Enhancement +1

It was past ten o'clock at night when Yu Xian and his companions returned to Fukang City. Fang Qinghao had originally wanted to return to her dog hole to spend the night, but Yu Xian insisted she come with them. Socially phobic, timid, indecisive, and completely incapable of saying no, she had no choice but to meekly follow him into the city. She crept along looking so guilty and furtive that anyone who saw them might have thought she was Yu Xian's secret mistress. Back at the inn, Yu Xian booked a double room for Fang Qinghao and Little Nora to share, while keeping a private room for himself. "Big Bro, you don't want to sleep with me... is it because I fart?" Little Nora asked anxiously. It had clearly taken the Busybody Bird's words from that morning to heart and was deeply troubled by them. In fact, there was simply no way to prove it didn't fart in its sleep, just as many people had no idea they snored. Before going off to college, plenty of students had only ever slept alone, blissfully unaware of their snoring until their dorm mates broke the news to them. "I'm worried she'll sneak off in the night," Yu Xian told Little Nora. "From now on, you need to keep an eye on her so she doesn't run away. Got it?" Beside them, Fang Qinghao gave a slight shudder, feeling as though her thoughts had been read like an open book. She really had planned to slip away. There were far too many people in the city, making her feel uneasy from head to toe. Her dog hole outside the walls was much more comfortable. Small as it was, that little den was packed with a sense of security—even if roaming monsters occasionally dropped by and sent her fleeing out the other end. Unfortunately, Yu Xian had anticipated her intentions. Now she had no chance of escaping. "Don't worry, Big Bro! I'll watch Big Sister closely and make sure she doesn't get away!" Hearing Yu Xian's explanation, Little Nora instantly perked up. As long as it wasn't about farting, everything was fine. Yu Xian shot Fang Qinghao a smiling yet menacing look. "If you try to run this time, you won't be sleeping with Little Nora next time—you'll be sleeping in my room. You'd better think carefully before you make a move!" "I... I won't run," Fang Qinghao stammered in a faint, meek voice. They went up to the second floor and parted ways into their respective rooms. Yu Xian headed straight into the bathroom to wash up, while next door, Little Nora sat on the bed and resumed gorging itself. The colossal fish summoned at noon was simply too massive to finish in a single day. Moments ago, the God of Cookery had been continuously teleporting freshly cooked dishes over. Once Yu Xian was full, he had asked Little Nora to see if it could pause the deliveries, and the solution turned out to be straightforward. It could indeed pause them. Not only that, but Little Nora could also control when each dish was served and where it materialized. It was just that the creature was usually so careless that it had never paid attention to such fine details of its skill. "Big Sister, do you want some?" Little Nora turned to Fang Qinghao and asked. Caught in Little Nora's gaze, Fang Qinghao instantly grew bashful and hurriedly shook her head. Little Nora didn't overthink it and simply went on eating. *The way it eats makes everything look so delicious.* Sitting on the other bed, Fang Qinghao watched Little Nora with cautious curiosity, gradually growing entranced. It had to be said that watching Little Nora eat gave off a powerful sense of secondhand happiness. As Fang Qinghao watched, the corners of her lips slowly curved upward, and she became completely absorbed in the live mukbang. *** The night passed without incident. The next morning, Ximen Wangcai and Situ Xingye appeared outside the gates of Fukang City, clad in tattered rags. Compared to the relatively smooth journey Yu Xian and his group had enjoyed, the two of them had endured utter misery. Although the initial blast wave hadn't injured them, they hadn't expected to land in an area swarming with aggressive monsters. These hostile beasts harbored extreme enmity toward class holders, attacking on sight. They even called upon their comrades, fighting as though bound by deep, blood-soaked grudges. With no other choice, Ximen Wangcai and Situ Xingye had been forced to slaughter their way through every creature they encountered. Several times, they had narrowly escaped death. Looking at the city gates, Ximen Wangcai let out a breath of relief, still shaken. "I thought I was going to die all over again." "Ximen, do you think what happened to us had something to do with..." Now that they were safe, Situ Xingye lowered his voice, intending to discuss a theory. Ximen Wangcai quickly clapped a hand over Situ Xingye's mouth and said solemnly, "Forget about yesterday. Don't bring it up again!" "Oh, right. Okay." Understanding the look in Ximen Wangcai's eyes, Situ Xingye hastily nodded. *** Yu Xian slept until half past nine before slowly stirring awake. He sat up in bed, taking a good while to shake the grogginess from his mind. Though yesterday had been somewhat rough, the spoils were quite decent—especially the enhancement stone from Fang Qinghao, which was precisely what he needed. [Character Enhancement Stone] [Effect: Enhances the user, increasing their status rank by +1. Has a chance of failure.] [Remarks: If you shatter, don't blame me.] Yu Xian pulled out the gem and studied its attributes before taking a deep breath. Surely he wouldn't be unlucky enough to shatter on his very first attempt with a character enhancement stone, right? At present, he was merely an ordinary class holder. Ten enhancements would elevate him to an elite class holder, a hundred more would make him a hero class holder, and a thousand beyond that would turn him into a legendary class holder. A hero class holder was still a distant dream, but reaching elite status was something he could reasonably look forward to. Based on the information he had gathered so far, enhancement count was the most critical factor in the Zhen Realm. Character enhancement was likely the most vital link of all, followed by class enhancements, skill enhancements, and finally weapons and equipment. "Enhance!" Yu Xian drew a deep breath and decisively activated the character enhancement stone. The red gem in his hand immediately radiated brilliant light, melting into a crimson orb that slowly merged into his body. Moments later, he felt every one of his attributes surging upward, giving rise to the illusion that he could easily pulverize his former self. After a brief period, the enhancement concluded. He noticed that his senses had sharpened considerably. There was also an indescribable sensation—as if his control over his summons and skills had noticeably deepened. If he had been a standard, by-the-book player before the enhancement, he now felt like a player running subtle cheats. He glanced down at his hand. With a single thought, a Chaos Missile materialized in his palm, spinning obediently according to his will. Prior to the enhancement, such a feat would have been impossible. Previously, activating Chaos Missile would instantly fire the projectile forward; there was no way he could keep it hovering in his palm to manipulate as he pleased. Unfortunately, he still couldn't control which element the missile took. He suspected further enhancements would be required to unlock that feature. Once he did, his attacks would become endlessly versatile—turning the Chaos Missile into a fireball, an ice sphere, a lightning orb, a boulder, or a lump of steel at will. *Looks like enhancement stones really are the most important resource in this game.* Yu Xian dismissed the Chaos Missile, letting it gently dissipate from his palm. Gazing at his uninjured hand, he smiled inwardly. Then, he pulled up his status panel to inspect it carefully. [Name: Yu Xian] [Enhancement: +1] [Level: 25] [Class: Chaos Envoy] [Skills:] [Chaos Summoning, Chaos Curse, Chaos Missile, Chaos Shield] Everything else remained unchanged, save for the newly added "Enhancement: +1." As Yu Xian focused on his internal state, his eyes suddenly lit up. It wasn't completely unchanged after all—his summon slots had increased by one as well.