Chapter 2: Game? Welcome to the Yunzhou Continent!
There are always people in this world who are bored and have nothing to do.
Even a gimmick like 《 Shattered Sect 》, no matter how bad, will still attract some people.
“The game developers nowadays are truly insane, advertising anything and everything. A virtual cultivation game is here. And it’s from a developer I’ve never heard of. It’s definitely a scam game! They haven’t even launched yet, and they dare to say no data wipe?”
Zhou Xiao was one of those people with nothing better to do.
She was a veteran of this large game forum, always trying out new games with a “give it a shot” mentality, whether they turned out to be trash or masterpieces.
First, she clicked into the website.
What greeted her eyes was an ancient, elegant, and ethereal background. A plaque symbolizing a sect was hidden in the clouds, written in a script Zhou Xiao had never seen before; she couldn’t recognize what it said.
The detail of the graphics seemed promising, suggesting they had spent a lot of money hiring professional artists.
That made sense; if the signboard wasn’t attractive, how could they lure people in?
The first thing that popped up was a 【 Important Notice 】.
【1. The game is set in a cultivation world with no forced storyline.
2. The main quest involves helping Sect Master Song Jiulai strengthen the sect and freely explore the Yunzhou Continent. If Song Jiulai dies, the game will end immediately. 】
3. The game has no resurrection system. Upon death, the account and character are considered dead. The identity ID will be banned for a period. To play again, you must re-participate in a newly initiated qualification recruitment event. 】
【 Highlight: Please treat Song Jiulai as the most important woman in your life! 】
【 Note: The game is extremely free-form. Please do not offend any NPCs. 】
“What the heck?”
Zhou Xiao was dumbfounded.
“Even if she’s the main character, you should at least let me see what she looks like!”
Whether it’s to attract otaku or otaku girls, they should at least show a picture of a beauty or a handsome guy, right?
This is also a common problem with low-quality games on the market; they have different styles to attract different player demographics.
This game had none of that, and the story that unfolded was absurd.
“No story, vague descriptions, and that’s it…”
Zhou Xiao sneered, “If this isn’t a scam game, I’ll twist my head off and use it as a soccer ball! Once I get in and try it out, I’ll definitely write a 10,000-character negative review!”
She filled out the recruitment information. Since it was first-come, first-served, she immediately obtained a testing qualification.
To her surprise, this game even had its own server port. All that was needed was to connect any VR equipment and download the game locally.
However, the server port was displayed as opening in two days, or earlier if the recruitment quota was met.
This meant she couldn’t play it yet, even after filling out the form.
But after filling out the qualification, there was a highlighted reminder: 【 Please note, this game’s port will open on October 1, 2024, from 8 PM to 9 PM. After this time, the passage will close, and even with a qualification, you will not be able to participate in the test, only waiting for the next opportunity! 】
“Are you kidding me? You’re restricting the time to play? Are you afraid no one will play your game?”
Zhou Xiao searched online for information about this game developer: “Longevity Sect? Why is there no introduction website? Could it really be a scam developer?”
With the mindset that she shouldn’t suffer alone, Zhou Xiao posted the recruitment information to her usual game group.
【 My strength can move mountains and my spirit can cover the world: Brothers and sisters, come and register for this trash game to test the waters. It dares to claim to be a holographic virtual cultivation game. After testing, I will definitely write a 10,000-character review to shatter the game developer’s Dao heart! 】
【 I once shook mountains and tigers: Huh? What game is this? 】
【 I once shook mountains and tigers: Holy crap, it dares to claim to be a virtual game. Which trash developer is scamming people again? 】
【 Professional Game Reviewer: Hahahaha, game developers nowadays really have no bottom line. They release a shoddy VR game and dare to call it virtual, huh? 】
【 Jing Baotian: I’m bored anyway, I’ll go take a look. 】
【 I once shook mountains and tigers: Huh, aren’t you reviewing V’s new game lately, Big Shot? 】
【 Jing Baotian: I already tested it. I quit after ten minutes. It was utter garbage, the controls were terrible, the story was a mess. I don’t know how V can release such a trash game in 9042. It died on arrival, I’m telling you. 】
【 I am a loyal V fan: …Should I change my username? 】
…
The game group was buzzing with activity, and soon the number of testers quietly surpassed 10.
Zhou Xiao was very satisfied, and she was surprised that a Big Shot like Jing Baotian would join her in suffering—cough, in reviewing.
Jing Baotian was a Big Shot in the game industry. He could predict with high accuracy whether a game he played would become a hit or die out. He was also a famous influencer on Weibo with a good reputation, and he basically didn’t accept game advertisements.
He mostly criticized games rather than praised them.
The only two games he praised back then are now blockbusters in the game industry.
Many games would proactively seek him out for early testing before their launch, but he didn’t accept every offer.
Usually, for a game’s first recruitment test, filling out the form would grant you the download link. This Shattered Sect, however, required waiting until the recruitment was full.
After looking at the number stuck at 15 for a long time, Zhou Xiao felt it was pathetic. She casually sent the game information to several groups to promote it, aiming to get a crowd to test the waters with her.
She then went downstairs to buy something to eat.
In the Yunzhou Continent, Song Jiulai was also staring at the recruitment number, which remained stagnant.
System: “You can stop looking. It won’t fill up no matter how long you stare.”
Song Jiulai was worried, “I’m not worried about the future. I just can’t believe the first batch of testers won’t reach 50 people, wasting my quota.”
The system channel could only be opened once to link the souls and consciousness of qualified individuals, and there was only one hour for preparation.
The next time the channel could be opened would be after Song Jiulai had developed the sect to a scale where it could recruit newcomers. Otherwise, it would be a waste of energy and not cost-effective.
Song Jiulai definitely hoped to recruit 50 people.
She had originally wanted to ask the system to cheat and use a backdoor to advertise on Weibo, but the system said it didn’t have enough energy and advised her to avoid unnecessary actions.
Everything could only be left to fate.
“Sect Master!”
The clear voice of the herb-gathering attendant, A Wu, pulled Song Jiulai’s consciousness back. “Senior Sister Su from the Flying Sparrow Sect is here to deliver something for you. She said the item you requested is ready.”
Song Jiulai immediately jumped up. Looking at A Wu, the only other living person in the sect besides herself, Song Jiulai said earnestly, “A Wu, starting tomorrow night, I will assign you an important task. Some people will be coming to our sect, and you will be their Senior Disciple Brother from now on… Listen to me explain it all!”
After explaining everything to A Wu, Song Jiulai received fifty brand-new puppets from Su Huanli.
The puppets could help her with work but required a continuous consumption of Spiritual Energy. Without replenishment, they would quickly rot.
Therefore, players who transmigrated could use this body to experience the normal process of eating and drinking.
Two days later, fortunately, to Song Jiulai’s expectations, Zhou Xiao, who had nothing better to do and wanted a group of people to test the waters with her, managed to fill the quota of fifty people.
If Song Jiulai had known about Zhou Xiao’s actions, she would have unhesitatingly given her the position of Senior Disciple Sister of the sect.
She was a genius!
As the opening time of eight o’clock approached, with everything ready, Zhou Xiao put on her VR glasses at home, preparing to experience this “maliciously intended” review.
The moment she put on the glasses, the time on her mobile phone jumped to 8 PM, the standard opening time for night owls.
Zhou Xiao’s vision went black, and she suddenly heard a strange mechanical voice.
“Do you voluntarily enter the game, experience life on the Yunzhou Continent, and obey the arrangements of Sect Master Song Jiulai?”
It was probably a safety warning before playing a game, but there was no controller option to agree on her screen.
So, Zhou Xiao tentatively said, “Agree?”
“Agreement constitutes a contract. Welcome to the Yunzhou Continent, where you will begin a new life!”
