Chapter 156: Selecting Players
“Player Jiang Tianya, there is a hidden task that involves life-threatening danger. Do you accept?”
“Player Liang Xueyao, there is a hidden task…”
“Player Zhou Nüzi, there is a hidden task…”
“Player Lin Yuyu, there is a hidden task…”
The System asked the few players who were currently at higher cultivation realms.
It clearly explained to them that this hidden task might require long online hours, carried life-threatening danger, and had an unknown reward.
Only two people hesitated.
The fastest to agree were Lin Yuyu, Jiang Tianya, and Shuitan.
As a precaution, the System asked seven people, but it estimated that at most five players would enter.
Mu Qiu had to be included as well.
Mu Qiu didn’t even need to be asked; once the Secret Realm opened and the key was in her hand, she had no choice but to enter.
The ones who hesitated were Han Tian and Liang Xueyao.
Han Tian was currently the undisputed rising star in the live broadcast industry. His broadcast of 《 Shattered Sect 》 had no equal online, and with Ma Shaojie’s promotion, his traffic was now incredibly strong.
Just by relying on Shattered Sect, Han Tian was already swimming in wealth.
The reason he hesitated was that Shattered Sect had no guaranteed mechanism. If something truly happened, his account would be gone.
That was immense fortune.
But if he didn’t go, it was a hidden task!
What would his viewers think of him if they found out?
Moreover, it could potentially advance his cultivation.
Should he go or not?
For Han Tian, this was no less than a critical turning point in his life.
Liang Xueyao hesitated because he had a leg issue and couldn’t stay online for extended periods. Giving him a hidden task might be a wasted opportunity.
He had to reluctantly refuse.
His exceptionally high Spiritual Root, combined with his apparent talent in Artifact Refining, meant Liang Xueyao’s progress was incredibly fast.
What surprised Song Jiulai the most was that Lin Yuyu was among them.
Lin Yuyu was part of the second batch of players who entered, and at that time, she was associated with Zhen Weida.
She was still associated with them now, but Lin Yuyu’s progress was terrifyingly fast, catching up to and even surpassing the main group of early players.
The System also said, “Lin Yuyu’s combat strength is quite high. She hasn’t had similar real-world experiences, so this has helped her discover her talent. Her prediction and combat awareness when fighting Demonic Beasts are exceptionally quick.”
Zhou Nüzi, Han Tian, Jiang Tianya, Liang Xueyao, Mu Qiu, Lin Yuyu, and Shuitan.
These seven people were currently the top-tier combatants in the game. Mu Qiu had the strongest combat power; she had not only reached the Late Qi Condensation Stage but also possessed her own Magic Treasure.
Since resigning, she had focused on cultivation and helped Han Tian with his work. It was rumored that Han Tian intended to cultivate her as the Sect’s primary combat force and had already contacted Mu Qiu in reality, planning to have her join his offline Studio.
Mu Qiu’s strength was also suitable for live broadcasting, and Han Tian had suggested it. However, she personally disliked being public and felt her live broadcast performance wouldn’t be good, so she rejected Han Tian’s proposal.
Zhan Sheng currently had the highest talent, but he had only just joined and couldn’t be counted yet.
When the Secret Realm stirred, Song Jiulai’s Puppet Body was ready.
She prepared new Puppet Bodies for several players and had the System distribute them, then asked the System, “Is it confirmed?”
System: “Confirmed. Only five players can enter, including Mu Qiu. You are not included.”
Song Jiulai realized, “Then who isn’t going?”
“Xueyao and Han Tian. Xueyao has personal reasons in reality, and Han Tian’s combat strength is a bit lacking; he should focus on live broadcasting.”
Song Jiulai: “OK.”
Meanwhile, the System also notified Han Tian: “You don’t need to worry anymore. The number of slots for the hidden task has been filled. You don’t need to go.”
Han Tian was stunned.
He had spent a long time mentally preparing himself and had finally decided to go.
You can’t catch a tiger without entering its lair; this was a matter of great importance for his cultivation!
He immediately said, “I’m willing to go, I’m willing to go! I was just considering it, I didn’t say I wouldn’t go!!”
System: “Then it doesn’t matter. It has nothing to do with whether you go or not; you were filtered out because your strength was insufficient.”
Han Tian: “…”
It would have been better if he had said he didn’t want to go.
Upon learning this painful fact, Han Tian immediately felt like he had lost hundreds of millions.
If he had known, he would have agreed without hesitation when the System first asked!
Seeing his dejected expression, a player walked over, looking amused. “What’s wrong, Brother Han?”
Upon seeing the other person, Han Tian immediately put on a fearful demeanor. “No, no, no, Brother Ma, I wouldn’t dare call you brother.”
This player was none other than Ma Shaojie.
The sensation Ma Shaojie caused on Weibo brought another drastic change to Shattered Sect, though they were unaware of it.
To the players, Ma Shaojie was also a well-known figure.
Due to the game’s extreme realism, Ma Shaojie even used his real name from reality as his ID.
So, he could be recognized at a glance.
When he entered, Han Tian had wanted to proactively befriend him, as connections with someone like him were not easily made in reality.
However, he considered that doing so might create the illusion of him clinging to others, especially since he was now a major streamer whose every move was watched by netizens.
Unexpectedly, Ma Shaojie approached him first, only asking about some hidden rules of the game.
After all, Han Tian was still the one making the game guides on the Website, so Ma Shaojie would naturally come to him if he didn’t understand something.
Given his status, Han Tian would naturally tell him everything, and they became familiar with each other.
Ma Shaojie joked, “With your status as an old player, you can certainly call me brother. I see you looking troubled. What happened? According to your current plan, you intend to help the Sect open new trading routes, right?”
“Yes,” Han Tian sighed. “The System just asked me if I wanted to accept a hidden task, and I hesitated for a moment, so I missed the chance.”
Ma Shaojie couldn’t believe it. “You hesitated when you had a chance for a hidden task!”
Han Tian said, “Brother Ma, to be honest, the task explicitly stated it was very dangerous and the reward might not be high. This game has no resurrection opportunities, so I naturally hesitated. Who knew that after just a moment of hesitation, it was no longer available to me? What’s even more hurtful is that the System said I was filtered out because my strength was insufficient.”
Ma Shaojie realized, “So, there are players whose strength is now above yours?”
“That’s for sure,” Han Tian said. “I’m not on the Battle Maniac path. Let alone the mysterious Shuitan, I can’t even catch up to Mu Qiu now. Zhou Nüzi’s cultivation has already surpassed mine.”
Players would occasionally spar with each other.
Mu Qiu could defeat Han Tian and the others even without using her Magic Treasure, just with her combat awareness.
It’s truly disheartening when you compare yourself to others.
Ma Shaojie agreed wholeheartedly and then said, “If you are still planning to go to Liuyun Sect, can you take me with you? I won’t ask you to take me for free. I’ll give each of you 1000 Points, and you can protect me during my training. How about it?”
Points could be exchanged for real-world Money, which here amounted to ten thousand.
It wasn’t much for Han Tian, but for the others in the team, it was an absolute fortune.
