Acquiring New Special Abilities

After Su Luo left, he felt a chill running down his spine.

The last opportunity had passed, and Li Siyi had somehow dreamed of inexplicable scenes.

Su Luo couldn't help but suspect that the system was behind this. Otherwise, why would such a thing happen just this once?

He felt like he was being manipulated by the system.

However, after calming down and thinking it over, it didn't seem like a big deal.

Like just now, when Li Siyi was on the verge of death, there was a prompt that the plot was about to deviate. So, there would be similar prompts when other deviations occurred.

He still had ample opportunities to fix things.

Moreover, the so-called "general plot" seemed to be very loosely defined.

Up until now, the only time he received a deviation prompt was when Li Siyi was about to die. Before that, when Li Siyi stole Lin Xuan's opportunity, there was no prompt at all.

So, the advantage was still on his side.

Of course, he couldn't act recklessly. The necessary plot points still had to be followed.

Since he still had some time before returning, he realized from the recent battle that his strength was still somewhat lacking.

Pen in hand.

[As per my usual habit, let's start this diary by cursing Li Siyi.]

[What on earth was she thinking, dreaming about some opportunity and then overestimating herself to snatch the protagonist's chance?]

[Could she stop causing unnecessary trouble? Was she really capable of dealing with that tiger demon?]

[And what about targeting weak points? Does she even understand the concept of targeting weak points? If you hit the tiger demon's kidneys and chest in a short period, you could instantly kill it.]

[Lin Xuan might only be at the Qi Refining stage, but he has an old mentor. It was from this mentor that he learned about the tiger demon's weakness, allowing him to ambush and kill it.]

[Li Siyi, on the other hand, brought along an ordinary old man and dared to face the tiger demon head-on. What difference is there between that and sliding under a tiger's belly?]

[Thankfully, it ended without disaster. She almost ruined my perfect run.]

[Forget it, let's move on with the plot.]

[The Trial Forest arc isn't over yet. Lin Xuan beat us up a bit, showing off, but it's not finished. He still has one more act of showing off left.]

[He has to take first place.]

[How can the protagonist not take first place?]

[But simply taking first place isn't satisfying enough.]

[So, as the antagonist, I suggested hunting demonic beasts together with the young nobles, and then the points would be credited to me.]

[By pooling our strengths, we aimed to completely overwhelm Lin Xuan in terms of points.]

[However, even under these circumstances, Lin Xuan still managed to take first place, defeating us despite our seemingly cheating behavior. That's what makes it satisfying.]

[You could even call it defying the heavens.]

[Then, in the plot, he also encounters Li Siyi in the forest. The two fight monsters together, and Lin Xuan's superb combat skills earn him some favor from Li Siyi. But now that Li Siyi is injured, it seems unlikely they'll meet.]

[No big deal. As long as Lin Xuan ends up taking first place, it's fine.]

[Wait, what about the insect nest? This time, Li Siyi discovered it and reported it to Autumn Wind City, making her the hero of the city.]

[Even if Lin Xuan discovers it later, he'll only be second, and the reputation he gains won't be the same.]

[This is such a headache. It's all Li Siyi's fault for meddling.]

Still in the middle of the trial, Su Luo didn't have much time to write.

[Diary completed. Reward: Constitution +3, Strength +1.]

[Acquired special ability: The Joy of a Trickster.]

[Can make a designated target laugh.]

The rewards were decent. Although his cultivation didn't improve, he gained a special ability.

Special abilities are hard to come by, and with this one, Su Luo now has three in total.

But this skill feels a bit... mischievous.

After all, people laugh when they want to, but if someone suddenly laughs when they don't want to, the scene would be unimaginable.

Su Luo returned to where Lin Xuan and the young nobles of Autumn Wind City were fighting, wearing a satisfied smile.

Although they were injured, they hadn't withdrawn and were resting on the spot.

After all, the trial lasts seven days.

Wang Mo had also woken up and was surrounded by others who were concerned about him.

Su Luo greeted them, "Hey, you're still here."

"Brother Su Luo, where did you go?" Some of them couldn't help but feel annoyed when they saw Su Luo, but they held it in.

"I went to the restroom."

However, this excuse set one of them off, and they started making sarcastic remarks.

"To the restroom? Or were you hiding? It's okay, Brother Su Luo. Brother Wang Mo already drove Lin Xuan away."

Though they said "drove away," Lin Xuan had actually left on his own. They were just saving face.

"Say whatever you want. Do you want to get back at Lin Xuan?" Su Luo cut straight to the point.

"Of course we do, but we can't beat him."

"Right, he's too strong. Even if we call for help, the Li family is backing him. There's no way we can win against him."

Su Luo spoke with confidence, "I have an idea."

"Can we still trust you? I think we should find someone else."

Without even hearing the plan, they were already suggesting a change, clearly showing they didn't trust Su Luo.

Not everyone said it out loud, but their expressions said it all—they disagreed.

"I don't care what you think. I care what I think."

This statement brought everyone back to reality.

Right, the person in front of them was the young master among young masters. He wasn't someone they could afford to offend.

Seeing them quiet down, Su Luo continued, "We'll hunt demonic beasts with all our strength, and then all the points will be credited to me. Naturally, I'll take first place, and then we'll use this result to humiliate Lin Xuan."

"Isn't that a bit unfair?"

"Hmm?" Su Luo glanced at them.

Then, in a cheerful tone, they responded.

"Of course it's good!"

"This is a brilliant plan. Only someone as clever as Brother Su Luo could come up with it."

"Who are you kidding? You're our big brother. Who else would we listen to if not you? Don't even joke about that."

"Exactly. If anyone dares to disagree, I'll be the first to oppose them and beat them up—no, beat them up several times."

After all, strength alone isn't enough. In this world, it's all about connections.

"Why not give the points to Brother Wang Mo?"

Suddenly, someone spoke up at the wrong time.

The others stared at him in shock, all of them sweating bullets for him.

Are you trying to get yourself killed? Saying something like that!

Everyone knew Su Luo's temper. If you crossed him at the wrong moment, he would retaliate.

The person seemed to realize his mistake and quickly backtracked, "I was just joking, haha. Don't take it seriously."

Wang Mo was stunned. He hadn't expected someone to nominate him. He had just been quietly recovering from his injuries.

Though it felt good to have someone support him, he knew it wasn't appropriate to openly compete with Su Luo.

Besides, Wang Mo preferred the approach of stabbing people in the back quietly.

Just as Wang Mo was about to refuse, Su Luo surprisingly agreed.

"Fine, let's give the points to Wang Mo."

Everyone gasped in surprise. Was this really something Su Luo would say?

"Alright, it's settled. We'll rest for a day and then hunt demonic beasts with all our strength."

There was a slight hiccup, but no matter who took the points, Lin Xuan would still take first place. So, Su Luo didn't care at all.

......

In the following days, the atmosphere among Su Luo and the young nobles changed.

The young nobles began to subtly revolve around Wang Mo.

No, it was already happening. Now, while praising Wang Mo, they also praised Su Luo, though they kept a certain distance when doing so.

It couldn't be helped. Su Luo's previous actions had left a bad taste in their mouths.

Wang Mo, seeing this situation, was overjoyed internally but maintained a humble exterior.

Indeed, the fight with Lin Xuan had been worth it. Now, Su Luo's lackeys were almost becoming his own.