At this moment, Xuanhuangxing ** sealed off the villa area of Lihai Peninsula.
Xia Chuan had just returned from the miniature world, holding the world prop, Thor's Hammer, in his hand. With ease, he made Thor's Hammer recognize him as its master.
"Master."
The voice of Thor's Hammer echoed in the air. It had now taken on the form of a massive black-yellow star hammer, a characteristic of world props—able to change size according to the user's needs.
The hammer radiated with an overwhelming aura of thunder, its surface covered in densely packed thunder runes. It seemed as though every movement could summon the endless power of thunder from the heavens.
It was as if a single shift of the hammer would stir the heavens themselves, unleashing a storm of thunder that could ravage the world.
"You can speak?"
Xia Chuan asked, his curiosity piqued.
He had two world props in his possession—the Book of Wisdom and the Gravity Ball. The Book of Wisdom could speak and had its own consciousness.
However, the Gravity Ball was silent, merely a tool.
"Master, while not all world props possess self-awareness or the ability to speak, some do, and I am one of them—Thor's Hammer," the hammer replied proudly.
Though world props were treasures capable of disrupting the balance of the world, their nature varied. No matter how powerful they were, some world props were far more terrifying than others. This was an undeniable fact.
"But I killed your last master. Don't you hate me?"
Xia Chuan asked, his voice tinged with curiosity.
Usually, world props had strong bonds with their previous owners. As the one who killed the last owner of Thor's Hammer, Xia Chuan wondered if the hammer would hold a grudge.
It was a normal reaction for creatures to feel such emotions.
"That was a matter of the previous generation of Thor's Hammer. It has nothing to do with me," the hammer answered, unfazed.
"Previous generation Thor's Hammer? What do you mean by that?"
Xia Chuan asked, confused.
"Master," the Book of Wisdom suddenly spoke up. "In fact, the spirit of a world prop is not immortal. It is a special entity born from the prop itself. When we bind ourselves to a holder through a contract, our soul is tied to theirs. Once the holder dies, we, too, perish."
"Therefore, every world item is extremely cautious when choosing a master," the Book of Wisdom continued. "After all, you can't choose a short-lived master, as that would lead to your own death."
"There's such a thing?"
Xia Chuan was taken aback, shocked to learn of this hidden truth about world props.
"On the surface, world props seem immortal, passed down from generation to generation," the Book of Wisdom explained. "But in truth, our spirits can die. When we perish, we are reborn within the world prop, but we are no longer the same being. The previous life's essence is gone, and we are born anew."
The Book of Wisdom paused before adding, "Even so, when a generation of artifact spirits dies, their memories remain within the prop. For us new spirits, these memories are like books in a library—merely historical records. We understand what happened, but we have no emotional attachment."
"Ah, I understand now," Xia Chuan said, the pieces falling into place. He realized that in the world of props, each artifact's spirit changes with every new owner, yet these artifacts are reborn with every generation.
It was as if a new master brought with them a new spirit, but because the artifact retained the memories of its previous incarnations, it wasn't like a newborn—like a blank slate. The spirit knew the world well, but it felt no connection to its past masters. After all, they were just strangers to it.
Despite being a new spirit, the artifacts were creatures with their own souls, and naturally, they feared death. This made them cautious when choosing their masters. If they didn't deem the new master worthy, they'd rather sleep than form a contract.
"The power of Thor's Hammer..."
Xia Chuan mused as he grasped the hammer. Instantly, he felt the vast, all-encompassing power of thunder deep within the void.
With a mere thought, he could summon endless lightning, transforming into the god of thunder, capable of obliterating his enemies and leaving not even bones or armor behind.
Booming~~~
In that instant, the sky above the sealed city darkened, clouds swirling as lightning crackled ominously. The thunder rumbled, and lightning flashed in the depths of the dark clouds, threatening to tear the very stars apart.
Xia Chuan could feel the hundreds of thousands of bolts of thunder in the sky, all within his control. With a single thought, he could call upon countless thunderbolts, striking down powerful enemies with devastating force.
"Is this the power to control Thunder?"
Xia Chuan marveled, realizing that, with Thor's Hammer in his grip, he had dominion over all thunder and lightning. Every bolt of power was now at his command.