Chapter 22: Standard Power

Mo Jiang listened to his words but showed no reaction. After all, he was not the person he used to be; he possessed his own independent will and emotions. He stared at the Seventh Puppet, expressionless, and said, “Are you so certain I’ll go to the Void Realm?”

“I assume your Mo family is aware of the existence of the Unusuals, but it’s not just the old families—even the authorities pay little attention to these beings who could pose great threats to society at any moment… Don’t you find that odd?”

Mo Jiang arched an eyebrow and shook his head, offering an ambiguous reply, “The Mo family doesn’t have such deep roots; our fortune began with my grandfather’s generation. We might be considered a local magnate, but definitely not qualified to be called an old family.”

He had only spoken these words casually, yet the Seventh Puppet nodded in agreement. Whatever the puppet had experienced since entering the main world from the Flower Castle, he seemed to know far more than Mo Jiang.

“Let’s just say I wish to forge a good bond, make a friend!” The Seventh Puppet said this and continued, “Unusuals are recognized by the main world as the first type of power. The reason they are acknowledged isn’t because they are strong, but because their limitations are immense and advancement is extremely difficult. Let alone the third-level standard power—even reaching the second level is impossible for them. Among the top ten in the current Extraordinary Evaluation Tournament, south of Duan Heng Mountain, we have yet to see anyone with third-level standard power in our region.”

“Besides the Unusuals, there are other forms of power. These aren’t recognized by the main world, but they can still be cultivated and improved. However, once these powers surpass the second-level standard, the rules of the main world turn hostile toward their wielders.”

At this point, Mo Jiang began to understand part of the Seventh Puppet’s earlier words.

When a world turns hostile to someone, their only option for survival is to leave that world and seek another.

“Why can’t the Gate of Realms be repaired?” Mo Jiang asked again.

As he spoke, he couldn’t help but rub his palm, recalling the pattern of the stone gate—it had already been restored! The fracture was long gone.

“I don’t know the answer to that. What little I do know comes from Miss Seven, who once told me.” The Seventh Puppet’s expression became tinged with sorrow as he spoke. “Miss Seven came from the main world. She loved this world, for it held her family, her husband, and her child. Yet this world expelled her. Had she not left the main world and lost more than half her power, those people would never have managed to kill her…”

By all rights, his words should have been filled with fury toward the main world, but instead, his tone was devoid of emotion—almost grateful.

Mo Jiang was utterly perplexed.

Perhaps sensing his confusion, the Seventh Puppet smiled softly and said, “If Miss Seven hadn’t died, I could never have become the master of a world, left that relic world, entered the main world, and refined its timeline.”

Suddenly, Mo Jiang understood.

“What exactly is a timeline?”

“As the name suggests, a timeline is simply a timeline. It means little to the main world, but for a relic world, possessing a timeline is like having a seed—it can immediately come alive! You can’t understand yet because you haven’t mastered true standard power. Once you do, you’ll see for yourself.”

The Seventh Puppet’s words stunned Mo Jiang.

“Is the Tenfold Puppet Play not a standard power?”

“No—it merely borrows the power of puppets, even using your own strength to nourish them. If I recall, when Miss Seven was still alive, she came up with the idea while baking a loaf of bread. That bread was lucky, it delighted Miss Seven and was revived.”

“That was taught to me by Her Highness, the Sugar Princess of the Grand Sugar Kingdom,” Mo Jiang replied.

“The Grand Sugar Kingdom? Sugar people? But Miss Seven never cared for sweets!” The Seventh Puppet was taken aback, his face showing extreme shock. Suddenly, his expression changed dramatically and he blurted out, “Could it be that one of the bearfolk intruders was slain by Miss Seven before her death, causing the bear’s hive to collapse into the Flower Castle?”

Mo Jiang shook his head.

He didn’t know if any bearfolk had died in the Flower Castle; hearing this tale, he felt only absurdity—even after witnessing many bizarre occurrences.

The Seventh Puppet realized Mo Jiang couldn’t answer. He had simply lost composure for a moment.

Mo Jiang seized the opportunity to ask, “What is standard power? Where can it be obtained? And what exactly is the power of the Unusuals?”

He fired off three questions in succession.

He noticed the Seventh Puppet’s expression shifting, as if he wanted to leave at once.

“I’m sorry, I must go. Something unimaginable may have happened at the Flower Castle. I’ll have someone deliver a USB stick later—it contains my observations from those days.” With that, the Seventh Puppet opened the car door to leave, only to nearly collide with Su Nanzhou standing outside.

He said nothing, quickly dodged aside, and departed.

He moved so swiftly, faster than running.

“He… is he Zhang Wenheng?” Su Nanzhou asked Mo Jiang in surprise.

“How did you recognize him?”

“When he came out, he wasn’t wearing a mask.” Su Nanzhou stuck out her tongue and giggled adorably, “Mo Jiang, you actually know Zhang Wenheng?”

“I don’t.”

Mo Jiang denied it flatly.

“Really? Then why did he come looking for you? But Zhang Wenheng is so handsome! Even more than in the videos!”

Mo Jiang frowned, feeling somewhat uneasy.

He coughed lightly and said, “He’s a pervert.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t know when he saw me, but he came to flirt and confess—disgusting!” Mo Jiang declared with a straight face, full of contempt.

“Huh?”

“Don’t listen to his songs anymore.” Though he said this, Mo Jiang knew well that with the Seventh Puppet gone, Zhang Wenheng was likely to vanish from the human world, never to be seen in the main world again.

“Okay, Mo Jiang.” Su Nanzhou stuck out her tongue and nodded.

Her obedient demeanor stirred something inexplicable in Mo Jiang—a ticklish feeling, like being scratched by a cat’s paw.

Unable to resist, he reached out, pulled Su Nanzhou into his arms, and held her close.

Looking at her delicate cheeks, he lowered his head and kissed her.

At that moment, Mo Jiang felt as though he had become a domineering CEO!

But Su Nanzhou struggled in his embrace, forcing him to let go somewhat sheepishly. Then he saw her hand him a bottle of drink.

“Mo Jiang, calm your nerves.”

He looked—cola.

Wasn’t this supposed to kill sperm?