I Can See Experience Points

But in the end, he kept that thought to himself.

’If I say that out loud,’ he thought, ’the pretentious jackass in the black robe might actually explode with rage.’

’Practicing martial arts lets you control fire? Big deal. I can kill someone by spitting a mouthful of salt-flavored soda at them!’

"Join us," the nameless man in the black robe said, spreading his arms as if to embrace the sky. "Witness the great Gluttonous King’s arrival in Shanghai. The Food King has said that if you join voluntarily, you will be granted the honor of attending the feast."

"Dude, your whole act is making me cringe," He Xiaotian said, completely put off by the man’s over-the-top, cringey pose.

’How old are you, anyway? And you’re supposed to be a villain.’

’It’s like he’s on some kind of cheap viagra; it went straight to his head instead of where it’s supposed to!’

"Are you refusing me?"

Not only did the black-robed man show no sign of embarrassment, he actually looked angry.

"..."

’Villains really are all insane.’

’Could you at least try to explain the benefits package clearly when you’re recruiting for your little club?’

’You expect me to join you for some crappy feast I know nothing about?’

’Am I the idiot here, or are you just that naive?’

"So, what’s the deal with this ’Food King’s feast’ you mentioned?" He Xiaotian had been about to charge in and start hammering, but he caught sight of a shadowy figure furtively creeping up on the black-robed man.

He reined in his impulse and tried to distract the man instead.

"It is a grand feast for the Gourmet Kitchen, with dishes personally prepared by the great Food King to reward those who have made outstanding contributions to the organization. I seem to recall gaining my Spirit Power after partaking in one of those delicacies. Like—this."

As he finished speaking, the black-robed man turned and shot a fierce glare at the dark shadow, which was now less than three meters away.

An invisible force erupted.

Captain Su was blasted right out of his shadow form.

He left a trail of blood in the air as he crashed to the ground, unconscious.

"See? Every dish at the Food King’s feast grants a new ability. As long as you are exceptional enough, you’ll just keep getting stronger. How about it? Tempting, isn’t it?"

He Xiaotian: "..."

’If I ever cooperate with you city Cleaners again, then I’m a goddamn dog.’

’Come on, man! I gave you an opening and you blew it!’

’Not only did you get spotted, but you got taken out before you could even make a move.’

"So the dishes... they’re made from exceptional people, then?"

Liang Kun had said before that he wanted to eat He Xiaotian to take all his powers.

"Of course. Otherwise, if any random dish could grant an ability, would the Gourmet Kitchen need to hide in the shadows and scheme?" The black-robed man shot He Xiaotian a look, as if he were an idiot.

He seemed genuinely surprised that He Xiaotian would even ask.

He Xiaotian was furious. ’How can he talk about cannibalism so brazenly? Is he even human?’

"In that case, I’d be very interested in making a dish out of *you*."

"A pity you’re not worthy."

The black-robed man retorted with contempt.

"Then you can go to hell!"

He Xiaotian activated his Qinggong, Eight Steps Chasing Cicada, and shot forward like a streak of green light, hurtling toward the black-robed man in front of the ancestral hall.

"Spirit Shock!"

The air vibrated as a tyrannical, invisible force slammed into He Xiaotian.

No speed could ever outpace a thought.

But the black-robed man’s Spirit shockwave was shattered instantly upon impact with the rampaging He Xiaotian.

"Die!"

A hammer, wreathed in roaring flames, smashed down toward the man’s chest.

BOOM!

He Xiaotian’s brow furrowed. His attack had missed.

The black-robed man reappeared ten meters away, standing perfectly still, his eyes filled with undisguised mockery.

"I forgot to mention, I was already an Exceptional when I partook in the Food King’s feast. My awakened ability? Speed. You can’t catch me."

This was an awkward situation.

Even if He Xiaotian had enough power to shatter mountains, it was useless if he couldn’t land a hit.

The black-robed man, on the other hand, had attacks that were no different from a tickle to He Xiaotian.

His paltry Spirit Shock couldn’t even slow He Xiaotian down for a second.

"I command you now: surrender without a fight."

"???"

He Xiaotian was completely dumbfounded. ’Did this guy eat something that rotted his brain?’

Then the black-robed man continued, "Or I’ll kill your companions."

An invisible force lifted five people into the air: Zheng Peng, Zhao Lei, Zhou Yun, Lei Yang, and Captain Su.

"Oh? By all means, start the show."

This time, it was the black-robed man’s turn to be dumbfounded.

’Weren’t you just righteously condemning our Gourmet Kitchen for cannibalism a moment ago? How could you turn into such a cold-blooded animal in the blink of an eye?’

’These are your comrades-in-arms, for crying out loud!’

’Have you no humanity?’

"Don’t give me that incredulous look," He Xiaotian said with a shrug. ’Does he really think I’m some kind of idiot from a movie? That I have to do whatever he says just because he has hostages?’

’That would put all the power in his hands.’

’Am I supposed to pray for the bad guy to have a sudden change of heart and let everyone go?’

’What a joke. Just look at what kind of person he is.’

’A cannibal with humanity to speak of?’

’Expecting them to keep a promise is less reliable than a politician’s vow.’

"Besides, have you forgotten?" He Xiaotian continued. "If I’m not mistaken, there’s some kind of ritual going on in that ancestral hall, one that can’t be interrupted, right? You kill your hostages, and I’ll go in there and wreck the place. We’ll each do our own thing. We won’t get in each other’s way."

The black-robed man: "..."

’The hell we’ll "each do our own thing"?! The hell we "won’t get in each other’s way"?!’

’Between the two of us, who’s the real villain here?’

’How is it that your attitude fits the role of ’villain’ better than mine?’

"X, don’t worry about us! Just fuck him up!"

Lei Yang was in slightly better shape than the other four. He was just exhausted and had been grazed by the aftershocks of the battle, so his injuries weren’t severe.

At least he wasn’t about to kick the bucket and ascend to the heavens just yet.

"You take your time killing them. I’m just going to go inside and smash a few things with my hammer."

As he spoke, He Xiaotian lifted his leg, making a show of walking toward the ancestral hall.

"Wait, wait! I think we can sit down and talk this over calmly." The black-robed man caved instantly. The ritual was too important; he absolutely could not let He Xiaotian ruin it at this critical juncture.

"No, we have nothing to talk about."

"Don’t take another step! Wait! Hey, hey, what if I give you one of them back first, huh?"

The black-robed man was now as frustrated as he had been arrogant just moments before.

His Spirit Shock packed the force of at least a thousand kilograms.

Even an Exceptional who specialized in physical prowess would be sent flying by a direct hit, their organs ruptured, and they would surely die vomiting blood.

But he discovered it did absolutely nothing to He Xiaotian.

And that immediately put him on the back foot.

If it weren’t for his Unrivaled speed, he would’ve been smashed into a pancake by that hammer long ago.

He thought he’d been clever, taking hostages to blackmail He Xiaotian.

Who would have thought this brute with two hammers wouldn’t give a damn about their lives?

He had adopted a stance of ’you kill them, I’ll destroy the ritual’.

He had basically found the man’s Achilles’ heel.

So, the black-robed man had no choice but to be the first to back down.

"As long as you don’t go in there and wreck things, you can name your price."

"No, I just want to smash the ancestral hall."

"You motherf... AAAAAAH..."

A respectable mid-level member of the Gourmet Kitchen was having a complete meltdown.