Chapter 15: Hu Niu Faces Divine Retribution?
Suddenly.
His face was full of question marks: "???"
What a joke. Just with my 1,000 vitality points alone, I could slaughter indiscriminately.
Even if they couldn’t detect my innate bone, the admissions officers would still believe I had one.
And yet I actually doubted myself?
Ridiculous!
Xu Ran scoffed.
He couldn’t help but recall the genius child often featured in news reports from the “Holy Federation”—Adam.
“Born with a Divine Stomach: Adam’s absorption and conversion efficiency for crystal beast meat is invincible! Ranked number one worldwide! At just four years old, his vitality reached 546 points, hailed as a human divine beast.”
“Latest data: At five, Adam’s vitality soared to 1,130 points!”
“At six, Adam’s vitality soared to an unbelievable 3,500 points—still human? No wonder he’s called the future god-slayer king!”
“At eight, Adam’s vitality reached 5,700 points. He is about to begin cultivation and become the strongest practitioner! The Holy Federation truly is an eternal beacon!”
“Adam’s talent threatens the Xia Kingdom's very existence!”
Adam was extraordinary, hailed and hyped wildly by major media both at home and abroad.
But compared to Xu Ran, Adam was like a weakling.
He only reached 1,000 vitality points at five years old—he wouldn’t even catch Xu Ran’s tailwind.
Remember,
Xu Ran not only hit 1,000 vitality points at age three,
but also mastered the perfected Phantom Step, Xiao Xu’s Flying Daggers, Paper Spirit Binding...
How could Adam’s head compare to his?
“However, entering the demigod kindergarten with only 200 vitality points is best,” he thought.
“After all, having 1,000 vitality points at three years old is just too shocking!
The world is so dangerous, with crystal beasts, vengeful gods, ghosts; being the first to stand out invites unnecessary trouble.”
“Besides, I have no protector behind me. The best choice is to play it safe and be a top-tier genius.”
Xu Ran’s gaze sharpened slightly.
Isn’t that just perfect?
Two hundred days ago,
he unlocked a new skill—Basic Deception—and trained it up to Sequence Two: Cloud Veil.
[Cloud Veil]: Can hide vitality, cultivation level...
“At three years old and 200 vitality points... I can hold my own in the top tier. That’s enough!”
To be honest,
Xu Ran had too many tricks and too much strength.
He didn’t need to reveal everything.
The ancestors said well: always reserve some words, let alone your strength.
Just a casual display of his ability could earn him a top-tier genius spot.
No need to rush to be the first to stand out.
That’s not what a wise person does.
Thinking this, Xu Ran nodded slightly and drifted into a deep sleep.
...
The next day.
Eight in the morning.
Just after breakfast.
His mother received a call and learned that Huniu had suddenly fallen gravely ill and was admitted to the hospital.
Startled, his mother rushed urgently with Xu Ran to visit.
“Liuli’s mom, what happened exactly?”
Huniu’s mother was worried, sweat beading her forehead. “I don’t know. She was playing fine just moments ago, then suddenly curled up like a shrimp, falling to the ground in pain and fainted unconscious...
I rushed her to the hospital. It’s been almost half an hour, but the doctors still haven’t found the cause...”
Huniu’s mother silently wiped away tears. “Xuran’s mom, I’m really scared now. I only have this one child...”
Lin Qian gently patted her back. “Calm down, calm down. Little Liuli has always been healthy. Maybe she ate something bad. She’ll be fine.”
At the bedside.
Xu Ran stood on tiptoe to look at Huniu.
At one meter twenty in height, he couldn’t see the lying Huniu at all.
“Mom, lift me up so I can see my sister.”
“Oh, you kid, come comfort Aunt Chen!”
Xu Ran stubbornly insisted, “Lift me up to see my sister! Hurry! Hurry!”
“Alright, alright, I’ll lift you up...”
His mother relented and lifted him, looking toward the emergency bed where little Huniu was curled up, surrounded by a group of doctors.
Usually,
her robust strength and lively nature were all gone.
Only a body curled like a cooked shrimp and a pale, weak face remained.
The doctors couldn’t lay her flat; she had to lie on her side, occasionally twitching.
Clearly in extreme pain.
Xu Ran’s eyes narrowed slightly.
He activated his Serious Observation ability.
At Sequence Two Serious Observation, even flaws could be pierced through; he should be able to discern some clues!
His eyes stung, tears streaming down.
Xu Ran saw it!
A blazing crimson-gold light pulsed in Huniu’s chest.
Golden strands flowed from her limbs to her chest.
But it wasn’t like blood circulation; it was the innate bone in her chest, desperately drawing nourishment and vitality for awakening.
The crimson-gold innate bone required an enormous amount of nutrients during gestation.
How could little Huniu’s small body sustain it?
So...
the innate bone began ruthlessly siphoning nourishment and vitality from other parts of her body, starting with her feet.
“I see now...”
Xu Ran recalled the hypothesis from the “New Era Cultivation Encyclopedia” about [Heaven’s Punishment].
Certain special innate bones cannot be detected before awakening.
But once they begin to awaken, if the owner’s vitality is insufficient, the bone forcibly extracts vitality and nutrients from hands, feet, even internal organs to awaken.
Usually, this results in awakening failure.
Failure would not only cause the innate bone to dissipate but also leave the owner disabled or paralyzed!
A lifelong tragedy! A calamity!
Huniu was likely suffering from this very [Heaven’s Punishment]...
Having understood the principle,
Xu Ran couldn’t just watch Huniu become disabled, paralyzed, or even die.
“Mom, call the genius class admissions office immediately. Tell them Liuli is a super genius, currently awakening her innate bone, suffering from [Heaven’s Punishment].
We urgently need ten drops of seventh-tier or higher crystal beast’s true blood. Stress the urgency! Delay will cost us a super genius.”
His mother looked confused. “Ah? What is Heaven’s Punishment? And what’s true blood?”
“No time to explain. Just call. Save your sister first.”
Though skeptical, seeing Xu Ran’s practiced manner and serious face, she nodded. “Alright, I’ll call right now.”
“Beep beep beep beep.”
The dial tone sounded.
During this interval,
Xu Ran, to prevent the admissions office from not coming, found Huniu’s mother and solemnly instructed,
“Aunt Chen, you must get the hospital’s senior experts who can treat practitioners. Only senior experts can spot the clues. Get them here!
If they understand the situation, they can mobilize the hospital’s precious resources.”
Huniu’s mother didn’t hesitate, clutching at a lifeline as she rushed off to find the senior experts at Zhanguan Hospital.
Meanwhile,
his mother spoke seriously into the phone: “Yes, she’s awakening her innate bone. This must be taken seriously! She’s at Zhanguan Hospital, Emergency Room 105. Don’t miss this genius.”
“At Zhanguan Hospital?!”
The genius class admissions office was startled and immediately serious.
“I’ll contact Director Qin right away...”
The call ended.
His mother breathed a sigh of relief. “Baby, you’re not lying, right? Mom really went all out.”
Xu Ran remained calm.
As long as the admissions office and senior experts weren’t too incompetent, they could detect the problem.
Ten minutes later,
Director Qin, wearing a lab coat and black-rimmed glasses, a female scientist, hurried over.
“I am Qin Lu, research director of the genius class. Where is the genius awakening?”
His mother said, “Emergency room, I’ll take you there.”
“Clatter clatter clatter,” a flurry of footsteps moved.
Outside the emergency room,
Director Qin stood before the door and pressed the call bell.
The attending physician looked at her skeptically. “Hello, what can I do for you?”
Qin Lu flipped the badge hanging from her neck.
“The situation is special. Leave it to me.”
Without further explanation, she strode quickly to Jiang Liuli’s bedside.
But upon seeing Jiang Liuli’s condition, her brow involuntarily furrowed.
“This is indeed a [Heaven’s Punishment] case. It’s the sixth time I’ve encountered this. But how to treat it—I’m helpless...”
“She needs an enormous amount of vitality, but with current technology, no method exists to supply that much vitality.
Unless she wakes up and instantly consumes a ton of seventh-tier crystal beast meat...”
“Oh, by the way, who just said they would bring ten drops of seventh-tier crystal beast true blood? Is there a treatment method?
I’ve brought the true blood. Please tell me how to proceed.”
She turned to ask Lin Qian.
His mother was speechless.
Xu Ran thought, “So you don’t know anything and just rushed over in a panic?”
A defiant scientist!
But to be fair, she was surprisingly obedient...