Chapter Seventy: Where Has My Time Gone?

“Over here!”

“Strange, where did he go? I could’ve sworn I saw him run this way.”

“That useless Liu Yang, how dare he act up in front of the family head? When we catch him, we’ll break his legs!”

“Let’s search over there!”

As the footsteps faded into the distance, Liu Yang cautiously emerged from the thicket. He glanced around to make sure everyone had left before finally breathing a sigh of relief.

“I really overdid it this time.”

Despite the unexpected turn of events, Liu Yang truly had no desire to remain in the Liu family any longer. To be honest, the years of hardship had long since eroded any sense of belonging he once felt for his clan. Even if today hadn’t happened, he was already set on severing all ties with his family after joining the Profound Purity Sect.

Rubbing his brow to clear his thoughts, Liu Yang quietly skirted the patrols sent to hunt him, making his way straight for the Profound Beast Mountains.

The Profound Beast Mountains lay north of Fluttering City. The region was rich in all manner of rare herbs, minerals, and spirit beasts of the third rank and below. Most of Fluttering City’s common folk survived by harvesting resources from these mountains.

Upon reaching the outskirts, Liu Yang immediately saw the rows of buildings built along the foothills. These outposts had been erected by various city guilds to purchase resources the moment they arrived—and to sell supplies to the teams hunting spirit beasts.

Entering this merchant-built settlement, Liu Yang noticed the air was thick with floating hints.

[Zhou’s Guild: Don’t buy anything here. They’re cutthroat—prices are a full ten percent higher than elsewhere. If you look naive, they’ll try to fleece you even more.]

[The boss is a fat man—actually wears boxers.]

[Shop at Antelope Guild. Spend a thousand gold coins and you’ll get special treatment from the beautiful proprietress.]

[Check out the old man’s stall at the back. There’s a black shard there that can injure third-rank spirit beasts—it’s a real find. Buy the cauldron beside it and he’ll throw in the shard as a freebie.]

[How to turn one copper into three hundred gold…]

…

The more Liu Yang read, the more eager he became. If only he had a single coin to his name, he could have struck it rich in an instant with these tips.

“It’s best to take care of my body in that cave first.”

Reluctantly tearing his gaze away, Liu Yang headed for the outskirts of the Profound Beast Mountains.

“Young man, it’s far too dangerous to venture into the Profound Beast Mountains alone. How about teaming up?”

[This guy is no good. Ignore him.]

He encountered plenty of people on the way, but the hints revealed every one of their motives—good or ill, none could escape his discerning eyes.

Liu Yang ignored them all.

At this point, traveling alone was safest. The more people, the greater the risk of exposing his secret.

Before long, as he delved deeper, passersby grew scarce.

“Beyond here lies the heart of the Profound Beast Mountains.”

Liu Yang stopped before a massive boulder, eyeing the area ahead, thick with trees and shrouded in shadows. He grew wary.

The outer reaches of the Profound Beast Mountains weren’t too dangerous thanks to frequent visitors, but the deeper regions were a different story—spirit beast attacks could come at any moment.

Fortunately, he had the tips left from his past life.

[There’s a nest of first-rank earth rodents here. Come back after reaching mid-first rank—their teeth fetch a good price.]

[Snake in the tree—bite will leave you swollen.]

[White Line Grass—sells well.]

[Follow this path—it’s safe.]

[There’s a cave with herbs ahead, but beware—a third-rank rat prowls nearby.]

[There’s a lake over there—wait by the shore and you’ll see a beauty bathing.]

…

“At last.”

Liu Yang gazed at a cave below and let out a long breath. Even with these hints, the Profound Beast Mountains were fraught with danger. No warning could cover every detail—he guessed that his choices must have diverged from his previous life, so the tips weren’t always perfect.

He crouched in the underbrush, watching carefully. Once sure the coast was clear, he slipped into the cave.

The passage was narrow, just wide enough for one person. Liu Yang pressed on, soon reaching the bottom. Here, the ceiling was open to the sky, letting a mountain spring trickle down. A faintly glowing grass grew from a crack in the rock.

“This is the herb that will restore my talent?”

Staring at the luminous blade, Liu Yang’s mouth went dry. He had waited so long for this day.

Without hesitation, he reached out and plucked it.

[Notice: Set logout time reached. Logging out…]

…

In his room, Liu Yang blinked in confusion—then leapt to his feet.

“Damn! Why now, of all times? Shit!”

He immediately tried to log back into the game.

[Please set logout timer.]

He was about to set it for seven or eight hours, but seeing it was already the middle of the night, he settled for just one hour.

“Gotta work tomorrow. Can’t play too late… sigh.”

The transmission of virtual memories was once again blocked, replaced by his in-game memory.

Back in the game, Liu Yang’s body paused, then, as if nothing happened, he reached out and grabbed the herb.

[Consume directly.]

“Just eat it…”

He followed the instructions and swallowed the herb. Instantly, he felt a current of energy coursing through his body.

Without delay, he sat cross-legged and began to meditate, channeling the energy with his internal mystic force.

A tingling numbness spread through him. Along with the sensation, his long-stagnant bottleneck loosened at last.

As his mystic energy continued to circulate, the breakthrough grew ever more imminent.

“Break!”

Finally, with a shout, Liu Yang shattered the barrier and advanced to the fourth stage of the first rank!

It meant his innate talent had returned.

No one could stand in his way now.

…

“Just one more hour, then I’ll sleep.”

An hour later, Liu Yang was kicked from the game once more.

After a few such experiences, he’d grown used to it, skillfully logging back in for another round.

But—

“Huh? What the—? It’s seven already?!”

Staring at the clock in disbelief, Liu Yang was floored.

He could’ve sworn he hadn’t played that long—how was it already seven in the morning?

“What a shame, I was so close to getting news about the exotic pet.”

He ruffled his messy hair.

He wanted to keep playing, but there was no help for it—a working stiff like him had no choice. No matter how unwilling, work awaited.

“I’ll just have to wait till tonight. Maybe I’ll ask on the forum who that underwear guy is.”

“Played all night, and it seems everyone leaves a message—amazing.”

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