Chapter 43: Chapter 43: But You’re Exaggerating Too Much
In the real world, it was midnight.
Liang Xueyao wasn’t actually all that nervous.
His cousin, however, looked extremely tense.
He had VR gaming equipment at home, but it was just gathering dust.
Back when the accident first happened, he had been so depressed he’d lost the will to live, and his family had tried everything they could think of.
They had found all sorts of ways for him to pass the time.
In the end, only drawing could calm his mind to some extent.
Jiang Tianya was checking the messages in the group chat.
A few players were getting ready for bed. They had work in the morning, so they hadn’t logged on, choosing instead to just wait for the results at midnight.
[Su Daqiang: Damn, I told my girlfriend this game could give her a second life and told her to try and snag a spot. She gave me two big slaps and said I was crazy, sob sob sob.]
[Ma Xiaoniao: If she got in and saw you as a Blue Elf, wouldn’t she dump you on the spot?]
[Qi Dazuo: I’m so excited for the 20 new players tonight. It seems like Zhou Nvzi and the others were assigned to be guides for them?]
[Yang Meimei: That’s right, Fan Guzhou and his group went.]
[Ma Xiaoniao: Lord Han’s gimmick on Weibo this time is next-level. Even the damned devs were willing to give up 20 spots.]
[Gu Yunxi: If we hadn’t played this game ourselves, who wouldn’t curse it out a bit?]
[Yang Meimei: That guy Charity from the game group is the real psycho. He doesn’t believe any of it. You tell him to try and get a spot tonight, and he says it’s a marketing ploy and refuses to fall for it. He’s dead set on the idea that Lord Han is just creating hype, and he’s sworn he’ll find the game’s "real location."]
[Su Daqiang: Come on, with only 20 spots, does he think he could get one even if he wanted to? Don’t be fooled by all the angry comments on Weibo; with this much heat, there are definitely going to be a ton of people fighting for a spot tonight.]
...
He had made all the preparations with his younger cousin.
Whether or not they could snag a spot at midnight was up to fate.
Seeing how nervous Jiang Tianya was—and considering that his usually aloof cousin was willing to stay up with him until midnight—Liang Xueyao had no choice but to brace himself and get serious.
Perhaps it was because his family had a top-tier internet connection, or perhaps it was because his computer’s performance was just that superior.
Jiang Tianya stood beside him, displaying the national standard time to synchronize their attempt.
In short, the moment the clock struck midnight, the website’s recruitment page refreshed on schedule. Since the game required facial recognition and would IP-lock at this stage, Liang Xueyao had to do it himself. He clicked in the very first instant.
All the information was pre-filled, ready to be copied and pasted.
The internet was smooth, without the slightest bit of lag.
Even Liang Xueyao suddenly felt a strange twinge of nervousness. The instant he finished filling everything out, he slammed the confirm button.
The entire process took just over ten seconds.
[Congratulations, you have obtained a spot in the open beta for "Starting with a Broken Sect"! Please enter the game within one hour. Otherwise, the login portal will close and this spot will be forfeited.]
"Phew—"
In that moment, Liang Xueyao himself didn’t sigh in relief. Instead, he watched his cousin let out a massive breath.
"Yes! That’s great!"
The usually composed Jiang Tianya was genuinely happy for once, pulling Liang Xueyao into a hug. "You can get in the game! Go on, get in there. I’ll head home and log on to find you in a bit. My game ID is Jiang Ya. Don’t use your real name, either. Simplify it or change it. Just remember not to blow our cover."
"If you don’t know anything about the game, you can check out the guides on the website Lord Han put up. Anyway, just get in first. I’ll pull you into our game’s group chat. You can ask questions if you don’t understand anything. Now, go! Get in the game."
Liang Xueyao, "Oh, okay..."
Jiang Ya pulled Liang Xueyao into the group chat.
The group was already in an uproar, and no one noticed Jiang Ya had added a new person.
[Su Daqiang: Holy fuck, my cousin said the spots were gone in less than 30 seconds. What kind of animals are fighting for these?!]
[Yang Meimei: Isn’t 30 seconds a bit of an exaggeration? I took a whole 10 minutes to fill it out back when I joined... I guess I was just lucky as hell.]
[Ma Xiaoniao: Damn, the Daoist got one! Fucking awesome. Charity is going to be pissed.]
In another game chat.
[OldDaoistHasAscended: HAHAHAHAHA, I used the hand speed I’ve cultivated from 100 years of being single to snag it! [Screenshot]]
[Charity: So you’re going to be a shill now too?]
[SunlightOnYourDarkHeart: Charity, you can’t just say that. I saw a ton of people on Weibo trying to get a spot. Someone’s gotta play it. @OldDaoistHasAscended, get in there and give us a review.]
[OldDaoistHasAscended: Roger that. I’m going to download the game now.]
[TheHigherYouJumpTheFartherYouPiss: @Charity you dumbass, stop acting like you’re the only sane person in the room. Let me tell you, one day you’re going to regret this so hard.]
[Little Woman Power: @Charity, stop whining. No matter how much you cry, the game company isn’t going to get provoked into giving you a spot.]
[Charity: Give me a break. What game haven’t I played? A spot like this... I couldn’t care less.]
[Little Woman Power: /smile Then you do you. Stay stubborn for life.]
...
Liang Xueyao finished downloading the game.
The game was strange. ’Even with my fast internet, isn’t downloading a local copy in just one minute a bit too ridiculous?’
The game interface was also laughably simplistic.
With Jiang Tianya watching him, Liang Xueyao strapped himself in at the waist to keep from falling over if his legs lost control while he played.
The moment he put on the VR headset and entered the game, his vision suddenly went black.
Then, the exact same scene that the first batch of players had witnessed appeared before him.
"Do you voluntarily wish to enter the game, experience the Yunzhou Continent, and follow the arrangements of Sect Master Song Jiulai?"
His cousin had already told him about this part.
Liang Xueyao: "I agree."
"Agreement is contract. Welcome to the Yunzhou Continent. You are about to begin... a brand new life!"
After these words faded, the next step was to choose his ID.
Liang Xueyao thought for a moment and gave himself the ID "Xue Yao."
’It’s not like anyone would recognize me anyway.’
Next was the character customization screen.
This part truly shocked Liang Xueyao.
’Realistic character customization?’
He wasn’t someone who was particularly enthusiastic about character customization. He was actually quite handsome in real life, something he’d known since he was a child, so he didn’t care what he looked like in a game.
And so, Liang Xueyao entered the game with the default face.
This would lead to a long period of time where, just like Mu Qiu, he would wake up in the middle of the night, crying.
He would hate himself for not making his character look better back then.
When Liang Xueyao finally opened his eyes, the world spun around him. In an instant, everything—his entire worldview from the past twenty-plus years of his life—came crashing down.
"Holy shit, that was fast! Bro, you didn’t even customize your face? You’re definitely gonna regret that!"
When he opened his eyes, he was greeted by a night sky with a bright moon and sparse stars.
An enlarged face was right in front of him. Behind her, a stream flowed with a gentle gurgle, the moonlight reflecting off its surface and shimmering like scattered gold.
Zhou Xiao grinned. "Pretty, right? We specially picked this scenic spot to find a suitable place for you new players."
But in the next second, Liang Xueyao looked down.
At that moment, his entire body was trembling.
He saw a pair of legs—a pair of perfectly whole, undamaged legs.
Shocked, slowly, and in utter disbelief, he took his first step.
Like a toddler learning to walk, he clearly felt the sensations traveling up from his legs.
In an instant, tears began to stream down his face.
Zhou Xiao: "...Damn, bro, I know you’re excited, but isn’t this a bit much...?"
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