Chapter 229: Chapter 1: Information Perturbation
June 22, 2015. Summer Solstice. Clear skies.
Today: Inauspicious for travel. Auspicious for gaming.
The new installment in the Dark Wolf series from world-renowned game studio Gong Qiying the Second, Immortal Tribulation, set in Zhengguo’s near-ancient past, has been released.
In an instant, the news spread from Ireland to Kuye Island, known to all and taking the world by storm.
With the Holy Ascension Selection Test over, even Su Zhou had bought the game.
However, he didn’t play it himself. Instead, he went over to the Shao Family’s house to sit with Shao Qiming behind Shao Shuangyue and watch her play.
"Are you guys toxic or what?!"
The moment the two of them sat down in her room, Shao Shuangyue blew a fuse. She grabbed her headset, wanting to slam it on the desk, but then remembered it was her favorite limited-edition Monster Hunter headset and could only set it down gently with a resentful sigh. "You guys are so much better than me, so why do you have to watch me play?"
"To be honest, it’s more fun watching other people suffer than suffering yourself."
Su Zhou replied in a deadpan voice, "Especially since I’m already so powerful. I can’t even enjoy games that rely on reaction speed anymore... you know? It’s just too slow for me."
"Gotta be honest, that’s true."
Shao Qiming put down his phone and answered seriously, "As the old saying goes, the suffering of others is our joy."
Shao Qiming had been on the phone earlier, and he looked conflicted after he hung up. As a top scorer in the standard subjects of the Holy Ascension Selection Test, on top of having a first-rate Extraordinary Talent, many academies were willing to offer him huge scholarships or other extremely generous terms.
But none of it meant much to him. He didn’t need the money, and when it came to the Extraordinary aspect, it was hard to imagine any offer better than those from the three great Extraordinary Academies. So, although he was touched, Shao Qiming turned them all down.
"You know, if you weren’t so young, I think you’d make a pretty good streamer."
Su Zhou was cracking sunflower seeds as he watched Shao Shuangyue start up Immortal Tribulation. "At your age, you should be focusing on your studies," he advised. "Of course, if you really want to be a gamer for life, then you should also be focusing on your Cultivation. Otherwise, when all the streamers online are Cultivators with superhuman reflexes, you’ll be the only one left playing like a normal person... Hmm? A cute girl acting dumb? Actually, that doesn’t sound half bad."
"Waaah! What do you get out of making me so mad?!"
Su Zhou wasn’t just teasing Shao Shuangyue because he was bored. In fact, the moment he learned about a game like Immortal Tribulation, he knew that the information disturbance Yara had mentioned had undoubtedly begun to appear.
As for why he wasn’t at his own home... honestly, who knew how many reporters were staked out downstairs? Once the media understood what "Extraordinary Tier" truly meant and learned that Su Zhou had also achieved outstanding results on the Holy Ascension Selection Test, they went all out, determined to land an interview with this "number one of the younger generation."
That’s right. It had only been two days since the results were released, and Su Zhou had already been hyped up as the world’s number one of the young generation—the kind of character who usually just serves as a background boss in novels and games.
’He figured that in the eyes of geniuses across the country, and even around the world, he, Su Zhou, had probably become that exact kind of benchmark character everyone was determined to surpass. He had no idea how many people he had inadvertently inspired.’
None of these reporters or media outlets had managed to get to Su Zhou yet. After all, he could fly using Wind Aid, making his movements incredibly secretive. Unless a certain metropolitan reporter from an American Federation comic book came to interview him, no one stood a chance. Still, it made daily life a bit too troublesome.
So for now, he was staying at the Shao Family’s house to lay low. In a few days, Father Shao—Shao Nantian—would fulfill his promise and take them to the South Sea to relax, surf, and scuba dive. By the time they got back, the media frenzy would have probably died down.
"Heh, I don’t know why, but I’m suddenly bursting with energy!"
To be honest, Su Zhou was genuinely looking forward to the beach trip. Even though he’d been to an Otherworld, he had rarely ever been to the sea.
And for some reason, the mere thought of the sea filled Su Zhou with vigor, making his whole body eager with anticipation.
"A Dragon returning to the sea, a tiger released back to the mountain... The troubles to come will be endless!"
Yara suddenly cracked a dry joke, but it also served to explain why Su Zhou felt this way. Indeed, Dragons aside, even snakes had their counterparts in Sea Serpents. It was perfectly normal for him to be excited about a trip to the ocean.
Setting his mind at ease, Su Zhou started watching the opening cinematic for Immortal Tribulation.
"Huh, so the Divine Wood underwent its Spirit Awakening because that old Daoist died...?"
Su Zhou was a little surprised as he watched the cinematic. He had been to the Divine Wood World, but there were many details and hidden elements that wouldn’t have been recorded in reality. "This Divine Wood grows way too fast. It’s like a mountain, completely blocking the warm winds blowing southwest from the sea. No wonder there’s perpetual rain and clouds around it."
"But in that case, the area southwest of the Divine Wood would suffer from a constant, severe drought... since most of the rainfall would be blocked by the tree."
Compared to the concept trailer, the full cinematic was packed with epic scenes: the special effects of Martial Artists clashing, silhouettes of various bosses, and so on. It was all incredibly detailed—especially the bosses. Most of them were familiar faces to Su Zhou, making him nod repeatedly. "The level of accuracy is amazing."
Shao Shuangyue might have had some minor issues with her studies, but when it came to gaming, she was all business.
