CG Production

After settling on the plan, Lu Wu began working with Bei Li on the CG storyline.

After an afternoon of discussion, they had settled on the general direction of the plot. Lu Wu then took Bei Li's hand and returned to the area where the Netherworld lay.

Looking at the ruined Netherworld palace, Lu Wu waved his hand. The artifact's power immediately activated, and vast amounts of yin energy surged in from every direction, gathering above the Netherworld.

Before long, a churning mass of dark clouds formed and slowly descended, enveloping the abandoned Netherworld as it steadily solidified.

Soon, a magnificent Netherworld Main Hall appeared before them.

A colossal black elephant statue stood before the hall's entrance, while towering black pagoda pillars reached into the sky. At the two great doors of the Netherworld, burly giants formed from condensed yin energy stood guard, making the place look exceptionally grand and imposing.

At that moment, buoyed by yin energy, Lu Wu rose into the air. He reached out again, and countless streams of yin energy gathered around him, forming a magnificent suit of battle armor that gleamed like black gemstones.

Before Lu Wu, yin energy roiled as countless terrifying ghosts and monsters took shape within it. Some were as massive as mountains, while others had wings on their backs. Every one of them looked ferocious and horrifying.

"Action!" Lu Wu gestured toward Bei Li below, who was holding the Virtual Helmet.

Upon receiving the signal, Bei Li nodded forcefully. She activated the helmet's recording function and aimed its camera at Lu Wu. At the same time, a cloud condensed from yin energy appeared beneath her feet, carrying her as she floated around to film from all angles.

The story officially began.

Above the dark clouds, countless hideous evil ghosts howled and roared as they surged down toward the ground.

At the same time, a heaven-shaking roar rang out from within the clouds:

"King of Beiqi, do you think you can protect your people? I want all of Bei Qi!"

As the voice rang out, a mass of Black Mist churned. A massive black dragon head slowly emerged from the clouds, its scarlet eyes gleaming with bloodthirsty coldness as it stared down at the land.

"Then we fight!" Lu Wu replied coldly.

Lu Wu then raised a hand behind him. "Can the warriors of Bei Qi fight?"

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Amid heavy footsteps, ranks of armored ghost soldiers marched out of the Black Mist.

Hundreds of thousands of ghost soldiers raised their weapons and faced the monstrous beasts in the sky from afar. Their eyes held nothing but boundless fighting spirit, without a trace of fear.

"Slay the enemy with me!" With Lu Wu's furious roar, hundreds of thousands of ghost soldiers rose into the air.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Gusts of pitch-black yin wind swept through the air. The black sovereign flag of Beiqi snapped violently overhead as battle erupted at any moment.

The battle was exceptionally brutal. Figures constantly fell from the sky, and severed limbs littered the ground. Countless soldiers died, while the enemy monster legion also suffered devastating losses under the stubborn resistance of the Bei Qi Army.

At the end of the battle, the Black Dragon King personally entered the fray and fought the scarred Lu Wu.

The clash between the two bosses stirred up violent gales. The surrounding dark clouds were torn apart by the raging currents, revealing a hazy blood moon hanging high in the sky.

However, the Black Dragon King was clearly stronger than the King of Beiqi. Just as the battle was about to be decided, Lu Wu let out a roar. His body began to burn as countless black flames crawled across him, turning him into a fireball that hurled itself at the terrified Black Dragon King.

The Black Dragon King's shrill screams immediately echoed through the sky. The enormous flames spread for thousands of miles, igniting countless monsters and turning them into fireballs that fell from the air.

The Bei Qi Army ultimately won the battle, but they lost their leader, the King of Beiqi.

The magnificent Underworld of Beiqi was also set ablaze by falling sparks, burning fiercely as it proclaimed the passing of a great ruler.

A steady rain of blood fell from the sky once more. Countless soldiers knelt on the ground with lowered heads, mourning the king who had given his life for the land of Beiqi.

"Cut!" Bei Li called out excitedly.

Lu Wu's figure then appeared in the sky again and descended rapidly.

All the scenery condensed from yin energy scattered away with the wind, and everything returned to how it had been.

These large-scale landscapes formed from yin energy looked incredibly real, but they were actually just hollow shells that could not last for long. Still, they were extremely useful as sets for filming CG scenes.

Lu Wu walked over to the excited Bei Li, took the Virtual Helmet she handed him, and put it on.

The CG began to play, showing a floating, advancing view from the perspective of where Bei Li had filmed.

Even Lu Wu, the lead actor, was stunned by the footage. The rendering and effects utterly surpassed animated CGs by countless levels.

Moreover, because it had been filmed on location, Bei Li had constantly moved through the battlefield, giving Players a perspective from which to observe the fighting and creating an immense sense of immersion.

Another crucial point was that Bei Li's filming positions had been perfect every time. She had captured both the Bei Qi Army's willingness to face death and the King of Beiqi's final, tragic sacrifice.

They had originally planned to rehearse several times and choose the best recording to upload, but after watching it, Lu Wu was exceedingly satisfied with this shoot. Naturally, there was no need to waste any more time.

So, he took Bei Li's hand and returned to the world of the living.

After copying the CG onto the computer and using editing software to trim and add a few things, the two watched it over carefully once more before finally feeling satisfied.

Lu Wu remembered Wu Guoyi saying before he left that they could send him a copy once the CG was finished so he could take a look and offer some reference.

After all, a well-made CG was highly effective at attracting Players. As a professional game developer, Wu Guoyi could point out any shortcomings in it.

Lu Wu therefore sent the CG as an email attachment to Wu Guoyi's inbox.

Next, Lu Wu took out the Initial Soul he had obtained from the Player marketplace through the artifact.

Looking at the light, nimble soul in his hand, glowing with green fluorescence and constantly pulsing within, Lu Wu began thinking about the character design for the first NPC.

The importance of NPCs in a game was self-evident. Aside from guiding Players through the game experience, NPCs with well-crafted character settings could even attract many Player fans.

For Lu Wu, who had spent years working in this industry, this was a challenge.

To design this NPC properly, Lu Wu began reviewing information on NPCs from various games. After studying several NPC character settings that Players had praised highly and discussing them with Bei Li, he finally began setting up the NPC.

Since it was a newly born soul and still completely pure within, Lu Wu first used 100 soul points to catalyze it and shape it into a human form.

Soon, a handsome man in a black robe with snow-white hair appeared before Lu Wu.

After examining him carefully for a few moments, Lu Wu nodded in satisfaction.

A body condensed from pure soul points was clearly stronger than one formed from yin energy. Despite having only just been born, he already possessed strength that Players would need to reach level ten or higher to attain.

However, the flaw was that the man's expression was dull, with no trace of spiritual vitality.

Lu Wu therefore used the artifact to implant memories deep within the man's soul and engrave upon him the duties he needed to fulfill as an NPC.