Eric Ford had more or less gotten used to it by now, reaching a state of forgetting both himself and the world, running with great joy, when suddenly he saw a shadow flicker—Emily Lewis jumped right in front of him. The two were about to collide, but Eric Ford reacted quickly enough. Realizing he couldn’t stop in time, he hurriedly leapt.

Behind Emily Lewis was a wall. Eric Ford whooshed past Emily Lewis’s side, accompanied by Emily Lewis’s scream, heading straight for the wall.

Eric Ford knew very well that he didn’t possess the Maoshan priest’s wall-passing technique, nor did his body have the toughness needed to break through a wall. Maybe in a game, it would result in a cartoonish effect where a person gets flattened into a pancake or a sheet of paper, but he didn’t have the guts to try it.

In that split second, Eric Ford forcefully stretched out a foot and kicked against the wall, imitating the scenes from martial arts movies where heroes run along rooftops and walls. His other foot quickly followed, and he alternated his feet, running up the wall...

“Thud!” “Thud!” “Ding!”—three sounds.

The first was Eric Ford’s head hitting the ceiling;

The second was Eric Ford falling and crashing to the ground;

The third was the system notification sound, with the system prompt:

You have learned the second move of the ultimate skill “Wind Sweeps the World”!

Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Eric Ford was left dumbfounded, and over there, Emily Lewis was now as stunned as a wooden chicken.

First, Eric Ford snapped back to reality, forgot about the pain in his body, and hurried to check out the newly acquired move.

Second move: Facing the Wind, Awaiting the Moon. Current level: first tier. Run along eaves and walls, as light as a swallow. Can be sustained for 7 seconds.

Does this mean he could now leap up and down like a sword soaring to the sky? Eric Ford was overjoyed, and only then did he remember the still-dazed Emily Lewis beside him.

“Hey! Hey...” Eric Ford called out repeatedly, finally dragging Emily Lewis back to reality.

Emily Lewis stared blankly at Eric Ford, and after a long moment finally spoke: “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, just my head hurts a bit!”

“As long as you’re okay, as long as you’re okay!” Emily Lewis now sounded just like Aunt Xianglin.

“What’s wrong? I just jumped on the wall a few times. Haven’t you seen that before?”

“I have, but only people jumping onto rooftops outside. I’ve never seen anyone jump up and hit the ceiling indoors.”

“Is that really enough to scare you like this?”

“Me? What about me!”

“The look in your eyes has given me a much deeper understanding of what it means to be ‘absent-minded’!”

“You’re quite the joker!” Emily Lewis finally returned to normal, glaring at Eric Ford.

“As long as you’re okay, as long as you’re okay!” Eric Ford mimicked Emily Lewis’s earlier tone.

“Stop joking around already. Are you going to keep practicing or not?”

“I’ll rest for a bit. Why haven’t I seen you practicing?”

“With you running around, mud splattering everywhere, how could I possibly sit still!”

“Oh, I didn’t notice. Well, you go ahead and practice, I’ll take a break!”

The two each found a corner. Eric Ford sat alone, looking at the new martial arts move he’d just learned, lost in endless daydreams...

Although Emily Lewis wasn’t being disturbed by anyone, the scene just now had left her unable to focus on her training, and she too began to let her mind wander...

...

“Slap!” Eric Ford’s daydream was interrupted. Coming back to his senses, he saw it was Emily Lewis patting him.

“I have to log off now. You can practice by yourself!”

As she spoke, she stuffed a pile of medicine into Eric Ford’s hands, smiled and waved at him, and with a flash of white light, logged off.

With one less person in the cell, it suddenly felt much more spacious. Eric Ford’s fantasies were interrupted, so he had no choice but to get up and continue running laps in the cell.

While resting after getting tired from running, Eric Ford remembered that he could also practice his “Mind’s Eye,” so during breaks he took out his throwing knives and tossed them around randomly.

Later, he simply focused on practicing “Mind’s Eye,” sitting on the ground and tossing throwing knives at random—it was much more comfortable than running.

After a while, he realized he’d been throwing knives for two hours, but his “Mind’s Eye” proficiency hadn’t increased at all.

...

After some research, he discovered that aimless throwing wouldn’t increase proficiency. He had to focus on a target, throw at it, and hit it for proficiency to grow. If he missed, it wouldn’t increase.

With this realization, Eric Ford finally began truly training his “Mind’s Eye.”

The practice of “Mind’s Eye” and “Lightning Speed” continued all the way until Eric Ford finished his sentence and was released.

During this time, no one else entered the cell, and Emily Lewis didn’t appear again either.

When the jailer came to release Eric Ford, his “Lightning Speed” proficiency had reached 43%, while “Mind’s Eye” was progressing more slowly, only at 8%. But now Eric Ford was even more eager to go out and try the second move of “Wind Sweeps the World”—“Facing the Wind, Awaiting the Moon.”

Chapter 13: Working at the Teahouse

Following the two jailers, winding through corridors, he left the cell and arrived once again at the main hall.

Huh, why am I here again? Wouldn’t it be easier to just let me go? Is there some kind of farewell ceremony for released prisoners, or... have I triggered some hidden quest? Eric Ford’s imagination started running wild again, as always, optimistically thinking of the best possibilities.

The main hall was as imposing as ever. The magistrate struck the gavel, signaling for silence. Then he gestured to the advisor, indicating for him to speak. Eric Ford really began to suspect whether this official was mute.