Although Ren Suo wanted to find an opportunity to ask what part of the plot he had missed, everything happened very quickly as soon as they disembarked the plane. Ren Suo no longer had the chance to be alone with Dong Chengling.
They were swiftly taken to a covert medical facility within the Sky Capital City District. There, several Cultivators of at least the second turn cast Spells on them to quickly dissolve the phenomenon of their Spiritual Meridians being interconnected due to Spiritual Energy.
Such spontaneously formed, uncontrolled bindings of Spiritual Energy weren’t difficult to resolve. They could be immersed in stronger Spiritual Energy and allowed to slowly dissolve, much like a warm tongue licks a popsicle...
Almost all of these Cultivators were Awakeners who possessed Keys. Ren Suo’s heart, eager for his own Key, trembled under the overwhelming disparity in strength.
Speaking of which, Ren Suo had been in contact with Dong Chengling for so long, yet he had never triggered any Key-related information. It seemed he must have acquired it while he was unconscious.
Ren Suo thought that once they were separated, everything would be fine, and he could hurriedly return home to check on his Key and the free games for June. However, due to the "need for further observation," he was forcibly kept inside the underground medical facility, enduring days without internet access.
To keep Ren Suo occupied, the facility even provided controllable Spiritual Energy enhancement devices and a Law Net Instrument he could log into.
Upon logging in, Ren Suo found that this month’s Spirit Stones had been credited to his account. Based on his roles as a Researcher, Emergency Doctor at the Heavenly Lotus Academy, consultant for the Ren Naiser Special Project Group, and Special Consultant for the Tactical Bureau, he had received a total of 460 Spirit Stones. Combined with his existing 50, he had a total of 510 stones.
Chapter One of "Mysterious Sovereign’s Secret Records" required 400 Spirit Stones. Since Ren Suo had nothing else to do, he redeemed it.
Like a Spell being cast directly into his brain, Chapter One of "Mysterious Sovereign’s Secret Records" rippled through Ren Suo’s mind, becoming permanently etched into his neurons. Ren Suo sat on the cultivation cushion, naturally beginning to cultivate using the Mysterious Sovereign’s Secret Records.
The Mysterious Sovereign’s Secret Records were very complex. One Circulation took nineteen times longer than an Advanced Cultivation Method, yet Ren Suo couldn’t even complete one Circulation without interruption.
The Mysterious Sovereign’s Secret Records are no simpler than Spells, Ren Suo sighed inwardly. If I were at home, the Mysterious Sovereign’s Secret Records could have generated a Skill that could be placed directly in the Ability bar for cultivation...
As time passed day by day, Ren Suo persisted with the Mysterious Sovereign’s Secret Records. Seeing no one around, he activated "Unlimited Energy," wore the "Seeker of the Dao Correction Hat," and after four full days, finally succeeded in completing one Circulation.
If it weren’t for the constant RUSTLE, RUSTLE, RUSTLE of digging at night, Ren Suo was certain he could have cultivated even faster.
After one Circulation, Ren Suo felt his Spiritual Energy grow slightly. This stirred more Spiritual Energy to infiltrate his body, creating a comfortable sensation of soreness and numbness that was almost palpable. The feeling of gradually growing stronger thrilled Ren Suo slightly.
No wonder they’re so obsessed with cultivation; this pleasure is comparable to leveling up in a game!
However, Ren Suo still slacked off. He enjoyed the results after one Circulation, but the Exhaustion and soreness during the process were truly grueling. He wouldn’t have been able to persist without "Unlimited Energy."
Just when Ren Suo thought he might have been forgotten, his bedroom door suddenly opened one night, and two members of the Countermeasure team appeared at the doorway.
"Researcher Ren, Chief Ma needs your assistance," they said.
"Chief Ma?" Ren Suo, who was cultivating, was stunned. "Am I not a patient?"
A puzzled Ren Suo followed them out of the bedroom. Along the way, they passed several people carrying two cages covered with black cloth, heading deeper into the medical facility.
Ren Suo glanced back, then looked up at the medical facility. This ceiling, these walls...
Ren Suo arrived at a spacious area. Dong Chengling, whom he hadn’t seen for several days, stood in the center with several other people. The area was surrounded by various wires and instruments Ren Suo didn’t understand.
Already having a vague premonition, Ren Suo composed himself and walked over. A middle-aged man talking with others beside Dong Chengling turned, extended his hand politely, and said, "Hello, Researcher Ren. I am Zhao Jinhong from the Endangered Fairy Protection Department, under the Sky Capital Countermeasure General Bureau. You can call me Old Zhao."
"This time, Cultivator Dong needs your assistance to perform the Spell. On behalf of the Tactical Bureau, I earnestly request your help," he said.
Ren Suo’s pupils contracted sharply, but he nodded immediately. Old Zhao then looked at Dong Chengling and asked, "Time is pressing. Can Cultivator Dong begin right now? We must get ahead of Flourishing Sakura Country!"
"I am at your service." Dong Chengling turned, and as if inviting him to a dance, extended her delicate hand towards Ren Suo.
It had been several days since they last met, and Dong Chengling seemed even more captivating. She radiated a misty aura, as if the power of her Awakening had further sublimated her from within.
Old Zhao and Dong Chengling each urged him. Ren Suo already knew the role he was to play in this game, so he didn’t ask further and placed his left hand on Dong Chengling’s right.
Upon contact, a familiar sensation spread through Ren Suo once more. This time, however, it brought order, not chaos.
"Spiritual Energy transmission complete."
"Interference clearance complete."
The surrounding logistics units, after three consecutive verifications, signaled that they could begin.
Dong Chengling turned her head, staring into the empty space before her, and lightly traced a line in the air with her left hand.
Ren Suo immediately felt himself become a conduit. Spiritual Energy flowed through a mysterious channel within him, reaching Dong Chengling and becoming the crucial energy source for her awakened Spells.
The entire space erupted in a fierce storm of Spiritual Energy, which affected no one but instead furiously rushed into the trace left by Dong Chengling’s gesture.
In the space she had traced, a pitch-black rift appeared.
Dong Chengling seemed to think no further explanation was needed, that Ren Suo would understand on his own.
In fact, having seen it once, Ren Suo also knew how to pry open this rift.
He and Dong Chengling stood before the rift. His right palm faced upward, and her left palm faced downward, as they both inserted their hands into the rift.
"Follow your instincts; don’t be nervous," Dong Chengling said. "I’m here."
Ren Suo couldn’t help but be nervous, but not because of Dong Chengling, nor because he was part of this Spell.
Just the thought of the scene beyond the space made his breathing accelerate.
With ease, Ren Suo lifted, and Dong Chengling pulled.
It was as if they tore open the Hollow of an eye.
On the other side of the Hollow was a bustling nightscape Ren Suo had seen before.
The scenes he had once witnessed on a screen now unfolded before his very eyes.
The character he once controlled now appeared before him.
He raised his head, meeting those captivating, bewitching eyes.
The figure was descending gracefully along a path of butterflies, like a celestial being arriving.
Long time no see, Nine-Tailed Fox. Has it been... about half a month?