Players Investigate Ding Ling

As Ding Ling's fame grew and his position on the rankings rose ever higher,

many experts dug up details of his past.

In order to uncover the secret behind Ding Ling's rapid rise in strength, some truly wealthy second- and first-generation heirs even hired mercenaries to search for him in the city where he lived!

Naturally, the results were disappointing.

Ding Ling had chosen his hiding times and locations very well.

In the short term, he did not need to worry about being found.

Even if they really found him, Ding Ling could simply hide deep in the mountains and remain concealed for a while longer.

The game helmet did not require an internet connection, and that was one of Ding Ling's sources of confidence.

If the helmet had needed to be connected to the internet, things would certainly have been troublesome.

Fortunately, it did not.

They could not find Ding Ling offline for the time being.

So these wealthy first- and second-generation heirs tried to find him online.

But Ding Ling's status and strength in Three Kingdoms World were already extraordinary. Even if they found him, there was nothing they could do to him.

Unless their strength or influence was enough to suppress Ding Ling.

But at the very least, that was impossible for now.

So they staked out Players' Plaza.

Yet Ding Ling came and went in a hurry, so that tactic did not work either.

However, as the number and duration of their stakeouts increased,

the information they learned about Ding Ling kept changing.

"Ding Ling defeated Ju Yi in full view of everyone!"

"Ding Ling could be called an all-round king! He defeated Ji Province's famous scholars Tian Feng, Ju Shou, and others, leaving every scholar utterly convinced and willing to humble themselves to befriend him!"

"Ding Ling has been promoted. He became a Tiger Brave General!"

"Ding Ling seems to be at odds with the prefect of Changshan Commandery."

"Ding Ling is decisive and ruthless. Some Players said they were killed twice by Ding Ling near Changshan Commandery! The levels of all their skills dropped from Level 2 to Level 0. A month of hard work returned to square one!"

One matter after another!

Each one was immensely shocking!

They left many mercenaries utterly stunned!

They could not believe someone like this existed in the world!

Even after confirming the matter again and again, they still found it utterly unbelievable!

So, one after another, they personally went to Yecheng in Ji Province and investigated in secret for several days!

But the results were even more shocking than the rumors!

"Han Fu kept the chess records of Ding Ling and Xun Chen, and he could not help studying them during meals!"

"Tian Feng and Ju Shou praised Ding Ling's brilliance whenever they met anyone!"

"Pan Feng was especially proud of having discovered such a capable person as Ding Ling!"

The mercenaries' jaws nearly dropped to the ground.

"A newcomer! How could he possibly be this formidable? Could he really be the descendant of a Hidden Family?!"

They were filled with doubt and uncertainty.

They handed every detail they had uncovered to their employers.

After learning of it, the employers instinctively felt that the "information" was fake and flew into a rage over it. But later, every mercenary, detective, and Player said the same thing.

They had no choice but to believe it:

"Does such an all-round person really exist in this world?! Not only does he know everything, he is proficient in all of it? He defeated all those famous scholars in succession?! How old is Ding Ling? Even if he had started studying in his previous life, he should not be this ridiculously amazing, right?!"

The employers were stunned.

One by one, they began digging deeper into every detail of Ding Ling's past, hoping to find clues proving that Ding Ling was the inheritor of a "Hidden Family"!

How could an ordinary family possibly raise such a prodigy?!

There had to be some terrifying, unknown force hidden behind the scenes!

It was that hidden force that had manipulated everything!

It was that person who had perfectly concealed every trace of Ding Ling, making him appear so ordinary!

If not for the birth of Myth Game, this inheritor, Ding Ling, might have remained hidden among the vast mortal world, unknown to all!

"Too terrifying!"

"As expected of a Hidden Family!"

"Only the legendary Hidden Families possess such power! Remember, do not investigate too openly anymore, lest you anger the great figure behind Ding Ling! That would be troublesome!"

"But, Family Head... I think Ding Ling may simply be an ordinary person. According to my investigation, everything from Ding Ling's birth certificate to his school records, as well as his classmates and coworkers... all proves that Ding Ling is an ordinary person!"

Someone refuted him in objection.

The Family Head sighed:

"That is precisely why I find it especially terrifying! They did everything so flawlessly that even when we know something is wrong, we still cannot find the slightest clue! Such methods are outrageously formidable! We must be careful! Under no circumstances can we offend the person behind Ding Ling!"

"The Family Head is absolutely right! Better safe than sorry. Caution keeps the ship sailing for ten thousand years!"

"Indeed. Whether or not there truly is a great figure behind Ding Ling, we must be careful! What if there really is one? Wouldn't our family, which has endured for a thousand years, be destroyed overnight?! That is not something we can accept!"

With the help of Ding Ling's Maxed Medicine skill,

after several days of recuperation,

Zhao Feng had mostly recovered.

With no more worries holding her back, Zhao Xiaoyu immediately took Ding Ling to Mount Penglai.

Mount Penglai sounded immortal and ethereal.

But in truth, it was an unnamed mountain hidden within Changshan Commandery.

It was a good thirty or forty li from Zhao Family Village.

They struggled along the way, traveling entirely by mountain paths.

Halfway there, the road became so rugged that Ding Ling had no choice but to dismount and lead his fine horse onward.

After walking like that for several hours,

they finally arrived at the foot of Mount Penglai.

Once they reached this place,

Ding Ling finally saw quite a few Players.

"Hey, look. Doesn't that person resemble Ding Ling?!"

Some Players also noticed Ding Ling. Pointing at him, they discussed him in low voices:

"I didn't expect him to come to Mount Penglai too. Is he here to take a master and learn martial arts?"

"We were assigned here from the very beginning to learn our arts, so we have never left these deep mountains and forests! Outsiders who come to Mount Penglai are different. They must pass an assessment, or they can only return empty-handed!"

Ding Ling understood what they meant and smiled faintly. He did not need to undergo any assessment.

Because Zhao Xiaoyu was acquainted with someone on Mount Penglai,

Ding Ling handed the letter to Zhao Xiaoyu and asked her to deliver it to Tong Yuan.

Zhao Xiaoyu nodded vigorously, her face bright with excitement as she took the letter up the mountain.

Being able to help Ding Ling made her very happy. After spending several days with him, Ding Ling's image as an all-capable and invincible figure had already taken root deeply in Zhao Xiaoyu's heart, filling her with intense admiration and infatuation for him!

A moment later,

Zhao Xiaoyu came down the mountain with a towering, imposing man who stood eight chi tall.

"Second Brother, this is Ding Ling."

Zhao Xiaoyu pointed at Ding Ling and said brightly.

The imposing man's eyes lit up slightly. He quickened his pace toward Ding Ling and, without another word, gave him a deep bow:

"Benefactor, please accept Zhao Yun's bow!"

Zhao Yun?

Ding Ling's pupils contracted slightly as he could not help looking Zhao Yun up and down.

Sure enough, he was valiant and spirited, powerfully built, and strikingly handsome.