The Cultivation Era Descends

"What kind of garbage 0.1-discount mobile game is this? A ten-pull costs 20,000 Spirit Stones? Talk about getting carried away, are you kidding me?"

"Playing a cultivation mobile game where you even have to pull for a Golden Core? What the hell is this!"

"First recharge 6 yuan, 66 yuan, 666 yuan, 6666 yuan? This is a total scam!"

"Customer service, I'm a student, can I get a refund?"

"Get lost!"

Jiang Liu opened his eyes, his gaze dazed and confused, only to discover that he was actually sitting in a classroom.

Desks, a blackboard, classmates, the Head Teacher, and a countdown of 301 days until the college entrance examination.

Wasn't I just in bed playing that 0.1-discount mobile game?

How did I suddenly end up in a classroom?

No, something is wrong.

He scanned his surroundings and found that all his classmates were sitting cross-legged on their desks, eyes closed and breathing controlled as if they were meditating; it looked incredibly eerie and unsettling.

He looked down at himself and saw he was in the exact same posture.

Who uses a desk for meditation!

Am I dreaming?

"Jiang Liu! Your posture is crooked, close your eyes!"

Just then, the Head Teacher on the podium glared over and scolded, "It hasn't even been two hours and you already can't sit still. With focus like that, how do you expect to cultivate immortality!"

"You can't study well, and all you do is play games all day. Now that a game that can change the world is here, you still won't take it seriously? What else do you want to do!"

Jiang Liu: "?????"

The school doesn't teach math, physics, or chemistry, but switched to teaching cultivation?

Jiang Liu wore a look of utter confusion. Just as he was about to open his mouth to say something, a sharp pain shot through his brain, and a tidal wave of memories surged in.

The cultivation game has descended.

Game characters are synchronized with reality.

The era of universal cultivation.

I played a 0.1-discount mobile game and ended up in a parallel world?

Jiang Liu was truly stunned. In this world, two years ago, a game called Cultivation Era descended, and everyone's soul was forcibly bound to the app.

From newborn infants to centenarian elders, everyone was forced to register a game account, leading to global cultivation.

However, even though it was universal cultivation, the server regions were still opened in sequence.

Over the past two years, more than twenty major regions have been opened worldwide, covering three-fifths of the globe's surface.

The Celestial Dynasty had opened three regions, and today was the launch day for Zone 4, located exactly in Haishi, where Jiang Liu lived.

After sorting through the memories in his mind, Jiang Liu couldn't help but inwardly rant.

Are you serious, even cultivating immortality requires server regions?

Their region hasn't even started yet, and there are already Golden Core powerhouses outside. How is this game supposed to be played?

Excuse me, can I change my residency to switch regions now?

[4436 seconds remaining until the launch of Cultivation Era Celestial Dynasty Zone 4, please wait patiently.]

[4425 seconds remaining until the launch of Cultivation Era Celestial Dynasty Zone 4, please wait patiently.]

A mechanical electronic voice echoed in his mind, causing Jiang Liu to feel a faint sense of excitement, his heart filled with anticipation.

He had played hundreds of cultivation mobile games; surely he could handle a real-life version?

I'm going to rush the leveling rankings!

I'm going to be the first to reach the top at launch!

I'm going to ascend!

Just as Jiang Liu was frantically trying to recall the first steps of starting a cultivation game, the Head Teacher's voice rang out again.

"Quick, quick, quick! Cultivation Era has opened early!"

Jiang Liu: "."

That's way too realistic!

In an instant, Jiang Liu could clearly feel that the breathing of his classmates around him had become a bit more rapid, and the atmosphere in the entire classroom suddenly turned heavy.

The next second.

Jiang Liu saw a flash of white light in his line of sight, as if an image were being reflected onto his retinas. His vision brightened, and a translucent game interface appeared before his eyes.

No manual controls needed; it was driven directly by thought.

The background of the game interface was a vast, primordial land. The white and blue sky seemed infinitely high, with birds and beasts, dragons and phoenixes dancing together, and savage creatures roaring at the camera.

In the center of the game interface, the characters [Celestial Dynasty Zone 4] were engraved.

Jiang Liu impatiently tapped on the zone, but it didn't lead him into the game as he had expected.

He froze, tapped a few more times, but still couldn't get in.

[4241 seconds remaining until the opening of Cultivation Era Celestial Dynasty Zone 4, please wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.]

The electronic voice, sounding as if it had crashed, echoed in his mind. The word "wait" drilled into his ears like a demonic spell, leaving Jiang Liu completely dumbfounded.

What the hell, is the game frozen?!

Jiang Liu panicked, suddenly standing up on his desk and reporting to his Head Teacher: "Teacher, my client is stuck, what should I do if I can't get in!"

"I know you're anxious, but calm down first."

The Head Teacher was also operating Cultivation Era and didn't even lift his eyelids, saying offhandedly: "It's normal for games to have bugs at launch; it might be fine in a moment."

Jiang Liu: "."

Jiang Liu sat back down, speechless and feeling completely numb.

It's normal for games to have bugs, but it depends on what kind of game it is!

What kind of game is this?

It's a cultivation game made by Gods, a game that can lead all of humanity to ascension!

If even this can have bugs, can't the Gods be more reliable?

Helpless, Jiang Liu could only listen to the word "wait" in his mind while furiously tapping to enter the game with his consciousness, his heart filled with agitation.

While he was anxious, the students around him had already entered the game. They sat cross-legged on their desks one by one, eyes closed, their faces slightly flushed with excitement.

"Teacher, I have a Water-Fire Dual Spiritual Root, is that super strong!"

"Five-element roots are the strongest, single roots second, dual roots third. Special roots are the exception—if anyone has a special root, report it immediately!"

"Teacher, I can't even pass story stage 1-1, what do I do?"

"Don't rush, I'm waiting too."

"Teacher, everything in the Mall costs Spirit Stones, where are we supposed to get them!"

"The Daily Sign-in gives 5 Spirit Stones. No, wait—the first zone has been open for two years, haven't you looked up guides online?"

"The Cultivation Forum is region-locked, Teacher! You can't get in without registering!"

"The first recharge actually costs 6 Spirit Stones? A Monthly Card is 30? Where is that supposed to come from!"

"A ten-pull costs 128 Spirit Stones? The grand prize is a top-tier spiritual root! Damn, that sounds so good!"

"Buying Spirit Stones at a 1000:1 rate! Hurry, hurry, I need to clear the story!"

As Jiang Liu listened, he started to feel that something was off.

Mall, check-in, first recharge, Monthly Card, ten-pulls.

How the hell is this so familiar!

A few minutes after the launch of Cultivation Era, the classroom was filled with noisy clamor, most students scratching their heads with faces full of distress.

They discovered that after entering the game, they couldn't even beat a single story stage; other than collecting the Daily Sign-in, they couldn't do anything!

Starting at Qi Condensation Layer 0, they couldn't clear the story, and the lowest-level techniques in the Mall cost dozens of Spirit Stones.

Yet their skill bars only contained the most basic Breathing Technique.

So, what was the next step?

Many students exited the game interface and turned their confused gazes toward the Head Teacher, waiting for his next instruction.

"Jiang Liu, you still haven't gotten in?"

His desk-mate, Li Dongze, turned to look at Jiang Liu, his eyes filled with a trace of pity: "You're really miserable."

"I can't help it."

Jiang Liu sighed and asked Li Dongze out of curiosity: "What's your spiritual root?"

"Gold, Wood, and Water—three mixed roots."

Li Dongze replied with a look of resignation: "It's trash."

"Then you're pretty miserable too."

Jiang Liu returned a sympathetic look.

"What's miserable about this?"

Li Dongze said carelessly: "If it comes to it, I'll just spend money to pull for a top-tier spiritual root. Once I get home, I'll have my dad buy me a few thousand Spirit Stones and pull a full set of top-tier five-element roots first."

Jiang Liu: "."

Only then did he remember that his desk-mate was a pure-blooded rich kid whose family had assets in the billions; buying a few Spirit Stones was a drop in the bucket for him.

Two years since the arrival of Cultivation Era, the production of Spirit Stones had remained extremely low, not significantly impacting the original monetary system; people still used regular money in their daily lives.

Well, if there was one major impact Spirit Stones had on the global economy, it was over on the West Coast.

Big shots on the West Coast had publicly spoken out, condemning God for interfering in the game and pushing the use of Spirit Stones to forcibly break the hegemony of the US Dollar and oil.

It's honestly hilarious; oil is traded with Spirit Stones these days.

"Good brother, no need for more words."

Li Dongze nudged Jiang Liu's arm and lowered his voice: "Once you log into the game, sell me those 5 Spirit Stones you get from checking in, would you? I want to buy the first-top-up pack immediately; it gives several Qi Refining Pills. I'll share one with you!"

Jiang Liu shot him a sidelong glance but didn't reply, unable to stop himself from letting out a deep sigh inside.

With servers divided, commoners cultivate by grinding and luck, while whales cultivate by relying on the Mall and gift packs.

This was completely different from the cultivation he had imagined!

[Enter Game].

Suddenly, the word 'wait' that had been echoing in his ears vanished, and the game's entrance chime resounded in his mind, causing Jiang Liu to shudder involuntarily as he hurriedly switched back into Cultivation Era.

The semi-transparent game interface reappeared on his retinas.

At the same time, an electronic voice transmitted into his mind.

[Welcome to Cultivation Era 0.1x Welfare Version. This game assists all living beings in cultivating happily and ascending together.]

[Healthy Gaming Advice]

[Resist harmful games, refuse pirated games]

Jiang Liu: "?????"

Jiang Liu: "!!!!!"

He didn't take in a single word of the gaming advice that followed; his entire mind was occupied by that very first sentence.

Welcome to Cultivation Era 0.1x Welfare Version?!

Did the client lag or bug out, pushing me into an entirely different version?