There were forums and livestreams.
News traveled much faster among the players than among the NPCs.
The moment word of the Qian City Cup spread, it stirred up towering waves among the players.
The Chaoyuan Sword Sect.
Sword Peak.
Several players gathered together.
"Shopkeeper Lin is stirring things up again. At this rate, our levels will never keep up with the story, and we'll end up as nothing but spectators." A trace of dissatisfaction flashed across [Wild Wolf]'s face.
"In a normal game story, the players should be the stars of Shopkeeper Lin's Qian City Cup rankings. We'd compete with each other and use our contributions to determine our sects' rankings. But now, even if we step onto the battlefield, we'll end up like the Beggar Gang when they ran into the Returning Dragon Temple—we won't even know how we died," [Number One Sword Immortal] said. "What are the designers doing? They haven't tied the story to player levels at all. What's the damn point of playing a game where you can't participate?"
"Exactly. Everyone knows Lin Bai will go after the Righteous Path sects once he's dealt with the Five Evil Sects. But how are we supposed to fight a Bug like Lin Bai at our levels?" [Wild Wolf] said gloomily. "The most ridiculous part is that ever since the Beggar Gang's Advertising Alliance appeared, every player in the sects has become a Beggar Gang mole, eager for them to swallow us up. There isn't a shred of opposition. It's boring."
"I guess that's the downside of realism!" [Lord] said. "The NPCs are too intelligent, and the developers won't impose restrictions on them. We've only been playing for a few days. How could we possibly summon the wind and rain and be the stars?"
"If this game couldn't replace