Watching the quantity of his Law Network Spirit Stones drop to a double-digit number, Ren Suo felt a pang of pain.

Fortunately, it was the beginning of the month, and last month's salary and Spiritual Vision subsidies had all been distributed. Otherwise, Ren Suo wouldn't have had any Spirit Stones to squander.

It was his status as a Researcher with considerable points and his title as a faculty member at the academy that allowed him to directly spend a month's income on a Second-Tier Spell.

Others might not receive as many Spirit Stone subsidies as Ren Suo, but there was also no need for them to learn as many spells. After all, cultivating Qi Cyclones took time, and cultivating spells took even more. Unless one's cultivation had come to a standstill or their job required it, few cultivators would devote much effort to spellcasting.

The logic was simple: while Low-Level Magic was very practical, why not wait until your own cultivation level was higher to learn High-Tier Magic? Even if there were no suitable High-Tier Magic available, one could always go back and learn Low-Level Magic with improved efficiency. Why bother spending so much time learning spells when your cultivation was not high?

From the Law Net Instrument, a warm current flowed, continuously stimulating Ren Suo's neurons. Soon, detailed information about a new spell appeared in his mind.

"Finger Lock."

As an advanced version of "Lock," "Finger Lock" could suppress most ordinary people and average Awakeners. It also possessed the trait of 'disrupting Spiritual Energy,' allowing it to pierce directly through Defensive Magic composed of Spiritual Energy. If Ren Suo were to advance to a third turn, he'd be able to learn an even stronger advanced version.

The Lock System was the only attack Magic System that all civil servant cultivators were certain to learn. Even for non-combatants, it was the only attack system they could study. The authorities feared chaos might ensue if ordinary people were to learn stronger spells.

The Lock System granted cultivators a certain combat power while lacking any damage capability, making it just perfect.

However, as the sole Offensive Spell of its kind available, "Finger Lock" also came with an exceptionally steep price, instantly draining Ren Suo's Spiritual Vision subsidy for the month.

Ren Suo originally had no intention of learning it, but due to the needs of the game, he had no choice but to spend in reality.

However, just as he put on his hat to start practicing, a call came through.

"Want to learn Offensive Spells? Come over to the Tactical Bureau. Why spend Spirit Stones on 'Finger Lock'? Here, learning it is a free benefit."

Ren Suo had purchased the spell only a few minutes ago, yet Yu Kuangtu already knew about it. Ren Suo was not surprised.

The Law Net Instrument was designed for that purpose: to register all cultivators' spell learning activities and to synchronize the data to the national database in real-time. The Tactical Bureau closest to the cultivator would even receive a direct notification, learning which cultivator had learned which spell.

In some sense, spells were like controlled substances or firearms: if used well, they could yield enormous profits.

But if you learned spells from the nation's law network, you naturally had to abide by state laws. If you wanted to profit from the spells you'd learned, you had to work for the relevant state-operated departments, which were uniformly verified and tasks distributed by the counteraction system.

If someone brainlessly learned half-baked spells and misused them everywhere, their own demise would be a minor issue, but tarnishing the reputation of cultivators was a major one.

The counteraction system's awareness of all cultivators' spell statuses had several benefits. First, it made apprehending individuals much easier. Second, it allowed warnings to be issued to all cultivators. Third, in dangerous situations, it ensured that help could be quickly and reliably found.

"If I were to go back to the Tactical Bureau, who would help you scout for talented seedlings in school? Who would care for your little girlfriend?" Ren Suo yawned. "Speaking of which, shouldn't you be giving me an extra subsidy? Spirit Stones are fine."

"If I could distribute Spirit Stones, I wouldn't give you a single coin," Yu Kuangtu retorted fiercely. "Have you written your paper this month?"

"Ah, well..." Ren Suo scratched his head. "I'll get to it in a few days."

"I just knew it. Remember to submit by the 25th, two copies," Yu Kuangtu said. "Also, your Researcher Level has been upgraded; check it out on the internal network yourself. Tsk, I always feel like I'm wasting national funds on a parasite like you."

"Shouldn't Li Dan be the one to tell me these trivial matters?" Ren Suo complained. "You don't even speak nicely."

Yu Kuangtu said, "I just happened to get your notice and glanced at it to find you were splurging, so I couldn't be bothered to trouble Li Dan with a trip. You think I'm as lazy as you, a tax evader?"

Ren Suo dug at his ear and said, "Who was it at home eating braised pork knuckle, keeping news of their promotion to themselves and refusing to go to work..."

Speaking of this, Yu Kuangtu was itching with rage. He had merely wanted to spend a few more days at home until Qin Lian started school and then resume work. He hadn't expected Ren Suo to cut his vacation short. Unfortunately, he couldn't hit him through the phone, nor could he find the moral high ground to scold him.

"Why are you learning 'Finger Lock'?" Yu Kuangtu suddenly returned to the subject. "'Gauze Clothing,' 'Pain-Relieving Therapy,' these are normal work spells, but 'Finger Lock' is totally unnecessary for you. You're so weak, it's never your turn to fight."

"Hmm? To protect myself," Ren Suo said. "So that I don't get beaten up by some nut who likes to play with fire... Besides, in life, there will always be times when you have to fight."

If I really wanted to hit you, giving you a one-hand advantage wouldn't be an issue! Yu Kuangtu held back his desire to ridicule and said irritably, "If you run into danger, don't think about handling it yourself; call us at the Tactical Bureau. You're an important protection target, and we can ensure your safety in any situation!"

"You can't master everything by being greedy. Just learn your profession's spells well. When it comes to fighting, how can you compare to us?"

Ren Suo naturally couldn't reveal the real reason he was studying spells, so he just answered affirmatively. Seeing his compliant attitude, Yu Kuangtu's anger also dissipated somewhat.

He had actually called because, upon discovering Ren Suo learned 'Finger Lock,' he suspected Ren Suo might have run into trouble or had become arrogant after his second-turn promotion and decided to learn every spell he could.

"If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up. Remember to work on your paper."

"Oh, you've been promoted to the third turn, and we haven't celebrated yet," Ren Suo suddenly said.

"There's nothing to celebrate about being promoted," Yu Kuangtu said indifferently.

"You should at least treat me to a meal since I was the first to know about your promotion..."

"Go eat shit!"

Yu Kuangtu hung up the phone harshly, his anger unabated. He took a big gulp of iced water but still didn't feel better, so he continued his work with a gloomy face.

Next was a list of special guests invited by Heavenly Lotus Academy and the city government. As this was a significant matter, it required a final review by the Tactical Bureau's system.

Moreover, because of the guests' statuses, the Tactical Bureau needed to select some 'interesting guests' from the list and compile their information to send over, so the VIP wouldn't be entirely surrounded by strangers.

"Hmm?" Yu Kuangtu saw Ren Suo's name on the guest list. His eyes shifted slightly. He clicked open Ren Suo's profile and scrolled down to look at Ren Suo's credentials—

'Foreign language proficiency: Scored 426 in the College English Test Band 4 during the first semester of junior year (highest test score and test time).'

Passing is 425, right? That's barely scraping by! And he only passed in his junior year!

Yu Kuangtu clicked his tongue in wonder, fairly certain that Ren Suo's English proficiency couldn't be very good. He decisively marked Ren Suo's profile with a red circle, designating him as a member of the 'important guest list.'

Hmm... His research subject happens to be Ren Naiser, which is 'interesting' enough. This isn't me being personally vindictive; I just want to see him make a fool of himself...

'Negative emotions from Yu Kuangtu, +233.'

"Just because he wouldn't treat me to a meal, how petty," Ren Suo mumbled to himself.

He then spent half a day and finally managed to get a basic grasp of "Finger Lock."

Both the "Lock Series" and "Garment Series" spells had no attribute affinity. Anyone could learn them without barriers, but no one could learn them quickly unless they were exceptionally intelligent.

Ren Suo was, of course, exceptionally intelligent—with the "Seeker of the Dao Correction Hat" and his sister's Bond Ability "A Thousand Miles in a Day" to assist him, mastering the basics in half a day wasn't difficult.

As soon as "Finger Lock" appeared in the game console's Equipment Interface, Ren Suo immediately equipped the Rebel with this ability and then entered "My Life is Not Your Game."

Now, Ren Suo had identified the three challenges of the second level:

1. He must defeat a Pallbearer within two minutes; otherwise, once their numbers increased, they would become unbeatable.

2. He could not kill a Pallbearer; otherwise, other enemies would attack at once, as they knew each other's life and death status.

3. Neither the Rebel nor the Phantom Girl could be exposed.

As before, the Phantom Girl acted as bait, luring the first Pallbearer into the women's restroom, where the Rebel would launch a surprise attack.

Still using Teleport, but this time the attack method was—unarmed "Finger Lock"!

Ren Suo had tried to have the Rebel use "Lock" to attack before, but the Pallbearer seemed to have a type of Spiritual Energy Defensive Magic that rendered "Lock" utterly ineffective against their defense. Thus, he had to learn this new spell, "Finger Lock," hoping to penetrate it!

The Rebel initiated "Finger Lock" on Pallbearer Q. "Iron Armor" failed to defend, and he received full damage, his body imprisoned for 1.8 seconds!

An Energy Slot indicating the 1.8 seconds of Imprisonment instantly appeared above the Pallbearer's head, rapidly depleting!

At the same time, the Rebel could neither move nor attack—this 1.8-second Imprisonment depended on the Rebel continuously suppressing the Pallbearer. The moment the Rebel let go, the Pallbearer would immediately break free and counterattack.

Ren Suo clicked his tongue.

As expected. Even if the Pallbearer isn't stronger than the Rebel, he's at least on par. That's why the Rebel's "Finger Lock" can't completely suppress him.

However, Ren Suo had anticipated this. He held his breath, and the moment the 1.8 seconds were up, he immediately spun the joystick to activate Teleport!

The Rebel, like a shooting star, zipped past the Pallbearer. As the Pallbearer turned to counterattack, the Rebel had already moved behind him to attack again!

Another 1.8 seconds!

The Pallbearer turned; the Rebel teleported and hit again.

The Pallbearer turned; the Rebel teleported and hit again.

The Pallbearer didn't turn; the Rebel teleported... huh?

This time, the Rebel was caught head-on by the Pallbearer, who landed a fierce punch directly to his head. It exploded like a smashed watermelon—what a tragic death.

"I didn't expect the Pallbearer to still have a brain after being hit like that," Ren Suo marveled with a tsk-tsk.

But the Pallbearer actually playing mind games was somewhat troublesome. After all, Teleport happened in the blink of an eye, and Ren Suo couldn't predict the Pallbearer's movements or judge whether he would turn around this time or not.

Ren Suo pondered for a few minutes, thinking the only way was to provoke the Pallbearer's anger.

He thought for a moment, equipped the Rebel with "Ventriloquism," wrote down a sentence, and set it to repeat infinitely at regular intervals.

Back in the battle for dominance in the women's restroom in the game, right after the Rebel subdued the Pallbearer with Teleport and Finger Lock for 1.8 seconds, Ren Suo immediately pressed the button for Ventriloquism. A sentence then appeared above the Rebel's head:

"(Ventriloquism) Are you angry?"

The Pallbearer's red name flickered slightly. He was imprisoned and naturally couldn't speak, but it seemed he understood Chinese. It appeared there was no need for Ren Suo to try again in English.

As the 1.8-second Imprisonment ended, the Pallbearer turned, and the Rebel teleported to strike again, asking once more, "(Ventriloquism) Are you angry?"

"(Ventriloquism) Are you angry?"

"(Ventriloquism) Are you angry?"

...

After seven or eight exchanges, the Pallbearer was completely provoked by the Rebel's constant repetition. He lost his Calmness and turned around every time.

The Rebel's punches were also very effective; it seemed each one targeted the Pallbearer's forehead. Finally, on the ninth time, as the Rebel's Red Clothing became even more vivid, he stunned the Pallbearer!

The Rebel stunned the Pallbearer; Determination Value maximum permanently increased by 20%!

The Rebel fell into a critically injured, dying state; would lose consciousness in 155 seconds; Determination Value would decrease at a rate of 1%/s after 20 seconds!

"Critically injured means not dead yet," Ren Suo breathed a sigh of relief and quickly had the Rebel switch to Medical Spells to heal himself.

At this moment, the Phantom Girl poked her small head out. Seeing the Rebel in Red Clothing, she ran over and hugged his waist. "Thank you, big brother, for protecting me."

The Rebel's maximum Determination Value permanently increased by another 5%.

"Ah..." Ren Suo propped his chin. "Rebel, you're really disgusting."