Mental Issues

Half a month ago, when stepping into the cultivation room for seclusion, Tang Ping paused his fingertip on the light-brain screen. His mind had been so occupied by cultivation and mining affairs that he had nearly forgotten about the outstanding debt owed by Zhang Min and Li Feifei.

He casually pulled up the contact channel for the Luo Family legal department, sent the records of their breach of contract and the loan vouchers with a single click, and added a note: "Send a collection lawyer's letter according to the highest standards." Having done this, he cast the matter to the back of his mind.

Within half a day, his personal terminal was buzzing and heating up from the barrage of messages in his classmate group chat.

Opening it, he saw Zhang Min and Li Feifei begging for mercy through the screen, their words filled with panic, even going so far as to claim they had been "confused at the time" and were "willing to pay high interest."

Tang Ping glanced at them and lost interest. He swiped his finger across the screen to mute the group notifications, turned, and pushed open the heavy alloy door of the cultivation room. The light from the spirit array inside instantly enveloped him, and he officially began his seclusion.

In the center of the cultivation room, Tang Ping sat cross-legged at the eye of the Spirit Gathering Array. He condensed pale cyan wind-attribute origin energy and purple-gold thunder-attribute origin energy at his fingertips, slowly merging them according to the circulation path of the Planetary Rank secret technique in the Wind-Thunder Secret Canon.

The "Wind-Thunder Flash" in the secret canon was originally two independent movement techniques, Wind Flash and Thunder Flash, and "Wind-Thunder Stab" was also divided into two separate attack methods, Wind Stab and Thunder Stab.

However, he was born with an affinity for both wind and thunder. When the two types of origin energy circulated within his body, they could merge spontaneously. When executing Wind-Thunder Flash, the trajectory of his movement left behind pale purple electric afterimages, and his speed was thirty percent faster than using Wind Flash alone.

When driving the Wind-Thunder Stab, the origin energy spike condensed at his fingertips was wrapped in fine arcs of lightning, increasing its piercing power by nearly fifty percent. Yet, while the power of such a fused secret technique was immense, the consumption of origin energy for each execution was nearly half again as much as recorded in the canon.

In less than half an hour, fine beads of sweat had seeped out on Tang Ping's forehead.

Life gradually became routine amidst high-intensity cultivation. He set a strict cycle for himself: every seven days, he would practice Wind-Thunder Flash and Wind-Thunder Stab with full effort, from dawn until late at night, repeatedly honing the proficiency of the secret techniques and feeling the Wind Domain slowly expand with each execution.

On the evening of the seventh day, he would emerge from seclusion, consume the "Spirit Condensing Dew" sent by the Rare Treasure Shop, and let his spiritual power recover rapidly under the nourishment of the medicinal liquid; after resting for one night, he would enter seclusion again.

The following seven days were focused on honing his genetic origin energy, either soaking in "Crimson Flame Body Tempering Liquid" to scour his meridians or consuming nutrient solutions mixed with Wood Bud Crystal powder to strengthen his physical foundation.

Every time his seclusion ended, the data detected by his light-brain would show steady improvement. This visible progress made Tang Ping even more immersed in his cultivation.

Three months later, Tang Ping pulled up his personal attribute panel again, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes as he looked at the numbers:

Realm: Planetary Rank Level 4 (10/1000)

Willpower: Planetary Rank Level 4 (500/1000)

Lifespan: 21/5000

Law: Wind Domain (1200/10000)

Secret Technique: Wind-Thunder Secret Canon (1200/10000000)

Breaking through to Planetary Rank Level 4 was within his expectations, but his willpower strength was actually nearly fifty percent higher than his current realm. Tang Ping thought for a moment and understood the reason.

During this time, in order to improve rapidly, he often overloaded his secret techniques in the virtual world. Several times, he had experienced stinging pain in his meridians due to the exhaustion of origin energy, and even felt soul-tearing pain when his Wind Domain expanded. These near-death experiences had repeatedly tempered his willpower.

Now, his base attack power had reached 4 million kilograms. With the 1.22-fold bonus from the Wind Domain, plus the amplitude of his Spiritual Telekinesis and weapon enhancements, his overall strength had increased by 60%. Such progress had long since left the younger generation of the Luo Family far behind.

Even Babata, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, often came to the cultivation room to wander around, her metal tail-sting flicking rapidly, her electronic voice full of pleasure: "Not bad, not bad! Breaking through one level in three months!"

As she spoke, she transferred 1 million Black Dragon Coins into Tang Ping's account as a reward for "exceeding the target."

Yet, Tang Ping gradually began to feel that something was wrong.

At first, it was just difficulty concentrating during cultivation, and the wind-thunder origin energy felt sluggish as it circulated in his body. Later, the irritability became more and more obvious. Every time he performed a secret technique, it felt like he was just completing a task, mechanically counting "three Wind Flashes, five Thunder Stabs," and even the joy of breaking through became blurred.

Occasionally, when he emerged from seclusion to rest, he felt only emptiness while looking at the entertainment news on his light-brain. Even when Luo Xiaoyu smiled and came over to share a newly acquired spirit plant with him, he couldn't muster any interest in the closeness he used to look forward to.

"Could I be poisoned?" Tang Ping sat up abruptly, his mind racing.

During this time, apart from eating West Lake vinegar fish at the restaurant, the only things he had ingested were the enhancement treasures from the Rare Treasure Shop. Could the package they gave me contain expired medicine?

Once this thought emerged, he immediately entered the Virtual Universe and headed straight for the Rare Treasure Shop's customer service channel.

As a major client who had placed orders worth millions, the customer service response was extremely fast. A moment later, a virtual image with a soft light effect appeared before him. It was a rare member of the White Bird-Man Race, with a pair of snow-white wings gently flapping behind her and faint light-attribute energy lingering around her body—clearly a healer skilled in the arts of her race.

"Hello, Mr. Tang. As a VIP client of our shop, we take any discomfort you experience very seriously." The White Bird-Man customer service representative's voice was gentle and soothing. "The C-rank enhancement package you ordered has undergone strict quality inspection. Many members of the Luo Family have used it without any adverse reactions, and it is compatible with the vast majority of human constitutions.

However, we will investigate the problem for you immediately, adjust the plan according to your situation, and implement compensation measures simultaneously. Please describe your physical reactions in detail and upload your recent physical scans and spiritual fluctuation data so I can provide a professional diagnosis."

Tang Ping did not dare to be negligent. He explained everything, from his cultivation intensity over the past three months and his physical abnormalities, to his lack of concentration, loss of interest in things, and even his aversion to intimacy. He then uploaded the complete physical state and soul fluctuation curves recorded by his light-brain.

A moment later, the White Bird-Man representative's expression was slightly strange, though her tone remained patient: "Mr. Tang, according to the data diagnosis, your physical functions and spiritual power indicators are all within the normal range, and the ingredients in the package have not caused you any damage.

Your abnormality stems from excessive cultivation intensity. Every living being's soul needs rest. Although you used medicine to quickly restore your spiritual power, your soul has essentially been in a state of high-intensity consumption. Over a long period, this leads to soul disorder, which is what various races often call 'spiritual exhaustion.'

In the words of the Galaxy Human Race, this is closer to 'depression.' Fortunately, your symptoms are mild. You only need to reduce your cultivation time and do more things that interest you, and you will be able to recover slowly."

"Huh?" Tang Ping stood there, stunned, looking at the diagnostic report on the virtual screen, dumbfounded.

His willpower had clearly increased, so how could he have a mental breakdown? Luo Feng had cultivated day and night without issue, so why did he have a problem? Did he lack the potential to become a powerhouse in the universe?

After a brief moment of self-doubt, Tang Ping followed the advice and went to the Luo Family's psychological clinic for a detailed consultation.

Unexpectedly, when the doctor issued the diagnostic report, they also attached a "Special Health Care Card." With this proof, he could enjoy a twenty percent discount on consumption at restaurants, entertainment venues, and shops that partnered with the Luo Family.

Tang Ping held the card and flipped it over. His gaze suddenly stopped on the "List of Partner Merchants," which actually included several singing and dancing entertainment clubs.

He couldn't help but blink, his mouth twitching slightly: "This... can a certificate of mental illness be used like this?"

I'm shocked!