"It looks like it took nearly half an hour to reach the Fourth Stage," Zhen said after advancing to the Third Stage, where he truly felt incredibly powerful.
BANG!
He then struck the ground beneath him without holding back at all, even transforming his right hand into a dragon's hand.
Crack!
Instantly, the ground was filled with cracks shaped like a spiderweb across a fairly wide area.
Although the surrounding trees didn't fall, they tilted slightly.
Zhen could only marvel at the power, as it felt real to him—even though he knew this was just a game.
"Zhen, have you found a way out yet?" Tang Xin asked again.
"No, I'm still here," Zhen replied.
"What? You're still there?" Tang Xin sounded surprised after such a long time had passed.
"Hey, it's almost 4 PM. Beasts will start spawning soon. You'd better log out first," she added.
"Alright, I'll log out," Zhen replied.
Of course, he wasn't afraid of the beasts anymore since he had already reached the Third Stage.
The real reason he decided to log out was that he wanted to continue at home—this library wasn't exactly the best place to leave his body lying around.
Tang Xin probably also wanted to head home soon.
By pressing the logout button on his status window, his consciousness immediately returned to his body.
It felt as if he had just woken up from sleep—his body refreshed again, as the Virtual Glasses truly caused one to enter a deep sleep-like state.
The first thing he saw was Tang Xin, still sitting at the table, snacking.
"Haha, you played even longer than I expected. Are you going to keep playing?" she asked him.
Zhen felt reluctant to nod or say yes, so he remained silent and looked around.
There were actually more scriptures and techniques in this library, but he didn't remember all of them clearly—which was why they didn't transfer into the game.
The five he did remember were the best among them all.
"By the way, Tang Xin, what's your cultivation stage?" Zhen asked.
"Still at the First Stage. The game only launched last night, and I had school, so I only played it late at night," the girl replied.
She probably played from launch until morning, and yet she was still at the First Stage. If she found out he had already reached the Third Stage, Zhen was sure she would cry.
Naturally, he didn't say anything.
"Are these Virtual Glasses for me?" he asked.
The price of Virtual Glasses was similar to that of a smartphone.
Zhen didn't own a pair because he hadn't been interested at first. But of course, he could afford one.
However, if Tang Xin gave him a pair, there was no need to buy them anymore.
This girl was the daughter of one of the big bosses in Shenzhen. Her daily allowance alone was enough to buy a pair of Virtual Glasses.
To her, something like that held little value. Sometimes, she bought expensive items just for fun. That's why Zhen didn't mind accepting her gift—he could always toss it away if he didn't need it.
"Yeah, it's a gift for you," Tang Xin answered.
"Haha, thank you," Zhen said with a chuckle.
"I'll play again at home, but maybe only later tonight," he added.
"Do you want to go home now?" Tang Xin asked.
"Yeah..." Zhen nodded.
Right after that, Tang Xin jumped down from the table and said, "I want to come too. That's fine, right? I've never seen your house."
"What?" Zhen, who had just started to stand up, was stunned by her words.
His expression changed quickly. With a wry smile, he said, "Miss Tang, as a girl, you can't just follow a man to his house. That's dangerous."
"Dangerous? What danger could possibly be in your house? I doubt it," Tang Xin replied with a smile.
Zhen rolled his eyes, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
"Come on, I'm bored at home..." she began pleading.
"What if your parents look for you?" Zhen asked.
"They're too busy, they won't notice I'm gone," Tang Xin answered.
"My house is small, and the AC doesn't work well. You'll get hot."
"We can just buy a portable AC. There are plenty of powerful ones now. If I order it now, they'll deliver it to your place before we even get there."
As she said that, the girl casually pulled out her phone and asked, "What's your address?"
Zhen: "..."
'What's with this girl?' he wondered.
If he were bringing home a woman his own age, maybe it wouldn't be a problem.
The problem was, Tang Xin was only 17 while he was already 30.
There wouldn't be any legal issues—Tang Xin was no longer underage—but his neighbors might see it the wrong way if they saw him bringing her home, even if he had no ill intentions.
"Let's go, I'm coming with you. If you don't take me, I'll follow behind. Your taxi can't outrun my car," she said as she suddenly grabbed his hand.
Zhen could only scratch his head helplessly, annoying the other library visitors in the process.
Outside, there was a flashy red sports car that looked incredibly luxurious.
The car lights blinked when Tang Xin pressed the button on a small remote.
Of course, it was hers.
"Do you want to drive it?" Tang Xin asked.
Zhen shook his head.
"I've never driven a car like this. I think it'd be hard," he replied.
"Then let's go," Tang Xin said, stepping quickly toward the car and opening the driver's door.
Zhen could only sigh and open the passenger door.
The car was so low that it didn't even reach his waist. He wondered if he'd even fit inside.
He copied how Tang Xin got in—sitting down first before lifting his legs in.
Fortunately, his head didn't hit the roof once seated.
Still, he couldn't say it was comfortable—it felt like he was sitting right on the asphalt.
After he closed the door, Tang Xin sped off onto the highway.
"You'll need to guide me," she said.
Zhen just nodded, glancing at the skyscraper they passed right next to the ancient library.
Naturally, that skyscraper was the headquarters of Tang Xin's father's company.
Tang Xin also asked for his address again so she could place the AC order.
Zhen gave it to her and kept directing the way.
He had no idea what strange fate had brought this young girl into his life.
Soon, they arrived at the outskirts of the city—still undeveloped, with many old houses.
Fortunately, the outskirts of Shenzhen were peaceful, with few people around.
Zhen preferred it here over the busy city center.
In fact, the house was a legacy from his grandfather—his parents never sold it out of sentiment, even though they had moved to Shanghai when they were young.
Zhen himself had grown up in Shanghai but later moved alone to Shenzhen.
"That's my house," Zhen pointed at a two-story house near the roadside.
The house was made of red bricks with no plaster on the outside. It had a fairly spacious yard, though the house itself was quite small—only around 40 square meters.
"So that's it!" Tang Xin looked surprised upon seeing it.
Who knew what she was thinking?
Maybe she was just shocked at how small it was.
Then, she steered the car into the yard where Zhen noticed a large box sitting in front of the door.
It was likely the portable AC Tang Xin had ordered.
A luxury sports car entering such a modest home drew the attention of a neighbor who happened to be watering his plants—he stared without blinking.
But Tang Xin didn't care at all about being seen. She turned off the engine and stepped out, still holding her own Virtual Glasses.
Fwoosh!
Zhen could only sigh helplessly.
The girl was still in her school uniform—who knew what kind of gossip would spread?
City folks might be indifferent, but people in the suburbs were more like villagers. They loved gossip.
Zhen pretended not to see his neighbor.
He quickly pulled out his keys, opened the house, and dragged the AC box inside while Tang Xin casually followed.
She observed the small living room, which didn't even have a sofa—only a long wooden bench.
"This isn't bad. I think I'll enjoy staying here," she said nonchalantly, making Zhen roll his eyes.
"You'll be bored soon. It's too quiet here," Zhen replied.
"My house is quiet too, but at least here I can talk to you. Well, let's set up the AC—it really is hot," Tang Xin said, beginning to unpack the box.
"Don't worry, it uses a battery that lasts a whole week, so it won't drain your electricity," she added with a chuckle.
The portable AC looked like a suitcase, with wheels on the bottom and a handle on top.
When Tang Xin turned it on, it immediately blasted cold air in all directions.
It was surprisingly cool and refreshing.
"Now there's no problem at all," the girl said as she sat on the wooden bench.
"By the way, I don't have much in this house. There's only cold water in the fridge. I don't have any flavored drinks," said Zhen.
"Don't worry, I can order something if I want. This is still Shenzhen, there are many food delivery services with drones. I'm not hungry or thirsty right now," replied Tang Xin.
Zhen nodded.
After that, he went up to the second floor.
The first floor consisted only of a living room, kitchen, and bathroom, while the second floor was exclusively for bedrooms.
Although small, this house has three bedrooms, but two of them are empty without mattresses.
Zhen wanted to change clothes. After that, he would return to the cultivation game world.
He planned to return at night, but now he preferred to go back as soon as possible to avoid Tang Xin, worried that the girl might want something else.
He changed out of his work clothes into casual attire consisting of long jeans and a cool black T-shirt.
As he stood in front of the mirror, he sighed.
His figure was tall and imposing, while his face was handsome enough to rival a movie star.
However, he couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't found a girlfriend to marry yet.
At his age, it was really difficult to find a girlfriend, unlike when he was still in school.
Now he wasn't even close to any women except Tang Xin, who was still in high school.
The girl needed to graduate high school first and then go to college to become his student, but she treated him as if they were the same age.