Chapter 33

In the city center.

A hotel.

When Wu Xiaode opened his eyes, it was already nine in the morning.

He felt full of energy.

After a night's rest, his strength had been completely restored.

He stretched, sat up from the bed, and picked up his phone.

As soon as he opened it, a barrage of news pages popped up:

"Monster appears at night market, eats people on the spot!"

"Demons from another world appear!"

"Everyone, come and see, monster eating people on the street!"

"Not a mirage! Repeat, not a mirage! The devil has landed!"

"Rumor has it, there are already humans with awakened powers..."

"..."

Wu Xiaode swiped away all the news and finally saw a few useful voice messages.

The first was from Xia Huilan:

"Xiao Wu, the company has given me a new position and benefits, I'm heading to work now."

Wu Xiaode sighed inwardly.

It was obvious that Xia Huilan wanted to create an even more powerful mecha.

But Zhao Junyu had assured him that experts would secretly protect her.

Xia Huilan herself was also very alert, always carrying Xia Ni with her.

—For now, there should be no problem.

Then came Zhao Junyu's voice message:

"Last night's incident was huge, it has already caused a shock worldwide."

"I'm giving you a heads-up, the country is about to announce that all college entrance exam candidates will start school early and begin military training. This training will be real battlefield training, with no discounts."

"There's a possibility that mechas will be exposed."

Wu Xiaode put down his phone and went to wash up.

This five-star hotel was arranged by Zhao Junyu, it was quite luxurious and convenient. Wu Xiaode, following the principle of "use it or lose it," chose a suite for himself and Xia Huilan.

Twenty minutes later.

In the restaurant.

Wu Xiaode was eating while looking at the floating Book of the Dead in front of him.

Icy white characters appeared on the pages:

"A new day has begun."

"Settlement as follows:"

"Current character soul power: 7/7, willpower 1."

"You can use today's privilege to accept a new commission from the Wall of Wishes."

Do I even need to ask?

I must get stronger as soon as possible!

"Use today's privilege," Wu Xiaode said silently in his mind.

Mist suddenly appeared.

The entire world disappeared from his view, leaving only endless mist.

In the rising mist, a dilapidated wall stood quietly.

The Wall of Wishes!

A piece of paper fluttered in the wind, finally detaching from the wall and landing in Wu Xiaode's hand.

On the paper were a few lines of small text:

"Darkness is coming, but my successor is still engrossed in trivial matters, not even having awakened his soul power."

"How shameful!"

"Who can help him?"

"Please wake him from his mundane life, make him a true warrior, and prepare him for the chaos to come."

"I am willing to offer a generous reward!"

Wu Xiaode read it quickly and said without hesitation, "I accept this commission."

As soon as he spoke, the paper turned into two clusters of fine light points.

One cluster turned into a cloud-patterned black iron spearhead, landing in Wu Xiaode's hand.

This was the token.

The other cluster circled Wu Xiaode and then entered his forehead.

Images began to appear in Wu Xiaode's mind.

Wu Xiaode put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and sent a voice message to Xiao Baihong:

"Xiao, I want to help a friend awaken his soul power. I've never done this before, do you know any methods?"

After a while, Xiao Baihong replied.

"Xiao Wu, if awakening soul power could be helped, there would be no ordinary people in the world, only professionals."

"Is there really no way at all?" Wu Xiaode asked again.

"This is something that depends on a person's own qualities and willpower, and a bit of luck. Others can't help much," Xiao Baihong said.

Wu Xiaode sighed, "Alright, I understand."

If that's the case, this commission is quite difficult.

Fifty minutes later.

On the outskirts of the city.

A dilapidated martial arts school.

To say it was dilapidated was no exaggeration; even the "Pay your debts!" and "Rotten martial arts school" graffiti on the walls were left untouched.

But the school was quite large, with a lake a few hundred meters in front of the gate, a mountain behind it, and flowers and fish all around, making for a beautiful and fresh environment.

"What a nice place."

Wu Xiaode sighed and knocked on the door.

"Knock knock!"

"Who is it?" an impatient voice asked.

Wu Xiaode listened to the sounds inside.

The sounds of electronic games came through the door, some of which were familiar.

"A martial artist," Wu Xiaode said.

"A martial artist? Go, girl, open the door for him," the voice said.

The door opened a crack.

A little girl, about eleven or twelve years old, looked at him timidly and asked, "What do you want? To visit? To become a disciple? Or to challenge the school?"

Wu Xiaode smiled, "This martial arts school has a bit of history with me, I've come to visit."

"Father, it's a visitor," the little girl called out.

"Please him in," the voice said.

The door opened.

On the spacious training ground, a group of hens were pecking for food, while a rooster strutted proudly.

As Wu Xiaode passed by, the rooster ran away in a panic.

When it realized Wu Xiaode wasn't there to catch it, it immediately regained its proud demeanor.

In the corner, a vegetable garden was planted.

The little girl ran back to the garden to guard it from the chickens.

She sat on a small stool, writing her homework on a low table.

Outside the house, a long row of awnings was set up.

Under the awnings, there were a long row of large electronic game machines.

These were quite old, long since obsolete, and now most people played games on computers, so few people played these arcade machines.

The training ground was quite spacious.

Behind the training ground was a three-section courtyard, quite elaborate.

A plump middle-aged man in a training suit was standing under the awning, playing a game.

Without turning his head, he asked,

"May I ask who you are?"

"My name is Wu, everyone calls me Xiao Wu. I am a descendant of the Iron Wire Fist school," Wu Xiaode said.

"Nice to meet you, I am Qian Mingkui, a descendant of the Snow Treading Plum Blossom school. May I ask what brings you here?" the fat man said.

Wu Xiaode looked at his screen.

His opponent in this level was quite strong, already reducing his character to zero health.

"Brother, you can't hold on, be careful," Wu Xiaode warned.

"I know, but this guy is really tough. He has a flying slash move, and even blocking it costs health—"

Suddenly, the fat man let out a wail.

The computer indeed used a flying slash move, killing his character.

The fat man sighed and turned around, "Alright, buddy, what brings you here?"

"My ancestors had a connection with your school, I've come to visit and reminisce," Wu Xiaode said.

"Ha ha, so you're a descendant of an old friend. As martial artists, instead of talking, why don't we spar a bit?" Qian Mingkui said.

Wu Xiaode looked at his large belly, his unkempt appearance, and his obvious dark circles, thinking that one shouldn't judge a book by its cover. This guy looked so weak, yet he was so eager to fight.

Being eager to fight is a good thing—

If his qualities and character are up to par, he might have a chance to awaken his soul power.

Let's give it a try.

Wu Xiaode took a fighting stance and smiled, "Please."

Qian Mingkui also took a stance and said, "Please."

Neither of them moved.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Three minutes.

"Brother, why aren't you moving?" Wu Xiaode couldn't help but ask.

"Sorry, our school's martial arts emphasize striking after the opponent. Please show me your skills," Qian Mingkui said.

Wu Xiaode suddenly understood and said, "Then I'll attack."

"Come on!" Qian Mingkui shouted.

Wu Xiaode moved forward, not using any soul power, and lightly delivered a burst of force.

Qian Mingkui's small eyes glinted with ferocity. He neither retreated nor dodged, but instead stepped forward, and his hands met Wu Xiaode's fist—

Thud!

Qian Mingkui let out a blood-curdling scream and rolled on the ground.

The little girl rushed over, shouting,

"Father, what's wrong, father!"

Qian Mingkui clutched his head and said in pain, "Father's head! Father's head is injured, concussion, it hurts so much!"

Wu Xiaode was silent for a moment, then squatted down and whispered, "Brother, you're faking it, you won't get any money that way."

Qian Mingkui, still clutching his head, said, "I really do hurt—"

Wu Xiaode interrupted him, "You won't pass the forensic exam, they see cases like yours all the time."

Qian Mingkui grumbled, "I'll keep at it—"

Wu Xiaode interrupted him again, "Brother, I'm alone and a student—do you think I have a few hundred dollars to spare?"

Qian Mingkui looked at him again, sat up from the ground, and sighed, "Brother, though young, you're a seasoned veteran. Have you done this kind of thing before?"

"Not really, but I can't lie down," Wu Xiaode said honestly.

"Brother, are you really here because of our connection with the Snow Treading Plum Blossom school?" Qian Mingkui asked.

"Indeed, I came to visit and reminisce," Wu Xiaode said.

He took out the cloud-patterned black iron spearhead from his shoulder bag and placed two bottles of wine and a bag of snacks in front of Qian Mingkui.

"Alright, alright, we're both wanderers in this world. Stay for lunch before you leave."

Qian Mingkui waved his hand.