I Can Only Cultivate In A Game-Chapter 117: Brewing Trouble

The quiet murmur of the sect's courtyard buzzed with the usual sound of rustling robes, passing disciples, and distant clashing of swords.

But within the shaded confines of the Inner Court's meditation pavilion, a whisper was brewing—one that was about to take root and stir trouble.

Lian Yu, a young serving girl dressed in the sect's sky-blue attendant robes, stood near one of the open corridors where a cluster of inner court disciples were lounging in relaxed conversation.

Her eyes darted about, ensuring Elder Mo wasn't within earshot, nor any of the senior stewards, before she leaned closer with a slightly smug expression curling her lips.

"You won't believe what I've been seeing for the past few days," she began in a hushed but deliberate tone—loud enough to draw attention but soft enough to feel like a secret.

A few of the disciples glanced at her, more out of curiosity than genuine interest.

Then a broad-shouldered young man named Xu Tao—well known for his ambition and his frustrations about being overlooked for core disciple selection—turned toward her.

"Well, go on then," his voice tinged with mock amusement. "What sacred truth have you uncovered now, Lian Yu?"

She leaned in with a dramatic whisper. "I saw Elder Mo himself giving personal instruction to a cultivator that isn't even a disciple of the sect."

This revelation earned raised brows and suddenly more attentive gazes.

"What?"

"You heard me," she voiced while straightening with arms crossed. "And not just that. This outsider—he's got his own private courtyard, he's treated like a core disciple, and Elder Mo told me personally to deliver spirit elixirs to him… which, might I add, were meant for elite training only."

There was a moment of stunned silence.

"Impossible," muttered another disciple. "Elder Mo hasn't taken a personal student in over a decade."

"He even turned down Yun Fei last year!" Xu Tao hissed. "She's been training endlessly just to make core rank."

"I'm telling you what I saw," Lian Yu shrugged. "Long white hair, handsome, strange robes, clearly not from our sect. He's got some connection to the City Lord, I think. I heard rumors."

Now the disciples were fully attentive. A few exchanged glances with sour expressions growing across their faces.

In a sect where progression meant prestige and cultivation resources, favoritism—especially for an outsider—was the ultimate offense.

"If what you say is true…" one girl muttered, "...then all the effort we've poured into gaining Elder Mo's favor is meaningless."

Xu Tao's jaw clenched. "No one gets to jump the queue. I don't care whose token he has."

"I thought you should all know," Lian Yu said sweetly before brushing her long dark hair behind one ear.

And with that, she bowed gently and slipped away.

Behind her, angry murmurs had begun.

"We can't allow such injustice take root..."

"We must report this to the other elders..."

...

...

Meanwhile...

"I'm... both."

He stood upright in the void. "I am who I choose to be. And I choose to defy fate despite not being an awakened."

The moment those words left his lips, the space around him fractured like glass being struck by sound. Each shard reflected him differently—young, old, broken, victorious. But all of them fused again into one form: his current self.

From his chest, a symbol emerged.

An ancient emblem shaped like overlapping rings of light and shadow—the seal of the Void Emperor. It glowed on his skin, etching itself like a brand on his spirit.

A moment later, he opened his eyes.

The sky had long turned to night.

The sourc𝗲 of this content is frёeωebɳovel.com.

Victor's pure white hair swayed slightly in the breeze as a light mist floated around him. His cultivation robes were soaked in sweat, but his face bore the calmness of a sea untouched by storm.

Elder Mo slowly descended.

"You've completed the third stage. That... was faster than expected."

Victor blinked. "How long?"

"Three days," Elder Mo replied.

Victor's stomach tightened.

He hadn't logged out in six whole days.

That meant nearly two full days in the real world. He was supposed to check on his mother... and everything else.

"I need to go."

...

...

Minutes later, Victor slowly opened his eyes to the familiar ceiling of his bedroom after taking his VR helmet off.

He exhaled deeply and took a moment to adjust, blinking away the blurry remnants of the game world. The sensation of being Fang Chen—Void Emperor bloodline and all—still clung to his body like a second skin.

He stretched and got out of bed before moving toward the mirror. His white-and-black hair still stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Still weird," he muttered with a half-smile.

He exited his room and found his mom already preparing breakfast. The aroma of eggs and sizzling butter greeted him warmly.

"Morning, Vic," his mom said upon noticing him walk in.

Her eyes flicked up to his hair, and she tilted her head with an amused look. "Still not used to this anime look of yours."

Victor laughed. "Yeah, it's growing on me though. Literally."

He helped around the house, doing the laundry, fixing a leaky tap in the bathroom, and using little bursts of qi here and there to speed up cleaning.

Afterwards, he noticed his mom staring at the portrait of his father after serving their breakfast.

He reached out towards her from behind and hugged her.

She patted his hand softly while making sniffling sounds.

"I promise to do my best to fill the void Father left," he whispered.

"Oh my dear boy... that isn't something a sixteen year old should be trying to do..." she slowly turned around and pulled his head into her bosom.

"I don't want you to grow up too fast... you're still a kid and I want you to act like a kid. Promise me you won't try to take on more than you can handle," she held his hands with a loving gaze.

'A little too late for that now...' He said internally but smiled at his mother.

"I promise."

After they ate, he returned to his room and flopped on the bed before pulling up his phone to check his channel.

His videos had already gained a couple million views. Not as crazy as the raw footage of the bus save, but still impressive.

Monetization was now fully in place. His dashboard reflected earnings growing steadily across all his content.

He smiled.

Victor went into his folder and uploaded another prepared clip, one he had recorded over a week ago but hadn't gotten around to posting.

The clip was well-edited and contained some cool moments from jumping around the city.

After scheduling the post, he noticed a blinking mail icon.

With an expression of curiosity, he tapped it and found a surprise waiting for him.