Mini World Game Console

"...Salted Fish, who are these girls?"

While healing Lin Xianyu's arm, Ren Suo glanced sideways at the three high school girls in casual clothes staring at him.

"It's all your fault for calling me Salted Fish all the time. Now even this man knows the nickname." Lin Xianyu glared at her friends. "They're my classmates. We planned to go mountain climbing today, so they came along to the school clinic."

"Mountain climbing?" Ren Suo asked. "Aren't you barred from leaving the school except on special holidays?"

"There's a mountain inside the academy," a girl with short hair said. "It's right behind the athletics field and also within the school grounds."

Ren Suo blinked slightly. "I remember that mountain being quite large…"

"Yes, so apart from mountain climbing, the academy has also built a fishing area, an amusement park, hot springs, a swimming pool…"

Lin Xianyu shrugged, the pain from her still-unhealed wound causing her to grimace. "I don't even know if it will be finished before we graduate. Sigh, I always feel like I carry some kind of magical blessing; every time I graduate, the school undergoes renovations, and a lot of new equipment appears…"

The other three girls nodded vigorously in agreement.

While they chatted, Ren Suo finished healing both of Lin Xianyu's hands. "All done."

"Wow!" The girls grabbed Lin Xianyu's hands and felt them. "There really aren't any wounds left!"

"Just ten minutes ago, they looked like they'd been chopped up like a salted fish."

"The salted fish has made a comeback!"

Lin Xianyu retorted with a fierce Dragon Claw Hand. "Keep calling me Salted Fish, and you'll see."

"Ah, you naughty Salted Fish!"

"Ah! Salted Fish, you flat-chested girl!"

It seems there's no hope of persuading them to go to sleep today... Ren Suo stood up and shook his head. "If there's nothing else, you should leave. Making such a ruckus in the treatment room will get you caught by the nurse and given an enema."

"…Your warning might only scare kids who aren't afraid of injections," said a quiet girl standing aside, covering her mouth with a laugh. Then she curiously asked, "Can we learn Healing Spells like the one you just used in the future?"

"Of course you can. In the future, even if you're not a doctor, you'll be able to use Healing Spells on yourselves," Ren Suo said casually. "Although current Healing Techniques seem to only work on external injuries and might not be effective for things like the common cold, as technology progresses, they definitely will improve."

"That's great! We'll be able to eat all the spicy food we want without worrying about acne!"

"And stay up late without fearing dark circles!"

The girls discussed their bright future as they laughed and left the school clinic. Ren Suo watched them go before taking off his hat to fan himself.

Though Ren Suo himself didn't mind much, being constantly touched on the head might lead others to suspect he was using some sort of 'Lock' cheat—or worse, that his head was the kind that *got* locked onto by others. So, he started wearing a hat when he went out, and sure enough, no one tried to touch his hair randomly anymore.

Of course, there was another method that could completely solve Ren Suo's issue—however, as a law-abiding, tax-paying modern youth, he couldn't bear, for his own selfish reasons, to cause the shampoo industry to lose him, a customer who could still contribute for another 70 years. Thus, the 'Baldy' option had never crossed his mind.

Moreover, now that it was summer, the sun was fiercely hot; wearing a hat outside was just right to block the sun.

Suddenly, his phone rang. As soon as Ren Suo answered, he had a premonition that it was work-related.

"I didn't see this coming. You and Li Dan seem to get along quite well."

Yu Kuangtu's statement confused Ren Suo. "What happened?"

"If you log into the Law Net Instrument now, you'll find an additional Wisdom Star that you can ignite," Yu Kuangtu said. "It's a genuine Cultivation Technique developed by the state: the 'Mysterious Sovereign's Secret Records.' It must be transmitted through the Law Net Instrument."

"Mysterious Sovereign's Secret Records?" Ren Suo found a tree to shade himself from the sun. "That name doesn't sound like something researched; it sounds more like an ancient book."

"You're half right. In fact, the simplified version of the Mysterious Sovereign's Secret Records is the Cultivation Technique the Practitioners' Academy plans to teach students. This serves as their foundation to study the full Mysterious Sovereign's Secret Records and is known as the First Level Cultivation Method, Second Level Cultivation Method, and Third Level Cultivation Method. There might even be version numbers later, or it could be renamed to something like 'Dancing Youth.'"

Yu Kuangtu continued, "The real Mysterious Sovereign's Secret Records indeed originated from ancient books. It compiles all usable parts of ancient esoteric studies into a 'Secret Archive,' essentially forming a comprehensive encyclopedia of the Mysterious Country's occult knowledge."

"It's called 'Mysterious Sovereign' because 'Mysterious' is the name of the country and 'Sovereign' is a title of respect. As for 'Secret Records,' it implies that it cannot be easily taught. Even students can only learn the superficial aspects of the Mysterious Sovereign's Secret Records."

"This is a trump card the nation uses to attract Cultivators," Yu Kuangtu said with a smile. "And now, you're qualified to exchange for the first chapter of the Mysterious Sovereign's Secret Records from the Law Net, even though you certainly don't have enough Spirit Stones to purchase it yet."

"Although it's just one chapter, even I am still cultivating it. Compared to the Breathing Technique, the Mysterious Sovereign's Secret Records allows you to use Spiritual Energy during Cultivation to enhance your Physical Condition and even purify your soul; its effects are several times that of the Breathing Technique. As long as you can complete the first chapter, you'll at least become a minor Superman."

Ren Suo asked with a laugh, "Such a good opportunity! How did it suddenly fall into my lap?"

Yu Kuangtu said, "Currently, there are two strict conditions for accessing the Mysterious Sovereign's Secret Records. First, you must serve the nation. Second, you must be a Cultivator. Generally, only those with a certain level of Talent gain the qualification to exchange. However, there are many exceptional cases."

"For example, if a Cultivator who has previously made significant achievements is willing to use those merits and their own reputation to vouch for another eligible Cultivator…"

Ren Suo remembered the taciturn man with dark circles under his eyes and asked, "What has Li Dan been up to recently?"

"Him? He was seconded by the Sky Capital authorities and has been running around all over the place. As for what happened, I don't know, and even if I did, I couldn't possibly tell you," Yu Kuangtu said. "But it most likely involves some strange occurrences."

Strange…

"Thank you for specifically notifying me. If there's nothing else, I was about to hang up—"

"Don't rush, there's work to be done."

Just as I thought.

Yu Kuangtu said, "It's been ten days since 'Over My Dead Body' concluded, and there are no signs of a second season. It's time to write a summary. You just have to casually write a few tens of thousands of words on the Magic System, combat methods, and patterns of the monsters."

Damn it! Ren Suo thought. But he readily agreed verbally and quickly hung up the call.

Returning to the dormitory building, Black Bell was cooling off in the shade. Ren Suo squatted down to stroke its head, then touched his own. His own head felt better for petting.

Black Bell meowed softly, looking at Ren Suo's foolish actions, too lazy to even move.

Ren Suo got home and pulled the curtains shut. He turned on the Law Net Instrument, but it wasn't the time for exchanges yet; the Magical Starry Sky was pitch black, so he had no choice but to give up for now.

As Yu Kuangtu had said, he didn't have enough Spirit Stones now anyway. He'd just wait until next month's paycheck.

Opening his Mini-World Game Console, Ren Suo, who had already made up his mind last night while sleeping, went straight to the World Store for the "Grain Full Promotion."

Grain Full, among the twenty-four solar terms, represents that summer crops are not yet fully mature—only partially full, not completely full.

And this promotion was also connected with this 'partially full' state.

The games on promotion were all early access—games not yet 'matured.'

"Early Access Games: No Merit Points rewards after completion, no Treasure Boxes, no in-app purchases, no task evaluations. Exclusive rewards are in an unknown Status (related to how the game is completed)."

Most importantly, these games… had no heroes!

***

When Li Dan arrived at the Sky Capital Research Institute and was led by the Researchers to the third basement level, he saw only six teammates.

"Cheng Xiao fell into a deep sleep three days ago while visiting his parents," one teammate volunteered. "Dog Egg fell asleep on a bus two days ago, and Li Ming fell asleep on an airplane yesterday."

"So, from the original twenty of us, only seven remain now…" Li Dan looked at them, "Have you all finished your affairs?"

The teammates nodded one after another. "All done. Catching two flights in one day nearly killed me. What about you?"

Li Dan said, "I have no family. I just went home for a sleep, got my compensation, and came here."

Li Dan rubbed his dark circles and glanced at the ultramodern, giant automatic door of the third basement. He said in a low voice, "I hope our lives, about to be extinguished by this defilement, can spark one final flare before we enter eternal sleep…"

"If, when we were searching for the Earth Spirit, we hadn't entered that room, hadn't touched…" a burly man choked up.

"There are no 'ifs' anymore."

The automatic door quietly opened. Li Dan looked towards the man sitting on the steel Throne inside and shook his head slightly. "Everything is… fate."