"Hiss!"
The spirit ore had just entered his hand, bringing an immediate chill that made Chen Jichuan feel transparent all over. This coolness, upon skin contact, penetrated directly from the spirit ore to the depths of his heart and into his mind.
In an instant.
Chen Jichuan stood frozen in place, his face also stiff.
In his mind.
Following that cool sensation.
Chen Jichuan seemed to 'see', deep in his mind, a mysterious place emitting a dim light. Upon closer look, a Jade Pendant with a carved Green Lotus lay there.
"This jade—"
Chen Jichuan stared at the Jade Pendant, distant memories awakened: "Isn't this the one I picked up from an antique shop in my previous life?!"
He remembered.
While traveling abroad, he found this Jade Pendant in an antique shop; the carved Green Lotus was so lifelike that he bought it.
On the way back, he got into a car accident and ended up in this world.
In the first few years after he was reborn.
He constantly thought about what phenomena occurred during the car accident and which belongings he had, and he once thought of this Jade Pendant, wondering if it was the reason for his transmigration and rebirth.
But over the years.
There were no signs on him.
Over time.
Chen Jichuan gradually forgot about it.
Unexpectedly, after all these years, the Green Lotus Jade Pendant reappeared.
"Spirit Ore."
Chen Jichuan thought of the spirit ore, knowing the Jade Pendant's emergence was definitely due to the ore.
But he couldn't bother to speculate at this moment and just looked at the Green Lotus Jade Pendant.
The Jade Pendant was transparent, mesmerizing, and in a daze, Chen Jichuan saw a lotus flower about to bloom, now only a bud. Within it, silver threads danced vividly.
Counting carefully.
There were as many as six or seven hundred.
And as the cool sensation flowed into his mind, the silver threads in the Green Lotus Jade Pendant increased, pouring into the flower bud.
Chen Jichuan focused intensely, counting.
He continued until the cool sensation disappeared, counting approximately—
"Eighty more silver threads."
As soon as he finished counting.
A message came from the Green Lotus Jade Pendant—
[Ding!]
[Master detected, Supreme Skill 'Dao Fruit' binding in progress...]
['Dao Fruit' binding complete, Immortal Record generated...]
[Wishing the Master eternal immortal blessings, Dao Fruit everlasting—Upper Heaven Palace!]
"Dao Fruit."
"Master."
"Upper Heaven Palace."
Chen Jichuan digested this message, a surge of joy filled his heart.
This Green Lotus Jade Pendant actually contained a Supreme Skill developed by some unknown existence called 'Upper Heaven Palace'.
The Supreme Skill is known as 'Dao Fruit'.
The Green Lotus blooms, the Dao Fruit is everlasting.
Why Upper Heaven Palace developed such a spell, Chen Jichuan did not know.
The information within the Green Lotus Jade Pendant did not elaborate.
He only knew that as long as the lotus within the Green Lotus Jade Pendant bloomed, he could communicate with a world, allowing him to enter it, extract Dao fate, and condense Dao Fruit.
Across the myriad worlds.
When a world blooms, it bears fruit in another, allowing one to travel to other realms.
Until Dao Fruit remains eternal across the myriad worlds, achieving eternity, which is the 'transcendence to the other shore' pursued by 'Upper Heaven Palace'.
At this time.
For reasons unknown.
And for whatever reason.
This Supreme Skill already recognized him as its master, also known as 'Master'.
"The master of a spell?!"
That even a spell could recognize its master.
This was a plotline he had never encountered, even in fictional literature of his previous life, making Chen Jichuan's heart thrilling beyond control.
In his previous life, he was an ordinary person.
In this life, he was also an ordinary person.
Furthermore, he was thrown into this unknown place known as 'Black Prison', working hard daily, enslaved by others, with life and death out of his control.
He planned to endure ten years and walk out of Black Prison.
After all.
In Black Prison, no matter how great his ambition was, with Black Armor suppressing and guarding entry and exit, and food tightly controlled, not even great figures throughout history could necessarily break out.
Chen Jichuan was not a great figure.
And had no solution.
He could only wait, hoping the big figures outside 'Black Prison' would keep their word.
However.
Even such a humble wish was not granted.
Just when he was about to see hope, he was thrown into an irreversible situation—
Radiation.
Mutation.
Watching death approach step by step, powerless.
In just a few days.
He would have to watch Chen Shaohu die.
His only relative in the world.
Soon.
He would be all alone, possibly dying soon after.
But now—
"It's different!"
...
Chen Shaohu widened his eyes, staring intently at his fourth brother.
A pale face covered in dust, joy filled his eyes.
His chest heaving violently, panting heavily.
Seeing his fourth brother in a daze, he dared not disturb him, just cautiously glanced toward the cave entrance, joy mixed with strong vigilance on his face.
Upon closer look, one could even see hints of ruthlessness.
The kind of ruthlessness that could kill!
He grew up with his fourth brother, heard many stories about 'fortuitous encounters', 'golden fingers'.
No oddity alarmed him, instead testing his patience, fearing being discovered or robbed. If anyone wanted to rob, they'd have to cross over his dead body.
Currently.
The spirit ore appeared ordinary in his hand, but in his fourth brother's hand, it gradually turned colorless.
And his fourth brother stayed in a daze.
Clearly a sign of a 'fortuitous encounter'.
His fourth brother often said.
When one attains Dao, even chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.
Whether he had a fortuitous encounter or his fourth brother did, it was the same.
It would help them escape Black Prison.
Escape this dark, sunless life.
More importantly—
"I might not have to die!"
Chen Shaohu was nervous, excited, uneasy, his thoughts a mix of emotions, burning his chest like fire, making him parched and dizzy, yet he persevered, eyes wide open: "Surely the Golden Finger has been activated!"
His calloused hands rubbed unconsciously, glancing at his fourth brother then looking around.
Growing anxious.
But dared not awaken him.
Thus tormented, distracted, overthinking.
...
Finally.
Chen Jichuan opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw were Chen Shaohu's eyes like brass bells, his face flushed and red around his neck, looking maniacal and terrifying.
"Old Fifth."
Chen Jichuan was startled, grabbing Chen Shaohu by the shoulders, trying to shake him awake.
"Fourth Brother."
"Fourth Brother."
"I'm so hot, there's fire, burning me, it hurts so much!"
Chen Shaohu regained some sanity, roaring from deep within his throat, clutching Chen Jichuan with one hand while tearing at his chest with another, scratching his neck and chest.
One look.
And it was clear what pain Chen Shaohu was enduring.
Joy vanished from Chen Jichuan's heart, he hurriedly recalled 'Dao Fruit', remembering a talent he gained as 'Master'—
"Creation·Insight!"
Not daring to delay.
He quickly focused.
His eyes glowing spiritually, looking at Chen Shaohu, instantly realizing—
Name: Chen Shaohu
Age: 16
Immortal Order: None
Level: 0
Talent: Fire Control (Awakening) [Note: Insufficient Source Power, about to fail]
"Talent awakening?"
"About to fail?"
Chen Jichuan couldn't even delve into what talent or Fire Control meant. All he saw were the eight red-flashing words: 'Insufficient Source Power, about to fail'.
"Insufficient Source Power."
Seeing Chen Shaohu nearly burned alive, Chen Jichuan did not hesitate for a moment, placing his hand on Chen Shaohu's chest, with a thought, silver threads from the Green Lotus Jade Pendant, indicated as 'Source Power' by 'Dao Fruit', flooded out.
One thread.
Two threads.
Three threads.
In an instant, up to a hundred threads flooded into Chen Shaohu's chest, devoured in a flash, still insatiable. Chen Jichuan was not stingy, rather pleased: "Absorb more! There's more!"
Continuously transferring Source Power into Chen Shaohu.
One hundred threads.
Two hundred threads.
Three hundred threads.
When nearly four hundred threads approached, the silver threads ceased to be absorbed, and when transferred into Chen Shaohu, they were immediately ejected, no longer entering.
Chen Jichuan dared not act recklessly.
He immediately stopped.
Then looked at Chen Shaohu—
Name: Chen Shaohu
Age: 16
Immortal Order: None
Level: 4
Talent: Fire Control (4)
"Awakened?"
Upon seeing the talent column, with neither 'Awakening' nor remarks, and the Level column changing from 0 to 4, Chen Jichuan guessed this hurdle had passed.
Sure enough.
As the state changed, the flushed red on Chen Shaohu's face and neck visibly receded.
His consciousness gradually restored.
Chen Shaohu slowly regained awareness, feeling as if ages had passed.
He vaguely remembered.
His fourth brother obtained the 'Golden Finger', he was overwhelmingly happy, then he got so hot he nearly died, burned nearly senseless.
Then.
"I—"
Chen Shaohu looked at his fourth brother, just about to speak, only to see a 'whoosh' of fire spew out, causing Chen Jichuan to retreat in fright, even then having his eyebrows, lashes, and hair in front scorched.
"Uh!"
Chen Shaohu quickly covered his mouth in fear.
Chen Jichuan sat down in a pool of water, soaked, frightened, looking at Chen Shaohu he hurriedly said: "You've just awakened your talent and are unfamiliar with it; don't talk yet."
Having saved Chen Shaohu's life, a weight lifted from Chen Jichuan's heart, but he had no desire to be burned to death by Chen Shaohu unexpectedly.
"Uh-uh-uh!"
Chen Shaohu covered his mouth, nodding vigorously.
In the face of 'mutation'.
His face showed no panic.
Instead, he was immensely pleased and thrilled.
Seeing his fourth brother's singed eyebrows and hair, he found it somewhat amusing, tickling laughter out of him, his shoulders shook uncontrollably.
Seeing Chen Shaohu's hilarious laughter, Chen Jichuan couldn't help but be amused too.
The two brothers, in this rock cave, faced each other giggling foolishly. One with a wide grin silently, the other giggling with muffled sounds.
In the past ten days.
Over the last six years.
All the pent-up frustration, pain, fear, torment, in this moment, completely vanished.
Both knew—
From now on.
Things would definitely be different!
...
PS: New book setting sail, seeking collections, seeking recommendation votes!