Chapter 6: Chapter 6: Main Quest Stage 1 Completed
Not everyone logged into the game right away.
After all, out of the fifty players, besides those like Zhou Xiao who had nothing better to do, most people wouldn’t pay much mind to a supposedly ’low-quality’ game that was about to enter its open beta.
Things started to feel off after Wu Dahu called out the Reviewer in the game’s group chat.
No matter how the other players pressed him for answers, he went completely silent.
He was clearly too engrossed in the game to respond.
The Reviewer was out for dinner. Wu Dahu had been right—a friend really was treating him to an extravagant meal. He had just sat down when Wu Dahu’s message arrived.
His heart lurched.
But no matter how many times he tried to message him privately, Wu Dahu wouldn’t answer.
The Reviewer started getting antsy.
He felt completely unsettled.
Finally, he swallowed his pride and sent a private message to the group’s pro,[Jing Bao Tian], asking him what the game was like.
But the pro didn’t reply either.
He then tried messaging Little Woman Power. These were players he was on familiar terms with, the ones he usually shot the breeze with in the group chat, yet now, not a single one of them was replying.
’Are they that engrossed in the game?’
’But no matter how good a game is, it’s still just a game,’ the Reviewer thought. ’Even if I can’t play it, it’s not like it’d be a huge regret. Why did Wu Dahu make it sound so serious...?’
Meanwhile, others in the group chat were joking that the silent players must have been paid to promote the game.
[Charity: They’re definitely shills. Why else would they be so eager to jump into the game?]
[Old Taoist Ascended: I could see it for the others, but why isn’t even the pro, Jing Bao Tian, answering?]
[The Sun Shines on Your Dark Heart: I checked out the website. I really don’t see anything special about this game...]
[Old Taoist Ascended: @Jumps High, Pees Far, didn’t you get a slot too? Are you in the game yet?]
[Jumps High, Pees Far: Nah, about to log in and see.]
[Naked Streaker in the Wind: Dudes, holy FUCK, holy FUCK, this game is going to make world history!!!! I FUCKING LOVE LITTLE WOMAN!! Later, I’m going back to the game!!!]
Another new message appeared, sending the group chat into a frenzy.
This player, Naked Streaker in the Wind, was also one of the lucky fifty. But after sending that message, he too went silent.
[Old Taoist Ascended: @Jumps High, Pees Far, damn it, give us some kind of update when you get in! How come every single person goes silent once they log on?]
[Jumps High, Pees Far: Okay.]
Ten minutes later, he too fell silent.
One by one, the players with access logged in and vanished from the chat. Even if the game was amazing, this was getting a little creepy.
Everyone’s curiosity was thoroughly piqued.
On top of that, the login window for this test was closing in twenty minutes. Seeing that none of the people he had privately messaged had responded, the Reviewer really couldn’t sit still any longer.
He shot to his feet. "Nope, I have to go home."
His friend’s eyes bulged. "Are you kidding me? It’s a goddamn miracle that I, a notorious cheapskate, am finally treating you to a meal, and you’re just gonna leave to go home?"
The Reviewer said, "I don’t know what’s going on, but I feel really anxious. I got into a game’s test, and the login window is about to close. Half an hour ago, they were all telling me I absolutely had to get in. I just have a bad feeling. I need to get back, now."
His friend scoffed, "You’re completely obsessed with gaming. What kind of crappy game could be worth getting this worked up about? It’s just a beta test. Have you lost your mind?"
"I really have to go. We’ll do this again next time! This one’s on me. I’ll pay for my half of what you ordered."
"You... you... you—"
His friend was furious, but the Reviewer was already gone, leaving without a single glance back.
’Twenty minutes left. I don’t even know if a taxi will get me home in time. Might as well just run for it!’
Thankfully, he wasn’t too far from home!
The Reviewer wasn’t the only one in a panic. He had been at dinner, but others had gotten a spot and simply didn’t take it seriously, going about their day and taking their usual walks.
Song Jiulai was also getting very anxious.
"If I don’t get all fifty people, does the mission count as incomplete?"
The system said coolly, "That is correct."
Song Jiulai slapped her thigh in frustration. "How can people not cherish the spot I gave them! If they don’t show up, I’ll blacklist their IDs and ban them from ever playing!"
This was a huge deal; the completion of the Sect’s first main quest was at stake. It would affect not only her, but the players as well.
Song Jiulai said, "If I had known this would happen, I would’ve given out more spots."
System: "But what if they had all shown up? Then you would have exceeded the limit. The first batch is strictly limited to fifty."
"..."
Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
Meanwhile, the players who logged in after Zhou Xiao were each, almost without exception, losing their minds.
They had never seen a game with such an insane level of realism.
It completely shattered their worldview.
They were practically bouncing off the walls, unable to contain their excitement.
Gamers tend to be reckless, and someone immediately tried to destroy a piece of public property. The moment their foot made contact, a system notification popped up: [Warning 1 for damaging Sect property. Three warnings will result in an account ban.]
Another player misbehaved upon seeing A Wu. Seeing how young he looked, they rudely reached out to pinch his cheek and test the game’s realism.
This time, they didn’t get a system warning.
A Wu simply lifted a hand. The player who had tried to pinch his face was flung into the air by a strange force and, with a loud THUD, slammed into a nearby dirt pit.
Dirt began to pile over his face, the sensation of suffocation terrifyingly real.
[System: You have received one warning from Senior Brother A Wu!]
That did the trick. Everyone started behaving.
They were stunned by A Wu’s incredible abilities, their eyes glowing with a fanatical light.
’Is this... Is this really a technique from Cultivation?’
Who among them hadn’t dreamed of possessing Superpowers or being able to practice Cultivation?
Now that it was a reality, they felt in that instant that their lives finally had a purpose!
Still, someone muttered, "Isn’t this a game? What kind of game doesn’t let you mess around?"
Another person egged him on, "Well said. Why don’t you go stand up for him, then?"
The muttering player shut up.
It was a joke, of course. Everyone knew that different games had different rules.
Getting kicked out of a game with nearly one-hundred-percent realism? They’d regret that for the rest of their lives!
A Wu’s face was taut with displeasure. No wonder the Sect Master had said the new junior brothers and sisters might be unruly and that he should beat them if necessary.
He had felt awkward about it before, but now, A Wu thought they really did deserve a beating.
A Wu considered himself quite patient, especially since they were all members of the same Sect. ’If these junior brothers dared to provoke other Cultivators outside the Longevity Sect,’ he thought, ’a fireball would fly over and burn them to ash without a trace.’
Perhaps Song Jiulai’s prayers worked. Or perhaps it was Han Tian, who logged off during the final ten minutes to personally remind the remaining players. Whatever the case, just in the nick of time, the final player—the Reviewer—logged in, panting for breath.
All fifty players who had reserved a spot had arrived.
And in that moment, the mechanical system notifications that sounded in Song Jiulai’s ears were like a chorus from the heavens.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for completing the mission to recruit fifty Sect members. The Sect Novice Gift Pack will be distributed shortly.]
[Ding! Gift Pack Contents: Fifty Spirit-Root-Opening inner cores, and fifty copies of the basic Soul Cultivation Heart Method for the Qi Refinement Realm.]
[Ding! The Longevity Sect has now taken its initial shape. The next mission will be issued once the fifty disciples have stabilized their cultivation in the Early Stage of the Qi Refinement Realm. Please continue your diligent efforts, Host!]
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