"Is There No Other Way?"

  Ye Tianxie asked. A profession that ordinary players could acquire effortlessly had become an insurmountable barrier for him… Was he really destined to remain jobless in the world of Destiny forever?

  Kong Xiu shook his head. "No. Unless… Your innate power instinctively rejects ordinary professions. Unless your latent power awakens, in which case, it will naturally manifest as your own unique profession… Or, you manage to find a hidden profession with strength that matches your potential."

  Ye Tianxie’s expression shifted, and he let out a faint, bitter smile. "Alright. In that case, I won’t trouble you any further."

  Either he awakened his power or found a hidden profession… What kind of joke was this?! He had no idea what kind of power was buried inside him, let alone how to awaken it. As for hidden professions? Acquiring one of those legendary hidden professions was harder than reaching the heavens—where on earth was he supposed to find one?

  Opening the stone door, Ye Tianxie stepped out into the light. Just as he was about to leave, Kong Xiu’s voice suddenly called out from behind him.

  "Xietian, wait a moment."

  Ye Tianxie stopped in his tracks and turned around. Kong Xiu quickly approached, his brows slightly relaxed, an excited look on his face. "I just remembered something—there might be something that can help you."

  "Oh? What is it?"

  "The Dragon God’s Stone!" Kong Xiu said. "Legend has it that far to the south, in a place called Hidden Dragon Abyss, there lies a bottomless chasm. At the bottom of this abyss, there exists a Dragon God’s Stone—formed from the dying essence of the greatest Dragon God of ancient times. Young dragons that come near it will immediately awaken their dragon power."

  He paused for a moment before continuing, "The Lost Chronicles contain records of the Dragon God’s Stone, suggesting that its existence is more than just a myth. If the stone can awaken dormant dragon power… then perhaps it could also awaken the dragon power within you."

  "You want me to find the Dragon God’s Stone?" Ye Tianxie furrowed his brows, contemplating Kong Xiu’s words.

  "That’s right. Hidden Dragon Abyss is a forbidden land where humans are not allowed to set foot. But even if it weren’t forbidden, ordinary people wouldn’t have the ability to reach it. The dragon race has been absent for a long time, but that doesn’t mean they’ve gone extinct. If there are dragons dwelling in Hidden Dragon Abyss, they will not allow intruders. Even I—no, even ten of me—wouldn’t dare approach. But you… You possess the Emblem of the Brave, which is already a miracle in itself. Perhaps even greater miracles will be born through you.

  "Moreover, you have the power of the Dragon Soul. If dragons still exist there, they might not be hostile toward you… And besides, you otherworlders don’t truly die—you only lose levels instead of facing real death. Though the journey there is nearly certain death for you as you are now, I still hope that, if given the chance… you will go to Hidden Dragon Abyss."

  Kong Xiu’s expression grew increasingly solemn, his voice even more serious. Today, he had witnessed something beyond his wildest imagination, and now, he was desperately eager to witness the birth of an unprecedented powerhouse. After all, this was the first person to ever shatter the Awakening Stone through sheer potential. The first to possess dragon power.

  Was the Dragon God’s Stone truly at the bottom of Hidden Dragon Abyss? No one could say for sure. Could it really awaken Ye Tianxie’s latent power? No one knew. Did dragons still exist there? No one had the answer…

  But, as Kong Xiu had pointed out, players couldn’t truly die. Ye Tianxie had no reason not to at least try.

  "Where is Hidden Dragon Abyss?" Ye Tianxie asked.

  "Three thousand kilometers to the south. Once you reach that area, you can ask anyone, and they’ll know where it is. But… with your current strength, you won’t survive the journey. You wouldn’t even make it near before being torn apart by the powerful monsters along the way. Wait until you reach level 70—no, level 80. By then, you should be strong enough to approach the abyss. As for how you’ll actually descend into that bottomless chasm… that’s something you’ll have to figure out on your own."

  Three thousand kilometers… Level 80… Entering a bottomless abyss…

  What kind of sick joke was this?!

  A distance of three thousand kilometers? With the base movement speed of 100, even if he traveled nonstop, it would take an eternity to reach it. Not to mention the various high-level monsters along the way that would make the journey a living nightmare. Level 80? It had taken Ye Tianxie nearly ten days to reach level 11—at this rate, reaching level 80 would take forever! And as for falling into a bottomless abyss… Right now, a fall of just a dozen meters could kill him. A bottomless chasm? He’d die hundreds of times over!

  His heart was in turmoil. Without another word, he turned and silently walked away under Kong Xiu’s watchful gaze.

  "Oh la la! Master, I saw everything, and I heard everything too!"

  Perched on his shoulder, Xiao Guoguo beamed, as if she had just accomplished something incredible. In her tiny hands, she clutched a lollipop that was already half-devoured. Her little pink tongue swirled around it as she savored the taste, her face filled with blissful satisfaction.

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  Aside from the occasional tantrum when she didn’t get her way—forcing Ye Tianxie to comply every time—this tiny troublemaker lived as carefree as a pampered princess. In fact, from the second day after meeting her, Ye Tianxie had been questioning who was really the master between them.

  "Guoguo, do you know where Hidden Dragon Abyss is?" Ye Tianxie asked while lost in thought. Despite looking like an innocent little sprite, this tiny thing had more knowledge than anyone could have imagined.

  "Hmm…" Guoguo blinked, stuffing the lollipop into her mouth before mumbling, "I don’t know right now… But if I had ten apple-flavored lollipops, ten lemon ones, ten mango ones, ten orange ones, ten peach ones, and ten banana ones… I might remember something."

  Veins bulged on Ye Tianxie’s forehead.

  This trick again?! Guoguo had pulled this scam on him countless times before—and it had worked every single time. Every time he asked her a question, if she happened to know the answer, she would seize the opportunity to extort him. And in the end… Ye Tianxie always gave in.

  By the time Ye Tianxie logged off, the sky outside had already darkened. As usual, he casually put together a simple dinner before finally, under Guoguo’s pitiful gaze and incessant chatter, throwing on a coat and heading out… It seemed that Guoguo’s supply of lollipops was about to run out again.

  This was the third time today he had gone out to buy lollipops for Guoguo. The first time… he had ended up saving a young beauty who, coincidentally, had been harassed by him earlier that day. The second time, nothing eventful happened. And now, for the third time… it was once again nighttime, and once again, he had the suffocating feeling of wanting to die.

  Under the cover of darkness, Ye Tianxie hurried towards the familiar vending machine. If he could, he would have covered his face entirely.

  After crossing two streets, he finally arrived at the vending machine. Almost instinctively, he glanced around furtively, making sure no one was watching before swiftly inserting money into the slot. His fingers moved over the different lollipop flavors, tapping each selection ten times in a row.

  Clatter, clatter… The machine whirred as colorful lollipops began dropping one after another. Ye Tianxie waited patiently, wishing they would all just fall out at once so he could grab them and leave immediately. This short, agonizing moment felt like a punishment he desperately wanted to escape from.

  But of course, things never went as planned. Before all the lollipops could even finish dropping, hurried footsteps echoed nearby. And not just any footsteps—high heels. The rhythmic tapping sound reached his ears from a distance, growing closer at an alarming rate.

  Ye Tianxie felt frozen. Leave? Stay? Before he could decide, the owner of those footsteps had already arrived nearby. He didn’t turn his head but instead subtly lowered it, pretending not to notice. If he had a hat right now, he would have pulled it down to cover his face completely.

  Being caught by a woman, late at night, sneakily buying lollipops… What would she think? What would she say? How embarrassing would it be?!

  As Ye Tianxie silently wished for a tornado to sweep this woman away into the Pacific Ocean, the footsteps stopped right beside him. A pair of eyes stared at him, unreservedly and intently.

  "Lei Feng! You’re Lei Feng! I finally found you! I’m the girl you saved that night—do you remember me?"

  A crisp and cheerful female voice rang in his ears, filled with excitement and delight.

  Ye Tianxie stiffened. In an instant, he realized who this girl was, and his head lowered even further. His voice deepened as he muttered, "Sorry, you’ve got the wrong person."

  Lei Feng… Lei your sister’s Feng! Did she really believe that name? Had she never even heard of Lei Feng before?! Wait… could she actually not know?

  "Hmph! Liar! You're wearing the exact same outfit as last time—I recognize it! And that night, I had people check all the surveillance footage from this street. I saw you passing by here… and stopping at this very vending machine to buy loads of lollipops and chocolates! Four nights ago, you came again and bought even more lollipops! That’s when I knew—you must really love lollipops, but because you’re embarrassed, you only buy them at night when no one's around… So, I’ve been waiting here all this time, knowing you'd show up eventually. And tonight, I finally caught you! Hey! Turn around and look at me!"

  At this moment, Ye Tianxie had only two thoughts—one, to immediately dig a hole and bury himself in it; two, to rush home and swat Guoguo with a fly swatter for causing all this.

  Clatter, clatter…

  The last lollipop fell, bringing the total to fifty. A mountain of lollipops piled up before Ye Tianxie. Staring at them, he nearly teared up—should he take them or not?

  "Wow! You bought so many again! You really love lollipops, huh? Hehehe, don’t be embarrassed! Everyone has their little secrets—it’s no big deal!"

  Her words said "no big deal," but even a fool could hear the barely restrained laughter in her voice. She stepped forward, opened her shoulder bag, and before he could react, swept all the lollipops inside.

  "Okay! I’ll hold onto these for you! Now, stop pretending to be a statue and look at me!"

  A faint scent of lilies drifted into Ye Tianxie’s nose, making it twitch slightly. Women who preferred this fragrance were usually natural and free-spirited, often carrying an innate sense of elegance and nobility… But from their limited interactions and her current behavior, this girl seemed to be the complete opposite of that.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a light blue silhouette. A pair of eyes were trying to move into his field of vision, eager to see his face. Realizing he had no way out, Ye Tianxie reluctantly turned his head to look at her.

  The moment their eyes met, a flicker of admiration flashed through his gaze. Women who could truly impress him were rare—very rare.

  She was undeniably beautiful. Ye Tianxie had noticed that the first time he saw her. She wore a light blue knit top paired with short shorts, revealing a pair of long, fair legs with flawless proportions. But what truly caught his attention was her skin—perfectly smooth, without a single blemish, even under the dim streetlights. It seemed to glow faintly, an ethereal sheen that accentuated her beauty.

  Especially her legs—long, slender, perfectly shaped, like they were sculpted from white jade. Just looking at them made his heart race, and he felt an irresistible urge to touch them.

  The girl, meanwhile, was intently studying him—his eyes, his nose, his lips, his jawline… She was tall, almost eye-level with him, though that was likely due to the light blue high-heeled sandals she wore.

  The first time they met, she barely saw his face, only catching a glimpse of his fleeing figure. That night, she had hated him to the core—because of him, she had sat on her bed hugging herself, crying all afternoon. Her father had flown into a rage, mobilizing every resource to hunt him down.

  Yet the second time they met, he had saved her life. That was when she finally got a clear look at him—and his image was forever imprinted in her mind. At the time, she didn’t yet know he was the one who had harassed her. But when she finally found out… she realized she could no longer bring herself to hate him.

  That night, she had lain awake, tossing and turning. And from that moment on, she had been consumed by an intense desire to find him again.