The dead of night arrived.
The hustle and bustle of Holy Spirit Village had long since quieted down.
The excitement, regret, and incessant gossip of the day had transformed into the dim light flickering behind the window frames of every household, finally returning to a state of darkness and tranquility.
Inside the Ning family’s humble wooden house, the atmosphere was much gloomier than usual.
At the dinner table, the usual laughter and chatter were missing.
Although Liu Lan still stuffed the largest piece of coarse grain pancake into Ning Chuan’s bowl, she only sighed silently and said nothing more.
Ning Dazhuang shoveled the thin porridge in his bowl.
Occasionally, he looked up at Ning Chuan, who remained silent with his head down, and then at Xiaohe, whose eyes were still red and swollen.
He opened his mouth to speak but ultimately only said in a muffled voice, “Eat quickly.
Go to bed early after you’re done.”
Ning Xiaohe also seemed to sense the low mood in the house.
She ate in small, obedient bites, not daring to make too much noise.
This meal was exceptionally quiet and felt exceptionally long.
To Ning Chuan, the food tasted like wax.
His mind had already drifted deep into his consciousness toward that thing that had mysteriously appeared.
After finishing quickly, he helped his mother tidy up a bit before saying in a low voice, “Dad, Mom, I’m a bit tired.
I’m going to bed now.”
Liu Lan looked at her son’s back, which still seemed somewhat despondent, and replied heart-wrenchingly, “Go on then.
Get a good night’s sleep, and everything will be better tomorrow.”
Ning Dazhuang nodded as well.
Returning to his narrow room—which was only large enough for a bed and a small wooden chest—Ning Chuan gently closed the door, shutting out the rest of the world.
Leaning against the cold wooden door, he took a deep breath, as if trying to exhale all the frustration that had been bottled up in his chest all day.
Moonlight filtered through a hole in the window paper, casting a small, dismal patch of light onto the dirt floor.
No oil lamp was lit in the room.
Darkness enveloped Ning Chuan, giving him a rare sense of security.
Everything that had happened during the day surged back into his mind like a tide.
Su Yuntao’s indifferent judgment; the cold words “Waste Martial Soul, no Spirit Power”; the indifference of the villagers after a brief glance; Tang San’s eye-catching yet contradictory Innate Full Spirit Power; the disappointment his parents couldn’t hide despite their forced nonchalance; his sister’s aggrieved tears…
Scene after scene played out with agonizing clarity.
An indescribable sense of unwillingness and urgency wrapped around Ning Chuan’s heart like strangling vines.
Ning Chuan knew he couldn’t wait any longer.
In this world, having no power meant having no future.
It might even mean being unable to protect the only warm family ties he had.
He had to seize every possible opportunity!
And right now, the only variable was the notification sound that had flashed through his mind that morning—the All-Heavens Garbage Recycling Station!
Ning Chuan closed his eyes, cast aside all distracting thoughts, and sank his entire consciousness deep into his mind.
With caution and a trace of almost reverent hope, he began to call out: “All-Heavens Garbage Recycling Station…”
Silence.
Just as Ning Chuan’s heart began to sink, wondering if it had been nothing more than a hallucination born of his despair—
Buzz!
A faint but clear light lit up from the depths of his consciousness.
Immediately following, a semi-transparent screen with a cold, technological feel unfurled slowly in his mind like a scroll.
The layout of the screen was simple, even crude.
Lines of clear text emerged upon it, resembling a primitive system interface:
“All-Heavens Garbage Recycling Station Initializing:”
“Station Master: Ning Chuan;”
“Current Plane: Douluo Continent;”
“Physique: Mortal Physique;”
“Martial Soul: Blue Silver Grass (Unevolved);”
“Spirit Power: 0;”
“Spirit Ring: None;”
“Soul Skill: None;”
“Soul Bone: None;”
“Points: 0;”
“Employees: None;”
“Permission Level: 0.
(Apprentice Scavenger)”
Looking at the string of stinging “Nones” and the large “0s” on the screen, the corner of Ning Chuan’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch.
This panel was simply pathetic.
It was a perfect replica of his current social standing in the Douluo Continent—the bottom of the barrel.
“I really am…
a recycling station master in name and reality,” Ning Chuan whispered to himself with a self-deprecating smirk.
His gaze searched the screen carefully, trying to find more function buttons or explanatory text, but the interface was frighteningly clean.
Aside from this personal attribute panel, there was nothing else.
“How do I use this thing?
There should be some instructions or a newbie guide, right?” Ning Chuan frowned and spoke tentatively to the screen, “Hello?
System?
Are you there?
Give me a hint?”
The screen gave no response, continuing to coldly display his pitiful data.
Ning Chuan didn’t give up and tried communicating with his thoughts: “Open warehouse?
View functions?
Lucky draw?
Mall?”
Still, there was no change.
After tossing and turning for quite a while, Ning Chuan felt a bit discouraged.
This “golden finger” was a bit too cold and aloof.
Holding onto a final shred of hope, he recalled the countless tropes from the web novels he had read before transiting.
With a mix of embarrassment and anticipation, he muttered to the screen, “Uh…
is there a newbie gift pack?”
The moment he finished speaking!
“Station master request detected…
initial activation conditions met…
distributing newbie benefits…”
The text on the screen suddenly began to scroll!
Ning Chuan’s heart leapt, and his eyes widened instantly!
There really was one!
Light converged in the center of the screen, and a ghostly image of a gift box flashed past.
Then, a new line of text emerged:
“Newbie benefits distributed: Obtained Item—[Charred Willow Branch] x 1.”
“Item Origin: Perfect World.
The mysterious Ancestral Ritual Spirit was destroyed during the ultimate war that spanned across epochs.
This is an insignificant wisp among the billions of fragments of its remains, washed through the turbulence of time and space to fall here.
It contains an extremely faint True Spirit Fragment, currently in eternal slumber.”
“Item Status: Extremely damaged, its origin nearly exhausted, its spirituality extinguished.”
“Value Assessment: ∞ (To those who have no use for it, it is useless charcoal; to those in need, it is a priceless treasure.)”
“Willow…
Willow Branch?!” Ning Chuan gasped.
His eyes were glued to the description on the screen, and his entire body froze as if struck by lightning!
His brain almost stopped functioning due to this earth-shattering information!
Perfect World!
Ancestral Ritual Spirit!
Liu Shen!
This seemingly unremarkable branch, described even as “charcoal,” had an origin so massive it could overturn the entire perception of the Douluo Continent!
What kind of existence was that?
She was the guide to the Desolate Heavenly Emperor—the one who severed eternity with a single sword—a supreme powerhouse above the sacrificial path!
Even if this was just the most insignificant wisp among her billions of fragments, its status far exceeded that of a God King!
Wild joy surged into his heart like a volcanic eruption, but it was immediately followed by a nearly instinctive sense of fear and awe.
This thing…
was too hot to handle!
Its status was too high!
Could a mere mortal without even a speck of Spirit Power truly endure it?
Would that so-called “faint True Spirit Fragment” be a burden too heavy for Ning Chuan to bear?
But soon, his intense desire for survival and thirst for power overrode his fear.
The opportunity was right in front of him.
How could he give up just because he was afraid?