Su Ning woke up around two in the morning, her eyes opening to the soft darkness, her mind uncharacteristically restless despite the physical exhaustion she had accumulated throughout the day.
She lay still for a long moment, staring at the ceiling as the silence of the night pressed gently around her, and no matter how she shifted or closed her eyes again, sleep stubbornly refused to return.
A quiet sigh escaped her lips as she turned onto her side, her fingers curling slightly into the satin sheets. "Looks like my body doesn't agree with sleeping anymore," she murmured softly, a faint, amused helplessness lacing her tone.
The surge of power she had gained earlier still lingered beneath her skin, restless and eager, and she realized she would only end up tossing and turning if she stayed here any longer.
With that thought, her eyes sharpened with decision, and in the blink of an eye, her figure vanished from the bed.
When she reappeared, she was already standing inside her personal space, the boundless field stretching out beneath the luminous, artificial sky, its grass swaying faintly even though there was no wind.
The massive warehouse stood silently in the distance, but instead of heading there as she usually did, Su Ning walked a few steps forward and lowered herself onto the soft grass, sitting cross-legged at the center of the open field, her posture straight and composed, her breathing gradually slowing.
With a casual flick of her finger, a small porcelain bottle appeared in her hand, its surface faintly warm with residual Qi. She uncorked it and tipped one Qi pill into her palm, studying it for a brief moment as it glowed softly with condensed spiritual energy.
"Well then," she murmured, her lips curving into a faint smile that carried both anticipation and confidence, "let's see how much closer you can bring me to breaking through."
She swallowed the pill without hesitation, closing her eyes as she placed both hands on her knees, her palms facing upward, her back straightening instinctively as her consciousness sank inward.
The moment the Qi pill dissolved within her, a torrent of pure, refined spiritual energy erupted in her dantian, exploding outward like a rushing river that had been held back by a dam for centuries.
Su Ning's brows knit together as she inhaled sharply, her entire body trembling faintly as she guided the surging Qi along her meridians, her mind focusing intensely on the cultivation method etched into her memory.
The Qi flowed through her channels in roaring currents, washing over her limbs, her organs, her bones, her muscles, and her nerves, refining and tempering every part of her physical form as it went.
She could feel impurities being squeezed out of her pores in tiny, invisible wisps, her blood growing warmer, purer, more vibrant with each passing breath.
Her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm as she drew in the ambient Qi from her space, the air around her shimmering faintly as spiritual energy condensed into visible threads that spiraled toward her like obedient streams, merging seamlessly into her body.
Each inhale brought in another wave of power, and each exhale expelled faint traces of turbid energy that dissipated into nothingness.
Time seemed to lose all meaning as she remained immersed in cultivation, her consciousness hovering at the edge of a profound stillness, her senses sharpened inward as she guided the Qi again and again through her meridians, expanding and strengthening them, reinforcing the pathways until they could hold denser, purer energy.
Gradually, the violent rush of Qi slowed into a steady, powerful flow, circulating endlessly within her, forming a closed loop that fed back into her dantian, compressing and condensing there like a growing core of luminous power.
Ten hours passed within her space without her realizing it.
When Su Ning finally opened her eyes, a faint golden gleam flickered within her pupils before fading into their usual dark brilliance, her lips parting as she drew a deep, satisfied breath.
She slowly exhaled, a low laugh rumbling from her throat. "So close," she murmured, her voice carrying a mixture of exhilaration and restrained impatience. "I can feel it. One more push, and I'll break through."
Although she had not yet stepped into level two, she knew with absolute certainty that she was standing right at the threshold.
Her senses were sharper than ever, so keen that she instinctively turned her head and focused on a distant corner of the field, only to find that she could now see clearly into a distance of about fifty meters as though it were right beside her, every blade of grass, every ripple in the terrain rendered in perfect clarity, unobstructed by anything in between.
Her eyes widened slightly. "So this is what heightened perception feels like," she whispered, awe flickering across her face.
She concentrated again, directing her awareness beyond imaginary barriers, and to her astonishment, even walls of stone or iron would no longer impede her sight if she focused hard enough. It was as though her vision had transcended physical limitations, peering directly into the fabric of space itself.
Her lips curved upward, and she closed her eyes briefly, testing her hearing next.
The faint hum of energy within her space, the subtle resonance of the field itself, and even the echo of her own heartbeat seemed amplified as she listened intently, discovering she could now hear things clearly up to thirty meters away, each sound separated, distinct, and perfectly defined.
A soft laugh escaped her. "This is ridiculous," she murmured, though her eyes gleamed with undisguised delight.
Her strength, too, had skyrocketed.
She clenched her fists slowly, feeling power coil densely within her muscles, her bones humming faintly with reinforced Qi, and she was suddenly certain that she could now take down twenty highly trained soldiers and sixty able-bodied men without breaking a sweat.
The realization made her pulse race.
She rose to her feet in one fluid motion, energy surging eagerly through her limbs, her body practically vibrating with unused potential. "Looks like it's time to test all of this properly," she said, her voice carrying an unmistakable thrill.
The field within her space stretched endlessly, wide and open, the perfect training ground.
In the next instant, Su Ning darted forward.
Her figure blurred into a streak of motion, her ghost steps propelling her across the grass with such speed that the ground beneath her barely registered her presence. She pivoted sharply, spun, leaped, and landed with impossible lightness, her movements fluid and precise, her control over her momentum flawless.
She accelerated again, vanishing from one point and reappearing at another in a heartbeat, her laughter ringing faintly through the open field as exhilaration surged through her.
She punched the air, her fist slicing through space with a low sonic boom, the sheer force of the strike sending ripples of compressed Qi outward. She followed with a sweeping kick, her leg moving so fast it left afterimages behind, the impact cracking the ground slightly beneath her.
She pushed herself harder, faster, testing the limits of her speed, her agility, her balance, her endurance.
Four hours passed, sweat began to bead along her forehead, trailing down her temples as she continued moving relentlessly, her breathing growing heavier, her muscles burning in the most satisfying way.
At one point, at the peak of her speed, her body suddenly slowed as though in slow motion and to her astonishment, her body entered a strange state, she had an epiphany.
She discovered that her feet suspended three centimetres above the ground as she moved. She could cover several feet in a step, the world around her seeming to lag behind her movements.
Her eyes widened, her excitement nearly overwhelming. "I can tame the speed," she breathed, her voice shaking with delight.
She tried again, this time focusing on lightness rather than speed, and her body lifted slightly, hovering about three centimeters above the ground as she glided forward, her toes barely grazing the grass.
A burst of laughter escaped her as she nearly lost balance in her excitement. "This is insane," she said breathlessly. "Absolutely insane."
She continued training for another hour, pushing herself to her limit, until her limbs trembled faintly and her chest heaved as she finally slowed to a stop, her body drenched in sweat, her breathing heavy but exhilarated.
She bent slightly, hands on her knees, panting softly, her eyes blazing with joy and triumph. "I'm… unstoppable," she murmured, her voice filled with awe at her own growth.
With a thought, she blurred again, and the field vanished.
She reappeared in her bedroom within the warehouse, her heartbeat still pounding in her ears, her clothes clinging to her sweat-damp skin.
She stripped without hesitation and stepped into the glass bathroom, the cool air sending a shiver down her spine. Moments later, she eased herself into the jacuzzi filled with cool water, sighing deeply as the liquid enveloped her overheated body.
Her muscles relaxed, the tension melting away as her head leaned back against the smooth edge, her eyes fluttering closed.
The soothing sensation was too much for her exhausted mind, and before she realized it, she drifted off into a light sleep.
An hour later, she stirred and sat up, blinking sleepily as she climbed out and dried herself off.
She dressed in a casual blue silk crop top and matching shorts, her hair still slightly damp as she walked back into her bedroom.
Her gaze fell on the box of mystical pearls resting quietly on the dresser, and she paused, her fingers twitching slightly as temptation rose within her.
"I really want to try one," she muttered, then shook her head firmly. "No. Not yet. I can't explain sudden changes here."
Her eyes then shifted to the bag containing the seven hundred million yuan she had won from the Tang family's casino, and her face lit up with a radiant smile.
"Right. This," she said with a laugh. "I can't believe I almost forgot about you?"
She wondered how the Tang family was doing, although seven hundred million yuan was hardly one-tenth of their of their net worth, she knew it would definitely be a huge pain.
She decided it was time to convert the cash, afterall money was made to be spent.
Her thoughts turned practical, but her smile fading slightly as she realized the trouble converting such a large amount of cash into her bank accounts could cause, not to mention the risk of drawing the Tang family's attention back to her.
"System," she called calmly, "is there a way to transfer this money into my bank account safely?"
The system replied immediately.
'Yes. The host's request can be processed.'
Su Ning nodded slowly. "Good. Then begin the transfer, but split the money into six of my gold cards."
She paused, then added, "Send one hundred million yuan into each card, and leave one hundred million yuan in cash inside the bag."
'At once, host!' the system responded.
The bag suddenly shrank slightly, and moments later, the system informed her that six of her bank cards now contained one hundred million yuan each.
She opened the bag and saw neatly laid stacks of cash, her lips curving upward in satisfaction.
"Perfect," she murmured, zipping it up and placing it in her closet.
She placed the box of mystical pearls into her drawer.
A she turned to leave, she realized she had spent more than seventeen hours in her space, she wondered how much time had passed in the real world.
She had never really taken time to study the time difference in her space. She only knew time in her space was much slower than that of the real world.
When she exited her space and checked the time, her eyes widened in astonishment.
2:17 a.m.
Only seventeen minutes had passed.
"So one hour in the space is one minute here," she whispered, her breath catching. "This is… god-level cheat code."
Her excitement surged again, and she laughed softly as she climbed back into the bed.
With nothing else pressing to do, she retrieved her tablet and had the system send all information about Vogue Pharmaceutical Company to it.
'Replying to Host! sending files...'
As she scrolled through the files, her expression turned serious, focused, her mind absorbing every detail.
She also learned three new languages that night, Russian, French, and Spanish, her consciousness integrating the knowledge seamlessly, with the aid of her photographic memory, it was a breeze.
Her English was already perfect.
She knew soon she would venture into the outside world and she would have to meet new people, she liked the idea of speaking and hearing for herself rather than relying on some interpreter.
She continued studying until dawn, her mind sharp, her body energized, her future stretching before her with limitless possibilities.