pertwk Chapter 17
Chapter 17
Three months have passed in the blink of an eye, slipping quietly through our fingers.
Early morning at Tianhai Orphanage.
"Sure enough, with the trash can as a cultivation accelerator, even though my martial soul quality is not good enough, my cultivation speed is no worse than those geniuses."
Lu Xingchen emerged from the trash can, feeling the abundant soul power within his body, a hint of anticipation flashing in his eyes.
After three months of dedicated training, his soul power cultivation had broken through the bottleneck and steadily reached level ten—this crucial juncture, marking his imminent entry into the ranks of soul masters, was finally here. The time to acquire his first soul spirit and condense his first soul ring had arrived.
In addition to the breakthrough in soul power, the digestion of the "Mind Reader" potion also far exceeded expectations.
Lu Xingchen raised her hand and rubbed her temples, her mind flashing back to the daily life she had been playing these roles for the past three months.
During the day, he uses his identity as a child to move among the children and caregivers in the orphanage, seemingly participating in various activities with innocent joy, but in reality, he is secretly using his mind-reading abilities.
He observes everyone's micro-expressions and spiritual fluctuations, reads their unspoken thoughts, and then subtly guides things in the direction he desires with a few guiding words.
Or, when Rosalia and Lilia are arguing over toys, subtly remind the sisters of each other's feelings, turning the conflict into a playful reconciliation;
Or, when the caregiver is irritable because of trivial matters, use childlike words to draw out her worries and help her soothe her emotions.
These seemingly subtle guidances repeatedly fulfilled the role of the mind reader, and the potion's digestion speed also increased accordingly.
"He completely digested the Mind Reader's Potion in just three months. That's much faster than I expected," Lu Xingchen thought to himself.
Previously, during the Sequence Nine "Audience" stage, his performance progressed extremely slowly due to his infant status. However, once he could run and jump, he could now openly do things that were previously impossible.
Now, he can not only read thoughts from a greater distance and more clearly, but he is also more sensitive to the emotions of others, and can even vaguely capture some deep subconscious fluctuations.
Amidst the joy, a trace of worry crept into his heart. Level 10 soul power meant he was about to enter the ranks of soul masters, but the choice of his first soul spirit had become a difficult problem before him.
"Given my current situation, even if I went to the Spirit Pagoda to purchase spirits, obtaining high-level spirits would be a pipe dream."
Lu Xingchen frowned slightly, as the current state of soul acquisition came to mind.
In the Douluo Continent today, soul beasts are on the verge of extinction due to overhunting by humans. The only way for soul masters to obtain soul rings is to go to the Spirit Pagoda to buy soul spirits.
But he came from an orphanage, with no background or support. Let alone legendary top-tier spirits like the "Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear" or the "Emerald Swan," he probably couldn't even find a trace of a rare spirit like the "Human-Faced Demon Spider."
The more realistic issue is the financial strain.
Lu Xingchen silently estimated his savings: He started serializing novels online when he was four years old. Although he maintained a high update rate for many years, his early works were mediocre. His savings to date were only a little over 80,000 Federal Dollars.
This amount of money might not seem like a small sum to ordinary people, but for a Soul Master's cultivation, it's just a drop in the ocean—at most, it can only buy a very ordinary ten-year Soul Spirit, which is far from enough to meet his future plans.
"Should we ask Cocolia's mother?"
The thought had barely crossed his mind when Lu Xingchen quickly dismissed it. He had lived in the orphanage for several years and considered it his home, and he was well aware of Cocolia's hardships.
More than once, he saw Cocolia sighing and lamenting over thick expense bills in her office late at night.
The Tianhai Orphanage has been operating for over a decade, with Cocolia covering almost all of its operating expenses out of her own pocket. She has to be very careful with the children's food, clothing, and shelter. How could he possibly add any extra burden to her by taking care of his own affairs?
Absolutely not.
"It seems we have no choice but to use that thing."
Lu Xingchen closed his eyes and sank his mind into his sea of consciousness. Following the familiar procedure, he silently prayed, using his soul as a guide to communicate with the chaotic sea connected to his own consciousness.
Consciousness was like a pebble thrown into a lake, creating ripples in the chaotic sea. The next second, an invisible force enveloped his soul, drawing his consciousness to that hazy and vast space.
The chaotic sea was shrouded in mist, its boundaries obscured. Lu Xingchen's consciousness reached out, and tiny specks of light quickly gathered and fell into his "hand."
When his consciousness returned to his body and he opened his eyes, there was an item in his palm—an antique calligraphy brush.
Level 0 Sealed Item: 0-01 Writer's Pen
Sequence One from the 'Audience' Approach: The writer's characteristics and uniqueness, fused with the seal born from a calligraphy brush.
Ability 1: "What is written will come true." It can turn the written content into reality by creating "reasonable" plots and "coincidences." Whether the holder writes it personally or it writes it on its own, as long as the content has a "logical loop," it is possible for it to play out in reality.
Second ability: "Every word spoken will be known." When a person knows about a "writer," the "writer" also knows about that person and everyone that person has come into contact with.
Negative effect: When you possess this pen, it will secretly try to write the story of "the owner's death" in various seemingly unexpected ways, pushing the owner into the abyss of death.
(PS: A reminder from the humble little tower: Under the suppression of the Chaos Sea, this brush will not try to kill you, but due to the negative effects, it will occasionally write some pranks on you. Please use it with caution.)
As soon as the pen appeared, it immediately slipped out of Lu Xingchen's hand and began to glide in mid-air.
Strangely, even though there was no paper, words appeared in the air as the brush moved:
"Great Creator, Your form is as sublime as the sun high in the sky. You are light, fire, water, and the origin of all living things."
The whole world is full of life and hope because of your existence. Every breath you take brings life back to all things; every glance you give dispels the darkness of the world…
Lu Xingchen looked at the long, empty lines of praise and said with a hint of amusement, "Stop writing this nonsense. I brought you out here this time because I have something for you to do."
0-01 "The Writer's Pen" is the first sealed artifact that Lu Xingchen possessed after arriving in Douluo Continent.
The reason Cocolia was able to find Lu Xingchen in the trash can was because he used this sealing artifact. Otherwise, how could she, as the director of the orphanage, possibly go out to throw away trash in a rainstorm?