Ye Chen had created the official website, but he had never maintained it afterward.
It only had a feature for publishing posts.
The users did not mind, holding all sorts of discussions there.
Yet just as they were discussing game details as usual, a pop-up suddenly appeared like a piece of malware.
Everyone was furious. "Fuck, what kind of malware is this now?"
"Shit, full screen???"
"Report it! Report it!"
But the next moment, once everyone read its contents, they were dumbstruck.
"Holy shit, look! Hidden Jun Ninja is opening its second round of closed beta testing!"
"What? Seriously?"
Everyone looked at the pop-up that had appeared like malware.
The pop-up read: [Dear Hidden Jun Ninja users, the second batch of Hidden Jun Ninja beta slots will be released in two hours. Number of slots: 19!]
[Hidden Jun Ninja eagerly awaits your arrival!]
"Holy shit, it's actually real!"
"My youth is officially over!!!!!"
All the users were beside themselves with excitement.
"Fuck, seriously? They're still this stingy with the second batch? Just a measly 19 people? What the hell is the game company doing?"
"Yeah, I just don't get it. Some other games are terrified of not having enough players. Hidden Jun Ninja is the exact opposite. They keep restricting the player count."
"Are they short on money for servers? Just say so if you can't afford servers! We can donate!"
"Exactly! Who do they think we are? We can pay to play!"
The users were indignant and speechless.
Eighteen slots were a drop in the bucket!
After all, far too many people wanted to play Hidden Jun Ninja. Taking everything into account, the odds of getting a closed beta slot were no better than winning the lottery jackpot.
Still, something was better than nothing.
Besides, after all the buzz that had built up lately, getting a Hidden Jun Ninja beta slot was practically the same as winning the lottery.
Hidden Jun Ninja was incredibly popular, consistently topping the streaming platforms.
Dai Xiaomei, in particular, had reached new heights thanks to Hidden Jun Ninja, becoming the undisputed queen of streaming.
Other streaming platforms had even offered her contracts worth staggering sums.
As for Emperor of Sinking and the other eight players, streaming companies had offered them hefty sums too.
A lack of experience did not matter. Signing a contract alone would earn them an enormous signing bonus!
There was no helping it. Hidden Jun Ninja was simply too popular.
A streaming platform without Hidden Jun Ninja streams barely deserved to call itself a streaming platform!
Sure enough, the instant news of the Hidden Jun Ninja beta slots broke, streaming platforms began posting new announcements.
"Recruiting players with Hidden Jun Ninja closed beta slots! Sign today and receive superstar streamer treatment today!"
With its fantastic gameplay and the enormous profits it could bring them, every player who loved Naruto waited quietly at their computer for the slots to be released in two hours.
The Shinobi World.
Hidden Jun Village.
At that moment, Ye Chen knew nothing about what was happening on Earth.
He could synchronize their cultivation gains again!
"System, synchronize the chakra feedback!"
[Ding! Chakra feedback successfully synchronized.]
As the system's voice faded, dense chakra surged through Ye Chen's body.
Today's increase in chakra was nothing special.
That made sense. The players had all gone exploring the map today.
They had no time to grind contribution points and grow stronger.
[Ding! Congratulations on acquiring a new ninjutsu, Secret Art: Talisman Technique!]
"Talisman Technique?? What's that???"
Ye Chen's mind was full of questions.
Secret arts were not common in the Shinobi World.
Usually, only certain clans could pass them down.
To think his own players could develop one too. It was rather incredible.
Ye Chen hurried to check the developer's information.
ID: Master Sanfeng Rank: Genin Chakra affinities: Wind, fire, lightning, water, earth Description: Heir to the Celestial Masters of Mount Mao!
"An heir to Mount Mao???"
That badass??
Ye Chen was somewhat stunned.
He had never expected his players to be so impressive. There was even an heir to Mount Mao among them.
But what exactly had he invented?
Ye Chen grew even more curious.
Using Time Reversal, Ye Chen began observing Master Sanfeng.
In an instant, everything Master Sanfeng had done since entering the game appeared before Ye Chen's eyes.
At the beginning, while the others were fighting the Giant Wolf, Master Sanfeng had remained composed and calm, never joining in.
Instead, he had kept studying chakra, as though everything outside had nothing to do with him, quietly feeling how chakra transformed his body.
As of today, Junying Ninja had been live for five days.
Master Sanfeng had only taken action once.
That was during the Grass Ninja invasion.
And that was only because killing the Grass Ninja was a group quest, so he had to participate.
Otherwise, Ye Chen was certain he would not have gone!
Aside from that, Master Sanfeng had devoted all his time to studying chakra.
Like a student, he had diligently learned everything he could about the Shinobi World.
Once the Item Shop opened, Master Sanfeng was the first to visit it, buying an Explosive Tag.
He activated it with chakra and threw it.
Boom!!!
The Explosive Tag erupted in searing flames.
After pondering for a moment, Master Sanfeng's eyes lit up.
Then he spent all his savings on Explosive Tags.
Master Sanfeng opened his eyes wide, carefully studying every talisman marking on the Explosive Tag.
He spent half a day studying it. During those hours, Master Santong did nothing else, simply sitting there with his eyes closed in contemplation.
"Explosive Tags aren't actually that difficult. You just use chakra to draw special talisman markings onto special paper."
"Yes, that's how it works. If that's the case, could I combine it with Taoist talisman techniques to develop more kinds of talismans?"
Master Sanfeng kept exploring the possibilities.
At this point, Ye Chen finally understood.
Holy shit.
So Master Sanfeng had combined Mount Mao's talismans with the Shinobi World's chakra.
Ye Chen could not help silently giving Master Sanfeng a thumbs-up.
What did real talent look like? This!
Integrating everything from Earth into the Shinobi World!
First, this required extraordinary skills in real life.
It also required exceptional ingenuity. Neither could be missing.
With a seller like this in his Hidden Jun Village, how could the village fail to grow stronger?
Ye Chen sighed in admiration. If only the next wave of players could be this good too.
The ninja in other Ninja Villages merely trained.
His villagers, on the other hand, were forging another path as ninja in addition to training.
The two were not even on the same level!
Given enough time, these players would ensure Hidden Jun Village's name resounded throughout the entire Shinobi World!
Ye Chen grew increasingly pleased.
But...
What exactly had Master Sanfeng invented?
Ye Chen continued watching.
Before you continue