Isn't This a Game? Why Are You All Cultivating for Real!

Chapter 170: Chapter 170: Unknown Ore Decomposition Successful

Leaving the observation room, Liu Wen Yu went to see Wei Jun.

In his office, Wei Jun took a sip from his teacup and asked her, "How did it go?"

Liu Wen Yu said, "I’ve learned some rather shocking things. No matter how you look at it, the existence of this game is bound to send shockwaves through the scientific community."

The more Wei Jun had investigated recently, the more stressed he’d become. He already knew what Liu Wen Yu meant.

Wei Jun sighed softly. "The higher-ups are on edge. They don’t know what threat level to assign this. If this game is a threat to Blue Star, we need to make preparations as soon as possible. If not, we still need to adopt the appropriate attitude for observation."

Liu Wen Yu frowned slightly. "How much have we found on Song Jiulai?"

Wei Jun spread his hands. "Nothing has changed. We’ve confirmed it one hundred percent: her record is flawless. There’s nothing out of the ordinary. As far as we can tell, while she was alive, she was definitely a Huaxia citizen."

Wei Jun glanced at Liu Wen Yu, who was deep in thought. "The higher-ups are asking if we should have a player try to make contact with the Sect Master in the game. What do you think?"

Liu Wen Yu shook her head. "We’d better not. She rarely even appears in the Sect, so the players can’t track her movements. A rash attempt at contact could get a player into serious trouble. Shuitan and Boss Zhan are our only two core assets right now, and both are exceptionally talented disciples. I don’t want to see them get kicked out of the game. We’re in a reactive position; we have to follow their lead."

Wei Jun nodded. "That’s what I told them, too. Even if we were to make contact, now is not the time. We know far too little about this Sect Master. Also, there’s the matter of the system... The players all share a common system, one that can converse like a normal person. It doesn’t seem like the AI systems they’re familiar with."

Liu Wen Yu looked at Wei Jun. "Minister Wei, is your theory that the system *is* Song Jiulai?"

Wei Jun nodded. "That’s our assessment. She’s not just the Sect Master; she’s also in the game, disguised as the system to communicate with the players."

Liu Wen Yu asked, "Then what’s her motive?"

Wei Jun pointed to a file on his desk. "The current analysis from the expert team suggests her motive is related to this so-called main quest to bring glory to the Longevity Sect. All of her disciples are recruited from Blue Star. Some experts believe it’s because she’s unable to recruit disciples on the Yunzhou Continent. This would also align with the theory that Sect Master Song Jiulai is the same person as the Song Jiulai from our world."

"Because she lived in this world, she understands its people well."

Liu Wen Yu nodded. "I agree. In that case, I believe the next phase of our plan should still be to get more people into the game. We’ve discovered that this game affects reality, so maybe we can select a group to send in. Even if it’s a matter of luck, surely some of our people are bound to be lucky."

Wei Jun nodded. "You’ll be in charge of that part. Let us know what you need, and we’ll submit the request to the higher-ups."

Liu Wen Yu: "Yes, Minister Wei."

In the game, Song Jiulai rubbed her itchy nose and, with her hands clasped behind her back, went around asking how the groom, Qin Yongkang, had lost his two previous wives.

The system informed her, "Mu Qiu has run into some trouble."

Song Jiulai immediately pressed, "What happened to her?"

System: "She got a scare."

In the underground plaza, Mu Qiu didn’t dare move a muscle. Her body trembled uncontrollably, her face went deathly pale, and cold sweat poured down her skin.

She was too afraid to move. Even breathing felt difficult.

She didn’t even dare to let her eyes dart around.

After about ten seconds of meeting those golden pupils, a plume of smoke billowed up, gradually obscuring the massive beast’s head.

It seemed to recede into the smoke, disappearing completely.

Mu Qiu instantly collapsed, slumping to the ground.

A breeze from some unknown source blew past, making her aware of how her sweat-soaked clothes were clinging uncomfortably to her back.

’So that’s where the giant beast was hiding.’

’Was what I just saw an illusion?’

’I opened my eyes and I was just... here. One more step forward would have sent me plunging into a bottomless abyss.’

’And yet, the massive beast hadn’t even attacked me.’

’Was it too much trouble to even open its mouth to eat me?’

Mu Qiu instinctively flew back toward the rear of the plaza.

Standing in the center of the plaza and looking at the abyss not far away, she felt a frustration she couldn’t put into words.

Fortunately, she had an outlet for her frustration.

Sect Channel:

[Mu Qiu: I think I just ran into a legendary, top-tier demon beast, but it didn’t seem quite right... I wonder if it was a legendary spiritual beast.]

[Han Tian: What?!! For real?]

[Zhou Nvzi: Holy crap, what kind of spiritual beast! How powerful was it?!]

[Mu Qiu: I wasn’t even as big as its eyeball...]

[Su Daqiang: You survived that? No way! I don’t believe you!]

[Honghuang: That’s perfectly normal. If something the size of a booger was in front of me, I’d be too lazy to deal with it too.]

[Mu Qiu: Too bad this pocket dimension seems to be sealed off. I can’t take any pictures for you guys.]

[Lin Yuyu: If only you could livestream! I’ve been chatting with the disciples I met in this pocket dimension for an hour already. Your side of things is way more exciting.]

Seeing what Mu Qiu had written, Song Jiulai let out a curious "Huh?"

She asked the system, "What kind of top-tier demon beast did Mu Qiu see?"

System: "It doesn’t really seem like a demon beast. Mu Qiu didn’t dare to look up, so I could only detect a small part of it. It should be a Jiao."

"A Jiao?" Song Jiulai was shocked. "A relative of dragons? Are you sure you’re not mistaken? Do you even know the difference between a Jiao Long and a Dragon?"

System: "Of course I do! You think I can’t tell the difference between a Jiao and a Dragon? Apart from the horns on its head, its body was too smooth, like a snake. I reckon it hasn’t successfully evolved into a Dragon yet."

There is a huge difference between a Jiao Long and a Dragon.

The Yunzhou Continent has its own legends of Dragons, as well as Phoenixes and other Divine Beasts.

But these Dragons are even more powerful than those in Huaxian legends.

Dragons are born as Holy Beasts, and it is said they achieved Ascension and left the Yunzhou Continent long ago. Even the legendary Holy Beast Clan outside of Yunzhou possesses, at best, a diluted bloodline and legacy. The true Dragon Clan is no longer here.

A Jiao evolves from a snake by Crossing Tribulation, but even if it successfully evolves into a dragon, it is not a true member of the Dragon Clan.

True members of the Dragon Clan are born, not made. They are dragons from the moment of their birth.

When it comes to bloodlines, the Cultivation World is incredibly strict.

Still, even a single Jiao could wreak havoc across a whole region of the Yunzhou Continent.

Mu Qiu’s description alone was enough to tell how massive that Jiao was.

However, ’It must be a juvenile Jiao, right?’

Song Jiulai had read ancient records from the Yunzhou Continent. A true Jiao Long, when fully extended, could span an entire human city. It wasn’t just a matter of Mu Qiu being smaller than its eyeball—a human standing beneath its claw would be no different from an ant.

System: "I’d guess so. Looks like there’s more to this pocket dimension than meets the eye. Not only does it have sacrificial ruins, but there’s also a live juvenile Jiao."

Song Jiulai felt a pang of envy. "How is Mu Qiu so lucky? She just gets there and already runs into something huge."

System: "No need to be envious. Sooner or later, you’ll—huh?"

[Unknown Ore Decomposed Successfully]

Along with the system notification, Song Jiulai suddenly felt a sharp, stabbing pain in her palm. "FUCK!"

She looked down.

A small, black scorpion had its stinger raised, having just pierced the center of her palm.