The moment Lin Yuan stopped choking on the potato, the blue window chimed again—like an impatient secretary.
DING!492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkOVcZS7m38
[Would you like a quick tour of the Celestial Orphanage System™?]492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuUzv3GHgWM
[Yes] — [No, let me painfully guess] — [Is there a refund policy?]
Lin squinted.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3jtBvRi2kB
—"Do you come with customer service or just sarcasm?"492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvX31dd8wmP
[Yes.]
He rolled his eyes and tapped [Yes].
Immediately, new windows sprouted like weeds in a summer garden.
[Main Functions Unlocked:]492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTqqPyqmYQA
• Celestial Store492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZcka3D2B7X
• Card Extraction & Fusion492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF3EQtvsmmM
• Talent Gacha Roulette492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2SoP9TR1hR
• Director's Inventory492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkvtFTMaXGi
• Beginner's Pack (Unopened, Procrastinator Detected)
The store caught his attention.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBKozxiFa0
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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9rh7QkVlHj
[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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEbP6cmAij8
[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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeF5y1twkpQ
"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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHcvlYQCEnZ
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!492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9qJNAyHwIK
[Congratulations! You've received:]492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIjGfx8tJVi
• 1x Golden Roulette Ticket (High-Rank Talent Guaranteed)492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV92YwYjMfv
• 3x Moderate Satiety Potatoes™492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWtOgR9taZ4
• 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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLNp0GVexH9
The system grew theatrical as it hovered toward the roulette.
DING!492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ47DusTbuQH
[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...492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Xo2Fw2j8q
Tic...492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr9xXKViYNO
PING!
[Congratulations! You've obtained:]492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ01dFnOLMk3
Skill: Jade Emperor's Eye492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrGLBg1ZsgN
Type: Divine Talent / Cosmic Perception492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUFFZNTSk8h
Grade: ???492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkAGghkwb2C
Bound to Host
Lin blinked.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH9GMzKGUBG
"...Do I have an eye now?"
The system unfurled like a proud parent at a science fair.
[Skill: Jade Emperor's Eye]492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHGkTgO8Yab
Passive Effect: Vision of Potential492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBRgQX0yCM9
You can see hidden talents, emotional imbalances, and cultivation affinities in anyone you directly observe.
Active Effect: Revelation of Destiny492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4a78Pay3Fv
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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJAAM3u86iG
He felt... chosen.
He had always believed people could be more than they appeared.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM3X0m1YHtB
Now he could see it.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVh2tDalT9M
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]492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrC2C6Tpyoq
Rank: Mortal Grade (Upgradeable)492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIZJoRnPtmV
Effect: Stabilizes spiritual energy. Improves focus, recovery rate, and sleep quality. Removes minor demonic influence and bad breath.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuOFIHAEWR3
[Note: A solid foundation for beginners. Also good for anxious orphans.]
Lin approved. Impressive.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPxXiLa0ca
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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMBHCnRkIk
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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6AeMw4ED1y
—"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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIv8JP1FevK
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]492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNlZok6y6J6
[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]492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ3qZdCLM5O
Race: Human492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTZlfqPvXDg
Profession: None492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkegtvfgtvN
Talent: —492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8aNLTZKRkj
Status: Restless / Loyal
[Name: Roman]492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoGgnEEmdgF
Race: Half-Elf (Hidden)492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXzPjUf57rh
Profession: None492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7SRhUbsgq5
Talent: —492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiBfN8XuoCI
Status: Clever / Distrustful
[Name: Ben]492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXpz8GbXEaa
Race: Human492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsyiLroozkY
Profession: —492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBZSvt1MUJn
Talent: [Elegance]492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7KPAFPbnvV
Type: Social / Charisma492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrdTOrCc639
Description: Enhances presence, persuasive speech, and adaptable behavior. Ideal for mediation, infiltration, or leadership.
[Name: Xiao Lian]492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYEM1NLhVIJ
Race: Veilblood/ Human492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0TqbpMnQe3
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.492Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBqyvcF85Cs
The story of the orphan master had just begun.
and then Add to home screen.