"Hmm?"
Xue Jing wore a confused expression, first doubting that he had heard a hallucination, then he glanced around and found no one else, which suggested that it wasn't someone pulling a prank by pretending to speak as a cat nearby. He checked the cat for any devices that could make sound but found nothing.
After pondering for a while, Xue Jing calmed down, suppressing his leaping curiosity.
Although talking cats were a common trope in fantasy works, encountering one in reality was somewhat eerie, and it seemed wiser not to engage with it.
He quickly pulled a few sausages out of the grocery bag, tore off their wrappings, placed them on the ground, and then immediately stood up, ready to leave the place.
However, as he was about to get up, the unconscious Miao Miao's tail swept unintentionally, causing the platinum tail ring fitted on it to brush against his finger.
[Detecting Divine Substance, absorbing Divinity...]
[Contact interrupted, Divine Absorption failed]
The translucent Skill Panel automatically popped up with two lines of text that had never appeared before.
Xue Jing paused, halting his steps to move away.
"Now... there's no helping it, the Skill Panel is the foundation of my existence. To investigate this anomaly, I have to take it back with me," he reasoned.
He sighed, and for some reason, he felt oddly excited.
Xue Jing bent down without any regard for the dirt, and hugged the black Miao Miao with four white 'gloves' on its feet, the platinum tail ring touching his body.
[Detecting Divine Substance, absorbing Divinity...]
On the panel, what was a pale blue transparent interface now had streams of golden specks emerging, steadily gathering toward the bottom of the panel, where a new skill was faintly taking shape.
"Divinity... sounds pretty high-end," Xue Jing mused with some anticipation. Holding Miao Miao, he was all set to return home when something came to mind, and turned back to the supermarket.
Once inside the supermarket, he bought a bag of cat food in the pet section, and requested a larger bag from the cashier to combine the groceries and the cat food, then left the supermarket carrying Miao Miao in one hand and the big bag in the other, heading back to his home.
Upon entering, he first placed the bag with the ingredients and cat food on the table, then sat on the living room sofa with Miao Miao in his arms.
Because the Skill Panel had notified him, he couldn't risk breaking contact with Miao Miao's tail ring, lest the Divine Absorption fail.
Although he didn't know what would happen after the absorption of the so-called 'Divinity' was complete, as per typical storylines, it wasn't likely to be a bad thing.
The golden specks kept gathering on the interface, and while Xue Jing cradled Miao Miao with one hand, he gently stroked it with the other.
The fur was dirty and matted, with patches missing, but upon a closer look, one could tell that the cat had an exceptional appearance.
The fur was uncluttered, its four white 'gloves' were clearly defined against its body, its whiskers were neat, and there were white tufts like eyeliner at the corners of both eyes, slender and refined, making it a feline beauty that could captivate someone with its graceful looks.
"Little Miao Miao is quite a looker," Xue Jing murmured as he petted Miao Miao, feeling a sense of anticipation in his heart.
He wasn't sure exactly what he was anticipating; whether it was the changes to the Skill Panel after the Divinity was absorbed or the exciting changes this talking Miao Miao might bring to his life.
"..."
Suddenly, Xue Jing laughed.
"After all, I'm still 'Xue Jing'..."
Bringing home a talking cat, the thought that surfaced wasn't one of unease about the unknown risks, but rather stimulation over the changes it would bring to life.
This was the spirit of youth, not that of a middle-aged person seeking stability.
Having resolved an internal query, Xue Jing relaxed, waiting for the Divine Absorption to complete while picking up the remote and turning on the TV to the news channel.
"...The 37th Under-19 Unlimited Elite Fighting Tournament is about to begin its qualifying rounds soon, with the star athletes of major clubs eagerly awaiting their chance... Let's interview some of the seeded contestants in today's event..."
"...At 2 PM on October 8th, a brief 'boundary quake' occurred on Huaijiang Road in the East City District of Qingcheng, registering at a magnitude of 4.1. Under the direction of Governing Councilor Chu Minyi, the public orderly conducted emergency evacuation with no casualties reported..."
"...Kangde Security Company has recently announced that it has successfully dismantled the large criminal organization 'Dragon Cult.' Guan Yingzhi, the head of Kangde, declared that the Dragon Cult is an unlawful gang disguised as a religious group that has plagued society for over sixty years.
In order to protect the stability of society and the safety of citizens, Kangde Security will not allow any unlawful elements..."
"Recently, a smuggling ring operating in the Intersecting Boundaries brought a large amount of illegal goods past the Border City defenses and is currently making its way inland. Residents of Qingcheng are advised to take necessary precautionary measures..."
...
Time passed without notice.
[Divine Absorption complete]
As a line of text appeared on the Skill Panel, the floating golden specks also dispersed.
And there, on the Skill Panel, at the very bottom of the Skills section, a new skill emerged, with its golden text glowing, unlike the regular skills in black.
[Twin Lifes (Inactive): Divine Skill, Divinity required for activation 525/500]
[Conditions met, would you like to activate?]
[Yes/No]
Divine Skill?
Xue Jing's eyes narrowed sharply.
Just by hearing it, he knew it was clearly not on the same level as ordinary skills.
Xue Jing immediately tapped on [Yes].
[Activation Successful]
[Twin Lifes Lv1 (Divinity required for upgrade: 25/100)]
[Effects:
Passive: You possess two lives, allowing you to choose a resurrection time within seven days after death. Cooldown period: three months.
Active: Unlocked (Divinity required for unlocking 25/500)
Divine Incarnation: Unlocked (Unlock condition: Reach Level Lv10, Divinity 25/2000)]
"!?!"
Shocked.
Although he was mentally prepared and knew that 'Divine Skills' were definitely not ordinary, Xue Jing never anticipated they would be this outrageous.
"Ban, you've laid your cards on the table, huh? You're not planning to interact with me as an ordinary golden finger anymore?"
A moment ago, the Skill Panel was just a run-of-the-mill golden finger within the scope of human capabilities, mundane, albeit with a slightly faster growth rate, but still within the realm of reason.
But 'Twin Lifes' just carried him with one step into the threshold of the transcendent world.
This is a skill that defies both reason and physics.
Two lives, and the ability to choose your resurrection time after death—this means you won't have to fear corpse camping, and it prevents the joke of being immediately resurrected only to be killed again.
What kind of unparalleled life-saving Divine Skill is this? It's not even a one-time use Resurrection Coin but can be used again after its cooldown.
Although the cooldown is somewhat long, but if you round it off, it's basically the same as unlimited respawning.
And according to the panel, this is only the passive effect of 'Twin Lifes'.
"Damn it, why."
Xue Jing felt as if ants were crawling all over him.
If the passive is this amazing, the active must be incredible too.
But it needs Divinity to unlock, where is he supposed to get that from?
And what kind of effect is this 'Divine Incarnation'...
With countless thoughts whirling in his mind, Xue Jing's expression flickered between light and shadow.
At this moment, Miao Miao, the cat in his arms, suddenly fluttered her eyelids and slowly opened her eyes.
She raised her head, and her emerald-like beautiful vertical pupils looked up at Xue Jing holding her.
Seeing this, Xue Jing momentarily put aside his thoughts and reached out to pet Miao Miao's head.
He spoke somewhat guiltily, "You awake?"
He hadn't gotten the cat's consent before using Divine Absorption, and he didn't know what effect this would have on Miao Miao.
Caught up in the excitement earlier, he hadn't paid attention, but now that he thought about it, taking without asking seemed a bit...
Although Xue Jing believed his own moral standards to be quite flexible and volatile, and despite realizing this point, he would have secretly performed the Divinity absorption for the Skill Panel anyway, the 'victim' waking up in front of him still inevitably made him feel guilty.
Miao Miao, curled up in Xue Jing's arms, stared at him for a while as if she hadn't grasped her current situation yet.
Her gaze shifted around, surveying the surroundings, then it returned to Xue Jing's face.
A glint seemed to flash through her emerald vertical pupils.
Miao Miao spoke.
"Meow~~"
That voice.
Gave Xue Jing goosebumps.
...