46: Chapter 46 The Upgraded System

"Ding—" A sudden prompt sounded in his mind, carrying the distinct, crisp texture of an electronic voice, instantly piercing the silence of the bedroom.

System version 1.2.0 update complete. Core functional modules expanded—

[Myriad Phenomenon Mall] unlocked: Contains all things in the heavens; can exchange points for Sharp Weapons, Secret Manuals, interstellar warships, and even plane coordinates.

[Lucky Wheel] activated: Daily check-ins grant lottery attempts, with a higher probability of drawing 'SSS-Rank' hidden rewards.

Detected that the host is unlocking features for the first time; issuing newbie benefits: 1 free single draw chance, stored in the backpack, can be used at any time.

Zhang Wen had been lying on his side scrolling through his phone. The moment he heard the sound, his phone dropped onto the pillow with a "plop." He sat up abruptly, his quilt sliding down to his waist.

His originally lazy eyes instantly lit up like searchlights suddenly turned on in the dark night, sleepiness instantly cast to the winds.

"Mall? Lottery?" He subconsciously swallowed, his heart pounding "thump-thump," the veins at his temples throbbing. He hurriedly threw off the quilt, sat cross-legged on the bed, his fingers trembling slightly with excitement. "A free single draw? Is this real?"

He couldn't wait to silently recite "Open lottery interface" in his heart. A pale blue, semi-transparent light screen immediately appeared before his eyes. The names of various rewards on the wheel shimmered with a Shimmer, from "D-Rank Cultivation Technique" to "Storage Ring," and even "one extra Awakening chance," making his breathing quicken.

"Holy crap, this is too awesome!" Zhang Wen couldn't help but exclaim, his face unable to hide his wild joy. The night that he had just found boring suddenly became full of anticipation. His gaze was fixed on the "Start Lottery" button in the center of the wheel, wishing he could press it immediately.

Zhang Wen's fingertips hovered over the virtual button, his fingertips sweating with nervousness. He gritted his teeth, silently thought "bet it all," and pressed down hard.

The pale blue wheel suddenly spun wildly, countless reward names turning into blurred ribbons of light: "Thunder Element Talent Enhancement Card," "Underwater Breathing Technique," "Thunder Control Introductory Manual"... The lights and shadows whizzed by. Zhang Wen stared fixedly at the jumping pointer, his heart pounding painfully in his chest, his molars clenched tight.

As the rotation slowed, the pointer swayed past "SSS-Rank Spiritual Artifact - Thousand Changes" and grazed "D-Rank Cultivation Technique Fire Fist." Zhang Wen held his breath, feeling as if his blood was about to freeze.

With a "click," the pointer stopped steadily on the golden grid in the very center of the wheel, and a line of iridescent text suddenly lit up—

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining: SSS-Rank Talent · Ten Thousand Rivers Return to the Ocean]

"Ten Thousand Rivers Return to the Ocean?! Talent?!" Zhang Wen blinked, doubting he had misread it. He leaned closer to the light screen, the golden "SSS-Rank" text stinging his eyes.

Before he could think it over, a cool breath suddenly rose from his Dantian, spreading through his Meridians to his whole body. He subconsciously raised his hand, and a crystal-clear water droplet condensed in his palm. The droplet hung in mid-air, trembling gently as if it had life.

Even more wonderfully, he could clearly "perceive" everything in the room related to water: the minerals dissolved in the half-glass of cold boiled water on the nightstand, the water vapor molecules floating in the air, and even the water flowing in his own blood, all "greeting" him like kin.

"SSS-Rank Talent · Ten Thousand Rivers Return to the Ocean activated." The System's voice carried a rare fluctuation, "Effect: Control all forms of water resources within range; can gather, disperse, shape, and purify. After proficiency increases, can invoke the power of rivers, lakes, and seas, and even change the physical properties of water."

Zhang Wen abruptly threw off the quilt and jumped off the bed, his bare feet hitting the floor. He walked to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and watched the water flow down—this time, the water flow in his eyes was no longer chaotic liquid, but countless docile "streams" waiting for his command.

He tried to silently think "stop" in his heart, and the water flow actually solidified in mid-air into a crystal-clear line of water; then thinking "gather," the water line instantly shrank into a ball of water, slowly rotating in his palm.

"Holy crap..." Zhang Wen swallowed his saliva. With a light tap of his fingertip, the water ball burst with a "pop," turning into fine water mist, refracting seven-colored light under the lamp. He walked to the window, and could even "see" the flow direction of the moat a few kilometers away, feeling the surging, boundless water momentum.

"That means... I'm now a person carrying two Talents?! And both are SSS-Rank?!" Zhang Wen sprang up from the bed, the wild joy in his voice threatening to blow the roof off.

He jumped twice on the spot, his bare feet making "thump-thump" sounds on the floor—one Ten Thousand Rivers Return to the Ocean, capable of commanding rivers, lakes, and seas; one Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder, invoking the thunder of heaven and earth! This wasn't just cheating; it was like holding the cards of Heaven itself in his hands!

The excitement made his brain buzz. He wanted to rush to the rooftop immediately, raise his hand toward the cloudy night sky, and strike a bolt of lightning to let everyone in the city see his power. He had even imagined his majestic appearance while controlling lightning, his fingertips tingling with excitement, as if he could already feel the current crackling in his palm.

But the next second, that rush of hot blood to his head suddenly froze, as if blocked by an invisible wall of ice.

The smile on Zhang Wen's face instantly froze, and he covered his mouth abruptly, almost swallowing the second half of his boastful words.

He barely suppressed that impulse—two SSS-Rank Talents? And such extreme and overbearing attributes as water and thunder? If this were exposed, he wouldn't be chased by admirers, but hunted down like a monster.

"As far as I know, having just one S-Rank Talent in this world is enough to walk sideways, SS-Rank are national treasures fought over by various countries, and SSS-Rank... are even more incredibly rare existences!"

He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on the back of his neck. He had been so happy just now that he had forgotten how eye-catching such Heaven-Defying abilities were.

Those forces hidden in the dark, those crazy scientists, if they knew he carried two world-destroying powers, they would likely use any means to capture him, skin him, dismantle his bones, and study him thoroughly. He wouldn't even have the qualifications to be a lab rat then.

"Too scary..." Zhang Wen shook his head vigorously, his eyes instantly becoming clear. He subconsciously raised his hand, and the arcs of lightning that had been faintly jumping in his palm instantly extinguished, along with the lingering feeling of electricity in the air, which he forcibly suppressed.

Forcibly suppressing the trepidation in his heart, Zhang Wen's gaze fell on the System interface before him. Since the mall was also unlocked, he might as well see what could help him; he might find treasures to hide his aura or improve his strength.

He silently thought "Open Mall" in his heart, and a light screen more magnificent than the lottery interface immediately spread out. On the silver-gray background, densely packed product categories unfolded like a star map: "Element Control Zone," "Survival Item Zone," "Information Intelligence Zone," "Physique Enhancement Zone"... Each zone was followed by a dazzling list of product names.

Zhang Wen's gaze had just swept over the "Element Control Zone" when it was hooked by a line of text—

"《Thunder Restraint Technique》: Price 80,000 points, can compress Thunder Element energy within the body, hide aura, and avoid triggering heavenly phenomena due to loss of control."

"《Water Mimicry Technique》: Price 60,000 points, can transform water flow into any form, reducing recognizability when controlling it."

His eyes lit up, and his heart began to race again. Wasn't this exactly what he needed most right now? Flipping further down, the "Thunder-Water Dual Element Energy Affinity Body" in the "Physique Enhancement Zone" and the "Anti-Reconnaissance Shield" in the "Survival Item Zone"—every single item seemed tailor-made for him.

"It's just these points..." Zhang Wen stared at the numbers behind the items and couldn't help but smack his lips. His own point balance was still shining with an eye-piercing "0."

"Hey, System, how do I get these points?" Zhang Wen asked suspiciously.

"There are two ways to obtain points. One is to kill Vicious Beasts or enemies to gain points; the other is that I, the System, will issue tasks from time to time, from which you can obtain points," the System replied.

Zhang Wen understood. It seemed that if he wanted to find good things in this mall, he had to find ways to do more tasks and kill Vicious Beasts to earn points.

He slid the light screen, his fingertips lingering on those tempting items for a moment, a trace of determination flashing in his eyes. With these two Talents and the mall, the road ahead was destined not to be ordinary, but first, he had to learn to hide his edge; surviving was the most important thing.