On December 5th, Wednesday morning, the Renowned Garden at Heavenly Lotus Academy, also known as the Great Cultivation Field.

Currently, in the Mysterious Country, the full name of Cultivation for all Cultivators is 'cultivating in an area with a Spiritual Energy Aggregation Device.' Conversely, without a Spiritual Energy Aggregation Device, almost no Cultivator would engage in Cultivation—not that it is impossible, but the efficiency is exceedingly low.

In the past half year, due to various actions undertaken by the Fairy Palace and the World Tree, such as activating Spirit Veins and vanquishing calamities, the concentration of Spiritual Energy in the world had already increased significantly. Some Cultivators with high Talent were already able to extract Spiritual Energy for Cultivation at any time and place.

However, forcibly absorbing Spiritual Energy from a regular environment is akin to scooping water from fire or extracting foul essence from excrement. Compared to the environment created by a Spiritual Energy Aggregation Device, which boosts the density of Spiritual Energy by dozens or hundreds of times, Cultivation time in a normal environment is virtually insignificant.

Spiritual Energy Aggregation Devices also vary in quality. The lower-quality ones are the small aggregation units in dormitories, which can increase the concentration by about 12 to 24 times. The higher-quality ones are in major bases and the academies' Great Cultivation Fields, boasting at least 108 times the concentration and specially constructed by the nation.

Of course, this doesn't mean that Cultivators in high-concentration environments absorb more Spiritual Energy; it also depends on their Talent and Concentration. Still, generally speaking, cultivating in a place with high Spiritual Energy density is like being forcefully fed hot dogs when hungry—whether one can eat them all depends on individual fortune.

The Renowned Garden within Heavenly Lotus Academy operates at least four days a week, divided into five shifts a day: two in the morning, two in the afternoon, and one at night, each lasting two hours. All students, including those in the middle and high school sections who were First Transformation Cultivators, enter the garden for Cultivation according to their assigned shifts. Teachers also mix in and cultivate during these shifts, generally offering each student two Cultivation sessions per week.

Gu Yueyan, Lin Xianyu, Ren Xingmei, and Qin Lian were all preparing to enter the second shift at the Renowned Garden. They arrived fifteen minutes early, only to find that the entrance to the garden was already packed with people—the eighty-one students scheduled for the second shift seemed to be all present. Three instructors, Bai Ji, Dong Chengling, and Liao Yonghai, had also arrived.

"Why are so many people here today...?" Lin Xianyu yawned and said, "And nobody's even talking..."

Participation in the Cultivation sessions at the Renowned Garden is not mandatory and is open-ended—you could come or not, whenever it suits you, as Cultivation is an extremely private matter and cannot be forced. As college students, while generally diligent, they currently faced no external threats or pressures, making their Cultivation routines quite relaxed. Absences due to other engagements or late arrivals due to oversleeping were quite common.

The fact that everyone was present and attentively staring at the entrance without even using their phones created a solemn atmosphere, compelling Xianyu to forcefully suppress a burp rising in her throat—having eaten chive dumplings in the morning, it would be quite embarrassing if a burp revealed the smell of chives.

"Collect your thoughts and recall the Cultivation Techniques; these are preparations before Cultivation," Gu Yueyan said indifferently.

Lin Xianyu whispered, "Is it because they were motivated by your promotion to Second Transformation?"

"No," Qin Lian shook her head and said, "While there is also an element of motivation from Yueyan's promotion to Second Transformation, the main reason is that the deputy principal mentioned that a ranking list would be released soon. Students listed on it will receive national training. Didn't you see it in the official WeChat account?"

"Nope," Lin Xianyu shook her head. "All I saw was our class leader getting perfect scores in the finals and securing a scholarship..."

"There was a link at the end of the article," Qin Lian said exasperatedly. "Originally, no one had much of a goal. Now, with the ranking list about to be announced, everyone has naturally become more diligent and will grasp any opportunity to enter the Renowned Garden for Cultivation."

Lin Xianyu muttered, "Why does it feel like a trope in a fantasy novel? A ranking list... and are we talking about heavenly, earthly, and human lists next? Will there also be ranked matches where everyone scrambles over rankings and gets brainwashed? Ah, is this world entering a dark phase of Cultivation? Is everyone pushing hard in the Cultivation rat race? Is this the essence of humanity?"

Gu Yueyan tapped Lin Xianyu on the head and said, "Don't read too many novels."

Lin Xianyu touched the back of her head, and her mood suddenly lightened. "However, the fact that Big Brother Ren has never visited the Renowned Garden shows that there is true affection in the Human World. When it comes to heroes in this world, there's only Xianyu and Big Brother Ren!"

"Right." Ren Xingmei only realized this fact at that moment. "I really don't think I've ever seen my brother here in the Renowned Garden."

"I suspect he doesn't even know about this place," Gu Yueyan pursed her lips.

Ren Xingmei looked at Dong Chengling and Bai Ji, who were standing outside the gate of the Renowned Garden, and secretly clicked her tongue. Is there any way to slow down their Cultivation progress? she wondered.

But after some thought, the only way to slow them down... was to use her brother!

That was undoubtedly out of the question.

Ren Xingmei refocused her mind. I can only hope that Qiao Muyi and Bai Ji will quickly advance to the Fourth Transformation and confront Dong Chengling. Then I can take that opportunity to catch up...

When I'm strong enough to suppress you all with a flick of my wrist, then I'll see who still dares to dream of becoming my sister-in-law!

That night, when the four of them walked out of Ren Suo's guest room, the war began.

Ren Xingmei was the weakest link, so she could only help fan the flames, creating a three-way standoff. But because of her status, no one would target her directly. Leveraging her brother as a bargaining chip, she could even navigate among the three parties and perhaps even subtly hinder them.

Now, what I need to do is rein in my ambitious nature and catch up with the three in terms of strength as quickly as possible!

Even though this matter actually didn't have much to do with strength, it was somewhat related—everyone knew that the future was bound to be dominated by Transcendents. Powerful Transcendents would attain more power, resources, and intelligence, enabling them to protect their families, even elevating everyone around them.

Therefore, powerful Cultivation naturally became an important criterion for a Cultivator.

Thus, the level of Cultivation became an important competitive aspect in their secret discussions... Although it was not the most critical element, none of them were willing to concede on this point. Moreover, big data analysis had shown that higher Cultivation levels indeed made people (regardless of gender) more appealing, and the more attractive a person, the more evident this was.

Not just for the aforementioned reasons, they also had to guard against the possibility that someone, out of sheer frustration at losing, might lash out. Qiao Muyi is quite likely to do something drastic, like tearing the roof off a church during a wedding ceremony and then running off with the groom, Ren Xingmei thought.

By the way, during their discussions, they did not involve the subject of their discussion. It was unclear if they regarded the wishes of the subject as paramount, or if they assumed the subject was a kept individual... I feel it's the latter, Ren Xingmei thought.

Also, while they were strategizing in the guest room, they had already engaged in a covert battle of auras, leaving a deep impression on Ren Xingmei, who witnessed the entire negotiation.

It turns out that powerful Cultivators can simply overwhelm others with their aura!

Powerful Cultivators can even ignore the rules of the world!

If only I could possess such power that defies the rules of this world...

Just when Ren Xingmei's thoughts were becoming chaotic again, the bored Lin Xianyu pulled out her phone and started playing.

Gu Yueyan helplessly glanced at her and peered at her phone screen. "Reading novels again? Isn't this world interesting enough? Cultivate more, and you could be as powerful as the characters in those novels."

"I'm not reading fantasy; I'm reading about sweet love stories," Lin Xianyu retorted.

"Sweet love stories?"

"It's the type of romance novel where there are few obstacles, everything goes smoothly, and both parties dote on each other immensely. Just reading it makes me feel so sweet inside." Lin Xianyu blinked. "Do you want to read it? The one I'm reading is about a female writer and a male university student; she's utterly messy at home and needs someone to take care of everything, and he's a younger guy who likes to care for others and can't stand messiness..."

"No!" Gu Yueyan said sternly. "I don't like women who are always in need of care!"

Lin Xianyu choked on her words, feeling like she had been shot.

"Still pretending, weren't you just watching Titanic yesterday..." Lin Xianyu muttered and continued reading her novel against the wall.

Gu Yueyan stood beside Lin Xianyu, chin propped on her hand, seemingly waiting for the door to open but perhaps also glancing surreptitiously at Lin Xianyu's phone screen.

「...」

"Alright, back to the game..." Ren Suo yawned.

Having just woken up, Ren Suo yawned while stretching out his arms widely, even placing his hands on the bed and sticking his butt out, arching his back like a cat—one of the side effects of "Evolution of the Cat." But Ren Suo found this way of stretching quite satisfying.

After washing up, he poured himself a glass of freshly squeezed juice and rubbed his neck. He felt rejuvenated, as if every bone and muscle in his body was a well-oiled gear. He even considered going out to enjoy some sunlight—a true miracle.

After a massage session with his clone last night, he felt not only comfortable but also very sleepy—since obtaining "Evolution of the Cat," he scarcely felt tired unless he stayed awake for 72 hours; otherwise, he risked hair loss.

Since he felt sleepy, Ren Suo didn't force himself to stay up but dutifully went to bed. Waking up, the quality of his Sleep was indeed excellent, and his body felt incredibly comfortable, making it well worth the several hours he had spent learning the Massage Technique from Zhao Huo.

After a casual breakfast, Ren Suo turned on his Mini-World Game Console.

"Endless Fun in the Mini World."

This time, the startup sound was a female voice, and it sounded very impatient.

Ren Suo checked the Mystic Tavern as usual, saw no game characters there, and entered "Night of the Hunt."

Last night, after selecting character tags for Luna, he went to sleep. Now, Luna's save was 'Fourth Round, Third Quarter Moon, Luna,' and she had to immediately compete for the thirteenth Silver Moon Crystal as soon as she entered the game.

The scene unfolded from the darkness. Ren Suo quickly checked the surroundings—a typical room with a single bed, and Luna in her pajamas, all alone.

Ren Suo immediately had Luna grab a coat and then jump out the window, spotting the location of the silver-white beam of light—it was at the usual spot, which now appeared to be a large, round sports stadium on the map.

Continuing to use the Internal Injury Instant Translocation Technique, Luna took about eighty seconds to cross nearly four kilometers. However, by the time Luna reached the location, the silver-white beam had already vanished.

Ren Suo's face darkened. Luna was already at top speed. Going any faster would risk internal bleeding and only shave off another five or six seconds. It wouldn't be enough unless she used the Infinite Blink from 'Within Reach, Yet Worlds Apart.'

But Infinite Blink was an Ability meant for bosses; using it here would be a waste.

Still, not being the first to pick up the Silver Moon Crystal wasn't too bad, as long as they managed to snatch it back.

As expected, by the time Luna got to the stadium, she saw a man and a woman being thoroughly beaten by seven or eight people—without a doubt, they were the ones who had grabbed the Silver Moon Crystal.

However, having snatched the Silver Moon Crystal under the watchful eyes of many, this man and woman were obviously not ordinary. The man had golden hair and red eyes, wearing a red coat, with every gesture stirring up traces of blood. The woman had black hair and wore black clothing, holding two pistols. Each trigger pull was silent, but the bullets sparked with light, probably a combination of Spiritual Energy Spells and modern weaponry.

Both were skilled in ranged combat, managing to forcefully keep the other Apostles of the Moon God at bay. Some Apostles launched offensive Miracles at them but ended up getting hurt by their own attacks.

Undoubtedly, the Miracles obtained by these two Apostles of the Moon God likely involved 'reflecting all Miracles.'

Based on my experience, and the quirky nature of the Moon God, the cost of this defensive type of Miracle usually involves significantly weakened defense in other areas! Ren Suo thought.

When the two were about to leave the stadium, Ren Suo had Luna suddenly emerge, launching a Moonlight Pulse boosted by 225%.

The target is the woman in black!

If I guessed right, the beams from the woman's gun are probably Moonlight Energy. She's an Apostle of the Moon God, and the man in red is her companion!

The deadly strike from the sky was too difficult to predict. Ren Suo thought this attack would critically injure the woman in black, but to his surprise, the man in red turned into a streak of red light and hugged the woman in black.

Under the Moonlight, even the stadium walls were blasted through, and the two were slammed to the ground.

"It's the Blue Witch!"

"The Blue Witch is here too!"

"Don't let the Blue Witch escape!"

Others immediately recognized Luna's identity. Naturally, what followed their words was a barrage of colorful Spells like a sea of smoke, and someone far away had even used a Miracle for Binding on Luna's legs, preventing her from escaping!

"I've told you, my name is Luna!" As Luna roared, a gust of wind blew from her side, instantly extinguishing all the Spells and Miracles, and even blowing others hundreds of meters away!

This was Luna's Miracle—

"Your Miracle is to shoot a gust of wind that annihilates all Energy and pushes all creatures away."

"But your cost is that your body will become weakened."

Ren Suo glanced at Luna's Status and found that all of Luna's Attributes had dropped by 75%, and her Attack Power and defensive power had also greatly decreased.

However, this was inevitable. Had she endured another round of control attacks from the other Apostles of the Moon God a moment ago, she probably would have had to reload from a save, Ren Suo mused.

Luna immediately used Moon Step to land on the ground. At that moment, the woman in black was slowly escaping while carrying the man in red. She saw Luna and suddenly smiled. "You still like me, don't you? You'd even risk your life to save me; you must love me, right?"

"Cut the steak and fries crap." The man in red she was carrying coughed out blood and cursed, "In this life, I only love the woman who fed me that night!"

"Then why did you save me?" the woman in black asked, unfazed.

"Protecting women is a man's romance. Plus, I took your money."

"But you don't take other people's money, only mine. That means you still like me."

"COUGH, COUGH... put me down, talking reason with you is impossible..."

Seeing that they had started chatting like this, Ren Suo had no choice but to have Luna say, "Hand over the Silver Moon Crystal."

The woman in black glanced at Luna. "You could just kill us and take it from our bodies. Do you really think I have only one?"

Ren Suo actually wanted to put the woman in black into a Dream Death State. However, with Luna in a weakened state, she was likely to expose them if she made any moves. So, he could only have Luna answer, "I believe you, because I have other Silver Moon Crystals."

The woman in black was slightly taken aback, then nodded. "That's also true... but he and I can't get far anyway. When that group comes over, we're still going to die. Rather than dying at their hands, I'd prefer to die at the hands of a future Moon God."

This answer from the woman in black essentially confirmed that she really only had one Silver Moon Crystal, Ren Suo deduced.

Ren Suo thought for a moment, then had Luna say, "First, give me the Silver Moon Crystal."

The woman in black didn't say anything else and simply tossed a Silver Moon Crystal over.

"Luna obtained 'Silver Moon Crystal: Divine Movement.'"

"'Silver Moon Crystal: Divine Movement: With this Silver Moon Crystal, your Movement Speed will increase exponentially in a non-combat state until you stop moving. All Supernatural Abilities' power increases by 5%, Moon-Related Supernatural Abilities' power additionally increases by 25%.'"

"Current count of Silver Moon Crystals: 10/25."

Ren Suo changed Luna's Abilities and props, allowing Luna to fire two green streams of Energy at the woman in black. The woman in black didn't resist and stood there waiting for her fate.

However, the two green streams wrapped around them, swiftly helping them recover from their injuries.

Even the Healing Magic, Strengthened by the 'Pure White Mini Holy Grail,' though considerably weakened by the Miracle Cost, still had some effect, Ren Suo noted.

The woman in black and the man in red looked surprised at Luna, to whom Luna replied, "Go quickly."

Then, Ren Suo immediately had Luna Teleport away. Otherwise, those blown away would also be returning soon. In Luna's weakened state, if she couldn't defeat them and conjured another gust, it'd lead to further weakening, and she might not even be able to walk, he reasoned.

The weakened state also reflected in her Attributes. Normally, Luna could Teleport three or four times before suffering internal injuries, but now one Teleport was enough to cause damage, and she needed to slowly recover under the Dragon Heart before continuing to Move.

Coming here took eighty seconds, but returning took several minutes. When Luna returned to the room she had awakened in, she found that the place was surprisingly the home of the Doctor and the Little Nurse.

She simply knocked and entered, greeted by the Doctor in home clothes, who seemed a bit younger to Ren Suo's keen observation.

This time, Luna's identity seemed to be a friend living with the Doctor and the Little Nurse. After Luna entered, she saw the sleepy Little Nurse also coming out. The Doctor immediately approached her, turned the Little Nurse around, and took her to the bathroom to wash up.

Luna sat in the living room, watching the Doctor help the Little Nurse brush her teeth, wash her face, and comb her hair. Then they went to the kitchen together to cook breakfast and eat with Luna.

Although the breakfast had a strong buff effect, Ren Suo didn't care about that at all. From Luna's perspective, watching the Doctor and Little Nurse have breakfast was too sugary sweet; the Little Nurse got food on her lips, and the Doctor casually wiped it off and ate it himself...

Hey, wait, wait, aren't you supposed to like Luna? I remember that according to the 'Daughter of Asura' setting, you're supposed to have an inappropriate relationship with Luna! Ren Suo thought.

Watching their overly sweet display, after breakfast, the Little Nurse went back to the study to work, and the Doctor followed her, leaving Luna alone in the living room.

Just as Ren Suo was wondering if he should reload and switch character tags, the Doctor came out of the study and said, "Luna, going to your room?"

An option popped up on the screen: "Go" "Don't Go"

Oh, Doctor, you little vixen! So it's only when you're alone that the 'Daughter of Asura' plot triggers? And you even suggest going to the room, tsk tsk tsk... Ren Suo thought.

Wait, aren't the Doctor and the Little Nurse supposed to be a couple in this Moon Phase as well?

So, is Luna, the 'Daughter of Asura,' aiming to make the Doctor abandon the Little Nurse and become devotedly hers?!?

Ren Suo straightened up. How could there be such a vulgar game plot that doesn't conform to mainstream social values and violates the eight honors and eight shames? He decided to critically review this part of the plot to see what other tricks the game had.

"Go!"

Then the two of them arrived at Luna's room, and the game popped up with the option: "Do you want to seduce him?"

Wow, this game is shameless, despicable, and utterly base! Ren Suo harshly criticized the plot, choosing "Yes."

But clearly, Luna had no seduction skills; she just hugged the Doctor and kissed him. I feel no emotion inside, Ren Suo thought. In the second Moon Phase, Luna had already been with the Doctor once for the Moon Ceremony.

They cuddled for a while sitting on the bed, then Luna pushed him away and asked, "Do you like me?"

Doctor: "Yes, yes."

Luna: "Would you do anything for me?"

Doctor: "Yes, yes."

"'Daughter of Asura' role-play successful, dream grants 150 Experience Points."

This character tag is pretty straightforward, Ren Suo sighed as he watched the Doctor about to succumb on the screen. NPCs really don't offer any challenge; it's too easy.

Luna: "Then from now on, stay with me and don't approach anyone else."

Unexpectedly, Luna actually knew what to do! First step: sever the other's social connections, make him chat only with her, completely dependent on her... It seems this character tag will be perfectly role-played soon, Ren Suo thought.

Doctor: "I can't do that."

Hmm?

Luna: "Why? Don't you love me?"

Doctor: "Yes, yes."

Luna: "Then why can't you leave others?"

Doctor: "Why does loving you mean I have to leave others?"

Hmm hmm?

Luna: "Because of love."

Doctor: "That's not right. If I choose you because of love today and leave others, then one day in the future, I will definitely abandon you for love too."

Hmm hmm hmm?

Doctor: "In this world, the most ridiculous thing is being blinded by love, then pairing up, splitting, and reuniting over and over, never a day of peace. And I don't only like you."

Hmm hmm hmm hmm?

Luna posed the question Ren Suo wanted to ask: "So what are you going to do?"

Doctor: "Just, just keep living happily like this."

MEOW MEOW MEOW? Ren Suo blinked his eyes, seeing the NPC seriously saying such absurd words.

Ren Suo remembered that in the 'Daughter of Asura' character tag, the target should be utterly devoted to Luna. Ren Suo just needed to let Luna seduce the Doctor to make him forsake everything and become devoted to her.

How did it turn out this way!?

At that moment, Ren Suo suddenly recalled a setting from the dream-within-a-dream world: "If the dream conflicts with the desires of the Apostle of the Moon God, it will automatically be amended and compromised."

This change in the Doctor was naturally due to a conflict between the dream and the 'Daughter of Asura' tag.

Now it seemed that the Doctor's character, which should have only involved doting on the Little Nurse, had been twisted by Luna into liking Luna as well.

Then the dream and the command of the Apostle of the Moon God began to automatically adjust and compromise, and the NPC's character design was compromised into... a scumbag?

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