Mini World Game Console

It seemed that because of Ren Suo's performance in the Nine-Tailed Fox incident, he was permitted to use a tablet with network connectivity—though no internet access. It had mini-games, one GB of various educational materials, as well as all sorts of novels and comics, which indeed satisfied Ren Suo's minimal entertainment needs.

Besides, there was also an app called "Mystic Monarch News."

This app appeared to be for internal use, updating daily with various news about cultivators.

It was only after browsing through it that Ren Suo learned the British Spirit Treasury had already opened while he was cultivating the "Mysterious Sovereign's Secret Records." In fact, he had anticipated this when he saw the Nine-Tailed Fox—the fox's stop before arriving in Flourishing Sakura was London.

It was also because of the opening of the British Spirit Treasury that the Pangolin, who was housed who-knows-how-many rooms away from Ren Suo, would represent the Fairy Palace and establish a connection with the Mysterious Country.

Yes, Ren Suo finally remembered that although the room layout was slightly different, the material of the walls and the spatial structure indicated that this was the location where the Pangolin was placed by the Endangered Spirits Protection Division.

Such rooms were likely numerous, not only for housing patients but also possibly for other researchers and cultivators living within the facility; after all, there was no need to install a Spiritual Energy Aggregation Device in a mere sickroom.

From this little tablet, Ren Suo watched helplessly as the Flourishing Sakura Spirit Treasury opened, followed by the South America Spirit Treasury, and then the Australia Spirit Treasury...

The news directly described these events as "Spirit Vein Openings." After the Nine-Tailed Fox's appearance, the idea that "Spirit Veins could be opened" became universally known. All factions knew that the Mysterious Country had connected with the Fairy Palace and had become the negotiator between the Fairy Palace and Earth's forces, having already opened Spirit Veins for three different countries.

Although the matter of the Spirit Veins was still not publicly disclosed, this was the internet era, and the resulting phenomena from the opening of Spirit Veins were too astonishing. Many people could testify that they awakened on the very day the Spirit Vein opened in their own country, so most people guessed at the idea of "Spirit Veins opening, and the world leveling up."

With the emergence of Supernatural Abilities, most ordinary people's ability to adapt their worldview grew rapidly, and they easily accepted this setup.

Abroad, there were already public demonstrations, with citizens hoping their governments would cooperate with the Mysterious Country and develop their own Spirit Veins as soon as possible...

More than ten days went by in a flash, and Ren Suo had gone out twice to cast spells in coordination with Dong Chengling. However, Ren Suo had no opportunities to communicate with her; after casting spells, Dong Chengling would look at him apologetically and then hurriedly leave to discuss improvements to the casting process with other scholars.

Of course, Ren Suo also had some benefits—at least these days were all considered workdays, and his salary was paid as usual.

Furthermore, the efficiency of the Spiritual Energy Aggregation Device in his room was further enhanced, able to reach four times the performance of a normal device. Coupled with the rise in Spiritual Energy due to the opening of the Mysterious Country Spirit Treasury, even Ren Suo, a cultivator of slightly below-average talent, could cultivate like a rapidly absorbing rainbow, and his Qi Cyclone rapidly condensed and strengthened.

In fact, this was a minor matter. What Ren Suo was most concerned about was something else.

Grain in Ear has passed... tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival...

Ren Suo looked at the Lunar Calendar on the tablet with a wistful gaze. Time hurried by, and one important holiday had callously left him behind. Tomorrow would be another important festival.

Two important holidays meant two promotional events. Although the Naiser official reminders advised Ren Suo to avoid spending his Merit Points, the promotional games were usually very affordable with excellent value for money—buying them was practically a profit, as even completing them with the lowest score could yield significant returns.

In four days, it would be Summer Solstice. If he missed that as well, Ren Suo could only hope that the free games would still be available—though that wasn't guaranteed either, particularly if this month's free game included "Assassin" Chapter Two, as there would likely be a time limit.

But for now, Ren Suo had no say in the matter and could only obediently enjoy the Cultivation environment provided by the facility.

His daily routine these past days had been quite regular—wake up in the morning, eat breakfast, cultivate, eat lunch, sleep, cultivate in the afternoon, have dinner, scroll through "Mystic Monarch News" at night, get tired, go to sleep. It was very fulfilling.

If he didn't activate Unlimited Energy while practicing the "Mysterious Sovereign's Secret Records," Ren Suo would feel exhausted by evening and want to sleep, which is why these days had passed so quickly—he didn't have time to think about anything else.

However, tonight was different, as it wasn't a facility staff member who delivered his dinner, but Qiao Muyi.

"Why are the lights still off?" Qiao Muyi asked as she opened the door and saw the room pitch black.

"I switched to motion sensor mode. When I'm cultivating or asleep and don't move at all, it will automatically turn off," responded Ren Suo, who was in the midst of Cultivation.

"It can't even sense the door opening?"

"I set the sensitivity range quite broad—if it's too sensitive, any little movement while I sleep might turn it on. But once it's on, it stays on for at least an hour, so it's quite practical."

"Why would you set it up like that..."

"This way, I don't have to get up to turn off the lights."

"Do you always live so meticulously?" Qiao Muyi shook her head, put down the food tray, and leaning against the wall, said, "You can take the plane back tomorrow at noon. Dong Chengling has reshaped her Meridians; she can cast spells independently now."

"Of course, if you plan to stay a few days in Sky Capital for sightseeing, that's fine too."

After Qiao Muyi finished speaking, she waited for a moment but didn't hear a response. When she turned her head, she saw Ren Suo staring blankly at her. She looked down at her clothing, touched her face and said, "Haven't you seen a universally shining, invincible beauty before?"

Ren Suo snapped out of his reverie, barely shifting his gaze away before asking, "You... have you become stronger?"

"Hmm? You actually noticed... Oh, is it because of Qi Cyclone Sensing?"

Qiao Muyi nodded. "Four days ago, I made a breakthrough to the second turn while cultivating here, by a stroke of luck. Of course, the most significant reason is definitely the powerful Spiritual Energy Aggregation in this facility, and because the Spirit Veins in the Mysterious Country opened, there's been a significant rise in Spiritual Energy, so my Cultivation efficiency has greatly improved."

Ren Suo thought about it and it made sense; he himself had gained such great benefits from the opening of the Spirit Treasury, so it was not impossible for Qiao Muyi, who had far superior talent and was also blessed with special awakened spells, to advance to the second turn.

"Not eating?" Qiao Muyi said, "I have something to tell you, so I brought your food over... You don't think I would spit in your food, do you?"

Ren Suo tugged at the corner of his mouth, walked over from the cushion to the table, and bowed his head and started eating. "So, what is it that you have to say?"

"Actually, I should have returned already; the other teams went back more than ten days ago," Qiao Muyi continued, "The reason I'm still here is that Deputy Director Yu left me with a mission... Are you listening?"

Ren Suo mumbled affirmatively with his mouth full of food.

"As a Cultivator who awakened Space Spells, Dong Chengling will inevitably become a pillar of strength for the Mysterious Country. On that basis, her decision to stay or leave will be respected," Qiao Muyi continued. "She is not a conventional combat power, and after leaving sufficient casting information with the Spiritual Energy Research Institute for simulating spells, unless there is a special situation, the country wouldn't conscript her—relying on non-conventional forces leads to administrative laziness."

"Dong Chengling is also not headed towards research, but instead, wants to become a Combat Cultivator. Therefore, any Countermeasure Department in any region that manages to recruit her would be like... Ah, Dong Chengling, when did you get here?"

Ren Suo looked towards the door in surprise—the door was properly closed.

However, Qiao Muyi squatted down, bringing her gaze level with his sitting position. "You've been distracted, what are you thinking about? At close range, the Suppression of the Qi Cyclone is quite effective, but it shouldn't scare you to this extent, right?"

"It's nothing." Ren Suo hurriedly turned away.

"Oh my, are you shy?" Qiao Muyi found it interesting and laughed. "You didn't have this reaction the last few times we met, so why today... perhaps, the idea of a man and a woman sharing a room makes you think of something not suitable for children?"

"It's nothing." Ren Suo spoke to the wall.

"I suddenly remember," Qiao Muyi sat on the table, said nostalgically, "on the last night at the training base, you made a special effort to ask me out."

"I thought at that time that you liked me... but later I figured you're not that kind of person, probably had something else to discuss with me that night, right?"

Ren Suo was somewhat surprised and nodded, "That's right."

"Exactly! Someone as cautious as you, how could you risk rejection by confessing?" Qiao Muyi asked. "After that, we didn't interact much, and it's not likely you suddenly changed your mind... Are you embarrassed to look at me because you have something embarrassing to tell me?"

Ren Suo was silent for a moment, then said, "You could say that."

"If you have any requests, feel free to ask." Qiao Muyi also became slightly serious. "That time, encountering the factory ghost curse, if it wasn't for you getting me help in time, it's hard to say what my condition would be now... Although I treated you to a meal, compared to my life, that was far too little."

Ren Suo finally turned his head, as if using a wrench to twist himself stiffly, and looked at Qiao Muyi, and said in a trembling voice, "If possible, could you please sleep here for a while?"

"Huh?"

Qiao Muyi blinked, "What do you mean?"

"I absolutely have no other, improper intentions, the kind someone older than ten might harbor." Ren Suo raised both hands and said, "I just need you to sleep here for a bit, about 10 minutes or more. Your strength is far above mine, so even if I use any spell, it can be forcefully reversed by your 'Clothing', and you should have also cultivated the "Mysterious Sovereign's Secret Records," right? If there's any disturbance, you can wake up in an instant..."

"No problem."

Qiao Muyi lay down on Ren Suo's bed unabashedly, rolled a few times, covered her mouth, and yawned. "I just had a full meal and I feel a bit sleepy. Although they say that sleeping soon after eating will make you fat, Cultivators shouldn't have this problem, right...?"

Ren Suo watched her in surprise, "You agree?"

"I trust you," Qiao Muyi took off her boots, hugged a pillow, curled up, and smiled. "You were willing to save me at that time and were also willing to risk your life to save Dong Chengling... Even though the environment here is extremely good, it's actually a restriction on personal Freedom, but you have no complaints against Dong Chengling."

—After all, it was Ren Suo who had actively approached Dong Chengling to observe this 'game live broadcast', and ended up in this situation. If Ren Suo were to blame anyone, it would be himself.

"Do you know, Li Dan was also in this facility a few days ago," Qiao Muyi suddenly said. "When I talked to him about you and Dong Chengling, he suddenly thanked you for the 'Sleep' you gave him... It was only then that I realized you had, in fact, helped Li Dan sleep twice."

"Now, you want me to sleep in front of you..."

In an instant, Ren Suo felt like falling into an ice cave—Had she guessed it?!

"... It must be a special requirement of your Awakening Technique, right?"

"Hm?" Ren Suo blinked.

"Some awakened spells require more than just Spiritual Energy," Qiao Muyi's voice gradually became softer. "They might need the Awakener to perform other actions to successfully cast the awakening spell... I understand."

"Because it's the same for me," Qiao Muyi winked at Ren Suo. "This is our secret."

"So I won't ask too much. Li Dan hasn't discovered losing anything because of it, and I have decided to trust you as well."

Qiao Muyi seemed to recall something and laughed, "Some requirements for awakened spells might be quite strange; your luck isn't that great."

What could Ren Suo say? He could only nod repeatedly.

Moreover, if the Mini-World Game Console were considered an Awakening Technique, then the process of obtaining the Key was indeed similar to what Qiao Muyi had described—such a strange method of obtaining it, Ren Suo's luck really wasn't that great.

"It's not just about me sleeping, right? You have to touch me at the very least, right?"

Qiao Muyi turned on her side and patted the bed beside her, "Come here."

Ren Suo took a deep breath, suppressing the impulse caused by the Key Search System, and lay down in front of Qiao Muyi, facing her eye to eye.

"I might sleep for a long time, you'll have to wake me up," Qiao Muyi took the initiative to hold his hand and said. "I have to return to Lotus River tomorrow, are you going back as well?"

"Of course I'm going back."

"That's good. Don't get any weird ideas; I've said it before that our genders aren't suitable... You've slept with Li Dan twice, are you a bi-directional plug?... Also, I've helped you this time, you have to help me complete my mission later..."

Qiao Muyi chattered on for a while, and even Ren Suo started feeling sleepy—he had been cultivating all day, and had just finished a meal; the drowsiness from the meal surged up, making him groggy.

He lay flat, waiting for the new Key produced by Qiao Muyi to fall into his pocket.

Unfortunately, Ren Suo's backup slot didn't contain the 'Good Dream Technique'; otherwise, he wouldn't have needed Qiao Muyi to fall asleep naturally...

"Key detected."

"The Key is in Sleep status, beginning retrieval."

"A fully-formed Key has been detected..."

The message of the Key's retrieval didn't wake the exhausted Ren Suo. When the room lights turned off, both people on the bed had already closed their eyes, falling into a deep sleep due to the news of their imminent return and the fatigue of their bodies.

The next day at seven o'clock, the Wristband dutifully 'pricked' Ren Suo awake.

Indeed, Ren Suo always wore the Wristband from Heavenly Lotus Academy. After all, this small device displayed the time, could connect to the internet if there was a network connection, and served excellently as an alarm. It directly stimulated the wrist with a sensation akin to a needle prick, which was more effective than sound or vibration, healthy, harmless, painless, and able to completely drive away all drowsiness.

In another half hour, there would be breakfast, and during his days in the medical facility, Ren Suo would always wake at this time, wash his face, brush his teeth, and casually read comics on his tablet—a rare leisure time for him.

Even Ren Suo, in such an advantageous Cultivation environment, would still conscientiously cultivate diligently—after all, there was no internet connection.

He opened his eyes to darkness. The motion-sensitive light would only come on with a carp flip from him.

Time to get up... Hm?

Ren Suo felt his right hand holding another person's left hand, which was smaller than his own and seemed quite smooth to the touch.

Oh, that's right, last night I discovered a new Key on Qiao Muyi and asked her to sleep here so I could retrieve it.

Unexpectedly, Qiao Muyi had been so understanding, even finding enough excuses for my perverted behavior, laying down with me holding hands, waiting for the Key retrieval.

Yes, today I have to catch the noon flight back to Lotus River; it's time to get up... Hm?

With a slight movement, Ren Suo felt as though his left hand was also... holding another right hand.

And from that hand, came a familiar sensation.

It wasn't exactly very familiar as he had only experienced it less than five times—a spatial sense of order spread from the other person into his body, connecting him to the person on the left through Spiritual Meridians that he couldn't find within his own body.

... Hm?

In an instant, a premonition of 'endless fun' surged into Ren Suo's mind.