Cultivating in Online Games

Chapter 55 - Night Boat Appears

Although feeling slightly fatigued, the group pressed on with the determination of “defeating a hidden boss without gaining any experience” and defeated both the Enchantress and the final Infant Spirit boss.

Qingyue, who was pulled into the scroll, had a stroke of luck and obtained a pair of Corpse Bone Silver Rings while looting the monsters. These were level 30 weapons with a control removal effect. Equipping these weapons prevents the user from being controlled by opponents within a 10-level difference. Whenever an opponent uses a control skill, the user hears the sharp, wailing cry of an infant, immediately waking them up.

The weapon’s attack effect is average, but it increases speed and attractiveness, along with its control removal effect, making it the best weapon below the Golden Core stage.

“It’s not bad,” Qingyue said, equipping the Corpse Bone Silver Rings. “These weapons suit me well.”

The others also gained a lot of spirit stones and experience. Ye Jian had an even stranger experience: after being killed by the Enchantress, he received a system notification: “Ding! Congratulations, player Yangfan Yuanyuan, for triggering the ‘Rebirth Blessing’ event and obtaining the ‘Four Symbols Talisman’. The ‘Four Symbols Talisman’ can seal dimensional entrances, and the system has automatically closed the instance entrance in the scroll for you.”

“What? What kind of congratulations is that?” Ye Jian said after the instance, “I finally found an interesting instance in the scroll, and now it’s closed again? You all saw that evil cultivator boss, but I missed out. So unfair.”

“That boss wasn’t worth seeing, just a brainless idiot with a pretty face. And he was an exhibitionist who didn’t even use a mosaic. I really want to wash my eyes,” Qingyue said, looking distressed.

Ao Tian and the others agreed, “Closing it is fine. Such a big boss didn’t even give any experience, so stingy. No fun at all.”

The players would probably never know what they actually encountered in that past hour.

Dugu Zhuo looked at these players, wondering if they were just lucky or big-hearted, and breathed a slight sigh of relief. He had planned to destroy Ye Jian’s scroll to prevent future troubles, but the system had automatically sealed the entrance between the two worlds with a talisman. It seemed that Night Boat, the system’s AI, also did not want such incidents to recur and had secretly resolved this hidden danger.

This incident gave Dugu Zhuo a significant sense of crisis. He vaguely felt that there were other conspiracies in another world waiting for him.

This time-traveling experience left countless questions, such as why the Fushen Temple summoned Dugu Zhuo, when he became the Demon Lord of Defiance, and why the Enchantress had been lurking near the altar waiting for an opportunity to return to the game. This Enchantress seemed too intelligent, not like a simple NPC. Yet when everyone returned, the Enchantress’s intelligence seemed to vanish, reverting to an instance boss, diligently fighting the players.

Dugu Zhuo decided to go to Tanye Temple that night. In between refining pills, he would attempt to summon Master Tanjie and ask him to investigate the Fushen Temple.

However, the urgent task was to quickly reach the auction and meet with Ye Zhou. After a battle, it was already 18:55, and Ye Zhou had been waiting for them at the auction for 25 minutes, making Dugu Zhuo anxious.

Qingyue and the others returned the remaining pills to Dugu Zhuo, who said, “No need to return them. Keep the pills for yourselves.”

“These are very expensive,” Ao Tian said. “I saw them at a pharmacy in Jiuchuan City. A blood-replenishing pill costs 50 lower-grade spirit stones, and a qi-replenishing pill costs 100 lower-grade spirit stones. They’re expensive but very effective. Zhuo Shen, you bought so many pills at once. You must be rich.”

The black cat tossed the pills back to Dugu Zhuo, looking heartbroken. “We all fought the instance together, and you’ve already spent money on the pills. I… I used 3 blood-replenishing pills and 2 qi-replenishing pills, costing 35 spirit stones. I’ll give you 350 lower-grade spirit stones later.”

The others also silently calculated how many spirit stones they owed Dugu Zhuo.

Just as Dugu Zhuo was about to decline, Ye Jian interrupted, “No need. The scroll is my item, and you got caught up in it by accident. The pills are a gift. No need to return them or pay. I own that pharmacy, and the cost price is low.”

“What?” Lingzhi Doll clung to Ye Jian’s leg. “I thought that pharmacy was set up by the game company to make money. I didn’t expect it to be yours. Where do you get those pills, Yuanyuan?”

Ye Jian replied with satisfaction, “Dugu Zhuo refined them. I don’t know where he got so many recipes.”

“Oh, so they’re Zhuo Shen’s.” Lingzhi Doll immediately abandoned Ye Jian and hugged Dugu Zhuo’s leg instead.

Dugu Zhuo was anxious, but the group kept chatting. He pulled Lingzhi Doll off and tossed her to Ao Tian, then flew towards the auction site.

Ye Jian shouted, “Hey, take me with you. I don’t have a sect and can’t fly!”

“Which auction are you going to? Is it that super expensive one with an entry fee of 1000 lower-grade spirit stones?” The black cat looked poverty-stricken.

Ye Jian said, “We’re teammates now. Do you want to come?”

“No, thanks. Qingyue just burned 200 dollars, and I don’t have that much money left,” Ao Tian said dejectedly.

The other players weren’t very wealthy either. Though they wanted to go, they restrained themselves and shook their heads.

Ye Jian said, “I’ve booked a box there that can accommodate eight people. We have three people—me, Yiye Bianzhou, and Dugu Zhuo. Including you four, we still have space. If you don’t go, the spots will be wasted.”

The four’s eyes lit up, and Lingzhi Doll clung to Ye Jian’s leg again. “What are we waiting for? I’ll earth travel you to the site. Hurry, it’s almost seven!”

After joining sects and training, the others had learned to fly and use sect teleportation, allowing them to quickly reach the site, but they couldn’t bring others.

Only Lingzhi Doll’s earth travel and wood travel were innate skills. After sect training, she could take one or two people underground.

However, this skill was originally an attack move, designed to drag enemies into the earth to slow them down and cause some damage. Now, Lingzhi Doll was using it to transport people.

Naturally, Ye Jian’s experience wasn’t nearly as pleasant as being flown by Dugu Zhuo. Not only could he not see any scenery underground, but he also kept losing health, “-2%, -3%.” By the time they arrived at the auction house, Ye Jian’s health bar was down to 15%, and he was covered in dirt. He was almost stopped by a snobbish NPC at the auction entrance.

“Bad review!” Ye Jian angrily said to Lingzhi Doll.

At 19:58, everyone finally gathered at the entrance of the auction house. Led by Ye Jian, who had box tickets, the group entered the box.

As soon as they entered, they saw Dugu Zhuo standing by the door, quietly watching Ye Zhou sitting by the window.

“Why don’t you go and sit?” Ye Jian asked as he approached.

Before Dugu Zhuo could respond, Ye Zhou, who had been gazing out the window, turned and gave Ye Jian a cold, indifferent look. “Quiet, I don’t like noise,” he said icily.

“Xiaozhou, you…”

Just as Ye Jian was about to ask what was wrong, Dugu Zhuo pressed him onto the floor by the door and said threateningly, “Sit down and shut up!”

At that moment, Dugu Zhuo’s eyes were filled with murderous intent. Ye Jian’s intuition told him not to provoke Dugu Zhuo in this state, so he obediently sat on the floor. The other players who had followed suit also sat down quietly, covering their mouths and holding their breath, fearing to make a sound.

The box instantly fell silent. Ye Zhou returned his gaze to the scene below. His arm rested casually on the window sill, his usually tightly bound sleeve now loose and fluttering in the breeze from the hall.

His long hair was also slightly disheveled, with a few strands drifting outside the window. One could only imagine the thoughts of anyone below who happened to look up and see this fleeting glimpse of his profile beneath the gently swaying clothes and hair.

Ye Zhou was intently watching someone in the auction hall. Dugu Zhuo approached and asked in a whisper, “What are you looking at?”

Perhaps because Dugu Zhuo’s voice was very soft, or perhaps because his low voice was pleasant to hear, this time Ye Zhou did not tell him to shut up. Instead, he raised his finger and pointed slightly at someone below, saying, “Lian Haokong.”

The box had a window overlooking the auction hall, and in the middle of the room was a small formation that broadcasted the live scene from the hall.

The players, not daring to speak, craned their necks to look out the window and then compared it to the holographic projection on the table. They finally found the person Ye Zhou was pointing at.

Qingyue frantically blinked at her teammates and sent a silent text message: “It’s him! It’s him! The one from Qingtian Sword Sect who took Xiaobao!”

The black cat quickly sent a message: “Where is Xiaobao? Why is he alone?”

Ao Tian: “How does Bianzhou know this NPC’s name is Lian Haokong? NPCs don’t show name IDs.”

Ye Jian & Lingzhi Doll: “Who is Lian Haokong? Who is Xiaobao?”

Since the main storyline is released in phases, Ye Jian and Lingzhi Doll, who hadn’t done the main storyline, didn’t know about Xiaobao. Explaining it in text was too slow, so Qingyue quietly disbanded the party and formed a new one with the five players sitting on the floor. She then whispered the whole story in the team chat to the new members.

Before Ye Jian and Lingzhi Doll could comment, they heard Ye Zhou say, “I have no interest in the new Xuanjian Sword Master. No need to go into so much detail.”

Everyone: “!!!”

They were sure they had sent their messages in team chat, not including Ye Zhou or Dugu Zhuo. How did Ye Zhou hear their team chat?

Dugu Zhuo also frowned. He had always been able to hear other players’ team chats, probably because, in the cultivation world, cultivators with exceedingly high levels could eavesdrop on the secret transmissions of lower-level cultivators. However, this required a cultivation level at least above the Tribulation stage. How could Ye Zhou, at only level 30, do it?

Ye Jian, still unconvinced, said in team chat, “My cousin says he’s not interested, but when Qingyue tells stories, he doesn’t mind the noise at all. He waits until we finish before saying he’s not interested!”

“Oh, really?” Qingyue asked, intrigued.

“Yeah, he’s always like this, acting all aloof. But in the game, he’s well-behaved and sweet, not two-faced.” Ye Jian said.

Is that so? Dugu Zhuo couldn’t help but look at Ye Zhou.

Ye Zhou, who had heard the entire team chat clearly, stood up and swept his sleeve at Ye Jian and the others. A powerful force pushed them out of the box, breaking the stair railing, and the five of them fell from the second floor to the hall below.