Translator: AnubisTL
The road home was bathed in the warm, golden glow of dusk, as the streetlamps simulating natural light flickered on one by one along the sidewalks.
Jieming habitually observed this "familiar" yet strange world, all while continuing the agonizingly slow, snail-like channeling of spiritual power in his mind.
While waiting for the signal at an intersection, his gaze inadvertently swept over a figure buying a drink from a vending machine on the opposite street corner. He froze instantly.
That person... I know him!
Strictly speaking, he didn't know him.
They had only met once during the gathering for the Dimensional Expedition.
He remembered that slightly arrogant young face—a fourth-tier wizard. Beyond that, he knew nothing else; he had only seen the man as they passed through the portal.
Jieming was highly sensitive to energy fluctuations. Though it had been a fleeting glance, the man's soul aura and appearance had left an impression.
"What's wrong?" Victor sharply noticed Jieming's sudden halt. He followed Jieming's gaze and immediately took on a knowing expression. "Oh, it's him. I never thought we'd run into that guy again after high school."
Jieming blinked, quickly searching through his false memories.
Sure enough, a fragment of relevant information surfaced: the young man opposite them was named "Kevin," a former high school classmate. Their relationship had been... decidedly strained. The reason was simple: during their final year of high school, Jieming had won ownership of that very same iron rod from Kevin through a "scholarly duel," becoming the school bully in the process.
"Yeah, what a coincidence," Jieming replied vaguely, suppressing the turmoil in his heart.
After parting ways with Victor at the fork in the road, he walked alone toward "home," his mood growing even more complex.
He pushed open the door with practiced ease, greeted his "parents" who were watching the news in the living room, and almost immediately retreated to his bedroom, locking the door behind him.
He collapsed onto the bed, closed his eyes, and cleared his mind of all distractions, once again sinking his entire consciousness into the deathly silent dantian qi sea.
His will became an invisible hand, continuing the tedious and arduous task of pushing the stagnant spiritual power toward that faint, alluring pull.
Time flowed by in the silence until the sky outside the window had completely darkened. Only when his mother knocked on the door, calling him for dinner, did Jieming wearily open his eyes.
Checking his progress, a faint, imperceptible light flashed in the depths of his pupils.
His luck was good. The results were better than expected!
Though it remained a struggle, Jieming could clearly feel his efficiency in channeling spiritual power slowly and steadily improving with each attempt.
It seemed the "Adaptive Evolution" trait granted by the Body Tempering Method was still at work, gradually adapting to this power-suppressed environment and instinctively seeking breakthroughs and optimization paths.
At this rate, even if I can't channel spiritual power around the clock, I'll be able to connect to my internal space in five days at most! Jieming's heart steadied. With a clear goal in sight, his anxiety eased considerably.
At the dining table, his "parents" noticed his unconcealed exhaustion and concernedly urged him not to overwork himself, reminding him that studying requires a balance of tension and relaxation.
Jieming nodded in agreement, but his mind drifted back to the "Kevin" he had seen earlier that day.
This is too strange.
If he were very familiar with that wizard, it would make sense for this plane to use a template from his memories to construct a corresponding false identity.
But the problem was, they had only met once, and hadn't even exchanged a single word.
Even a novice on this Path would know that one of the basic principles of constructing an illusionary realm or a mental world is to minimize elements that might trigger "déjà vu" or logical conflicts in the subject.
Typically, only two types of roles are used: those extremely familiar, or those completely unknown.
Using a person who was "met only once—not familiar, but still vaguely recognizable"—carried a high risk. Such a sudden jolt of déjà vu could easily trigger the subject's subconscious alertness.
Coupled with the genuine knowledge he had acquired in this world—knowledge that far exceeded his own—a shockingly bold hypothesis struck Jieming like a bolt of lightning in the dark.
Could it be... that this world isn't entirely "fake"? Jieming shook his head, refusing to dwell on the thought. It was too early to draw conclusions; he hadn't gathered enough information or clues.
Still, if this hypothesis holds, I'll need to find others to verify it...
He needed to find enough samples to observe their state, perhaps even attempt contact.
After dinner, Jieming returned to his room.
He didn't immediately resume channeling his spiritual power. The fatigue from such intense mental concentration was real, and this body—suppressed to that of an ordinary human—needed rest.
He decided to clear his mind, using the time to execute his "common knowledge supplement" plan.
He activated the light screen in his room, connected to the world's network, and began searching for the advanced knowledge that had piqued his interest in class—specifically, physics, spacetime theory, and basic energy models.
"Oh? This energy circuit design... it's quite interesting. A completely fresh approach..."
"And this formula... brilliant! To think it could simplify multi-dimensional calculations this way!"
Soon, Jieming's wizardly nature took over. He became completely immersed in the sea of knowledge, ravenously absorbing the unfamiliar yet logically rigorous information, temporarily forgetting the predicament of being trapped in a cage.
The next day, on the way to school, Jieming walked with Amy and Victor, just as he had the day before. However, Amy seemed preoccupied.
"What's wrong?" Jieming didn't really want to get involved, but considering he had to maintain his persona, he asked anyway.
She spoke up, "Um... my aunt's birthday is coming up soon. I want to choose a gift for her, but I don't know what to get. Do you have any suggestions?"
Jieming asked in return, "Is there anything she particularly likes?"
Amy thought carefully, her expression turning a bit awkward. "She... likes movies."
Victor looked at Amy's face and said in confusion, "Judging by your expression, it seems like that's not the whole story?"
Amy fell silent for a moment, then lowered her voice a bit sheepishly. "She really does love movies... but I once asked her why she's so fascinated by them. She said... she just finds it incredibly satisfying, incredibly... cathartic, to watch the villains in movies have their convictions shattered and be utterly defeated by the heroes."
Jieming's eyelid twitched violently at her words.
There was something... seriously off about that.
No, to be precise, it felt strangely familiar.
Victor didn't seem to think much of it and offered a straightforward suggestion: "That's easy. Just buy her a ticket to a popular movie, or a limited-edition DVD, or a poster."
Amy hesitated at the suggestion, seemingly feeling it wasn't thoughtful enough.
A thought struck Jieming, and he suddenly proposed, "The day after tomorrow is a day off. Why don't we go to the commercial district together? We might find a truly eye-catching gift if we look in person."
"Yes, yes!" Amy immediately agreed.
Victor also nodded indifferently.
Seeing them both agree, Jieming nodded to himself.
His true intention was to explore this fake world on a larger scale. After all, his range of movement was far too limited right now.
As it happened, helping Amy buy a gift was a perfect excuse.
(End of the Chapter)
---------------------------
📖 You are reading [190] Chapters behind.
🔥 Read up to Chapter [552] now, only on 𝕔𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕥𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝕞.
💸 Read up to Chapter [436] for 100% FREE!
📚 Read upto [13,000+] Chapters on Site with [10,400+] Free Chapters!
🚫 Also get FREE lifetime ad-free and join the giveaway by joining our Discord!
---------------------------