Standing over Evan, Vivian looked down at him with a gentle smile on her face. Her short blonde hair swayed like soft waves, moved by a light breeze—one that rustled not only her hair but also the branches of the trees, their leaves, and even Evan's own hair.
For a moment, she simply observed him in silence. However, he did not respond, lost in his own thoughts.
"Evan?" she asked again, her voice still gentle, though this time, she crouched down in front of him, waving her hand lightly in front of his face in an attempt to catch his attention.
Evan, shaken from his thoughts, blinked before finally responding. His eyes settled on her figure as he spoke in a soft tone, careful not to come across as rude. "What is it, Vivian?"
Seeing that he had finally acknowledged her, her smile grew a little wider. "I asked what you were doing," she replied quickly, her voice still carrying that childlike sweetness.
Evan, hearing her question, answered without much hesitation. "Just relaxing in the fresh air… it's quite nice." His voice was indifferent yet still gentle.
"Hmmm..." she murmured thoughtfully before pushing herself up from her crouched position. Then, with a bright expression, she added, "If you say so… maybe I'll try it too."
Without waiting for his response, she walked over to a nearby tree and sat down, leaning her back against its sturdy trunk, positioning herself right next to Evan.
Watching her actions, Evan let out a faint smile and said simply, "Suit yourself."
With those words, he closed his eyes, sinking back into his thoughts. 'Ugh… why is she so persistent? This is starting to get really annoying,' he screamed internally, exasperation and exhaustion washing over him.
A few moments passed, and with his eyes still shut, Evan continued to reflect. 'Who should I ask for lessons?' He kept repeating the question in his mind, searching for an answer.
"Evan." A familiar voice pulled him out of his thoughts once again. Opening his eyes, he turned to look at Vivian.
"What?" he asked, irritation creeping into his tone despite his efforts to suppress it.
"I've been wondering… why have you become so indifferent to everything?" she asked, her voice light yet tinged with concern. She did not stop there. "I know you lost your memories… but I still don't understand." Her green eyes, filled with worry, locked onto his.
Evan was taken aback by her words and the genuine concern in her expression. But what surprised him the most was the question itself. 'Am I indifferent?' he wondered, trying to find the answer within himself. After some contemplation, he reached a realization. 'No… I'm not. But… maybe she sees it that way because I've been indifferent to her specifically.' He let out a quiet sigh in his mind before another thought surfaced. 'Maybe I shouldn't be… After all, I was her friend, wasn't I?'
After a brief pause, he finally spoke, "Vivian… I'm not indifferent. I'm just… confused. Everything feels… new." He tried to reassure her, sensing how uneasy she was about his behavior.
Hearing his response, her eyes widened slightly before her lips curled into a soft smile. "Really?!" she exclaimed excitedly, her voice full of relief.
Evan couldn't help but smile lightly in return. Though he still found her presence somewhat troublesome… it wasn't unbearable. "Yeah," he confirmed with a nod. 'Maybe… this won't be so bad after all,' he mused, watching Vivian's joy. What he didn't realize, however, was that he had started to see her as the younger sister he never had.
Overjoyed, Vivian jumped to her feet, nearly bouncing with happiness. She had been worried that Evan had truly changed, but now she knew they were still friends. However, after a moment, she stopped bouncing and suddenly dropped to the ground beside him. With an eager smile, she asked, "So, what are we doing?!"
'Damn it… Now I have to play with her! There goes my peaceful afternoon!' he internally groaned, but on the outside, he forced a small smile. "Why don't you decide?" he suggested.
Vivian's grin grew even bigger. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Hmmm…" she hummed, tapping a finger against her chin in deep thought. Her face was slightly scrunched up in concentration, her eyes showing her determination to come up with the perfect idea.
After a few moments, her eyes lit up with realization. "I got it!" she suddenly shouted, pointing at Evan before shifting her gaze toward the tree behind him, her finger following her eyes. "Whoever climbs that tree the fastest wins!" she declared before immediately dashing forward, beginning her ascent.
Evan watched her with an amused smirk. 'She wants to race me?' His smirk turned slightly cocky. 'Then let her taste defeat!'
Without another word, he jumped onto the lowest branch, which was three meters off the ground. With remarkable agility, he swiftly climbed higher, leaping from branch to branch. In less than ten seconds, he reached the top of the tree, which stood over twenty meters tall. Finding a stable spot, he leaned against a branch and watched as Vivian struggled to climb up the trunk.
He couldn't help but smirk as he settled in, waiting for her reaction.
....................
Five minutes later…
Vivian was nearing the top, but her movements had slowed significantly. Her breaths were heavy, and sweat trickled down her forehead. Yet, despite her exhaustion, she wore a determined smile as she reached for the final branch that would bring her to the top.
As soon as she pulled herself up, she gasped out triumphantly, "I w—"
But before she could finish, her eyes widened in shock as she spotted Evan already sitting comfortably on a branch, looking at her with an indifferent expression.
"I won," he stated simply before closing his eyes again.
......................
Several minutes later…
"That's not fair!" Vivian yelled, frustration evident in her voice. She had challenged Evan to several games, but no matter what they played, she kept losing. Meanwhile, Evan continued to relax against the tree trunk, a slight smile never leaving his face.
"How do you keep winning?! You must be cheating!" she accused, stomping her foot in frustration.
Evan lazily opened one eye and responded in a calm, neutral voice, "Vivian… everyone needs to learn how to lose."
Hearing his words, her eyes widened further in anger. Then, after a moment, she huffed loudly. "Hmph!" she crossed her arms and turned away. "I'm not playing with you anymore!" she declared before marching off toward the village.
Evan chuckled softly at her reaction. Raising a hand, he waved after her. "See you tomorrow!" he called out.
Vivian, still fuming, huffed again, this time even louder. "HMPH!" she exclaimed before disappearing from his sight.
.................
A few minutes later
"Hmmm," Evan murmured to himself, still leaning against the tree, relaxing as he contemplated what to do next.
"System," he called out.
[Yes?] A robotic voice responded.
"The cultivation technique that was given to me... can it actually increase my cultivation speed?" he asked with curiosity, as this question had been lingering in his mind for some time. Now, he decided it was time to ask.
[Answering: The cultivation method bestowed upon the host is the most primitive one. However, due to its simplicity, its potential surpasses that of any other cultivation technique.] The system replied in its usual robotic tone.
Hearing this, Evan's eyes widened slightly. "So… this technique can indeed increase cultivation speed… but how?" he questioned, his mind now working at an even faster pace.
[Answering: With continuous use—] the system began, but before it could finish, Evan interrupted, speaking his thoughts out loud.
"If I start to sense how this technique absorbs Qi and try to understand how it fundamentally works, I might be able to accelerate my cultivation by refining my comprehension of it, right?" he asked, not even realizing he had cut the system off mid-sentence.
[The host is partially correct. This technique has already improved through repeated use. However, regarding the rest of your statement, you are entirely correct.] The system clarified without any further interruption.
"So, I was right…" Evan muttered to himself before shifting his thoughts to another pressing matter. "And what about… martial arts? Specifically, weapon-based combat… Can you help me with that?" he asked in a calm voice, recalling how the system had previously assisted him.
[Answering: The system was only able to transfer information once during its partial reactivation.] It responded.
"What?! That was a one-time thing?! Why didn't you tell me that earlier?!" Evan exclaimed in frustration, realizing he had wasted such an opportunity on something as trivial as learning how to use chopsticks.
For a moment, he lamented over the situation, but it didn't last long. "Ugh!..." he groaned, shaking his head. "Oh well!" Despite his disappointment, Evan quickly accepted the reality of the situation—there was nothing he could do to change it now.
"So, my only option is to ask David for help… After all, he probably wouldn't question me too much about why I need this. He'd most likely just be happy to help," Evan thought aloud while gazing toward the village path stretching ahead. He could already see the distant silhouette of the settlement. "Alright… I'll ask David. Hopefully, he agrees… He should…" he murmured to himself, a small hope rising within him. But before he took a step forward, his eyes drifted toward the vast landscape before him, marveling at the towering mountains in the distance. "Damn… those mountains are huge…"
.................
Half an hour later
Evan walked at a steady pace along the village path, taking in his surroundings. Even though he had passed through here many times before, he still found himself glancing around, observing everything as if for the first time. Among all the sights the village had to offer, one place stood out the most—the home of an elderly man who owned more than 300 books. Over 300 different books, covering a wide range of subjects.
Spotting the familiar house in the distance, Evan picked up his pace slightly. Within a minute, he had reached the front of the residence, where he saw the old man himself sitting on a bench beside his home.
A small smile formed on Evan's lips as he raised a hand and waved. "Master Soren! How are you today?!" he called out cheerfully as he approached.
The elderly man turned his gaze toward Evan and chuckled. "Boy, there's no need to shout so loudly. This old man's hearing still works just fine," he replied, his aged eyes slightly narrowing as wrinkles lined his face—a testament to his many years of life.
After all, Master Soren was over a hundred years old. And despite only being at Energy Gradering 3 in cultivation, Evan had no idea how the man had managed to live this long in this world.
Hearing Soren's response, Evan scratched the back of his head, slightly embarrassed. "Ah… my bad," he quickly apologized.
"No harm done, young one," Soren said with a warm smile. "Let me guess—you're here to read again?" he asked knowingly. By now, he was well aware of Evan's frequent visits, but that didn't bother him in the slightest. In fact, he welcomed them. After all, Evan was one of the few people who regularly engaged him in conversation.
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[A/N:
Hey, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! The next one should be uploaded soon or by the end of the day… of course, in my time zone. So if you can't read it right away, sorry about that!
I also hope you won't forget to add this book to your library and consider leaving a small Power Stone—it would really help me out.
That's all for now. Have a great day!]