Starry Heroine

November 7, 4396, New Era, 1:00 p.m.

"Dear viewers, the first episode of our much-anticipated Wasteland Adventure Live Stream is officially underway!"

"Who will find the ultimate treasure chest and become the lucky winner? Let's wait and see!"

After several days of promotion, the show had already attracted a huge audience. Tens of thousands of viewers flocked in as soon as the broadcast began, and their numbers kept climbing. However, since the pilot was set in Jiang City and no especially famous Immortal Gate prodigies were participating, most of the viewers were from Tianbei Prefecture.

In Wangyou Media's main livestream room, a male and a female commentator introduced what was happening on-screen. The man's voice was impassioned, while the woman's was clear and pleasant.

The male commentator said, "The cameras are now showing the cultivators as they enter the Wasteland Zone. They've been randomly sent to different areas. Our first contestant is He Caihua—Sister Hua! She's holding the Crimson Lotus Ancient Sword, which has slain countless demons. Her figure is still as alluring and dangerous as ever."

He Caihua had already settled into the challenge. She gripped a crimson sword, its base shaped like a lotus and its surface gleaming with flowing light. Her sword aura was poised, ready to strike. She leaned forward slightly, extended her Spiritual Sense, and cautiously explored the area ahead.

Her appeal lay in the combination of her lovely face and figure with her impressive cultivation. Neither was enough on its own. In the forest, she was a pure Third Realm cultivator. Her expression was stern, her aura deep and restrained—not the least bit delicate.

Who knew how many fans had been utterly captivated by He Caihua's icy expression?

The camera switched, and the female commentator said, "Next up is Liu Yuanjun from Xuanfeng Temple. I'm sure many viewers from River City have heard of him. This is his first time taking part in a public event like this. Look at him striding forward so confidently, as if he's taking a leisurely stroll. He really lives up to his reputation as Xuanfeng Temple's star disciple. Still, we should remind him that this place is just as dangerous as a real Wasteland Zone. He can't afford to let his guard down!"

"Eh? Who's this..." The male commentator let out a surprised murmur. "Did she come wearing a mask?"

"Hehe, that's right!" the female commentator laughed. "This is our Starry Heroine, a genius cultivator with a very mysterious background."

On-screen was a tall, long-legged girl with a slender waist and a graceful figure. The only odd thing was that she wore an Ultraman mask, which made the whole look a little comical.

Behind the scenes, the director frowned at the footage. "What's going on? Didn't Sister Hua say to get her a pretty mask?"

A Mei gave a wry smile. "It couldn't be helped. The girl likes this one."

"Ah! Starry Heroine's run into a monster! It's a Mountain-Crashing Bear!" the female commentator cried. "She seems to be the first explorer to encounter a monster. She's taking out her weapon—she's pulled out... what is that?"

"If I'm not mistaken, that weapon is called the Bagua Xuanhua Axe," the male commentator said, sounding just as bewildered.

On-screen, the slender figure, as graceful as a flower, wielded an enormous axe several times wider than her own body. As she spun it around like a whirlwind, the contrast was startling.

Facing her was a giant black bear that stood as tall as a two-story building. One roar shook the earth, and a burst of black wind rose around it. It swung its massive paws, each blow powerful enough to split mountains and shatter stone!

Starry Heroine spun and swung her axe again and again, her force swirling like a vortex. She met the bear head-on and hacked it down in a spray of blood.

The brutal, bloody scene played out before the viewers' eyes.

Both commentators shouted in unison, "She's so strong!"

The broadcast fell silent for more than ten seconds. When the camera switched again, the male commentator finally continued, "All right. After watching Starry Heroine's battle, I'm sure everyone's realized that this place is just like a real Wasteland Zone. It's no game. Our explorers could face danger at any second. The handsome young man you're seeing now is Yue Wen, a rogue cultivator from Jiang City. You may not recognize his name, but the fact that he made the cut as a rogue cultivator should tell you he's no ordinary person."

"Oh!" the female commentator immediately chimed in. "Yue Wen's run into a monster, too!"

The director handled the camera cuts with real skill. Yue Wen's introduction had originally been scheduled after the two explorers from Hidden Dragon Pool, but he'd encountered a monster while moving forward.

It was a strange creature, part bat and part wolf. Its body crouched like a wolf's, but a section of membrane stretched from its shoulders and opened along its ribs like an umbrella. Perched on a tree branch, it stared at Yue Wen, baring its savage fangs.

Most monsters in the Wasteland Zone were territorial and attacked anyone who intruded on their turf. These creatures had only been brought here recently, but they had already learned to regard any nearby living being as an outsider.

It bared its teeth, brimming with bloodlust.

"Let's see how this rogue cultivator handles the enemy. He's making his move. He's taken out..." The male commentator began to raise his voice, then suddenly lowered it. "A pair of sunglasses?"

That was right. After briefly observing the monster, Yue Wen reached into his pocket, took out a pair of sunglasses, and put them on.

"Ha ha," the female commentator laughed awkwardly. "Maybe Yue Wen wants to hide his eyes so the monster can't read his movements. He's about to attack! Look, he's moving again. He spread his arms and, as fast as lightning... took off his shirt?"

Every explorer was followed by a Bee Camera, which spun around in search of the best angle.

Bee Cameras were specially trained spirit insects, about the size of a thumb and highly obedient. Some production crews hired insect tamers to train bees to follow people around with cameras. One such little yellow insect was hovering above Yue Wen, with a camera attached to each of its six legs.

With a rip, he tore off his black T-shirt, revealing another black T-shirt underneath. He turned the front toward the Bee Camera. Printed across the chest were the words:

"Yue's Cultivation Firm—the firm for the people of River City!"

"..." Both commentators scratched their heads.

The director, watching backstage, looked thoroughly exasperated. "Why didn't anyone tell me there'd be product placement?"

A Mei covered her face. "It's his family's firm. I guess he wanted to get them some publicity."

The director grumbled, "He sure knows how to pick his moment. From now on, don't switch to his camera unless he's fighting!"

After a while, the male commentator finally laughed and said, "This rogue cultivator sure has a lot of pre-battle preparations."

"Heh heh, but that just makes me even more curious about his fight," the female commentator said, smoothing things over. "He must be an interesting person."

On-screen, Yue Wen lazily summoned his Flying Sword.

He put on the Demon-Slaying Mirror, which instantly revealed the monster's true nature.

[Swift Bat Wolf: One night, the bat demon and the wolf demon got drunk... A bizarre hybrid monster whose conception is hard to imagine. It has the bat's hearing and the wild wolf's sense of smell, making it exceptionally perceptive. Sneaking up on it is nearly impossible. Its direct combat abilities are relatively weak, with a strength equivalent to that of five hundred healthy old ladies.]

A mere five hundred grandmas' worth of strength was nothing to Yue Wen now. After all, he'd once fought several tiger demons at the Ten Thousand Grandma Level.

That was why he'd taken his time showing off the T-shirt he'd prepared for his commercial.

All those preparations had worn out the commentators' and viewers' patience—and the Swift Bat Wolf's as well.

"Roar—"

The monster howled, spread its membranous wings, and lunged at him. Its claws were outstretched, wrapped in black wind!

Faced with the charging monster, Yue Wen didn't even blink. His Flying Sword shot out in an instant.

Swish—

A streak of light pierced through the creature, and a cloud of blood burst into the air.

Golden energy gathered inside him, and only then did Yue Wen feel a little more interested.

The monsters in the Wasteland Zone regularly formed into waves and attacked the City Defense Array barrier. They came in a ceaseless tide. Sometimes, the waves grew so large that they could actually create a hairline crack or two. A few lucky monsters could then slip into the city before the gaps were repaired.

That was how most of the partly transformed monsters in the city got in.

Most of the monsters left behind by the waves failed to break through. Some were knocked unconscious by the array's counterforce as they crashed into the barrier. After the main horde retreated, a few were left behind, like crabs stranded on shore after the tide went out.

The city guards would capture these monsters and sell them cheaply to various places. The ones Wangyou Media had brought in were no different.

To sum up, these monsters had very little intelligence, low cultivation, and a vicious nature. They were walking Demon Suppressing Coins.

So he didn't stop. He kept walking forward.

After he killed the monster with a single sword strike, the main livestream cut away from him and moved on to the next explorer.

The viewers couldn't tell how many years of cultivation that one strike represented. They just thought the scene was dull and uninteresting.

"Wow! Su Renxue from Hidden Dragon Pool has barely appeared, and the chat's already buzzing with excitement. She really is a beautiful girl with plenty of personality!" The female commentator was as enthusiastic as ever.

"Our beloved little sister Fei Xia is up last. From what we can see, she's been in a fight, too. The adorable Fairy Feixia is catching her breath now, so it looks like her opponent was no pushover. We've introduced all the explorers. Which one do you think will find the treasure chest? Type their name in the chat! We can give more screen time to whoever's the audience favorite."

"..."

[Fairy Feixia! Fairy Feixia!]

[He Caihua!]

[He Caihua!]

[That Starry Heroine is pretty interesting, too.]

[The guy from Hidden Dragon Pool isn't that handsome, but his abilities are so flashy.]

[I want to see Liu Yuanjun! I'll have his babies!]

[Su Renxue! Aah, big sis, kill me!]

[...]

The chat scrolled with the explorers the viewers liked. Yue Wen got the fewest mentions. A handful of comments said the rogue cultivator seemed pretty handsome, but they were soon buried.

Compared with the others, he really didn't have much of a gimmick.

There were only a few viewers in his personal livestream.

But he had no time to care about any of that.

The Wasteland Zone was full of Demon Suppressing Coins just waiting for him to pick them up!