Heavenly Tribulation Descent

In 2025, war broke out between China and Japan. From the very start, China swept forward with unstoppable force, crushing the Japanese army. Just as Japan's forces were on the verge of collapse, countries such as the United States, Britain, France, Australia, South Korea, and India intervened one after another. Russia, North Korea, Pakistan, and others were then forced to enter the conflict as well. The Third World War was on the brink of eruption.

The fighting between both sides grew increasingly fierce and eventually escalated into a nuclear war. In an instant, Earth was reduced to ruins and nearly destroyed.

Fortunately, both sides came to their senses in time, and the war subsided. However, Earth had already been left scarred beyond recognition and could no longer endure any major devastation. The nations had no choice but to sign an agreement prohibiting large-scale military conflicts.

Yet wherever there were people, there would be disputes. Since war could no longer be used to resolve them, another path had to be found. Thus, massive multinational virtual online games came into being.

If the Third World War had brought this world a single benefit, it was undoubtedly the era-defying technological progress spurred by the conflict. Artificial Intelligence advanced by leaps and bounds, and holographic virtual projection technology took shape. Humanity had gained a second world.

Advancements in high technology completely liberated human labor. High-tech products replaced human production, allowing people to live without worry even if they did not work. With nothing to do, humanity flooded into the internet, further stimulating the development of massive virtual online games. Wars to compete for funds and various resources through virtual online games began as well.

China was no exception. People poured into virtual online games, opening up a new world and a new battlefield. Over time, gaming families emerged and became a new form of combat power and a main force in conflicts between nations.

After the war, all kinds of virtual online games sprang up like bamboo shoots after rain, too numerous to count. However, they gradually declined as one particular game prepared to launch. This game had been developed over ten years by combining the technological strength of major nations such as China, the United States, Russia, Japan, Britain, and France.

With so many countries pouring their full efforts into it, it was only natural that this game gained worldwide recognition and became the primary platform for competition among nations.

This virtual online game was called "Heavenly Tribulation" and would officially launch at noon on October 1st, China time. It was said to be very different from previous online games, though the officials had not explained exactly how. They had only said, "Players will experience it for themselves when the time comes."

If any other virtual online game had said only that, players everywhere would have cursed it to high heaven. Yet when Heavenly Tribulation's officials said it, even more players were drawn in and became increasingly curious.

Official information about Heavenly Tribulation was pitifully scarce. The game's officials had only revealed nine basic classes: swordsman, mage, berserker, priest, summoner, assassin, archer, knight, and pugilist.

According to unofficial rumors, Heavenly Tribulation had many other classes besides these nine basic ones. There were some powerful Hidden Professions, as well as representative classes specially created based on the characteristics of different countries, such as China's Taoists, Japan's ninjas, and the United States' superheroes.

Traditional classes combined with specialty classes were undoubtedly one of the reasons so many players anticipated this game.

Other than that, there was some common knowledge. For example, the game initially had many servers. Major countries such as China, the United States, Russia, Japan, Britain, France, and Australia had independent servers, while smaller countries shared servers together. At first, these servers were independent and not connected. As the game progressed, they would slowly merge into one large server, which often meant that war between nations was about to begin.

It was now September 30th, only one day away from Heavenly Tribulation's official launch.

In China, before Heavenly Tribulation launched, the streets were deserted. Everyone was waiting for the game, ready to make their mark within it.

In a relatively secluded courtyard in Luoyang City, Ye Luo finished setting up the last wire. Looking around, he muttered, "I've installed surveillance cameras around the area and throughout the courtyard. Any disturbance will trigger an alarm. If anyone sneaks into this courtyard, it'll connect directly to the intelligent mainframe on my wrist. Next... hmph..."

As he spoke, Ye Luo touched the bracelet on his arm. It was the latest product of Chinese technology, a miniature intelligent computer that could be used for phone calls, internet access, videos, and more.

After finishing all this, Ye Luo walked toward his room and said, "With this, Yue Er won't be in much danger. Now I can enter the game without worry. Hmph, Dongfang Family, just you wait."

As soon as he entered the room, Zhi Yue came up to meet him. Looking at Ye Luo, she said, "Brother Ye, Father has already sent over two gaming pods. Tomorrow, we can log into Heavenly Tribulation and play together."

Ye Luo frowned slightly. "You want to play too? You just turned sixteen. Shouldn't you be going to school?"

"The things taught at school are too easy. I don't need to go there. As long as I spend some time learning casually in the virtual classroom, that's enough," Zhi Yue said. Her pretty face was full of pride. "I'm a genius, you know. Besides, I've been playing virtual online games for two years already. You could say I'm an expert."

As technology advanced, the holographic virtual network became a second world. People could study and work there, and hardly needed to personally go to schools or workplaces anymore.

"Look at you, so proud of yourself." A rare smile curved Ye Luo's lips, though it vanished in an instant. He looked at Zhi Yue. "It's fine if you play with me. At least you won't be bored by yourself. By the way, have you thought about what class you want to play?"

"A summoner. It's my favorite class. I can summon powerful Summoned Beasts or spirits to fight," Zhi Yue said without hesitation. Then her face filled with longing. "Of course, it would be even better if I could obtain a Hidden Profession. I heard Hidden Professions are much stronger than the nine basic classes, but taking up that kind of post is difficult. Besides strength, luck is important too."

"A summoner, huh? That's not bad." Ye Luo muttered to himself, "You can fight using summons, so you won't have to fight personally. That should make things much safer for you, Yue Er."

"Brother Ye, what class do you want to choose?" Zhi Yue was extremely curious, her face full of admiration. "Brother Ye is so amazing. You'll definitely be amazing at games too."

"I don't know either. I rarely played games before," Ye Luo said, shaking his head. Seeing Zhi Yue's astonished expression, he continued, "Sister Qiu used to play games too, right? What classes did she usually choose?"

At the mention of "Sister Qiu," the smile on Zhi Yue's pretty face froze. She murmured, "My sister often played swordsmen before. Sometimes she played mages too. She was a true gaming genius, one of the top three experts in our Zhi Family..."

"Oh, then I'll choose swordsman as my first choice. Mage can be my second choice." Ye Luo spoke calmly as he rubbed Zhi Yue's hair. A cold glint flashed through his eyes and disappeared. "Yue Er, don't worry. I'll avenge Sister Qiu. I definitely will!"

"Mm, definitely!"

Time passed painfully slowly while they waited. At last, the next day came. At 11:50, Ye Luo and Zhi Yue casually ate something before returning to their respective rooms and entering their gaming pods to prepare.

After iris verification, identity confirmation, and a holographic scan, Ye Luo felt a slight tremor as his image entered the game. He arrived in a virtual space, and then an image appeared in his mind:

A massive meteor, dragging a ball of flame behind it, crashed into the ground with a deafening boom. The earth shook and the mountains trembled. Flames erupted everywhere, black smoke billowed into the sky, ferocious beasts roared, and Demon God Descends. Terrifying auras surged forth. The land suffered devastation, countless living beings were killed or wounded, and the scene resembled the end of the world.

In the end, crimson blood and flames condensed into two ancient characters—Heavenly Tribulation.

The image was not very long, only a few minutes, but it was incredibly realistic. Ye Luo felt as if he were there in person. He could sense the power of those demons and monsters, as well as the fragility of all living things.

"So this is Heavenly Tribulation Descent?" Ye Luo murmured, moved by the scene he had just witnessed.

"Demons and monsters dance, Heavenly Tribulation Descends, and all living beings suffer. Descender, do you have the courage to fight for the people of the world?! Are you willing to enter Heavenly Tribulation Continent and save countless lives?!" A majestic and solemn voice rang out. Along with it, a huge white-robed phantom appeared before Ye Luo.

Through Zhi Yue's introduction and his crash course on other online games, Ye Luo knew this was a necessary step before entering the game. He answered calmly, "I am willing."

"Descender, you are a warrior. Welcome to the world of Heavenly Tribulation. Please name your game character. Once named, it cannot be changed without special circumstances or special items," the white-robed phantom continued.

"Ye Luo Zhi Qiu." Ye Luo spoke calmly. It was the name he had come up with over the past few days.

"This name is available. Descender, do you confirm this name?" the white-robed phantom continued. He repeated, "Once named, it will be difficult to change. Please proceed with caution."

"I confirm." Thinking of that beautiful figure in his heart, Ye Luo nodded heavily.

"Very well. Ye Luo Zhi Qiu, naming successful." The white-robed phantom continued, "Please choose the class you wish to take up."

After speaking, a dialog box appeared before Ye Luo. When he saw it, he froze and muttered, "Didn't they say there were nine basic classes? Why are there only two choices?"

That was right. There were only two choices: "warrior" and "mage." There was neither the swordsman Ye Luo had wanted as his first choice nor the mage he had wanted as his second choice, so he was naturally confused.

As if knowing Ye Luo would be confused, the white-robed phantom said, "There are only two initial classes: warrior and mage. Once a game character reaches Level 10, they can take up an apprentice post. Warriors can take up posts as swordsmen, knights, berserkers, archers, assassins, or pugilists, while mages can take up posts as mages, summoners, and modes. Descender, what is your choice?"

Only then did Ye Luo understand. He said softly, "I choose warrior."

"Warriors have three choices: strength warrior, agility warrior, and constitution warrior, corresponding to battle souls, martial souls, and blood souls respectively. Which do you choose?" the white-robed phantom continued. As he spoke, another dialog box with three choices appeared before Ye Luo.

Strength, agility, constitution, and intelligence were the four fundamental attributes of a character in the game. The attribute chosen had a major impact on one's class. Ye Luo had researched this before, but this was his first time hearing about battle souls and the like. To be safe, he asked, "May I ask what characteristics these choices have, and what kinds of classes they are suited for?"