The moment Lin Yuan stopped choking on the potato, the blue window chimed again—like an impatient secretary.
DING!197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGP2Y125bJh
[Would you like a quick tour of the Celestial Orphanage System™?]197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt2ewMFwV1X
[Yes] — [No, let me painfully guess] — [Is there a refund policy?]
Lin squinted.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiThQS5Sh4g
—"Do you come with customer service or just sarcasm?"197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTg1qRfUUWF
[Yes.]
He rolled his eyes and tapped [Yes].
Immediately, new windows sprouted like weeds in a summer garden.
[Main Functions Unlocked:]197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPHu1zs2vAS
• Celestial Store197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAKwmsIc6ue
• Card Extraction & Fusion197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCePEpSg0LV
• Talent Gacha Roulette197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtR6d9v16Q8
• Director's Inventory197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkildktaXEV
• Beginner's Pack (Unopened, Procrastinator Detected)
The store caught his attention.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLTuEb7N49f
He touched it. The window expanded with a glow that screamed You're broke, but window shopping is free.
Inside? Everything.
There were rice sacks. Smartphone batteries. Cultivation manuals with names like Heaven-Crushing Palm of the Lonely Sun God stacked next to self-help books like 7 Habits of Highly Effective Hermits.
"...Is that pepper spray?" Lin blinked. "Right next to Meteor Spell?"
The system pinged helpfully.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbRifh13sEV
[Everything you need to survive, thrive, or traumatize your enemies.]
Sure. Why not.
The Card Extraction and Fusion tab looked deceptively simple: a pair of glowing gloves, a circular altar, and a suspiciously dramatic chant in the background.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHA4gdcNqMR
[Extract Potential. Fuse Talents. Create Legends.]
It reminded Lin of a cheesy ad. But the explanation was... impressive.
Apparently, every being had buried potential—sometimes dormant, sometimes cursed. The system could extract those as cards. Think Pokémon, but with higher emotional trauma. Then you could merge them, refine them, or imprint them onto a kid like spiritual sticker albums.
Lin paused.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxSlxQ2kS2M
"Wait... so I can customize each orphan's growth like they're RPG characters?"
[Disclaimer: Please refrain from treating children like collectible cards. You are still legally responsible.]
Lin snorted.
Then he saw the Talent Gacha Roulette.
The interface was... flashy.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEHg2UHfYRe
A massive wheel spun before him, icons ranging from low-level skills like [Quick Nap] to mythical ones like [Phoenix-Born Bloodline]. Right now, it was grayed out.
He figured he'd tidy up the shack first and go pick up the kids who had agreed to leave the city with him. Until he remembered...
"The Beginner's Box!"
He opened it.
DING!197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0tXsGAcEhQ
[Congratulations! You've received:]197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZlufHgcr9m
• 1x Golden Roulette Ticket (High-Rank Talent Guaranteed)197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJupFZKQoXR
• 3x Moderate Satiety Potatoes™197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡheUGcKvaIe
• 1x Underwear of Resilience (Stain-Resistant)
Lin stared.
—"More potatoes? And... this is supposed to be my lucky underwear?"
[You don't get it. Stat bonus: +3 Endurance, +5 Dignity Recovery.]
He ignored the insult. For now.
But the Golden Ticket... that was different.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwTaKIdehfQ
The system grew theatrical as it hovered toward the roulette.
DING!197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVNNeIgtt43
[Activating Talent Gacha with Golden Ticket...]
The wheel spun. Faster. Brighter. So flashy it reminded Lin of those shady online slot ads.
Then it slowed.
Slower...
Tic...197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNkkkAMJ5AP
Tic...197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM1zh2Hwkbk
PING!
[Congratulations! You've obtained:]197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3pfIzOxVBY
Skill: Jade Emperor's Eye197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvg4dL5PhZr
Type: Divine Talent / Cosmic Perception197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡckuSzCer0U
Grade: ???197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzpzu9APHLk
Bound to Host
Lin blinked.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFfm2GLq9us
"...Do I have an eye now?"
The system unfurled like a proud parent at a science fair.
[Skill: Jade Emperor's Eye]197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDX9pjUrCZ1
Passive Effect: Vision of Potential197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBYwvzHfMhH
You can see hidden talents, emotional imbalances, and cultivation affinities in anyone you directly observe.
Active Effect: Revelation of Destiny197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEjfFygLbw8
Once per day, through deep focus, glimpse fragments of a person's possible futures. Use sparingly. May cause headaches, emotional damage, or existential crisis.
Warning: Overuse may deplete mental reserves. The system is not responsible for accidental prophecy addiction.
Lin sat back, reading through the ability.
For the first time in seventeen years, he didn't just feel lucky.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOm9Od6ZuyW
He felt... chosen.
He had always believed people could be more than they appeared.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiGBqpk9nEO
Now he could see it.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg8agsg18AY
And more importantly—he could shape it.
But first, he gestured to finally inspect the Spiritual Technique from the beginner rewards.
[Spiritual Technique: Tranquil Willow Breathing]197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMZsGatTAbs
Rank: Mortal Grade (Upgradeable)197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxW3CkVunv7
Effect: Stabilizes spiritual energy. Improves focus, recovery rate, and sleep quality. Removes minor demonic influence and bad breath.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRqTguqSupy
[Note: A solid foundation for beginners. Also good for anxious orphans.]
Lin approved. Impressive.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmKZXuWSPmD
He crossed his legs, tried the breathing for a few seconds—and immediately felt the potato digest smoother.
But this wasn't the time for enlightenment.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcuBVz1Sno5
Not yet.
It was time to act.
He fortified the shack in the mountains—plugged holes, scared off pests, added a symbolic rock he declared "sacred" to make it look more mystical.
Then he stood, cracked his neck, and marched toward the city.
In the outskirts, a group of ragged children already watched him: three boys and a girl, half-starved and half-suspicious. One waved.
"Hey, Boss Lin! Did you really get the land?"
Lin grinned smugly.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHkEBk1jeBe
—"Better. I got a promise of change."
They looked confused.
He spread his arms.
—"Want food? A roof that doesn't try to kill you at night? Want to be more than just survivors?"
They stared.
"Then follow me. Welcome to Dawn's Refuge."
He turned and headed back to his little wooden shack.
Behind him, steps followed—curious, hesitant, but hopeful.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmbNxeGGyDN
After all, these were the kids he'd looked after for years, the ones who chose to come with him to the orphanage.
And somewhere in the back of his mind, the system hummed softly.
[Mission Progress: Recruit Your First Orphan – 1/1]197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4h9VnM54il
[Reward: +50 Points | +1 Random Skill Unlocking Soon]
Lin Yuan smiled.
Ever since he had obtained the Jade Emperor's Eye, Lin Yuan could see it clearly.
The children were surrounded by a faint aura—one that no ordinary eye could perceive. From a distance, each one radiated a muted gray, except for the girl, Xiao Lian, who occasionally flickered with a deep violet when she thought no one was watching.
But the moment they saw him, all four were instantly cloaked in a soft blue.
It didn't take a genius—or even a divine system—to see it: these children cared.
And if the system had marked the mission "Recruit Your First Orphan" as complete, it could only mean one thing: at least one of them had potential. Something real. Something worth nurturing.
Lin turned to face them, a half-smile playing on his lips.
—"So… how have you been while I was away?"
They sat beneath the old crooked oak by the roadside, forming a lopsided circle. Between shy laughter and bursts of mischief, they began recounting their exploits: how Zhenglian had tried selling pebbles as "dragon eggs" to drunk merchants; how Roman had tricked a rooster into chasing the butcher across three streets. Xiao Lian had stolen bread—not for herself, but for a limping stray dog. And Ben… Ben had managed to get blamed for everything, smiling like it had been his plan all along.
Lin listened quietly, and then activated his skill.
DING.
Small blue screens unfolded before his eyes—one for each child. Only he could see them.
[Name: Zhenglian]197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsVNN3FO7kg
Race: Human197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyW7TBcNe8N
Profession: None197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIHot2WjsV8
Talent: —197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4YMKSvsv9n
Status: Restless / Loyal
[Name: Roman]197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJckFxAXv2o
Race: Half-Elf (Hidden)197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrX6KYR7zk1
Profession: None197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhbQVikQlm
Talent: —197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6nfYqrY1yx
Status: Clever / Distrustful
[Name: Ben]197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Fk2rHCfeU
Race: Human197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCwpHaDFEP
Profession: —197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHWAWMwD1L
Talent: [Elegance]197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiwMJTA61bi
Type: Social / Charisma197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl7qJIfw7o1
Description: Enhances presence, persuasive speech, and adaptable behavior. Ideal for mediation, infiltration, or leadership.
[Name: Xiao Lian]197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡowKu64sV75
Race: Veilblood/ Human197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ72QdTsXRaX
Profession: -Talent: [Deathweaver] (Dormant)An affinity for precision, silence, and threads unseen. The path has yet to open, but the seed is there. Latent traits suggest instinctual understanding of weakness and fate entanglement.
Lin narrowed his eyes.
—"So... a charming diplomat and a chaos artist."
He sighed. "Perfect."
Looking at them now, he felt something he hadn't felt in years—a sense of responsibility, and more than that, a calling. These weren't just orphans. They were possibilities. Pieces in a larger game. Seeds that might grow into something the world could never have expected.
And he... he was the gardener.
—"From today on," he said, the sun filtering through the leaves, "we're not just surviving. We're becoming something the world can't ignore."
The children's eyes sparkled—not just at the promise of food or shelter. But at something deeper.
A future.
The story of the slum boss was over.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJXnUfx0fS
The story of the orphan master had just begun.
然後按「加至主畫面」