Chapter 5: Trait: Heaven-and-Earth Manifestation! Mu Xiying! Trait: [Unknown]

Feeling the fifteen thousand kilograms of strength already surging through his body, Xiao Xuan finally understood why Blue traits were so rare.

With a trait like this, he could kill enemies above his level with ease.

Liu Yun had simply been too weak before. If he had spent just a few months cultivating and raised his strength to the second layer of Body Tempering, Old Wang would have been killed in a single move.

“But now that I think about it... can I use Old Wang’s [Big Build] trait too?”

That thought suddenly struck Xiao Xuan.

Although the trait made the body larger, he had the Recycle Bin. As long as he took the trait out when he needed it and tossed it back in when he did not, would that not let him switch his size back and forth at will?

“Wait... hold on. A trait that lets me grow and shrink whenever I want while making all my attributes soar... is that not the legendary Heaven-and-Earth Manifestation?”

Xiao Xuan was stunned.

“Where is Old Wang? My Heaven-and-Earth Manifestation!”

He was instantly excited.

At that moment, however, he suddenly spotted Old Wang in a corner not far away. The man’s outstandingly massive frame was hard to miss as he pumped iron like mad.

It seemed he was trying to vent the anger from earlier through sheer exercise.

The moment he saw Old Wang, Xiao Xuan lit up.

After a moment of thought, he noticed Old Wang step onto a high-speed treadmill and directly crank its speed to thirty meters per second before breaking into a sprint.

“Got it!”

Xiao Xuan’s eyes brightened.

He then quietly made his way to a spot not too far behind Old Wang.

“Old Wang, I can only trouble you for now. I’ll bear the blame myself, and if I get the chance later, I’ll make it up to you.”

In the next instant, he lightly tapped the ground with the tip of his right foot.

CRACKLE CRACKLE!!

A burst of violent lightning shot along the metal floor toward Old Wang.

The current struck Old Wang’s feet in an instant.

BZZZT BZZZT!!

In a flash, Old Wang’s whole body went rigid.

Then he was flung straight off the treadmill.

BOOM!!!

With a loud crash, Old Wang slammed into the wall behind him, smoke rising from his body.

“What the hell, Old Wang? What happened to you?”

“How do you manage to fall while running? That is pathetic.”

“Huh? Why is your hair sticking straight up?”

...

The people around him all gathered over.

“Sh-short... short circuit! The treadmill was leaking electricity!”

Old Wang explained through spasms. Fortunately, he was not badly hurt.

No one noticed that Xiao Xuan casually passed by the spot where Old Wang had fallen, then quietly left.

【Ding... You picked up the trash 【Big Build! White】 (Body size ×1.5! Strength and defense +130%! Speed -20%)】

After seeing the trait, Xiao Xuan headed straight for the martial hall showers. Once he had taken off his clothes, he immediately chose to fuse it.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!!

In the next moment, the bones all over his body began to pop and crack, and his frame rapidly swelled.

Very soon, Xiao Xuan’s body, originally 1.85 meters tall, had grown to more than 2.7 meters.

At the same time, the muscles covering his body became far more explosive than before.

“It really stacks. The boost from [Big Build] really can stack with my [Strength Enhancement]!”

Xiao Xuan was thrilled.

Once they stacked, the original boosts that had been 500% jumped straight to 650%!

And this was only at White grade. If it ever reached Green or Blue, the increase in strength would be terrifying.

Ordinarily, possessing two traits like that at the same time would have been almost impossible.

But Xiao Xuan could do it.

Of course, the most important thing now was whether his body would return to normal once the trait was removed. If it did not, that would be troublesome.

With that thought in mind, he directly tossed the trait back into the Recycle Bin.

CRACK! CRACK!!

Sure enough, in the very next instant, his enormous body began to shrink rapidly.

In less than a few seconds, he had returned to his original size.

The process was, admittedly, rather uncomfortable.

“This trait is practically conceptual in nature. The moment I remove it, my body shrinks back immediately. This is unbelievable.”

Only then did Xiao Xuan gain an entirely new understanding of how terrifying this trait was.

“What rank is this so-called Unique trait, exactly? In only a few hours, my strength has already increased by dozens of times. If this keeps going for a few years, won’t I reach the very peak of this world?”

He grew increasingly curious about what rank a Unique trait truly belonged to.

“Forget it. I’ll think about that later. First, I should go home. Tomorrow I’ll head outside the city and see whether beating up ferocious beasts can make them drop traits too. If it works, then I won’t have to wait around bitterly for scraps from these muscleheads anymore.”

With that thought, Xiao Xuan washed up, changed his clothes, and left the martial hall.

As he walked back, he looked at the towering buildings around him and fell into thought.

The technological level of this world was probably about a century ahead of twenty-first-century Earth.

Moreover, the materials in this world were extraordinarily advanced, making it possible to create things that on Earth existed only in fantasy.

For example, a dumbbell the size of a fist could weigh several tons.

At the same time, however, this world was extremely dangerous.

Every region here contained all manner of powerful subterranean caverns, and within those caverns lurked countless fierce beasts.

Take Blackwater City, for example. The entire city had tens of millions of inhabitants, yet its diameter was only a little over a hundred kilometers.

As a result, its population density was astonishing.

The wealthy could live in detached villas in the city center, while the poor could only live in high-rises hundreds of stories tall in the suburbs.

Whenever ferocious beasts burst into the city, those towering buildings served as one of the natural barriers.

As for Xiao Xuan, although his parents had died early, his father had once had a close brother-in-arms who later adopted him.

And that man happened to be a martial artist in the Vitality Realm.

That was why Xiao Xuan could not only train at a second-rate martial hall, but also enjoy fairly decent living conditions.

“Damn this law of transmigration. Is it that anyone with parents does not get transmigrated?”

As Xiao Xuan thought back over his circumstances, he could not help feeling a little stifled.

...

...

By then, Xiao Xuan had already arrived in front of a seven-story townhouse. The neighborhood had complete landscaping and a beautiful garden.

He headed upstairs.

“I’m back.”

The moment he entered Apartment 502, he called out.

“Xiao’er, you came back at just the right time. Look who’s home!”

At the sight of Xiao Xuan, a graceful middle-aged woman walked out of the kitchen.

At the same time, a girl followed behind her. She had a breathtaking figure and the beauty of an immortal maiden who had descended into the mortal world, though her face remained cold and distant.

“Sister Ying’er? You’re back?”

Xiao Xuan was briefly stunned when he saw her.

The girl’s name was Mu Xiying, the daughter of the Mu family.

She was three years older than Xiao Xuan and had only just turned twenty-one.

But a year ago, because of her extraordinary talent, she had reportedly been admitted to Nanhai University, the highest institution in Shanhe Province.

She had not returned for more than a year.

“Yes, I’m back. It has been a long time, Xiao Xuan.”

Mu Xiying’s attitude toward Xiao Xuan remained lukewarm.

That left Xiao Xuan rather helpless.

The main reason was that Mu Long and his wife had always treated Xiao Xuan even better than their own daughter.

As a result, Mu Xiying had always been neither warm nor hostile toward him since childhood.

She did not exactly hate him, but there was certainly no affection in her attitude either.

“It has indeed been a long time. Sister Ying’er, how do you have time to come back? Are you on break?”

Xiao Xuan asked with a smile.

“No. I simply came back for a visit.”

Mu Xiying looked at Xiao Xuan calmly as she spoke.

Then she sat lazily on the sofa.

Her cold and beautiful eyes studied him.

At that moment, however, her memories of the boy before her had already grown somewhat vague.

It was not because she had not seen him for a year.

It was because Mu Xiying had been reborn.

She had returned from a future thousands of years away.

In her previous life, Mu Xiying had, thanks to her heaven-defying talent, risen step by step until she became one of the supreme powers of the world.

In the end, thousands of years later, she had become the strongest being on all of Earth.

One had to remember that Earth had kept expanding. Thousands of years later, it had become incomparably larger than it was now.

And yet, no matter how many ferocious beasts there were, in Mu Xiying’s hands they had been no more than ants.

Even beings whose realms far surpassed hers had been the same.

Until that day, when a mass of black mist appeared in the starry sky and blotted out heaven and earth.

That mist condensed into a world-destroying eye, and with a single beam from its pupil, it completely annihilated both Mu Xiying and Earth.

When she came back to herself, she had already returned to just after the end of her junior year in university.

That was to say, one week ago.

And carrying with her the peerless talent of her previous life, Mu Xiying had, in only a week, already grown into a Grandmaster above the Innate Realm.

“In my previous life, I focused only on cultivation and paid no attention to Blackwater City. That led to the city being destroyed by a sudden fifth-tier beast tide. My parents also died in that beast tide. This time, I absolutely cannot allow that to happen again!”

Mu Xiying’s gaze turned resolute.

That was why she had returned this time.

She intended to stop the fifth-tier beast tide.

Although she was only at the Grandmaster Realm, equivalent to the fourth tier, her combat power was exceptionally powerful. A mere fifth-tier beast tide would not be difficult for her.

Then, when she looked at Xiao Xuan again, her gaze gradually softened.

It was only when her parents had been hunted down by ferocious beasts and sent her countless videos and messages that she finally understood just how much they loved her.

As for why they had always doted on Xiao Xuan even more than on their own daughter, it was entirely because Xiao Xuan’s parents had been torn apart by ferocious beasts while saving her in the past.

Still, after thousands of years, her memory of Xiao Xuan had already grown dim.

But she clearly remembered that whenever this boy saw her, he never dared look her in the eye and always acted timid and submissive.

Why, then, was he looking at her now without the slightest fear?

“How has your martial cultivation been lately? If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask me.”

As that thought crossed her mind, Mu Xiying gave Xiao Xuan a faint, somewhat chilly smile.

That tiny smile alone made Xiao Xuan’s heart skip a beat.

Mu Xiying was unquestionably a goddess of the highest order. Her figure was dazzling, and her beauty was almost absurdly stunning.

Whether in his previous life or this one, Xiao Xuan had never before seen anyone so beautiful.

The only issue was that, according to the memories he had inherited, she had always had an extremely cold and arrogant temperament.

So even though that sudden smile was breathtakingly lovely, it still made Xiao Xuan feel as though she were about to silence him forever.

“Ahem. I’m doing all right, I suppose. I just reached the third layer of Body Tempering.”

Xiao Xuan sat opposite her and answered casually, all while studying Mu Xiying.

He did not bother hiding much of his strength.

Perhaps it was a man’s pride. He did not want her to look down on him.

In fact, from the former owner’s memories, Xiao Xuan had already discovered that the boy had always harbored a secret crush on Mu Xiying, who was older than him.

The main reason was that Mu Xiying had always been extraordinarily gifted ever since they were young. Though she had never particularly liked him, she had always protected him.

That had left Xiao Xuan with special feelings toward her.

Of course, the former owner had been a complete coward. Whenever he saw Mu Xiying, he did not even dare raise his eyes to look at her.

That was also why Mu Xiying’s impression of him had grown worse and worse.

She had always believed Xiao Xuan held some grievance against her.

Of course, having lived through another life, Mu Xiying no longer cared about such things.

The only thing she needed to do now was raise her strength as quickly as possible. Only then could she withstand whatever crises might arrive in the future.

“Only the third layer of Body Tempering? You’re nearly eighteen. Your aptitude is rather poor.”

Xiao Xuan had thought not hiding his strength would be fairly impressive.

Yet in Mu Xiying’s eyes, his talent was still lacking.

Then, as if remembering something, she tapped lightly at empty space above the table.

BZZZ!!!

In an instant, a medicine bottle and two manuals appeared on the table.

“This pill can improve your aptitude. It can raise your cultivation speed to the Blue grade.

These two manuals are a Second-Rank, Low-Grade cultivation method and martial skill. Practice them for now. Once your strength improves, I’ll give you something better.”

Mu Xiying spoke calmly.

The moment he heard that, Xiao Xuan’s eyes widened.

What was this supposed to be? A pill that could improve one’s aptitude? And raise it all the way to Blue?

That had to be extremely precious, did it not?

It was probably even more valuable than an ordinary Purple-grade pill.

How had Mu Xiying gotten hold of something like that?

In this world, pills, cultivation methods, weapons, and the like were all ranked starting from First Rank, then Second Rank, Third Rank, Fourth Rank, and so on.

First Rank corresponded to the Body-Tempering Realm, Second Rank to the Vitality Realm, Third Rank to the Innate Realm, Fourth Rank to the Grandmaster Realm, and Fifth Rank to the Great Grandmaster Realm.

“Actually... I don’t really need these.”

Xiao Xuan gave a helpless smile.

With the Scavenger trait, he truly had no need for such things.

“Take them.”

Mu Xiying spoke calmly.

“Oh. All right.”

The corner of Xiao Xuan’s mouth twitched.

There was something unexpectedly domineering about that.

For some reason, he found that rather appealing.

After putting the items away, Xiao Xuan curiously glanced at Mu Xiying’s traits.

What shocked him, however, was that all of her traits displayed as Unknown.

...

[Unknown] [Unknown] [Unknown] ...

...

The sight left Xiao Xuan puzzled.

Unknown?

What was the reason for that? Was it because their rank was too high to be displayed?

But the only one he could see made his pupils contract sharply.

...

[Weak! Silver]

...

“What the hell? A Silver [Weak]? What is going on? And does Mu Xiying look weak to anyone?”

Xiao Xuan was inwardly shaken.

Even a mere [Weak] trait was Silver, and he could still see Silver.

Then did that not mean all the other traits showing as Unknown had to be Gold?

He made a rough count.

Good heavens. There were a whole bunch of them, and every one of them was at least Gold.

“Just what kind of background does Mu Xiying have? Could she be one of those heaven-favored heroines of destiny?”

Xiao Xuan was utterly astonished.

He even became a little cautious as he looked at Mu Xiying.

Everyone knew that the men around such women rarely came to a good end.

Yet in Mu Xiying’s eyes, the meaning of his expression was entirely different.

Seeing how carefully Xiao Xuan was looking at her, she unexpectedly recalled the timid gaze he had worn when he was first brought home as a child.

At that moment, she remembered the final words her parents had left behind in her previous life.

She had always hated Xiao Xuan’s timid, shrinking manner, yet that behavior had only ever appeared when he was in front of her.

And the reason was that Xiao Xuan had always felt guilty toward her because their parents had favored him.

Combined with her own cold personality, that had caused Xiao Xuan to assume she disliked him.

That, in turn, had only made him more cautious in front of her.

But if it had not been for her, his parents would never have died.

Xiao Xuan would not have had to live under another’s roof from childhood onward while watching her expression.

At that thought, her heart ached for no reason.

“These are only trivial things. You’re my little brother. If you need anything, just tell your sister.”

Mu Xiying revealed a genuine smile.

At that moment, Xiao Xuan felt as though even his heartbeat had slowed by half a beat.

Mu Xiying, however, could only sigh inwardly.

It was not that she did not want to give Xiao Xuan better pills. It was simply that, for now, she lacked the ingredients and could only refine a Blue Aptitude Pill.

As for the cultivation method and martial skill, Xiao Xuan’s comprehension was too weak. Even if she gave him something more powerful, he would not be able to learn it.

It was better to give him something more manageable for now. Later, once she could refine a Comprehension Pill, she would give him something better.

“Thank you, Sister Ying’er. Then I won’t stand on ceremony.”