Night, 11:30 P.M. Ren Suo finished work on ti.
Undoubtedly, Ren Suo, following his usual habit, took a bath first. After erging, he picked up his phone and found a ssage from Qiao Muyi telling him to go to bed early because he needed to wake up at 7:30 A.M. the next day.
Actually, Ren Suo had already been sleeping and waking early these days. Plus, spending the night with his girlfriend was genuinely tiring, so normally, he would dry his hair and go to bed after his bath.
But not tonight.
He had been sleeping over ten hours a day recently, just to squeeze out ti for tonight's all-nighter. Tonight, he wasn't very tired. Unexpectedly, nobody had made any audacious moves, nor had they fought over him in a fit of pique. Instead, they had just spent a mundane weekend night with him.
So now, Ren Suo was completely energized, ready for everything, just waiting for midnight!
Feeling bored, Ren Suo scrolled through his social dia feed and noticed that Vice Principal Yuan Chu had posted a ssage that evening:
"Helping a student repost.
Looking for a female student from Heavenly Lotus Academy, taller than 170 cm, skilled in martial arts, possibly skilled in Face-Changing techniques, with true combat power of the third turn. She may often hide her Cultivation level and has a collection of lolita-style dresses. I owe her a great debt and would like to repay her. If anyone has information, please make sure to contact QQ number..."
Huh?
Ren Suo looked carefully and confird it was indeed a post from Vice Principal Yuan Chu.
Help repost? Even helping a student repost?
Sensing a profound sche, Ren Suo quickly scrolled through his feed and saw that many teachers from the academy had shared this post.
And of those visible on Ren Suo's tiline, the earliest one to reshare this post was—Zhao Huo.
Ren Suo took out his phone and added the QQ number. The user's nickna was "Mad for Martial Arts," and it was only a level 3 account. The person quickly approved his request, and their first ssage was, "Do you have any clues about that person?"
"I do," Ren Suo typed. "As long as you answer one question for , I'll tell you."
"What's the question?" the other person typed back.
"Who's sleeping in your bed?" Ren Suo asked. "Miss Fan, Xiao ng, or the little junior?"
The other person didn't reply.
Ren Suo then directly ssaged Zhao Huo's main account. "Brother Huo, can you answer my question directly?"
"(Confused Panda sticker) What?" Zhao Huo (@All Want) sent.
"After making up friends out of thin air, you've even started making up students out of thin air?" Ren Suo typed. "So tell , weren't you helping a student with their social dia post? Who's the student?"
"Damn, how did you figure that out?" Zhao Huo (@All Want) replied.
Because I've only shown my cross-dressing to you! My girlfriends have only seen my clone in cross-dressing!
"Just guessing," Ren Suo typed. "Didn't you brag on the subway the other day about a super-duper cute older girl who's good at martial arts, loves wearing dresses, and is into you? What's up? Weren't you supposed to sever the ties of affection and forget her in the martial world? Why are you looking for her now? Had a change of heart?"
"Why does your brain only work at tis like this?" Zhao Huo retorted.
"I haven't had a change of heart," he continued. "I just thought about it carefully and realized I was being an idiot. We might not make it as a couple, but we can still be friends! I've made up with them, and I believe I won't change my heart again!"
"You won't 'change your heart again'...?" Ren Suo typed, "I've screenshotted this. How many als is this sentence worth?"
"Damn, just one al, my treat, for you only. At most, you can bring Little Jiu," Zhao Huo replied. "All in all, I think it's better if we're just friends."
"I don't believe you," Ren Suo typed. "A guy with a computer full of adult comics and gas suddenly wants to find a young and beautiful female student just to be friends? Co on, what's our relationship? Why are you still keeping secrets from ?"
A while later, Zhao Huo finally replied, "My old man beat and broke my leg."
"What?" Ren Suo asked.
"Literally," Zhao Huo (@All Want) explained. "I gave it my all, and still, my old man broke my leg. If not for Xiao Fan and the others protecting , both my legs would have been broken."
"Isn't your father an ordinary person?" Ren Suo asked.
"I thought so too," Zhao Huo replied. "Since he's over fifty, you'd think... well, I should have realized it when I saw Gu Wenyi. Gu Wenyi was capable of being a Supre Commander of the Tactical Bureau even at fifty, with Cultivation far surpassing mine. My old man, even if slightly weaker, must have so Talent for Cultivation."
"We both have Third-level Cultivation. He only learned a few Defensive Magic and Armor-Breaking Magic spells, yet I was utterly outclassed by him and couldn't even fight back!"
"I used to beat him when I was younger, mostly due to the Physical Condition and reflexes of a young person. Our skills were about the sa—or rather, the skills he displayed were about the sa as mine. Now that he has cultivated to the third turn, his Cultivation has revitalized his True Form and returned him to the pinnacle of martial arts. He outright broke my leg!"
"Can I co over to your house and laugh at your la leg?" Ren Suo teased.
"No need to co over," Zhao Huo typed quickly. "I've already healed. I just didn't want you to find out… Damn!"
"So, you got one of your legs broken, and now you want to find a female student to compensate?" Ren Suo asked. "Wait, which leg got broken?"
"...Didn't I already say?" Zhao Huo replied. "She's very skilled at Martial Arts Magic, so I still want to learn Martial Arts Magic from her. Then, I'll find the old man later on to get my revenge!"
Indeed, how filial, Zhao Huo.
"Then learn other spells," Ren Suo suggested. "Why must you seek out that particular female student?"
"You don't understand," Zhao Huo insisted. "Even if I use fire or ice spells to defeat the old man, he definitely won't accept it. Only by using fists or Cold Weapons can I make him truly concede defeat!"
Ren Suo slightly raised an eyebrow, sensing there was more to what Zhao Huo said.
Zhao Huo's temperant was actually sowhat similar to his own. Both had an attitude of "as long as I'm happy, I don't care what you think." He didn't care about others' opinions, which was especially apparent in how everyone in Heavenly Lotus Academy knew Teacher Zhao was a super otaku.
Zhao Huo insisting on defeating his father in a way his father recognizes… This adherence to soone else's rules isn't like Zhao Huo's style; it feels more like a 'challenge trial.'
"Can you answer my question now?" Ren Suo pressed. "Who exactly is in your bed?"
"Go away, go away, I'm playing galgas," Zhao Huo typed, deflecting.
Then I can't help it; it's your loss for not seizing the opportunity.
If Zhao Huo had answered, "No one is in my bed," Ren Suo might have considered it. He might have given Zhao Huo so information about 'Xiao Suo' in exchange for Zhao Huo undergoing a little cross-dressing test.
However, Zhao Huo kept dodging and covering up, so the answer was naturally obvious—
There's a woman in his bed! And he still wants to play galgas! Wow, is he even a man!? How can he endure this?
Even Ren Suo was amazed by this and naturally refused to reveal any information about 'Xiao Suo' to him.
There was no specific reason; I just found Zhao Huo's happiness too glaring, too nauseating, so I didn't want to grant him his wishes.
Roll back to bed with your wives, jerk!
Following this line of thought, Zhao Huo wanting to defeat his father in the way of a Martial Artist was actually hoping his father would accept the reality of him sharing a bed with multiple won! Serves you right for getting your leg broken! Well done! Elder Zhao, go for it! Suppress this rebellious son so he may never rise again!
After ntally deriding Zhao Huo, the life-winner, for a good while, Ren Suo felt it was about ti. He pulled the curtains, picked up the controller, and turned on the Mini-World Ga Console.
"Mini~"
"World~"
"Its Fun~"
"Is~Endless~"
The startup sound today was sowhat peculiar. It was split into four segnts, with a total of five childlike voices; the final word "Endless" was clearly a chorus by two little girls.
This Mini-World Ga Console is getting saucier, Ren Suo mused to himself, then opened the "Equipnt Interface."
Currently, the ability items in Ren Suo's daily equipnt consisted of: "Mysterious Lord's Chronicle - Foundation," "Night Moon Warrior," "Seeker's Ornant," and "Divine Light Crystal."
Among them, "Mysterious Lord's Chronicle - Foundation" was ford after Ren Suo learned the third chapter of the Mysterious Sovereign's Secret Records; the ga console automatically integrated the content of the first three chapters, creating the current Foundation Establishnt chapter.
Even though Qiao Muyi had helped him apply for an internal discount, Ren Suo still spent all his Law Network Spirit Stones to purchase the third chapter. The ga console naming it "Foundation Establishnt" also proved that the third chapter was indeed of exceptional value.
Ren Suo had also considered mastering the third chapter on his own, but after trying, he found that it was far more difficult than the first two chapters. "Rational Ren Suo" had also realized this, so he hadn't spent ti on it, directly equipping the Cultivation Technique to cultivate.
Unlike Ren Suo, "Rational Ren Suo" had great trust in the Mini-World Ga Console and didn't think relying on it would have any downsides. Instead, he thought Ren Suo's approach was overkill, akin to insisting on using a controller to play FPS gas.
If Ren Suo didn't have a girlfriend, maybe he would have still tried to master the third chapter through sheer perseverance, but now...
If I had such leisure ti, I'd rather use it to cultivate and recover so Physical Strength!
Ah, love does lead to compromise.
Thus, Ren Suo contentedly relied on the Mini-World Ga Console for Cultivation.
Ren Suo thought for a mont, then swapped out the fully charged "Divine Light Crystal," which allowed for unlimited Mana Recovery, for the "Listening Headphones," which could tune into hidden system ssages.
Ready!
Ren Suo glanced down at his phone just in ti to see 23:59 turn to 00:00!
April 1st had arrived!
For a mont, Ren Suo felt a bit of temporal disorientation.
One year ago today, he had completed "If You Are Strong, Climb Ten Thousand ters." Back then, he could never have imagined that the matchstick man climbing a ten-thousand-ter peak in the ga would turn into a voluptuous, blonde-haired Seeker.
But on reflection, the unexpected events of Ren Suo's year seed to be quite nurous. After all, a year ago, Ren Suo had just been a virgin thinking only of coasting through life, whereas now, Ren Suo... Have I changed much?
It was just that he had more people around him now, and he harbored more Hope for the future.
Ren Suo smiled and opened the "World Store."
The first thing that caught his eye was the "Ga of the Month"—"Boundless Love."
"This ga is a romance developnt ga. Players will take on the role of a prisoner trapped in a dungeon. They must conquer the hearts of dungeon characters through love, then escape and conquer the world with great love!
The datable options are plentiful, including but not limited to coffins, rusty swords, bricks, steel plates, tissues, and tattered clothing.
The ga awards a maximum of 420 rit Points for completion, with an exclusive reward of 'Absolute Charm.' It features Krypton Gold options, comprises only one chapter, has no additional expansions, and a difficulty rating of: 5 stars."
Initially, Ren Suo didn't pay much attention, thinking, Can a romance simulation ga also have a 5-star difficulty? Then he took a closer look and realized sothing was off—
What the hell are these datable objects!? Courting a coffin? How do you even do that? And there are rusty swords, bricks, tattered clothing… These are clearly items you'd find in a dungeon! They're all inanimate objects! How can you possibly romance them? Objectophilia? Zhao Huo liked Paper People; at least they had character illustrations! You don't even give those here, just making the ga character imagine them?
If love could animate these lifeless things, then it truly would be 'Boundless Love.'
Although the ga was weird through and through, the exclusive reward was indeed quite appealing—"Absolute Charm"!
As if to tempt the Player, this reward even ca with a brief introduction: "With Absolute Charm, all negotiations will reach their maximum effect, automatically maximizing favorability and eliminating any discontent others may have towards oneself."
Ren Suo couldn't help but fantasize imdiately: If I had this Ability, would my girlfriends perhaps…
No way! Ren Suo, oh Ren Suo, how could you beco so depraved? To be chard by such a reward? Are lovers supposed to be maintained through Spells? Don't you believe your sincerity can earn their true love? More importantly, this ga costs 650 rit Points! That's enough to go to the Gatekeeper for one Krypton Gold top-up and randomly get a Starfall for any ga Character! Ren Suo, you who are accustod to freeloading, how could I allow myself to buy such an expensive ga! Ren Suo, you must be frugal! Even if your girlfriends are willing to support you, they can't help you with Krypton Gold on the Mini-World Ga Console!
Forcing his gaze away from "Absolute Charm," Ren Suo reluctantly turned to the World Store's second category—
"Critical Exclusive Ga (Level 6)"
"Considering the Player is currently Level 6 and about to beco a Level 7 Player, we offer a 'Critical Exclusive Ga (Level 6)' with boosted rewards due to a promotional opportunity."
"This category does not offer gas below 6 stars."
"This category does not offer gas with maximum reward rit Points below 500."
"This category contains only one ga."
"This category's ga is free, and you may choose one ga to play each month. If the Player has not advanced to the next Level by the next month, they may choose to 'refresh' or 'not refresh' the ga in this category."
Ren Suo blinked, just then rembering that the Mini-World Ga Console indeed had this setting.
When he had advanced to Level 3 as a Player, the "Critical Exclusive Ga" category had appeared. Now that he was advancing to Level 6, its reappearance was entirely reasonable.
It also proved that if Ren Suo advanced to a Level 7 Player, he could once again partake in his long-awaited Fantasy Lottery!
Last ti he drew the "Bond System." Its utility was imnse; without the Bond System, Ren Suo's real life and ga life certainly wouldn't be as smooth as they were now.
He had been saving up rit Points for another shot at the Fantasy Lottery!
Living is all about lottery draws!
"Do you want to draw for a Critical Exclusive Ga? You can choose to use a promotional opportunity to enhance ga rewards."
"Note: Each promotional opportunity you use will double Player Experience and earned rit Points, while also increasing the ga's difficulty, with no upper limit."
"Promotional opportunities available: April Fool's Day promo, Qingming Solar Term promo, Grain Rain Solar Term promo."
Unlike before, this ti the "Critical Breakthrough Ga" didn't give Ren Suo the option to select the ga, only whether to enhance the rewards.
And before Ren Suo chose to use a promotional opportunity to increase the rewards and difficulty, he couldn't even see a hint of the ga.
This ant Ren Suo could possibly end up with a ga at the lowest end of 6-star difficulty. Even after three enhancents, it might still be within his tolerance. However, he might also pick a ga at the pinnacle of 6-star difficulty…
And I'm not proficient in so ga genres, like visual novels with pretty girls; if I draw one of those…
But!
If Ren Suo used up all the promotional opportunities, the Player Experience earned would increase by 300%, and rit Points earned would also increase by 300%!
It would be as if Ren Suo played through four 6-star gas at once, giving him a high chance of becoming a Level 7 Player in one go! Although he could only receive one exclusive reward, a lot of ti would be saved, and he wouldn't fall behind on rit Points!
If only his Player Experience increased and not his rit Points, Ren Suo definitely wouldn't like it. After all, advancing to Level 7 to participate in the lottery utilized rit Points for multiple draws. Thus, saving up rit Points before advancing was the Righteous Path.
But with both experience and rit Points doubled this ti, Ren Suo had nothing to hesitate about. For him, an uncertain exclusive reward was like a free gift. It would be nice to have, but it wouldn't matter if he didn't get one.
"You choose to use the April Fool's Day promo, Qingming Solar Term promo, and Grain Rain Solar Term promo to enhance the rewards of the Critical Exclusive Ga."
"You have obtained 'Cataclysm of Tomorrow.'"
"Cataclysm of Tomorrow"
"This ga is a strategy tower defense ga. Players will act as the Supre Commander from the past, present, and future. They will lead Earth's Cultivators to combat the Immortal civilization 'Ark,' which is coming from the far reaches of the universe to plunder Earth's source of Spiritual Energy.
Players need to select elite Earth Cultivators from various locations, assemble a Cultivators Legion, and annihilate all the combat forces of the Immortals in cosmic space. This will prevent any Immortals from touching Earth's source of Spiritual Energy.
Players who successfully beat the ga can be awarded up to 2200 rit Points, with an exclusive reward of 'Ring of Tomorrow.' The ga has Krypton Gold options, multiple chapters, and a difficulty level of: 6 stars ."
「Sky Capital's Third Underground Research Institute.」
In the vast office, only Researcher Li Wenxin remained. The main lights were off, and the cold light from the computer screen shone, displaying a stream of data, while she held a tablet, watching V-Tuber videos.
Recently, she had taken a liking to a cat-eared V-Tuber, supposedly a high school girl from Flourishing Sakura studying in the Mysterious Country. The V-Tuber spoke with an innocence untainted by any trace of worldliness, and her enchanting voice had virally captivated countless Tengu, Li Wenxin among them.
"OW!"
The sound from the headphones was like a shot of adrenaline to Li Wenxin's heart, instantly revitalizing her after 18 continuous hours of work! It was more exhilarating than coffee!
While Li Wenxin was engrossed in the V-Tuber, her computer suddenly DINGED.
Ah, let's see what the Door of Truth has lined up this ti.
The research institute where Li Wenxin worked had been focusing all its efforts on studying the "Truth" leaked by the Door of Truth in the past few days. The thods published on the internal network were truly effective. By using mathematical tools for multiple analyses, it was indeed possible to resolve the Truth into a series of visible images.
However, aningful images were very rare. Most of the ti, they were just landscape photos or even photos of the starry sky. So were just dark space photos—if it weren't for a single pixel representing flickering starlight, one Researcher would have suspected their analysis was flawed.
As days passed and no images as significant as the "Cultivators levitating and cultivating with virtual helts" image appeared again, everyone's enthusiasm for analyzing the Truth waned considerably. They began to view it as a long-term, luck-based project.
Even when they parsed out images from the Truth, they would joke self-deprecatingly, "Co, co, let's see what boring picture the Door of Truth has arranged for us this ti."
Purely out of bad luck, Li Wenxin was on duty. Her research institute was continually parsing the Truth, which required soone to be on watch. Her colleagues all happened to be busy, so the duty roster had rotated until it landed on her.
The only pleasure of being on duty was to see what images from the Truth the supercomputer parsed.
Li Wenxin turned her head to look, and her eyes were glued to it.
This ti, the image was another one of outer space.
Normally, out of ten such images, nine showed nothing notable, and the tenth might capture another planet's rock strata.
However, this ti Li Wenxin saw familiar planets in the photo!
Jupiter!
Saturn!
Mars!
Earth!
Li Wenxin moved closer to the computer and clicked to enlarge the image.
She noticed sothing wrong with several of the planets—part of Saturn's Rings seed to be missing, Jupiter's atmosphere appeared to be burning, and Mars looked different as well…
Of course, Li Wenxin's main concern was naturally Earth!
But the image only captured the edge of Earth. Li Wenxin continued to zoom in—the Truth images were all absurdly large; otherwise, they wouldn't have needed supercomputers to parse them.
She saw it!
She saw the Moon!
The Moon looked like it had been bombed! It seed like many bombs had exploded in the Moon's craters!
No, that wasn't it.
Li Wenxin looked closer. It felt as though... many bombs had blasted craters into the Moon's surface?
Suddenly, Li Wenxin rubbed her eyes and, upon a careful look, she noticed... soone... in the sky above the center of the most densely cratered part of the Moon!
Continue to enlarge!
It was a person! A person sitting on the Ice Throne! A young man dressed in the ethereal garb of an immortal sage!
His hands were held out level in front of him, as if resisting sothing.
The flesh of his hands had been burned away, leaving only Myth-like golden hand bones.
His eyes gazed into the distant cosmos. Stars shattered before his eyes, and the Moon was bombarded behind him, yet he revealed… a smile of complete satisfaction!
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