Chapter Twenty-Four: Return

Chen Qi left the training ground, his charred body swiftly restored by the Budding Space.

“Damn it, first fireballs, then earth spikes, and finally even lightning showed up,” he grumbled fiercely.

When it came to lightning, Chen Qi could only sense it the instant before it formed, but his body simply couldn’t react in time. After enduring three bolts of lightning in a row, the pain became unbearable, and he chose to withdraw. It was worth noting that the lightning inflicted only pure agony without actually damaging his health—otherwise, he doubted he could have survived even a single strike.

Dragging his exhausted body, Chen Qi returned to his private room and collapsed into a deep sleep atop his spacious bed.

He didn’t know how long he slept before receiving a prompt from the Budding Space.

[Selected individual will soon return to the native world. Please keep the existence of the Budding Space confidential.]
[Revealing the existence of the Budding Space to any life not of the Budding Space will result in a warning. If the warning is ignored, erasure will follow!]
[The selected individual’s next world assignment will begin one week after returning to the native world.]

In that hazy state between waking and dreaming, Chen Qi found himself back in his dormitory, everything as unreal as a dream. In the room, the thunderous snores of the second roommate and the mutterings of the fourth filled the air, bringing Chen Qi a warmth and familiarity he hadn’t realized he missed. Reflecting on how close he’d come to never returning, the memory of burning pain still fresh in his nerves, he let out a sigh only the young and wistful can utter.

Sleepless, he walked to the window.

The storm outside had passed, but night still cloaked the world in darkness. At some point, the sky had blossomed with stars. Fixing his gaze on the brightest, the morning star, Chen Qi felt as if it were looking back at him—guiding him, perhaps.

Brightest star in the night sky, do you know what I am searching for...

An uneventful night, a sleepless night.

By dawn, only a handful of early-rising students could be seen outside.

Chen Qi remained seated quietly by the window, gazing out as if simply looking was the purest of pleasures.

At that moment, the muffled voice of his fourth roommate reached him. “Chen Qi, why’re you up so early?”

With a smile, Chen Qi replied, “Going for a run. Wanna come?”

After the fourth roommate’s straightforward refusal, Chen Qi left the dorm alone and made his way to the track.

He ran lap after lap, but with a constitution far beyond the limits of ordinary people, such simple exercise was no burden to him. His thoughts, however, were elsewhere; running was merely a distraction.

He didn’t know if he would survive his next world, or if he’d ever return home. Now, every word and deed seemed like proof to the native world that he still existed, lest he be forgotten.

Since the car accident that claimed both his parents’ lives, Chen Qi had received a substantial sum in compensation—enough to support him through his studies.

A touch of sadness crossed his mind. “If I disappeared one day, would anyone even come looking for me?”

A graceful figure running toward him interrupted his thoughts. Before he could react, she greeted him with a cheerful, “Morning, Chen Qi.”

This was Yan Ruzhi, the girl he’d secretly admired.

He had first noticed her during their university military training. Her beauty was as pure and delicate as a strand of grass woven into embroidery—yet he’d never had the courage to approach her. By chance, he learned she jogged every morning to keep in shape. He’d long wanted to “coincidentally” meet her at the track, but rarely managed to get up early enough.

This, in fact, was one of the main reasons he’d come to the track that morning.

Recalling all this sent a pleasant tingle through his heart, and he made up his mind to change direction.

Drawing on his stamina, he quickly caught up to Yan Ruzhi.

From behind, her ponytail bounced with her every step, lively and free. The early spring air was cool, and her light sportswear traced her graceful silhouette. A faint, fresh fragrance mixed with the breath of youth drifted back to him.

Chen Qi kept running, soon passing her. Glancing back, he met her eyes. Her slight makeup only highlighted her natural beauty. In a gentle voice, he said, “I forgot to say hello earlier. Good morning, Yan Ruzhi.”

He pulled ahead, leaving her laughter behind.

...

In the Z University classroom, Chen Qi barely listened as the professor lectured. His mind wandered, and he often found his gaze lingering on the girl in the front row.

He had finally decided to confess his feelings. The thought alone made him grin foolishly—a sight that didn’t escape his fourth roommate, who was also not paying attention to the lecture.

“What’s got you so happy, Old Three?” he asked.

Half truth, half jest, Chen Qi replied, “Thinking about a beautiful girl.”

This earned him a chorus of boos from his roommates.

The old professor on stage frowned at the disruption and decided to call on Chen Qi to answer a question. Suddenly the focus of the entire class—especially the girl he liked—Chen Qi, with his intelligence now enhanced by the Soul Sanctuary, recalled the material and gave a perfect answer, sitting back down amid the professor’s reluctant acceptance.

“Maybe being a student isn’t so bad. Especially now that I’m smart,” Chen Qi mused, drifting off again.

Having faced death, he now relished these peaceful days with a kind of greed, like a cup brimming with water.

Time slipped by, gentle and warm.

...

When the eldest roommate finally managed to spend a couple of days in the dorm, Chen Qi announced, “Tonight, drinks are on me.”

This was met with disbelief.

“When did the penny-pincher start spending money?”

Since his parents’ death, Chen Qi had lived frugally on his compensation, rarely treating his three roommates to a meal. So his offer sparked quite a commotion.

“Maybe this really will be the last time I dine with them,” he thought, keeping his face calm as he said, “Tonight I’m in a good mood. If you call me ‘Dad,’ I’ll take my boys out for a meal.”

Of course, no one would call him that, but the meal would happen all the same.

That night, in contrast to his usual self, Chen Qi kept pouring drinks for his roommates until he’d put them all under the table. Thanks to his own superhuman stamina, he soon dispelled the last traces of drunkenness.

Outside the window, Z City sparkled with lights. Inside, his friends lay scattered and asleep, while Chen Qi sat alone, his expression complex.

After half-dragging, half-carrying his three roommates to their beds, Chen Qi lay quietly on his own, trying to sleep.

Reflecting on the past week, he realized that his Basic Blade Technique and Basic Footwork had shown no obvious breakthroughs. Despite training daily with the knowledge in his mind, he felt only that his skills had become smoother.

In the boozy haze of the dorm, Chen Qi soon closed his eyes.