Beginning of Cultivation
Chapter 169: Alice

Chapter 169: Alice

Nora was about to register for his hero certification when he suddenly thought of someone and halted his steps.

He only needed the certification to avoid being mistaken for an unregistered awakened individual. After all, the title of a hero was not something that could be determined by a mere piece of paper.

"Perhaps I should meet her first. She’s already an E-rank hero now—having her help would make things much more convenient."

The person he was referring to was a very close friend of his.

Though they called each other friends, their relationship was somewhat complicated and undefined.

A vivid image surfaced in his mind—a young girl with long, neatly tied-up crimson hair. Her amber eyes gleamed brilliantly, even in the dimmest light.

Without hesitation, Nora grabbed his phone and dialed a familiar number.

Beep... beep...

The call connected, and a sweet voice came from the other end:

"Hello? Nora? What’s up?"

Hearing her voice, Nora felt an inexplicable sense of peace. Yet, before he knew it, silent tears began streaming down his face.

Startled by his own reaction, he thought to himself:

Something bad must be looming in the future... This time, I will protect everyone—including her.

His gaze hardened with newfound determination, for the number of people he wished to protect had just increased by one.

"Alice, I have good news—I just awakened my bloodline. Now, I have the strength of an F-rank superhuman."

Alice was taken aback but quickly broke into a joyous smile upon hearing his words.

"That’s amazing! Congratulations! I’m free right now—let me take you to get your hero license. With me there, your assessment process will be much faster."

"That would be great. Thanks a lot."

After exchanging a few more words, Alice hung up and immediately set off for Nora’s house.

She and Nora had known each other for a long time. Their meeting, in truth, had been the result of circumstances that bore a certain resemblance to one another.

When Nora was a child, he lost his parents at an early age. Feeling adrift in the world, he sought out others who shared a similar fate.

One day, he arrived at an orphanage and met her. Two lonely souls, bound by similar circumstances, naturally gravitated toward each other.

Years had passed since then, and their bond had only grown deeper.

.....

Half an hour later, Alice stood in front of his house, ringing the doorbell incessantly.

Hearing the repeated chimes echo through his home, Nora sighed in mild exasperation. He opened the door and said:

"I told you—just ring it once."

"Hehe, but it’s not like you actually mind, do you?"

Dressed in a striking red outfit, Alice grinned mischievously before grabbing his hand.

"Come on, let’s hurry and get you registered as a hero! If your talent is good, we’ll be able to take on missions together in no time."

Nora chuckled at her enthusiasm and replied:

"Don’t worry, I’ll catch up to you soon enough."

His confident declaration caught Alice off guard. Surprised yet delighted, she clapped him on the shoulder and asked:

"Oh? So you’ve already sensed it? What element do you belong to?"

"Element?" Nora blinked in confusion.

"You can actually sense something like that?"

The confidence he had earlier wasn’t because he had discovered his element—it was solely due to possessing the Samsara Divine Art. He hadn’t felt anything at all.

At present, humanity’s understanding of superheroes was still vague, with much of the knowledge yet to be made public. It wasn’t surprising that he had never heard of this concept before.

And as for the memories of his past life? Other than a few significant fragments, he remembered almost nothing.

Alice, hearing his puzzled response, was momentarily stunned. His previous confidence had made her assume he had truly awakened an element—but as it turned out, it was merely the bravado of someone lacking knowledge.

Still, she didn’t rush to crush his spirits. Instead, she spoke gently:

"There’s no need to worry too much. Even if you can’t sense an element, simply becoming a superhero is already an incredibly rare feat."

This wasn’t mere consolation—it was a fact. Becoming a superhero was an achievement so rare that only one in hundreds of thousands ever managed to succeed.

Each of them carried a fate and fortune beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Though many had fallen early in their careers, their overall luck and destiny still far surpassed that of the average person.

Of course, Nora could hear the reassuring tone in Alice’s words. He found himself caught between laughter and tears.

Tears—because he realized she had completely misunderstood the nature of his power.

Laughter—because her genuine concern for his feelings was evident.

"Don’t worry." he said, his gaze locking onto hers with unwavering determination.

"Even if I can’t sense any element, my talent is undeniably the strongest among all superheroes. I can’t explain the details to you, but this is the absolute truth."

Alice immediately noticed the seriousness in his eyes.

She grinned before throwing her arms around his neck in a playful hug.

"Hehe, I knew you wouldn’t be ordinary! But catching up to me won’t be easy, you know? My talent is among the very best in this world."

"I’ll give it my all. Just wait and see." Nora replied with a confident smile.

The Samsara Divine Art was a completely different path to power compared to conventional superheroes. It had its own unique advantages.

In truth, the highest talent in this world belonged to someone even beyond Alice’s level—the very person who had claimed victory in the previous timeline.

With that, the two of them headed toward the Superhero Association to complete Nora’s registration and determine if he had the strength required to take on official missions.

"We’re taking the bus?" Nora asked as they walked.

"Of course. What, were you expecting me to drive you there?" Alice scoffed. "I haven’t even taken my driving test yet."

"That’s not what I meant. I just—"

Before he could finish, Alice’s voice took on a mischievous lilt:

"Or maybe... you want me to carry you princess-style and sprint all the way to the Superhero Association?" She giggled.

"That would certainly be quite the spectacle."

Nora’s face instantly flushed red. Waving his hands frantically, he stammered:

"N-No, no, no! The bus sounds like the perfect option!"