Crossing into Azeroth

"Cough, cough... Everyone, I'm about to loot the boss. Take a guess—will the Starlight Dragon drop...?"

On Storm Live, Ji Feng was bragging to his viewers: "I'm not joking, this hand of mine is a lucky rabbit's foot. The mounts I've looted could circle... Look, it dropped! That's right, it dropped, it dropped!"

As Ji Feng shouted, a line of purple text appeared in his game's combat window:

You obtained an item: Starlight Cloud Serpent Reins.

You obtained an item: Starbreaker.

You obtained an item: Cunning Belt.

After seven minutes of fighting and three minutes of bragging, Ji Feng got the loot he had been hoping for. It was one of the rarest flying mounts in World of Warcraft: the Starlight Dragon.

"666, the streamer actually called it..."

"Night Fish sent 500 Doubao. Congrats, streamer. I give this treenewbee full marks..."

"Hahahaha... What's supposed to drop has to drop! As the streamer's number one fan, I have to say, he's run it eleven times in a row. If it still didn't drop, he could smash his keyboard! After all, this is Brother Feng!"

"Spring has come for Africans. We European royalty look down on this. Since the streamer's bragging has left me breathless, I'll send ten chicken necks!"

The moment the Starlight Dragon appeared, viewers who had been lurking all this time surfaced one after another. Before long, more than a dozen barrage comments filled the screen. Though it could not compare to popular gaming streamers, Ji Feng's stream had become lively for the moment.

"Haha... Thanks for the gifts, everyone. Today's stream will continue. In a bit, we'll go kill Nalak and see if I can get another Thunder Cloud Serpent..."

"It's 14:57 now. I've already streamed for six hours today. Let me make a bowl of instant noodles, then we'll fight again in three minutes..."

After leaving the instance, Ji Feng rode the Starlight Dragon and stopped outside its entrance. Riding an instance-drop mount while watching players preparing to enter and farm it was an incredibly satisfying feeling.

"Damn, the streamer wants instant noodles? Better hope there isn't a missing seasoning packet..."

"A bragging streamer above, earning millions below..."

"The comment above is so dirty, but I like it. When it comes to bragging, I only respect the barrage gods..."

Five minutes later, Ji Feng returned to the stream carrying a bowl of instant noodles. The barrage comments covered the screen so densely they made his eyes swim. The stream was exceptionally lively now.

It was mid-July. Elementary school students, middle school students, high school students, and college students were more or less on vacation. Ji Feng's stream normally did not have this many viewers; he was only benefiting from the holiday today. His monthly income was less than 3,000 yuan, and by the end of every month, instant noodles became his staple food.

"Viewers, we'll officially start farming Nalak in five minutes. I'm flying to the map now..."

"This braised beef flavor is pretty good..."

Holding his instant noodles, Ji Feng resumed his bragging. Eight words were clearly visible on the huge noodle cup: Kang Shuai Bo Braised Beef Noodles.

"Streamer, we European nobles eat mushroom stewed chicken, okay? Only Africans like braised beef..."

"The best one is obviously tomato beef brisket."

As he ate his noodles and watched the viewers brag in the barrage, Ji Feng could not help laughing. This was an enjoyment too, wasn't it? As a streamer, enjoying oneself alone was not as good as enjoying together. Bragging together was the true way.

"A bunch of idiots, you can even brag about instant noodles... The point of the streamer's bragging is Kang Shuai Bo, okay!"

"A moderator is here."

"Twelve Flavors? A gaming streamer hosting a food show? Moderator, I want to report him..."

The barrage flew by, mixed with some comments deliberately stirring things up. Seeing them, Ji Feng became a little unhappy.

"Ding ding... ding ding..."

His twenty-yuan keyboard clicked softly as Ji Feng changed his stream title. The original six-character title, "Azeroth Live Stream," became "World of Warcraft Stream, Causing Trouble."

"Cough, cough... I've finished my noodles, so now it's time to cause trouble. If you keep stirring things up, I'll mute you directly."

Casually tossing the noodle cup into the trash, Ji Feng began another round of streaming with some anger in his heart. At that moment, however, he completely failed to notice the noodle broth flowing toward his feet.

It was July, and Ji Feng was barefoot at home. The broth first soaked the power strip, then flowed toward his feet. At that moment, he had no idea danger was approaching.

"This is Nalak. This boss is on the Isle of Thunder, right outside the Throne of Thunder instance entrance. Take a guess—can I loot a mount this time? This mount's drop rate is even lower than the Starlight Dragon's..." Standing before Nalak, Ji Feng once again began hyping the atmosphere. As a streamer, this was an essential skill.

"If it drops, I'll send a big sword gift. My word is my bond... This is a promise from European nobility..."

"How could it drop? If it does, I'll delete my account..."

"This is Nalak, not the Starlight Dragon. There are quite a few Starlight Dragons, but I've never even seen a Nalak mount. It absolutely can't drop..."

After Ji Feng's efforts to stir everyone up, the barrage suddenly increased. Sure enough, none of the viewers believed in him. If the mounts had to be ranked, this was probably the hardest one to get in the Pandaren expansion.

"Fine, since none of you believe in me, I'm doing it. Watch me loot a mount..."

The show's atmosphere had already been built up. Now came the official performance. It would be fine if it did not drop, but if it did, the show's impact would explode.

"Drop, drop, drop..."

World of Warcraft mount drop rates were fifty percent. Players could use black-tech gear such as "Lucky Rabbit's Foot" to increase their odds of obtaining mounts, while damage output in World of Warcraft basically depended on shouting. After all, at the same item level, African rogues and European rogues were not remotely the same in terms of damage output.

The breath of death was quietly approaching. The instant Ji Feng killed Nalak, the electrified broth flowed to his feet.

"Streamer, oh no, the streamer seems to have been electrocuted..."

"Holy shit, Professor Yang's Hand of Lightning? Streamer, stop playing around. I'll send you a guild leader gift later, okay!"

"No, the streamer isn't acting. Look at his body. That shaking clearly means he was shocked. Streamer..."

"Fuck, the streamer disappeared. What the hell, what kind of black technology is this?"

"I've already called the police. This is definitely a supernatural incident."

The instant Ji Feng vanished, the stream exploded. The barrage scrolled so quickly it was almost impossible to read. Thousands of viewers were utterly stunned; such a bizarre event was truly difficult to accept.

6,000, 12,000, 16,000, 27,000, 42,000. In less than ten minutes, Ji Feng's stream somehow gained more than 40,000 viewers, nearly matching some popular streamers. Unfortunately, he could not see any of it. At this moment, Ji Feng's face was filled with shock.

He had actually transmigrated!

"Brother, don't die... Don't leave me behind. We're almost at the village. Hold on, please hold on!" On a rugged mountain path, Li Luo Shadowwind cried loudly.

Beside her, a Pandaren leaned against a green pine tree, slowly closed his eyes, and lowered his head.

"Father, Mother, and Third Brother are all waiting for us. You mustn't fall asleep... I'll never argue with you again. From now on, no matter what you say, I'll listen to you..." Seeing her older brother close his eyes, Li Luo's tears burst forth like a collapsed dam. Streams of tears immediately ran down her dirty face, making her look heartbreakingly pitiful.

Li Luo Shadowwind was a Pandaren from Zhuo Jin Village and a descendant of the Shadowwind Clan. The Pandaren beside her was her older brother, Ji Shadowwind.

"Wuwu... Brother, we suffered so much and we're finally going home. How can you collapse at a time like this? No matter what, no one can separate us. I'll definitely take you back to the village..."

Li Luo Shadowwind wore a linen robe, one so tattered that only Pandaren slaves would wear such clothing. Both she and Ji Shadowwind wore the same clothes, making their identities obvious.

They were Pandaren conscripted by the Mogu. They were slaves cursed by fate, the lowliest of commoners...

Several months ago, the Mogu began conscripting Pandaren to build the Wandering Isle in Kun-Lai Summit and the Valley of the Four Winds. Li Luo and Ji had been taken to a slave camp. In recent months, more and more Pandaren had died on the Great Wall, and the two began planning their escape. A few days ago, they secretly fled Great Wall Camp under the cover of night. On the road, Ji was wounded by a Kun-Lai Summit yeti while protecting Li Luo. Now, his severe injuries had proven fatal, a deeply lamentable outcome.

"Hiss! It hurts so much... What happened to me?" Just as Li Luo wept bitterly, the Pandaren who had seemingly stopped breathing slowly opened his eyes.

"Brother, that's wonderful! You're alive, you're really alive..." Seeing Ji awaken, Li Luo's face immediately filled with joy. A little canine tooth showed at the corner of her mouth as she tightly embraced Ji Shadowwind.

With a soft, fragrant body in his arms, Ji Feng felt no excitement at all. Instead, his heart was filled with immense shock. Just moments ago, he had been on Earth, yet now a Pandaren stood before him. It was already fortunate that he had not been frightened to death.

"Azeroth Live Streaming System successfully loaded. (Live stream about to begin.) The host will become a member of Pandaria. Please complete the live streaming missions as soon as possible..."

"Live Streaming Mission One: Become the number one streamer within thirty days, reach 3 million popularity points (simultaneous viewers), raise the stream room to at least Level 6 (large single-person donations cannot be used for leveling), and gain the favor of three ace streamers (must receive guild leader-tier donations)."

"Mission Reward: One weakened resurrection (100% chance)."

"Note: Based on completing the mission, for every additional 1 million popularity points gained or every additional stream room level gained, the system will issue generous rewards..."

"Live Streaming Mission Two: Ascend the throne as ruler of the Pandaren Empire within one year."

"Mission Reward: Heart of Pandaria."

"Live Streaming Mission Three: Gather the six great World Hearts within two years, awaken the Titans, and fight the Burning Legion."

"Mission Reward: World Key."

"Once any live streaming mission is issued, the host must complete it. If a mission fails, the host will be completely erased."

"Side Mission: Not unlocked."

As Li Luo embraced Ji Feng, a voice rang out in his mind. It struck his heart like a heavy hammer. He had never imagined that he had transmigrated with a Live Streaming System. Nor had he imagined that he had transmigrated to Azeroth—Pandaria.