Ankula took a sealed crystal test tube from her bosom and handed it to Xia Lun with both hands.
Xia Lun received it carefully.
"Ah, actually, the quality of this crystal test tube is pretty good—it wouldn't break even if dropped," Ankula explained. "I thought this would make it look more ceremonial, since I put quite a bit of effort into it."
Ankula wasn't sure why she was explaining herself. Perhaps some strange, fleeting thought had gotten to her... The atmosphere turned a bit awkward.
Xia Lun touched the test tube. The faint warmth of the young woman's body still lingered on it.
Xia Lun remained as calm as still water, his expression unchanged.
"Done so soon?" Xia Lun looked at the pink solution in his hand, mildly surprised.
"Hmm..." A flicker of pride crossed Ankula's face. When it came to this subject, she regained her confidence. "It's just a strength potion. For me, that's a piece of cake..."
"Is this what a strength potion is supposed to look like?" Xia Lun raised his hand and glanced weirdly at the pink liquid in the test tube. The potion sloshed gently inside the crystal vial, refracting a soft halo like the glow of sunset.
In his memory, the strength potions on the market were mostly light blue.
"Ahem, Captain Xia Lun, you know your constitution is special. The potion brewed for you naturally can't be compared to those common ones on the market..." Ankula cleared her throat, as if covering something up.
"Is there something you're hiding from me?" Xia Lun looked at Ankula with suspicion. His keen insight immediately sensed something off.
"It's just... after you drink it, there might be a tiny side effect..." Ankula shrank her neck. Her fingers fidgeted nervously, wrapping strands of her hair into little knots. "It's not as perfect as I thought it would be. Sorry, Xia Lun."
"What's the big deal?" Xia Lun let out a wry laugh. "Isn't it normal for this kind of potion to have side effects?"
"Since this is your first time, Xia Lun, I wanted your experience to be better." Ankula playfully stuck out her tongue.
Xia Lun pretended he hadn't heard a thing.
"So, what's the side effect?" Xia Lun shook the test tube gently, his gaze fixed on the rippling pink inside.
It really was the kind of color that sparked wild imaginations.
"It's just... after drinking it, you'll get a bit hyper." Ankula quickly added, the tips of her ears flushing a shade similar to the potion's color. Then she hurriedly explained, "It only affects your judgement a little—it won't hinder combat. And I'm sure with your mental fortitude, you can resist it!"
"A bit hyper?" Xia Lun mused for a moment. "Could that actually be beneficial in battle?"
"Maybe..." Ankula tilted her head. "It's similar to the effect of taking a stimulant... but since you've never used anything like this before, I'm not sure how the potion will work on you. But probably nothing serious."
"Alright, I understand." Xia Lun nodded slightly and tucked the potion away.
He trusted his squad's unofficial witch. Even though Dawn Wings had already disbanded.
Then Ankula brought out a small oak chest. Inside, rows of identical crystal test tubes sat in a wooden rack, clinking against each other as she moved them.
Counting them, there were about a dozen.
"Take these too, Captain Xia Lun." Ankula gave him an apologetic smile.
"What's this..."
"I ended up making too much." Ankula smiled sheepishly. "I figured since I was already at it, I might as well make a batch..."
Xia Lun shook his head. "I don't need that many... Why don't you sell them to someone else?"
"That's the problem." Ankula shrugged and sighed helplessly. "I only realized later—there's hardly anyone else who can drink this. The potion is tailored to your physique, specially made for you... Others wouldn't be able to handle the potency. If they drank it, they'd die a pretty ugly death."
Xia Lun twitched the corner of his mouth. He hadn't expected that he wasn't the only one who could occasionally be scatterbrained.
"It's not convenient for me to keep this stuff around either, so why don't you just take it and drink it slowly, haha..." Ankula pushed the whole chest toward Xia Lun. Having no choice, he accepted it.
Drink it slowly? This isn't some beverage...
"Well, thanks... As for those materials you wanted, I've already checked them out. I can get about seventy percent for you." Xia Lun waved his hand.
"Really?!" Ankula's eyes lit up. She looked so excited it seemed she might leap over the counter at any moment and plant a kiss on Xia Lun's cheek. "You're the best, Captain Xia Lun!"
"You're welcome. You've helped me a lot too." Xia Lun gave a gentle smile.
"How much money should I prepare? None of those materials are cheap..." Ankula started counting on her fingers, then suddenly stiffened. The funds she had available wouldn't even cover that many precious materials.
"Don't worry about it. I'll pay for it." Xia Lun said casually. Ankula had helped Dawn Wings quite a lot over the years, and he never liked owing anyone favors.
"Oh my god! Captain Xia Lun! I love you to death!" Ankula let out a cheer, hopping up and down excitedly in the cramped space behind the counter. "Can't you just ditch Miss Ai Na and be with me? I'd do anything to repay you!"
"No." Xia Lun refused decisively, as uncompromising as the sword skill he always used.
"Sigh, alright... Captain Xia Lun, you don't even know how to say one comforting word." Ankula shook her head in regret.
A blush crept up Ankula's ears, making her unable to look Xia Lun in the eye again... as if she had only just realized what she'd blurted out in a moment of excitement.
So embarrassing.
Xia Lun stood there, smiling awkwardly, a cold sweat forming on his back.
He was never good at handling situations like this... especially now that Ai Na wasn't around.
"I'll be going now, Miss An Koula. Wish your business thrives." Xia Lun had no idea what he was saying.
"Mm-hmm! Captain Xia Lun, take care!" Ankula nodded emphatically from behind the counter. "If anything comes up, feel free to come find me anytime... Welcome back again!"
Ankula covered her mouth. She seemed to have said the wrong thing yet again.
How had she become such a cheap woman?
If only Ai Na were here, she'd have kept herself in check, and things wouldn't have gotten this far...
Xia Lun left Miss An Koula's shop. The sunlight outside was glaring.
A small puddle at the entrance was all that remained of the heavy rain that had fallen not long ago.
Looking at his reflection in the puddle, Xia Lun quickened his pace to leave.
y came from. The chests contained supplies, currency, class-change scrolls, skills, talents… and even godhood! The laws of the world were completely rewritten. This became a world where everyone gambled with their fate! Some people, despite having nothing, opened a divine artifact and rose to the top, eventually ruling the world. Others went bankrupt, opened nothing but worthless junk, and leaped from skyscrapers in despair. Lin Ye arrived in this world from another reality, utterly bewildered. “What is going on? Why is everyone a gambling addict?!” “Opening chests? No way. I refuse to gamble. I’ll start with myself!” Until— On his first chest, he obtained a Mythic Talent: Void Incarnation! He could become completely intangible, pass through all things, and reduce everything to nothingness! … On his fiftieth chest, he obtained a Mythic Weapon: Blade of Karma! With a single slash, karma shattered, twisting the universe and overturning the myriad phenomena of creation! … On his ninety-ninth chest, he obtained a Mythic Divine Treasure: Primordial Purple Energy! It could split open the heavens and earth, create all things, and evolve countless worlds with a single thought! Lin Ye: “Now that I think about it… shouldn’t someone have told me that every chest is guaranteed to contain something Mythic?!”
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
e, Immortal Body, Transmigration, System, Progression Fantasy, Academy Setting, Third-Person Perspective. Alternate Title: Transmigrating into a High Martial World and Reading Live Comments. Bad news: I transmigrated. This is a terrifying high-martial world, and my original, pathetically weak body fell into a coma and never woke up. Good news: I got a Popularity Points system upon arrival. I can see live comments and even create an unkillable alternate identity. Starting out, the alternate identity has all stats at 1. The system tells me that to grow stronger, I must participate in the plot, gain popularity points to allocate stats and grow stronger, and ultimately awaken my original body. And so, carrying my original body on my back, I officially entered Huaqing Academy, where the story's protagonist resides. From that moment on, Chen Guan kicked the original plot to pieces. Live Comments: [Doesn't anyone find this mysterious coffin guy creepy? He can summon indescribable grey misty hands.] [Is this guy a hero or a villain? What kind of onion became a spirit?] [By the way, does anyone know who's in the coffin? Shouldn't the debt for saving his life be repaid by now?] [According to unofficial histories, the person in the coffin was Chen Guan's first love. Their love was once passionate and earth-shattering, but they were separated by life and death due to worldly circumstances. What a star-crossed pair.] ... Years later, the world knew of a demon god born from a coffin, shrouded in grey mist, impossible to gaze upon directly. His foremost divine emissary often wielded a scythe, reaping lives like the god of death. As war approached, facing former friends and a boundless sea of enemies, Chen Guan merely raised his scythe. "Would you like to dance as well?"
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
