396: Chapter 396 That was a cry to break free from the shackles of fate!

The square was deathly silent.

There was only the rustling of wind over the rubble and the sound of several Mage players twitching and foaming at the mouth on the ground.

And then, there was the exceptionally loud and crisp sound of clapping.

City Lord Xuan De stood frozen in place, his thick fingers still pinching two clumps of cotton covered in earwax.

He looked at his Berserker subordinates rolling all over the ground, then at Chen You's solemn face; his giant bull face was filled with absurdity.

"Are you crazy?" City Lord Xuan De spoke in a muffled voice. "My sister sang like a ghost, and you're actually clapping? Is there something seriously wrong with your ears?"

Xiangxiang was also dazed, her cat ears standing straight up, her azure eyes full of disbelief.

Although she was confident, the sight of everyone collapsing after that single howl just now made her feel a bit guilty.

Chen You ignored City Lord Xuan De's questioning.

His mind was racing at high speed.

The system had judged that howl just now as a Spirit-attribute sonic attack.

If this girl went to grind dungeons, it would definitely be a god-tier mob-clearing skill, but to call it singing was purely cross-species murder.

If he shook his head and said it was no good, rejecting Xiangxiang on the spot...

With the paranoia this cat-eared loli had just shown, she would definitely have a breakdown right then and there.

And if she broke down, this muscle-brained siscon Minotaur would surely go berserk along with her.

Chen You wasn't afraid of a real fight.

But...

Would he still be able to get the stamp for the contract silk?

Things would only get more and more troublesome.

Chen You had come today to do business, not to slaughter a city.

"City Lord Xuan De." Chen You lowered his hands and gazed calmly at the three-meter-tall Minotaur.

"You simply don't understand what true art is, and you understand even less about what true power is."

"I don't understand?" City Lord Xuan De laughed out of sheer anger. "I was chopping wood at three, killing wolves at five. Which brick in this Sanjing City wasn't won by my fists? You're talking to me about power?"

"What you have is called brute force." Chen You's voice turned cold.

He took a step forward and pointed at Xiangxiang, who was standing at the edge of the deep pit.

"Look into Xiangxiang's eyes. What do you see?"

City Lord Xuan De instinctively looked over.

Xiangxiang was tilting her head up, her eyes rimmed with red, her hands tightly clutching her skirt, looking like she might cry at any moment.

"That's grievance!" City Lord Xuan De's heart ached for her.

"Wrong!" Chen You suddenly raised his volume. "That is hope!"

City Lord Xuan De was startled by the shout.

"That is the cry of breaking the shackles of fate! It is an indictment against traditional secular prejudice!"

Chen You put his hands behind his back and looked up at the sky, his tone carrying a sense of sorrowful, worldly-wise compassion.

"Your Berserker race has been lifting weights, hacking people, and shedding blood for generations."

"You think this is destiny. But Xiangxiang is different; she has a soul that refuses to be mediocre."

Chen You lowered his head, staring intensely at City Lord Xuan De.

"You make her lift weights. If she lifts for ten years, what can she do? Kill a bull with one punch?"

City Lord Xuan De puffed out his chest and said proudly, "My sister is exceptionally gifted; she could kill two in five years!"

"So what?" Chen You sneered, raising his hand to point at the square's ground.

Lying there were seven or eight players and over a dozen NPC Berserkers.

A Priest player had just given himself a heal and crawled up, but hearing Chen You speak, he was so scared he immediately lay back down, even covering himself with a leaf for good measure.

"Open your bull eyes and take a good look!" Chen You's voice rang throughout the square.

"That attack just now lasted thirty seconds and covered a radius of fifty meters."

"It ignores physical defense and deals direct True Damage to the mental plane! Even the most elite Berserkers under your command couldn't withstand it!"

Chen You walked over to a Mage player foaming at the mouth and gave him a nudge with his toe.

The Mage player twitched once and continued to play dead.

"If you make Xiangxiang lift weights, can she take down three full squads with one shout?" Chen You turned around, pressing closer to City Lord Xuan De.

"She doesn't need to get close to the enemy, she doesn't need to swing heavy weapons, and she doesn't even need to consume physical stamina."

"As long as she stands there and opens her mouth, she is an indiscriminate AOE magic turret!"

City Lord Xuan De's mouth hung open, his bull eyes wide and round.

A Berserker's thought process was very simple: High lethality = Strong = Good.

He looked where Chen You was pointing; the "corpses" all over the ground were the best battle report.

"This... this is magic?" City Lord Xuan De scratched the horn on his head, his tone a bit hesitant. "But she doesn't have any mana fluctuations."

"That is her talent!" Chen You interrupted him decisively. "A Sonic Mage! A Soul Singer! You think she's singing?"

"No, she is performing a long-lost Ancient Combat Technique!"

The entire square was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

The players playing dead were frantically spamming the team channel.

"Holy crap, is God You's 'Talk-no-Jutsu' at max level?"

"I almost freaking believed it! What 'Soul Singer'? More like 'Soul Reaper', alright!"

"Taking notes, taking notes. Next time I fart on someone, I'll say I'm casting an ancient poison-type combat technique."

Xiangxiang's eyes grew brighter and brighter, her cat ears twitching frantically.

She rushed over and hugged Chen You's thigh, looking up with a voice trembling with excitement: "God You! You understand me! You really understand me!"

"I wasn't just screaming randomly, I was singing with my soul!"

Chen You resisted the urge to kick her away and reached out to pat the top of her head.

"Very good, maintain this confidence." Chen You turned to look at City Lord Xuan De. "Now, do you still think her dream is ridiculous?"

City Lord Xuan De fell silent.

He looked at the mess on the ground, looked at the light in his sister's eyes, and recalled the terrifying destructive power that had shattered eardrums just now.

The Berserker's faith was wavering.

If singing could kill, then why work so hard to train with a blade?

"You... you mean, her going to participate in that talent show is actually her way of cultivating?"

City Lord Xuan De's tone had completely changed, shifting from initial anger to humble inquiry.

"Of course." Chen You looked serious. "The talent show is just a facade; the stage is her battlefield."

"She needs the gaze of thousands of people to temper her Sonic Domain. Those so-called fans are the test subjects for her spells."

Chen You patted City Lord Xuan De on the shoulder, speaking with deep sincerity.

"City Lord Xuan De, times have changed. Pure physical output can no longer keep up with the current version. Dual Cultivation of Magic and Martial Arts is what's popular now."

City Lord Xuan De had a complete epiphany.

He suddenly slapped his thigh with a loud "thwack," shaking the nearby stone pillars until dust fell.

"I understand!" City Lord Xuan De's face was flushed. "So Xiangxiang is taking the high-end magic route! I'm such a fool, I almost held back Sanjing City's future number one Mage Lord!"

Xiangxiang nodded frantically from the side: "Yes, yes, yes! Brother, you are a fool!"

Instead of getting angry, City Lord Xuan De grinned widely.

He lifted Xiangxiang over his head and let her sit on his shoulder.

"Good sister! I support you! Go participate in that Voice of Star Source! Knock down all those elves and dwarves for me! Bring back a championship!"

Xiangxiang waved her small fists excitedly: "Debut in the Center Position! Sweep the whole server!"

Chen You breathed a sigh of relief.

He had finally managed to bluff them into submission.

Just then, a light suddenly flashed in City Lord Xuan De's eyes as he snapped his gaze toward Chen You.

"Wait!"