Cultivating in Online Games

Chapter 88 - Outside the Cave

When Ye Jian rushed to the sect introducer, a horse was also waiting for the introducer.

When Ye Jian first entered the game and saw a bird transform into a person, he was shocked to the core. Now, he could calmly face all kinds of monsters and spirits. Just earlier, while listening to music at the tavern, there was even a ghost NPC playing a wronged female ghost in the performance, fully embodying the role, with plenty of players in attendance.

So, when he saw a black horse choosing which sect to join in front of the sect introducer, Ye Jian remained very calm. It was perfectly normal for demon players to wander around in their original forms. The horse was quite handsome, and it could run faster than humans.

After both the person and the horse selected their desired sect for teleportation, they stepped into the teleportation array and nodded at each other, signifying a brief acquaintance.

A flash of light later, Ye Jian arrived at the sect, with the horse that entered the teleportation array with him standing nearby.

The two exchanged silent glances when Ye Zhou arrived on his sword, landing next to them. He casually said, “Cousin, you got here so quickly?”

After casually greeting Ye Jian, he turned to the horse and asked, “Are you Shen Bi Xiao Ma?”

“Neigh!” The black horse rolled over and transformed into a young scholar wearing a gray scholar’s robe, with hair as dark as its fur. He looked quite docile and nodded at Ye Zhou, saying, “I heard from Sect Master Dugu that I should transform into my original form upon joining Wushuang Sect.”

Ye Jian sent a private message: “Weren’t we supposed to have interviews?”

Ye Zhou explained, “This disciple has very special abilities and is one of the rare players who can wield the powers of artifacts. Plus, he was the first to apply to join the sect. Dugu Zhuo said he could make an exception; the rest will have to wait.”

Ye Jian thought about it and agreed; the first applicant should indeed receive some preferential treatment.

He nodded again at Xiao Ma and privately messaged, “Dugu Zhuo has made me a disciple, but you won’t help me out a bit?”

Before Ye Zhou could explain, Shen Bi Xiao Ma greeted the two of them, “Hello! May I ask who the sect master is?”

Ye Zhou replied first, “I’m Elder Yi Ye Bian Zhou, and this is Chief Disciple Yang Fan￥Yuanhang. The sect master is still setting up the teleportation array inside the sect, so I came to escort you to the main peak.”

“Ah, so it’s Elder Ye and Senior Brother Yuanhang,” Shen Bi Xiao Ma said politely, bowing to both of them.

Seeing such a considerate new disciple, Ye Jian adjusted his clothes to maintain his senior brother’s dignity and said, “In that case, let’s head up the mountain together.”

With Dugu Zhuo’s array protecting Wushuang Sect, players couldn’t fly unless they held a token he crafted, which only Ye Zhou and Dugu Zhuo had at the moment.

Ye Zhou led the two to the main peak, which was still desolate with no buildings. Dugu Zhuo had temporarily carved out a large plaza and steps with his flying sword, just enough to accommodate visitors.

As soon as Shen Bi Xiao Ma stepped onto the main peak, he saw a gigantic white tiger with wings standing in the center of the plaza, its azure eyes gleaming with a scrutinizing light.

Meanwhile, Dugu Zhuo stood tall like a sharp sword, his handsome features radiating brilliance, drawing everyone’s attention.

He struck several spirit stones into the ground at the base of the steps with a palm, and a sword qi expanded from him in all directions. A golden array symbol appeared on the ground beneath his feet, with the symbols dissipating in the air along with the sword qi.

Dugu Zhuo announced, “The teleportation array on the main peak has been set up.”

Players could now teleport directly from the outer sect to the main peak. This area at the bottom of the steps could be designated as the Deacon Hall, and only with permission from the Deacon Hall could one ascend the steps.

Noticing the outsiders, Dugu Zhuo stood straight, his hands behind his back, with his sleeves fluttering without wind. He said calmly, “Please ascend the steps.”

The stairs were several hundred levels high, enough to make one dizzy just looking at them. Shen Bi Xiao Ma was fine; as a horse in his original form, he had good stamina and wouldn’t tire easily. He merely found it a bit tedious. When Ye Jian looked up at the stairs, he felt dizzy and immediately grabbed Ye Zhou, hoping he would fly him up.

However, Ye Zhou said, “Flying is not allowed on the main peak, even for the sect master or elders, unless the guardian array is broken.”

After saying this, he took the lead and began ascending the steps.

Shen Bi Xiao Ma hurriedly followed. Just as he stepped onto the first level of stairs and moved towards the second level, he suddenly realized something was off. Looking ahead, he found that he had already reached the very top level of the stairs.

Having prepared himself mentally to climb, Ye Jian was astonished by this spectacle. Ye Zhou explained, “Dugu Zhuo used magic on the stairs; anyone allowed to ascend does not need to exert effort.”

With just this one array, Shen Bi Xiao Ma, who had been somewhat hesitant, was utterly impressed. Even though the sect currently lacked a proper main hall and the steps were merely ordinary stones rather than adorned with marble or jade, the existence of such a spell was enough to prove the exceptional nature of the sect’s founder!

“Can I really join the sect now?” Shen Bi Xiao Ma asked excitedly, looking at Dugu Zhuo’s back.

Dugu Zhuo replied, “You meet the conditions, but if your conduct is improper, I can expel you from the sect at any time.”

Shen Bi Xiao Ma patted his chest and reassured him, “Don’t worry, I’m a straightforward player and won’t cause trouble casually.”

Ye Zhou chuckled, “You don’t need to be so nervous; it’s just a game. Right now, there are only three of us in the sect, and we’ll all have to work together to build it in the future.”

“No problem!” Shen Bi Xiao Ma responded, “Actually, I don’t have many skills left. All I have are the innate abilities of a horse: speed and strong kicks. The Heart Method taught by the Duan Yuan Sect has all been wasted, and I’m left with just this brush for summoning bosses. You could say it’s like a half-summoned beast.”

Having such an artifact doesn’t really matter for whether he joins the sect or not, but he couldn’t help but feel a bit envious when he saw others with so many skills. He didn’t expect to learn anything significant in Wushuang Sect, but the chance to interact with prominent figures in the game was still quite interesting.

Shen Bi Xiao Ma wasn’t like Hei Mao, Ao Tian, or Xiao Yao, who knew Dugu Zhuo in his earlier days. Back then, Dugu Zhuo hadn’t yet gained his current fame. Although Ao Tian and others joked about “Zhuo Shen” and “clinging to the powerful,” they still interacted with Dugu Zhuo quite naturally.

Now, however, Dugu Zhuo had become one of the top figures in the game, exuding a formidable presence. Shen Bi Xiao Ma knew they were all players and there was no hierarchy among them, but he still felt a bit awkward in front of Dugu Zhuo. This feeling was probably similar to how an ordinary gamer would feel when meeting an esports player.

“Um… is there anything I need to do? Do I have to pay to join the sect, or do I need to contribute in some way? Also, whom should I pledge my allegiance to as a disciple?” Shen Bi Xiao Ma asked.

He didn’t know how to deal with the sect, but since both the sect and the gang system were simultaneously active, it wasn’t a problem to treat the sect as a gang. In most online games, joining a gang requires a fee, and Shen Bi Xiao Ma was quite familiar with the process of paying to join.

Mentioning money made Ye Jian excited. Temporarily putting aside the grievances between him and Dugu Zhuo, he said to Shen Bi Xiao Ma, “I’m not sure what the sect will develop into or if it will have any revenue. You’re the first disciple, so you won’t need to pay for now. As for those who want to join in the future, heh, they can create a small account to watch the fun, right? Just wait and see if I don’t charge you a ticket fee.”

Dugu Zhuo had always left matters related to making money to Ye Jian without taking any interest.

With an air of a hermit, he said to Shen Bi Xiao Ma, “The main hall of the sect hasn’t been built yet, so I can’t include you in the roster for now. The apprenticeship ceremony can be postponed since I haven’t determined who you two will be apprenticed to or what martial arts you should cultivate. The current task is for everyone to work together to gather materials and invite builders from the game to come to the mountain top to construct the buildings. I’m not very good at these important matters, so I’ll need your help, Yuhang brother.”

“Now you’re calling me Yuhang brother?” Ye Jian said angrily. “What were you thinking when you made me your junior? Establishing a sect does indeed require a chief disciple, but you could easily recruit someone else. Why does it have to be me?”

Dugu Zhuo, undaunted, replied, “If it were possible, I’d want to give you an elder position, but unfortunately, you must be a disciple. Since you have to be a disciple, being the chief disciple is the best choice.”

Ye Jian asked, “Why? Give me a convincing reason.”

Dugu Zhuo replied, “Because as an elder, you need to teach disciples the martial arts. Ye Zhou and I learned the cultivation method together, and you have the ability to teach the disciples skills. What about you?”

Ye Jian: “…”

Dugu Zhuo continued, “Moreover, you need to learn dual cultivation techniques to bring the person in the painting into reality. I can create skills myself, but the conditions for the system to recognize self-created skills are very harsh. However, if taught in a sect format, the conditions can be relatively relaxed, and the number of people who can learn will also increase, so you can only be a disciple.”

Ye Jian: “…”

He inexplicably felt that it made sense.

The White Tiger posed for a while and felt a bit tired. When a feline feels safe and well-fed, it tends to lie down. It transformed into a small tiger and snuggled in Ye Zhou’s arms while watching the spar between Dugu Zhuo and Ye Jian, vaguely feeling that this scene seemed familiar, as if he had experienced it before.

While the White Tiger was deep in thought, Ye Zhou casually rubbed its head. The White Tiger let out a comfortable “purring” sound and naturally forgot what it had just been thinking.

After successfully persuading Ye Jian, the four of them and the tiger sat down for a small meeting to discuss how to proceed. With the sect just established and many tasks to be done, they didn’t know which matter to start with.

Dugu Zhuo had already drawn up building plans for each peak, and then he turned to Ye Jian’s main venue, arranging each peak one by one. Almost instantly, he produced a successful construction proposal and assigned tasks to everyone: those looking for materials would look for materials, and those looking for workers would look for workers.

Shen Bi Xiao Ma was a quiet player. He quickly integrated into the team, noted what he needed to do, and occasionally responded with a “squeak.”

They worked hard until evening, managing to gather all the materials and hire the workers, but construction would have to wait until the following day.

Because the game would be undergoing maintenance and updates from midnight to 8 AM, everyone had to log off except for Dugu Zhuo.

At nine o’clock, the two disciples of the sect logged off early, intending to get a good night’s rest to recharge for the next day when they would start the infrastructure project in the immortal cultivation world, striving to make the sect more impressive for the public interviews.

Leaving the sect master and the elder together, Ye Zhou asked Dugu Zhuo, “Can you log off during the game update?”

Dugu Zhuo smiled but didn’t answer. Ye Zhou understood his meaning and hugged him tightly, feeling heartbroken.

This was an initiative from Ye Zhou. Dugu Zhuo naturally wrapped his arms around him and patted Ye Zhou’s back, saying, “It’s okay; we’ll see each other tomorrow morning.”

Ye Zhou felt a wave of sadness knowing Dugu Zhuo could only stay in the game, but he was powerless to change it. He could only hold Dugu Zhuo tightly until he had to log off.

At midnight, the White Tiger went to sleep on its designated peak. While the game underwent constant revisions and upgrades, experiencing drastic changes, the Wushuang Sect was unaffected.

Dugu Zhuo patrolled the sect, visiting each peak until he reached the final one, which he intended to use for the spiritual field. Suddenly, he noticed some sounds coming from the back mountain.

He quickly flew his sword around to the back of the mountain and saw that there was actually a cave halfway up the mountain.

Upon entering the cave, Dugu Zhuo noticed there were no claw marks on the rock wall, confirming that this was not dug out by the White Tiger. He continued to delve deeper into the cave.

After entering the cave, he turned three corners and felt that he wasn’t heading deeper into the mountain but seemed to be moving outward.

After walking for a while, he saw a light ahead, like an exit. But there was no second entrance on the back mountain; there was only the one that led deep into the mountain. Where did this exit come from?

Moreover, the game time was deep in the night, and outside was pitch black, yet the cave grew brighter the further he walked, and outside was actually daylight.

Stepping out of the cave, he turned around to look and found that the peak resembled the Wushuang Sect’s back mountain exactly, even the cave entrance was the same as the one he had entered.

However, the cave should be one-way; how could it be that he came in the same way he went out? Moreover, day and night didn’t match.

While pondering this, Dugu Zhuo suddenly felt something in his storage belt vibrating vigorously. He took out the item and found it was the two broken swords, Xuan Su.

The two broken swords hummed as if they were excited. These were clearly two swords that had been destroyed, yet at this moment, they seemed to have regained vitality, rejoicing for some reason.

Dugu Zhuo had some connection with the Xuan swords, so he separated a strand of his spirit to read their thoughts and surprisingly detected a hint of joy akin to that of a traveler returning home.

This… Dugu Zhuo gazed at the world outside the mountain, and a terrifying suspicion rose in his heart.

Could this be his original immortal cultivation world?