All sides stirred! A man destined never to be found

[The "game" hasn't even been running for half an hour, and someone's already unlocked a secondary profession. Is that reasonable?]

[The official information mentioned that Alchemists are the most prestigious professionals on the Dou Qi Continent, right?]

[Baka! Who is this Chu Zhou? His name sounds Chinese. Huaguo people are so underhanded.]

[Screw you, Japanese prick. Keep being jealous! Almighty Chu Zhou is awesome! Our great China is miles ahead.]

[Impossible! I drank so much Ganges water just to enter the Dou Qi Continent. How could a Chinese person get ahead of me?]

[LMAO, you drank so much Ganges water that your head's full of it too, huh?]

[This Chu Zhou must be the son of some big shot. This proves there are higher-tier wristwatches. I bet he spawned as an Alchemist's son or personal disciple.]

[No matter what world you're in, you can't escape the privileged class. It's hard for ordinary people to rise, but at least this new era gives us a chance.]

[This Chu Zhou must be one of us Koreans, imnida. Our Korean experts should start researching this immediately.]

[Oh, I spawned in the Northern Plains, got abducted by the Beastman Tribe, and now I'm looking after their magical beast cubs, while someone else has already unlocked a secondary profession. This is unfair!]

[The government needs to release more information. Are there higher-tier wristwatches? Is there more information that hasn't been disclosed? The public has a right to know!]

[...]

There were those who marveled, those who envied, those who seethed with jealousy, those who called someone else Daddy, those who claimed connections out of nowhere, and those who lamented the world's unfairness...

Chu Zhou receiving his reward was like a stone stirring up a thousand waves, sending all the major Chat Channels into a frenzy.

In fact, it wasn't just ordinary people in an uproar. The privileged class, which very much existed, was in an uproar too.

In the Medicine Realm of the Yao Clan, in the Central Plains.

"Baka! Those Chinese bastards all deserve to die!"

A young man with slicked-back hair and a powdered face wore a vicious expression.

His name was Dongye Tian, and he was the son of a powerful Japanese elite.

Some netizens had guessed correctly: the privileged class did indeed know more about the Dou Qi Continent.

However, because the Chinese government had chosen to release most of the information, there wasn't much left that only the privileged knew.

There was indeed a Supreme Edition wristwatch, but that was the only special edition. Nothing ranked above it.

The Supreme Edition wristwatch allowed its user to choose to spawn in the Central Plains or one of the various Life Secret Realms.

They could obtain the Dou Qi attribute best suited to them.

They had a certain chance of awakening a special talent.

They could also choose from several identities, or gamble on a random identity if none of the options satisfied them.

Dongye Tian had chosen to spawn in the Medicine Realm. Many children of high-ranking figures from other countries had shared his thinking.

His luck had been good. Among the identities randomly offered to him was a descendant of the Yao Clan with a Sixth-Rank Dou Di Bloodline.

The Medicine Realm was vast, no smaller than the entire Central Plains. Hundreds of millions of people lived there, either descendants of the Yao Clan or members of factions, minor families, and the like that depended on the clan. Only clansmen who awakened their Dou Di Bloodline could receive direct training from the Yao Clan and live in its core territory.

Dongye Tian already planned to take part in the next bloodline test. Once his Sixth-Rank Dou Di Bloodline was discovered, his status would skyrocket.

Then he would claim all sorts of rewards from the Firmament Ledger and soar to success!

But now, this unexpected variable, Chu Zhou, had snatched away the reward he had earmarked for himself: "first to unlock the Alchemist secondary profession."

"Baka! Baka!" Unable to calm down, Dongye Tian chose to temporarily leave the Dou Qi Continent.

Back on Blue Star, he immediately picked up his phone and called his father.

"Father, I've been very lucky. I obtained..."

"Father, you must put forward a proposal to assassinate this vile Chinese bastard."

"If we Japanese can't have it, the Chinese can't have it either!"

Similar scenes played out in countries around the world.

A Chinese "player" had suddenly taken the lead, unlocking the alchemist secondary profession and receiving a "Myriad Medicine Clarity Body" that sounded impressive even if they had no idea what it was. He was an enormous threat in this new era, and had to be nipped in the bud.

Of course, they would also try to recruit him. If Chu Zhou was willing to immigrate, they would gladly welcome such a genius.

Meanwhile, the relevant high-ranking Chinese officials were also in discussion.

"There's no Chu Zhou among the promising Chosen Ones selected from the military."

"None of the major families has a younger member named Chu Zhou either."

"Immediately investigate everyone named Chu Zhou in your jurisdictions. Once you find him, send people to protect him at once. Ideally, bring him straight to a secure area for protection, so foreign agents can't threaten his life or make contact with him."

"Have the government issue a public statement inviting him to join the Extraordinary Affairs Bureau ahead of schedule. We can offer him a deputy director position. Special cases call for special measures."

"Once we find him, share all known information with him immediately. We'll cooperate for mutual benefit."

"Don't forget to investigate three generations up and down his family line. If he turns out to be scum, we'll still have to..."

Meanwhile, within China.

The various powerful families, rising capitalist forces, and newly established civilian organizations all began to move.

For a time, the countries of Blue Star surged with activity, countless people stirred into action by the name Chu Zhou.

In the northwestern Central Plains, Meng Ziwei, who had randomly entered the Flower Sect as a menial disciple, stared blankly for a while.

"What a coincidence. They're both called Chu Zhou."

She didn't connect the Chu Zhou who had received the reward with the naughty younger man who had claimed her body.

Receiving a reward from the Firmament Ledger was far harder than winning the lottery. How could it possibly be him?

"I'm the lucky one, though. I got into the Flower Sect, and its sect leader is actually a Dou Zun expert. There are even two supreme elders who are stronger still."

"You naughty boy. Once I get stronger, you'll have to keep letting me support you."

Meng Ziwei had already made up her mind to make Chu Zhou hers alone.

"Achoo!"

Inside the Mittel Auction House in Wutan City, Chu Zhou's nose tickled, and he couldn't hold back a sneeze.

He didn't think anything was wrong. He had just become famous in front of everyone on Blue Star, after all. Countless people were bound to be talking about him, and plenty probably wished they could kill him. A sneeze was nothing.

"Chu Zhou, little brother, have you caught a cold?" Qin'er asked with concern, a hint of respect in her familiar tone.

"No, someone's probably thinking about me." Chu Zhou lowered his eyes and smiled faintly.

"Chu Zhou, little brother, after today, things will be different for you." Qin'er led him to a private courtyard at the back and said with a smile, "From now on, this big sister will be counting on you to look after her."

Becoming Master Gu Ni's alchemy apprentice meant he was a future Alchemist.

Someone like Qin'er wasn't qualified to befriend such a figure, but even a little goodwill between them would be valuable.

"You flatter me, you flatter me." Chu Zhou responded with a smile, then changed tack. "But you got one thing wrong."

"What?" Qin'er paused.

"I'm not your little brother. I'm your big brother," Chu Zhou corrected her.

Qin'er: ?

Had he become arrogant the moment his status changed?

"Actually, I was joking with you earlier," Chu Zhou told her honestly. "I'm not eighteen. I'm twenty-two, so you really are the little sister."

Qin'er: "..."

After that, Qin'er meticulously showed Chu Zhou around the private courtyard and asked whether he wanted maidservants.

"I don't need anyone attending to me personally. I didn't come to the Mittel Auction House to indulge myself. Just arrange for two people to clean the place." Chu Zhou felt he could pass on maidservants, but housekeepers were fine.

He wasn't casual about choosing maidservants. They had to be at least on Qing Lin's level.

"Yes!" Qin'er immediately went to make the arrangements.

Chu Zhou changed into his new clothes inside the room. They were a symbol of his status.

Qin'er soon returned with two reasonably attractive maidservants who were quick and efficient in their work.

She also brought a message from Master Gu Ni. "Young Master Chu Zhou, Master Gu Ni asked me to take you to the medicine room. He wants to test your talent for identifying medicinal ingredients and begin teaching you today."