“This is one, this is two, and these are addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Alright! Now you can go solve these quadratic equations.”
‘What the hell am I even learning?!’
That was Xiao Nanchu’s current thought.
Seeing how easily Luo Taozhi operated, he had assumed it would be simple. However, as soon as he tried it himself, he could only split the spiritual energy in his body into dozens of strands at most. And even with just those dozens of strands, he found them incredibly difficult to control…
“How is it? Simple, right?” the girl’s teasing voice rang in his ear.
Xiao Nanchu continued to struggle, attempting to split his spiritual energy even further. In the end, every attempt resulted in failure.
‘I knew it! I knew this girl couldn’t possibly be this kind!’
She had intentionally tripped him up here.
Damn! How could Luo Taozhi’s brain process so many things simultaneously?
“Are you messing with me? Is this really how Daoist Arts are cast?”
“Of course. Why would I mess with you?” Luo Taozhi looked at Xiao Nanchu with a look of pure bewilderment, as if saying, ‘Can you really not do something this basic?’
Xiao Nanchu fell silent, then turned back to try again. He refused to believe it! Was he really incapable of doing this?
Seeing Xiao Nanchu’s stubborn refusal to give up, Luo Taozhi wanted to laugh.
It was true that she hadn’t lied to him; at least, that was how she used the technique. But she hadn’t told Xiao Nanchu that she had modified this Daoist Art! Where would a normal, ordinary Fireball Technique have such complex patterns?
In reality, being able to split a single strand of spiritual energy into ten was considered passing the standard, allowing one to cast a basic Fireball. She certainly wasn’t going to tell Xiao Nanchu that.
‘Just let him study it slowly… Hehe~’
From that point on, Xiao Nanchu failed to successfully cast a single Fireball until he had completely exhausted the spiritual power in his body. Then, because the mental strain was too much, he gave himself a quick wash and collapsed onto his bed in a deep sleep.
After enjoying her favorite fried chicken and cola, Luo Taozhi looked at the sky—which wasn’t even dark yet—and then at the unconscious Xiao Nanchu. She found the whole situation quite amusing.
‘This guy really has some persistence.’
At his peak, he had actually managed to split fifty strands of spiritual energy. His talent was actually quite good. Although he was far behind her, he was considered excellent compared to others.
Looking at Xiao Nanchu collapsed on the bed, Luo Taozhi felt a sudden, inexplicable wave of guilt.
‘Did I… play around a bit too much?’
She felt unusually sheepish.
‘I didn’t really do anything wrong, though. This counts as training his mental strength. The Daoist Arts I’m teaching him personally are things people in Another World would spend countless resources just to beg for!’
‘Yes, exactly!’
Guilt was not an emotion she should be feeling at all!
Despite her thoughts, Luo Taozhi’s body moved involuntarily toward the sleeping Xiao Nanchu.
‘This guy…’
She gently raised her hand and placed it on Xiao Nanchu’s forehead. As her hand made contact, his tightly furrowed brows gradually began to relax. Strands of soft mental energy slowly flowed from Luo Taozhi’s hand into him.
‘Fine, since I’m acting as his mentor, I should be a little nicer to him.’
With the continuous injection of mental energy, the tension in Xiao Nanchu’s face faded until it smoothed out completely. He drifted into a peaceful sleep with steady breathing.
Satisfied, Luo Taozhi left the room and softly clicked the door shut.
The night passed in silence.
***
The next morning.
Luo Taozhi’s urgent screaming jolted Xiao Nanchu awake from a pleasant dream.
He opened his eyes dizzily, and before he could speak, he was startled by the sight of her. Luo Taozhi was already wearing her gaming helmet, standing by his bed with a look of excitement.
“Get up, get up! The servers are about to open! Why haven’t you put your helmet on yet?!”
“Don’t say your dear old dad started without you; I specifically came here to wake you up!”
He had no idea how she could tell if he was awake or not while wearing that helmet. Regardless, as soon as he sat up, she vanished from his sight.
‘Can she see through that thing? Divine Sense? Holy crap, does she have X-ray vision?’
Xiao Nanchu watched Luo Taozhi with suspicion. Even though she was wearing a helmet, she acted as if she weren’t wearing anything at all.
He shook his head, then opened the drawer of his nightstand and took out a small, exquisite, square box. He opened it and carefully removed a high-tech pair of glasses, placing them on his head.
These were high-end goods only available through pre-order. If he hadn’t bought these, he wouldn’t be so broke that he couldn’t even afford to rent a second room.
He checked the time: 8:59 AM.
There was only one minute until the server launch. Luo Taozhi’s sense of timing was certainly… precise.
As the final minute ticked away, the time jumped to 9:00 AM sharp.
*Xushi* had officially launched.
At that moment, players wearing helmets and glasses across the world whispered in their hearts.
‘Launch!’
His consciousness was instantly pulled away. Arrays of light flashed before his eyes, and then his awareness plunged into total darkness.
When light returned, a bizarre and colorful world appeared before him. However, it was currently just a phantom image; he couldn’t touch anything yet.
A panel materialized in front of Xiao Nanchu, and a cold notification echoed in his mind.
**[Congratulations, Player, on successfully entering Xushi!]**
**[Please select your starting weapon.]**
**[Longsword]**
**[Dual Swords]**
**[Single-handed Sword]**
…
Xiao Nanchu’s gaze didn’t linger on the long list of weapons. Having experienced this before, he had already decided on the weapon that suited him best—the Single-handed Sword.
He tapped the option, and the description for the Single-handed Sword expanded.
**[Single-handed Sword] — One of the best weapons for beginners. Comes with a wooden round shield. Capable of both offense and defense.**
It really was almost identical to that previous virtual test game. Xiao Nanchu didn’t hesitate and decisively clicked confirm.
**[Please choose your name —]**
He didn’t hesitate here either; he had decided on the name long ago!
**[Left Hand High Damage, Right Hand High Damage]**!
Confirm.
**[Congratulations, Player. Character creation successful. We wish you—]**
*Click.*
A strange *clock ticking sound* rang out.
—
**[Congratulations, Player, on successfully entering Xushi!]**
**[Please select your…]**
‘Huh?’
The familiar notification sounded in Xiao Nanchu’s ear.
He looked at the selection panel in front of him with a look of utter confusion. Too much shocking information had been thrown at him over the past two days, to the point where he had almost forgotten he possessed this strange ability.
It was an ability similar to Time Regression in novels, allowing him to witness Another Timeline. However, the side effect was always a massive headache afterward.
That being said, he didn’t seem to have any control over when this ability triggered…
If the last time happened because he couldn’t save Luo Taozhi, then what was this time for?
What did this ability want him to change?
What *could* he even change?
‘It couldn’t be because of the name, right?’
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