Diana stepped out and walked a few blocks, soon arriving at a vintage-style café not far from home.
Since it was dinner time, the café wasn't crowded. Diana immediately spotted the person she was meeting.
In a quiet corner by the window sat a woman in her early forties, with wavy long hair and sunglasses.
"What would you like, ma'am?"
Diana, tall and stylish, immediately drew attention. Even the young female barista paused, smiling politely while holding the order pad.
"Just a cup of hot coffee," Diana replied with a smile and gracefully took a seat opposite the woman in sunglasses.
"Diana Princess, long time no see," the woman said, removing her sunglasses. Her eyes were colder than winter.
Diana nodded lightly. "It really has been a long time, Barbara Minerva." Seeing her former colleague, friend, and rival stirred a complex mix of emotions.
"Over twenty years have passed, and you haven't changed a bit. Truly worthy of being a descendant of gods," Barbara said with a wry smile, studying Diana's familiar, perfect face. "Since losing my Catwoman powers and getting older, I've grown crows' feet, my body's shape has declined, and my skin isn't as resilient as it once was."
"Can't let go of the past, huh?"
Diana frowned slightly. "So this is why you secretly slipped my old photo into my house?"
Barbara leaned back and laughed. "Skipping the small talk and going straight to the point? Seems like you really care about that boy."
Diana remained silent and serious. "He's just an ordinary person."
"Exactly why I left the photo," Barbara said with a hint of mockery. "You're a goddess, flying through the skies, immortal. And you adopted a mere human child? Trying to fully blend into the human world? Don't make me laugh!"
By the end, she slammed her hands on the table, standing up in anger, her eyes full of resentment and fury toward Diana.
Diana remained composed, legs crossed and poised. Even sitting quietly, her presence remained unshaken.
She paused, then spoke softly: "I was once completely disappointed in humanity, with no hope."
"What are you talking about?" Barbara asked, puzzled, and sat back down.
Diana glanced at the snow-covered street outside and continued: "Until that Christmas night, sixteen years ago…"
...
"What's happening to me?"
Xi Nian stared at his hands in disbelief. He tried stabbing his arm with the metal fork, but his skin felt unnaturally tough. Only the slightest pain was felt, and the fork bent before it could pierce his skin.
He remembered that his aunt had never been injured over all those years.
"No way…"
Suddenly, Xi Nian seemed to understand everything. His gaze rose to the living room ceiling.
Over the years, the minimalist ceiling he remembered now had strange, conspicuous items hanging in the center: a silver longsword, a dark gold round shield, and a set of wild-looking women's armor.
All these mysterious objects, previously unseen, were connected by a shimmering golden cord, ending with an ornate crown, silver bracelets, and golden knee guards.
"Maybe they were always here…" Xi Nian whispered to himself. Perhaps he just couldn't see them before.
Instinctively, he reached up. As his fingers brushed the golden cord, it solidified and then vanished completely.
"Huh?"
Xi Nian realized something was wrong. The sword, shield, and armor, once suspended by the cord, now fell freely.
He froze for a moment but his reflexes were extraordinary. He reached out, moving almost as a blur.
Even more shocking, the crown and bracelets merged seamlessly with his body as he caught them, fitting perfectly onto his forehead and wrists.
???
Xi Nian's mind went blank. The female armor he had caught began to settle over him—his clothes disappeared, leaving only the exposed arms and thighs not covered by the armor.
Winter was bitterly cold, but due to his unique physiology, Xi Nian felt no chill. Wearing the primal, wild armor, his blood surged like molten lava. He felt the urge to shout, raise a sword, and charge into battle.
Thump thump thump!
He heard drums, as if from ancient times, awakening his bloodlust.
Who's beating the drums?
Suddenly, he realized—it wasn't drums. It was the sound of his own heart, pounding powerfully.
"So hot!"
Xi Nian shouted involuntarily. Wearing the Amazonian armor, his bloodline abilities began to awaken fully.
A powerful, indescribable energy surged under his skin, almost becoming tangible. Xi Nian had no idea that he now possessed semi-divine strength.
The immense power, uncontrolled and surging, shot upward.
In the living room, Xi Nian gritted his teeth, shield on his back, sword in hand. Blinding white light radiated from his dark hair roots.
The energy was so intense it shattered the nearby lampshade into dust. The hair itself grew rapidly, turning from black to white, cascading wildly over his shoulders, back, and face.
Silver hair flowed.
Xi Nian panicked and checked his skirt, relieved his gender was intact.
But the situation remained out of control.
An ordinary person suddenly wielding semi-divine power was like a child suddenly given the launch codes for nuclear missiles.
The first experience with the extraordinary was pure chaos.
"I can't stay here. I'll destroy everything if this keeps up!"
Realizing this, Xi Nian tried to move. His strength had changed drastically. It was like pressing a bicycle pedal before, now a supercar's accelerator. One misstep, and he blurred forward like a streak.
In an instant, everything in the living room—tables, chairs, lamps—shattered in his path.
He didn't slow down, transforming into a streak of human light, crashing into the balcony window.
Crash!
The glass shattered.
With no defenses, Xi Nian shot out of his sixteenth-floor apartment!
[Please give powerstones if you're enjoying the story.
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