By the time Ren Suo and the others returned home, it was already evening.

Whether it was due to You Jiu's embarrassing or terrifying performance in the live stream, the authorities of the Mysterious Country had issued orders prohibiting them from participating in the "Destiny" live stream anymore.

But according to Nan Xi's more polite explanation, "The live broadcast scene is too dangerous. If you go there rashly, you may encounter casualties that you can't defend against. Moreover, since we have no agreement with the Immortal Palace, if the people of the Immortal Palace are dissatisfied with our participation, worsening bilateral relations would be undesired. Therefore, the 'capture operation' is hereby concluded."

These reasons naturally made sense. First, the battlefield in the live broadcast was above magma or beneath the deep sea. If the magma erupted or the deep-sea barriers broke, Dong Chengling would definitely have to close the space gate. Any Fourth-Stage Cultivators left behind would inevitably die—both magma and the deep sea were extremely lethal to Fourth-Stage Cultivators.

Secondly, although You Jiu was very confident, most people still felt that the Disaster Girl's final action indicated dissatisfaction with him. The upper echelons of the Mysterious Country were probably frustrated as well. They likely knew You Jiu was unreliable, but they hadn't expected him to be unreliable to this extent. If You Jiu upset the Immortal Palace, it would be a headache for everyone.

Therefore, with the capture operation ending, everyone went their separate ways. You Jiu insisted that Ren Suo share his WeChat with him, clearly still eager to chase after the Disaster Girl and hoping to seek advice directly from Ren Suo. However, Ren Suo was also curious about You Jiu's actions, so they exchanged contact information.

Ren Suo had intended to go straight home. However, he was caught by Li Dan and Yu Kuangtu. They insisted on taking him back to the Tactical Bureau, confining him to Little Black to write a report.

Ren Suo pleaded numerous times, promising that he would write the report as soon as he got home. But Yu Kuangtu simply didn't believe him. He even suspected that Ren Suo would assign the task to a female student—Yu Kuangtu had seen several names in the first author column of reports Ren Suo submitted to the Tactical Bureau and knew he had been slacking off. Yu Kuangtu insisted that Ren Suo couldn't go home until he finished writing.

Qiao Muyi and Dong Chengling hadn't seen each other for a while, so they took it as a vacation and explored Lianjiang.

Bai Ji wanted to visit the Tactical Bureau, but Qiao Muyi dragged him along to act as a shield—with Bai Ji by their side, they received fewer unwanted approaches when walking down the street.

Originally, Qiao Muyi and Dong Chengling were just above average in appearance. However, after cultivating to the third turn, they both became increasingly more attractive. Their skin, naturally, needed no mention; most importantly, the Vital Energy and Spirit of a Transcendent made them shine like dazzling pearls.

After Ren Suo finished writing the report and uploaded it to the internal network, he went over to Li Dan's. He was planning to relax with her for a while to increase their mutual goodwill when Li Dan suddenly said to him, "When you go back, you should be able to get the 'Mystery of the Sovereign Lord·Chapter Two' from the Net."

"Wasn't it said that I could only get it after reaching the third turn?" Ren Suo was somewhat surprised.

"That was the case before. Even though Deputy Director Yu and I were vouching for you, the procedural steps still had to be taken. However, after Captain Qiao became a deputy director, she also gained authority over the Mysterious Sovereign's Secret Records. With two deputy directors vouching for you, whether you are third turn or not doesn't matter much anymore."

Li Dan found a small stool, took off her shoes, and put her feet up. Lying back in her chair, she said, "However, it's actually of little use even if you get it ahead of time. I've also learned the second chapter, but it's really difficult to use the Second Tier Cyclone to drive the Cultivation Techniques of the second chapter. Not only is the amount of energy from the cyclone insufficient, but it's also extremely difficult to concentrate spiritual power. If you can succeed, indeed the cultivation efficiency can be 50% faster than with only one chapter. But the success rate is too low, and you might simply waste a lot of time. I suggest you just diligently cultivate the first chapter..."

The implication was that Li Dan wasn't optimistic Ren Suo could master the 'Mystery of the Sovereign Lord·Chapter Two' with only a Second Tier Cyclone.

After all, cultivation depended mainly not on talent but on perseverance and determination. As for Ren Suo... someone who could stay cooped up at home all year round definitely had determination, but his perseverance was questionable.

"Okay, okay, go to sleep," Ren Suo gestured with his fingers in front of Li Dan, and soon she fell asleep under the influence of the Good Dream Technique.

After leaving the Tactical Bureau, Ren Suo accompanied Dong Chengling to buy groceries. In celebration of Qiao Muyi's promotion, they had initially planned to eat out. However, Qiao Muyi still wanted to eat Dong Chengling's home-cooked meals, so they ultimately decided to have a gathering at Dong Chengling's house.

Little Jiu had been left in the care of Ren Xingmei and the others for a day. Now that Ren Suo and Dong Chengling were back, she pounced on him, her little head constantly rubbing against Ren Suo's chest, while his hand kept stroking her head. He had to fight the boss tomorrow, so he was trying to rub off some luck now, praying for frequent resurrections and Great Hope.

Ren Suo took the time to return home first. He logged into the Net and, sure enough, saw 'Mystery of the Sovereign Lord·Chapter Two'.

But it required Spirit Stones.

The Spirit Stones he received in September and October were instantly depleted. Even if Ren Suo advanced to the third turn this month, he wouldn't have any Spirit Stones left to buy Spells.

But if it was time to exchange, Ren Suo had to do it. He received 'Mystery of the Sovereign Lord·Chapter Two' from the internal network, and a warm current transformed into knowledge that merged into his mind.

"So that's how it is..." Ren Suo opened his eyes, having completely understood the contents of the second chapter.

The second chapter was actually an advanced version of the first; one must master the first chapter to even have a chance of learning the second. In terms of Spirit Absorption, refining oneself, and orderly breathing, the second chapter's content was more complex, more detailed, and demanded higher precision than the first.

If the cultivation process of the first chapter was: first roughly draw a head, a body, a pair of feet, a pair of hands, and you're done.

Then the cultivation process of the second chapter was: first roughly draw a head, a body, a pair of feet, a pair of hands, add details, and you're done.

Anyway, Ren Suo glanced at it and knew that without reaching the third turn, he probably wouldn't have a chance of getting started.

But he wasn't planning on relying on himself.

After accepting 'Mystery of the Sovereign Lord·Chapter Two', Ren Suo looked towards the balcony—the clothes were all hung up nicely.

The game controller was placed neatly on the coffee table. Ren Suo pressed it, and the TV screen turned on.

"Minor World, joy, endless?" Today's boot-up voice carried a slight hint of sarcasm.

Ren Suo immediately entered "Hand of Fate." Indeed, the clone had stopped after clearing the level to hang clothes, mop the floor, and do a general cleanup, so the game progress had been frozen on the settlement screen.

After a glance, Ren Suo was instantly exhilarated—

'Completion of mission basic objectives—60 points;'

'Treasure Hunter—10 points;'

'Thorn-Striding Black King—10 points;'

'Technique-Oriented Player—10 points;'

'Strongest King—10 points;'

'Total score is 100 points, rated as Perfect.'

'Current mission score: 100 points (Perfect), Highest mission score: 100 points (Perfect)'

'Due to player achieving Perfect rating, meeting the hidden criteria, you will receive hidden side-mission info for this game.'

'Side-mission: Surpass Fate. Predict the Path of Destiny ahead, preemptively eliminate the Source of Disaster (2 chances remaining).'

'Due to player achieving Perfect rating, meeting the hidden criteria, you will receive the hidden reward of this game.'

'Hidden reward: Randomly receive one blessing possessed by a game character.'

100 points! I actually scored 100 points!

An indescribable ecstasy surged from Ren Suo's spine up to his pituitary gland. He tightly grasped the controller, his eyes sparkling with starlight!

Only now did he realize that scoring 100 points could also earn him the game's hidden rewards!

Although the hidden reward didn't seem all that impressive, it was free! Free is always better! Praise free stuff! Long live freeloading!

And among the blessings, there were quite a few good things. For example, Shuten Douji's blessing could provide endurance, which was quite nice.

If I could win the Blessing of Hope Dust, would that mean I'll never be unlucky again in this life?

With endless anticipation, Ren Suo scrolled the page down to see the settlement details—

'Due to the player in this session being a special existence, all rewards will be converted into resources usable by the player.'

Wait, wait a minute!

'Hidden reward 'Blessing of Hope Dust,' converted to enhance player ability.'

No, I don't want that!

'Task evaluation upload complete. You have gained 50 Merit Points, converted to enhance player ability.'

Ahhhhhh!

Watching the settlement screen disappear completely, Ren Suo, devoid of any strength, slumped against the couch, staring blankly at the ceiling with hollow eyes.

"When I tear through the heaven and earth of this half-mile dawn and dusk, a three-foot blue light cycles to cleanse the dust~"

"Hello?" Ren Suo didn't even glance at the caller ID. He answered the phone and asked, "Who is it?"

"Me," Zhao Huo said. "I heard you guys are having a dinner party, right? I haven't eaten yet and was planning to come back."

"I didn't even tell you. Shouldn't you have some self-awareness..."

"Xiao Meng bet that you definitely forgot. Besides, Teacher Dong invited me, saying it was to thank me for treating Little Jiu to a meal yesterday. But Xiao Meng told me to ask you first, whether I should go tonight or not. If I should, then I'll go; if not, then I won't."

Okay, Ren Suo indeed forgot. After all, Zhao Huo rarely dined with them. Dong Chengling had mentioned it to Ren Suo, but as soon as Ren Suo got home and became busy claiming 'Mystery of the Sovereign Lord·Chapter Two,' he forgot.

"Wait a second, Xiao Meng?" Ren Suo tilted his head and asked.

"It's still the long vacation, so Xiao Meng came over to see me. We're on our way back to school together now."

"And... Sister Sun?"

"She's with us too."

"Huh? Why would she be with you?"

"We had planned to go to the comic convention today. Xiao Meng showed up halfway through, so we just..."

Ren Suo slowly pieced together in his mind what Zhao Huo's day must have been like: first, he went to the comic convention with Sun Shu, then Xiao Meng arrived in the afternoon, and the three of them hung out together. Now, Dong Chengling invited him to dinner, Zhao Huo mentioned it to Xiao Meng and Sun Shu, and then... they also tagged along back with Zhao Huo!?

"Sure, no, problem, at, all!"

"Why does your tone sound so odd..."

"I'm just happy, bro."

The strong, when angered, attack the stronger; the weak, when angered, attack the weaker.

The best way to emerge from tragedy is to witness the tragedies of others.

Build your happiness on the pain of others.

These thoughts suddenly surfaced in Ren Suo's mind. Stirring up courage from his mischievous side, he earnestly asked Zhao Huo, "I want to ask you something."

"Hmm?"

"What aspect of a girl do you value the most!?" Ren Suo shouted loudly as he asked. "Is it the length of time you've known them, or shared interests?"

On the other end, Zhao Huo, who was driving, bewilderingly repeated Ren Suo's question, "Valuing what aspect of a girl? The length of time known or shared interests?"

Xiao Meng in the passenger seat and Sun Shu in the backseat both tensed up, waiting for Zhao Huo's answer with a hint of nervousness.

Ren Suo completely swept away his depression and excitedly awaited Zhao Huo's response, his face breaking into a silly grin.

If Zhao Huo gave the wrong answer, then... hehehe.

"I guess I pay more attention to a girl's... character illustration."

All of Ren Suo's smiles instantly vanished.

He "oh"-ed and hung up the phone.

As expected of Zhao Huo. I, Ren Suo, concede defeat.

However, after that episode, Ren Suo also regained his spirits and opened the Equipment Interface.

Yet when he saw the description of 'Struggle Warrior (Damaged),' he couldn't help but become filled with sorrow and anger—

'Struggle Warrior (Damaged)'

'Quality Rank: Three-star Ability, Prerequisites: None.'

'Effect: By using this ability, the player will gain a clone that is identical to themselves (thoughts, habits, body, knowledge). The clone cannot think independently and must be commanded in order to act (the player cannot remote-control the clone from a distance); command can also be handed over to someone else. Depending on the combat power of the clone, the duration varies from 1 minute to 180 minutes, with a cooldown time of 24 hours.'

'Extra Effect·Hope Link: Within a direct line distance of 333 meters, the player can directly acquire and control the consciousness of the clone or issue commands within their consciousness.'

'Extra Effect·Combat Merit: Whether the duration ends or if the clone receives a fatal injury, the clone can forcibly survive for 50 seconds. Each clone can only trigger this once.'

'Special Note: The combat power inherited by the clone shall not exceed 76,000. It does not inherit the effects of props, but it does inherit the effects of abilities. The clone cannot switch abilities autonomously but can trigger the Key Search System.'

'Remark: Don't even think about it. Even if you order the clone to study, the learning experience won't end up in your brain. Even if you command the clone to play games, you won't reap the benefits in the end.'

The clone gaining the 'Combat Merit' extra effect, allowing it to forcibly survive for 50 seconds, perfectly corresponded to the 50 Merit Points obtainable from a 100-point evaluation... but Ren Suo didn't care about these 50 seconds at all! If the clone was beaten to the brink of death, an extra 50 seconds of life would be useless!

As for the 'Hope Link' extra effect, it seemed quite powerful. This showed how incredibly strong the original 'Blessing of Hope' must have been... perhaps it truly was a blessing that could directly avoid all bad luck!

Ren Suo had never imagined that when the clone played games, the Minor World Game Console would actually treat the clone as the player!

It was bad enough to be considered a player. But when it came time to settle the rewards, the console was unwilling to award them to Ren Suo, only to the clone.

Moreover, to avoid being exploited by Ren Suo, the Minor World Game Console directly converted the rewards into effects that the clone could benefit from!

Fortunately, this wasn't the final level; otherwise, Ren Suo felt that even the Treasure Box would have been swallowed by the clone!

"Hmph, you think that's going to work?" Ren Suo looked at the TV screen and let out a cruel smile.

"Within 333 meters… Based on the straight-line distance, I should be able to reach the school infirmary from here. Let me see if I can change the one-day-a-month clinic duty to one hour of clinic duty every day. That way, one hour of work, doing laundry before work, then air-drying clothes and cleaning up after returning, I should still have plenty of time. But I don't do laundry and cleaning every day, and it's not ideal for the clone to be doing these chores all the time, so... I'll set aside two days a week and have the clone buy takeout to improve our meals!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.