Sitting on the meditation cushion and engaged in his Cultivation, Ren Suo let out a long breath, his body covered in sweat. Enduring the soreness in his muscles and feeling dizzy, he finally concluded his Fourfold Circulation Cultivation.
What's next on the schedule... Ren Suo thought, subconsciously looking up at the clock. It was past midnight; it was now September 21.
He blinked, suddenly sensing that the Mysterious Energy within him seemed to have quieted down.
He paused, slowly stood up from the meditation cushion, and then leisurely strolled around the living room.
He walked slowly, as if worried he might disturb something. Reaching the coffee table, he picked up his cell phone to check the time, and then—then he actually—
He actually, scandalously, started scrolling through his social media feed! And he did so for a full minute!
Yet, after a minute passed, Ren Suo still didn't feel any Binding force upon him, as if scrolling through social media was no longer a waste of time.
His mouth fell slightly agape. The huge boulder that had been weighing on his heart suddenly dispersed, and his legs simply gave out, sending him kneeling to the floor.
Normally, after performing the Multiple Circulations Cultivation, a Cultivator would be so tired they would collapse. However, Ren Suo had been forced to do other things immediately after his Cultivation for the past few days, with no chance to lie down.
He had almost forgotten that he could rest after cultivating! I can actually rest!
Ren Suo covered his face with his hands, his back arching like a shrimp. His body trembled nonstop as he emitted meaningless, guttural screams.
"What's wrong, Bro?!"
It was Friday, so Ren Xingmei had come over to Ren Suo's House to play video games and had casually stayed over. Lately, whatever she wanted, Ren Suo just agreed with a series of 'Mm-hmms'.
As soon as she came out, she saw Ren Suo kneeling on the ground. He was roaring from deep within his throat, yet it also sounded like a whimper squeezed from the very wrinkles of his soul. The sound was truly heart-wrenching and tear-inducing to hear.
She quickly crouched in front of Ren Suo and asked, "What happened? Tell me, don't keep it to yourself—"
Ren Suo hugged his sister. With a sudden surge of strength from who knows where, he lifted her and spun her high in the air in the living room, exclaiming, "I made it through! I made it through! I succeeded! It's been eight days! Eight whole days!"
"Put me down!" Ren Xingmei shouted, embarrassed.
Ren Suo put her down but still held her tightly, almost trying to meld her into his embrace. His voice, thick with joyful tears, broke as he said, "I absolutely, absolutely won't... I won't let this happen again... Not anymore... My life isn't a game..."
Ren Xingmei felt a warmth spread through her heart. Her big brother has finally matured. She stopped struggling and whispered softly, "I know. I know how hard you've worked... Bro, you finally understand. In this world, you can't trust anything. The only one you can ever truly trust is yourself."
"Yes!" Ren Suo nodded vigorously. "There are no shortcuts to leveling up in this world by just being idle!"
"That's right. This world gives nothing for free. Most people are just passersby in your life, but I'm the one you should always..."
Before Ren Xingmei could finish her persuasive, brainwashing speech, Ren Suo's cell phone rang.
Ren Xingmei tsked softly, glanced at the caller ID, and silently made a mental note of this person in her little book.
It was clearly Zhao Huo's voice. To Ren Suo, who felt rejuvenated, it sounded extraordinarily pleasant. "Let's go out tomorrow!" Zhao Huo said. "How about we go for a buffet? Cheng Ling, Bai Ji, my sister, and a few other classmates will join. My treat!"
"Don't get any bright ideas just because I offered, okay?" Zhao Huo then grumbled. "So what if I said 'my treat'? I'm still the one footing the bill in the end!"
Ren Suo was surprised; he hadn't realized Zhao Huo was actually a warm-hearted person beneath a seemingly dense exterior. "Ah? You're treating? Well, in that case, it'd be rude not to accept..."
"This treat is just for you, by the way," Zhao Huo clarified. "And it's after the manga exhibition ends. Don't be late tomorrow."
Ren Suo blinked. He carefully sifted through his brain and, amidst a jumble of over twenty thousand English words, finally found the memory from ten days ago. He seemed to have agreed to join Zhao Huo in a stage play and had even rehearsed. For this, Zhao Huo had paid with a seafood buffet.
"The manga exhibition is tomorrow?!" Thɪs chapter is updated by novel•fire.net
"Tomorrow's Saturday, the day the exhibition starts! Are you taking the subway, or should I drive you?"
"You're driving, of course."
"Then be downstairs at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow."
After he hung up, Ren Xingmei asked curiously, "You're going to the manga exhibition tomorrow?"
"Yeah." Now that Ren Suo had ended his torturous Cultivation days, even the thought of going to work would have excited him, let alone attending a manga exhibition. "Are you going too?" he asked.
"No, I've made plans with Qin Lian and the others to join Teacher Dong's intensive cultivation class tomorrow," Ren Xingmei said, shaking her head.
Ren Suo was slightly taken aback. "Has the intensive class started already?"
"It was initially planned for October, but the vice-principal was apparently so impressed by your diligent Cultivation, Bro, that he had Teacher Dong start the intensive class early. Students can join freely. Qin Lian and I, along with the others, have already enrolled."
Although she also wanted to go with her brother, Ren Xingmei knew that if one's life revolved solely around another person, then that person could only live as a pathetic accessory. Only an independent woman with her own pursuits could control her own destiny... and others' as well! She was confident that she would soon catch up to her brother's Cultivation and then...
The image of Dong Chengling flickered in her eyes. Ren Xingmei clenched her fists, her fighting spirit blazing.
Lying on his bed after a shower, Ren Suo suddenly felt a Bond upgrade.
But soon, new information surfaced in his mind, pushing thoughts about the Bond aside for the moment.
"Ren Suo's total work output: 132, Rating: Good, Effect: Received unanimous praise from peers."
"Ren Suo's total learning output: 2,252, Rating: Excellent, Effect: Acquired Skill [Proficient in English]."
"Ren Suo's total Cultivation output: 3,888, Rating: Excellent+, Effect: Fully mastered Spell [Gauze Clothing]."
This summary list almost made Ren Suo cry again.
He had seen such a list before while playing games—it was the Rebel results screen, displayed in pixels.
But these three short lines now were written by Ren Suo himself—with his own flesh, sweat, and brainpower!
Finally... finally... Ren Suo thought, but before he could lament further, a wave of sleepiness overwhelmed him.
The fatigue accumulated over the past eight days, coupled with a full day of learning, physical training, and Cultivation, was immense. As soon as Ren Suo lay on his bed, his cerebral cortex immediately shut down for the night, leaving him no chance to resist.
However, this was probably the most peaceful sleep he'd had all month.
Finally, no more self-harm.