If Shendu Is an Option, Pick Shendu

"Brother Xiao Long, why are you sleeping again?!"

Xiao Long lay on a tree branch, his eyes half-closed. At the sound of a sweet, lively voice, he opened them and looked over.

Seeing the pretty young woman in a purple dress, her bearing cool and composed, Xiao Long said casually, "My spirit was roaming heaven and earth."

"You're talking nonsense again."

Xiao Xun'er nimbly climbed into the tree as well and sat beside Xiao Long. A delicate fragrance drifted into his nose, making it itch. He asked helplessly, "How's my little brother doing?"

"Same as always. And I heard we have important guests coming today."

Xiao Xun'er swung her legs, drawing Xiao Long's gaze before he could help himself. She soon noticed.

"Enjoying the view?"

"Absolutely."

Xiao Long didn't mind being caught and continued admiring the sunlit scenery. Xiao Xun'er blushed at his answer but said nothing more.

"Brother Xiao Long, that's how a lecher behaves! Do that outside, and someone will beat you up!"

"This isn't lechery. When a flower is in full bloom, wouldn't failing to admire it make me an insensitive boor?"

Xiao Long tossed out the words casually.

"What kind of twisted logic is that?!"

"It came from a man named Zhou Shuren, who went by Lu Xun."

"Someone from Zhou Tree? Is there a city called Zhou Tree?" Xiao Xun'er searched her memory, but she couldn't recall any such city.

"A small city."

Xiao Long shook his head. It would be a miracle if she could find it.

That was a great writer from his previous life, after all. Though that line probably wasn't Lu Xun's either-it ought to have come from that foreigner, Mark Twain.

If you aren't sure who said a famous quote, then I said it-Mark Twain.

In his previous life, he had been a corporate drudge, grinding away day and night at a big company. Then the economy slumped, and the company started pushing "cost reduction and efficiency improvements." Afraid of being "optimized" out of a job, he wrote code during the day and delivered takeout at night, working nonstop for three months.

On the day Typhoon Bavi swept through, a freak gust carried him and his electric scooter into the sky. When he woke again, he had become a baby nestled inside a residence belonging to the Xiao Clan.

At one year old, he broke through the mystery of the womb and recovered his past-life memories. Opening his eyes to antique eaves, he wondered which dynasty he had landed in.

Then, when he was two...

His little brother was born, and their father named him Xiao Yan. That same year, an exquisite little girl named Xun'er came to live with them.

Only then did he slap his thigh in realization. This is Battle Through the Heavens!

He had been excited for a while, thinking that, as a transmigrator, he might possess extraordinary talent and steamroll past Xiao Yan to become the protagonist.

But he only achieved qi introduction at six, barely managing it. His progress was neither fast nor slow, and within the clan, his aptitude was merely average.

Knowing he wasn't cut out for it cooled half the fire in his heart. He began planning for the day Xiao Yan made it big.

As Xiao Yan's older brother, surely he could ride his coattails and get a little of that Dou Di bloodline.

But heaven never barred every path. The moment he broke through...

A series of prompts suddenly appeared in his mind.

[Achieved qi introduction. Chinese Animation Three Choices unlocked.]

[1: "Jackie Chan Adventures"-Shendu template]

[2: "The Magic Kid"-Shennong Ruler]

[3: "The Legend of Qin"-Jing Ni]

If this had been an ordinary world, who wouldn't have rushed headlong to pick Jing Ni?

She was beautiful, had a fantastic figure, and could fight.

But what sort of world was this?

This was Battle Through the Heavens, not turning Dou Qi into horses.

So Xiao Long could only grit his teeth and give up Jing Ni.

The Shennong Ruler was a fine treasure, capable of healing every injury and illness. But Shendu's Twelve Talismans included the Horse Talisman.

Isn't my Horse Talisman good enough?

Of course, if Shendu is an option, pick Shendu!

As soon as he made his choice, the options vanished.

A moment later, Shendu's image appeared in his mind.

The power of the Twelve Talismans continuously surged within him. The first thing to manifest was the power of all Twelve Talismans, pouring into his body.

His talent also rose by sheer force. At nine, he condensed a qi vortex and became a Dou Zhe.

The entire clan was astonished. After all, few among the Xiao Clan's younger generation became Dou Zhe at nine.

The key was that he had gone from qi introduction to Dou Zhe in just two years.

Xiao Zhan happily clapped him on the shoulder, declaring that his eldest son had made something of himself. Xiao Yan was already seven then.

He had also achieved qi introduction and was cultivating extremely quickly, so the two brothers became known as the Xiao Clan's twin stars.

Then that blasted panel popped up again.

[Advanced to Dou Zhe. Chinese Animation Three Choices unlocked.]

[1: "Star Travels"-Red-Eyed Roman's Rainbow Stone]

[2: "The Magic Kid"-Void Beast]

[3: "The Legend of Qin"-Flame Spirit Ji]

The Void Beast associated with the Divine Weapon Tianjing, Red-Eyed Roman's Rainbow Stone from Star Travels, and Flame Spirit Ji from The Legend of Qin left Xiao Long speechless.

How come last time it was the Shennong Ruler and Jing Ni...

And this time it's the Void Beast and Flame Spirit Ji?

If it had been the Tianjing Beast, he might have considered it. The Void Beast, though? Forget it.

A turtle didn't suit his style, either.

He also reluctantly gave up Flame Spirit Ji.

The same reasoning applied: a goddess was a goddess, but this was Battle Through the Heavens. For starters, there was no shortage of beautiful women.

And more importantly...

The other option was a Rainbow Stone!

He still remembered Red-Eyed Roman. After all, Star Travels had been quite popular back then.

His Rainbow Stone could control shadows and turn people into shadows-a different sort of Shadowkhan, in a way.

With this combination...

He had unexpectedly completed Shendu's entire setup in one go.

I'm not missing anything now!

Xiao Long hadn't been idle over the years, either. Whenever he had time, he went to the back mountain to test the Shendu template.

It did indeed include all Twelve Talismans, along with Shendu's own power and the various forms of magic he had mastered.

Their strength, however, depended on Xiao Long's own cultivation.

When he had just achieved qi introduction, he used the Ox Talisman and punched a tree. Its trunk swayed a little-the blow had the strength of a Dou Zhe at most.

After condensing a qi vortex and becoming a Dou Zhe at nine, he threw another punch. An old pine with a trunk so thick it took both arms to encircle snapped clean through the middle. Half its crown crashed to the ground with a rumble, startling a flock of birds into flight.

He stood before the broken tree in a daze for quite a while. Counting on his fingers, he reckoned that punch probably had the impact of a Da Dou Shi's attack.

From then on, he became even more diligent. He used the Horse Talisman to heal his scrapes and bruises, and the Snake Talisman to turn invisible and sneak peeks at... ahem, perfectly ordinary things.

He used the Rabbit Talisman to travel, growing increasingly proficient with the whole set.

He even had Shendu's Demon Magic.

As for the Rainbow Stone, he had tested that too. It could control his own shadow.

He could indeed control other people's shadows as well, but only if they were at the same cultivation realm as him-unless they offered no resistance whatsoever. As for turning them into shadows...

When he was twelve, he sneaked out to the Magical Beast Mountain Range to give it a try.

He could turn magical beasts into shadows too, but only those of the same rank as him. Once transformed, however, those beasts feared neither life nor death.

Now he was seventeen, a Nine-Star Dou Zhe, just one step away from Dou Shi.

That was actually because he had spent most of his energy studying the Twelve Talismans. And when he told Xiao Xun'er that his spirit was roaming heaven and earth, he hadn't been joking.

Shendu's Sheep Talisman could let his spirit roam heaven and earth.

"Young master, young miss, I finally found you! The clan leader says our important guests have arrived and wants you to come over now."

Just then, a maid in a plain cloth dress interrupted their conversation.

Her eyes lit up when she spotted them, and she hurriedly spoke.