Chapter 9: The Insane Skill!
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“Fortunately, he’s only one year and one month old, so there’s no rush. Take it slow...”
While pondering this, Mom carried Xu Ran back to their residence.
She was extremely cautious, immediately locking the door behind her, then gently placing Xu Ran on the big bed before going to prepare his milk.
“Let’s try the elusive footsteps and see if I can fool Mom.”
To test its effect, Xu Ran silently activated the elusive footsteps, weaving through Mom’s shadow.
Seeing that Mom remained completely unaware, he then traced a five-ring pattern on the ceiling.
Still no reaction from Mom.
So, silently, Xu Ran returned to his original spot as if nothing had happened.
“Elusive footsteps are really effective. If the kidnappers lack combat skills, I could toy with them until they’re utterly confused.”
“But if they’re skilled fighters, especially a team, it’d be a struggle. Even with 301 health points, my baby skin is delicate. I can’t exactly engage in close combat with them. Using my weakness against me would be foolish!”
Xu Ran shook his head.
“I need a counterattack ability—a triggerable offensive skill—immediately!”
“System, give me one! But preferably not melee, I’m just a baby with fragile skin and low health. I need a ranged attack skill! Something I can combine with my agility to kite and defeat foes from a distance...”
Xu Ran silently prayed.
Meanwhile, Mom had already prepared the food.
“Here, baby, drink this, then I’ll give you a bath and tuck you in.”
Mom handed Xu Ran the bottle, and he responded with an adorable smile, clutching it as he rattled it around.
After eating and drinking, he rested and recharged.
“Today’s gains were plenty; I won’t practice the gecko wall-crawling technique anymore since I’ve reached some proficiency. Tomorrow, I’ll try to trigger other skills.”
Xu Ran closed his eyes and fell asleep.
...
The next day.
Spring sunshine was warm and gentle.
“Baby, today I’m taking you out shopping. I’ve arranged to meet a few other moms to shop together!”
Xu Ran’s eyes lit up.
He had been shopping many times before.
Whenever Mom bought milk powder, diapers, stuffed toys, or children’s books, she always brought him along.
The safety was high, so no worries about kidnappers.
“Okay!”
“Then let’s go.”
Once ready, the four moms met at the wellness center.
Each was pushing a stroller.
But Tiger Girl was quite a handful; she refused to stay in her stroller and instead stood beside it, lifting it five or six centimeters off the ground while emitting a wild, mischievous laugh, exuding the aura of a strong baby.
The other moms were not surprised at all.
“Look, Xu Ran’s mom is here with him.”
“Is Xu Ran sitting? He looks so tall. My one-year-old isn’t even that tall.”
“Yes, Xu Ran is growing fast—he’s already 105 centimeters tall. He’ll definitely reach 1.8 meters someday.”
“The key is his face has really matured. You can vaguely see the makings of a handsome boy.”
The moms were envious.
Xu Ran was obedient, smart, and worry-free—the perfect “other people’s child.” Who wouldn’t envy having such a baby?
Lin Qian waved, “Morning, Tong Tong’s mom, Zhuang Zhuang’s mom, Liuli’s mom.”
The four moms were very familiar with each other, greeting one another and their children warmly.
Tiger Girl suddenly lost interest in lifting the stroller when she saw Xu Ran and lunged to climb into his stroller.
Thankfully, Tiger Girl’s mom quickly picked her up and put her back in her own stroller.
“Behave yourself!”
“Xu Ran’s mom, what are you planning to buy? We’ll come with you.”
Lin Qian replied, “I’m thinking of buying some picture books and a few toys he likes.”
“He doesn’t like the stuffed toys I buy... they get played with once then tossed aside.”
“I’m wondering if, since he doesn’t put random things in his mouth, maybe I can let him choose his own toys now?”
The other moms were stunned.
“Xu Ran never puts things in his mouth? Comparing kids is maddening. My little rascal puts everything into his mouth! Xu Ran must be a genius. If my kid were half as smart, I wouldn’t be so worried every day.”
“Same here...”
Tong Tong’s mom and Zhuang Zhuang’s mom sighed helplessly.
Tiger Girl’s mom looked even more troubled: “My little Liuli punches stuffed animals and throws them. I’m really worried she might have violent tendencies...”
Lin Qian thought seriously: “What did the doctor say?”
“The doctor said she’s exploring the world, which is normal. Just her way of exploring is a bit unusual.”
“Then it should be fine, Liuli’s mom.”
The moms nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, this is a new era. Maybe Liuli will become a Valkyrie someday.”
The moms chatted happily, pushing their children along toward the mall.
Soon, they arrived at the bookstore in a nearby commercial street.
“Xu Ran, how about I buy you some fairy tales?”
Xu Ran pursed his lips and shook his head, pointing at books titled The Encyclopedia of New Era Cultivation, The New Era Races Guide, The Papal Court Chronicles, and The Comprehensive Public Research on Vengeful Spirits...
Lin Qian said, “...Baby, you won’t understand those. Mommy will buy you some fairy tales! Kids should read fairy tales! Be good!”
Upon hearing this, Xu Ran’s face tightened and he quickly shook his head.
His dark, gem-like eyes were full of determination.
This time, he was determined to be stubborn!
Because the fairy tales he bought before didn’t trigger any new skills.
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He guessed that he might need serious, substantial knowledge instead.
So, Xu Ran kept pointing at those books.
“Mom, buy these!”
“Mom, buy these!”
If she didn’t buy them, he’d have to resort to his last weapon—crying and fussing.
Mom couldn’t resist: “Alright, alright, I’ll buy them. But can you really understand them? Honestly...”
After purchasing a new batch of books, Xu Ran let out a Teletubby-like laugh.
He immediately grabbed one book, sat upright in his stroller, and carefully flipped through it as if he were genuinely reading.
To passersby and the other moms, Xu Ran looked like an ordinary baby delighted with a new toy.
But only Xu Ran knew he was truly absorbing the knowledge inside!
Suddenly, a long-lost prompt echoed in his mind—
[Congratulations: You have read a New Era book, gained new knowledge, and triggered a new skill—Extensive Reading. You can increase the progress of Extensive Reading. When the progress reaches full value after carefully reading one book, you can advance to the next tier. (Advancement sequence: Extensive Reading—Advanced Comprehension—Gifted Insight—Direct Reading of the Dao’s Origin)]
[Current Extensive Reading progress: 0/10000...]
Hearing the prompt, Xu Ran raised an eyebrow, his face glowing with delight.
[Advanced Comprehension]: Your comprehension is greatly enhanced. Martial arts, special techniques, alchemy, and martial creation can all be learned with twice the efficiency.
[Gifted Insight]: You will occasionally experience moments of sudden understanding.
[Direct Reading of the Dao’s Origin]: You can directly read the Dao’s origin, grasping the fundamental rules and principles.
“Wow—this fourth remarkable skill has incredible potential.”
“System, you’re truly godlike!”
Advanced Comprehension alone was terrifying.
Gifted Insight was even more extraordinary.
As for Direct Reading of the Dao’s Origin... Xu Ran found no words to describe it; reaching that level would make him essentially invincible in the world.
“However, the difficulty to level up is very high. You need to finish reading a whole book for progress to increase by 1...”
“But compared to its godlike power, such difficulty is nothing!”
Xu Ran smiled knowingly and let out another Teletubby-like laugh.
“Baby, can you understand that? You’re just giggling there~”
Mom bent down and gently rubbed Xu Ran’s soft cheek.
Elsewhere, the other moms bought some fairy tales for their kids and regrouped at the checkout.
“Xu Ran’s mom, you bought such hefty books for him?”
Lin Qian chuckled, “What choice did I have? Xu Ran refuses to read fairy tales; he insists on these...”
The other moms were stunned, silently concluding, “Xu Ran must be a genius.”
“I think so too. He’s way smarter than our kids, definitely a prodigy.”
After the compliments, Lin Qian blushed a little: “Let’s go to the play area and have the kids fish for fish, see animals, play with sand, and do ring toss.”
“Great!”
The moms agreed instantly, paid, and pushed their strollers to the playground next to the commercial plaza.
Xu Ran loved this kind of environment!
He could try new things and trigger new skills!
So, he immediately placed the book under his bottom, sat up straight, and looked around. Whenever he spotted a mini-game that might trigger a new skill, he would excitedly babble and try to join in.
For her obedient baby, Mom was utterly doting.
“You want to feed the goldfish? Then you can feed them once.”
“Boss, how much for a pack of fish food?”
The chubby shopkeeper replied arrogantly, “Twenty yuan!”
“What? A tiny pack smaller than your palm costs twenty yuan? Is this fish food made of gold particles?”
“Alright, fine. Give me one pack.”
Though expensive, Mom begrudgingly spent twenty yuan to let her baby play once.
“Don’t put it in your mouth, okay? Look, like Mommy, take a bit of fish food and throw it in!”
Mom patiently taught him.
Xu Ran nodded and gave Mom an innocent smile, then methodically tossed grain after grain of fish food into the pond.
“This should trigger a new skill, right?”
He felt a bit nervous.
But the system gave him a perfect response.
[You have completed your first time feeding animals, triggering a new skill—Animal Feeding. Feeding animals diligently increases the Animal Feeding progress. When progress reaches full value, you can advance to the next tier. (Advancement sequence: Animal Feeding—Advanced Beast Taming—Divine Pet Cultivation—God Command)]
[Current Animal Feeding progress: 1/10000...]
“Nice! Feeding goldfish can advance to Advanced Beast Taming, and eventually directly command gods.”
“You’re amazing!”
Undoubtedly, the fifth new skill also had godlike growth potential.
If all five skills reached their maximum, Xu Ran would become invincible in agility, comprehension, and god command...
“I’m already sprinting down the path to invincibility.”
“The title ‘Perfect Toddler’ is just within reach.”
Xu Ran was full of joy, slowly tossing the fish food down.
[Current Animal Feeding progress: 3/10000...]
The fish food was scarce and quickly finished.
Mom squatted beside him: “Baby, want to feed more?”
Xu Ran shook his head. He already had a plan—to buy two-yuan bread and feed the fish in the small lake downstairs.
Twenty yuan could greatly boost his progress!
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Seeing Xu Ran lose interest so quickly, Lin Qian smiled gently: “Then let’s wait a bit for the other babies.”
Xu Ran nodded and returned to his stroller, quietly waiting for the other children to feed the fish.
While waiting, he noticed ring toss, arrow throwing, pretend playhouses, and children’s simulation schools...
“To unlock new abilities, I have to try them all!”
After more than ten minutes, the other babies finished playing.
The four moms brought their children to the ring toss and arrow throwing area.
Xu Ran was eager to try.
Ring toss!
Ten yuan for ten rings.
Xu Ran tried to hook the nearest item. Unfortunately, the system didn’t respond. After several attempts, he understood this game wouldn’t trigger any skill.
Apparently, it lacked the potential.
...
“Let’s try arrow throwing... it might have a higher chance to unlock a new skill.”
Arrow throwing cost ten yuan for five arrows. You stood more than a meter away and tried to shoot the arrows in.
Three misses, one hit.
When he succeeded, an immediate prompt sounded in his mind.
[You performed a standard arrow throw, triggering a new skill—Throwing Mastery. (Advancement sequence: Throwing Mastery—Little Xu’s Flying Knives—Divine Weapon Toss—Three-Body Water Droplet)]
[Current Throwing Mastery progress: 1/10000...]
“Awesome!”
Xu Ran instinctively leaned back in admiration.
He immediately checked the advancement details of Throwing Mastery.
[Little Xu’s Flying Knives]: The elusive flying knives skill, never missing, able to kill from a hundred paces away!
[Divine Weapon Toss]: Channel your internal power into a divine weapon and throw it; within a kilometer, a single throw kills the enemy.
[Three-Body Water Droplet]: Throw a single water droplet that can destroy a planet.
“Perfect! This is exactly the ranged damage skill I need!”
Xu Ran was overjoyed.
“If I can grind out Little Xu’s Flying Knives, combined with gecko wall-crawling, elusive footsteps, and lightness skill ‘Grass Flying,’ even a skilled kidnapper gang won’t overwhelm me.”
“Sometimes I have a premonition I’ll face a super strong group... but hopefully, I’m not that unlucky.”
Xu Ran felt more confident but didn’t dare to be certain.
Kidnappings could vary greatly.
If ordinary people were behind it, he could easily handle them.
If a strong gang was involved, it would be tough but manageable.
But if vengeful spirit cultists captured a genius child for experiments...
The thought made Xu Ran shiver involuntarily.
“I must keep strict discipline and grind Little Xu’s Flying Knives as fast as possible!”
Xu Ran nodded slightly.
“Baby, no more arrows. Want to keep playing?”
Mom crouched nearby, softly asking.
Xu Ran still wanted to play but thought ten yuan for five arrows was expensive.
After all, 10,000 progress points meant grinding at the vendor’s booth would be a huge loss.
His eyes fell on the arrow quiver. Suddenly, he walked over and grabbed it.
The vendor broke into a sweat: “Hey, little friend, what are you doing? Don’t steal my livelihood!”
Seeing this, Mom quickly took the quiver back and apologized to the vendor: “Sorry, boss. My baby is a bit unusual.”
The vendor laughed heartily: “Unusual? This is the first kid who’s taken my job away...”
“Should I say he’s destined for greatness? Or that he’s extraordinary?”
The other moms were dumbfounded by this scene, never imagining a one-year-old could come up with such a clever move.
Mom was speechless.
“Oh, I get it, baby—you want to buy this toy, right?”
Xu Ran looked up, nodding while his bright black eyes fixed on Mom.
“Mom, buy it!”
Mom clapped her hands.
“No problem. I’ll buy you one online!”
Hearing this, Xu Ran showed a satisfied smile, ready to grind progress at home.
Next, they played pretend playhouses and toddler school simulations, but Xu Ran wasn’t interested and just accompanied the other kids.
As expected, none of those activities triggered new skills.
After playing with the three little ones, the moms pushed their strollers out.
Mom’s eyes scanned around and spotted something interesting: “Baby, want to learn origami?”
Upon hearing this, Xu Ran’s eyebrows lifted, and he immediately sat up straight.
Origami? Would that trigger a new skill? It wouldn’t hurt to try!
“Okay! Paper!”