As Natasha pushed the wheelchair into the entryway, Lin Xiao smelled a burnt odor.
The smell wafted from the kitchen, and Lin Xiao's nose twitched. He turned to look at Natasha. Natasha expressionlessly pushed her wheelchair forward, the wheels hitting the threshold and making Lin Xiao grimace.
"Slow down, slow down, slow down..."
"You told me yourself to hurry home. What, now you're telling me to slow down? Are you afraid your women will eat you up?" Natasha bent down to look at his face, a smirk playing on her lips.
Lin Xiao didn't reply. He turned his neck with difficulty and sniffed again towards the kitchen. The smell was definitely not right. Mei never burned the food when she cooked, but this smell gave Lin Xiao a bad feeling.
Natasha pushed him through the entrance hall, and they appeared in front of the dining room on the first floor.
Several dishes were already laid out on the table: sweet and sour pork ribs, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, a plate of crookedly sliced braised beef, and a steaming bowl of tomato and egg soup. As for the presentation, the pork ribs were a bit too dark in color, and the braised beef was unevenly sliced, but the stir-fried vegetables looked surprisingly normal—the bright green leaves had no burnt spots, and although the garlic slices were chopped into different sizes, at least they weren't burnt.
Mei's voice came from the kitchen. " Betty, you can't just throw the whole cauliflower in. You have to break it into small florets first, like this—"
"I broke it," Betty said, sounding a little aggrieved. "But it won't listen. Some are big, some are small, and I don't know the standard size."
There are no standard sizes. Just choose one that looks close enough.
"About how much? The recipes I see online use 'appropriate amount' and 'a little bit,' what do these two words actually mean? If they use 'appropriate amount,' why not specify it down to the gram?"
The kitchen fell silent, then Mei's laughter echoed through the air.
Lin Xiao leaned back in his wheelchair, listening to the conversation between the two women in the kitchen, and a smile unconsciously crept onto his lips.
Natasha pushed him to the dining table, pulled out a chair for herself, sat down, picked up her chopsticks, took a slice of braised beef, put it in her mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and raised her eyebrows slightly.
"It tastes alright, would you like to try some?"
After saying that, she picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks and held it to Lin Xiao's mouth. Lin Xiao opened his mouth and swallowed it in one gulp. His expression was extremely interesting. How much salt did she put in this? She must have killed the salt seller. It was so salty and made his throat hurt. It seems to be Betty's cooking. However, it is commendable that she could make such a good Chinese dish on her first attempt.
Lin Xiao laboriously raised his right hand, which was wrapped in bandages, and gave a thumbs-up. "Howl."
Natasha smiled slightly as she looked at Lin Xiao.
The kitchen door opened at that moment. Mei came out carrying a plate of freshly stir-fried cauliflower, a smile on her face. Betty followed behind her, wearing her floral apron, holding a spatula, a pinch of flour on her nose, her expression extremely serious.
" Lin Xiao!" Betty's eyes lit up when she saw him, then, as if remembering something, her face flushed and her voice calmed down. "You're back. Did the mission go well?"
"It went smoothly, but I'm a bit of a cripple. Look at my legs, arms, and neck, it looks like I was hit by a car."
"You always say you got hit by a car." Mei put the cauliflower on the table, walked over, bent down to check his neck brace, and gently pressed her fingers on the back of his neck twice to make sure it was secure. Just as she was about to get up, Lin Xiao took the opportunity to kiss her on the lips, making Mei roll her eyes. Lin Xiao turned to Betty, "You've been learning to cook from Mei? Did you make this braised beef? It's not bad. Remember not to put so much salt next time, and it will be even more perfect."
Betty blushed and nodded, looking quite excited.
Mei said you like Dragon Country food, so I learned how to cook it. You said it was delicious, so you should eat more.
Lin Xiao's facial muscles twitched slightly before he nodded seriously.
"Okay, I'll finish it all in a bit, so don't try to take it from me."
Betty nodded in satisfaction. Mei sat down next to Lin Xiao, picked up her chopsticks, put two pieces of pork ribs in Lin Xiao Lin Xiao's bowl, and carefully fed them to him.
Dinner was a lively affair. Betty ate while analyzing the ingredients and cooking principles of each dish with the mind of a scientist, dissecting the recipe for the sweet and sour pork ribs sauce as if she were giving a scientific paper. Mei served her food while occasionally correcting her word choice, saying, "This isn't called stirring sucrose solution, it's called caramelizing sugar." Natasha occasionally chimed in, but Lin Xiao noticed that her gaze kept bouncing back and forth between Mei and Betty, and the predatory focus she showed sent a chill down Lin Xiao's spine.
Gwen Stacy wasn't here today. She went back to school to prepare for her exams, saying her physics teacher threatened to make her take summer classes if she missed any more. Lin Xiao thought this was a good thing; at least he wouldn't have to face the siege of four women at the same time tonight.
After dinner, Natasha carefully carried Lin Xiao upstairs. Betty and May flanked him, making sure Natasha didn't drop Lin Xiao. Lin Xiao felt a little embarrassed, but that's just how it is.
After the three women came downstairs, Lin Xiao opened the system panel and decided to clear out the task system, since he was bored anyway.
"Ding--Six-Star Quest--Defeat Wenwu. Completed. Quest Rating: SS."
Lin Xiao stared at the "SS" for several seconds, the corners of his mouth curving upwards. Six-star mission, SS rating. That old bastard Wenwu was indeed worth the price. Although he almost beat him to death, thinking about it from another angle, if he hadn't been so difficult to defeat, the system wouldn't have given him such a high rating.
The settlement summary popped up. Fifty points were allocated freely, plus one S+ grade item.
Fifty free attribute points! The most free points he had ever received before. Lin Xiao took a deep breath and began to allocate all his free points, pushing his strength to 528; his spirit from 60 to 150; and his agility from 25 to 60. He didn't touch his intelligence and charm for the time being—23 points of intelligence was enough, and 22 points of charm was enough for him to flirt with women everywhere.
After the assignment was completed, his new panel popped up.
Strength: 528. Intelligence: 23. Charisma: 22. Spirit: 150. Agility: 60.
Overall combat strength rating: A-.
A-. He stared at those two characters for a long time. From the B+ he received when he was brutally beaten by the Hulk to the A- he was now, how many tough battles had passed? He was swung around like a sack by the Hulk, had his hair burned by the Pyro, was attacked from both sides by two Mutants who had lived for two hundred years, and was almost sent to meet the King of Hell by Wenwu's ten rings. Every battle almost cost him his life, but every battle also pushed his combat power to a new level.
He's now A-, only half a level below the Hulk's base form. He recalled Tao Yuhan, who was only B- when he fought that agent from the Dragon Country's S.P.E.A.R. Bureau in a New York alley. Back then, Tao Yuhan said his mental strength was too low, making him vulnerable to Mind Stone- control opponents. Now that his mental strength is 150, he shouldn't be able to withstand a single glare from such an enemy.
He leaned back on the pillow, a slow smile spreading across his face, as he prepared to examine the S+ item more closely.
A golden light exploded before his eyes, brighter than any previous light emitted by the props, so bright that he instinctively squinted. After the light dissipated, a palm-sized brocade box floated in mid-air. The box was deep red, with golden cloud patterns embroidered on the lid, giving it an antique feel, as if it had traveled from some fantasy world. The lid popped open automatically, revealing a thumb-sized crystal inside. The crystal was completely transparent, with a pale blue mist slowly rotating inside, and several extremely fine silver threads could be vaguely seen flowing deep within the mist.
" Random Martial Soul Awakening Gift Pack (S+ Rank). From * Douluo World *. Effect: Awakens a unique Martial Soul for the user. Martial Soul type, quality, and attributes are completely random. Note: Once awakened, the Martial Soul is bound to the soul and cannot be changed, traded, or destroyed. This is a reflection of your soul; accept it."
Lin Xiao stared at the crystal for a long time, then took a deep breath. Random awakening. Unchangeable. What's the difference between this and gacha? And there's no pity system. He mentally prayed to every deity he could— the Three Pure Ones, Tathagata Buddha, Guanyin Bodhisattva, God, Allah, even Fury, that Black Baldy, in passing. Then he reached out and pressed his hand on the crystal. The crystal shattered. Pale blue mist surged from the fragments, trickling into his arm from his fingertips, climbing up his veins, and finally gathering at his brow. An extremely faint, slightly cool sensation exploded at his brow, then quickly spread throughout his body.
He looked down at the palm of his right hand. A blade of grass. A very small blade of grass, only about the length of his palm, entirely azure blue, with slender, soft leaves, and a faint blue halo around its leaves. It lay quietly in his palm, swaying gently with his breathing, looking harmless, even a little cute.
Blue Silver Grass. The most famous useless Martial Soul in the Douluo Continent. Tang Xiaosan, who was born with full Soul Power, used it to defy fate, but that was Tang Xiaosan —he had the Mysterious Heaven Skill, the Eight Spider Lances, various fortuitous encounters, and the protagonist's halo. Lin Xiao looked down at the small blue grass in his palm that was still faintly glowing, his lips twitching several times, with only one thought in his mind—what could this thing do in his hands? Trip people for fun? He tried to activate it with his mind. Several extremely thin Blue Silver Grass, about ten centimeters long, emerged from his palm, swayed slowly in the air, and then wrapped around the water glass on the bedside table. He tried to pull the water glass towards him, and the Blue Silver Grass tensed for a moment before going limp, the vines hanging weakly on the glass.
Lin Xiao expressionlessly retracted the Blue Silver Grass into his body, opened the system panel, and typed a line in the notes section of the Martial Soul Box: "Can be used to assist in drinking water, but it's not as good as using your hands directly."
He stared at the line of text for two seconds, then closed the panel. Oh well. It's an S+ item after all; maybe it can be upgraded later, he thought. Didn't Tang Xiaosan's Blue Silver Grass eventually evolve into the Blue Silver Emperor? Although he didn't have the Mysterious Heaven Skill or the Eight Spider Lances, he had the system.
He leaned back on the pillow, starting to think about the Ten Rings. The nine rings were currently lying quietly in the System Space, emitting a faint blue glow in the darkness. He hadn't had time to study in detail how these rings were used. Wenwu could control Ten Rings simultaneously; each ring could release energy shockwaves of different attributes and could also combine to form a shield, combining offense and defense—absurdly powerful. He tried to touch the nearest ring on his left with his mind. The ring emitted an extremely deep hum, and a circle of pale blue ripples appeared on its surface, as if responding to his call. Good. There was a response. But when he tried to inject his mental energy into it, the ring's hum suddenly stopped. The light on its surface flickered a few times and then went out completely. No matter how hard he tried, the ring no longer responded.
Lin Xiao tried several more times. The result was the same: all the rings reacted to his mental power, but refused to be activated. They were willing to acknowledge his existence, but refused to let him use them.
" Doupao, how exactly do we activate these rings?"
"Ding-- This system's database does not contain detailed usage instructions for the Ten Rings. This item is a divine artifact-level equipment in this plane, and its compatibility with the host's system is currently unclear. It is recommended that the host explore the activation method independently."
"Explore on your own? Can you give me a hint? Even just one would be helpful."
Doupao remained silent for a long time, so long that Lin Xiao almost thought it had crashed again.
"Ding-- I can only tell the host one thing: In ancient China legends, the recognition of divine weapons by their masters is often related to bloodline. The previous holder of the Ten Rings, Wenwu, had a bloodline originating from a reclusive family in the Dragon Country. Alternatively, you can find someone related to Wenwu by blood to activate it."
A reclusive family in Dragon Country, related to Wenwu by blood. He spun these two pieces of information in his mind several times. Shang-Chi was the first to be eliminated; he was Wenwu's blood relative, and if he were to come, it was uncertain who would get the Ten Rings. Lin Xiao suddenly remembered Tao Yuhan, the agent of the S.P.E.A.R. of Dragon Country, whom he had met in a New York alley a few months ago. Tao had mentioned that he had pursued Heartfire across several countries. He was very open-minded about Mutants and handled things very professionally, clearly having received formal training. When he fought him, Tao used authentic Dragon Country arts, so he should also know about the Ten Rings.
"Doupao, Tao Yuhan from the S. P. A. S ...
Meanwhile, in a distant cosmic dimension.
Douhun Continent, Holy Soul Village
Today is the big day for the awakening of Martial Soul. The village's children of the right age lined up in the square. An old man wearing a white robe and with a goatee sat in the center of the square in a grand chair. He held a roster in his hand, and on the stone platform next to him were six black stones used to test Soul Power.
We've already tested several batches today. This year's harvest isn't good; the children at the front all awakened useless Martial Soul —a sickle, a hoe, and a rusty sword with an unsharpened blade. The old man's face turned black with anger.
"Next up, Tang Xiaosan!"
A commotion rippled through the crowd. Tang Xiaosan stepped out of the line, his gait arrogant, chin held high, a disdainful smile playing on his lips. He stopped in front of the stone platform, offering no greeting, but simply waving his hand dismissively.
"Let's begin, don't waste time."
The deacon's goatee twitched. In all his years as a deacon, this was the first time he had ever heard a six-year-old speak to him in such a tone. But he was, after all, a man of the world. When the Tang family boy was born, there were strange phenomena in the sky, and the village was full of rumors about it. Perhaps he really was a diamond in the rough.
The deacon opened the yellowed ancient book, placed his right hand on the cover, and a circle of pale golden light shone from his palm. The light spread from the book, flowed down the stone platform to Tang Xiaosan's feet, and enveloped him completely. The six black stones lit up simultaneously, the light growing brighter from faint to intense.
Tang Xiaosan felt the surging Soul Power within his body, nodded in satisfaction, turned around, his back to the deacon, and faced the group of children below the stage who were still waiting for the results.
"Did you all see that clearly? In a moment, I'll show you what true difference is. You bunch of trash, it's your honor to witness my Martial Soul in this lifetime." His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for everyone to hear. "In a moment, you'll see what innate full Soul Power is, what it means to—"
He paused, tilted his head, and uttered four words in an extremely sincere tone.
"The Chosen One."
The children below the stage looked at each other in bewilderment. A chubby little boy with a snotty nose whispered, "What does 'chosen one' mean?" His mother quickly covered his mouth. The tall, thin guy next to him, whose Martial Soul was revealed to be a hoe, rolled his eyes, but didn't dare to do it too obviously. What if this guy really was a genius? He could always cling to him if he ever failed in his career.
The deacon cleared his throat, gesturing for Tang Xiaosan to turn back. The Soul Power test was complete; the six black stones shone brightly, far exceeding the level of all the children before. Next was the Martial Soul awakening. The deacon increased his Soul Power output, and the golden light shone again, brighter and more dazzling than before, enveloping Tang Xiaosan in a layer of golden light. He had already assumed his posture, his right hand stretched forward, fingers spread, palm facing upward, the corner of his mouth curving into a perfect smile.
He had absolute confidence. He could recite the Three Character Classic at the age of three, help chop firewood at four, and play chess with the adults in the village at five without being at a disadvantage. His old man died young, but he left behind so many notebooks, each one worn out from being read so many times. Those notebooks contained things that others couldn't understand, but he could. Mysterious Heaven Skill, Purple Demon Eye, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track —no one in the village had ever heard of these names, but they were as natural to him as breathing.
He is no ordinary person. He has never been an ordinary person. His Martial Soul should naturally be the strongest.
Golden light exploded in his palm. Everyone held their breath.
Tang Xiaosan looked down at his outstretched right palm; there was nothing there. He turned his palm over to look at the back of his hand, but there was nothing there either. His smile froze, frozen for a fraction of a second. He turned his palm over and over again, looking at it twice more, his brows furrowing slightly.
"... Reboot it. Butler, let's try again."
Sweat began to bead on the deacon's forehead. He tried again. The golden light shone brightly once more, and the six black stones gleamed dazzlingly. Then the golden light faded again.
There's still nothing there.
A crack finally appeared in Tang Xiaosan's expression. He withdrew his hand, studied it for a while, then stretched it out again, this time with a hint of impatience in his tone. "Again."
The third time. The fourth time. The fifth time.
The deacon's hands began to tremble. He had lived for over sixty years and had never seen anything like it. Soul Power, but no Martial Soul? How could that be? He flipped through the ancient book to the last page, then back to the first, confirming that the incantation was correct, the hand gestures were correct, and even the breathing rhythm was strictly in accordance with the rules.
"One more time." Tang Xiaosan's voice was squeezed out through clenched teeth, each word sounding as if it had been chilled to the bone.
The deacon wiped the sweat from his brow, his voice slightly weak. "Child, we've tried six times already. The result... I'm afraid..."
"I said, one more time." Tang Xiaosan turned his head and stared at the deacon with eyes that were completely unlike those of a six-year-old child.
The deacon swallowed hard and activated his Soul Power for the seventh time. Golden light shone. The black stone shone. The golden light dissipated.
There's still nothing there.
The square was completely silent. All the parents and children were staring at the boy on the stage, who was still holding the outstretched hand gesture. Some people had started whispering to each other; their voices weren't loud, but they could be heard clearly in the quiet square.
"Is the Tang family's child... spoiled?"
"Who knows? They were so arrogant just now, I thought they really had some skills."
"Six attempts and he still hasn't produced Martial Soul? Isn't that just a waste? Such high Soul Power is a complete misuse."
Tang Xiaosan heard every word of these words, and his face turned from red to green, then from green to purple at a visible speed. His lips were pressed into a line, and his cheeks puffed out.
Just then, the uncle next to him, whose Martial Soul had been tested and revealed to be a kitchen knife, couldn't hold back any longer. This uncle Wang Erniu, thirty-five years old this year, and the oldest among this group of "older awakeners". He was already wronged enough to have awakened a kitchen knife, but at this moment, looking at the young man on the stage who was frozen like a telephone pole, he suddenly felt that his kitchen knife was not so unacceptable.
What's wrong with a kitchen knife? A kitchen knife can chop vegetables, cut bones, and be sharpened until it shines, hanging on the kitchen wall as a family heirloom. It's better than nothing, right?
Wang Erniu became happier and happier as he thought about it, and finally couldn't hold it in any longer, bursting out with a loud, crisp laugh that sounded particularly jarring in the quiet square.
"Hahahaha--The chosen one? That's it? That's it?" He nudged the person next to him with his elbow, laughing so hard tears were almost streaming down his face. "Didn't you just say you were the chosen one? Turns out you don't even have Martial Soul? What am I then? The son of the kitchen knife? Hahahaha--"
He laughed as he summoned his cleaver Martial Soul again, raising it above his head and waving it. The cleaver gleamed in the sunlight, and several dark patterns could be faintly seen on its blade, giving it a rather imposing appearance.
"See that? A kitchen knife! Martial Soul! I, Wang Erniu, have Martial Soul! Some people don't even have a kitchen knife!" Wang Erniu slung the kitchen knife over his shoulder and gestured towards Tang Xiaosan. "Hey Tang kid, want to borrow my kitchen knife for a bit? You can't awaken it anyway, so this kitchen knife is at least an object."
Before he could finish speaking, Tang Xiaosan suddenly turned his head, his eyes burning with a ferocity that a six-year-old shouldn't have. Wang Erniu was so frightened by that look that he swallowed the rest of his words, and the kitchen knife almost slipped from his shoulder.
Tang Xiaosan took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the anger that was about to explode in his chest. He turned back to face the steward, his face once again displaying that composed smile, but the smile looked stiff, as if it had been glued to his lips.
"... Sir, I request a different set of testing stones, a different ancient book, and a different steward. Basically, anything is fine with me. This isn't my problem, it's yours. How could someone with innate full Soul Power not have Martial Soul? Does that logic even make sense? Shouldn't your equipment be updated? It's so old, and you're still using it? Don't you feel ashamed?"
The deacon's goatee trembled violently. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but found that his professional demeanor was barely able to suppress the surging blood in his chest. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and uttered six words in an extremely restrained tone.
"Next, Wang Ergou."