Every single motion Lingyun had performed in the dream was still vividly imprinted in his mind, down to the last minute shift in weight and balance.
Victor his bare feet pressed against the floorboards as he slowly rose from his bed.
He hesitated for a moment before raising his right arm and attempting the first movement.
His body flowed.
Not in the usual, awkward way that happens when you try to mimic something you just saw.
No.
It was smooth.
His footwork, his stance, his breathing—everything aligned perfectly.
His body was moving exactly like Lingyun had in the dream.
Before he could process what was happening, his left leg shifted back, his right arm flicked forward, and suddenly—
A glass cup from his desk wobbled and fell off his desk.
Victor's hand shot out.
And without even activating Wind Dash, his fingers snatched the glass midair before it could hit the floor.
His eyes widened.
"What the hell…?"
Victor stood frozen while gripping the glass. His breath was heavy, not from exertion, but from sheer shock.
He hadn't even thought about catching it.
His body had just reacted.
On instinct.
Like it had already been trained to do so.
A realization dawned on him.
This wasn't normal.
It wasn't just memory retention.
It was as if his entire body had absorbed the knowledge from his dream and incorporated it into his muscle memory.
"No way… I was actually in Lingyun Realm without logging in…?"
Victor's heart pounded against his ribs.
If there was a sword in his hand right now, he was certain he could perform every single movement from the dream with flawless execution.
But how was this possible?
Before he could ponder further, there was a sudden knock on the door.
This broke Victor's trance.
He turned his head toward the window and saw sunlight streaming in.
'Daytime?'
His eyes widened further in realization.
He had been asleep for twelve hours straight.
---
Victor opened the door to see Amara, Danny, Max, and Jake standing outside.
Danny grinned. "Sleeping beauty finally wakes up, huh?"
Max held up a plastic bag. "We brought food. Figured you were probably too lazy to cook anything."
Victor sighed. "Wow, thanks for the assumption, Max."
Jake smirked. "Was it wrong?"
Victor just rolled his eyes and stepped aside to let them in.
The four of them made themselves comfortable and dumped the food on the table as they chatted.
Amara leaned forward. "So… tell us about the screening."
Victor scratched his head. "It went well, I guess."
Danny grinned. "Well? That's it? Dude, we saw your name pop up in the rankings, but you didn't answer any of our texts! What's your rank?"
Victor exhaled. "B-Rank."
Amara's eyes lit up. "Hey, me too!"
Danny, on the other hand, just groaned dramatically and slumped back.
"C-Rank."
Max and Jake patted his shoulder sympathetically while suppressing their laughter.
Danny waved them off. "Laugh all you want, but it doesn't matter. We can all apply for a rank change after a year at the academy anyway."
Victor nodded. "You just have to pass the rank change test, right?"
Danny grinned. "Exactly. So it's not the end of the world. Besides, you guys will all probably fail and join me in C-rank anyway."
"Oi." Amara elbowed him, making him yelp.
Victor chuckled slightly. It felt… nice.
It had been a long time since he felt normal.
After they ate and chatted a little more, Danny suddenly leaned forward with a serious look.
"Alright, listen up. I actually have an idea that could help with funds."
Victor raised a brow. "Funds?"
Danny nodded. "Yeah. You need money, right? For your mom? Well, this might be the best way to make some."
Victor folded his arms. "I'm listening."
Danny smirked. "Awakeners are, like, the most important people in the city. And because of that, we're always in the public eye. People love watching us do crazy shit with our abilities."
Max nodded. "Some Awakeners have even become influencers, live-streamers, or even TV personalities."
Jake grinned. "Yeah. Some of them are practically celebrities."
Victor narrowed his eyes. "Are you saying I should start… an Awakener YTube channel?"
Danny snorted. "Not exactly. But think about it—brands would pay good money to sponsor popular Awakeners. You just have to do something that stands out and gets people talking. Once that happens, you can start getting sponsorship deals, donations, hell, maybe even some investors."
Victor tapped his fingers on the table. "Easier said than done."
Danny nodded. "Obviously. Tons of other Awakeners are already doing it. But the key is to do something that makes you go viral."
Victor exhaled deeply.
He wasn't against the idea, but at the same time… he wasn't exactly a show-off.
Or at least, he hadn't been before.
But now…
Now he had Qi Cultivation.
Now he had abilities no one else did.
Now he had a secret.
And secrets had a way of drawing attention—whether he wanted it or not.
Victor rubbed his chin. "Alright… I'll think about it."
Danny grinned. "That's all I needed to hear."
"With the baby coming and all, I really need to be able to afford a house help," Victor let out a sigh.
"Baby coming? Oouu Victor you slick bastard... you knocked someone up?"
"Who is the unfortunate girl?"
Max and Jake both voiced out simultaneously.
"Erm no... my mom is pregnant," Victor answered before leaning back against the chair.
Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.
Max let out a loud "Wait, WHAT?" before dramatically choking on his own spit.
Jake blinked rapidly while looking between Victor and Danny. "Did I hear that right?"
Danny just sat there with a stunned look. He wasn't even blinking.
Amara, on the other hand, had covered her mouth with both hands in shock.
Victor exhaled deeply. "Yeah… my mom's pregnant."
Silence.
Dead silence.
Then—
"DUDE, WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US SOONER?!" Danny practically yelled before smacking Victor's arm.
Max clutched his head. "Bro… holy shit, man…"
Jake whistled lowly. "That's… that's a lot."
Victor shrugged. "I only just found out yesterday..."