Qin Wei scrolled back to the skills section, stopping on the skill that was not activated yet.

Spirit Beast Art (Inactive)

When he read the description, he remembered the Tiger-kind of transformation Zion had, which increased his strength to Rank-8, one that forced him to purchase and open the Gate of Echo.

"Let's see..." He proceeded to click on it.

The moment his finger made contact, the screen rippled.

*Ding!

[Do you wish to activate Spirit Beast Art?]

Qin Wei stared at the words. His heartbeat steadied. "Yes," he said.

The system did not immediately respond. A brief pause followed and then...

*Ding!

[Please make a selection.]

[Option One: Allow the system to assign the most compatible spirit beast.]

[Option Two: Selection from four random top-tier spirit beasts.]

Qin Wei blinked. He exhaled slowly and leaned back against the headboard.

"Aria," he said, his voice still hoarse, "what option do you think is better?"

The cold mechanical silence lasted only a second.

And then…

*Ding! There is a reason you were given a choice, host. If I were to decide everything for you, why would I bother providing options at all?

The familiar haughty tone filled his head.

Qin Wei's lip twitched. A faint, crooked smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "So I wake up after nearly dying," he muttered, "and the first thing you do is talk to me like this."

The screen pulsed once.

*Ding! This situation exists because of your own decisions. Who instructed you to activate the Gate of Echo? You could have accepted defeat.

Qin Wei clenched his fist slightly.

"That would have happened," he replied, arguing back at the system, "if you hadn't put forth the reward of Eyes of Truth in front of me like bait."

*Ding! You were also compensated with five hundred credits for your failure. The system remains fair in all exchanges. The host makes choices and carries the result.

The words landed clean and sharp. Qin Wei opened his mouth to argue, but nothing came out.

After a short pause, he let out a slow breath.

"Fine," he said quietly. "Whatever you say is correct."

The light hovering before him softened.

His gaze returned to the choices.

After a few seconds, he lifted his hand again. "I'll choose myself," he said. "Option Two."

The moment his finger pressed the selection, a bright sound rang out in the air.

*Ding! Choice confirmed.

The screen then shattered into four separate panels that hovered in a wide arc before him. Each one glowed with the illustration of a different image.

In the first panel, a massive Black dragon curled within the image. Yellow lightning sparks rolled from between its fangs as gold pupils slitted open.

The second panel had a phoenix that spread its blazing wings.

The third panel had a leviathan coiled through waters.

The fourth panel had a griffin standing upon shattered stone, lion's body tense, eagle wings spread wide. Its sharp gaze looked straight at Qin Wei as if it could see through the screen.

Qin Wei stared at the four beasts in silence.

His throat went dry for a second.

"So these are the so-called random choices," he whispered under his breath. "Seriously?

"These are some real shit..." he gasped. "A Dragon, Phoenix, Leviathan, and Griffin. All of these are pretty much mythical beasts… And I can choose one of them?"

For a moment, his heart pounded with disbelief. Then a flicker of relief surfaced in his eyes.

He was glad that he had not handed the decision to the system.

If he had let it choose, who knew what kind of creature he would end up bound to...

His gaze returned to the dragon first.

Logically, it was the best choice.

Even if it is not the red Dragon, Dragons were known as the strongest species in this world. Moreover, it also complements his lightning element.

His eyes shifted away, slowly landing on the phoenix.

The Phoenix… whether it is him or the other writers… almost everyone relates the Phoenix to one thing: Rebirth or multiple lives...

Qin Wei's chest tightened as another thing popped up in his head.

It's his house.

The Phoenix was the symbol of his House Phoenix, as the history of his house tells that the founder was blessed by a Phoenix. The legend also became more and more true as everyone who was born in the House Phoenix usually has an affinity with fire element.

Logic pulled him toward the dragon.

Emotion pulled him toward the phoenix.

For several seconds, he stood caught between the two. As for the Griffin that is on his in-laws' symbol and the Leviathan, the strongest creature in the waters… Qin Wei didn't even think about them.

Eventually, his teeth clenched, and his eyes hardened. "Fine… this time… I'll go with..."

His finger moved.

The moment he touched the phoenix panel, the other three images faded away like smoke.

A new line of light appeared before him.

*Ding!

[Confirm selection: Phoenix? This choice cannot be changed.]

Qin Wei stared at the words. There was no hesitation left in his eyes.

"Yes."

The sound echoed louder than before.

*Ding!

[Spirit beast selected.]

[Spirit Beast Art has been activated.]

[Please review the skill details.]

Fire rushed across the screen in flowing patterns. New data unfolded in front of him.

*

Spirit Beast Art: Phoenix Descent

Duration: 300 seconds

Effect: Temporarily increases the host's rank by 1 as a layer of Phoenix Armor will form over the user's body. Grants flight and the power of immortality. Grants instant healing. If death occurs, resurrection will trigger instantly.

Note 1: Effects stack with the effects from other skills (the ones applied before this Art.)

Note 2: The user cannot unleash any other skill while this skill stays active.

Note 3: The maximum strength a user can achieve while this skill is active is Rank-10.

Note 4: Immortality doesn't work against Deity-ranked (Rank-11) beings

Cooldown: 12 hours

*

Qin Wei's pupils shrank.

He read it once.

Then again.

Then a third time, slower.

His breath hitched. "Immortality…" he whispered. "I thought the Phoenix might give me multiple lives, but immortality… That means I cannot die as long as I'm in the transformation… And if I pair it with Gate of Echo, I'm basically a Rank-9 who cannot die."

His hands slowly curled into fists, joints trembling as heat surged through his veins. His tired eyes lit up with a sharp, burning glow.

"I guess I made the perfect choice," he said, unable to hide the excitement in his voice. "Don't you think so, Aria?"

*Ding! The Dragon offers superior raw combat statistics and gives you black lightning, a superior form of lightning element. The Griffin provides enhanced agility, strength, flight, and multiple elements of Earth and Wind. The Leviathan renders the host nearly absolute within aquatic environments, giving the host the ability to go underwater in oceans without any problem.

The system paused.

*Ding! However, for a host whose primary concern is survival, the Phoenix is the optimal selection.

Qin Wei let out a slow breath through his nose. "I didn't think about those benefits. But yeah, survival is my biggest goal."

His eyes fell back on the glowing skill description again.

With this…

Even someone like Mikhael Fireheart, the Duke of Dawnmere, couldn't kill him.

He murmured, almost to himself, "With this ability, I can survive any assassination attempt at the very least. All I have to do is stop time at the perfect time and then unleash the Spirit Beast Art."

With the phoenix chosen and the skill confirmed, the tension in Qin Wei's shoulders finally eased.

Now, there was only one more thing left.

Qin Wei closed his eyes and murmured. "Activate, Eyes of Truth."

*Ding!

[Proceeding to activate. Prepare yourself for the mind pain.]

The moment the words left his lips, a strange sensation bloomed behind his eyelids. It did not hurt, but it was far from comfortable. It felt as if something cold as ice had been inserted into his eyes.

"Ssss..." A painful hiss escaped his lips, and his entire body trembled as if a gust of chilly wind passed by him.

*Ding!

[Eyes of Truth has been merged into your bloodline successfully.]

When the sensation ended, and he received the notification, he opened his eyes again at last; his pupils were gone.

Thin veins crawled out from the corners of his eyes, like cracks in glass.

If anyone were standing in front of him, they would not think he looked powerful or majestic. More than anything, he would appear like a creep.

But Qin Wei did not care.

Because he was enjoying the full effects of the skill.

He could see front and even in the back, as if he had eyes in the back. His vision expanded to 360 degrees around.

While this was within his expectations, writing that power in the books and experiencing it himself is entirely another thing.

As he narrowed his eyes in concentration, Qin Wei then saw walls before him thinned and faded as if they were made of mist. His vision pushed through the stone and saw the two guards in battle maid outfits standing outside the residence, unaware they were being observed.

And then, when he concentrated even more, their outfits and even their innerclothings disappeared from his view, and their skin appeared in his vision. Their smooth naked back, from the neck to their round buttocks, appeared in his vision.

"Ack..." Qin Wei blushed slightly at that, and he turned his head quickly to the side. "Don't be a perv..."

His vision slid into the study room next door.

Luna lay asleep on the couch, her book fallen against her chest.

Qin Wei blinked and finally pulled his gaze back. "Well… I don't want to be a perv, but this surely comes in handy in more than one way."

"Dismiss."

His pupils returned, and the veins around his eyes receded as if they had never existed.

Taking a slow breath, he clicked on the bloodline, on Eyes of Truth, to check its complete details.

Eyes of Truth (Stage 1)

Telescopic vision: The user could see up to 1000 meters

360 Vision: The user could see everything around. But when using 360 Vision, the range will be reduced to 300 meters.

X-ray Vision: The user could see through any solid objects, regardless of thickness, unless they are reinforced with anti-vision spells.

Illusion immunity: The user is completely immune to illusory techniques.

Lie Detection: The user can detect whether it is the truth or a lie when questioning a target while the skill is active.

*

"Yup… this lie detection and illusion immunity are the ones I need the most. As for the stages, unlike Heaven't Eye, the Eyes of Truth should be able to upgrade on its own as I use it more and more… I can go through the black market areas to check my luck, but this isn't the right moment. After the duel, I'm sure, for a while, I'll remain the hottest topic in the city. Better to go there once people forget about me. Those places are illegal after all. I can't reduce my fame after painstakingly increasing it this much..."

His fingers then tightened against his palm as a new resolve crept into his head.

"I need to focus more on earning money during the next few months. I need to get that exchange function no matter what it takes and the vast wealth I acquire from talismans and selling the artifacts I can find in the black market for credits, using them to buy more and more powerful skills."

The system did not respond to his resolution and stayed a silent spectator this time.

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