Out in the Wilds

"Now that you mention it, I remember that guy. Thinking about it now, couldn't he already be on his way to becoming the strongest player?"

As soon as those words fell, someone shook his head.

"He just published his swordsmanship earlier, that's all. Becoming the strongest player is probably out of the question. I belong to a circle with quite a few rich kids whose families have assets in real life. They're all gathering silver on a massive scale, then buying medicinal decoctions and training hard."

"They've also recruited plenty of players to gather medicinal herbs in the nearby mountains, earn silver, and do other jobs. They're hiring players to work regular hours, like a gaming studio. If you're good at the game, they'll pay ten thousand a month, with bonuses and things for good performance."

A young man nearby widened his eyes at that.

"Even gaming is this cutthroat now? I've got a friend whose family practically owns a gold mine. A while back, he suddenly started putting together a gaming studio too. He poured ten million into it right at the start."

"He's even recruiting players to take the imperial examinations in here. He said anyone who manages to pass and land an official post will get a bonus, and even their contract terms and benefits will be improved accordingly."

"He also told me that if I played this game, I should take it seriously and try not to die. He said things like the price of dying even once was too high."

Once the group nearby got onto this subject, their words poured out like beans spilling from a sack, and everyone joined the discussion.

Fang Zelin had originally intended to cultivate for a while, but upon hearing this, he immediately held his breath and listened.

From what these people were saying, it sounded as though some people in the real world had long since known that the Seeking the Dao World was no ordinary place.

Moreover, their words seemed to suggest that the Seeking the Dao World was indeed a real world.

Otherwise, those people would have had no reason to invest so many resources.

They had even thought of having players take the imperial examinations.

But if even these rich kids have such ideas, haven't Blazing Summer's higher-ups probably already begun taking action?

Still, making a name for oneself through the imperial examinations was no easy feat.

There were the county examination, prefectural examination, academy examination, provincial examination, metropolitan examination, and palace examination.

They were immensely difficult.

However, if some elites came in, they would still have a chance of passing.

Besides, after passing the provincial examination and becoming a provincial graduate, one could already become an official.

It was not necessary to become the top scholar or anything of the sort.

"You are visitors from a foreign land. I have heard that the mathematics taught there is exceedingly profound. If any of your countrymen were to take the imperial examinations, surely no one could surpass them in mathematics."

The provincial graduate nearby could not quite understand what the players were saying, but when they brought up the imperial examinations, he understood some of it.

At that, he could not help offering a remark.

Whatever else might be said, provincial graduates like him knew that these foreign visitors possessed extraordinary mathematical knowledge.

The burly man and his companions nearby could not help smiling at that. It was true enough.

If they were tested on the classics or essay writing, they would be helpless, but if it was arithmetic, such as chickens and rabbits sharing a cage, they could work it out in minutes.

It was exceedingly simple.

Still, knowing mathematics alone would not suffice.

The imperial examinations were not that simple.

Thus, they merely smiled at this and did not act too arrogantly.

After all, they had all looked into it.

They knew just how difficult it was to become a provincial graduate.

Calling the provincial graduate beside them a dragon or phoenix among men would be no exaggeration.

And he was so young, too.

If they had such a status in Seeking the Dao, never mind anything else, they could rake in money even in the real world.

That was because many gaming companies were currently recruiting people like that.

Each offered a higher price than the last.

While the others chatted nearby, Fang Zelin was still thinking about what he had just heard.

Judging by what he had heard, he thought that perhaps Blazing Summer's higher-ups knew more.

It was just that the general public did not know that much.

Especially someone like Fang Zelin, who had been disabled and without parents after coming to Blazing Summer.

With government relief payments to live on, he had started lying flat once he had adjusted his mindset.

Under those circumstances, Fang Zelin simply had no connections through which he could learn more information from the upper levels.

Fortunately, though.

While he lacked the connections to obtain more information, at the very least, Fang Zelin had already set foot on the path of immortal cultivation.

And that alone might already have put Fang Zelin ahead of countless people.

But the more that was the case, the more careful he had to be.

If he died even once, all his cultivation would be gone.

He would also be penalized with a half-month wait before he could enter the game again.

Such a penalty might have little effect on some people, but its impact on Fang Zelin would absolutely be unprecedented.

He was still hoping to use this world's Immortal Methods to see whether he could heal his disability in real life.

Besides, I wonder if anyone over in Blazing Summer knows that it's possible to cultivate toward immortality in Seeking the Dao?

Forget it. Never mind that.

I just need to focus on my own cultivation. If I attain longevity and live freely and unfettered someday, that'll be enough.

With that thought, Fang Zelin was just about to begin cultivating when his expression suddenly shifted slightly, and he looked to the side.

He sensed that something seemed to be approaching from that direction.

It was a subtle feeling, not Divine Sense or anything of the sort, but something like intuition.

Under Fang Zelin's gaze, several figures slowly emerged in the flickering firelight.

When Fang Zelin saw who had appeared, he froze, and then the corner of his mouth twitched.

A moment later, the people who had been talking beside Fang Zelin all fell silent, having also noticed someone approaching.

The burly man nearby had already instinctively reached for the broadsword at his side.

The others also laid their hands on their weapons.

Yet before they could draw their weapons, they all froze in astonishment upon getting a clear look at the newcomers.

Before the campfire, several beauties in ancient dress approached with light, lotus-like steps, each so tender and lovely she seemed to have stepped out of a painting.

Dressed in gauze robes with pale yellow cloud capes draped over them, they looked utterly dignified, displaying the beauty of classical beauties to the fullest.

Suddenly encountering such beauties out in the wilderness left the people nearby momentarily stunned.

Everyone nearby gazed at them, somewhat entranced.

But as Fang Zelin looked at these people, he immediately sensed something amiss.

Why would beauties like these appear out in the wilderness?

There isn't a carriage anywhere near them.

How did they get here?

What was more, Fang Zelin had seen other monsters before.

Encountering a handsome scholar or a pretty young woman out in the wilds at night was a classic sign of a trap.

Don't tell me I've stumbled into a scene straight out of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio!