A game destined to take the world by storm

After agreeing with Lin Bai on a delivery date for the Heavenly Fragment Collection, the scholars hurried away, no longer sparing even a thought for an encounter with Ghost.

How could Ghost be as interesting as a poetry collection?

Handled properly, the poetry collection could, on a grand scale, benefit the world's literary scene.

On a smaller scale, it could take their lineages' enterprises a step further.

The pavilion nearest the water caught the moonlight first. If they were lucky enough to fill in a poem or two, they would be the ones whose names resounded throughout the world. They knew perfectly well which mattered more.

After the scholars left.

[Deng Libuduo], who had been playing the invisible bystander all this time, turned a puzzled gaze toward Lin Bai. "Master, did you really not write those poems?"

"You don't actually think I have that kind of talent, do you?" Lin Bai turned and pointed at the poetry drafts pasted on the wall behind him. "I can't even write neatly."

I wouldn't believe a single word out of your mouth, [Deng Libuduo] grumbled inwardly.

Previously, Lin Bai had been nothing more than a special story NPC in his mind.

Now.

He had been upgraded to an Epic NPC, important enough to run through the entire game.

He was an existence shrouded in mystery.

Moreover, the birth of the poetry collection had once again raised that question in [Deng Libuduo]'s mind: was this really a Game World?

"Master, why do you want to distribute the poetry collection?" [Deng Libuduo] asked again. "You're clearly a Jianghu Practitioner..."

"Xiao Deng, that's prejudice." Lin Bai smiled. "Do Jianghu Practitioners have to spend their lives fighting and killing? Can't we dabble in something refined and contribute to the spread of culture?"

Spread culture?

[Deng Libuduo] felt his intelligence had been insulted. Recalling everything Lin Bai had done, he lowered his voice. "Master, you're laying the groundwork for something, aren't you?"

"Hmm?" Lin Bai gave [Deng Libuduo] a surprised look and lowered his voice as well. "Don't tell anyone."

"Master, is there some secret hidden in those incomplete poetry drafts?" [Deng Libuduo] pressed. He felt he had once again seized the initiative.

"I'm searching for a Destined One." Lin Bai raised his head toward the sky, his gaze profound and the faintest hint of a smile on his lips.

That was right.

While completing his mission, Lin Bai really was searching for a Destined One. Whatever he did, he liked to squeeze every last bit of usefulness out of it.

Anyone who could complete the poetry collection would definitely be a fellow Earthling.

Jiamao City was only a Novice Village. In such a vast Game World, what if there were other people from Earth?

If he found a fellow Earthling, he would no longer have to struggle alone, and it would also help him better judge where he stood.

Watching Lin Bai's profound gaze, [Deng Libuduo]'s eyes sparkled. "Master, do the missing words form a Martial Arts Manual? Or a Treasure Map?"

"Complete the poetry collection, and you'll naturally discover its secret." Lin Bai looked at [Deng Libuduo] and prompted him, "Little Deng, keep at it. You might just be that Destined One!"

Who said being unable to log out meant he couldn't get word out? Since he was searching for a Destined One, he naturally had to search both online and offline...

"Master, I'd like to go out for a bit," [Deng Libuduo] said. "Didn't you tell me earlier to let my fellow townsmen know that the City Lord's Residence is recruiting Shadow Guards? I think I should go. I can't hold back their prospects."

Lin Bai looked at [Deng Libuduo] approvingly. "Remembering my instructions and always thinking of carrying them out shows that you honor your promises—that is trustworthiness. Seeking a good future for your fellow townsmen even at the risk of losing your position—that is righteousness. Xiao Deng, you're doing very well. You've already begun to grasp the essentials of the virtue of a gentleman."

What the fuck!

[Deng Libuduo] jolted, dumbfounded. I just made up an excuse so I could log out, and you managed to dig all that out of it?

So this is where your virtue of a gentleman comes from?

You just find an absolutely righteous excuse for every single thing you do!

Recalling everything Lin Bai had done, [Deng Libuduo] grew thoughtful, as though something had begun to click.

Lin Bai watched [Deng Libuduo] expectantly. Little brother, I've spelled it out this clearly. If you still don't get it, our bond as master and disciple really will be at an end.

He had no other choice.

At present, he had five systems. The three he could complete on his own were advancing by leaps and bounds.

But the two that depended on others had stalled.

His elder brother was hiding in the City Lord's Residence, neglecting his proper duties;

His disciple simply refused to catch on.

If he didn't take them by the hand and teach them to find bugs.

Those two systems would not only fail to help him, but would very likely drag him down.

How could he allow that?

Lin Bai was a man determined to become a Hexagonal Warrior. In this cruel world, he had to ensure that his combat strength kept pace with his talent for stirring up trouble.

"Thank you for your guidance, Master." [Deng Libuduo] bowed deeply to Lin Bai. "Don't worry, Master. I'll return as soon as possible. I won't let it interfere with the shop's business."

Finding a deserted corner, [Deng Libuduo] reluctantly logged out.

Although this game was extremely difficult, and even leveling up and gaining experience were a struggle, he had become completely hooked after just two days in the game. It felt as though he had embarked on an entirely new journey through life.

Moreover, in this new life, he felt like fate's darling, surrounded by all manner of extraordinary encounters.

It was a very peculiar feeling.

Immersion, interaction, a storyline that could change at any moment because of his involvement... that was probably where this game's charm lay.

His initial belief that the Game Company was tormenting its players and had no regard for them had long since vanished.

[Deng Libuduo] had become a devoted fan of the game. He believed he could stay with it all the way until its servers shut down.

New posts appeared on the "Immortal World" forum almost every second, some from Beta Testers and others from prospective players eagerly awaiting the open beta.

Setting aside the empty, substance-free posts from prospective players.

Almost every post made by a closed-beta player was quickly pushed into the trending section.

Compared with the complaints at the game's launch.

The forum posts at this point were unanimously positive.

"The game's interactivity is incredibly strong. When dealing with NPCs, every sentence you say can lead to an entirely different outcome. Even saying the same thing to the same NPC can get you a different response depending on the time and place.

Your professional knowledge might impress NPCs in that profession, money can buy NPCs over, and you can even win their friendship through flattery...

During these interactions, you'll unwittingly forget you're playing a game and instead feel as though you've truly crossed over into another world..."

"Thank you to the Game Company for creating a real world.

I befriended an aristocratic NPC. For the past two days, I've done nothing but read the books in his home.

You won't believe this: he has thousands of books, and every single one has actual content, all different.

That alone would be one thing. What's frightening is that the books actually maintain their authors' consistent ideas throughout, and even contain annotations by generations of readers.

Details refined to the absolute extreme.

Moreover, after reading through their history books.

I discovered that the world in the game actually follows the fundamental laws of social development.

It's as though these NPCs really have developed over tens of thousands of years...

It's hard to imagine that this is truly a game.

More often than not, I feel I've entered a real world, where every NPC is flesh and blood. Thank you to the Game Company for giving me a second life..."

"...Although we have experience bars, and practicing the martial arts in the game fills them.

As a combat expert, I can guarantee that the martial arts movements and training methods in the game conform perfectly to human biomechanics.

Without exaggeration, if you memorize the formulas and essential principles of those techniques and keep practicing in real life, you too can develop formidable martial arts skills.

Of course, your skills probably won't improve as quickly as they do in the game..."

A dazzling variety of posts described the Game World's realism from every angle.

There were screenshots and text.

The Beta Testers' enthusiasm for the game had reached unprecedented heights. Voices predicting its failure were virtually nowhere to be found.

Beneath those screenshots and written accounts, many dubious experts offered analyses that sounded thoroughly convincing, as though those things really could be achieved in reality.

In the mere few days since the closed beta began, "Immortal World" had already generated this much buzz.

The only thing missing was a response from the Game Company.

It was hard to imagine that, faced with a game so clearly destined to take the world by storm, its official team could remain as calm as still water and proceed entirely at its own pace.

After browsing several trending posts, [Deng Libuduo] took a deep breath and wrote his own forum post: "A breakthrough in Intelligent AI—you'd never believe NPCs could write poems like these..."