"Wait a second… You knew? How did you know that I was Player Yuan? And how long have you known about it?" Yuan asked Meixiu after a moment of silence since Yu Rou was too shocked to speak. "I'm pretty sure we'd kept it hidden pretty well… I think…"
"The musical competition— that's how I learned it," Meixiu said in a calm voice.
"The Young Lady said the Young Master was participating in a music competition, and then Player Yuan managed to obtain first place in a music competition sometime later."
"When I asked the Young Master what kind of instrument he played during his competition, he said it was the zither, which happened to be the same competition Player Yuan had won first place, so I assumed that the Young Master was Player Yuan. It was only after the Young Lady's words just now that confirmed my suspicions."
"So you've only known about it for a day or so?" Yuan asked her.
"That's correct."
"Y-You didn't tell anybody else about this, did you?" Yu Rou finally asked her.
"Of course not, Young Lady. It was only a suspicion until just now, anyway." Meixiu shook her head.
"Well… Since you already know, this will make things much easier for us. Brother Tian will need to earn money in the future, and he intends on selling some things in Cultivation Online for real money. However, it's obvious that he won't be able to do that by himself, so you'll do that for him, hence why not just anyone can do this job."
Meixiu nodded, "I understand."
"By the way, Brother Tian, while you've already decided to leave the family, let's wait until the last day so we have more time to prepare. Although we've found someone to take care of you, we still need to look for a new home for you. It's the weekend tomorrow, so I'll call some people and see if they have a place. After all, I'd rather you stay with someone I know."
"Okay," Yuan said.
Yu Rou and Meixiu left the room to prepare dinner for Yuan.
An hour later, Yu Rou returned to the room to take care of his needs.
"Yu Rou, I want to play tonight. I've slept enough this morning."
"Okay." Yu Rou said as she fixed his long hair and placed the console on his head before turning the power on.
While Yuan entered the game, Yu Rou cleaned the place and left his room.
Meanwhile, Yuan summoned Xiao Hua.
"Xiao Hua, I have a question regarding something you'd said before. When a cultivator reaches peak Spirit Apprentice, they must experience 'enlightenment' before they can breakthrough to Spirit Warrior, correct?"
"That's right." Xiao Hua nodded.
"What exactly is this enlightenment? Are there any tricks to it?"
"Why do you want to know, Brother Yuan? You're already a Spirit Warrior and even about to become a Spirit Master." Xiao Hua asked him.
"Well… I am just curious about it since I never got to experience it for myself. Furthermore, it might help me if I need to experience enlightenment for Spirit Master."
Xiao Hua nodded and then said, "Close your eyes, Brother Yuan."
Yuan didn't question her and closed his eyes.
Once Yuan closed his eyes, Xiao Hua lifted her small hands and poked Yuan between his eyebrows with her finger.
A small light appeared between Yuan's forehead for a split second before disappearing.
Meanwhile, inside Yuan's head, he was experiencing enlightenment. However, it was not his own enlightenment. Instead, it was Xiao Hua's enlightenment when she first broke through to Spirit Warrior, and she was merely sharing her experience with him through a mysterious technique.
"So this is what enlightenment feels like, huh?" Yuan mumbled, and he opened his eyes a few seconds later.
Although it felt much longer inside his head, it only lasted a few seconds in reality.
"There are really no tricks to receiving enlightenment, Brother Yuan. However, it might help you if you have felt it before."
"I see… Thanks a bunch, Xiao Hua! I'll see you again tomorrow!"
Yuan immediately logged off and began trying to gain enlightenment for himself while the feeling was still fresh.
After taking a deep breath, Yuan recalled what he'd experienced just now and began cultivating with that in mind.
Yuan quickly entered a tranquil state of mind where he thought of nothing, almost like he was half asleep.
A few hours later, Yuan felt as though the invisible wall that had been blocking him from progressing had suddenly collapsed, allowing his spiritual energy to flow forward, breaking through to Spirit Warrior.
Whoosh~!
A gust of wind appeared in the room despite the closed windows, and the thin blankets covering Yuan's body were sent flying off the bed.
In this dark room with all light sources turned off, a faint golden light could be seen around Yuan's body at this moment, and inside Yuan's body, he could feel a tingly sensation coursing through his veins across his body.
A couple of moments later, the light subdued and the wind disappeared.
'This is what Spirit Warrior feels like in the real world? I feel more energetic and powerful than I did in Cultivation Online when I first entered Spirit Warrior…'
With so much energy in his body, Yuan couldn't help but try to move his limbs, and to his surprise, while he couldn't move his arms or legs, he could feel rigid movements in his fingers and toes!
'I...I can move?!'
Even though he was barely able to move his fingers and toes for a few seconds, Yuan was ecstatic about this small change, as this meant that he still has hopes for recovery!
And to make sure he wasn't imagining things, Yuan spent the next couple of minutes moving his fingers and toes.
'I-It's real! I am not dreaming! I can really move my body!' Yuan cried inwardly.
Once he'd calmed down, Yuan immediately returned to cultivating. If reaching Spirit Warrior helped him recover some control over his own body, what will happen once he reaches Spirit Master and above? Will he be able to move his limbs next? Maybe he'll even be able to walk again!