The moonlight at his fingertips cleaved through the flesh of his arm, blood flowing from the wound into the washbasin; the cut was so deep that bone was visible.

Ren Suo gasped in pain. He flicked his fingers lightly, and five nearly invisible threads immediately sewed up the laceration. Then, his right hand gathered a green glow, covering the wound, and instantly, a cooling sensation suppressed the pain.

A moment later, Ren Suo removed his palm and found that the wound had already healed, leaving only a slight white scar.

Ren Suo nodded in satisfaction, listing "Surgical Thread" and "Pain-Relieving Therapy" as essential skills for his reserve slots.

He had known for a long time that he didn't possess the so-called "Life Magic Affinity," so he didn't waste effort researching it and used the Mini-World Game Console's equipment function instead.

After spending an entire night, he finally managed to get a basic understanding of all four spells. He tried "Ghostly Rapid Step," and it wasn't bad, though its explosive power was inferior to "Mage's Death-Defying Feather," and its stamina... was also not as good.

After all, Ren Suo was using his Second Stage Cultivation to activate Third-Tier Magic, and it seemed Ren Suo also lacked talents like "Air Affinity" and "Strengthening Affinity." Hence, he burned through his Cyclone Spirit in no time at all.

However, "Ghostly Rapid Step" was acquired primarily to conceal "Mage's Death-Defying Feather." Moreover, "Ghostly Rapid Step" could indeed achieve near-teleportation speed if he was willing to inflict severe strain on his body—it was, after all, a Third-Tier Magic.

Ren Suo logged onto the internal network to check if his Research Points had been settled and found that the topics he proposed had been recognized as 'valuable content' by the network. Yet—he had not been promoted to a Level 3 Researcher.

Though he had enough Research Points, a Level 3 Researcher on the internal network was either a professor with a doctorate or a master's scholar from research institutes. In short—a bachelor's degree holder like Ren Suo did not meet the threshold.

When the internal network was first established, probably no one guessed that a non-research-type scholar, all on his own, could provide so many correct answers through quizzes and guesses, earning a large number of Research Points.

Level 1 and Level 2 Researchers were actually peripheral researchers, while Level 3 and above were mostly from various research institutes. Therefore, Ren Suo's Researcher Level was stuck there.

The internal network sent an email informing him that he was now a Tactical Bureau researcher and could apply to the Tactical Bureau to establish a related research group in order to raise his Researcher Level.

They also attached a benefits table for Level 3 Researchers.

Ren Suo glanced at it, and his eyes turned red: the increase in spell permissions from the legal network aside, a doubled salary aside, a one-third increase in Spirit Stones aside, the most important thing was—enhanced search privileges on the internal network!

It was then that Ren Suo learned that when he searched on the internal network, not all information was open to him. Not just domestic data, but many foreign materials were also temporarily sealed and unavailable for low-level researchers to access if their importance wasn't currently known.

If Level 1 and 2 Researchers were on the periphery, then Level 3 was officially an insider, with access to more information.

Besides, other sections of the internal network were completely unlocked, and though not as important as the "Mystery Forum," having a few more forums to browse was also good.

Therefore, Ren Suo took out his phone, thought for a moment, and called Yu Kuangtu.

"What's up?" Yu Kuangtu's voice was cool.

Ren Suo informed Yu Kuangtu about the internal network researcher promotion matters. Yu Kuangtu responded with a series of "mhms" and mused, "Is that so... What's to be done then..."

Sensing something off in Yu Kuangtu's tone, Ren Suo remembered that Yu Kuangtu now had to work because Ren Suo had told Li Dan about his situation. Although Li Dan probably hadn't revealed Ren Suo as the source, Yu Kuangtu wasn't a fool. He knew Ren Suo was one of the few aware of his recent promotion, so it was an easy guess who had talked.

Ren Suo's thoughts raced, and he quickly changed the subject. "By the way, after that life-and-death separation, did you two make any progress?"

Once the topic of love came up, a big oaf like Yu Kuangtu immediately took the bait. He stammered, "It's alright, I guess."

"Alright? Does that mean there has been progress? Have you established a relationship?"

"She hasn't even started college yet..."

"She'll be in college in just a few days, right? By the way, what university is she attending?"

"Heavenly Lotus Academy, she's in the freshman class," Yu Kuangtu said happily. "She has talent as well."

"Oh?" Ren Suo's thoughts quickly turned. "But once she starts school, she'll attend classes with handsome male classmates, meet gentle male classmates at the library, and encounter cheerful male classmates during cultivation. If she gets hurt, she might meet a handsome, gentle, and cheerful male doctor... By then... as a working adult, can you still accompany her? Will you still hold a place in her heart?"

'Negative emotions from Yu Kuangtu, +100.'

Yu Kuangtu, on the other end of the phone, hesitated before saying, "We... confirmed our relationship, and she knows I'm from the Tactical Bureau."

"So what if you confirmed your relationship? Do you think the girl you've set your sights on is ordinary?" Ren Suo said earnestly, "A gem cannot be hidden. And as you know, once someone starts cultivation, they become more charismatic, more beautiful... Tsk tsk tsk, I've got a collection of green hats here. Interested in one?"

"Get lost!"

However, the IQ-dropping effect produced by being lovesick was extremely powerful. Yu Kuangtu also felt that Ren Suo made some sense—of course, a girl he liked would be liked by many—but he still played tough. "I believe in her."

"Are you trying to test human nature?" Ren Suo asked in surprise. "I'm not saying your relationship can't withstand tests, but—do you really think that in the few dozen days you've known each other, you've built a fortress that can withstand storms, slander, and sugar-coated bullets? Are you sure she can't leave you now? On what basis? Your looks, your money, or your skills?"

"My grilling skills are number one in the world!" Yu Kuangtu retorted.

"I'm not talking about grilling... forget it," Ren Suo continued. "So you're planning to do nothing?"

Yu Kuangtu fell silent for a moment before asking, "What can I do?"

"Who am I?"

"You're a fo... wait a minute." Yu Kuangtu finally recovered his wits. "You want to help me monitor..."

"What monitoring? Are you crazy? This is called caring!"

Ren Suo hmphed. "I know a lot of people at the academy, and my sister is also a freshman. Maybe she knows your girl. If your girl falls ill, feels down, or runs into trouble, I can notify you immediately so you can fulfill your duties as a boyfriend and continue to deepen your relationship... Sounds good, doesn't it!"

"It sounds... good." Yu Kuangtu couldn't help nodding.

"So... about my researcher issue..." Ren Suo smacked his lips.

Yu Kuangtu replied, "I will find a way to help you resolve it. Tch, I feel like I've made some dirty deal with you."

"You take care of it, just don't increase my workload," Ren Suo instructed.

Yu Kuangtu hmphed and hung up the phone.

Seeing that the sun outside was just right, Ren Suo prepared to head out.

In the game, aside from the Village Chief, the adventurer had already mooched meals from five different families and was on the third day of his in-game journey. After he left the Dragonborn's house in the morning—where the Dragonborn had turned into an Assassin—he went to two other households for lunch and afternoon tea.

The couple who invited the adventurer for afternoon tea was young; the boy liked to play the piano while the girl played the violin.

In the battle at this household, Ren Suo had no choice but to equip the adventurer with WH-1000XM2 Noise-Canceling Headphones; otherwise, the sonic waves from the musical instruments would oppressively immobilize the adventurer, dooming him to a slow death by attrition.

'Noise-Canceling Headphones: An Extraordinary Tier Item, your travel companion. Provides "Super Sonic Defense," "Charm Enhancement," and "Hearing Enhancement" effects. Requires 40 energy points.'

Now, the adventurer—with 'Thought Cultivation' in his left hand, wearing an Advanced Countermeasure Vest, big Noise-Canceling Headphones around his neck, red Flying Boots on his feet, and Heart-Shaped Sunglasses concealing his eyes, which had two layers of cosmetic contact lenses—was idling in the village, grinding chickens.

After the couple had delivered their message, they gave the adventurer a chromatic harmonica, saying that playing 'Location of the Stars' on it could calm down Grandpa Fugui's cow.

Who knew if the adventurer could even play the instrument, but in the game, he accepted it regardless.

Ren Suo, however, wasn't confident in their token, feeling that at best it could only fend off the cow's attack once.

Ren Suo was going out shopping, hoping to find props that could subdue the cow.

He had realized that in this game, it wasn't the adventurer's Attack Power that was most important, but rather his versatility—if the adventurer had any obvious weaknesses, they could be instantly exploited, leading to his doom.

To date, Ren Suo still had no clue what method the cow used to kill the adventurer, but it was definitely not a conventional one Ren Suo was aware of.

Maybe the adventurer wouldn't have to fight the cow in the future, but enemies with combat abilities similar to the cow's could definitely exist.

So, Ren Suo had no choice but to seek help at the last minute and make preparations.

「An hour later, Ren Suo arrived at his destination.」

「Pure Wisdom Temple.」

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