I Can Only Cultivate In A Game-Chapter 198: Revisiting The City Lord.

Later that evening, Victor sat around the dinner table with his usual crew: Danny, Selene, Aria, Reed, Kai, and Rylan.

Selene was, as usual, toying with a lollipop. "So," she asked while grinning, "how's the great mystery man preparing for the legacy weapons competition next week?"

"You mean this guy?" Danny pointed at Victor. "He sleeps more than an old man in a rocking chair."

Victor chuckled while resting his head in one hand. "I need sleep."

Reed scoffed. "You registered, didn't you? That legacy sword competition is no joke. You know who else is registered, right?"

"Elyra Vorn," Kai muttered.

Victor simply sighed. "Yeah. I know."

Aria arched a brow. "I see you're still going through with it?"

"Let's just say... I need that sword."

Selene leaned forward. "Then you better get some rest, white hair. No more late-night naps."

Victor smiled faintly.

...

...

Victor awoke just after 4am, having slept through the entire night without logging into Ascendant Realms for the first time in a long while.

His body felt relieved as the fatigue from his consistent overuse of both real-world qi and virtual-world strain finally began to ease.

He yawned, stretched, and sat up on his bed with his hair messy and eyes half-lidded. "Man... maybe sleep really is underrated," he muttered.

Still, he knew he couldn't keep that up.

Tonight, he had to log in due to everything left unresolved in the game and the upcoming Legacy Weapons Competition was fast approaching. He had to get more practice with his blade in both worlds.

Morning routine came and went like a breeze. Friday's exercises were less grueling than usual—just a series of synchronized core-strength drills and brief resistance runs with weighted vests. By now, Victor had gotten used to the rhythm of the campus.

Afterwards, they moved on to Insight Studies with Instructor Harel—the only non-Awakened human instructor in the entire Academy.

Harel compensated for his lack of abilities with a ridiculous depth of knowledge and charisma.

Class today was particularly engaging. They strolled through one of the magically-sealed observation fields, an enclosed terrain where magical beasts were kept in captivity.

"This one here," Harel voiced while pointing to a hunchbacked, hairy creature with three glowing eyes and bark-like skin, "is a Blightrender. It might look slow and awkward, but it can tear through steel like wet paper. Its ability? Hex Spores. Inhales your mana and poisons your bloodstream. Avoid it unless you're a healer or you like hallucinations."

The students chuckled nervously. Danny nudged Victor and whispered, "I bet if you fed that thing Selene's lollipops, it would turn into a unicorn."

Victor snorted while covering his mouth. "More like a hallucinating unicorn with depression."

Aria rolled her eyes at them.

As they strolled through the field, Harel continued introducing other beasts—the shimmer-scaled Wyren Frostbeast, the tail-flicking Shadow Howler, and the deceptively cute Mistbound Totette. Each had unique magical characteristics, and Harel explained their evolutionary paths, combat capabilities, and areas of threat.

Meanwhile...

In a chamber hidden beneath the Academy's infrastructure, a man clad in black stood within a rune-carved circle.

His aura was faint, almost indistinct—as if he were purposely suppressing it. A projection rune glowed in the center of the chamber, and from it, a translucent silhouette of a feminine figure emerged. Her voice was cold, smooth, commanding.

"Report."

"Yes, miss," the man bowed. "I tested him during the VICTIM-SAVIOUR drill. The vest's mana bindings were active. Still, he used abilities. Your guess was accurate... he isn't using mana."

"So it is true," the voice murmured. "... interesting."

"What shall I do next?"

"Keep observing. Watch out for the others and test him in other ways."

"Understood."

The image flickered and faded.

Meanwhile Victor's lectures flew by.

Magical Theory... Artifact Engineering... Combat Drill Design... Everything felt light in comparison to what he'd been through in Ascendant Realms. By the end of the day, as everyone packed up and Danny leaned over.

"You ready for the Legacy Weapon showdown next week?"

Victor rubbed his eyes. "I think I need a little more sleep. What about you?"

"You know I'm not competing... the only weapons I need are these..." Danny voiced while raising both his arms to flex his biceps.

"Really? Are they impenetrable?" Victor questioned while unsheathing his sword.

"Yo yo dude what are you doing?" Danny questioned while backing off.

"Testing your weapons against mine," Victor proceeded to chase Danny halfway across the place while Danny kept yelling.

Selene just shook her head from the side with a smile on her face; "Boys..."

...

...

That night, Victor returned to his dorm, fortunate to find it empty.

'Kairo must still be out training.'

He locked the door, slipped under the covers, and put on his neural visor.

[ Logging into Ascendant Realms... ]

The world of Ascendant Realms swirled into clarity. Victor stood once more in his abode within the Violet Spring Sect.

It was calm, serene, and slightly misty.

Tarkos sat at the corner in cultivation posture, unmoving. Upon sensing Victor's arrival, he stood and nodded. "You're back."

Victor nodded back. "Let's go find Elder Mo. We have a meeting to attend."

Together, they headed to Elder Mo courtyard.

...

...

The journey to Blueflame City Palace didn't take long, and the moment they stepped into the massive halls lined with crimson banners and molten stone accents, guards immediately surrounded them.

They instantly drew their blades.

"Who dares bring an assassin here?!"

They seemed to have recognised Tarkos.

Tarkos stood calm and expressionless while Victor raised both hands. "Relax. He's with me."

Elder Mo sighed. "He's here under my authority. Lower your weapons."

There was hesitation, but eventually the guards stepped back. The moment stretched, tense and heavy.

Victor leaned over and whispered, "Why do I feel like you make enemies just by breathing?"

Tarkos smirked slightly. "Probably because I do."

The great doors of the inner chamber opened slowly as the flames along the sconces intensified.

It was time to face the City Lord.

Victor barely had time to react when a sudden figure launched into his chest.

"Fang Chen!" a delighted voice cried, followed by the soft thud of a smaller frame burying itself in his embrace.

Victor instinctively caught the figure as his eyes widened in recognition.

It was none other than Xuan Qing—the bratty, beautiful, and youthful daughter of City Lord Xuan Wenzhou. Her raven-black hair cascaded down to her hips. A set of lavender eyes gleamed with childlike mischief as she grinned up at him.

She looked like a girl of seventeen, but Victor remembered she had celebrated her 200th birthday the last time he saw her.

"You!" she pouted while jabbing a dainty finger into his chest. "You never came to visit me! Do you know how boring it's been?"

Victor offered a sheepish smile. "I've been busy… you know… training, nearly dying, unraveling sect-wide conspiracies… the usual."

She huffed. "Excuses! You didn't even ask about Xiao Yue."

Victor blinked. "You named the snake?"

Xuan Qing beamed. "The Mystical Moon Eye Serpent! Show some respect. She just awakened her third eye. She's growing so fast!"

Victor couldn't help but chuckle. "That's... impressive. Really."

Before he could say more, a powerful voice echoed across the grand marble hall.

"Qing'er, let them through. They're here for important matters."

City Lord Xuan Wenzhou entered with a calm, measured stride.

His robes flowed like ink smoke with golden embroidery etched onto them, marking him as the powerful ruler of Blueflame City. He made his way to the grand throne and sat, exuding the authority of a man who had stood unchallenged for over a century.

Xuan Qing released Victor with a pout. "Hmph. You're lucky Father interrupted us. But you better come find me after this. I'm not done with you yet!"

With a swish of her sleeves and the faint jingling of the jewelry on her wrists, she turned and left, trailed by an entourage of masked servants.

The atmosphere shifted. The guards who had pointed their weapons at Tarkos earlier now stood aside, recognizing the gravity of the guests before them.

Xuan Wenzhou's gaze landed squarely on Victor. "It has been a while, Fang Chen. I trust you've been well?"

Victor straightened his posture. Tarkos, beside him, stood stiff as a statue while Elder Mo stepped forward with a respectful nod.

"City Lord Xuan, thank you for receiving us. Fang Chen has made significant progress."

Victor added, "A lot has happened... I'd rather not bore you with the details, but I've passed the halfway point of bloodline integration."

The city lord's eyebrows raised. "So it is true. The Void Emperor's bloodline runs strongly within you."

Elder Mo interjected. "We came to see if the next step can now begin."

Xuan Wenzhou nodded thoughtfully. "It can. But you must understand what lies ahead."

He stood and descended the steps of his throne platform while folding his hands behind his back as he paced slowly.

"If you recall from our last encounter... I mentioned that within the Ancient Grove lies a place known as the Hollow Verdant. A region sealed off by immense layers of ancient power. Its purpose is to hold back something that should never be allowed to roam our world again. The seal... is deteriorating. And only a Void Emperor-blooded cultivator can even hope to approach it."