Chapter 39

A violent storm raged, with lightning flashing and thunder rumbling.

Wu Xiaode, standing at the classroom door, took a deep breath and firmly gripped the secret letter his mother had given him.

Martial Arts Hall.

On a low wooden table, three bowls of noodles were placed.

These noodles were simply boiled in water, with a bit of salt sprinkled on top, and nothing else.

"Are you eating this for lunch?" Wu Xiaode asked, sitting on a small stool and looking at the large bowl in front of him.

"No, today you're here, so we specially added an egg." Qian Kuiming used his chopsticks to lift the noodles, revealing the poached egg underneath.

Xiao Shi looked at the steaming egg and swallowed his saliva.

"Is there nothing else?" Wu Xiaode asked.

Qian Mingkui took out a jar of shrimp paste and placed it on the table, saying, "Vegetables."

"Alright..."

Let's eat then.

Wu Xiaode picked up a bowl of noodles, lifted a few strands, and slowly slurped them into his mouth.

"Hmm, Xiao Shi cooked them well," he praised.

Xiao Shi smiled at him.

"Eat while it's hot, or it will dry out," Qian Mingkui said.

He buried his head and started eating the noodles.

Xiao Shi ate without saying a word.

Wu Xiaode glanced at the pouring rain outside, his eyes flickering, and they landed on the Book of the Dead.

Rows of icy small characters floated motionless:

"Your ancestor's spirit used your body to perform the first move of 'Wind and Snow Solitary Journey,' 'You Lie Buried in the Mud.'"

"Your understanding of sword techniques has deepened."

"Special Note:"

"Performing 'You Lie Buried in the Mud' requires at least 15 points of soul power, and the second move, 'I Entrust Myself to the Snow-Covered World,' requires 30 points of soul power."

Wu Xiaode retracted his gaze.

30 points of soul power!

The current soul power limit for people is 10 points.

At least three times the soul power is needed to perform such a move!

It's not feasible in the short term.

Let's focus on the ground and make the most of the remaining six days to increase soul power.

In addition, there is one extremely important thing to do.

Publish a commission!

As Wu Xiaode thought, the thick book with a black cover quietly opened, revealing rows of icy small characters:

"Please find a quiet and uninhabited place to publish a commission on this book's wall of wishes."

Wu Xiaode quickly finished his noodles, put down the bowl, and asked, "Old Qian, is my room ready?"

"Ah, it's ready," Qian Mingkui hurriedly replied.

"Already?"

"It was already empty, just needed to set up the bed and bedding. It's a former student's room—appliances will have to wait until the weather clears to buy."

"Give me the key to the room, I'll go rest."

"Sure thing."

Wu Xiaode took the key, pushed the door open, and went inside.

In the room.

Wu Xiaode touched the quilt on the bed.

The quilt cover was new, with a fresh scent of the sun.

The room was clean.

This was the result of Xiao Shi's hard work.

Wu Xiaode was very satisfied and stood there, saying, "It's ready, let's start here."

The Book of the Dead, floating in mid-air, gently trembled.

A misty white fog began to emanate from the mysterious black-covered book.

Soon, the entire room was filled with fog, making it impossible to see anything around.

The world seemed to disappear.

Wu Xiaode slightly turned his body and looked toward the nearby area.

At some point, a dilapidated giant wall had quietly appeared in his field of vision.

The wall was covered with various slips of paper, each emitting a completely different strange vibration.

The Wall of Wishes!

Wu Xiaode looked at the wall and saw a blank slip of paper in the center.

This was the opportunity to publish a commission he had earned after completing a commission.

"Come!"

He said softly.

The blank slip of paper indeed detached from the wall and floated down into his hand.

Yesterday, he was in a hurry to find Xia Huilan, so he sought the help of the Crow Spirit.

Today's commission must be about saving himself.

"I am in the mouth of a Cyclops, and it is about to eat me. Who can save me and help me escape from this fate of death?"

"As for the reward—"

"I can pay 8 points of soul power."

As Wu Xiaode thought, rows of small characters appeared on the slip of paper.

Wu Xiaode read it over, found no issues, and reattached the slip to the Wall of Wishes.

He waited for a few moments.

The slip remained still.

Wu Xiaode, not giving up, continued to wait.

Time slowly passed.

After a full ten minutes, the slip still did not move, and the Book of the Dead opened, revealing rows of icy small characters:

"The Cyclops is a monster from mythology. No spirit is willing to offend it for just 8 points of soul power, let alone put themselves in danger."

"You need to change the content of your commission."

"Only once."

"If the next commission you change still does not attract any spirits, today's commission will be void."

The slip of paper, now blank, fell from the Wall of Wishes and landed back in Wu Xiaode's hand.

Wu Xiaode looked at the slip, falling into deep thought.

Indeed.

In that death trap, the Cyclops itself had said:

"For countless years, you lowly creatures have rarely dared to fight me. Even if you do, you can't withstand my single move, let alone hit me. You are truly as insignificant and laughable as dust."

—No one is its match!

How could he have thought he could escape from its grasp?

Wu Xiaode closed his eyes, gently rubbed his temples, and tried to keep his emotions calm.

Yes.

Indeed, no one is its match, but didn't he slap it?

It is not without flaws.

The Book of the Dead also said that 8 points of soul power are not enough to attract anyone.

Unfortunately...

He has nothing substantial to offer as a reward for the commission.

Wait!

Wu Xiaode suddenly remembered something.

"Let me see my current status," he said.

The Book of the Dead immediately displayed rows of icy small characters:

"Ability Owner: Wu Xiaode."

"Soul Power: 8/8."

"Merit: 1."

"Ancient Martial Arts Style: Iron Wire Fist."

"Knowledge: 'Design of 92025 Type High-Level Humanoid Combat Robot Curved Bearings - Revised, 92025 Cultivation Dish Operation Guide, Basic Knowledge of 92025 Humanoid Combat Robots.'"

"Sword Technique: Wind and Snow Solitary Journey (When you wield a sword in battle, this technique will continuously enhance your sword skills.)"

Merit!

Wu Xiaode immediately noticed the word "Merit."

He remembered that when he obtained this point of merit, the Book of the Dead had explained:

"Merit is an extremely rare intangible force. Unlike soul power, it cannot be used to drive techniques, but it is a threshold for many things."

"You can use it when you publish a commission in the future."

Rare!

What does rare mean?

Valuable!

Wu Xiaode became excited, holding the slip of paper and pacing back and forth in the fog until he had a clear plan, then he said:

"I am in the mouth of a Cyclops. Given my current condition and state, how can I escape?"

"Reward: 8 points of soul power, 1 point of merit."

As Wu Xiaode spoke, rows of small characters appeared on the slip of paper.

Done!

Wu Xiaode reattached it to the Wall of Wishes, took a few steps back, and waited quietly.

—This time, he did not ask a spirit to help directly.

He just asked a question.

Is that too much to ask?

Just answering his question would earn 1 point of merit!

If he were a powerful being, and one day he looked down on the world and saw that he could earn merit just by speaking a few words, he would not pass up the opportunity!

There are two key points here. One is that merit is indeed as precious as the Book of the Dead said.

The second is...

"Book of the Dead, would anyone lie to earn merit?" Wu Xiaode asked, worried.

The Book of the Dead quietly displayed a row of icy small characters:

"Commissions on the Wall of Wishes follow the law of cause and effect. If there is any deceit, the cause and effect will not be established, and the merit cannot be obtained."

Wu Xiaode felt reassured.

He was not overly worried about the commission not being accepted.

It is what it is.

He had nothing more to offer.

If this still cannot attract a powerful spirit to answer his question, he would have to accept his fate.

"Come... who will help me solve this predicament..."

Wu Xiaode said softly.

He stared at the slip of paper on the Wall of Wishes.

One moment.

Two moments.

Three moments.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew.

The slip of paper, blown by the wind, immediately floated off the wall and quickly disappeared.

The Book of the Dead displayed a row of icy small characters:

"The commission has been accepted."

"Please wait."

Accepted!

Wu Xiaode's heart trembled.

With his puny body, facing the Cyclops, it was almost a certain death.

Not to mention, he was in its mouth.

—Someone actually knows how to deal with it!

In the next instant, the Book of the Dead suddenly displayed a row of small characters:

"Here it comes!"

In the endless mist, a beam of incomparably holy light descended from the sky, illuminating Wu Xiaode.

Under the holy light, Wu Xiaode felt his body become transparent, as if seen through by some existence deep in the sky.

A voice suddenly sounded in his ear:

"Difficult... with your strength, to resist a being from mythology is almost impossible..."

"Who dares to meddle with fate? Who dares to speak for you?"

"Only I, who have some old grudges with it, and find this matter quite interesting."

"I can tell you."

"Listen carefully, I will only say this once:"

"You need to think carefully about why you can avoid the destined death, and find the deepest thought in your heart."

"Find that thought, and your fate will begin to change!"