45 On a Timer~

*Knock Knock*

The forceful pounding on the door resounded through the air, jolting Ning from his slumber. His eyes cracked open, a mix of confusion and grogginess clouding his senses.

What had just happened?

"Brother Ning, is everything alright? You've been in there for an hour. I grew worried and thought to check on you," came the concerned voice of Patriarch Luo, breaking through the haze.

Ning massaged his throbbing temples, his voice barely more than a whisper, "I'm fine. Just give me a moment."

"Take all the time you need," responded Patriarch Luo in understanding. Honestly, remembering the stinky impurities they had found, it was only natural that Ning would scrub out each part of his body to the limit to get rid of that impurity.

So, Patriarch Luo, ever the understanding man he was, quickly retreated.

Ning, on the other hand, had a bad complexion. Anyone would if they suddenly fainted from blacking out at once.

Was this how those P*kémon felt after being forced to battle until they blacked out? Ning suddenly felt a bit of pity, but it also felt a bit subtle. Thinking that others may have suffered the same way he did, he was able to find some psychological balance.

I, Ning, definitely didn't have bad taste.

"Still, it hurts quite bad," Ning said as he carefully circulated his qi, finding that his body was fine. There was nothing that required immediate attention, even though he had fainted suddenly.

Seeing this, Ning couldn't help but sigh in relief.

Being a cultivator in such a cliché world was not without its advantages. Suddenly fainting or coughing up blood was already a norm, so much so that he even wondered if their bodies had evolved to the point that they could shrug off such a thing.

"Still, didn't expect to encounter a Mental Overload."

Mental Overload was a condition where the mind of the cultivator shut down due to intensive pressure. It was a common encounter when on the verge of intense practice.

"But, to think that my Mental Overload would be due to my Spiritual Sense. I don't think the normal spiritual sense would have such conditions; otherwise, I would have heard about it. That means..." Ning muttered.

"Status."

Ning immediately focused on a single part of the materialized panel.

[Talent: Extreme Space-Time Sensitivity.]

This talent has been quite inconspicuous until now. Except for slightly aiding in his archery, this thing has mostly been collecting dust.

It's not that he did not try to train it by trying to comprehend the power of space and such using the space pouch, but knowing that it's a storage formation, he knew it was a lost cause.

Ning was mentally prepared for this talent to be useful only in the far future when he could acquire some technique related to space-time or make his own, but now, it seems that this talent was not simple.

Remembering those few seconds when he felt the space around him so intimately and intuitively, Ning licked his lips.

The feeling of being in control of everything around him was addictive.

But then suddenly remembering something, Ning frowned, "But there is a time limit for this ability."

"Such a cliché..." Ning's lips twitched.

As he expected, this world was as cliché as they come. Often, protagonists would gain some extreme ability, only for it to be restricted in some manner. It was a common thing found in novels he had read.

Still to think I would encounter this cliché.

After all, being able to contact the concept of space in just the mid-stage of Qi condensation was groundbreaking. But due to this, whenever he unfolded his spiritual sense, he was on a timer. Exceeding it would lead to the aforementioned Mental Overload.

After all, as they say, the way of Heaven was Balance. It's just that the tips of the scale favor some people more than others.

"But since it's a cliché, that also affirms how strong this talent is." Ning could practically see the gold light shining in the panel.

While Ning did feel stifled by the restriction, it also showed the potential he could achieve in the future. After all, while cliche, such restrictions were only applied to those overpowered abilities.

Furthermore, it's not that there are no other ways around this problem. The reason he was restricted was that his mind could not handle the extreme amount of information and it collapsed under the extreme pressure.

So, the solution was also as simple as they come: increase your mental strength to an inconceivable level.

"One more thing added to the agenda. But thankfully, I have something I can use for this," Ning's eyes shone as he finally got out of his extremely long bath.

...

The spiritual farm was not present in Redhorn Town itself but in a low-lying valley in the mountains behind the town.

Surrounded by hills, the trees provided shade, and the entire place was filled with fog.

"Please wait, Brother Ning. I will unlock the formation," Patriarch Luo took out a jade talisman and infused it with spiritual energy, causing the fog around them to lessen in an instant.

Ning watched the process with interest. He and formations go way back to his outer sect days, so he paid quite a lot of attention to it.

Even though what was installed here was just the cheapest kind of formation, which could only confuse the linear sight of people without much lethality, Ning was curious.

"It's a shame. I already have a master; otherwise..." Ning's thoughts stopped at that. His master might not look like it, but he was quite sadistic, so he did not want to piss him off by lusting after another teacher.

"Brother Ning, follow me. We will reach the spiritual farm soon," Patriarch Luo said quickly, noticing that Ning seemed to be lost in thought. He did not want to make the young genius wait any longer.

Ning nodded and followed the Patriarch. Besides him, there were other guards present, but apart from the father-son duo, everyone else was just a mortal without any cultivation base.

After a few minutes, the group arrived at a small basin surrounded by hills. In the center, there was a 20-acre field. Various spiritual crops were growing, their seedlings swaying in the wind.

With his sharp eyesight, Ning could also see a small stream flowing around the spiritual crops.

"This is it!" Patriarch Luo pointed at the various bald spots present on the spiritual farm.

"That spirit-devouring rat was discovered around fifteen days ago. As you can see, several parts of the farm have been completely damaged. To prevent the beast from stealing any more crops, we even took turns to guard, but in the end, it was useless."

"That beast is too strong and too cunning. Its concealment method is top-notch, and it always escapes the moment it senses our presence."

Patriarch Luo gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing with anger and pain. Know that these spiritual crops can only be planted once a year, now that there was such damage, it would affect the entire family for a while.

"If so, then this beast is quite cunning," Ning muttered as he walked around the farm, inspecting each and every item.

As a qualified archer, Ning first inspected the terrain, every nook, and cranny, to spot the gaps that may be created when hunting.

This was his modus operandi in hunting.

Secure the environment, get familiar with the beasts, and then hunt. This method has been quite successful, so he was not ready to abandon it anytime soon.

"Patriarch Luo, for today, all of you stay behind me and be prepared to act at a moment's notice," Ning didn't hesitate to give out instructions. "Since you said that the monster was sensitive to our presence, it would be better to lower its guard first by not alerting it without our presence. Only I will take action first and all of you follow my lead after that."

Patriarch Luo nodded, seemingly not offended.

Normally, Patriarch Luo would not have had such high trust, but he realized that Ning was a different breed from the genius he usually encountered. He did not seem arrogant and proud of his strength to kill anything that opposed him.

Instead of all that, he had observed how Ning carefully inspected the terrain, gathered information even from the mortal guards, and laid out various traps. His preparation was too comprehensive, not resembling the geniuses he remembered at all.

Looking at Ning as he coated his arrows in some unknown liquid, his gaze as sharp as a hawk, Patriarch Luo realized.

Ah! This guy is a professional.

...

Thanks for reading~