Chapter 6: Main Quest Phase One Completed

Not everyone logged into the game immediately.

After all, out of fifty players, aside from people like Zhou Xiao who had nothing better to do, others weren't going to be so invested in a "low-quality" game that was about to launch its non-deletion version.

The moment things felt off was when Wu Dahu shouted about "The Critic" in the game group.

No matter how much the other players pressed for details, he stopped replying to messages.

Clearly, he was completely immersed in the game.

The Critic was currently out eating. Wu Dahu was right—a friend was indeed treating him to a feast of delicacies. But just as he had settled into his seat, Wu Dahu's message arrived.

His heart skipped a beat.

But no matter how many private messages he sent, Wu Dahu would not reply.

The Critic immediately felt an itch in his seat.

He couldn't sit still.

Finally, swallowing his pride, he reached out to a big shot in the group, 【Jingbao Tian】, sending a private message to ask how the game was.

But the big shot didn't reply either.

He then asked another player—a woman with the strength of a mountain and the spirit of a goddess, someone he usually chatted and joked with in the group—but this time, not a single person replied to his messages.

*Could they all be too immersed in the game?*

But no matter how fun a game was, it could only go so far. The Critic figured that even if he missed out, it wouldn't be that much of a tragedy. Why was Wu Dahu making such a big deal out of it?

Furthermore, people in the group were teasing whether they had taken a sponsorship from the game.

【Philanthropist: They definitely took a sponsorship. Otherwise, why be so eager to log in?】

【Old Taoist Ascending: Everyone else is one thing, but why isn't even the big shot Jingbao Tian replying?】

【The Sun Shines on Your Dark Heart: I looked at the website, and I really don't see anything extraordinary about this game...】

【Old Taoist Ascending: @Jump High to Pee Far, didn't you pre-register too? Have you logged in?】

【Jump High to Pee Far: Not yet, I'm about to go check it out.】

【Naked in the Wind: Brothers, holy crap, holy crap! This game is definitely going to make history!!!! I love Little Girl so much!! Goodbye, I'm going to play the game!!!】

A new message popped up, shocking everyone in the group.

This "Naked in the Wind" was also one of the pre-registered players, but after posting that sentence, he went silent as well.

【Old Taoist Ascending: @Jump High to Pee Far, holy crap, give us some feedback once you're in! Why is everyone going silent after logging in?】

【Jump High to Pee Far: Okay.】

Ten minutes later, he went silent too.

One by one, the pre-registered players who logged in vanished. No matter how fun the game was, this was getting terrifying.

Curiosity was now piqued to the extreme.

With only 20 minutes left before the testing channel closed, The Critic saw that none of the people he messaged privately were replying, and he truly couldn't sit still anymore.

He stood up abruptly. "I have to go home."

His friend's eyes widened. "Are you kidding me? It's a rare miracle that this stingy bastard is actually treating us, and you're leaving instead of eating?"

The Critic said, "I don't know what's happening, but I'm panicking. I pre-registered for a game, and the login portal for the test is about to close. They told me thirty minutes ago that I absolutely had to get in. I can't relax; I need to get back immediately."

His friend spat in disbelief. "I think you've truly been possessed by this game. What kind of crappy game is worth this much excitement? It's just a test version, have you lost your mind?"

"I'm really going back. I'll eat next time! This time is on me—I'll split the bill for the dishes you already ordered."

"You, you, you—!"

The friend was furious, but The Critic had already left without looking back.

With only 20 minutes left, he didn't even know if he'd make it home by taxi; he might as well run!

Fortunately, they didn't live far!

The Critic wasn't the only one in a rush. After all, he was out eating, while others had pre-registered but didn't take it seriously, choosing to go for their usual walks instead.

Song Jiulai was also very anxious.

"If the 50 people don't meet the quota, does that mean the task won't count as completed?"

The System said coldly, "Yup."

Song Jiulai slapped her thigh in frustration. "Why are people not cherishing this opportunity? If they don't show up, I'll put their IDs on a blacklist and ban them from playing forever!"

This was a major matter concerning the completion of the Sect's first main quest. It didn't just affect her; it affected the players too.

Song Jiulai: "If I had known, I would have released more slots."

System: "But if everyone showed up, wouldn't you exceed the limit? The first batch of slots can only be 50."

"..."

This wouldn't work, and that wouldn't work either.

Meanwhile, the players who logged in after Zhou Xiao were almost all losing their minds.

Where had they ever seen a game with such a high level of simulation?

It completely revolutionized their worldview.

They were practically jumping up and down, unable to hide their excitement.

Players have always been reckless when playing games. Someone tried to go forward to vandalize public property, but just as they were about to kick something, a system prompt appeared: 【Warning: Destruction of Sect property (1/3). Three or more warnings will result in an account ban.】

Others weren't well-behaved even when seeing A-Wu. Seeing how youthful he looked, they unceremoniously tried to reach out and pinch his face to verify the realism.

They didn't get a warning this time.

A-Wu raised his hand, and the player attempting to pinch his face was lifted by a strange force, falling into a nearby dirt pit with a loud "thud."

Dirt began burying his face, and the sensation of suffocation was incredibly vivid.

【System: You have received one warning from Senior Brother A-Wu!】

That did it. Everyone behaved.

Shocked by A-Wu's miraculous methods, their eyes shone with fanaticism.

*Is this... truly the method of cultivation?*

Who among them hadn't dreamed of having superpowers or being able to cultivate?

Now that it had become reality, they suddenly felt that life finally had a purpose!

Someone muttered, "Isn't this a game? What kind of game doesn't let you play freely?"

Another person egged them on, "Big talk! Then why don't you step out and demand justice for him!"

The mutterer fell silent.

It was a joke; they knew the rules of whatever game this was.

With a simulation level that reached nearly 100%, if they were kicked out, they would regret it for the rest of their lives!

A-Wu had a stern face and was quite unhappy. No wonder the Sect Leader said the newly recruited junior brothers and sisters might be a bit unruly and told him to hit them if they needed it.

Before, he had felt a bit embarrassed about it, but now A-Wu felt they truly deserved a beating.

A-Wu felt he had a very good temper, especially since they were members of the Sect. If these junior brothers dared to provoke other cultivators outside of the Longevity Sect, a ball of fire would fly at them and leave nothing but ashes.

Of course, perhaps Song Jiulai's prayers worked, or perhaps it was because Han Tian had personally gone to remind the remaining players in the final ten minutes before logging off. At the very last moment, the final player, The Critic, logged into the game panting heavily.

All 50 pre-registered people were present.

To Song Jiulai's ears, the mechanical prompt of the system sounded like heavenly music.

【Ding: Congratulations to the Host for fulfilling the condition of recruiting fifty members for the Sect. The Sect Newbie Gift Pack will be distributed shortly.】

【Ding: Contents of the Gift Pack: Fifty Spiritual Root Opening Inner Dan pills, and fifty basic Soul Cultivation manuals for the Qi Refining stage.】

【Ding: The Longevity Sect has reached a basic scale. The next task will be issued once the fifty disciples stabilize their early Qi Refining stage. Host, please keep up the good work!】

(End of Chapter)