Cultivating in Online Games

Chapter 92 - Entrance Examination

“Players who still want to tour the sect can continue their activities until 11 AM. Our Wushuang Sect has a vast area, enough for everyone to explore,” Ye Jian said.

No matter how they played, at exactly 11 AM, if they still refused to leave, Dugu Zhuo would activate the mountain-protecting formation and automatically eject them.

The 49 selected players did their best to take selfies with the figures flying in the sky, saying, “Do you see this? I have a connection with them!”

The departing players said to those remaining, “Record videos properly. After the event, post them on the forum. We want to see what the next stages are like.”

“Got it!” The lucky ones replied.

The lucky ones exchanged friend requests with each other. After all, they were selected together, and even if they were eliminated in the next round, they could still play the game together later. Their good fortune gave them a sense of camaraderie.

As the 49 lucky players followed Ye Jian up the steps, they were instantly transported into the clouds after stepping on the first stair, exclaiming in surprise.

The unsuccessful players, seeing them ascend to the clouds, shook their heads in disappointment.

Qingyue said, “Players who wish to tour Wushuang Sect can follow me this way.”

Apart from a few players eager to collect more invitation cards, the rest followed Qingyue to tour the sect. They saw the beautiful scenery on Tiger Roar Mountain and the White Tiger figurine stall at the exit.

The White Tiger figurines were made very exquisitely—some looked like they were sleeping, others had majestic wings, and some appeared cute while playing with a ball. There were a total of seven different figurines.

These figurines weren’t too expensive—either 2,000 silver or 200 spirit stones—affordable for most players.

The one selling the figurines was a cute little girl about seven or eight years old, with twin buns in her hair and a pink, delicate appearance.

“Are they employing child labor now?” someone asked.

Some of these players were newcomers and didn’t know how spirit races transformed and tricked players.

Of course, this was also because players in the game tended to push their characters to grow too fast. Otherwise, like Baihu, who reached level 60 and the Nascent Soul stage before transforming, they would naturally have transformed into an adult body.

The seller was actually a Lingzhi Doll. Originally the size of a three-year-old, at the age where one should still be wearing a bellyband, he had now crossed his tribulation and reached the Golden Core stage. He had grown a bit and finally turned from a baby into a small… girl.

Yes, the Lingzhi Doll was a girl, so let’s refer to “her” as “she” for now.

She rolled her eyes and floated up, using her magic to stand higher than the players, and in a childish voice, she said, “Spirit race players are like this. I’m already level 50!”

“Oh, I’ll take one of each of the seven White Tiger figurines.” A wealthy-looking player took out 1,400 spirit stones and paid for all seven figurines.

The Lingzhi Doll packed them into a box and handed it to the player.

“Is this black tiger figurine for sale? It looks so lifelike!” The player pointed to the black, furry “tiger” among the White Tiger figurines and reached out to touch it.

“Meowww!” The black “tiger figurine” instantly puffed up and leapt into the air, transforming into a young monk.

The players: “…”

“It’s real?! A cat can turn into a monk?” The shocked player who wanted to buy the black cat exclaimed.

The black cat monk glared at him, then pressed his palms together and said, “Amitabha, dear benefactor, please leave in an orderly manner and take your belongings with you.”

“Could you… turn from a cat into a monk one more time? I didn’t get a chance to record it!” the player asked.

The black cat monk lowered his gaze, looking like, “I’m not here to perform for you.”

The player, disappointed, shook his head and left with his figurine box.

The black cat was there to assist the Lingzhi Doll in maintaining order. The Lingzhi Doll was a support player and didn’t have much combat ability, so if someone bought something and tried to leave without paying, the black cat would have to intervene.

At level 50, the black cat could fully utilize the power of his monk staff and prayer beads. He was the second most powerful attacker in the group, only behind Dugu Zhuo. His staff hit hard, and his prayer beads could scatter and attack over ten people at once, with critical hits against players from the evil faction. He even named this move “Universal Salvation,” which was quite fitting.

With the black cat maintaining order, and his fierce demeanor, the players obediently paid for their purchases, and there were no incidents of anyone bullying the little girl vendor. Some players who couldn’t afford the whole set bought just their favorite figurine, while others who didn’t like them left empty-handed.

Meanwhile, the 49 players who had climbed the steps were immediately awestruck by the towering main peak.

Dugu Zhuo had spent a fortune constructing the main peak, following standards that surpassed even those of the Skytop Sword Sect. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have cost so much.

A spacious square, a solemn main hall, and countless palaces behind it gave off the grandeur of an ancient imperial palace.

At the center of the square lay a massive willow tree, sprawling across the ground with no visible roots.

Yimeng Xiaoyao wanted to root himself in the soil, but Dugu Zhuo had set up a formation in the sect, preventing his roots from penetrating the ground. Even without the formation, Dugu Zhuo wouldn’t allow him to plant his roots in the square, as it would ruin the newly paved surface.

Thus, Yimeng Xiaoyao turned into a willow tree that moved by dragging its roots across the ground. His branches were adorned with many small bells that rang with every movement, making him look quite beautiful.

Yimeng Xiaoyao was a social butterfly who loved lively events, so how could he miss this one? He had volunteered to be an examiner, not needing any compensation.

Yimeng Xiaoyao spoke his lines: “Fortunate players, I am the examiner for the second round.”

The atmosphere was buzzing, and the players excitedly asked, “What’s the second round about?”

The willow demon swayed. “It’s a test of your dodging abilities.”

“Dodging… but isn’t speed a game attribute?” one player asked.

The willow demon replied, “Yes, it’s an attribute, but have any of you played keyboard-based MMOs or mobile games? Even if two players have identical characters, skills, and attributes, some can release skills faster than others. That’s because of game awareness.

“For example, when a rock flies toward your face, do you dodge left or right? Do you duck or catch it? These decisions aren’t purely based on attributes, so we need to test this.”

The players agreed.

The willow demon continued, “Each of my branches holds a bottle of red paint. In a moment, I will swing my branches, and you must dodge as much as possible. After all the paint is thrown, those with the least amount on them will advance.”

“But our attributes aren’t the same. Won’t differences in agility affect the results?” one player asked.

The willow demon explained, “We’ll evaluate you based on your agility points, selecting one player from each range. For example, one from the 20-25 range, one from the 25-30 range, and so on.”

The players accepted this explanation since a 5-point difference in agility didn’t make a huge impact at lower levels.

Someone rubbed their fists and said, “This is really interesting. I feel like I’m in a dungeon.”

“Hahahaha! Those confident in their abilities can try attacking the examiner, but the next round might be worse than just playing it safe. Begin!” The willow tree demon laughed and suddenly started moving its countless branches.

Red paint instantly poured down like a rainstorm, catching the players off guard as they panicked and tried to dodge.

A few players had been cautious when the willow tree demon laughed; their combat awareness was strong, and they quickly evaded the first wave of attacks, retreating far away.

The willow tree demon said, “Dodging is really good, but will I let you escape?”

After making this ominous statement, it began to quickly chase the players, dragging its roots behind.

The players: “…”

Isn’t it too ridiculous for a willow tree to be running around with its roots?

Most players were being chased by the willow tree demon. The few players who managed to make eye contact decided to cooperate and split up to dodge the willow tree demon.

“Splitting up is a good strategy, but unfortunately, it won’t stump me!” Suddenly, the willow tree demon’s branches extended infinitely, with the longest reaching hundreds of meters, enough to control the players within a certain range.

At this point, it had transformed from its original willow tree form into a creature covered in tentacle-like branches!

Even more terrifying was that the willow tree demon’s roots were also continuously growing, following its branches and reaching hundreds of meters long, constantly obstructing the players’ movements.

A player, not paying attention to the ground, tripped over a root and was immediately doused with an entire bottle of paint, clearly eliminated.

Some players attempted to attack the willow tree demon, but those who did were all wrapped up by its branches and received a face full of paint, earning an elimination “gift pack.” The players realized that while they could attack the willow tree demon, doing so would subject them to even more severe retaliation; being cautious was the better approach.

Only a few players were managing to shift, roll, and jump, using various methods to evade the paint attacks. They had to predict the willow tree demon’s movements, determining from the sway of the branches where the paint would spray and how to dodge effectively to minimize getting splattered.

It was clear this was not just a matter of player attributes; it was a severe test of combat awareness!

After about five minutes, not a drop of paint was left.

Tiantou Laojian and Ao Tian quickly stepped forward to assess the amount of red paint on the players, ultimately selecting fifteen players.

The willow tree demon turned into a tall, slender man with a somewhat androgynous appearance, and exclaimed in surprise, “What? You actually selected fifteen players! Didn’t I say we had to get it down to single digits? What about the third round’s examiner?”

Ao Tian shrugged, “These candidates are pretty strong. Several of them are on par, and it’s hard to say who to eliminate.”

The players listening to their conversation vaguely felt it sounded familiar.

“Isn’t that a common line from shounen anime?” one eliminated player exclaimed loudly. “You three are acting, right?”

Yimeng Xiaoyao laughed, “I like this kid. He reminds me of how I was when I watched anime as a youth. I’ll let you pass this round, but the next examiner won’t be easy~~~”

The players: “…”

Aren’t you three having too much fun?

Indeed, Yimeng Xiaoyao, Tiantou Laojian, and Long@Ao Tian, judging by their names, were all seasoned second-dimensional players. The thought of being examiners nearly made them ecstatic. They proposed three different plans to Dugu Zhuo for review, vying for the position of main examiner for the second round.

After comprehensive consideration, Dugu Zhuo chose Yimeng Xiaoyao’s plan. Long@Ao Tian’s was too time-consuming, requiring one-on-one matches, which would be impossible with forty-nine players in the allotted time.

Tiantou Laojian’s idea was interesting; he wanted to invite some of his peers from Beimu Mountain to use a treasure to block the sunlight and set up a haunted house in the front square, allowing brave players to pass through.

Dugu Zhuo thought that the idea might have come from a dried brain; while it was fun, could it actually be implemented? What about a parade of ghosts? In this game, could that even be seen? It would simply be a parade of pixelated nonsense!

Ultimately, Yimeng Xiaoyao’s plan was approved, but the three of them, with their youthful spirits, privately discussed their lines, feeling immensely satisfied.

Yimeng Xiaoyao was particularly delighted, laughing up at the sky. In other games, no matter how high a player’s level or strength, they could only fight bosses and players of similar rank; there was no feeling like becoming a dungeon boss themselves!

This time, the victorious players were selected based on strength, and the eliminated players calmly accepted this reality.

Some newly joined players were realizing for the first time that this was definitely not a traditional online game, but rather an incredibly free game. As long as their strength and imagination were sufficient, they could create various play styles within it.

The sixteen advancing players asked, “How many rounds of exams are there in total? If we win the next round, can we join the Wushuang Sect?”

They had already sensed the fun within the Wushuang Sect during the recruitment ceremony, and just the thought of potentially joining such a sect made their gaming experience in “Nine Heavens” incredibly appealing.

“There is one more round. The players who win the third round will receive an invitation for a retest. The retest will only have one round, and it will be personally tested by the leader of the Wushuang Sect,” Yimeng Xiaoyao replied.

“Ah? There’s a retest?” The players were taken aback.

“Of course,” Yimeng Xiaoyao said, “You are just the first batch, okay? Even if three people are selected from each batch, that would amount to thirty people after ten batches, so there must be a retest.”

Thinking about it, it made sense; there were simply too many people wanting to join the sect.

The advancing sixteen players eagerly anticipated making it through and meeting the legendary Dugu Zhuo, who had established such a sect; he must be an incredible person.

“Is there a place to wash up?” one player asked. “My face and hands are covered in paint.”

“No need,” a man in white clothes holding a black steed descended from the sky. With a gentle wave of his sleeve, all the paint on everyone disappeared.

This was the sect’s cleansing technique, used in conjunction with the formation. Ye Zhou had been learning to manipulate formations with Dugu Zhuo recently, and then used the cleansing technique embedded within the formation.

With the paint gone, the players felt much more comfortable. The eliminated players were guided down the steps by Long@Ao Tian and then followed Qingyue to the white tiger figurine stall.

These players almost all bought figurines, wanting to leave a memento of their participation in the second exam and their sense of belonging to the event.

After they left, Ye Zhou stood before everyone and said, “I am your examiner for the third round, the only elder of the Wushuang Sect.”

“You’re an elder, but what about them?” a player pointed at Ye Jian, Xiaoyao, and others nearby.

Ye Zhou pointed at Ye Jian: “He is the chief disciple of the Wushuang Sect and manages all the affairs of the sect. In the future, if anyone can join the sect, small matters will be decided by the senior brother; major matters will be decided by the leader and me.”

Senior brother Ye Jian felt elated after hearing this, gradually accepting his identity.

“Xilu!” The black horse neighed unhappily.

“Oh, this one is your second senior brother,” Ye Zhou indicated towards the black horse.

The black horse proudly raised its head, having made a brilliant decision by applying to join the sect first; these others still had to take exams, but it had already entered!

“What will the third round test?” the players asked.

Ye Zhou said, “The third round will test teamwork. Players will often team up to tackle dungeons or battle against other players, so team awareness is also essential. I will team up with your second senior brother; you all will form… why are there so many teams?”

Ye Zhou glared at Yimeng Xiaoyao. He had intended to leave one or two teams, but now there were a full sixteen people. How would he arrange this?

At that moment, a voice called out from behind Ye Zhou: “If it’s hard to organize, there’s no need to form teams. You sixteen will go together; I will battle against you, and the little horse can step down.”

The author has something to say: Players: Leader, why haven’t you appeared?

Dugu Zhuo: I’ve been back here carving white tiger figurines with my sword energy.

Players: Leader, then why did you show up early?

Dugu Zhuo: Can I just watch Ye Zhou team up with others? Ye Jian is doing it on purpose, right?