On the night of September 30th, Ren Suo was washing dishes in Dong Chengling's kitchen.

"Suo."

"Hmm? I'll be done soon."

Ren Suo turned his head and saw Dong Chengling approaching, so he quickened his dishwashing pace.

It wasn't that Dong Chengling would criticize him for being slow, but rather that she would want to wash them together.

That alone would have been fine, but Dong Chengling also liked to practice the "Spirit Shock Technique" while washing dishes—using Spiritual Energy to vastly increase the destructive power of her hands, making her palms as sharp as scalpels.

She didn't use steel wool, a towel, or even dish soap when she washed dishes, relying solely on the "Spirit Shock Technique" to remove stains from the bowls and plates.

After several sets of her family's dishes had been broken, Ren Suo no longer dared to let her wash them.

Dong Chengling nodded, came over, and whispered, "If Little Jiu asks you for money, don't give her any."

Ren Suo looked at her quizzically. Dong Chengling explained, "Little Jiu seems to have picked up some bad habits from her classmates recently. She's addicted to games and might ask you for money, but don't give it to her."

Noticing Ren Suo seemed hesitant, Dong Chengling added, "I've already given her a thousand."

"Oh, I see... Understood."

Ren Suo immediately agreed. As a Player himself, he was quite happy to find Little Jiu also addicted to games like he was. If Little Jiu had quietly asked him for money, he probably would have given it to her.

But it was different since Dong Chengling had already given her a thousand.

A thousand, even now, was enough for him to buy seven or eight games and enjoy them for an entire year!

"Speaking of which," Ren Suo suddenly remembered something, "why are you calling me just 'Suo' again?"

"Hmm?"

Dong Chengling paused for a moment, then said, "Do you remember Miss Euphy and Little Karen?"

"I remember."

"They call you 'Suo'. For convenience, I started calling you that too. Do you mind?"

"Er... whatever."

Just then, Little Jiu walked into the kitchen and asked, "Big Brother, can we go now? Can we go?"

"Yes, we can go." Ren Suo drained the water from the bowls and chopsticks, placed them in the sterilizing cabinet, and then left Dong Chengling's house with Little Jiu.

A week went by, and Little Jiu had already gotten used to life there. She also quickly became a new third-grade student in a nearby elementary school—her knowledge level was sufficient to skip first and second grade.

Generally, it takes some time for new students to integrate into a school, but this definitely didn't apply to pretty and cute little girls.

On Little Jiu's first day of school, she came home and told Ren Suo she had made five new friends, and four boys had loudly declared their affection for her.

There were also two mischievous kids who tried to get Little Jiu's attention with bullying tactics (nothing more than pulling hair, making faces, and flipping skirts). However, after Little Jiu greeted them softly a couple of times, the two troublemakers instantly became her followers.

After a week, Little Jiu had become the supreme queen of Class 3-2. Even teachers and parents who had met her regarded her as 'that amazing child from another family'—the most potent platinum-level title a child could achieve.

She was striving to dominate her entire grade. It was predicted that conquering the elementary school and then the neighboring nursing home was just a matter of time.

Ren Suo thought that after Little Jiu started an interesting and happy school life, she would gradually forget him. However, their Bond seemed tighter than he had imagined.

Or perhaps, their shared secret made their relationship eternally closer than any other.

Consequently, Little Jiu would pester him every few days to stay over at Ren Suo's House for a night—though she had to go back for her bath before 10:30 PM.

At Ren Suo's House, Little Jiu would watch TV, tell Ren Suo about what happened at school over the past few days, or play on her phone.

It was hard to say about other things, but Little Jiu was practically a natural when it came to playing on her phone. Plus, she didn't have to worry about myopia, so Ren Suo let her be.

She didn't seem to have any particular goal. According to Zhao Huo, it was: "Little Jiu needs to absorb some of your 'sand sculpture' energy every few days to make herself happier."

Back home, since Little Jiu was there, Ren Suo could justifiably slack off from his Cultivation and continue playing his Hell 4PRO Gaming Console.

Little Jiu clung to Ren Suo's arm, playing on her phone while chatting with him. Suddenly, she wiggled and said with wide eyes, "Big Brother, maybe I should just live with you."

"Isn't it good living with your Sister Ling?" Ren Suo asked.

Little Jiu pouted and said, "Sister Ling is so strict... She even takes away my phone when I sleep... and she spanked my bottom yesterday! If Sister Ling says bad things about me, Big Brother, you mustn't believe her."

Ren Suo blinked but didn't ask why Little Jiu was spanked. Instead, he asked, "You didn't resist?"

Little Jiu was no simple child; she was a True Nine-Tailed Fox. Although Dong Chengling had become completely immune to Little Jiu's adorable Attribute due to their time together and Little Jiu's personality, if Little Jiu truly lost her temper, her combat ability was definitely stronger than Ren Suo's!

Of course, being stronger than Ren Suo didn't mean she could beat Dong Chengling.

Currently, as an owner of Space Spells, Dong Chengling might not necessarily win every fight, but she would definitely never lose.

However, Little Jiu also had enhancements from things like a Supreme Treasure. Catching Dong Chengling off guard shouldn't be a problem for her.

Little Jiu tilted her head and said, "Big Brother, you said I shouldn't reveal my Nine-Tailed Fox identity... Little Jiu is very obedient!"

Ren Suo pinched her small cheek, making her look at him. He knew this definitely wasn't the main reason and continued to ask, "And?"

Little Jiu's face turned slightly red. Hiding her face, she whispered, "Sister Ling..."

"Hmm?"

"Sister Ling likes me and is good to me. Being with her makes Little Jiu very comfortable..." Little Jiu said shyly, "Little Jiu... Little Jiu likes her a lot too. She's also Little Jiu's family."

Although Little Jiu's logic was a bit muddled, Ren Suo understood.

Little Jiu was actually quite similar to Karen. She could very sensitively perceive others' true feelings towards her, so she knew who genuinely liked her and who was merely attracted by her facade.

For people like Dong Chengling, who had seen through her act but still cherished her with genuine affection, they were the 'family' that Little Jiu, having once been lonely, found hard to refuse. Therefore, Little Jiu would never hurt her.

And it was most likely Little Jiu who was in the wrong. Otherwise, she definitely would have complained to Ren Suo.

Hearing this, Ren Suo also felt relieved and unhesitatingly rejected Little Jiu's suggestion.

A little miffed, Little Jiu sat on the other side of the sofa playing on her phone. Ren Suo went to the fridge, got two cans of freshly squeezed juice, and gently pressed one cold can to her little cheek for a moment. Still slightly annoyed, she took the juice and drank it with a pout.

Then she beamed, a happy and contented smile lighting up her face. She came over, tugged Ren Suo's hand, and said, "Big Brother, the school wants us to buy supplementary workbooks."

"Oh?"

Do third graders need to buy supplementary workbooks? Ren Suo's memory was a bit hazy. After all, he'd been raised with a laissez-faire approach, relying on copying his deskmate's homework, so he wasn't too familiar with such things.

"How much?" However, supplementary workbooks were definitely necessary. Since Little Jiu was asking him, Ren Suo would naturally give her the money.

Little Jiu looked down, fiddling with the lace on her little skirt, and said, "2,888."

"That expensive?" Ren Suo was shocked. Could Little Jiu's elementary school actually be a prestigious international school?

"Not expensive, not expensive," Little Jiu hurriedly waved her hands. "2,888 Points, that's not much!"

Ren Suo fell silent.

After a long moment, he asked quietly, "Would 288.8 Q-coins work?"

"Q-coins? Big Brother, wait a moment, let me calculate..." Little Jiu instinctively reached for her phone, but she quickly realized something and her body stiffened.

Her nervous thoughts echoed. Oh no! I hope I haven't been found out!

「A moment later」

As Ren Suo left Dong Chengling's house, he heard Little Jiu's wails from inside. He thought to himself that Little Jiu was really picking up bad habits quickly; now she even knew how to lie.

Don't misunderstand. Ren Suo hadn't reported Little Jiu. On the contrary, he pretended to be fooled by her and topped up her Q-coins.

But when Dong Chengling found out about it later, she taught Little Jiu a lesson.

The reason for such a convoluted approach was, firstly, to teach Little Jiu a lesson so she wouldn't lie anymore. Secondly, it was to make Little Jiu understand a principle: It's actually very easy to fool Ren Suo.

That way, she naturally wouldn't devote effort to honing her deceptive skills. Then Ren Suo could easily tell if she was lying. And wouldn't the decision still be in Ren Suo's hands?

These roundabout adult schemes were something Little Jiu, a newborn Nine-Tailed Fox, was bound to fall for.

Back home, Ren Suo checked the time. It was about right, so he took a shower, ordered some takeout, and rested to conserve his energy.

「When the clock struck twelve—」

"Mini-World, Infinite Fun!"

The startup sound seemed particularly excited today, or perhaps it was Ren Suo who was particularly excited—today was the start of a new month!

October. Theoretically, there should be at least two solar term promotions: Cold Dew and Frost's Descent. As for Double Ninth and National Day, Ren Suo really didn't know if they counted.

Ren Suo's goal this time was very simple—he wanted to play a 5-star game!

He wanted to advance to Level 5 Player as quickly as possible to raise his Rippling Spring Sounds Level and gain more Rippling Spring Sounds playtime. More importantly, Ren Suo wanted to use the Key he obtained from Karen!

"Key of Light: Can open any star-rated Treasure Box, guarantees a 100% reward enhancement, and allows the Player to choose one of three enhancement paths."

Without a doubt, this was the most powerful Key Ren Suo had ever seen!

It could even be said that this was the biggest reward Ren Suo had received in "My Life is Not Your Game"!

Setting aside the enhancement effect for now, just the fact that it could open any star-rated Treasure Box made Ren Suo almost want to kidnap little loli Karen.

Ren Suo still didn't have a Four-Star Key. This was mainly because he didn't know any Fourth Transformation Awakened Cultivators. The Awakening Monks he did know didn't have high enough Cultivation levels for him to collect four three-star keys to synthesize one Four-Star Key.

One could imagine that the further he progressed, the harder it would be for Ren Suo to obtain Keys. If the Cultivation of all the bonding partners he knew hit a bottleneck, Ren Suo could only rely on a massive number of Keys to accumulate a high star-level Key.

And a Key like the "Key of Light" could be considered Ren Suo's trump card.

The only question now was—when should Ren Suo use this Key.

If he wanted to maximize benefits, this Key should naturally be used to open the highest star-level Treasure Box.

But Ren Suo didn't know what the highest star-level for a Treasure Box in this game console was.

Most importantly, he didn't know how much time it would take him to be able to play the highest star-level game.

Ren Suo had previously noticed that while game prices varied, they generally followed a pattern: the higher the star-level, the higher the purchase price and the greater the returns. This meant Ren Suo, with only 400 Merit Points, definitely couldn't afford the highest star-level games.

Moreover, the highest star-level games most likely had Player Level restrictions.

For instance, when Ren Suo's Player Level was below 4, he wasn't qualified to play games rated Four-star or higher.

This meant the games Ren Suo could currently play were at most 4-star, 5-star, or 6-star. Games rated 7-star or higher likely required an even higher Player Level.

And in free games, it was rare to find one two levels above his Player Level.

So, at the moment, Ren Suo could only play up to 5-star games!

His goal was to clear a 5-star game and then use the "Key of Light" to directly open a 5-star Treasure Box, something he probably wouldn't be able to open for a while!

Although using the "Key of Light" here seemed like a waste, Ren Suo understood even better that holding onto resources that couldn't be converted into real strength was itself a waste.

Besides, it wasn't impossible for Ren Suo to obtain a similar Key to the "Key of Light" in the future. At worst, once Karen became stronger, he could just make a trip to Britain.

Ren Suo wasn't too fixated on this. It should be used when needed; benefits in hand were what truly counted.

Furthermore, Ren Suo's idea might not even be achievable.

If October's game was too difficult, he might not be able to clear it even with "Rippling Spring Sounds." Ren Suo might even have to use the "Key of Light" to open the Four-Star Treasure Box he got from "Midnight Walker," just to obtain a prop to clear the game.

After playing for several months and eight or nine games, Ren Suo had long understood that he shouldn't dwell on games he hadn't obtained. But if he had already acquired a game, he'd better clear it quickly.

If he hadn't cleared "Assassin," "Mage Under the World Tree," "My Life is Not Your Game," and "Midnight Walker," would the Ranpelrouge Sisters already be dead? Would the monsters from the Secret Realm be rampaging in the human world? Would those Demons and Ghosts be even more rampant? And what would have become of Little Jiu?

Of course, Ren Suo had absolutely no intention of becoming a savior.

Nor did he have that conceited sense of superiority, thinking, If it weren't for me, who knows what would have happened to this world.

But when the game was before him, controller in hand, there was clearly only one thing for Ren Suo to do.

As a Player, clear the game by any means necessary.

If he could offer a little help to others along the way, that would naturally be even better.

Perhaps this was why the Mini-World Game Console had come to Ren Suo. It wasn't just because of his sense of social responsibility, diligence, good character, and extremely high EQ. It was also because Ren Suo was a true... Player.

A beautiful, charming girlfriend, an immortal cultivation journey... those are all great, great things, but I... want them all, and I still want to play games.

Open the "World Store"!

Ren Suo glanced at it and noticed there was no "Free Game of the Month" section. Instead, a strange section wreathed in ghostly blue flames had appeared: "October Exclusive: Ten-Day Game."

Ren Suo calmly clicked on it and discovered it was a special section integrating beta testing activities and free games.

[October Exclusive: Players can choose to use a holiday promotion chance to draw a free game to play, or play a beta version game (choose one of two).

Ten-Day Game: Once play begins, the beta version game is limited to 10 days of playtime. Regardless of whether it is cleared or not, the game will end after 10 days.

"Hand of Fate"

[This game is an action role-playing game. You will converse with the world's Destiny, plunge into the vortex of fate, obtain world treasures, and confront world disasters. This game constantly uploads game records. The maximum reward for completion is 500 Merit Points, and the exclusive completion reward is an 'Ability Fusion Inscription Rune'. In-game purchases are available. The game has 10 chapters in total, with possible future DLC. Game difficulty: 5-star.]

[Note: In the beta version game, Players can consume promotional activity chances (or consume 300 Merit Points) to summon characters from cleared games to help with completion. Summoned characters from cleared games will disappear after the Player passes a stage or dies in it. Each character from a cleared game can only be summoned once in this game. Summoning is activated when the Player wears Rippling Spring Sounds.]

[Note: Only one chapter can be played per day. Task evaluation and Merit Point rewards for each chapter are settled immediately upon its completion. The exclusive reward can only be obtained after clearing all chapters.]

[Remaining promotional activity chances this month: 3 (Cold Dew, Double Ninth, Frost's Descent)]

Remaining playtime: 10 days (game not yet started)]

Ren Suo stared, stunned.

Although he had a feeling today's game would be very unusual, for it to be unusual to this extent... it left him a bit slow to react.

This was the first time he had seen terms like "multi-chapter," "real-time settlement," and "beta version."

And this game clearly had a protagonist, yet you could summon characters from other games for free (consuming promotional activity chances counted as free) to help clear it.

Just thinking about it made Ren Suo realize the game's difficulty.

The game itself thinks it's too hard, so it's giving Players a cheat!

But, the most unignorable point in the game description was—

"This game constantly uploads game records"!]

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