Right now, his job was to boost Xizhao’s physical condition whenever needed, so the boy could bring out the Snow Mastiff Armor’s abilities as much as possible—until the day Xizhao could summon it on his own, without any help.
But that would still take some time. After all, Xizhao was only six. Even if his training talent was decent, getting his body to that level quickly just wasn’t realistic.
If it weren’t for the fact that this was Xizhao’s own wish—and that the armor could absorb some energy from the mutated beasts it killed to strengthen the host’s body—they never would have agreed.
“That’s way too late.”
In Xizhao’s mind, that godlike figure’s words still echoed: the future wouldn’t be peaceful, and to protect the ones you love, you had to possess great power.
So he wanted to get stronger as fast as he could.
“Hey, don’t forget—you’re just a six-year-old kid! Kids are supposed to enjoy their childhood.”
“When the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. There’s no way we’d let a six-year-old stand in front of us!”
“Tsk, such a mature little brat.”
The man beside him, catching Xizhao’s words, rubbed his head with a hint of emotion, his eyes filled with complexity.
This era… was far too cruel to them.
Once the future stabilized—once humanity completely suppressed the mutated beasts—that version of the spirit-energy revival would be a beautiful one. But this era? This was the darkest time of all. Because countless lives would be lost.
Just like in China’s past—countless heroic predecessors fought and sacrificed so that later generations could enjoy a better life.
And now… it was their turn to be the heroes.
“Alright, let’s head back. That’s the only mutated rat for today.”
“Go home, eat two extra eggs, drink a glass of milk—that way you’ll grow up faster.”
“Okay.”
Xizhao nodded and followed behind him. The two figures—one tall, one small—walked toward the Spirit Bureau together.
A few others stayed behind to clean up the battlefield.
But because of the armor’s special nature, the mutated beasts would explode after dying—which meant they couldn’t collect the corpses anymore.
Which was fine, honestly. Even if mutated rats did contain some spirit energy, no one really wanted to eat their meat if they could avoid it.
Even if it supposedly tasted okay after processing.
——-
“I never thought you’d choose to make a deal with me.”
“Shendu.”
Bai Xuan looked at the chat window—the one he’d opened in a private conversation—and curled the corners of his lips upward.
“You and the group leader are the only two transmigrators in this whole chat group. Even if everyone else has seen the memory fragments of your world, all they know is the plot.”
“Whether anyone’s actually bought a Teleport Talisman, I don’t know. No one can be certain where it would drop them in your world if they used it.”
“And even if they did get there, there’s no guarantee they’d know exactly where Jackie Chan and the others are.”
“Angel Yan… and you. You’re the two I considered the best trading partners.”
“But I could never choose an angel.”
Shendu’s crimson eyes flickered with a sharp gleam.
“Name your terms. You can speak freely.”
“Aside from the Rat Talisman, the Tiger Talisman, and the Dragon Talisman, you can pick any of the twelve talismans you want.”
That was no small offer. But…
“I want the Book of Ages!”
Bai Xuan said calmly.
Out of all twelve talismans, the only one that interested him was the Rat Talisman.
And he’d already bought that. So now, in Shendu’s world, there was only one thing he cared about—the Book of Ages!
The Book of Ages was essentially the script of Shendu’s world. Rewriting history, altering perceptions—it could do all of that with ease.
In terms of capability, it was even more powerful than the Time Stone. But accordingly, the Book of Ages could almost certainly only be used in Shendu’s world.
Still, Bai Xuan didn’t mind. He only wanted to know whether the Book of Ages could have any effect on his [Natural Authority]—just like the Rat Talisman had.
If it helped [Natural Authority] in any way, that would be perfect. Even if it didn’t, the Book of Ages would still fetch a hefty price if he recycled it.
He wouldn’t lose either way.
If it weren’t for the chat group’s rule that traveling to someone else’s world required that member’s consent—even the group leader wasn’t exempt—the Book of Ages would’ve been snatched up by someone else long ago.
And it was precisely for that reason—even though the Book wasn’t in Shendu’s possession at the moment—that Bai Xuan chose it as part of the trade.
Shendu’s eyes glowed red as he deliberated.
It wasn’t that he wanted to use the Book for himself. Though he hadn’t seen the memory fragments, he’d learned from the group leader that even if he used the Book of Ages, he’d still fail in the end. So the Book’s appeal to him wasn’t all that great.
What he valued was the points the Book could be sold for.
That staggering number would definitely let him strengthen himself to an entirely new level.
But if he couldn’t even resurrect himself in the first place, then obtaining the Book would be nothing but empty talk.
For him, there were plenty of ways to earn points.
Magic. Talismans. Dark energies. Even his own brothers and sisters…
And those immortal artifacts that sealed him away!
At that thought, Shendu’s gaze turned cold.
“Fine. I agree.”
“Then the deal is sealed.”
Bai Xuan purchased a Teleport Talisman from the chat group.
Ding. Detected that group member ‘Child of Nature’ wishes to travel to your world. Do you consent?
The chat group’s voice rang in Shendu’s ears.
“I consent.”
Shendu replied without hesitation.
And then—the very next second—the Teleport Talisman Bai Xuan had bought radiated a gentle glow. When the light faded, Bai Xuan had already arrived in another world.
“His power hasn’t weakened.”
“He can still communicate with the world’s will.”
“[Natural Authority] hasn’t been suppressed.”
Bai Xuan sensed his condition after crossing over to this new world—and the answer left him somewhat surprised.
None of his abilities had been reduced. In fact, he could even feel the favor of this Earth’s consciousness right now.
The nature that surrounded him, everywhere he looked, was still enthusiastically amplifying his strength.
The sky. The earth. The oceans…
“Is it because this is still Earth?”
Bai Xuan murmured to himself.
Perhaps—since this was still Earth—for the world of Jackie Chan Adventures, he was like a parallel version’s own child. Or maybe a relative’s nephew dropping by for a visit? Whatever the reason, his abilities hadn’t been weakened here at all.
“Or… is it because of the chat group?”
From the chat-group novels he’d read in his past life, when members traveled to other worlds, their abilities didn’t grow weaker than in their home worlds. Maybe the chat group had applied some sort of rule to him—guaranteeing that he could always bring his full power to bear, no matter which world he visited.
Bai Xuan closed his eyes, feeling the essence of this world. When he opened them again, he glanced toward where Shendu was located, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
“I didn’t expect them to have collected all the talismans so quickly.”
“Because they haven’t seen the memory fragments, their methods of snatching them became more hesitant and cautious—to the point where they even ended up speeding up Jackie and the others’ efforts to gather the talismans.”
“So even back then, you were already thinking about making a deal…”
As expected of you, Shendu.
