Chapter 19 – The protagonist Lin got beaten up

[Ding! Initial stage of Qi Refining, innate comprehension at full value, Earth Grade Gathering Spirit Array enhancement, meditation speed: +52 points/hour.]

Seeing this speed, Lin Jichen had only four words to say: Terrifying indeed!

The average player at the initial stage of Qi Refining would gain about 5 to 10 points per hour through meditation. Lin Jichen's rate was more than ten times that of others.

The benefits of having full comprehension were too numerous.

At this rate, after idling for three hours, his cultivation at the initial stage of Qi Refining would be maxed out.

Although it wasn't as fast as grinding monsters, the cultivation gained for free was definitely sweeter than what was hard-earned.

He logged off the game, feeling quite pleased.

Lin Jichen opened his eyes and stepped out of the bedroom.

Glancing at the time, it was only five in the morning.

He had played all night without a hint of sleepiness.

All he felt was excitement.

Yes, to be able to start over with such a great beginning, Lin Jichen was in an exceptionally good mood.

He had already surpassed all other players by a large margin, no longer the 'Ascetic monk' who started a year later than others and was cursed with mediocre innate talent.

In this life, he was determined to completely change his previously miserable fate.

Looking at the bank SMS on his phone.

"Your account ending in 7758 has a balance of: .35 yuan. [Industrial and Commercial Bank]"

In just five hours, Lin Jichen had earned over 1.6 million.

Lucky for him that he was reborn, or he would have definitely run off to a nightclub to celebrate.

Having experienced his past life, Lin Jichen was quite calm about the money.

He opened the game's official website and placed an order for a gaming pod.

Why wait to spend the money when you have it now?

In a few years, the value of real-world money would depreciate significantly.

Lin Jichen skipped the standard and luxury models, directly opting for the top-tier gaming pod, and he ordered two.

One for himself, and one as a gift for Ren Lan.

Each top-tier gaming pod cost one million, which Lin Jichen originally couldn't afford.

However, since the game was just in open beta, the top-tier gaming pods were not selling well, so the officials launched a promotion, offering a 30% discount on the first batch.

So for just 1.4 million, Lin Jichen got two.

If he had enough money, he would have bought more.

The number of top-tier gaming pods was limited; once sold out, no amount of money could buy them.

After paying, his balance instantly dropped to just over two hundred thousand.

He had spent most of his earnings in the blink of an eye, but Lin Jichen didn't feel the slightest regret.

Thinking of giving Ren Lan a surprise, Lin Jichen sent her a WeChat message, asking her to come over to his place when she woke up and sent her the location.

Putting down his phone, he felt a bit hungry.

Lin Jichen went to the kitchen and made a bowl of beef noodles with the ingredients he bought last night.

Just after finishing his meal and washing the bowl, his phone rang. It was Ren Lan.

"Why are you asking me to come over to your place? I was planning to run on the school track this early in the morning." Ren Lan yawned, obviously just waking up.

Lin Jichen wasn't surprised that she was up so early; Miss Frenzy was a fitness fanatic with a routine as disciplined as a soldier's.

She would get up at five or six every morning, then go for a run for an hour or two, and in the afternoon, she'd be practicing boxing and pumping iron at the gym—a true fitness enthusiast.

"Come over, I have something to tell you."

"Fine, but if it's nothing important and you delay my workout, I'll turn you into a panda."

Not long after hanging up, in less than half an hour, the doorbell rang.

Lin Jichen opened the door to see Ren Lan, who had just woken up, standing in front of him.

"So this is your new rental? Yo, not bad at all!"

Ren Lan walked in nonchalantly, looking around and admiring the place, but soon she got annoyed.

"Little Lin, you sure know how to enjoy life, such a nice place must cost at least five or six thousand a month, right? You wastrel, spending the gym membership fees I gave you like this?"

Lin Jichen deliberately teased her, sitting on the sofa with a leisurely smile.

"What else can I do? I can't pay you back anyway, might as well spend it all quickly so you won't worry about your money."

"(╬◣д◢) What did you say?!" Ren Lan instantly turned into a tigress, charging at him and grabbing Lin Jichen by the neck.

"You heartless bastard, you dare to scam me out of my gym money? Even if I can't get the money back, I'm going to use you as a punching bag today!"

"Hey, hey, hey... let me finish..."

Lin Jichen was startled and quickly tried to explain.

But Ren Lan was no longer listening, gripping Lin Jichen's neck and pinning him down on the sofa, ready to deliver a beating.

Of course, Lin Jichen wouldn't let her hit him for free, so he struggled.

But without the integration of the game world, his physical strength was no match for Ren Lan, the tigress, and he couldn't even muster the strength to fight back.

Lin Jichen, a man of over 1.8 meters and weighing more than 130 pounds, was weaker than a girl.

It was clear how formidable Miss Frenzy was; her years of fitness training were not in vain.

Seeing that brute force was useless, Lin Jichen resorted to a trickster's tactic, tickling.

He sneakily attacked Ren Lan's armpits with his hands.

Ren Lan instantly lost her composure, her strength vanished, and now it was her turn to struggle.

"Ha ha ha... Little Lin, Little Lin, stop, stop... ha ha ha... I won't hit you anymore, okay... ha ha..."

Finally gaining the upper hand, Lin Jichen wasn't about to let her go so easily, determined to reclaim some dignity.

Seeing that Lin Jichen wouldn't stop, Ren Lan couldn't take it anymore, and in desperation, she punched him right in the eye.

"Ouch!"

Lin Jichen cried out in pain, covering his eye, no longer daring to tickle her.

Now he was at a real loss, having actually been punched. ╥﹏╥

Ren Lan knew she had hit too hard and immediately bent down to ask, "Are you okay?"

Lin Jichen didn't answer, still covering his eye.

"Let me see."

"No!" Lin Jichen stubbornly covered his eye like a petulant wife.

"Let me see, we need to check if you need to go to the hospital."

Ren Lan was anxious and tried to pry his hands apart.

But he was holding on too tightly, and she couldn't exert much force while bending over, so she sat on Lin Jichen's stomach to pry his hands open.

After prying them open, Ren Lan saw Lin Jichen's pitiful right eye.

His eye was fine, but the socket had turned blue.

With one eye bruised, Lin Jichen looked just like a panda.

Pfft~

Ren Lan couldn't hold back her laughter, not feeling guilty at all, but instead found it amusing.

Lin Jichen was so angry he wanted to curse, and immediately grabbed Ren Lan's waist, flipped her over with force, and pinned the unsuspecting Ren Lan onto the sofa.

Their positions were instantly reversed, with Lin Jichen's entire body pressing down on Ren Lan, his hands pinning her wrists.

Ren Lan began to struggle again, and amidst the laughter and play, their bodies pressed tightly together.

This position... emm...

Lin Jichen felt the softness of Ren Lan's body, and with the pressure on his chest, a physiological reaction was immediate.

Both parties finally realized the situation.

Lin Jichen quickly got up and fled.

Ren Lan glared at him fiercely, her neck flushing red, which quickly spread to her face.

"Lin Jichen! You dare take advantage of me!"

Lin Jichen hurriedly denied it, saying, "I didn't, I didn't, don't talk nonsense."

"You still dare to play the denial game, watch me punch you flying!"

"Wrong, wrong, wrong, I admit my mistake, okay?"

Lin Jichen quickly cowered, not wanting to become a complete panda.