On the very day the new section was added to the virtual world, countless people jumped at the chance to try world traversal, eager to experience the wonders of another world for themselves.
Early the next morning, the first wave of pioneers could hardly wait to post about their adventures.
[Don't Eat Kun's Egg: Listen up, everyone! Yesterday I promised I'd scout ahead into the new worlds for you all, and now, I'm finally back!
Ahem, back to business. Yesterday, I picked World No. 56623. As soon as I arrived, I spawned in the middle of nowhere. My clothes turned into ancient garb, and aside from a silver ingot in a coin pouch, I had absolutely nothing on me.
Oh, and by the way, that body had the exact same face as my body on Blue Star. I'm guessing it was molded straight from my real appearance (sigh, why couldn't they let us customize our avatars? I don't want to conquer worlds with my pig-like mug. Sad.jpg).
Haha, enough fooling around, back to the story. I stood on that desolate hill, looked around, and spotted a town far to the east. I ran there without pausing for breath, and let me tell you—exhausting! Truly exhausting! You know the saying about running a horse to death just chasing a distant mountain? It took me a full hour of trudging to reach that town.
Once inside, I found that the town was entirely populated by people from ancient times, dressed in hemp garments and coarse tunics, with only a rare few wearing silk.
After walking for so long, I was starving, so I ambled around until I found a modest eatery. I sat down and ordered two side dishes. Oh, almost forgot to mention: upon crossing into the new world, the local language pack loads automatically—no need to study it.
Before long, the waiter brought over the food. I picked up a piece of duck meat and savored it. Wow, it was genuinely delicious and savory! Of course, maybe that was just because I was starving, but either way, I wolfed it down with hearty crunches and clatter.
Just as I was enjoying my meal, two tables to my left suddenly broke into an argument. In the blink of an eye, swords and sabers flashed out in a bloody brawl! One guy chopped my table clean in two with a saber, sending all my food tumbling into the dirt. Could I tolerate that?!
I marched right up and let loose a barrage of curses—only to be struck by a single palm strike from the guy. I went flying several meters through the air and almost bit the dust right then and there.
Sprawled on the ground, I saw sparks flying from their clashing blades as those two factions leapt across eaves and dashed up walls, unimaginably formidable. So I figure this must be a wuxia world, and the difficulty of conquering it shouldn't be too high.
When you folks enter in the future, you can lay low and develop for a while. Once your divine martial arts reach perfection, you can come forth to sweep across the land! And finally! I have an announcement to make: I'm going to become the emperor of this world! (Voice cracking with excitement!)]
Beneath the post, comments refreshed at lightning speed.
"Bro, you really don't fear death, do you? Two groups having a bloody gang fight and you dare to barge in and cuss them out? Mad respect, mad respect."
"Who was it?! Who knocked over Brother Kun's food! Tell me his name! Next time I enter World No. 56623, I'll hunt him down and beat him black and blue to avenge Brother Kun!"
"A wuxia world? Boring. The growth potential is way too low. Reaching the peak of cultivation there probably only rivals a Dao Foundation cultivator at best, right?"
"Wait, what kind of level is the person above me at? Right now, aside from Divine Huang, we don't even know if there's a single Dao Foundation cultivator in the whole world. Who are you trying to impress?"
"Crude! Too crude! Although the third-floor bro might be aiming too high, he wasn't wrong that the growth potential is low. Now that we can traverse worlds, why bother conquering low-martial worlds? Shouldn't we head to mid-martial or even high-martial worlds to cultivate?"
"To each their own. Didn't you see the poster say he wants to be an emperor in that wuxia world? Besides, with our blank-slate stats, if we go to a god-and-demon world, won't we just get hammered by everyone? Zero enjoyable gameplay experience."
"Someone opened a new thread next door claiming they went to a high-martial fantasy world! Holy crap!! Go check it out!"
Unsurprisingly, that single comment drove a flood of users over to the new thread.
[Tonsils Never Speak: Sorry, but I have to speak up! Unlike most people, I've loved competing for first place ever since I was a kid, and I've always had a special affection for the number 1. So for this traversal, I picked World No. 1 without a second thought. And then—and then, I crossed into a high-martial fantasy world!
Why am I so sure? Because the second I opened my eyes, a thunderous roar echoed in my ears. I looked up and saw an unimaginably gigantic bird soaring across the sky, like a mountain—a mountain range stretching tens of kilometers flying through the heavens!
I was scared stiff right on the spot, frozen in place for the longest time. Eventually, a six- or seven-year-old kid wearing animal skins ran over and snapped me out of it.
I talked with him, and he said this place is called the Great Wilderness. That giant bird flying past earlier was an Ancient Desolate species! In the Great Wilderness, everyone trains qi and blood. A toddler like him can unleash a thousand jin of force with a casual strike!
I followed him back to his village. The villagers were quite welcoming to an outsider like me, though they looked at me with a faint hint of... well, like I was completely useless. Basically: 'You're a grown adult, how can your strength be lower than a child's?!'
Sigh, let them look down on me. Anyway, I shamelessly stayed in the village to mooch food and drink. I've been eating desolate beast meat with them and learning their qi and blood training methods. I feel like my strength has shot up a ton already!
I've decided: I'm putting down roots in this world! I'll stay until I can sweep through all opposition, crushing countless prodigies and great clans into submission, and then I'll spread the radiance of Divine Huang across the entire world, raaagh!!!]
The comments refreshed frantically.
"Splendid! Outstanding spirit! Divine Huang is watching you, casting an admiring gaze upon you!"
"Holy crap, a high-martial world?! The poster's luck is insane! Picking a random world landed him in a great world, and he even got taken in by the locals and taught their cultivation arts. That's too awesome!"
"I'm going to World No. 1 next time too. Worlds like that are the only ones with a real future! Once you reach the apex of cultivation, shattering stars with the flick of a finger would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it?"
"Hilarious. I'm just afraid that before you can shatter any stars, a local will blow you to death with a single breath. Not everyone has luck as good as the original poster."
"—"
The entire Blue Star was boiling over with excitement. Everyone was talking about the diverse new worlds.
Some favored mundane, magic-free, low-martial worlds, wishing to crown themselves monarch and rule over their own lands. Others preferred grand fantasy realms, yearning to hold the sun and moon in their palms and pluck the stars from the firmament.
Many researchers and scientists favored interstellar civilization worlds, eager to acquire advanced technologies from those realms to lead humanity off Blue Star and toward the sea of stars!
*Over eight hundred thousand worlds—more than enough for them to take their time 'conquering.'*
After only a single night, every open world had seen a surge of players entering. Yet none felt crowded. After all, not every world was an ordinary minor realm; some were as vast as the Earth Immortal Realm itself!
Taking the Earth Immortal Realm alone, throwing all the people of Blue Star into it would be like dropping a single grain of sand into the boundless sea—utterly inconspicuous.
*Things have roughly gotten on track. With the Brain of Justice around, I don't need to fret over it. For now, I should focus on cultivation while waiting for calls from new worlds—*
Calming his mind, Huang Tian resumed his earnest cultivation.
In the blink of an eye, two months passed.
While the outside world was bustling with fervor, Yandong Garden remained peaceful and serene. On this day, Huang Tian was abruptly jolted awake from deep meditation. A shimmering golden voice line had extended from across the infinite void.
*A new world!*
His eyes shone bright. Having waited for so long, the moment had finally arrived. With a shift of his thought, his gaze traced the golden voice line, piercing through the void. The scenery before him shifted:
Night had fallen. Under the dim yellow glow of streetlights, a dozen or so stalls lined a long street. Some vendors sold fried rice noodles, some offered skewers, and others peddled dried fruits. Tempting aromas drifted along the street, making evening strollers pause and linger.
At the very edge of this bustling lane sat a rather peculiar little stall.
A small, folding square table—worn so old its surface shone—was draped with a piece of coarse cloth. On the table rested a tube of weathered bamboo slips, a geomantic compass, and several copper coins.
Behind the table, an old man sat reclined in an aged rattan chair.
He wore a blue cloth tunic and rested against the back of the chair with an easy, leisurely demeanor, occasionally lifting his gaze to observe the passing pedestrians.
"Hey, old-timer, telling fortunes? Still out here working this late?" A young man with tattooed arms stopped in front of the stall and asked with an amused grin.
The old man replied calmly, "I set up my stall to divine fortunes day and night alike; I am merely waiting for the fated one at the appointed hour."
"Haha, old-timer, do you think I look like a fated one?" The tattooed youth chuckled and leaned in a bit closer so the elder could see his face clearly.
"You are not," the old man answered without hesitation, shaking his head.
The youth rubbed his belly with a chuckle. "Alright, I won't tease you anymore, old-timer. I'm going to grab some fried noodles."
He walked off with a grin. Several other passersby gathered around out of curiosity to inspect the scene, but the old man let them stare without uttering a word, carrying the refined demeanor of an aloof master.
After taking a couple of glances and finding nothing amusing, those pedestrians left. Shortly after, a dozen or so scattered pedestrians strolled past.
The old man's gaze swept over their faces. Suddenly, looking startled and doubtful, he called out solemnly to a young man dressed like a university student: "Young fellow, your fate is exceptionally weighty!"
The young man looked left, then right, before raising a finger to point at himself in bewilderment. "Me?"
"Indeed, none other than you!" The old man nodded slowly.
The young man chuckled, while the surrounding passersby stopped in their tracks, looking on as if anticipating a good show.
"You do not know this, but you are someone chosen by the Heavens, about to—"
"Hold on! Old-timer, tell me first: how much for a reading?" the young man interrupted.
The old man coughed lightly. "Fif—thirty yuan!"
The young man raised an eyebrow. "Fair enough. Give me a reading."
The old man smiled warmly. "Rest assured, my readings are the most accurate."
Noncommittal, the young man paid the money and said, "Go ahead, old-timer. Start reading."
"Reach out your hand so I can inspect your palm."
"Sure."
After examining the palm, the old man asked, "What is your name?"
"Huang Tian."
"Huang Tian? Mmm, what a magnificent name!" The old man patted his thigh and praised, "'Huang' is the color of the earth, carrying all things with thick virtue, noble beyond measure. 'Tian' signifies Heaven above, supreme and peerless.
"Your two characters unite Earth and Heaven. Earth and Heaven meeting is an auspicious omen of cosmic harmony and flourishing fortune for all things!"
Hearing this, a smile touched the young man's lips. "Please, go on. I remember you started by saying I was chosen by the Heavens?"
The old man nodded and said leisurely, "You do not understand. I have cultivated the Dharma Eye; with a single glance, I can see a person's fortune and destiny clearly.
"Just as you walked over, I saw purple qi billowing above your crown! That was why I blurted out that you are someone favored by the Heavens!"
"Go on, keep going."
"Ahem, heavenly secrets must not be divulged lightly, and some things cannot be stated too plainly. I can only reveal that the world is about to face a great upheaval. Numerous evil beings are spying on our world, and you are the one chosen by destiny. You shall end all evil and restore peace to the realm!"
*Hiss—*
The watching crowd sucked in a collective breath of fragrant night-snack air, their scalps tingling. Wasn't this fortune-telling old man a bit too melodramatic?
The young man's face flushed slightly red. "Old-timer, you didn't read too many fantasy novels before leaving home, did you? What 'evil beings'—"
The old man declared serenely, "Evil gods from beyond bring calamity upon our world, and you are the world's sole savior!"
*Kuh-kuh, cough, cough—*
The young man coughed repeatedly, holding up a hand to stop him. "Thanks, old-timer. My fortune's told. No need to go any further."
The old man shook his head, clicking his tongue in lament. "Why does nobody believe it—"
The young man chuckled, stood up, and walked away. Seeing that the amusement had ended, the onlookers dispersed as well.
*That old-timer really has a wild imagination. Still, it only cost thirty yuan. Not much, and it did take my mind off my troubles.*
He was a fourth-year student at Baidi University, on the verge of graduation. Yet he couldn't find a suitable job, which left him feeling smothered and depressed. That was why he had left campus today to wander aimlessly and clear his head.
He glanced down at his watch. *Eight o'clock. I'll walk a little longer, then head back.*
With a sigh, he ambled along the long street until reaching its end, turning into a relatively quiet alleyway.
The sole streetlight in the alley was broken, leaving the corridor plunged in dim murk. Frowning slightly, he kept his head down and watched his step.
"Hm?"
Halfway through, he suddenly noticed a dark silhouette slumped against the wall to his front right.
*A trash bin? Or a homeless person?*
Several guesses crossed his mind as his feet carried him forward. Just as he was about to pass the shadow, the dark figure sprang up like a released spring!
A sickeningly sweet stench of blood rushed straight at his face. In the darkness, two blood-red eyes gleamed with horrifying malice.
His mind went completely blank, his whole body locking up in sheer paralysis.
In the next instant, he felt an icy hand clamp around his throat, its sharp claws piercing through his skin.
"Damn it!!" The freezing chill jolted him out of his terror. He raised his arms, struggling frantically to break free.
However...
*Crack—*
A crisp sound of breaking bone rang out. His neck snapped sideways, the light in his eyes rapidly draining away. Only a single thought flashed through his fading mind:
*You damned old swindler! What 'favored by Heaven'! What 'world's savior'! I'm freaking dying!*
The monster threw open its bloody maw, saliva dripping in sticky strands as it moved in to sink its teeth into the ruined neck.
*Thud!*
Abruptly, a hand caught its head, halting its descent.
The monster stared in shock. The youth whose neck it had just snapped now had eyes burning with dazzling brilliance. He even flashed an amiable smile at the beast, his teeth gleaming stark and chillingly white.
*Bang!*
The young man's free hand clamped onto the monster's throat like an iron vise, his fingers digging deep into the dark green flesh. With a sudden burst of power, he hoisted the hideous frame clean into the air.
In the next breath, his other hand seized the monster's waist. The muscles across both of his arms swelled violently.
A single wrenching tear—
*Riiip! Splatter—*
A rain of gory blood sprayed into the night—
Chapter 209