The next day, Lin Jichen had a comfortable sleep.
As the morning light broke, he went out for a run with Ren Lan.
Having not exercised for a few days, Lin Jichen felt a bit out of shape.
After their workout, the two bought breakfast and headed home.
On their way back, they saw Niu Naitang watching the old men play chess in the neighborhood again.
Niu Naitang squatted nearby, watching eagerly.
The old men were nervous, occasionally glancing at Niu Naitang.
Some advised her to go home and do her homework, while others gave her pocket money to buy snacks, but Niu Naitang remained unmoved and stayed put.
At this moment, two old men finished their game, and Niu Naitang quickly stood up and said, "Let me play a round, I've been waiting for so long."
But as soon as the old men saw Niu Naitang wanting to play, they all made excuses.
"Oh, I need to go buy groceries."
"Oh, my head hurts, I need to lie down, you guys play."
"My back is acting up, I need to take some medicine."
"I haven't had breakfast yet, I'm heading home."
Just like that, the group of old men dispersed, leaving Niu Naitang hanging her head in frustration.
No old man in the neighborhood was willing to play chess with her anymore.
Only when new old men moved in could she get a few games in.
Going outside was too far, and Qin Xiaowei wouldn't let her go.
Niu Naitang's frustration was palpable.
At this moment, a hand rested on her head.
Niu Naitang looked up and saw Lin Jichen, and she joyfully threw herself into his arms.
"Brother Lin, you're finally out! Tang Tang missed you so much!"
Lin Jichen smiled and said, "Brother missed you too. How about it, have you had breakfast? Brother bought some beef to make beef noodles."
"Tang Tang has eaten, but I can eat a bit more," Niu Naitang giggled.
Beside them, Ren Lan complained, "I've called you to eat every day, and you never come. But when he calls, you come right away. What's the deal, little one?"
Niu Naitang pouted and said, "Sister Ren's cooking is even worse than my auntie's..."
Ren Lan was so angry she almost cried.
The three of them returned home, and Qin Xiaowei had already left for the company.
According to Niu Naitang, Qin Xiaowei had been getting busier and busier lately. Lin Jichen understood, after all, Qin Xiaowei was destined to become a big star, with schedules, advertisements, recording, concerts, shows, and so on.
At this rate, she would only get busier in the future.
Lin Jichen cooked three bowls of beef noodles, and the three of them started eating.
After finishing the noodles, the doorbell rang, and a delivery arrived.
Opening it, they found a small box, with the packaging of the game "Tale of Immortal."
Lin Jichen handed the box to Niu Naitang, smiling, "Brother has been so busy these days that I forgot about my promise. Here, it's for you."
This was something Lin Jichen had pre-ordered last night. He remembered promising Niu Naitang a gaming ring, and it had arrived this morning.
Niu Naitang took the box, overjoyed, put down her bowl and chopsticks, and ran to Lin Jichen, standing on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek, leaving a little oily mark.
"Thank you, Brother Lin~"
Lin Jichen smiled indulgently and said, "No need to thank me, but remember, don't rat me out if you get caught."
"Tang Tang would never betray Brother!" Niu Naitang promised.
Their conversation was overheard by Ren Lan.
"Little Lin, you bought this little one a gaming ring, aren't you afraid of leading her astray? Besides, such a violent game isn't suitable for a child her age."
Ren Lan said worriedly.
Indeed, "Tale of Immortal" wasn't suitable for children.
Otherwise, there wouldn't be a regulation two years later prohibiting minors from logging into "Tale of Immortal."
As someone who had been through it, Lin Jichen didn't share Ren Lan's concerns, but he couldn't reveal the truth, so he explained, "Tang Tang gets too bored staying home alone every day. Buying her 'Tale of Immortal' will keep her from wandering around. Besides, Tang Tang only wants to play chess in the game, not engage in violence. It will be fine."
"Alright, but if Sister Xiaowei finds out, you'll be in trouble. She'll definitely blame you for leading Tang Tang astray."
Niu Naitang quickly interjected, "Tang Tang won't tell Auntie, and even if I'm caught, I won't betray Brother!"
Ren Lan couldn't help but laugh and cry, saying, "You little one, you're quite loyal."
As they spoke, Ren Lan had an idea and smiled, "Tang Tang, since you're going to play this game, how about letting Sister teach you?"
"No! I want to play by myself!" Niu Naitang refused without a second thought.
"Sister is really good at it. Sister can teach you to punch, one punch per kid!" Ren Lan tried to persuade her again.
But Niu Naitang still refused, "Tang Tang doesn't like punching, Tang Tang only likes playing chess."
"Fine, but don't blame me if someone bullies you."
"If someone bullies me, I'll find Brother Lin, I don't need you."
Ren Lan rolled her eyes in frustration, unable to do anything with this little girl.
After breakfast, the little girl happily took the box and went upstairs to play.
Before she left, Lin Jichen taught her some basic game knowledge and operations, which Niu Naitang quickly grasped and then went home to try it out.
Lin Jichen and Ren Lan also logged into the game.
Lin Jichen reappeared in his quarters at the Sword Sect. Instead of looking for Leng Feiyan, he checked the Soul Burial Mound of the last Thunder Dragon.
It might have been killed by an NPC, so the Thunder Dragon's Soul Burial Mound wasn't very rich.
However, there were many Spirit Stones, over ten thousand of them.
This was the first time since his rebirth that Lin Jichen had encountered a boss that dropped so many Spirit Stones.
Indeed, dragons were wealthy, no doubt about it.
Besides the Spirit Stones, there were only three items. He looked at the first one, a skill book of Earth Grade!
[Earth Grade Spirit Skill · Armor of Thunder]: Converts one's spiritual power into a thunder attribute armor spirit shield. For 10 seconds, it can block 30% of damage from enemies below the Nascent Soul Realm and can reflect 10% of the damage.
Cooldown: 60 minutes, Mana consumption: 2000 points.
Requirement: Cultivators above the Crystal Realm can learn.
This skill was great! He had learned the Thunder Armor spirit skill in his previous life, and it was an extremely useful early defense skill.
As a spell cultivator back then, this skill was one of Lin Jichen's most important life-saving skills.
It had helped him escape many dangers and withstand numerous fatal injuries.
Lin Jichen stored it away, planning to learn it immediately after reaching the Crystal Formation.
He then looked at the second item.
[Mysterious Grade Equipment · Dark Star Bracelet]: Mana +1500 points, Defense +25, Heart Protection +15, comes with the [Spirit Reservoir] skill.
Spirit Reservoir: Can store 3000 points of mana, which can be used to replenish health even in combat. Once depleted, it has a 24-hour cooldown.
Requirement: Cultivators above the Foundation Establishment Realm can use.
This bracelet was also excellent, far surpassing his current Spirit Grade and Phoenix Bracelets.
Moreover, the bracelet's skill was very practical, storing mana.
He already had a Spring Thunder Belt for storing health, and now he had a Dark Star Bracelet for storing mana.
With both vitality and mana somewhat secured, this bracelet, with its 3000 points of mana, would allow him to cast several more skills.
Lin Jichen put it on.