds.
Then he slowly let out a breath.
"A tuft of hair for a system plugin?"
Even after obtaining something as absurd as the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, he still found it a little hard to keep his composure.
That tuft of black Uchiha hair from Obito really was not ordinary hair.
It came from the Uchiha Clan and carried at least a little special bloodline information, but no matter how he put it, it was still just hair.
Not a Sharingan, not the Uchiha bloodline, and certainly not Obito himself.
Under normal circumstances, he would have been satisfied exchanging it for some ordinary resources.
Yet this time, he had actually received the Attribute Panel plugin straight out of Zhou Yang's system.
Fang Xu stared at the words "joint intervention of the Apocalypse World Will," his gaze gradually turning peculiar.
"So that's where the issue was."
Exchange Talent alone might not have been able to trade a tuft of hair for something so valuable, but if the apocalypse world itself did not like Zhou Yang either, then it made sense.
Zhou Yang was a transmigrator with a system.
Something like a system would not necessarily be welcome in any world. Killing monsters for experience, leveling up and allocating points, rapidly growing stronger-for Zhou Yang, this was a cheat.
For the apocalypse world, it might not be a good thing.
It was like an outsider barging into someone else's home with cheats, frantically farming monsters, grabbing resources, and gobbling up the benefits of evolution within that world.
It would have been strange if the World Will had not rejected him. As it happened, Fang Xu's Exchange Talent had opened a channel, so the Apocalypse World Will had given things a little push.
And just like that, Zhou Yang's system panel plugin had been "swindled" away.
"Poor bastard."
Remembering how Zhou Yang had lost his composure over the black hair in the image, Fang Xu could not help laughing.
That guy probably still could not figure out why, after killing zombies, he had received neither equipment nor rewards, but a handful of black Uchiha hair instead.
But this also served as a reminder to Fang Xu.
Exchanging across worlds was not necessarily just a matter between him and the person on the other end.
The world itself might intervene too.
He immediately thought of his previous exchange with the One Piece World.
When the handwritten copy of the Chakra Refinement Technique he had sent out reached Nami, its writing had automatically changed into something she could read.
That mass of chakra had also become a chakra crystal that Nami could absorb.
At the time, Fang Xu had thought this was special processing performed by Exchange Talent.
Now, it seemed that might not have been entirely the case.
The World Will of the One Piece World might also have lent a hand.
Nami was an important figure in that world.
Giving her a Chakra System she could cultivate might also benefit the future course of that world.
"So the more special the exchange target is, the more likely their world is to get involved?"
Fang Xu tapped his fingers lightly against the table. He could not confirm this guess yet, but it was worth noting.
If he had another opportunity, he would pay particular attention to how the exchanged items changed in the target world.
If he could truly figure out the preferences of the World Wills, he could make his future exchanges more targeted.
For instance, whatever the other world rejected might be something he could acquire at a lower cost; whatever that world wanted to promote might lead to additional processing of what he offered.
This was no ordinary trade. These were gaps between the rules of myriad worlds.
Handled well, the profits could be staggering.
Of course, Fang Xu did not get carried away. He could only test this sort of thing slowly. Something like a World Will sounded like trouble to mess with.
Right now, he was only a Ninja Academy student. He even had to handle the scrutiny of Konoha's Inner Circle carefully, let alone scheme against a world itself.
What mattered most right now was still the Attribute Panel he had obtained.
Fang Xu suppressed his excitement and concentrated.
"Open Attribute Panel."
As soon as the thought formed, a translucent screen silently appeared before his eyes.
The screen was not large, but it was exceptionally clear.
The words on it appeared directly in his vision.
[Name: Fang Xu] [Condition: Healthy, slightly fatigued] [Talent: Exchange Level 1] [Chakra attributes: Lightning, earth, water] [Chakra level: Genin] [Ability: Rumble-Rumble Fruit mastery (limited by physique)] [Skills: Beginner swordsmanship, proficient Lightning Mode] [Ninjutsu: Proficient Lightning Release: Lightning Ball Technique, proficient Three Body Technique] [Overall assessment: Possesses Genin-level chakra and extraordinary lightning potential. Basic physique is insufficient. Continued improvement of the body's capacity is recommended.]
As Fang Xu looked at the final assessment, something stirred in his mind.
"Basic physique is insufficient..."
The panel put it very bluntly, and very accurately.
The Rumble-Rumble Fruit was a top-tier ability, and Enel's experience in developing it was also in his head.
But his greatest limitation right now was his body.
He could only maintain Elementalization for fifteen seconds. Many moves, such as Thunder Bird, Thunder Beast, and Thunder Dragon, still cost more than he could sustain. Lightning Body Tempering was effective, but he had to take it step by step.
The panel laid this problem out directly.
The greatest value of this thing was not merely displaying his strength, but helping him confirm his direction.
Fang Xu continued reading.
After beginner swordsmanship was a very thin progress bar. It was not merely a few words; he could see his current accumulation.
Lightning Mode was the same.
Lightning Release: Lightning Ball Technique was listed as proficient, and there was likewise changing progress after it.
Fang Xu raised his right hand and controlled an extremely fine wisp of lightning, letting it travel around his fingertips.
He did not increase its intensity. He simply followed the method in the Incomplete Cloud Hidden Body-Tempering Technique, letting Lightning Release Chakra and the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's electric current slowly stimulate the skin of his fingertips.
A tingling sensation came.
On the panel, the tiny progress bar after [Proficient Lightning Mode] shifted slightly.
The change was small, but it had indeed changed.
Fang Xu's breathing immediately grew heavier.
"It provides real-time feedback. Now that's impressive."