[Player Count: 10652] Number of Origin Source Traits Contained: 13 Player Sacrificial Power Produced Today: 68,552 points Average Player Monster Level: 7 Domain Nodes Owned: Emperor's Tomb Village (Flesh Reshaping).
After checking today's earnings, Qi Sheng nodded with satisfaction.
The players were growing faster than he'd expected. At this stage, one-fifth of them had already unlocked their second Astral Vein, and the Sacrificial Power they produced was steadily increasing.
The only shortcoming was that they still hadn't managed to claim the Domain Node at Gloomy Cave.
The player team had run into fierce resistance after advancing to the fifth underground level. The Corrosion Core, which had developed a consciousness, controlled the Ice Blade-wielding remains of its dead subordinates in battle, giving the players a miserable time.
Several times, they had banded together and tried to take Gloomy Cave in one decisive push, only to end in a total party wipe.
But it was only a matter of time before Gloomy Cave, this Domain Node, was purified and contained, becoming part of Emperor's Tomb Village as it expanded.
After that, the players would face a major crisis.
According to intelligence gathered through Guidance investigations, the area containing the Di Nian Evil Spirit Warriors' Domain Node was drawing on the node's energy to rapidly create evil creatures.
Before long, countless evil creatures would run rampant throughout the Emperor's Tomb Mountain Range.
Through the exchanges between the Di Nian Evil Spirit and the Evil Eye, Qi Sheng had learned that their goal was to seize every Domain Node in the Emperor's Tomb Mountain Range.
Domain Node regions such as Gloomy Cave and Artifact Spirit Valley would all be targets of the Di Nian Evil Spirit.
When that happened, the players would clash head-on with the evil creature army led by the Di Nian Evil Spirit.
The players didn't have much time left to develop.
But Qi Sheng had never worried about the Di Nian Evil Spirit's influence.
The Terror Black Tide was home to many powerful evil spirits. Di Nian was merely an ordinary commanding-level Evil Spirit Warrior, hardly a formidable opponent.
At the peak of the four Servants' power, the Di Nian Evil Spirit had been no more than an ant they could crush with a wave of the hand.
The evil creature army it led would be nothing more than the players' starting point on their conquest of the vast Monster World—a stepping stone to the grand stage of war.
Without dwelling on the matter, Qi Sheng switched to Di Zhao Form.
Once his body was enveloped in crimson flames, his view shifted to that of a player whose perspective Guidance had relayed.
Emperor's Tomb Mountain Range, northwest.
Ringed by scorching volcanoes lay a tranquil pond. Under the light of the Evil Moon, its waters glowed emerald green and were so clear that he could see many creatures swimming within.
[Challenger Notice: You have discovered a new area in the Emperor's Tomb Mountain Range, "Wind Wave Pond." Reward: 300 Sacrificial Power.]
At the notice that rang out in his mind, Lu Xing stood by the pond, unable to hide his smile.
He opened the map. A patch of fog northwest of the Ancient Battlefield had cleared, revealing a new area centered around the pond, like a green gem set into the map.
Three characters were marked above it: "Wind Wave Pond."
This was the first game area he had explored and charted. It proved that exploration could also earn Sacrificial Power; hunting monsters and gathering resources weren't the only ways.
For a scenery lover like him, the joy of playing a virtual game didn't lie in competition or getting stronger, but in admiring the scenery along the way.
In this turbulent new world, where different races stood alongside one another, the Human Federation didn't recommend that civilians leave the city at will.
But Lu Xing had always been curious about, and drawn to, the world's unknown places. Whenever travel came up, an indescribable excitement rose within him.
He had eventually found an outlet for that passion in virtual games.
The emergence of virtual worlds had filled a void in his heart.
After entering the Dark Land, he realized he had finally found the perfect travel game.
The world was more realistic than he could have imagined. There were no frame drops or lag, and every step felt utterly real. With every breath, he could sense the unique atmosphere of this world.
He didn't know how other people played, but he had only one way of playing.
He would set off on a long journey to witness the strange and wondrous virtual world, collect and piece together its hidden history, and marvel at nature's incredible artistry in this world of fantasy... To him, the journey wasn't just about sightseeing; it was a spiritual conversation with the world.
The difficulties and challenges along the way, the exhaustion, even the occasional loneliness and confusion—all were indispensable parts of the experience.
Stopping in his tracks, Lu Xing used Guidance's analysis ability to examine the area.
Then he brought up the forum and recorded information about the new plants he had discovered in a post.
Keeping records was one of his goals while traveling.
The game forum didn't have features like a monster encyclopedia or a plant encyclopedia.
He thought he could share his hobby with other players by recording what he found.
Creating a monster and plant encyclopedia for the game was a great way to share. It would let other players quickly find the targets they wanted to hunt or the locations where they could gather resources.
Over the past week, he had recorded 32 entries and shared them in posts for other players to use.
There were three plants near the pond that had never been recorded. Lu Xing copied their analysis results, edited them, and posted them on the forum.
He brought up the livestream screen. Thirteen players waiting through their death cooldown were watching his travel stream, and their comments appeared below.
One comment caught Lu Xing's attention.
College Student: Bro, look across Wind Wave Pond. Looks like something's watching you. Creepy as hell!
Lu Xing immediately turned to look across the water. On the opposite bank, among shrubs tangled with vines and dotted with wildflowers, a pair of deep green eyes stared straight at him.
Lu Xing immediately took two steps back.
It wasn't that he was afraid of fighting. He had inevitably fought monsters along the way and had died several times, returning to the respawn point.
But every time he died, he had to wait an hour to respawn. With no teleportation devices, he also had to retrace the entire route. He needed to avoid dying as much as possible.
Earning Sacrificial Power to grow stronger was also a way to deal with the dangers of his journey.
"Guidance, analyze."
But thinking of the complete monster encyclopedia he wanted to create, Lu Xing ultimately decided not to turn and leave. Instead, he looked toward Guidance and spoke.
[Not close enough. Unable to analyze the target.] Guidance explained in a lazy voice.
Hearing this, Lu Xing thought briefly, then braced himself and walked toward the opposite bank.
Once he entered analysis range, information about the hidden creature with deep green eyes appeared in his mind.
[Strange Butterfly (Fourth-Generation Origin Source)]:
Hunting Level: 7
Guidance Analysis: A fourth-generation Origin Source monster that controls Wind Control. It has developed intelligence and can manipulate Wind Element to fly, fight, or greatly increase its movement speed.
Temperament Analysis: Picks on the weak, lazy
Seeing the "Fourth-Generation Origin Source" suffix, Lu Xing panicked.
But when he saw its Hunting Level, his eyes widened. Players in the livestream chat also sent a flurry of shocked comments.
They all meant roughly the same thing: Put down that Origin Source. Let me have it! ```
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