Yesterday, sending out the training robot was meant to give these players a wake-up call, to teach them a lesson on how to behave.
Today, with the training robot deliberately appearing in the form of a goblin, Qin Jingzhou wanted to polish the players’ combat skills a bit. After all, in every Western fantasy novel, goblins are always the easiest targets. If you can’t even defeat a goblin… Well, as it turned out, these ten players really couldn’t. The key, though, was that Qin Jingzhou could see they had truly given their all.
Originally, he’d wanted to wait for the first group of players to properly grasp Xin Jing Philosophy before “expanding enrollment,” but plans never keep up with changes.
The newcomers quickly figured out their situation, guided by both the “veterans” and the instructions at the top left of their field of vision. Afterward, all the players gathered for a quick meeting to get to know each other, mainly discussing professions and individual strengths.
Since Xun Qiushui started off, it was only natural he introduced himself first. “I’m a doctor at the First Affiliated Hospital of Capital University Medical School—completely inexperienced when it comes to fighting.”
The First Affiliated Hospital of Capital University Medical School is ranked first nationally.
And as the grandson of an Elder, Xun Qiushui had received some targeted training. His physical abilities were considered quite good among doctors, but obviously, he was still no match for a training robot disguised as a goblin… not even two strikes.
He shook his head. “I have a feeling a storm is coming, that something big will happen in the world. Since we’ve been given such an opportunity, we ought to make the most of it.” After he finished, he signaled to his cousin—it was her turn.
An Qi tugged her brother with her left hand and held on to her childhood friend with her right. “I’m still in grad school.”
An Jin continued where his sister left off. “I’m a ‘vegetative patient.’ But at this training pace, I estimate I’ll be able to wake up on my own soon.”
A startled clamor broke out among the group.
Yan Tongwei even muttered, “The power levels here… need to be reassessed.”
Mo Bowen glanced at An Qi. “I’m her classmate.”
An Qi smiled and added, “He’s also my boyfriend.”
The two exchanged a smile, and even An Jin felt as though a sprinkle of dog food had been thrown in his face.
When it was Yan Tongwei’s turn, he pointed at himself. “Even though I might not look it, I’m actually under thirty, a lecturer at Capital University.”
Within five minutes, after getting acquainted, the twenty people officially switched into meeting mode and quickly reached a consensus: up to this point, they had all been brought into a project “named Black-Tech Full-Immersion Game, but actually a cultivation school.”
Those two who had appeared at the start, the lord was probably the principal, and as for the one with that drop-dead stunning face—he was almost certainly the Discipline Director.
As for the “veterans,” who’d personally experienced the wondrous effects of Xin Jing Philosophy, they truly wanted to perform well and impress the principal and Discipline Director as soon as possible… not even daring to hope for accelerated advancement. They didn’t have the nerve to ask for that, just hoped the two would be willing to explain things in person.
The newcomers, though half skeptical, were willing to follow the veterans for now: regardless, first rack up enough ranking points to exchange for Xin Jing Philosophy… Once they got the cultivation manual, they would know everything.
It had to be said, once the twenty players formed an alliance and focused all their efforts on the two training robots, disregarding their own safety, the goblin-skinned, low-power robots nearly got overwhelmed.
On the other side of the monitoring screen, Xuan Qing immediately gave the “retreat” order. The training robots kicked the players still on the field, regrouped, and withdrew from the “battlefield” in neat formation.
Kicked away, Mo Bowen slammed his fist into the ground. “Damn it! We were so close!”
An Jin, missing an arm, came up and patted him on the shoulder. “Chopping trees is what matters now.” With that, he took off running toward the spawn point and resurrection point—at the spawn point, your health and energy automatically returned to full.
After driving away the goblins, the players threw themselves into chopping trees for fifteen straight hours.
They exchanged wood for ranking points. Following the veterans’ advice, the newcomers all redeemed Xin Jing Philosophy and immediately sat down to cultivate. The veterans, meanwhile, pooled their ranking points to buy Liqi Pills from the Store, took them together, and practiced as well.
This time, Qin Jingzhou kept the players in the new world for a full twenty-one hours before kicking them offline. On the other side of the crystal wall, only seven hours had passed.
Ling Jing, who had been quietly observing, finally spoke up. “There really is strength in numbers.”
Xuan Qing nodded slightly as well.
Qin Jingzhou ruffled his son’s big, fuzzy head. “I agree, we should keep expanding the enrollment—at least make it up to one hundred before anything else.” He took out the system-generated, sorted list. “Eighty more to go. Help me pick.”
Xuan Qing didn’t recognize anyone on the list, but since Dad asked, he relied on his Golden Core cultivator’s instincts and picked those who seemed most agreeable.
Ling Jing, however, who held the main plotline in her hands, selected only those who could make life hard for Su Huaizhen. Pointing to one name, she said, “This is Su Huaizhen’s half-brother. There’s a blood feud—their mother was likely killed by Su Huaizhen. He’s not much of a good person, but on big matters, he can be trusted.” Then she circled another name. “Su Huaizhen calls himself an ‘eternally robust stud,’ has over a hundred lovers, but the person he cares about most is this one.”
Qin Jingzhou glanced at it. “This is the one who’s second on the wealth ranking… His only daughter? The father-daughter relationship is supposed to be pretty close.”
“That’s right. The little princess wants nothing to do with Su Huaizhen, even if he flaunts his abilities. He tries forceful means and even threatens her with her father’s life. The princess pretends to submit but constantly ruins Su Huaizhen’s plans behind his back. Su Huaizhen, unable to stand it any longer, finally sends her away.”
Qin Jingzhou decisively said, “We’ll bring all three of them in.”
“But they probably recognize you.”
Qin Jingzhou laughed, “Am I supposed to be afraid of them recognizing me?”
Ling Jing rested her chin on her hand. “Twenty players who understand the stakes can keep a secret. But with a hundred—well, the officials can be managed, but Su Huaizhen will immediately do everything he can to fight you.”
Qin Jingzhou circled all the Xiao Family members in one go. “I’m past caring.”
Ling Jing grinned and applauded. “A whole family, all together.”
Xuan Qing stared at the names his dad had picked. After a long silence, he nudged his dad, who was chatting and laughing with Ling Jing.
The long fur at the corners of his eyes drooped. Qin Jingzhou rubbed the boy’s forehead. “What’s wrong?”
Xuan Qing just grew more and more aggrieved, remaining quiet.
Ling Jing’s eyes sparkled as she voiced Xuan Qing’s thoughts through voice transmission. “Dad, do you have another dog family outside? Click, zap zap.”
Qin Jingzhou blinked, “Xiao Qing used to be my only son. I forgot.”
Ling Jing burst out laughing, “You really are his biological father.”
Qin Jingzhou raised an eyebrow and hurried to coax his son. “Dad still has a pair of twins in the other world…”
Xuan Qing’s eyes nearly popped out. “Twins?!”
Qin Jingzhou held his son’s big head. “Dad’s relationship with them is just… a passing fancy? You’re still Dad’s favorite son.”
Ling Jing couldn’t stop laughing. “So scummy, Boss.”
But after hearing this, Xuan Qing was stunned for a moment. Then dazzling stars lit up in his deep blue eyes and his tail wagged so hard it dented the alloy floor that protected against Zerg attacks.
Ling Jing took the chance to ruffle Xuan Qing’s big paws. “Too cute! This is just unfair!” Some things really were that simple.
Qin Jingzhou let him rest his big, furry head on his lap. “The other world is about to experience its first surge of spiritual energy. After this, the spiritual environment will no longer be a waning era. When the environment changes dramatically, chaos will follow. Dad has to finish covering the basics of immortal cultivation for all those promising talents in the other world before the surge hits. Once the groundwork is done, I can figure out what to do on this side.”
Xuan Qing agreed the other world’s situation was much more urgent. If Dad didn’t go, he’d just stay home healing in peace anyway. “Mm.” His tail kept swishing.
Qin Jingzhou rubbed his son’s ears and checked the healing of his Golden Core with his divine sense. “Recovery is going well.” This earned him a gentle nuzzle from his son.
Ling Jing felt a tinge of envy, but she firmly believed that one day, she would also have fluffy babies of her own.
Truth be told, expanding from twenty to a hundred players at once did appear to stretch their resources, but Qin Jingzhou liked to stay well-prepared. With his son still hanging onto his shoulders, he and Ling Jing set off together to find a Zerg Nest and restock.
There was no doubt these few planets of Xuan Qing’s belonged to the Empire’s border. It didn’t take long flying among the stars to locate traces of the Zerg.
With efficient, practiced sweeps, Qin Jingzhou’s team returned fully loaded.
After finishing these chores, Qin Jingzhou and Ling Jing went back to the task world. The two of them ran the numbers, connecting with the World Will through their respective systems, and got the answer: the first spiritual energy surge would arrive in seven days.
Qin Jingzhou wanted those hundred players to draw spiritual energy into their bodies during that first surge. If An Jin, for example, succeeded, he would wake up from his vegetative state, and without any rehabilitation, move around with ease—he could even leap two meters. That would be sufficient proof to the authorities that the world had changed.
But with such varied talents among the hundred players, Qin Jingzhou would have to be much tougher to achieve this.
Ling Jing strongly supported his plan. “After all, this is a true global online game of spiritual revival. If you don’t pay or grind, how else do you expect to get stronger?”
So at midnight in the task world, regardless of whether the players were asleep, Qin Jingzhou summoned every last one of them to the other side of the crystal wall.
The twenty “old players,” with one or two days of experience, and the eighty newcomers formed two distinct groups, each equally bewildered.
The veterans were stunned by the principal’s “big move,” while the eighty newbies, a mix of all ages and genders, were trapped in self-interrogation: Who am I, where am I, what… No, what does the mastermind want from me?
After a while, Xun Qiushui stepped forward first to remind the eighty newcomers. “Focus on the exclamation point at the top left of your field of vision. That should answer some of your questions.”
While the newbies were still trying to process what was happening, Qin Jingzhou descended from the sky with Ling Jing and Xuan Qing.
The Xiao Family instinctively clustered together. When they saw Qin Jingzhou appear with a radiant smile, they suddenly recalled his “half-spoken” promises from before. With so many outsiders present, though, they had no intention of reuniting publicly.
Qin Jingzhou clapped his hands. “I find these little skirmishes a waste of time.” He turned to his son. “Xiao Qing, give them a good lesson.”
Xuan Qing immediately transformed into his Frost Wolf form and swept his tail across the field… leaving a mess of pixels everywhere. The surviving players finally snapped out of their daze and scattered in every direction.
Watching his son take out swathes of them with each swing of his tail, Qin Jingzhou explained slowly, “The best way to improve your spiritual power is to personally experience the boundary between life and death. If you still don’t improve, then… just die a few more times.”
Players: …Would you please… act like a human being?