Cultivating in Online Games

Chapter 28 – Level twenty

After Ye Zhou received his usual IV and massage, he lay in his room, listening to soothing music in order to relax his mind. He needed to allow his brain to rest as quickly as possible, and not allow his gaming to affect his quality of sleep.

After listening to music for a while, Ye Zhou’s stomach gurgled, but he didn’t pay it any mind.

In a little while, his stomach made several noises in a row. Ye Zhou frowned. It couldn’t be that he was hungry?

Thinking about the word ‘hungry’, Ye Zhou’s appetite suddenly surged up like the tide. He found he really, really wanted to eat something.

His appetite had always been poor, and very rarely did this happen to him.

It… would be fine if he ate a little bit, right?

With the controls on his automatic wheelchair, he came to the elevator and rode it down to the kitchen on the first floor. There wasn’t any prepared food in the kitchen. He found a cucumber and a tomato and started munching on them contentedly.

After eating them, he felt no discomfort in his stomach, and instead only got hungrier.

Ye Zhou dug out the egg fryer and cooked himself a fried egg sizzling with oil. When he was about to eat it, the housekeeper found him.

“What are you doing?” she said in shock.

Ye Zhou could only eat liquid food and could never eat anything at night. This fried egg covered with grease would give him a stomachache for the whole night.

Seeing someone discover him, Ye Zhou stuffed the whole fried egg in his mouth. It was still a bit too hot, but as long as he ate it fast, no one would steal food out of his mouth.

The housekeeper knew that she couldn’t dissuade Ye Zhou, and she couldn’t take away food that was already eaten either, so she immediately gave a call to Ye Zhou’s driver, and a group of people rushed Ye Zhou to the hospital.

“I’m fine, really,” Ye Zhou said helplessly. He had an inexplicable feeling that he wouldn’t have any problem with eating this food.

He was sent to the emergency room and given an urgent check-up, but all the results turned out normal with no sign of any disorders. His digestive system was functioning just like an ordinary person’s, digesting food without issue. Because he had gone too long without eating normal meals, his digestive system was weaker than normal, but he would only have to eat smaller meals more often while it strengthened.

After a lot of hustle and bustle, Ye Zhou was back home and lying on his own bed, still feeling a bit of disbelief. It seemed like his body really was improving little by little.

As Ye Zhou slept soundly, all the players of Nine Heavens had already gone offline, leaving Dugu Zhuo alone within the vast game world.

As the programmers began to verify the game data, the environment around Dugu Zhuo kept changing erratically.

At nightfall, the game hadn’t undergone maintenance yet, so the town had become a den of demons again. Human and spirit players couldn’t linger, so they went offline as soon as they could.

Black Cat stuck around for a while, saying he wanted to try cultivating by moonlight again. He rolled around under the moonlight for a bit, and after confirming that he couldn’t gain a single point of experience, signed off.

The demons, ghosts, and yao didn’t go on a rampage like they had the previous night. After taking a stroll around town, they gradually moved to the Eternal Night District.

Qingyue and Aotian’s friend, the willow tree yao, took the chance to steal the essences of a few human players who hadn’t logged off yet and earn a few more Sin Points before moving along to the Eternal Night District as well.

Tonight, the game world was peaceful, but the forums were abuzz.

The players who couldn’t be online were all expressing their opinions in various threads, some insulting the game company, some making guides to the different races, and even some posting advertisements offering their services for grinding or selling in-game items.

Dugu Zhuo went to see the washerwoman at her tofu workshop. Her appearance was shifting slightly, as it seemed the system was making adjustments to NPCs.

Seeing her complexion healthy and her face radiant, Dugu Zhuo, despite knowing clearly that she was an NPC, couldn’t help but feel reassured anyway.

He headed to the Tanye Temple again and used a pinch of Black Cat’s fur to gain entry through the side door. He walked into the main hall and saw the old monk tapping on a wooden fish again.

“Great master,” Dugu Zhuo said. “I had thought I was walking the road to my end, but I never could’ve imagined that after the end, there would be a new beginning.”

He had found Ye Zhou, discovered clues that might lead to the fragments of Ye Zhou’s soul, regained the Earthly Soul he had lost, and realized the love his mother had felt for him at the moments before her death. Each of these things warmed up his heart which felt as if it had been abandoned by the world.

The old monk seemed not to hear his words, but Dugu Zhuo didn’t mind. He just wanted a target to express his thoughts to.

“Unfortunately, some things that were ordained by fate can’t be changed.” Dugu Zhuo’s expression dulled again.

Perhaps, at the conclusion of the first main quest, his mother had really used the power of Ye Zhou’s soul fragment to come visit him for a moment and resolve lingering attachments, but someone who was already gone couldn’t come back to life. In the end, she would always have died in suffering.

“Amitabha. Sir Dugu, we Buddhists cultivate the next life.” The old monk set down the wooden fish and spoke to Dugu Zhuo.

Dugu Zhuo had already gotten used to NPCs occasionally turning into people from his original world. Previously, he’d had to mention words like “Pillar of Heaven” and “twin swords of creation” in order for the NPCs to change, but it seemed that was no longer needed.

Looking at Grandmaster Tanji before him, Dugu Zhuo faintly had a feeling that these people kept appearing because of his own desires.

The first time Grandmaster Tanji had appeared, Dugu Zhuo wished to confirm his own identity and know whether this game world was connected to his own. Thus, Tanji had woken up in the healing booth monk’s body.

The second time, he had been struggling with doubts and wanted an answer, thus when he voiced a question, Tanji showed up.

The third time, when Jiao Yan appeared at Cheng Huang Temple, Dugu Zhuo must’ve desperately wanted to know about his own past, and thus awakened someone with connections to it in that NPC’s body.

And this time, in a vacant video game and unsure of his next steps, Dugu Zhuo had wanted guidance.

Grandmaster Tanji put his hands together and greeted him. “Sir Dugu, we meet again.”

“Great master, what did you just mean by the next life?” Dugu Zhuo asked.

“This old monk had a dream,” Grandmaster Tanji said. “In it, Sir Dugu had some misunderstandings with his mother and they both discovered they held lingering regrets. With the help of Elder Ye Zhou, they were able to resolve them.”

“What kind of dream?” At this point, Dugu Zhuo was able to calmly speak with this great monk.

“In the dream, I was an old monk who could only tap a wooden fish and guide Sir Dugu to reuniting with his mother. I don’t remember what Elder Ye Zhou did. All I know is that he was in the dream.”

“Is that so?” Dugu Zhuo said. “What meaning is there in resolving a misunderstanding after someone has already died?”

“Naturally there is meaning. After your mother passed away bearing resentment, her soul would be unwilling to enter reincarnation, and eventually it would be destroyed. With lingering attachments in her heart, even if she was forced to reincarnate, she would still carry resentment into her next life, which would bring about new tragedies. Now, she has said the words she had wanted to say to you, and has successfully entered reincarnation. She will surely have a fortunate next life, and her pain will stop here.”

Dugu Zhuo let out a small scoff. “Aren’t teachings of the next life a way for monks to con new disciples?”

“If you believe in it, then it shall be, but if you don’t, it cannot possibly be,” said Tanji.

“Forget it,” Dugu Zhuo said. “At least, after hearing you say this, I’m in a better mood.”

Seeing Dugu Zhuo’s frown fade, Tanji felt gratified and thought back to the things that had been happening lately in his world. He said, “Last time, this monk had discussed with Sir Dugu over splitting the world. A little over a month has now passed since then, and lately, changes have been seen in the Netherworld.”

“What kinds of changes?”

“Perhaps because of the destruction of the Pillar of Heaven, an entrance has appeared to the Netherworld which originally was supposed to be separate from the human realm. This entrance is strange, though, shrouded in the mists of the Canglan mountains. Yao, demons, and ghosts can enter but not easily exit, while humans and spirits can exit, but not enter. The yao that had been troubling this old monk earlier have mostly been drawn to the Netherworld, while the few stubborn remaining ones were sent on by this monk’s disciple.”

“The Eternal Night District…” Dugu Zhuo muttered.

“Indeed. The Netherworld certainly is a place of eternal night, and with the mists of the Canglan mountains enveloping it, no sunlight can pass though. The Eternal Night Realm is a good name.”

“Is there a region of eternal day?” Dugu Zhuo asked.

“There isn’t,” the old monk said. “After all, this isn’t the primordial age when ten suns[1] hung in the sky, so how could there be eternal day?”

It seemed there were points of similarity between the game world and his own world, but each had their own differences. It was almost like there was some sort of force which borrowed energy from the game world to gradually make changes to his own world.

“The twin swords of creation are both destroyed, so who could’ve controlled the world barrier at the Canglan mountains to split off the Netherworld?” Grandmaster Tanji shook his head. “Speaking of which, the Netherworld is the home of ghosts, and while demons can carve a place in there with their strength, it is difficult for yao to find sanctuary, and spirits shouldn’t just continue to mingle with the human race either…”

Dugu Zhuo stared at Grandmaster Tanji for a bit, then interrupted him. “Great master, you’re almost like an NPC assigning me tasks.”

“Just what is an En Pee See?” Grandmaster Tanji asked, looking curious.

“You don’t need to know.”

Setting aside his curiosity, Grandmaster Tanji gave him an amiable smile.

Reciting “Amitabha” one more time, Grandmaster Tanji turned back into the old NPC monk.

Dugu Zhuo also turned to the outside, out of habit. The sun was up, and the maintenance had finished.

Without him being aware of it, the time was now almost Sishi and Ye Zhou would be on soon. Dugu Zhuo went to the side room where they had bid farewell last night to wait for him.

His timing was perfect, and Ye Zhou entered the game right when Dugu Zhuo got to the room. The first thing he saw was Dugu Zhuo, and, full of vigor, he bounded to Dugu Zhuo’s side, gave him a high-five, and told him “Good morning!” in a bright voice.

Seeing his smile brightened Dugu Zhuo’s mood as well. “Good morning. You look well today.”

“Of course! I stuffed myself this morning!” Ye Zhou patted his stomach contentedly. “Steamed dumplings are one of the greatest foods in the world. I haven’t eaten a meat dumpling in years.”

“Your appetite has improved?” Dugu Zhuo asked.

“Yeah. All of a sudden, I can keep meals down.” Ye Zhou hopped onto a roof beam and sat down, swinging his legs cheerfully. “As long as a person can eat, he’ll think there’s still hope for life.”

Dugu Zhuo hopped up after him and sat by Ye Zhou’s side. “You’ll continue to get better and better in the future,” he said gently.

“I can’t hope for that much.” Ye Zhou, still unable to stop his good mood, bumped Dugu Zhuo with his shoulder.

Dugu Zhuo lightly stroked Ye Zhou’s long hair and said, “You will get better.”

Ye Zhou’s heart started jumping around wildly again. He hopped down from the beam and said seriously, “Let’s go check out how the game has changed after maintenance.”

Dugu Zhuo’s side felt empty. As long as he could see Ye Zhou, though, he felt satisfied, so he leapt down after Ye Zhou and followed him to explore the game.

The biggest change was that at every location where quests were given, there was now another NPC at the door. Tanye Temple also had a new greeting monk in front of the place where incense was offered, and any players who wanted to complete the incense offering task would only need to tap him to open a dialogue box which read, “Benefactor, choose which temple hall to go to”, followed by “Hall 1 (Full)”, “Hall 2 (Full)” and “Hall 3 (Available)”. As soon as one became full, a new choice would appear immediately, so players would no longer need to squeeze and line up.

The Karmic Forest was the same, and when you were transported in, you would see a dialogue box saying “Karmic Forest 1 is overfull and the Karmic Beasts have no place to hide. Would you like to enter Karmic Forest 2/3/4/5”, and so on.

Other overcrowded locations had also received this update.

The game company called this update the “Myriad Worlds”. The server capacity had been expanded indefinitely and a single server could hold any number of players.

Also because of this change, Nine Heavens had decided to not open up any new servers for the time being. All players would play on one server, creating a rich and bustling cultivation world.

As the duo strolled through Tanye Temple, they ran into Black Cat and Lingzhi who had just logged on, and the four set off for the new Eternal Day and Night Districts which most players were curious about.

Zhulong Town had already changed its name to Penglai[2] Town. Two boulders had appeared at the northernmost point of town, one white, one black, both shrouded by mysterious mist.

One could lightly knock on the white stone three times to be transported to the Eternal Day District, and on the black stone to enter the Eternal Night District.

Aotian and Qingyue were on by now too, currently sight-seeing in the Eternal Day District. It was an ordinary small village where the descendants of a sun-worshipping clan lived. The town was bathed in sunlight year-round and had an abundance of tasks and training spots for gaining experience. Players could go to the mountain forests to hunt wild boars, pheasants, or other small animals for experience.

Qingyue had asked her friend Xiaoyao, who reported that the Eternal Night District was a piece of the Netherworld, and all the residents were quite strange as well. Timid players would be really opposed to selecting the Eternal Night District, but of course it was a paradise for horror-lovers.

The Eternal Night District also had places to train. Many beasts dwelled within the river of the Netherworld, so they could fight mobs for experience.

The little town now truly returned to peace and quiet, becoming a transitional place. Before level 20, players of the Eternal Day District could visit the small town during the day, and the players of the Eternal Night District at night.

The mist that had surrounded the town was now a perimeter wall which opened to the east and south, allowing players levels 10 and above to leave. However, the players who were eager to leave the town the moment they hit level 10 would all die and return within five minutes. It was said that there were robbers and bandits and bestial yaos outside the walls, and anyone trying to leave while under level 20 was guaranteed to die.

It wasn’t easy to reach level 20 either. As hard as the players tried, they all became stuck at level 19.

Without completing the max level instances in either the Eternal Day or Eternal Night District, or completing a special task like the Lingzhi or Dugu Zhuo’s party, they would not be able to advance.

The party had no level limit and sufficient experience points saved up, and the game’s maintenance had finished, so they all leveled up together.

With each level-up, a player’s body would be enveloped by a glorious halo, and after it faded, their appearance would change slightly.

After three consecutive level-ups, Qingyue looked much more beautiful than before. She had unreservedly assigned all her stat points to appearance. She also twirled like she was in the middle of a transformation sequence and instantly changed her clothes to the new ones she had received from the game.

She wore a buttercup-yellow dress, jade hairpins decorated with pearls, topaz bracelets, and a pure white storage belt, further enhancing her beauty.

Meanwhile, Ye Zhou rose in height significantly, his stature changing from that of a fifteen or sixteen-year-old youth to a young man. His height reached 1.8 meters, his facial features developing as well.

He had put on his level 20 equipment, a set of white robes as pure as the snow on a lofty peak, so bright it seemed it would hurt one’s eyes to look directly at.

Staring at Ye Zhou, Dugu Zhuo’s mind was blank for a while.