Mini World Game Console

Ren Xingmei lay on her bed, but she simply couldn't sleep; she was holding her phone, chatting away.

The banquet hall had been a scene of thunderous conflict, but she had been busy playing a video game. If Gu Yueyan hadn't called to ask where she was, telling her about the fight unfolding there and urging her not to go, Ren Xingmei would have remained clueless about the incident.

Looking out from her balcony, Ren Xingmei could hear intermittent sounds of collision and combat coming from the top floor of the banquet hall, and her heart immediately began to race.

She had seen her brother go to the banquet with her own eyes. However, she was rational enough to know that rushing over with her limited strength would be meaningless. She didn't act impulsively; instead, she stayed active in various chat groups to monitor the situation and had also called the police.

After an agonizing wait of nearly half an hour, she finally heard the WEE-OO WEE-OO of police sirens. From the balcony, she saw a convoy of cars entering the campus, and many people in vests similar to the one Qiao Muyi wore were surrounding the dining hall.

Soon after, teachers announced in the chat groups that the assailants had been repelled. They instructed all students to remain in their dormitories, to call out loudly if they encountered any strangers, and strictly forbade leaking any footage of the evening's events. Violators faced penalties up to and including expulsion.

Knowing it was finally safe, Ren Xingmei hurried downstairs in the dormitory building to wait. After more than an hour, she finally saw her brother return. He was so exhausted that after a shower, he collapsed into bed without a word. Ren Xingmei didn't disturb him, deciding to stay and watch over him instead.

However, seeing no injuries on her brother, Ren Xingmei felt a great weight lift from her heart. She picked up her phone and replied, "My Ren Suo has returned home safely, and Teacher Dong is also unharmed. Thank you all for your concern."

In the chat group 'Salted Fish and Her Three Concubines,' responses came quickly—

'Only Envy Salted Fish, Not Immortals': "It's great that Ren Suo is okay! After such a huge incident, we definitely need to have a good meal tomorrow to calm our nerves!"

'Gu Yan': "Glad he's okay."

'Lianyi of the Rain': "Yes, yes, I heard Ren Suo worked very hard treating the injured after the battle ended. He fought hard too."

'Only Envy Salted Fish, Not Immortals': "Why don't we bring a big cake over to comfort them!"

'Gu Yan': "You obviously just want to eat it yourself. Have you finished reviewing for the advanced calculus test next week? Even if something major happens, the academic exams won't be canceled, you know."

'Only Envy Salted Fish, Not Immortals': "Class Rep, save me!"

'Little Star': "It's just that my Ren Suo hasn't said a word since he came back. He just showered and went to sleep. I even had to cover him with the blanket."

'Lianyi of the Rain': "Maybe it's because he saw too many dead bodies and injured people? I've heard that when people see human remains for the first time, they can suffer psychological distress due to empathy."

'Gu Yan': "It could also be survivor's guilt—seeing others hurt while he wasn't, making him wonder, 'Why am I the only one who's okay?'"

'Gu Yan': "Why don't we visit Teacher Dong and Ren Suo tomorrow?"

'Only Envy Salted Fish, Not Immortals': "So, we're going to eat something delicious to comfort them? I'm in!"

Ren Xingmei hesitated. I don't really have a reason to refuse, she thought, and replied, "If my Ren Suo and Teacher Dong are feeling up to it, I'll let you all know. It's very late now, so goodnight everyone."

Not checking any more messages in the chat group, Ren Xingmei put down her phone. She turned her head, brushing her slightly long hair to one side so she wouldn't lie on it, and prepared to sleep.

Her emotions this evening had been a rollercoaster: Ren Suo in danger, Ren Suo safe, Ren Suo back, Ren Suo silent... She couldn't share any of this with her parents; she knew Ren Suo definitely wouldn't want to make them worry.

Luckily, she had several friends with whom she could discuss the incident, which somewhat relieved the distress in Ren Xingmei's heart.

The chat group, 'Salted Fish and Her Three Concubines,' was created by Lin Xianyu. Its members were Ren Xingmei herself, Lin Xianyu, Gu Yueyan, and Qin Lian—four people in total.

Ever since Lin Xianyu had a falling out with her other two roommates a few days ago, she had been constantly sticking close to Ren Xingmei. Meanwhile, Ren Xingmei, following Ren Suo's advice, had befriended Qin Lian, who was a friend of Yu Kuangtu. Qin Lian turned out to be a genuinely nice girl, and they quickly became close.

Lin Xianyu and Gu Yueyan were already close, of course. Qin Lian also knew Ren Suo and Dong Chengling. Although they weren't in the same class, they were all Transcendent students and naturally had many common interests. They could share and discuss anything that happened in the group chat.

Besides them, Ren Xingmei naturally had many other friends.

But since coming to Heavenly Lotus Academy, she found that even if she shared the troubles and frustrations she encountered with her high school friends, they couldn't understand. They would only offer compliments like, "It's so great you get to go to a Cultivation school, truly great!"

Ren Xingmei had long understood that on life's journey, she would meet many people. Friends would inevitably part ways due to differing circumstances, and then, at the next station, she would meet new ones.

This wasn't heartless; it was just how life worked. People were like intersecting lines: drawing closer, crossing paths, and then separating. Only a very few could maintain a close relationship indefinitely.

Will these three new friends become long-term companions? Ren Xingmei wondered. But she didn't dwell on it much—after all, she already had someone she could be with until the end of the world.

She and he were bound by a kinship that stemmed from their very blood. Their relationship was like the double helix structure in DNA—forever intertwined, never to be parted.

And the base pairs connecting them, those were undoubtedly—money.

"I'm not going to let some bad woman take my money... It's all mine..." Ren Xingmei muttered, hugging her pillow and falling asleep.

***

Meanwhile, Gu Yueyan lay on her side in bed, looking at the chat history on her phone. The blue light from the screen flickering across her face startled Lin Xianyu, who had just returned from brushing her teeth in the restroom. "Class Rep, you look terrifying!"

"Am I?" Gu Yueyan flipped over, turning her back to her. Lin Xianyu's eyes darted about. She climbed onto Gu Yueyan's bed, grabbed her shoulder, and whispered in her ear, "Are you upset? No, that's not right. Teacher Dong and Ren Suo are both fine; you should be relieved."

"Of course, I'm relieved that Teacher Dong is fine, but what does it have to do with me whether Ren Suo is fine or not?" Gu Yueyan snorted dismissively.

Lin Xianyu, well-acquainted with the Class Rep's temperament, wisely ignored the latter half of her statement. Furrowing her brow, she mused aloud, "Then why are you unhappy? Let me think... Hmm... We were just chatting. The reason you're upset... It can't be because I want to eat cake, can it? No, impossible. Little Lian didn't say anything controversial... so it must be Little Star... Oh! Is it because she called Ren Suo 'my Ren Suo'!?"

"It's not that!" Gu Yueyan, annoyed, pushed Lin Xianyu off her bed. "I'm angry because all you ever think about is food!"

"No way, that's definitely the reason! I swear in the name of the Class Rep, there's only one truth! You can call me Detective Salted Fish!"

Lin Xianyu mimed pushing up nonexistent glasses. "How about this: I'll also start calling Ren Suo 'my Ren Suo.' That way, if you use the term too, it won't feel awkward at all..."

"Salted Fish! Don't ever ask to borrow my calculus notes again!"

Startled, Lin Xianyu leaped forward and clung to Gu Yueyan on the bed, pleading desperately, "Save me, Class Rep!"

***

At just after six in the morning, the sky was already fully bright. The sun draped the Earth in a golden bridal veil woven by the dawn—and it was the backless kind.

Ren Xingmei groaned softly. Her eyes felt a bit dazzled, as if by the sunlight streaming through the window. She turned over, facing the other way, and tried to go back to sleep.

PANT... PANT... PANT... PANT...

A slit appeared between Ren Xingmei's tightly closed eyelids, her gossamer-like lashes trembling.

PANT... PANT... PANT... PANT...

The teachers' dormitory area was very quiet. In the morning, apart from birdsong, there were no other noises—not even the sound of cars. Therefore, this rapid breathing, though faint from behind walls and a door, was still clearly audible.

Slipping out from under the covers, Ren Xingmei tiptoed out of bed, phone in hand, ready to call the police at any moment.

Ren Suo was so exhausted last night, he couldn't possibly be awake now. Even if he were, he'd just be going to the restroom and wouldn't make this kind of noise.

So the noise in the living room must be from an uninvited guest. Ren Xingmei wasn't sure if it was an intruder; perhaps a stray cat had snuck in and was causing a ruckus.

Ren Suo had once mentioned a black cat downstairs that supposedly held a grudge against him. Although Ren Xingmei suspected this was likely a delusion born from some past foolishness during his university days, now that Spiritual Energy had returned to the world, it wasn't entirely impossible for a black cat to seek revenge.

Therefore, with one hand hovering over the call button for the police, Ren Xingmei slowly opened her bedroom door to peer outside.

Once the door was open, the heavy breathing became much clearer—it was unmistakably a man's. Ren Xingmei's heart tightened. Could an injured assailant have fled here to recover?

But this breathing clearly sounded like someone exercising. An assailant broke into our apartment to exercise? Are criminals that foolish these days? Or... could it be that the assailant is doing some kind of exercise to relieve stress?

It was like that (apocryphal) famous saying by Lu Xun: upon hearing heavy breathing, one first thinks of exercise, then of a type of exercise that can relieve stress, and then that such exercise requires a partner. Ren Xingmei herself was perfectly fine, but there was still a helpless Sleeper in the apartment, vulnerable to anyone. Thus, the identity of the person the assailant had chosen as their 'partner' became chillingly clear—

Could my brother have been— A chill shot through Ren Xingmei. Forgetting all composure, she flung the door open and looked into the living room, only to see a pale, sweaty, bare torso in fervent up-and-down motion—

"...Brother."

In the living room, the one doing push-ups shirtless was none other than Ren Suo.

Ren Xingmei called out to him, but Ren Suo didn't respond. So she walked over and squatted in front of him, annoyed. "Why are you doing push-ups so early in the morning?"

He had slept so soundly last night, yet here he was, up at the crack of dawn doing push-ups. Ren Xingmei felt as if all her worries from the previous night had been a complete waste. And since Ren Suo hadn't said a single word to her when he returned, she naturally felt a mix of anger and grievance.

However, when she saw Ren Suo's face as he glanced up, all her grievances vanished as if swept away by a typhoon. Her annoyance evaporated, replaced by an overwhelming wave of maternal pity.

Deep, dark circles were etched under Ren Suo's eyes, and he looked utterly exhausted. Yet, his eyes were brimming with tears that carved glistening tracks down his face, making him appear incredibly sad and helpless.

Despite this, he continued to perform push-ups with grim determination and perfect form. He even deliberately maintained an unusual breathing rhythm, clearly not forgetting his Cultivation even while exercising!

He even mixed it up, doing narrow-grip and then wide-grip push-ups!

At that moment, Ren Xingmei recalled the messages from their group chat the day before.

—The psychological distress caused by empathy when seeing a corpse.

—The survivor's guilt of thinking, 'Why am I the only one unscathed?'

Ren Suo, suddenly exercising so early, his face etched with such sorrow, unable to hold back tears, yet still persisting with his workout... It's so out of character, yet it makes perfect sense.

With her sharp mind, Ren Xingmei quickly pieced together what she believed was the true reason:

It must be because he couldn't participate in the frontline combat yesterday. He could only act as a medic, forced to watch his friends get injured and fight while he felt powerless. That must be why he feels such profound guilt! After sleeping on it, he probably couldn't bear the weight of that guilt any longer. So, he resolved to become stronger, starting with this early morning exercise! And yet, the more he exercises, the more he must be recalling last night's terrible events and his own helplessness. That's why he looks so sad, even as his body faithfully continues the workout!

Seeing her brother like this, Ren Xingmei's heart melted like ice cream.

Yes, this is it! This is when his understanding little sister, Xie Yuhua, needs to step up! Time to show off my sisterly tenderness!

"Brother," Ren Xingmei said, gently touching Ren Suo's head. "I'm here with you. I'll stay by your side."

"It's not your fault. You already did so well."

Ren Suo looked at her, somewhat Bewildered, a faint light seeming to flicker in his pupils. "Not... my fault..."

"That's right," Ren Xingmei said, bringing a towel to gently wipe his tears. "Stop for now, okay? We have plenty of time in the future. There's no need to rush your training."

"Plenty of time in the future..." Ren Suo's eyes grew brighter, but his body kept moving—this time, he switched to a plank.

"Brother, you..." Ren Xingmei's voice grew even softer. "I know you hate how powerless you were last night, which is why you started exercising so early in the morning, right?"

Ren Suo opened his mouth and finally nodded, tears in his eyes. "Yes!"

"You already look so tired. Won't you stop?" Ren Xingmei asked softly.

Ren Suo shook his head, his teeth clenched as he said, "According to the plan... I can't stop yet."

"A plan?" Ren Xingmei was slightly taken aback. "Does it not even include any rest time?"

With a sad look on his face, Ren Suo said in a trembling voice, "Without accumulating small steps, one cannot travel a thousand miles; without accumulating small streams, one cannot form seas and oceans..."

Unexpectedly, Ren Suo possessed such resolve. Ren Xingmei gently stroked his head again. "Brother, since you have a plan, I won't try to stop you. But I'll always be here for you. If anything is bothering you, please don't keep it bottled up. You have to tell me, okay?"

"I believe you'll always make the right decision, Brother."

Ren Suo looked at Ren Xingmei, fresh tears welling up and spilling over. "Yes!"

Seeing Ren Suo moved to tears again by her words, Ren Xingmei quickly wiped them away. "Alright, I'll go wash up first. We can have breakfast together later. No more crying, okay?"

After Ren Xingmei left, Ren Suo stood up—this time he switched to doing star jumps, a very tiring exercise with a wide range of movement.

That damned Mini-World Game Console had even compiled a set of physical exercises for him. Combined with the breathing techniques from the "Mysterious Sovereign's Secret Records," these exercises could effectively enhance muscle strength.

Of course, that also meant Ren Suo would feel even more tired.

Feeling successive waves of Exhaustion, soreness, and pain wash over his body, Ren Suo could only repeat his internal mantra—

I haven't done anything wrong! There's plenty of time in the future; I just need to get through these next few days! I always make the right decisions. These few days are just special training! The tears I'm crying now are just from the 'water that got into my head' before. So, I mustn't cry. My head isn't waterlogged! Exercising is right, studying is right, and Cultivation is right!

[Physical Training: Completed.]

Noticing the information suddenly appearing in his mind, before Ren Suo could feel happy about it, he received the next piece of information:

[Study: Commencing. Duration: 60 minutes.

Note: Once study begins, the game character will automatically block all unrelated external signals, as if placed in a little black room.

Requirement: Total effective study time must be 60 minutes. A check will occur every minute. If a minute passes without being judged as 'effective study,' 1 Merit Point will be automatically consumed in the subsequent minute for cognitive acceleration. This process will continue until the total study time reaches 60 minutes or all Merit Points are exhausted.]

Soon, as if in the blink of an eye, Ren Suo found himself sitting at a desk. He was surrounded by darkness, with only a desk lamp illuminating an Oxford dictionary and English textbooks before him.

If I don't study, I'll lose all my Merit Points, and I'll be stuck in this dark room until they're gone.

The Human World isn't worth it.

— Ren Suo.