Chapter 24: Holy Lord?!
By the time Yang Xu returned to his residence from Times Square, it was well past one in the morning.
Having just survived a life-threatening crisis, he briefly checked the system.
Seeing that he could perform the "Bronze Level Ten Combos," he simply washed up and collapsed onto his bed.
"I'll draw the lottery after I shower and change!"
With that thought, exhaustion pulled Yang Xu into a deep sleep.
…
The next morning, Yang Xu rose early but didn't immediately dive into the lottery.
Instead, he showered, changed into clean clothes, and then opened the system panel:
[Host: Yang Xu]
[Descended Identities: Binbin, Awei, Fujiwara Takumi, John Wick, Joker (deceased)]
[Reputation Value: ...]
Seeing the word "deceased," Yang Xu frowned and checked his inventory.
The first item he saw was: "Artificial Body (damaged)."
A wave of regret washed over him. Such a useful item, gone.
However, he was grateful the system automatically recycled broken items, saving him the trouble of cleanup.
After reviewing his inventory, he turned his attention to the "Joker" entry, his mind analyzing the situation:
"The Joker's actions stemmed from his chaotic nature."
"A clown with that attribute resists all order, especially loyalty that restricts his chaotic impulses!"
"He must have recognized the system's constraints while smearing the New York mayor, and that's when he planned his attack."
The Joker's brutal methods led him to a conclusion:
"The system likely imposes strong limitations on clowns."
"Otherwise, he wouldn't have relied solely on contagion, a risky tactic!"
"If I had reacted during the building collapse, I could have immediately activated the Bronze Level lottery."
"With supernatural protection, I'd likely have suffered only serious injuries!"
"Besides, the Joker's stunt yielded considerable profit."
"That single action nearly equaled a Bronze Level ten-combo!"
"From that perspective, I didn't entirely lose."
"Still, I must be cautious. The system's power isn't foolproof. The Joker is proof of that!"
Having processed the situation, Yang Xu dismissed the Joker from his thoughts.
He composed himself and, as usual, offered a silent prayer before opening the lottery page.
He gazed at the turquoise metallic turntable.
"Please, not Jie Ge, not Jie Ge..."
After his whispered plea, he tapped the "Ten Consecutive" option.
"Witness the rise of the European Emperor!"
Ten green lights flashed on the Bronze Level dial.
Nine item icons, a character page, and ten bronze fragments materialized in the air!
Seeing only one character, Yang Xu sighed:
"Praying is useless. It's all superstition."
"Just hope it's not Jie Ge. I don't want a group."
As he muttered, the system delivered a lengthy message:
"Obtained a 'Bronze Level' character, system permissions upgraded. Host gains 'Fusion' permission!"
"This permission allows fusion of same-rank characters (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Stars) with the host as the primary entity." (Note: Only one character per rank can be fused.)
"The host gains all powers of the fused character and can still perform character descents, stacking abilities."
Yang Xu's eyes lit up: "I can use two characters' powers simultaneously?"
"And as the rank increases, I can stack up to four characters!"
"This is amazing!"
He suppressed his excitement and continued reading:
"Fused characters are removed from the regular lottery and placed in a dedicated character prize pool!"
"This pool only draws characters related to the fused one, with a reputation cost of one-tenth the character's rank!"
A thought struck Yang Xu: "Exclusive card pool!"
"Four exclusive pools at most."
"Even though it's limited to related items, the cost is low!"
"Bronze Level shots are only a hundred points, ten consecutive are a thousand! Huge profit!"
Yang Xu couldn't help but marvel: "Classic system! Always finding ways for me to earn!"
After a brief celebration, he examined his new character:
[Character: Holy Lord (Stone Sculpture)]
[Rank: Bronze (~~)]
[Source: Jackie Chan Adventures]
[Skills: Demonic Physique, Summon Shadow Troops]
(Possesses a body as hard as stone and can summon numerous shadow ninja troops!)
[Introduction: I lack everything now!!!]
Yang Xu stared at the dragon-shaped stone disc, his eyes wide with excitement:
"Holy Lord?!"
He couldn't resist the allure of summoning hordes of minions.
After calming himself, a bold idea emerged: "Should I fuse with the Holy Lord?"
"Gain its powers and unlock its exclusive card pool."
"The Holy Lord is an ancient demon monarch, the Fire Lord representing the Eight Trigrams!"
"Its prime strength might be Silver or even Gold Level!"
"Even if its current power is less, its immortality and the twelve talismans are tempting."
"No, I should wait."
"Wait until I combine the ten bronze fragments, then decide."
"If there's no better option, I'll fuse with the Holy Lord at the Bronze Level."
After careful consideration, Yang Xu turned his attention to the floating bronze fragments.
As if responding to his gaze, they rapidly began to assemble!