"Aiya, my dear boy, why haven't you called back in so long?"

At night, Ren Suo sat in front of his computer after taking a shower when he suddenly received a call from his distant mother.

She launched into the conversation with, "Sigh, if your father and I don't call you, you just don't bother to call back. My boy's all grown up, has fur and wings now, flying around outside and not thinking of home..."

Ren Suo guessed it was because of the conversation he had with his sister in the morning. She must have detected the desolation in his words, turned around, and reported to their parents. This finally reminded his mother that she still had a biological son...

However, Ren Suo felt a warm feeling in his heart when his mother called and said, "Mom, I really miss your crab stick fried eggs too. I'll still be off tomorrow, so how about I bring my sister home?"

"Ah? Wouldn't that interfere with your Cultivation?" To Ren Suo's surprise, his mother's first reaction was to decline.

"Missing one or two days doesn't matter. Besides, I haven't been back in a long time, so I should visit anyway, to let the neighbors know you have a Cultivator son..."

"Your mom has been showing off your photo around, telling everyone you're my son, a great Cultivator in Lianjiang. You don't need to come back specifically."

"Then I'll come back just to eat your food. Oh, and send me a copy of your recipes."

"The recipes I can give, but you don't need to come back. Make a name for yourself in Lianjiang!"

After three consecutive refusals, Ren Suo finally sensed something wasn't quite right. He calmed down to listen to the noise over the phone and realized it was quite noisy where his mother was. "Mom, are you outside? It's really loud."

Mom: "No! What time is it now, how could I be outside? That's the TV, I'm watching it at home!"

Ren Suo: "I hear clinking beer bottles."

Mom: "I'm watching a tri-color channel Hong Kong drama; such sounds are perfectly normal..."

Ren Suo: "But the accent isn't from Hong Kong. I can hear it very clearly!"

Realizing she couldn't continue to deceive him, his mother TSKED and admitted, "Alright, your dad and I are on vacation in Sanya, eating a late-night snack right now. The mantis shrimp and nine-section shrimp here are cheap and huge, with lots of female crabs full of roe—delicious to the point of explosion. Your dad's glasses got dirty eating them; he's licking his fingers now."

Then Ren Suo heard his father's voice, "Huh? My glasses... really are dirty. Got splashed by the mantis shrimp juice."

His mother continued, "Yes, yes, with you two bottomless pits (referring to the children) finally not at home, and as your dad and I are off work, we decided to sneak out and have fun. We've already been enjoying ourselves for five days and won't return until the day after tomorrow. We've been eating well and staying at nice places, HMPH!

In the past, traveling always meant taking care of you two bottomless pits, but this time, it's just me and your dad—super, duper, happy!"

Ren Suo: "…Well, you two have a great time. Be careful not to get scammed by unscrupulous businesses."

"Don't worry, your mom is shrewd. I won't buy souvenirs to bring back, and I won't be fooled by those gift shops. We researched all eating and drinking spots in advance on Dianping, and your dad and I have been enjoying our time all over the place!

Oh, don't tell Xing Mei about it.

As her brother, you should set a good example; tattling is not good behavior."

Ren Suo couldn't help but smile and shake his head at his phone. His mother was acting as if he would hop on a plane right now and ruin their private world. Would he really do that?

He wasn't even fond of traveling. If he were to go on a trip, his favorite destination would undoubtedly be a hotel, especially one with hot springs, a buffet, and a massage room.

Traveling means spending money to go from a place one is tired of to a place where others are tired of, only to return home exhausted to the place one had grown tired of…

Ren Suo put down his phone and checked the information on the internal network.

First was a message about his recommended suggestion being accepted: "Researcher Suo, your answer to 'How to Pursue the Nameless Greatsword Maiden from the 'Destiny' Live Stream?' has been adopted, and you've received a 'Special Thanks' tag. Therefore, the details of your acquired Research Points are as follows..."

This message was completely expected by Ren Suo. In order to convince You Jiu that his suggestion was useful, he had even debased himself in the game—it was practically a case of 'I'll give you advice on how to pick up a girl, and I'll even become the girl for you to practice on.' He was truly a paragon of conscientiousness in the sales industry.

If that was not accepted, it would only mean that the officials were avoiding exposing the Sand Sculptures within the organization who actually believed such suggestions… But, it seems the officials weren't avoiding this at all and even gave a 'Special Thanks' tag in particular.

In the internal network, only a handful of answers receive 'Special Thanks', which is almost the highest honor the officials bestow on Researchers, signifying that the Researcher's answer has created tremendous value for the nation.

Helping You Jiu pursue the Fairy Palace's Disaster Messenger and getting such an honor... Well, considering it's the only suggestion so far that has allowed an official from the Mysterious Country to establish a 'deep relationship' with someone from the People of Fairy Palace, perhaps it does deserve such honor.

After all, this is not just a small step for the Mysterious Country, but a giant leap for humankind.

Ren Suo thought a bit deeper: As the saying goes, 'spend a fortune on horse bones to attract thoroughbreds.' If even his kind of answer could earn a Special Thanks, wouldn't Researchers be scrambling to offer You Jiu advice on wooing girls the next time a Disaster Messenger appeared?

And then encourage You Jiu to chase his prospective wife for thousands of miles?

Are the officials planning to highlight You Jiu's 'Sand Sculpture' attributes?

However, a man infatuated with an envoy from the Fairy Palace makes for a pretty good gimmick, provided they don't reveal that You Jiu is a legendary-level dense guy... perhaps.

You Jiu, this Sand Sculpture, might just make it to center stage.

Ren Suo continued scrolling through the posts until he found the content he was looking for.

"Analysis of the Source of Fearful Disaster," "Analysis of the Source of Arrogant Disaster," "Analysis of the Source of Lazy Disaster."

After all, these were his own great achievements, and Ren Suo naturally wanted to see how the internal network's Researchers were singing his praises and learn about the future he had saved.

First was the Source of Fearful Disaster, which included three prophetic plaques: "Monster Era," "Deep Sea Era," "Age of Transference."

"... The Monster Era is a time when Transcendents and Extraordinary Creatures fought. At this stage, humans likely still held an absolute advantage, using technological means to hunt down the Extraordinary Creatures that roamed wild regions.

"In the Deep Sea Era, however, gargantuan Deep Sea Monsters began to invade the land en masse, even infiltrating cities through sewers. Although humans managed to maintain the upper hand, their situation was extremely tough, and with the long stretches of coastline difficult to defend, the ocean became a complete no-go zone for humanity.

"In the last Age of Transference, the power of the Source of Fearful Disaster was at its peak, obscuring the sunlight by some means, and the Deep Sea Monsters had grown even bigger. In order to survive, the human Cultivation System needed to change, and everyone had to become a Giant through Cultivation to fight against the huge Sea Monsters that had spread across the land.

"When battling, Giants would ignite themselves to shine brightly, illuminating the entire world. The bones of dead Giants would likely be transported to the center of the cities to be used as firewood for bonfires, emitting a Radiance comparable to the sun to cultivate crops.

"The Disaster Messenger destroyed a future where humanity would shiver in darkness, Fear, cold, and amidst giant monsters."

Oceanic monsters invading land—a very traditional apocalyptic scenario.

Humans have always feared the ocean. Whether it's Tsunamis capable of destroying everything, the unreachable depths of the sea, or the Strange Creatures dwelling within, this Fear has inspired countless classic works.

The Source of Fear Disaster, born from the depths of the sea, nurtured deep-sea life. It 'fulfilled humanity's wishes' by transforming the deep sea into the embodiment of their fears, eventually even encroaching upon the sky and obscuring the sun...

Ren Suo then turned to the analysis of the Source of Arrogant Disaster, which showed the prophetic plaques as "Era of Prayer," "Divine Enthronement Era," and "Era of the Gods."

Unlike the previous analysis, the description of arrogance began with:

"The future predicted by the Source of Arrogant Disaster, although destroyed by the Handsome Monkey King, could still possibly occur.

"In the Era of Prayer, humans seem to turn more devout towards deities due to the emergence of Transcendents, resulting in a rise of devotees among various sects. Eventually, due to the power of faith, Divine Kingdoms appeared before humanity.

"In the Divine Enthronement Era, it is stated that these Divine Kingdoms are inhabitable by humans. Those who successfully settle in the Divine Kingdoms become deities themselves, living long and prosperous lives after igniting the Divine Fire. Although it's unclear how to fight for the entitlement of Divine Enthronement, it's presumed that only Transcendents could emerge victorious from such a War of Divine Enthronement. However, the victors would also be tainted by the arrogant Divine Soul, becoming tyrants.

"The final Era of the Gods would see every Divine Kingdom having its own deity. These deities treat all beings as pawns, using Earth as a chessboard on which to clash. They care not for human casualties, igniting wars based on mere whims and tempers.

"Now that the Source of Arrogant Disaster has been shattered by the Handsome Monkey King, if Transcendents grow powerful enough to be considered 'deities,' this kind of Feudal Era, characterized by 'individual will triumphing over the collective,' could still emerge.

"Compared to the futures foretold by other Sources of Disaster, the one indicated by arrogance could occur even without external forces, as long as the revival of Spiritual Energy continues..."

This Researcher's pessimism reminded Ren Suo of Bai Ji. Bai Ji had also harbored similar views, but he seemed to have changed. Now, every time Ren Suo saw him, it felt as if light emanated from Bai Ji's pupils... It looked like his Hope in life had been reignited.

"When an individual's strength surpasses the collective, it might lead to the rise of an arrogant tyrant..."

Ren Suo blinked and thought no further.

If that era truly comes, I'll deal with it then.

Now that Devouring the Spirit of the World has destroyed this future, I probably won't live to see the age of tyrants.

Ren Suo turned to the final analysis—the Source of Lazy Disaster.

The Source of Lazy Disaster, among the five Sources of Disaster, is the most peculiar; it has only one prophetic plaque: "Era of Observation."

And regarding its analysis, Ren Suo glanced at the top-liked answers, finding them all to be rather vague.

The most upvoted answer read:

"...The Throne should signify a powerful being, and the capability of the Source of Lazy Disaster lies in Suppression of this strong individual.

"The one seated on the Throne continued to observe humanity facing various calamities, yet never intervened.

"Now that the Truth Seeker has slain the Source of Lazy Disaster, it means that a strong individual capable of saving the world may appear in the future.

"It's also possible that the Throne is just a symbol, representing a future where countless outstanding figures arise like stars.

"Under the influence of laziness, these individuals would neglect their Cultivation, or never have a chance to stand out at all, merely enduring disasters in silence.

"With the Source of Lazy Disaster now gone, they would no longer be affected by laziness and thus strive harder in their Cultivation, eventually becoming Transcendent individuals who could influence the world."

Ren Suo leaned towards the latter interpretation in this answer: exceptionally talented individuals, who would have otherwise neglected their Cultivation and become ordinary, were now, with the Source of Lazy Disaster slain, essentially guaranteed to strive harder in their future Cultivation.

Hmm, that definitely has nothing to do with me. A medic like me, with a Talent hovering around 2.0, should just stick to riding the coattails of powerhouses like Dong Chengling, Bai Ji, and Qiao Muyi.

At this time, there were other topics on the internal network, such as "The Handsome Monkey King's Purpose in the Arctic," "An Analysis of the Truth Seeker's Clothing Style," and "The Origin of the Mysterious Blue-Haired Maiden." Ren Suo skimmed through them, casually liking posts and leaving some filler comments, just to make it seem like he had diligently participated in the Researchers' work.

Ren Suo returned to the living room and activated the Mini-World Game Console.

"Minor Worlds are a never-ending source of joy."

The startup sound today seemed to be his own voice—Ren Suo recalled the sound of his singing at karaoke; it felt quite similar to this startup chime.

Entering the "Equipment Interface," Ren Suo looked at the Truth Seeker and Devouring the Spirit of the World and sighed helplessly.

The Truth Seeker was upgraded to 3-Star-level.

Devouring the Spirit of the World was upgraded to 4-Star-level.

After all, they had appeared in a live broadcast with hundreds of millions of viewers; it was only natural for their Star-levels to be boosted.

Next, until Ren Suo upgraded the Level of "Rippling Spring Sounds," he wouldn't be able to summon Devouring the Spirit of the World again.

As for the Truth Seeker, he could probably only summon it one more time in the game.

However, both the Truth Seeker and Devouring the Spirit of the World did not make an appearance for nothing, as they each gained different exclusive Skills—

"Lazy in Seeking the Dao: The Truth Seeker has obtained a large amount of lazy Destiny Force, which will turn into her inspiration for Seeking the Path after a long period of brewing. Every time the Truth Seeker is summoned, she will experience 'a flash of lazy Spiritual Light,' deducing a new Ability from a random ability slot.

"The new Ability will be added to the list of optional Abilities, and Players are free to choose it.

"The minimum trigger time for this Skill is 30 days, and the longer the interval between two summons, the better the results of the Truth Seeker's deductions."

"Swallowing the Sky and Prideful Bones: Devouring the Spirit of the World has obtained a large amount of arrogant Destiny Force, Strengthening its spiritual Pressure. Any creature that makes eye contact with Devouring the Spirit of the World must make a willpower check, with those failing being subdued by it.

"Each eye contact will invoke a willpower check."

It was as if the Disaster Girl hadn't received any game rewards, and everything had instead fallen to the Truth Seeker and Devouring the Spirit of the World.

Seeing these two Skills, Ren Suo felt that the Disaster Girl next to him must be crying with envy.

These two Skills were indeed impressive. "Swallowing the Sky and Prideful Bones" gave Devouring the Spirit of the World a super control Skill, akin to the 'death glare that could impregnate'; strong individuals might be unaffected, but in a large-scale group battle, a single sweep of its gaze could make all the minions switch sides.

"Lazy in Seeking the Dao," on the other hand, turned the Truth Seeker from a consumer into a producer. Although the production speed was a bit slow, at least there was something to look forward to.

After checking the changes in his game characters, Ren Suo opened the "Content Preservation Vault" to check his most important gains:

"5-star Treasure Box" *1, "Ability Fusion Inscription Rune" *1.

Ren Suo could use the "Key of Light" to open the 5-star Treasure Box right now, but a touch of greed crept in—why not save the "Key of Light" for a 6-star Treasure Box?

But if a 6-star Treasure Box really appeared, he'd then think of saving it for a 7-star Treasure Box...

He was the type of person who, in MOBA games, would be a "hamster" Player—saving up to buy major items directly, unwilling to spend on transitional gear.

However, Ren Suo wasn't in a hurry. He planned to wait until he hit an insurmountable wall in the next game. Only then would he open the 5-star Treasure Box to see if he could obtain a treasure to break the deadlock.

As for the "Ability Fusion Inscription Rune," Ren Suo had originally planned to fuse and inscribe all his Healing Abilities.

But now he had a new idea.

After all, he was nearing his third turn. Once he reached it, he would be able to learn even more powerful Spells.

He could afford to wait a bit, so naturally, he'd wait until he learned those powerful Spells before performing the Ability Fusion and Inscription.

After all, Inscription meant completely learning Spells without them taking up an ability slot. Naturally, Ren Suo wanted to maximize this reward.

Having organized all his rewards, Ren Suo knew exactly what he needed to do: Cultivate diligently and reach the third turn as quickly as possible!

Save up Merit Points diligently and wait for the free game in November!

"Alright, time to Cultivate!"

Dressed in his pajamas, Ren Suo walked out of his room and lay down on the sofa, closing his eyes.

After a few minutes, Ren Suo, still with his eyes closed, sprung up from the sofa, walked over to turn on the gathering switch for Spiritual Energy, and then sat on the cushion, his eyes closed as he circulated the practices of "Mysterious Sovereign's Secret Records, Second Chapter"...

——————————

「Meanwhile, at Lianjiang International Airport.」

"Send Fan Fan my regards when you get back." In the departure hall, Zhao Huo watched Xiao Meng, who had already collected her ticket, as he handed her a small pink suitcase.

"Got it, Brother Huo." Xiao Meng placed her hands on the handle of the suitcase and smiled. "I really wanted to stay a few more days, but they're urging me back there, so I have to hurry back..."

Zhao Huo said, "Official duties take priority."

"I really want to go back to the past when we were together every day..." Xiao Meng turned her head to glance at the security checkpoint, her cicada-wing-like eyebrows trembling slightly, her stunningly beautiful face revealing a touch of melancholy.

The male travelers nearby saw this scene and their eyes nearly popped out. Some even got so distracted that they bumped into others.

"Ah, this..." Zhao Huo scratched his head. "How does that saying go, again? It's something like, separation is for a better reunion next time? But there's an old saying... isn't it, 'There is no banquet under heaven that doesn't end'? That doesn't seem right..."

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder?" Xiao Meng said with a smile, lighting up like a field of blossoming flowers.

"Right, right, right! ...Wait, that doesn't seem quite right?" Zhao Huo first slapped his hand to his forehead in sudden enlightenment, then hesitated a moment later.

"Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore. By the way, Ren Suo hasn't gotten together with Dong Chengling yet, has he?" Xiao Meng changed the subject, sparing Zhao Huo any further awkwardness.

"Not that I know of," Zhao Huo said after thinking it over. "Didn't you see them when you went out to dinner last night? They seem to just be normal friends."

"Ah, it's so frustrating to watch from the sidelines; it's so obvious..." Xiao Meng said meaningfully. "Why don't you help them out?"

"How can I help?"

"Isn't the combat training field at the academy opening soon? As a Healing Cultivator, Ren Suo will definitely be there. Since you're a teacher, find some kind of 'demonstration' excuse to pull him into combat..."

Before Xiao Meng could finish, Zhao Huo shook his head. "If I hurt him, Dong Chengling will slash at my neck. I dare not risk it, no way."

"I'm not telling you to hurt him," Xiao Meng said with a smile, poking Zhao Huo's chest. "You'll create an 'accident' at the time and send him flying towards Dong Chengling, just let them end up in an embrace..."

"Oh! I get it now!" Zhao Huo exclaimed, suddenly understanding. "It's like those 'accidental' plot devices in harem anime, right?"

"Exactly. The problem now is Ren Suo doesn't seem to realize this. Having physical contact with Dong Chengling will naturally awaken the beast within him and let him discover his true feelings," Xiao Meng explained. "By then, not only will Ren Suo and Dong Chengling not blame you, they'll be thankful to you."

Zhao Huo nodded thoughtfully, and Xiao Meng checked the time before speaking, "Then I'm off, goodbye Brother Huo!"

"Have a smooth journey."

As she turned and dragged her suitcase towards the security checkpoint, Xiao Meng thought to herself that Brother Huo would most likely follow her advice. When the time came...

Xiao Meng hadn't forgotten. Just last night, while Ren Suo was chatting with Brother Huo, he'd suddenly asked what Brother Huo liked about girls, and the options Ren Suo gave were very pointed—he just wanted to trap Brother Huo into answering and then laugh at her reaction and that of the other little vixen!

Fortunately, Brother Huo...

Remembering Brother Huo's response, Xiao Meng felt a slight pang of frustration.

However, at last night's dinner, Xiao Meng had keenly observed that Ren Suo seemed to have more than one red thread of fate attached to him. She didn't know how complicated his social life was, but sending Brother Huo to stir the pot would definitely be the right move.

HMPH! Brother Huo is a gentleman and won't stoop to your level, but I'm a woman, and I believe in getting revenge anytime from dawn till dusk!

It was a pity she had to return now and couldn't witness the grand spectacle herself. She would just have to hear about Ren Suo's eventual fate from Brother Huo...

——————————

「October 8th, 8:45 AM.」

Ren Suo, having just gotten out of bed and washed up, was trying to pick out clothes—though, in truth, there wasn't much to choose from, as he only owned a few outfits.

"I shall tear apart this dawn-dusk world, and with a three-foot gleam of light, wash away the smoke and dust~"

Ren Suo picked up his phone, looked at the caller information, and answered, "What's up? You wanna treat me to a seafood buffet this early?"

"How come you aren't here yet?" came Zhao Huo's voice over the phone. "The students will be entering soon; you have to be there when the combat training field opens. You're our Lianjiang's number one Healing Cultivator, we can't do it without you..."

"Alright, alright, I get it. Sigh, without me, you guys really can't get anything done," Ren Suo replied.

In the combat training field, a corner of Zhao Huo's mouth twitched. "If you don't come, I'm going to tell Director Huo about your salary for this month..."

"Hey, nag, nag, nag, like rushing me to my grave," Ren Suo said irritably. "Also, even if someone is nagging me, it should be Bai Ji. Why are you so concerned about whether I'm here or not today?"

"To each position, its duties," Zhao Huo said solemnly. "As a people's teacher, I should ensure the safety of the students..."

Ren Suo hung up the phone without another word, glanced at his closet, and eventually chose a casual yet proper outfit.

This would be his official appearance before the freshmen as a Healing Cultivator. Ren Suo had put some thought into cultivating his image—after all, he would need to rely on this Healing Cultivator persona to 'harvest' the students' Keys in the future.

After preparing his shoes, socks, hat, and clothes, Ren Suo nodded in satisfaction.

"Alright then... My mind will go back to playing games, while you (my body) get dressed and head to the combat training field."

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