Chapter 312: Why Are You Forcing Me?! |
"The key to the Cautious Cultivation path is to erase your sense of presence, Master."
Tiyana's voice came through her ears.
Although she was reluctant to come, Tiyana had said she was willing to provide remote assistance, using her magic to connect to his hearing here.
Jiang Si, mingling among the crowd, didn't bother to respond. He just looked up at the Witch Shion ahead of him.
As one of the Three Corpses, she was now the manager of the entire Chongxu outskirts and the factory. She sat quietly on a rocking chair, with Little Yu beside her helping tally the people entering Chongxu.
"Ever since you rejected me and exiled me to that island, I've been racking my brains, absorbing various side paths, and finally grasped the essence of the Cautious Cultivation path. This essence is hidden within the concept of presence."
To ensure his own concealment and so the Saints of the Hall could look out for each other, groups of people were always arranged to enter Chongxu simultaneously.
Watching the batches of people ahead disappear into Chongxu, Jiang Si calmed down.
As long as Sonora's ticket was fine, it was enough. During this time on the outskirts, he had roughly figured it out—as long as you had a household registration, Chongxu would automatically take you in.
"And by thoroughly reading classic works like How to Raise a Boring Heroine, Akarin's Basketball, and The Unsmiling Cat of Blazing Eyes, I've fully understood what presence really is."
"In the later parts of Akarin's Basketball, they could even make an entire team erase their presence, making their opponents play basketball against thin air. This ability to not only hide yourself but also your teammates—that's exactly the direction I'm working toward."
It was basically like Thousand-Pinweed and Sleeping Dragon and Phoenix. Thousand-Pinweed had simply chosen the wrong path from the start, but she was walking the right way.
As for this one—on the surface, she had chosen the Great Dao, but inside, it was all crooked tricks and heresy.
"So, the first element of the Cautious Cultivation path is to erase your own presence. Only then come complete preparations and backup plans. If you're the center of attention from the very start, being watched by everyone, then no matter how many preparations and backups you have, they're meaningless."
A dog's mouth had actually managed to spit out ivory.
But wasn't this already written at the beginning of the Cautious Cultivation type?
And besides.
"Listen, Tiyana." Jiang Si said earnestly, "Sometimes, attracting attention out in the open is also a form of Cautious Cultivation. If you can't grasp even that, you're still far from mastering this path."
Once Tiyana fell silent on the other end, Jiang Si nodded.
At least she was teachable.
He was about to continue lecturing when someone next to him pushed him. "Can you hurry up, bro? Everyone's got nowhere to go, we're all anxious to get into Chongxu and recruit for the Saint Hall. You're just standing here daydreaming—you're gonna drive us crazy!"
Jiang Si turned his head and glanced at the anxious young man, then snorted coldly.
Endure!
He quickened his pace and walked forward.
Soon, Jiang Si and a group of people arrived at the center of the garbage dump. A dialog box naturally appeared in his mind.
【Do you wish to enter Chongxu?】
That thing would suit Qinghua quite well. Once he took control of Chongxu, he couldn't let Qinghua come over to play.
Before he could select "Yes," space naturally began to twist—but the first thing to undergo change was his body.
A strange digitization, a pause between body and consciousness.
Jiang Si immediately thought of Sonora's ability. That special snow-screen power seemed similar to this.
After a long stretch of pitch-black darkness, a pleasant female voice sounded in his ears:
"Welcome to Thriller Paradise..."
Huh?
Had he entered the wrong place?
Wasn't he entering Chongxu?
He looked around. The other old world members who had been nearby were gone. He was completely alone.
【Welcome. This is the first layer of Chongxu: Thriller Paradise. For the safety of your property and Chongxu itself, only by passing through this layer can you step into the real Chongxu.】
After a moment of silence, Jiang Si decided not to dwell on these naming issues.
He followed the direction signs forward and eventually found the exit.
After a blinding flash of light, the sounds of chatter and hawking reached his ears.
When he opened his eyes, the scene before him unfolded: a long queue stretching in front of a shop.
The shop was selling helmets, and even more expensive gaming pods. Next to them hung a sign advertising Thriller Paradise.
"The most realistic immersive experience! The latest full-dive virtual game—taking you into a new world!"
"Gold farming, party raiding, challenges, victory feasts, close-combat mages, reborn warriors, ultimate zombies, legendary heroes—multiple classes, dragons crossing rivers! Lead you to the peak of life!"
"Lonely at the top? Come play this new online game. Start from scratch, conquer the world, master the universe!"
Jiang Si blinked, then took a deep breath.
Memories of the past surged up like a tidal wave, even moving him a little.
I've been reborn.
Reborn on the very first day of Thriller Paradise's launch, armed with dungeon strategy methods that no one else knows, the only hidden class, and knowledge of item prices.
No one knows that the Dust-Sealed Mystic Treasure Perfume, currently so cheap, will skyrocket in price after the second dungeon opens. And the Fatigue Potions everyone dreams of now will soon become roadside junk...
Scattered legendary skills no one wants; the first kills on all those bosses; every divine pet; the super guilds that haven't developed yet but will one day represent China; the top players of each class who haven't yet risen...
With the advantage of information, going through it all again, I'll never be the ordinary gold-farming player I was in my past life. I'll step into the realm of the strongest players, become the only core in the World Guild War, and achieve the American Dream through national glory!
Of course, the most important thing is that by leveling up in the game, I can continuously increase my strength in the real world, until finally, I attain the Great Dao in reality!
The Great Dao is formless; the online game has form!
In the past, just to play online games, all kinds of opening strategies had been used in web novels—aliens blowing up Earth, martial arts hodgepodges, universal online games and brick-moving, framing people and sending them to prison, transmigrating into NPCs, playing as Bosses, and so on. It was a dazzling, unrestrained mess.
In the end, they all turned to Cultivating Immortality!
But somehow, at some point, the entire online game novel genre became completely obsolete. As a unique path to seek the Dao, it was quite innovative, yet it was eventually replaced by some e-sports novels.
It had shifted from "getting stronger by playing games" to the meaningless goal of "playing a game can change my destiny."
Don't you change your destiny by getting stronger? When you abandon the idea that you, in reality, can also grow stronger, the online game novel is dead!
He didn't understand why those e-sports novels could replace online game novels. To put it bluntly, watching an e-sports match in real life was enough. Reading about a match in a web novel was just brain damage, wasn't it? Real-life matches being rigged—fine, you could say that.
But in web novel matches, there really were big shots manipulating things however they wanted. Could the protagonist even lose?
Seeing the once-declined online game novel opening appear right before his eyes, Jiang Si couldn't help but feel a bit emotional.
He naturally walked to the end of the queue and looked ahead, noticing many familiar faces.
Many old world members who had joined the Saint Hall were now squeezed into the line.
"We're very sorry, but if you don't purchase a full-dive helmet, you won't be able to participate in Thriller Paradise, and thus won't be able to enter Chongxu."
"If you don't have money, that's fine. Newcomers are eligible for Chongxu's lowest-interest loan. You only need to pay back sixty thousand Chongxu coins a month, and you'll be done in three years. We also provide a one-stop job recommendation service to pay off your loan, ensuring that once you enter Chongxu, you'll have a clear goal and a fulfilling work life!"
Before he'd even seen the gates of Chongxu, he was already saddled with a three-year loan.
Hearing this, Jiang Si actually felt relieved.
All this messy stuff had really made him wonder if Chongxu wasn't the Kunxu he knew.
But now he understood.
No problem. Our Kunxu is exactly like this.
I came here today to correct Kunxu's profit-centered bad habits...
"If you're willing to take on another ten-year loan with an eight percent interest rate increase, you can directly rent a top-tier gaming pod. This pod can fully enhance your attributes, give you access to hidden skills and hidden classes, and even give you a chance to draw a divine pet..."
The staff member smiled charmingly as she introduced the higher-tier gaming pod. Jiang Si naturally knew the benefits of a gaming pod—compared to a helmet, it was easier to operate. The advantages of being a whale were obvious.
But these old world members clearly weren't easy to fool. Most of them had fought their way out of the old world, experienced brutal battles and competition, and wouldn't be willing to take risks.
So, by the time Jiang Si reached the counter, no one had bought a gaming pod.
When Jiang Si stepped up, the manager standing next to the saleswoman finally couldn't help complaining, "What's with this batch? All poor and gutless. Not a single one dares to buy a gaming pod. If you've got no money and no balls, why come to Chongxu at all?!"
He hadn't bothered to hide his words. The old world members nearby all heard him.
Everyone looked at the staff with dissatisfaction and anger.
"What kind of attitude is that?!"
"Refund! I'm not playing anymore!"
The manager just spat, "Sorry, but loans are non-refundable. Bunch of turtles."
Tiyana's voice sighed in Jiang Si's ear, "This is part of their sales strategy. But is such a low-level provocation tactic really effective? Even without walking the Cautious Cultivation path, ordinary people probably wouldn't fall for it..."
"Give me one gaming pod."
The scene both inside and outside went silent.
Everyone stared in shock at Jiang Si, who had calmly declared he wanted a gaming pod.
The manager's expression instantly shifted from contempt to a smile. "Now this is a real customer! Xiao Lan, open a loan account for him..."
"No need." Jiang Si said disdainfully. "A dog's eye looks down on people. I don't need a loan. I'll pay the full price!"
Everyone present gasped, almost sucking all the air out of Chongxu and raising the temperature!
"Uh... is this right, Master? How does this relate to the Cautious Cultivation path?"
"Look closely at their eyes."
With Jiang Si's reminder, Tiyana, who was sharing his vision through Bingtang's magic, quickly scanned the crowd and then looked on with newfound respect.
"They're all looking at you like you're an idiot and a sucker! Especially that manager and the saleswoman—not just mockery, there's even a bit of pity in their eyes!"
A smirk curled at the corner of Jiang Si's mouth. "Exactly. This is the second layer of the Cautious Cultivation path. When everyone sees you as an idiot and a sucker, when they don't take you seriously at all, and the first thing they think of you is that you're a moron, then they'll never suspect you of being capable of anything great!"
"I'm still not very good at playing the pig to eat the tiger, Master..."
"A lack of patience in small matters will ruin great plans. Sweetness comes only after bitterness, and that is the Great Dao."
"I'm afraid that after all the bitterness, the sweetness will just be water..."
This child was unteachable.
I've been mining all this time, isn't it just so I can enjoy myself when I get in?
Otherwise, all this mining on the Thousand-Mile Slope would be meaningless.
"Sir, you may enter the VIP channel to play the game."
"Also, since you purchased a gaming pod, you qualify for an exclusive personal room and a discount. The original price of ten thousand per month is now only nine thousand Chongxu coins for an exclusive game room..."
"Lead the way."
In reality, the space of this first layer of Chongxu didn't look much different from the mining area on the outskirts.
Row after row of seats filled the space. Once everyone put on their helmets, they looked just like miners.
In traditional online game novels, there were low-level professions that only entered the game to farm gold coins. That was pretty much the same as mining.
And Jiang Si, who had endured all the way and hidden himself until now, finally breathed a slight sigh of relief.
For him, suppressing himself was indeed a very difficult thing. The Cautious Cultivation path truly required great persistence and great willpower.
But once he entered his exclusive room and submerged into the gaming pod, everything could finally end.
He started the game. In the virtual space, a pleasant voice rang out:
【Welcome, new player. Please select the server you wish to enter. Currently popular servers include: "Baidu's Path to Improvement Welcomes You Server," "Haoyuan VS 11 Transcendent Server," "Zuan Potato Server"...】
【If you wish to choose a new server, a new server will be opening in three minutes.】
Here it comes! The classic new server launch in online game novels!
Without hesitation, Jiang Si furiously clicked on the grayed-out new server button.
No matter if it was a new game or an old game opening a new server, every player always did the same thing: spam-click to join before the server opened.
Many online game novel protagonists encountered custom bugs at this moment, entering the game early and obtaining powerful cheats.
They seized the first-mover advantage.
The so-called first-mover advantage was the immortal foundation. He remembered how, after taking a year off, Lord Grim had relied on entering the new server first to obtain the Thousand Chance Umbrella, using it to build his foundation in The King's Avatar!
Later, the Battle God returned, stepped onto the world battlefield, and swept through his past enemies with the Thousand Chance Umbrella. That plot where he crushed the Excellent Dynasty guild—the one that had backstabbed him at the start of the story, forcing him to jump off a cliff—was absolutely thrilling. And in the end, using martial arts to attain the Dao, achieving the Mixed Yuan Golden Core, ascending to the celestial realm, and blood-sacrificing the Celestial Emperor who had conspired to kill his brother before reviving Su Mucheng—that ending was a classic...
As he was lost in thought, three minutes passed. Although no bug had been triggered, Jiang Si was already filled with excitement.
He entered the server. All the world-setting cutscenes and CG were skipped!
I don't know who I am. I don't know where I am. I don't know what I'm supposed to do.
Anyway, let's start killing first.
But just as he clicked to skip, a dialog box popped up.
【Skipping a single service costs ten Chongxu coins. If you wish to skip all future story content, we recommend our monthly subscription. For only six thousand Chongxu coins per month, you can skip indefinitely...】
One step slow, every step slow. The advantage of whales is something common players can never reach!
Jiang Si directly bought the monthly subscription and skipped everything.
Once inside, before he could even move, a character stat sheet slammed into his face like a waterfall!
【Character: Startled by the Unaware.】
【Level: 11 (Boosted by gaming pod newcomer gift pack)】
【Attributes: Strength 5, Agility 5, Intelligence 5, Constitution 5, Perception 5, Charisma 3】
【HP: 150】
【Defense: 5 (Defense 22%)】
【Attack: 5 (Hit Rate: 20)】
【Toughness: 6】
...
After a long list of data appeared, Jiang Si finally remembered why he himself had stopped reading online game novels back then.
Data streams take up half a chapter!
A pile of data instantly cooled his enthusiasm.
Because the online game novel genre died so long ago, the dead are treated with reverence. When you miss them, you only think of the good parts.
Only when you actually experience it again do you remember all the messy drawbacks and lose the allure...
After closing the stat sheet, Jiang Si calmed down. "Open inventory."
The initial inventory only had three slots. The rest cost money.
Jiang Si didn't really care. He went to buy some health recovery items first.
After all, the feature of full-dive games was that a person's physical condition affected the game character to some extent.
He could use his own physical body to control the game character, relying on skill to crush the whales' paid advantages.
And Jiang Si had absolute confidence in his own body.
The game was simple: enter the newbie village, and by passing through the first newbie village, you could officially enter Chongxu.
Everyone else was still watching cutscenes and going through story. As a whale, Jiang Si was the first to skip the story and cutscenes. Naturally, he had a first-mover advantage and prepared to claim the first kill.
【Please equip a weapon.】
Without equipping a weapon, you couldn't enter the newbie village field dungeon.
The cheapest weapon cost hundreds of Chongxu coins. And if you wanted to buy a weapon, you also had to buy armor, which cost several thousand Chongxu coins.
【Please purchase a dungeon ticket.】
Field dungeons weren't free. Just entering the dungeon cost money.
【Dungeon story content is necessary and cannot be skipped. However, you may watch advertisements to speed up...】
Watching ads doesn't pay.
When Jiang Si finally stepped into the dungeon, raised his sword, and swung at a low-level monster, the screen flickered again.
【Would you like to purchase insurance services?】
【Would you like to watch an ad to skip the battle process?】
【Auto-pathfinding service...】
When he killed the first monster, Jiang Si was already drenched in sweat.
【Insufficient attributes. Cannot open the door from this side.】
【Attribute bundle purchase service...】
Having lived for decades in this world, this was probably the first time Jiang Si felt what it was like to be completely stymied at every step.
Every step was a trap. Everything required Chongxu coins or watching ads.
He looked up at the rows upon rows of dialog boxes he needed to click and confirm, and he laughed.
"I just wanted to quietly hide myself and get to Chongxu. Why are you forcing me?"
"You... why are you forcing me?!"
His terrifying Personal Reality spread like a virus through the game space, crazily rewriting the very data of Thriller Paradise!
Cautious Cultivation path?
A pile of shit. The true Great Dao should be the Ultimate Path!
"System! Add points!"
With his overwhelming spirit and physical body, he began to tear Thriller Paradise apart!
By the time Jiang Si slowly forced open the gates of Chongxu, he saw Su waiting outside to receive them.
"Whoa..."
Su blinked, watching Jiang Si squeeze his way in. Her cigarette hand paused mid-motion.
Then she scratched her head and looked up at the sky above Chongxu.
Red alarms blared with piercing shrieks. Beings resembling Magical Girls covered the sky like flies, thick and dense!
"Darling, you've really stirred up a hornet's nest this time. Can I just run away? Of course, if you let me kiss you later, I might keep helping..."