Heartstring Restaurant

Why would Ye Qing's expression turn weird?

Well, that's because he realized that Earth might be lacking in energy, time, and resources to nurture cultivators to their peak potential, but that was entirely contrary to how things were in the world of Clash of Titans Online.

If it was about selecting five core principles to study for his future cultivation, he could totally do that in the game's world. Though time and comprehension are only one thing, the other criterion was insufficient energy in the real world, as most cultivation resources were monopolized by the super countries around the globe. If cultivators wanted these resources, they would need to swear their allegiance to powerful countries, and even then, what would they accomplish with whatever few decades of life they have?

The politicians and military personnel weren't idiots, they wouldn't allow cultivators to grow too powerful, at least not to the extent where they could contend with the world order and vie for hegemony. Ye Qing didn't know if there existed some hidden cultivation groups separated from secular affairs and focused solely on cultivation, but he could make a pretty bold guess that these people truly existed.

It's not like this world lacked ridiculous talents.

Take Madam Ye for example; a woman in her early thirties yet she is powerful enough to levitate in the air and glide for hundreds of meters. Although that couldn't be considered free flight, it wasn't that far off, even if it had to do with her unique cultivation and dharma spells.

Then again, this could only hint at how monstrous of a background this Madam Ye might have, even if she disconnected from her original family to start a business endeavor all on her own. Ye Qing quickly scanned through the cultivation notes and the clear diagrams in regard to the circulation pathways of internal force, acupoints, meridians, etc.

"I should buy some books with information in regard to human anatomy and Traditional Chinese Medicine during my free time," Ye Qing muttered to himself with a sigh, storing the notes away before unboxing the new iPhone.

As a gaming fanatic, he quickly organized the software and was about to configure his email and system when a thought suddenly came to his mind; what if he installed the same email and security details connected to Claudia on his personal mobile phone?

That's such an interesting thought…

Would the Main Network use his phone as a medium for the A.I.?

The more he thought about it, the more tempted he was.

Eventually, he entered the same security details as the Kaiser of the Night, including his email for his Mortal avatar in the game.

Soon, the device finished the installation process and connected to the internet.

"Done!" Ye Qing exclaimed, excited. However, the next moment, he choked.

Software update? What update? That's already the latest version installed. Very quickly though, Ye Qing realized what must be going on, as this was similar to the maintenance process for the Antique Night Auction Group's online website.

"Guess all I can do now is wait," Ye Qing muttered. Then, he stored the phone away just as well, leaving the villa and heading in the direction of the clear water pond in the shade of the green canopy right outside. Ye Qing didn't even question why would the tree look so verdant through winter, as that's the least of one's concerns when exposed to something as ridiculous as cultivation.

Despite the unreasonable exhaustion and mild migraine, Ye Qing sat down in a lotus position by the edge of the pond, watching as the fish circled through the water under the clear rays of this midday sun. Silently, Ye Qing closed his eyes and entered a meditation cultivation trance, working his best to gather at the very least, a strand of energy from the environment to start his internal force cultivation by tempering his meridians.

As Madam Ye said, as long as he couldn't generate the initial traces of internal force and temper his body with it, permitting the channeling of energy through the meridians, he wouldn't be considered an official cultivator yet.

Only… Ye Qing hadn't expected that he would sense a slippery, cold sensation emanate from his body and circle through like a trickle of cold water. This sensation almost startled him awake, as according to the notes left behind, this was a strand of internal force.

There was no mistaking it!

However, wouldn't it usually take a few weeks up to a month to generate this strand of internal force without the aid of medicines? Ye Qing didn't have the time or energy to contemplate this issue, and he quickly began to recite the Book of Changes sutra and guide this strand of internal force through his body, infusing it into his meridians for a complete tempering process.

While he was guiding this strand of internal force, the latter in turn was guiding the flow of natural energy through Ye Qing's body, establishing the foundation for energy circulation.

Hours ticked by and very quickly, and by Ye Qin's standards, three hours was more than sufficient for him to recite the complete sutra. A full recitation equates to a large cycle of cultivation, and it was necessary to go through the full circulation path for this cultivation method.

"Huu~"

Ye Qing breathed out easy, feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. Arguably, he was already a cultivator at this point. However, he hadn't officially entered the first level of the four realms, so he could be considered to be stranded in between.

Nonetheless, this was already good enough for him.

He checked his phone— still in the process of updating the software.

He sighed and went inside the villa, reserved a table for a meal in the Heartstring Restaurant downtown, and returned to the bedroom upstairs. Since he couldn't use the phone or return to playing Clash of Titans Online yet, he might as well go outside for a breath of fresh air.

After choosing a well-fit of casual clothes consisting of deep blue denim pants, a white shirt, and a light gray windbreaker, Ye Qing left the villa and began his stride down the mountain path. The villa wasn't located near the very peak of the mountain— more like near the waist.

It didn't take long for Ye Qing to descend the mountain path with the gorgeous sunset backdrop behind him, and he was quick to find the base of the mountain fairly populated with couples, tourists, and photographers. Of course, he found quite the traffic for taxis as well.

Ye Qing very quickly found the express taxi he had ordered before leaving the villa, as he didn't really have any wallet on his person, let alone cash. Luckily, it was easy to request these services online through a computer, especially in this age of digital revolution.

"Where to?" asked the taxi driver as soon as Ye Qing entered the car. Through the rearview mirror, this taxi driver inspected Ye Qing's dense bangs that concealed the upper half of his face. Despite his curiosity, the driver didn't ask.

Ye Qing responded in an even tone while inspecting his phone, "Heartstring Restaurant, please."

…

Heartstring Restaurant is a classic establishment that stood the test of time for decades in the old city district of Haikou City. This was a district that underwent many renovations and reconstruction work across the years, but the Heartstring Restaurant is one of few other establishments that survived the winds of change.

This establishment was very popular in the eyes of low-class and middle-class commoners, especially white-collar workers and students. Thus, it was no surprise that a group of high schoolers filed into this three-storey building, leading them was quite the handsome young man.

"Meng'er, what's the deal with that packed jacket you've been carrying around this entire time?"

A young female student suddenly turned to her side with a question. She was tall, her frame adequately supple to reflect a spirited, youthful young lady.

She was very curious as to why the class president brought a packed male jacket to the school grounds, as this was totally out of character.

She hazard a guess, whispering, "Did you prepare it for…"

Zi Rumeng immediately covered the girl's mouth, hissing through her teeth, "Don't talk nonsense! A transfer student arrived yesterday and forgot his jacket after a tour around the school's grounds, so I thought I might bring it back with me…"

Zi Rumeng truly wanted to return Ye Qing's jacket today, but apparently, something came up and he didn't attend the classes.

The female student wrestled herself free and asked, "Is he that new guy you're inviting to this study group? Now that you mention it, don't you find it weird how there's always been one guy in our study groups? The other guys always find an excuse to skip…"

Zi Rumeng found this to be particularly weird as well, but she wouldn't give the matter much thought. In her opinion, those guys didn't want to share their personal notes, but they would also lose out on the comprehensive notes of everyone else.

It was at this moment that the handsome young man leading the group turned around with a smile. "Girls, the private room upstairs overlooking the city is ready for us."

Zi Rumeng sighed, tossing the subject to the back of her head as she prepared to turn around and enter the establishment. However, the moment she turned around and caught a glimpse of someone alighting from a taxi, she froze.