A Youthful Handsome Boy Does Not Dream of Server First Clears

"...After entering the third phase, the boss's shield becomes permanent. Considering the low output efficiency of dedicated shield-breaking characters, I've chosen to have my support character spread ice and wind across the field to achieve rapid shield depletion."

"As long as I successfully complete two breaks, then nudge the boss's AI, perfectly dodge every attack, and fish for a few critical hits, my current level of investment is enough to clear the Abyss..."

"The above is the core strategy I prepared to publish after the world-first Abyss clear. Although brewing a guide before actually clearing the content is a bit like popping the champagne early—a bit of an ominous habit."

"But over the past few years, this is how I've always done it, and this is how I've always won. Now that this game has become a global hit, the competitive pressure is far greater than before, but... I can still win."

"I don't like blind confidence, so before the server launch and the initial exploration, I fully considered various unexpected situations—power outages, internet failures, graphics cards bricking, my phone exploding, or the developers pulling a surprise update... and I made contingency plans for each one. But I truly never expected that the final surprise would be transmigrating."

"At the time, I was only one hit away from slaying the boss. Because of the all-nighter and the caffeine, my heart rate was high, but still within a normal range. I had even taken Coenzyme Q10 beforehand, so I didn't feel any discomfort... When the bright light came, I was certain I hadn't died of a heart attack. Yet, my soul left my body, was sucked into the infinitely distant high sky, and after that, the feat of a world-first clear, along with the world I had lived in for over twenty years, drifted away from me."

"The new world after soul-transmigration is not friendly. In this world that seems to be one of cultivation, my name is Wu Ming, male, fourteen years old, from Wuyang Village in Feng Prefecture, Qiongzhou. My parents both died in a famine, and my aunt's family sold me to a slave trader."

"Then, while the slave trader was escorting me to the prefecture capital, we encountered a few exceptionally powerful Mountain Spirits. Half of the slave traders were eaten in the blink of an eye. In the chaos, I was swiped off a cliff by a Mountain Spirit. I was slowed down by trees as I fell, which is the only reason I barely managed not to die on the spot..."

"As a starting point for a new world, this is truly hellish... However, I've played too many games with hellish starts. This is just a new save file."

"Treating the dangers of transmigration as a game, the path under the cliff suddenly became clear, and even the group of Mountain Spirits above the cliff edge started to look somewhat pleasing to the eye. After all, the more dangerous the level, the greater the sense of accomplishment after clearing it."

"After that, I stopped and started along the way, and I really did manage to avoid danger several times, eventually leaving the Mountain Spirits and the slave traders behind. I suppose I managed to carve out a path to survival."

"Unfortunately, human strength has its limits. After crossing the danger zone, I simply couldn't walk anymore. I can only explore the areas ahead later... Before falling into a deep sleep, the only thing I could do was summarize the journey and brew a survival guide in my heart. It's the least I could do to live up to the name of a professional gamer..."

"Wait! What does 'First regional survival guide completed, obtained 600 Spirit Crystal creation incentive' mean!?"

Beside the bed in the small cabin, an old man in Daoist robes with white hair and a slightly hunched back frowned, his gaze locked firmly on the young boy on the bed.

The boy was about fourteen or fifteen years old, thin and ragged, with many wounds on his body, yet he could not hide his refined and handsome features.

However, from the mouth of this handsome youth came a story so bizarre that the old man could make neither head nor tail of it.

"Ying'er, did you understand what he just said?"

The old man turned his head to ask the person beside him.

Standing at the head of the bed was a young girl in plain clothes. She had a slender figure, delicate and refined features, and slightly upturned eyes that looked crystal clear and sharp, revealing a sense of heroism. Her dark hair was tied behind her head, and the tips swayed at her waist, showing that she was highly confused.

A moment later, the girl named Zhu Ying spoke softly: "Master... I didn't quite understand. I could follow the second half about Wuyang Village and the slave traders; I went to check the surrounding area not long ago, and there were indeed traces of a fierce battle with Mountain Spirits. But the first half of his words—about the Abyss, world-first clears, and the like—are truly nonsensical."

The old man sighed: "I don't understand either... The child Zheng Lingxi picked up this time is truly strange."

Upon hearing the name Zheng Lingxi, Zhu Ying's willow eyebrows shot up. Her gaze, sharp as lightning, darted toward the door, and she snapped sternly: "Zheng Lingxi!"

"M-m-m-master, I'm s-s-sorry!"

A sharp, mournful cry came from the doorway. A girl in a pink shirt and white skirt was seen timidly peeking around the door, revealing half of her youthful, innocent face... and a mature, curvaceous figure that was quite at odds with her youthful appearance.

Zhu Ying let out a cold snort. "Come in!"

Zheng Lingxi shuffled into the room reluctantly, only to be met with a torrential downpour of scolding.

"How many times have I told you, you are not allowed to bring stray animals back here whenever you please?! Look at this room of yours—it's covered in fur and feathers, inside and out. It's like a stable, a henhouse, or a monkey show! Even though our Gujian Sect only consists of three people, we are still a proper cultivation sect. How can you be so unseemly... And not only do you refuse to listen, but now you've even brought back a living human! A strange man, at that! Do you... want to be punished again, is that it?!"

"Wuu... I'm sorry..."

Amidst her whimpering, several small black shadows suddenly darted into the room from outside, gathering at Zheng Lingxi's feet. They were two squirrels, a sparrow, and a Little Wild Boar... all of them rescued by Zheng Lingxi from the wilderness. The little creatures instinctively blocked Zheng Lingxi, trembling while casting pitiful, watery gazes toward Zhu Ying.

Encouraged by her friends, Zheng Lingxi steadied her nerves and defended herself stubbornly. "Senior Sister, this boy was truly so pitiful at the time..."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ying flew into a rage. "Pitiful? It's always 'so pitiful, so pitiful'... We don't even have enough for next month's Cinnabar Talisman Paper, and you still have the heart to pity others!?"

Facing her senior sister's fury, Zheng Lingxi felt as if she were caught in a violent storm. She trembled like chaff in the wind, her soul seemingly on the verge of scattering... As for the birds and beasts at her feet, they scattered literally, showing no sign of the loyalty that would have them live and die together. Before long, the sounds of birds taking flight in alarm and beasts fleeing in panic echoed through the forest outside.

Seeing this, Zhu Ying couldn't help but grit her teeth in frustration.

The old man sighed. "Ying'er, don't be too harsh on Lingxi. She has a pure nature and a clear, compassionate heart. In this day and age, for us cultivators to maintain such compassion and empathy is actually quite precious."

Zhu Ying snorted and said, "Master, Junior Sister Lingxi is pure by nature and lacks worldly wisdom, which is exactly why she needs our strict discipline. Yet you always like to spoil her... You must know that if teaching is not strict, the teacher is at fault!"

"That is true." The old man gave a bitter smile. "It is indeed my incompetence that has left the Gujian Sect in such poverty, and it has wronged you two sisters..."

"Master!" Zhu Ying interrupted immediately. "You know that is not what I meant! I have never felt wronged! Lingxi and I were both nameless orphans; if not for you taking us in, we would have long since been bones bleaching in the wilderness! Not only did you save our lives and raise us, but you also taught us superior immortal arts..."

The old man shook his head helplessly. "They can hardly be called superior immortal arts. Your achievements are truly due to your own natural talent; what I have taught you is nothing more than some unseemly Heterodox Zen..."

"...So what if it is Heterodox Zen? Here in the remote Qiongzhou, for Desolate People like Junior Sister Lingxi and me who carry Desolate Blood, even seeking a single mantra for entry-level breathing techniques is incredibly difficult! Yet you, a dignified Nascent Soul True Person, even if you had a place in the world-renowned Qingzhou, still spend day after day deducing cultivation methods tailored specifically for us..."

The old man shook his head again. "I suffered severe injuries to my Dao foundation back then and long ago lost the supernatural powers of a True Person. Though I have the facade of a Nascent Soul, I lack the reality of one. I am nothing more than a broken, useless man..."

Zhu Ying said anxiously, "Even with a damaged Dao foundation, Master is still a thousand times better than those mediocre people!"

The old man sighed. "Ying'er, you were just raised by me since you were small and have a bias toward this old man. You truly do not know how vast the world is..."

"Gu Bai, shut up!"

Zhu Ying was so infuriated by the argument that she let out a roar, causing the entire treehouse to tremble.

The dignified Nascent Soul True Person, Gu Bai, couldn't help but stiffen at the shout, not daring to speak another word... Just then, he caught a glimpse of the unconscious boy's eyes twitching, as if he were about to wake up.

As if granted a reprieve, Gu Bai hurriedly said, "Ying'er, the boy is waking up."

Zhu Ying snorted coldly, letting her master off the hook, and turned her stern gaze toward the boy, Wu Ming, who was slowly regaining consciousness.

She wanted to see exactly what kind of tricks this boy, who was clearly full of nonsense, was hiding!

On the other side, Wu Ming, who had suddenly awakened from his slumber, felt a flash of light before his eyes the moment he opened them.

What a refined and ethereal young girl! Though she wore only simple robes and no makeup, her features were as beautiful as a painting, a natural beauty—yet her pupils were slit like a cat's, and there was a sharpness between her brows that inevitably cast a shadow over her loveliness.

Even so, she was at least at the level of a standard five-star character. If some sort of gala outfit were released in the future, she would undoubtedly make it into a limited banner.

Just as he was admiring her, he saw the standard-banner girl let out a cold snort, her face stiffening as a wave of chill washed over him.

"Who exactly are you!? What is a 'first abyss clear,' and what is 'popping champagne'?! Give me an honest explanation!"

Before the words had even faded, a cough came from an old man nearby.

"Ahem, Ying'er, don't scare him... Child, don't be afraid. I am Gu Bai, the sect leader of the Gujian Sect here on Yan Mountain. Beside me is my disciple, Zhu Ying. You are safe now; the one who saved you and brought you back was another disciple, Zheng Lingxi... Lingxi? Lingxi! Honestly, where has she run off to?"

Gu Bai looked around, only to find that his naturally innocent yet timid and shy little disciple had slipped away while he and Zhu Ying were bickering.

Zhu Ying frowned and shouted sharply, "Zheng Lingxi! Get back here right now!"

Her voice rolled like thunder, shaking the ground... A moment later, a girl in pink robes appeared, head bowed, shuffling back with a wilted expression.

Zheng Lingxi arrived at the bedside, keeping her head down and not daring to meet Wu Ming's eyes. She nervously touched her pointed ears and whispered, her voice as faint as a mosquito's, "I am Zheng Lingxi. You... I'm glad you're alright."

When Wu Ming saw Zheng Lingxi's face and figure clearly, he was filled with admiration.

Baby face, huge chest—definitely a limited five-star!

While admiring her in his heart, Wu Ming shifted his gaze to Gu Bai.

Compared to the two five-star beauties, the old man looked quite unremarkable. He possessed neither the transcendent aura of an immortal nor an overbearing presence; he seemed like nothing more than a neighbor living in straitened circumstances... But ultimately, he was the master of this place.

Gu Bai smiled slightly and said, "Child, you have just recovered from a serious injury. Although Lingxi has treated you with medicine, your vitality is still weak. Rest here with peace of mind for now. Once you have fully recovered, I will help you find your family and send you home... Of course, if you no longer have any family, I can also help you find a livelihood in the surrounding towns. Though the Gujian Sect is but a humble mountain sect, we still hold a bit of sway in the nearby areas..."

Before he could finish, Wu Ming said in surprise, "How could I do that? I haven't even repaid you all for saving my life yet!"

Gu Bai was a bit surprised, and also felt a sense of relief, thinking to himself, Though he is a bit strange, he is a good child who knows how to repay kindness.

However, he then heard Wu Ming continue: "It is a pity that I am penniless and destitute... The only way is to take you as my master, and once I have achieved success, I shall bring glory to the sect!"

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