Mini World Game Console

"Do we need to keep observing?"

After two days of examinations, the twenty Cultivator team members were confirmed to have fully recovered. They were assembled, thinking they were going to undergo further examinations or be sent back to their original units. However, the order they received was to temporarily stand by.

Team leader Gu Yuexuan sat on a sofa in the lounge, twisting his still not fully recovered neck. "That's right. We are temporarily assigned to Sky Capital's Seventh Restricted Zone, directly under the Capital Spiritual Energy Research Institute. But we don't have any tasks for now, so... consider it a vacation here. Although the internet is down, we still have access to past audio and visual entertainment products."

Cheng Xiao scratched his buzzcut. "Why? Don't they trust us yet?"

"It's not that they don't trust us," Gu Yuexuan said. "Even Ren Zuo himself said we're fine now, so we most likely are. It's just..."

"Ren Zuo?" Li Dan blinked in surprise.

"The Ren sitting on the throne—isn't it a fitting image?" Gu Yuexuan said. "By the way, regarding 'Ren,' this is top-secret. You know to take it to your graves."

"It seems Ren Zuo directly ordered for a team proficient in search abilities to be stationed near Sky Capital. Since we all happened to be here, headquarters directly decided to keep us."

Li Xuefu, holding an unlit cigarette, asked, "Do they need us to find something? As long as it's not searching for Earth Spirits, I'm game for anything, be it climbing mountains or braving the seas."

"Not exactly," Gu Yuexuan said, his hands in his pockets. "No reason was given, nor were any tasks assigned. It seems like... a whim? Anyway, during this standby period, just ensure you can gather here within a minute. The rest of the time is yours."

Li Dan, who had been silent and had dark circles under his eyes, suddenly lifted his head to look at the ceiling.

Here it comes again, that strange flow of Spiritual Energy...

——————

"I'll let you have this chance for dinner, Classmate Gu Yueyan," Ren Suo said, clearing his dinner plate and standing up. "As a trade-off, shouldn't you treat me to a midnight snack?"

"Oh? That's not impossible... Wait a second, you're a faculty member. Why should a student treat you?" Gu Yueyan squinted at Ren Suo. "Haha, finally broke, huh? In that case, treating you to one meal is doable."

Gu Yueyan launched a taunting Attack.

"Thanks, then. I'll skip dinner and look forward to your midnight snack of crayfish, stir-fried river snails, stir-fried clams, and skewers."

Ren Suo, employing 'Ultra Thick Skin,' became immune to the taunting Attack, even causing some rebound damage.

Gu Yueyan: Ren Suo, 1:2.

Gu Yueyan glanced at the once genteel disgrace. As Ren Suo left, he looked at Dong Chengling and, passing Gu Yueyan, whispered, "Cherish these last moments."

Huh?

Gu Yueyan watched Ren Suo's retreating figure. What did that guy mean by his last words?

The last moments... Whose last moments? Mine and Teacher Dong's?

He's planning to kill me! Gu Yueyan's eyes turned cold.

No, no... although he doesn't seem like a good person, he and I don't have that kind of mortal feud...

He's planning to kill Teacher Dong! Gu Yueyan's eyes turned cold.

No, no, how could he possibly defeat Teacher Dong...

He's planning to confess to Teacher Dong, create a world for just the two of them, and completely banish me! Gu Yueyan's eyes turned cold.

Dong Chengling finished her meal and was cleaning the plates when she saw Gu Yueyan standing dazed to the side. She said, "Finished eating? Time to go back for an afternoon nap."

Gu Yueyan looked at Dong Chengling seriously. "Teacher Dong, no matter how that Ren fellow acts—whether he's kowtowing or playing the sympathy card—you must adhere to your principles, move toward your ideals, and not be bewildered by fleeting hormones!"

Dong Chengling laughed. "You two really have a good relationship."

Then she sighed. "I've been troubling you these past few days. I'll remember your kindness."

Gu Yueyan quickly said, "Teacher Dong, it was nothing..."

"It might be a trivial matter for you, but for me, it's like receiving charcoal in a snowstorm," Dong Chengling said earnestly. "Although I was prepared to rely on the free canteen for basic sustenance, delicious food genuinely boosts my contentment and focus. This, in turn, helps me engage better in my Cultivation."

"That's also why I didn't refuse. As long as the help smooths my path of Cultivation and comes from a proper source, I won't stubbornly resist. Instead, I'll choose to repay your kindness in the future. However, Gu Yueyan, if there's anything I can help with, feel free to ask."

Dong Chengling blinked and patted Gu Yueyan's head. "Also, with you being this close to me, it feels like I've gained a little sister... If you encounter difficulties in your Cultivation in the future, feel free to come to me. Although my current cultivation realm isn't high, and I'm not very good with words, discussing things with someone can still yield some insights."

As Dong Chengling patted her head, Gu Yueyan blushed and said, "If... if only I had an older sister like you, Teacher. Can I call you 'sister' in private?"

"Then I'll call you Xiao Yan? Xiao Yan."

"Yes! Sister Ling!"

——————

In a few days, the Spirit Treasury of the Mysterious Country will open. I need to resolve this matter quickly...

As soon as Ren Suo returned home, he turned on his video game console and directly entered the 'Gifting Hope' minigame in "Jedi Priest," filtering out an appropriate candidate from a long list of names.

This was a minigame that awarded no Merit Points, with only one goal—to gain followers for the Lord of Billion Brilliance, the Eternal Burning Heart, and the Monarch of Wind, Rain, and Snow!

'Gifting Hope: When the Strongest Priest in the Divine Kingdom achieves the "Heart of Light," "Will of Fire," "Protection of Wind and Snow," and "Divine Grace," they are permitted to descend to The Mortal Realm to spread divine blessings and propagate faith.'

'Mission Brief: The Three Gods send forth Priest Zhao Zili to The Mortal Realm. He must secure at least one True Believer and 1,000 units of Micro-belief for the Three Gods.'

'Mission Requirements: Zhao Zili's stay in The Mortal Realm must not exceed 30 minutes, or unpredictable consequences will occur.'

'Mission Reward: Increases in Priest Points and Priest Level, further unlocking Zhao Zili's Endless Radiance Treasury.'

'Note: The only permissible means is Healing; the minigame cannot be uploaded or rated; game time runs concurrent with real time.'

The game was quite simple—Ren Suo controlled Zhao Zili to heal ordinary people in the name of the Three Gods, aiming to secure at least one True Believer willing to continuously provide faith to the Three Gods, along with 1,000 instances of temporary Micro-belief.

Micro-belief was one thing. Ren Suo felt it was akin to the saying, 'if you have money, show your support; if not, a round of applause will do.' Anyone desiring the 'Miracle' of Zhao Zili, who could cure anything from obesity to cancer, would probably generate some faith.

However, finding a True Believer was tricky; Ren Suo had no idea who would become so utterly grateful for Zhao Zili's help that they would start worshipping the Three Gods.

Still, Ren Suo didn't mind this mission.

Only then did he realize why 'Ren Naiser' had added a special activity when uploading the "Jedi Priest" video—

'Please leave the number of the Trial Participant you think can pass the third level in the comment section (the number is in the top right of each clip). Those who choose correctly will enter a drawing where 'Ren Naiser' will select one lucky winner who might receive a Healing package (contents and timing unspecified). Voting is limited to one entry per person and must be done within 24 hours of this video's release.'

Now, a list of names lay before Ren Suo. They were all lucky participants who had chosen 'Zhao Zili' as the one to pass the trials in "Jedi Priest."

Ren Suo suspected these people were somehow connected to the Trial Participants Zhao Zili had eliminated in the previous rounds—only such individuals would have so much faith in him.

"But no matter, there's only one lucky winner... and I'm not planning to heal just one person."