113: Chapter 113 The Wei Family Father and Daughter Were Stunned

War Emperor Wei Potian's foot, just about to step out, froze in mid-air. He turned his head; Su Bai's expression was as indifferent as when he had signed his name on the contract just a moment ago.

"Don't you have to return to the front line tomorrow? You might as well finish saying everything tonight."

War Emperor Wei Potian looked at him for two seconds, pulled his foot back, and sat down again. Wei Xiaoyu also leaned forward, a flicker of curiosity flashing in her dark golden pupils—she still didn't know what kind of card she was going to bind.

Su Bai pulled the blueprint for the Stand Arrow from the card-crafting table and spread it out on the coffee table. Moonlight shone through the window onto the golden beetle at the very center of the blueprint.

"The new system is called Stand. This Insect Arrow card is the core of the system. Once activated, it will automatically generate an exclusive Stand based on the user's soul traits. The Stand I've designated for Wei Xiaoyu is called 'The World.' Its ability is Time Stop."

The teacup in War Emperor Wei Potian's hand stopped at his lips.

"Time Stop?" His eyebrows raised half an inch. "The same as that hourglass of yours?"

"It's different. My hourglass has no side effects. The World's Time Stop uses Mental Power to forcibly freeze physical laws. When moving in a frozen world, the host's heart and blood vessels must endure terrifying pressure."

Su Bai paused.

"With Wei Xiaoyu's current peak Tier 4 physique, even if Time Stop lasts for only one second, her heart would be like it was crushed by a hydraulic press. If it exceeds three seconds—her cardiovascular system would rupture on the spot."

War Emperor Wei Potian set his teacup on the coffee table with a dull thud. He didn't speak. The curiosity on Wei Xiaoyu's face vanished.

"...You're joking," she said.

"No."

"My heart—exploding? Just because I used this card?"

"Correct. That's why you can no longer tank damage, you cannot Stand still while outputting damage, and you cannot rely on high defense and health to trade blows with others. The Stand forces you to perform micro-manipulation, requires you to maneuver, and demands the most precise judgment in every single frame."

Wei Xiaoyu opened her mouth, then closed it again. Subconsciously, she pressed her hand against her chest; through the fabric of her combat suit, her heart was still beating normally, one beat at a time.

Su Bai picked up his teacup to moisten his throat.

"There's more. A Stand is an extension of the host's soul. If its arm is severed, your arm will also be severed. If it is pierced, you will also be pierced. Every bit of damage the Stand takes is fully reflected onto the host."

Wei Xiaoyu's hand, which had been pressed against her chest, slid down to her knee.

"Third. To control a top-tier Stand like The World, your Mental Power must be strong enough. The stronger your Mental Power, the longer the Time Stop duration and the greater the Stand's destructive power. All your previous training was focused on stacking strength and speed. Your foundation of Mental Power—is very thin."

Wei Xiaoyu's lips moved.

"Fourth. Before activating the Stand, you must strike a pose. The pose must be flamboyant. The more on-point the pose, the higher the Mental Power concentration, and the more stable the Stand will be."

Wei Xiaoyu's mouth was still open.

"...A pose?"

"Yes."

"Must be flamboyant?"

"Yes."

"Me—on the arena stage—in front of the entire audience—striking a flamboyant pose?"

"You can also shout a catchphrase. Two options. Option A, shout 'Za! Warudo!' Option B, let out a 'Wryyy' strange cry. Choose according to the atmosphere at the scene."

Wei Xiaoyu stopped speaking.

Her brain jumped back and forth between "heart will explode," "severed limbs," "flamboyant pose," and "Wryyy strange cry." Every piece of information was kicking her worldview, which had just been slapped awake, once again. She had lived for over a decade, and no one had ever dared to make her strike a flamboyant pose. No one had ever dared to make her cry out strangely in public. On the arena stage, she always wore an expressionless, cold face. That cold face had been welded onto her since childhood, factory-installed along with the title of daughter of the War Emperor, impossible to tear off.

Now Su Bai was telling her that before unleashing her ultimate move, she had to strike a pose and shout 'Warudo.'

She tried to simulate that scene in her mind. The center of the arena, the lights of the entire venue, hundreds of millions of online viewers. She—Wei Xiaoyu—the daughter of the War Emperor—wearing a combat suit, striking an extremely flamboyant pose. And then, facing the camera— "Za! Warudo!"

She forcibly cut off the image before it finished playing.

War Emperor Wei Potian had remained silent throughout. He leaned back against the sofa, looking up at the charred hole in the ceiling that had yet to be repaired. On that face, worn by decades of sand and wind on the front line, his expression sank layer by layer. When it sank to the very bottom, it was a silence similar to what appears after confirming the worst possible battle damage report.

He combed through the logic of the Stand from beginning to end in his mind. Heart exploding. Damage feedback. Insufficient Mental Power. Flamboyant pose. Warudo.

If he pulled out each point individually, he would want to slam the table. But with all five piled together, he didn't know which one to slam the table for first.

—You call this a weapon?

—My daughter keeps a straight face even when taking photos.

—What exactly is the pronunciation of Wryyy?

—Is this apprentice Li Qingyue took in a genius or a madman? No. The line between genius and madman simply doesn't exist for this kid.

—What on earth is going on!

War Emperor Wei Potian tapped his fingers on the sofa armrest twice. Then he stood up.

"...Understood."

Just three words. The tone was very steady. It was exactly the same as the tone he used when receiving reconnaissance reports from the front line in the military tent.

Wei Xiaoyu suddenly looked up.

"Dad?! You just 'Understood'? He just said my heart would explode—and I have to strike a pose—and make a strange cry—and your only response is 'Understood'?!"

"Then what do you want me to say?" War Emperor Wei Potian looked down at her. "Say you don't agree? Say you're afraid? Say you don't want to bind this card?"

Wei Xiaoyu opened her mouth.

She suddenly realized she couldn't say it. Because she was Wei Xiaoyu. She was the Wei Xiaoyu who, just a few hours ago, thought she was invincible, who knelt in the moonlight crying and admitting her weakness after being slapped awake, and then stood up and said, "Don't let me die on the stage."

She had said not to let her die on the stage. Su Bai gave her a card that wouldn't let anyone else kill her—but she might kill herself because she didn't know how to use it.

This logic actually made damn sense. She cursed in her heart. After cursing, she realized she had already accepted this premise. This made her want to curse even more.

War Emperor Wei Potian watched his daughter's expression shift from anger to confusion, and then to a kind of twisted resignation. He placed his hand on Wei Xiaoyu's head and rubbed it. The force was very light.

"Let's go. We have training tomorrow."

He put his arm around his daughter's shoulder and walked towards the door.

Su Bai put down his teacup.

"Uncle Wei. You don't want the blueprint?"

War Emperor Wei Potian paused. He did not look back.

"No need. I've memorized it."

The courtyard gate closed.

The leaves of the old locust tree swayed gently in the moonlight.

One of the streetlights outside the courtyard was broken. The light was dim. Wei Xiaoyu walked half a step behind her father, head lowered, her mind still turning over the image of that pose. The more she thought about it, the more absurd it felt.

"...Dad."

"Hm."

"What exactly does that 'Wryyy' he mentioned mean? Is it an interjection, or do I really have to say the syllables 'Wryyy'? If I say it, will my opponent think my throat is cramping?"

"I don't know."

"Then what did you memorize? You didn't even take the blueprint."

"I memorized what needed to be memorized."

Wei Xiaoyu glanced at her father. War Emperor Wei Potian's profile showed no fluctuation under the dim streetlights.

When they reached the corner of the street, War Emperor Wei Potian took out his phone.

"You get in the car first."

Wei Xiaoyu said "oh" and walked towards the military off-road vehicle parked in front. After walking a few steps, she looked back—War Emperor Wei Potian was standing in place, the light from the phone screen illuminating his face. He typed a line of text, deleted it. Typed again, then deleted again. Repeatedly, several times.

Wei Xiaoyu didn't ask. She was too tired. Today, she had been knocked into a tree, slapped twice, knelt in the moonlight crying, and then told that her future card would make her heart explode. She just wanted to go back, collapse on her bed, and sleep until tomorrow afternoon.

The door of the military off-road vehicle closed.

War Emperor Wei Potian stood under the streetlight, looking at his phone screen. He went over everything Su Bai had said earlier in his mind again.

Time Stop pressure, damage feedback, Mental Power, pose, Wryyy...

With every point he went over, his temple throbbed. But on that face, worn by decades of sand and wind on the front line, there was still no extra expression.

Finally, he typed a line of text and pressed send. Then he put his phone back into his military uniform pocket and walked towards the off-road vehicle.

The streetlights outside the car window receded one after another.

Meanwhile, ten thousand meters above Jinghai City, under the dome of the Truth Sanctuary.

Qi Yuan was rubbing his temples in front of a pile of causality calculation drafts. The communicator on the corner of the table suddenly vibrated. He glanced at the screen—the sender was War Emperor Wei Potian. The message contained only four words.

"Old Qi, are you there?"