Journey

The Virtual Universe was far more prosperous than Tang Ping had imagined. Walking along the streets of Black Dragon Mountain Island, he finally understood the saying, "Money makes the world go round."

As long as you had enough Black Dragon Coins in your pocket, you could buy anything you could imagine—even create a dreamlike Illusory World with your own hands.

There, you could be a god who commanded the wind and rain, or a ruler who dominated the stars. Even scenes that were difficult to realize in real life could be custom-made for you by the Virtual Universe Company, as long as you were willing to pay.

Tang Ping wandered back and forth through the streets and alleys, his gaze fixed on the flashing ad screens by the roadside.

The ads were incredibly enticing: "Free Trial: Starship Piloting," "Immortal Level Special Effects at a Discount," "Meet Beautiful Alien Race Women in Your City." Every one of them made his heart flutter.

But when he followed the ads' instructions and spent 10 Black Dragon Coins to teleport over, he discovered they were all scams. The so-called "free trial" was nothing more than sitting in a simulation pod and watching a promotional video for ten minutes.

As for the "discounted" special effects, he only found out after opening the details page that the offer meant "low prices for the first month, then a tenfold price increase every month thereafter." The most outrageous was the "meet someone in your city" ad. After teleporting over, he found nothing but a robot customer service agent, who said he had to top up 1,000 Black Dragon Coins to become a member before he could be matched with a real person.

He grudgingly asked Xiao Ai to compare prices for similar products, only to get even angrier. Some ads' "discounted prices" were actually higher than the current prices at other stores.

On top of that, quite a few restaurant and bar touts lurked in the streets. Seeing that he was a "newcomer," they enthusiastically dragged him to upscale restaurants where a single meal cost tens of thousands of Black Dragon Coins.

Some people even pretended to be "cultivation mentors," claiming they could help him quickly advance his cultivation. In reality, they were just trying to steal his personal information and home address.

"I never thought there'd be so many scammers in the universe, too!" Tang Ping rubbed his throbbing temples. In just half an hour, he had lost 10,000 Black Dragon Coins to these scams. What was worse, they had ruined his good mood, and even the lively sights in the streets were starting to irritate him.

He clenched his fists and silently vowed, Once I grow strong, I'll pick a scammer at random every day and give them a good beating. I'll confiscate all their assets, too—especially those who trick people into falling for them. They're just despicable!

Add them to the Little Notebook!

After stomping around in a huff, Tang Ping realized that the only places in the entire Virtual Universe he could trust even a little were the partner shops listed on the Luo Family discount card.

After all, they were family-certified businesses. Surely they wouldn't rip off their own people.

As for the notifications that kept popping up in his inbox—things like "Beautiful Alien Race Dealer Dealing Cards Online" and "Virtual Mind-Altering Drugs for a Dreamlike Experience"—he couldn't even be bothered to click on them.

I'll never tolerate gambling or drugs!

Just then, his inbox rang with a series of urgent alerts. A pinned message in bold red text popped up, and the sender was listed as "Luo Hongguo."

Tang Ping froze. Luo Hongguo was the true founding ancestor of the Luo Family, Luo Feng's father, and a man of supreme authority within the family. His word was law.

But the old ancestor knew that his strength and experience were limited, so he never involved himself in family affairs. He had spent his life focused on just two things: taking all kinds of natural treasures to improve his cultivation, and playing games in the Virtual Universe with his wife.

It was said that the Luo Family had specially assigned many of its descendants, vassals, servants, and even employees of its companies to spend their days playing games with Luo Hongguo and keeping him entertained.

The old ancestor was also incredibly generous. Sometimes, a casual reward from him was worth more than those people's annual salaries. As a result, everyone around him was utterly loyal and practically fought for the chance to stay by his side twenty-four hours a day.

Tang Ping opened the message. It read: "Kid Tang, I know you're the Luo Family's son-in-law. I've seen you wandering around the Virtual Universe for a while, and it seems like you don't have much to do. Want to come play some games with me?

"I checked your family evaluation. You're first-rate talent, and our guild happens to be short on a Planetary Rank fighter. If you're interested, contact our guild's steward after logging in. His ID is 'Sky Edge Swordsman.'

"Our guild is in Journey Zone 8888. We're a top guild called 'God Domain.'"

Tang Ping stroked his chin, lost in thought.

His strength was indeed impressive. With the Wind-Thunder Fusion Domain supporting him, he could even stand up to Star Rank fighters. But his biggest weakness was his lack of combat experience—proper combat experience, that was, not the kind he got from "sparring" with Luo Xiaoyu.

He had been wondering how to find opportunities to gain experience in the Virtual Universe. At the time, he had considered three options:

The first was the Virtual Universe's Killing Field, where he could freely set up opponents, from warriors of the same rank with maxed-out secret techniques to powerful members of various Alien Races—even simulated Immortal Level opponents.

But as soon as he saw the price, he backed out. A single day in the Killing Field cost 1,000,000 Black Dragon Coins. It was far too expensive.

The second was to join the Ganwu Universe's largest training institution, the "Ganwu Dojo," where he could challenge other students and improve his ranking. If he was lucky, he might even catch the eye of a World Master or an Immortal Expert and be accepted as a disciple.

But Babata had specifically warned him to keep his strength hidden until he mastered the laws. He couldn't let the Alien Races notice him. Later, he could go straight into the Ganwu Secret Realm. So he had to give up on this option, too.

The third was "tower climbing." The Virtual Universe had many games featuring Trial Towers, where clearing stages earned experience and rewards. But most of them required payment, and they were extremely difficult. Beginners couldn't gain experience quickly.

Thinking it over, Luo Hongguo's invitation seemed like the best choice after all.

The battles in games were virtual, but they could still hone his combat skills. And supposedly, wealthy players equipped their characters with all kinds of high-tier gear, pets from the Alien Races, and even devices that simulated the laws of the universe. The battles were every bit as spectacular as those in reality.

More importantly, God Domain was a top guild, so there would surely be no shortage of chances to fight. He could join guild members in raids and compete for resources every day, gaining experience while getting to know everyone.

He suddenly thought of Luo Xiaoyu, too. She was always in seclusion cultivating, so she must be bored, even if her competitive streak kept her from admitting it.

Neither of them could leave Storm Port right now. If they could team up in the game, maybe they could make a name for themselves—something like "Black and White Fiends." Just thinking about it sounded fun.

Heh heh heh~

Ten minutes later, Tang Ping lightly tapped the virtual panel with his fingertip, and the scene before him abruptly changed.

As the flowing light faded, a character-creation interface etched with interstellar patterns slowly unfolded. A gentle electronic voice sounded in his ear: "Welcome to Journey. Please set your character's appearance, gender, race, and talents.

"Special races must be obtained through a lottery. You'll receive ten draws when you log in; additional draws require payment in Black Dragon Coins. We've detected that you possess Planetary Rank strength. You may choose to use your own body's strength and talents."

Tang Ping had come to experience combat, so of course he chose to use his own strength and talents. However, as his gaze swept over the clothing shop, a robe called "Dark Forbearance" caught his eye.

The robe was pitch-black, with faint patterns rippling across its fabric, as if the night itself had been woven into it.

The description read: "Special effects: When worn, the wearer's figure and appearance cannot be made out from any angle. The wearer will always keep their head lowered, and the clothing will never be damaged in battle."

The outfit could conceal his identity while giving him an air of mystery. It was just what he wanted. Without the slightest hesitation, Tang Ping paid 10,000 Black Dragon Coins and bought the robe.

As for his character name, he deliberated for a moment, then typed a single character: "Wind."

Looking cool is all that matters!

"Ding! Welcome, 'Wind,' ID 9989242435. You have officially entered the world of Journey." The moment the electronic voice faded, Tang Ping saw light and shadow whirl around him. The next second, he found himself in a bustling virtual city. The streets teemed with activity, and players in all kinds of outfits hurried past. Some carried long swords, others wore staffs on their backs. The air seemed to brim with excitement and anticipation.

Suppressing his excitement, he immediately opened the guild list, searched for "God Domain," and found the contact information for its administrator, Sky Edge Swordsman.

"I'm Tang Ping. I'm joining the guild at the invitation of the Luo Family's founding ancestor, Luo Hongguo." After sending the message, he clenched his fist, excitement flashing in his eyes.

The slaughter is about to begin!

An hour later, Tang Ping stood in a desolate desert, staring at the isolated city before him with a bewildered look on his face.

The city was called "Lost City." Its walls were built from dark yellow stone, their rough surfaces glinting under the scorching sun. Beyond the city gates, endless yellow sand rolled in the wind, and there wasn't a soul in sight. It was truly a godforsaken place.

[System Reminder: You have been appointed Lord of Lost City. Monthly salary: 100,000 Silver Blue Coins. Main duties: Remain in Lost City, guard the mines outside the city, and prevent rival guilds or other players from stealing ore.]

Where was he supposed to find a fight in this dump? Damn it! The capitalists had set him up!