The Path Toward Heaven

Ran Handong felt a bit surprised after she heard what Sha Yu said, wondering what kind of matter it was and why it had something to do with her father.

If it was her father who intended to collect data, why didn’t this Chairman Sha contact her directly through her family rather than visiting them through formal process?

Sha Yu didn’t explain, and Ran Handong didn’t inquire; it was because this matter was very important and needed to be kept secret, which naturally meant it should be known to no one.

“Thanks,” said Jing Jiu.

Sha Yu took out a chip from his bracelet and set it on the tea table, preparing to take his leave, though he couldn’t help but ask, “Please tell me…why did you choose the Twirling Rain Company?”

The Twirling Rain Company was indeed the largest gaming company on the Stargate Base, but there were at least three more gaming companies of the same size in the Federation of the Milky Way, and the backers of those gaming companies were from clans with thousands of years of history. If Jing Jiu intended to do something in the Federation of the Milky Way, those gaming companies were better choices than the Twirling Rain Company.

Jing Jiu didn’t give him an answer. Sha Yu left regretfully.

Looking at the chip on the tea table, Ran Handong asked, “What is it?”

“See you online.” Jing Jiu got up and went to the room next door.

There was a gaming compartment of the latest model in the room. Jing Jiu entered the gaming compartment and got in the game “The Path Toward Heaven”.

He hadn’t gone into the game since spending nine days setting up the characters at the hotel of the Stargate of University.

He went online and entered the game. The regular players had vanished from the game after he filtered the data and set up some blocking walls. The scenery in the game instantly became much more tranquil.

The chip was inserted into the finger ring and connected to the central server of the Twirling Rain Company. Countless data fell down like a waterfall against the background of the Green Mountain peaks.

These data were basic information about the players. The Twirling Rain Company had selected a few thousand suspicious accounts after analyzing the big data.

These so-called suspicious accounts were those that were in line with the conditions given by Ran Donglou. Even Sha Yu and the tech department of the Twirling Rain Company had no idea what those conditions were.

The players of those accounts might have stayed on Green Mountain for a prolonged period of time, or stood outside a manor cave in stupor, or traveled on a sword like a crazy man over the ocean of clouds.

It was obvious that Jing Jiu intended to find the other ascendants of Chaotian by means of this game.

Cultivation practitioners were usually without affection, but who would miss the opportunity to see Chaotian, where they had lived for a great many years?

Yet, Jing Jiu didn’t expect Ran Donglou to figure out his hidden intention.

Of course, not all of the players of these accounts were ascendants.

According to his own calculation, there were ten more ascendants in the Federation of the Milky Way; more than half of them would be drawn to the game.

The clouds and fog flew out from the peaks and condensed into a thick patch in the courtyard by the stream outside the town, blocking the views from outside.

As a draft of wind suddenly kicked up, a water mill on the stream started rotating slowly.

It was unclear when Ran Handong had sat on the mill as the water plopped down; it was an absurd scene.

“I thought it was the magic wheel,” said the young female officer with a slightly red face, trying her best to suppress her annoyance.

“There is no magic wheel in our world,” said Jing Jiu after he waved his hand to bring the data into the fog. “Let’s begin.”

…

…

Ran Handong was the most outstanding Cloud Ghost in the Federation of the Milky Way, to say nothing of Jing Jiu.

It didn’t take long before the two of them found more than thirty suspicious subjects from thousands of player accounts.

Jing Jiu threw Ran Handong out of the game mercilessly before he began checking them.

The players were from many places of the Federation of the Milky Way; some of them even hailed from the most barren and primitive planets.

It was very quiet inside the gaming compartment. Jing Jiu put on the interactive system with his eyes closed as if asleep as the ring on his finger cast a faint glow.

His awareness was drifting about in the interplanetary network along with the flow of the data. It passed through the small warped black holes and traveled back and forth among the great many solar systems at a speed faster than that of the light, invading the terminals of the players to look for the evidence to prove the player was an ascendant.

Some of the players appeared to be special, while some were deranged geniuses. However, they were humans of the Federation of the Milky Way, none of whom piqued his interest.

Some of the players appeared ordinary and unremarkable, but Jing Jiu remembered their locations in secret and made digital marks for them.

It was a pity that he found neither the Immortal Tan nor the Snow Girl.

…

…

The ever-lasting flowers could be seen in the Scenery Garden of the game, but the ever-lasting hotpot was nowhere to be found there. Perhaps it was for this very reason that the fog couldn’t last long; the scent there was not desirable either.

Jing Jiu didn’t go to Cloudy Town to eat hotpot, instead riding on his sword and traveling against the flowing clouds back to Green Mountain. He landed on the peak shrouded in the thickest clouds and fog.

It was Xingyun Peak, or the Sword Peak, the place where the All in One Sword had appeared; it was the foundation of the Green Mountain Sect.

The players would be few here even if the information were not blocked, and that because life here was too tedious and uncomfortable an experience to sense perceptive feedback here.

However, sensing said feedback was the reality on the Sword Peak, a daily experience…even though it was not a comfortable one.

Zhao Layue could have cultivated here for many years because her willpower was extraordinary. And the reason Jing Jiu could stay here was that the formidable sword wills on the peak could in no way harm him. On the other hand, the regular players couldn’t withstand all this. As such, the girl wearing a white dress with embroidered small flowers was quite conspicuous amid the desolate and barren cliffs.

The mountain wind came over, bringing the cries of the iron eagles with it. As her black hair was tousled, her snow-white and seemingly unreal face was exposed.

Jing Jiu came up next to her and followed her line of sight to look at a spot.

There were three grottoes on the cliff about three feet above the ground, which made them easy to sit on

One grotto was his, one was Zhao Layue’s, and another Ping Yongjia’s.

At that moment in the game, Ping Yongjia was sleeping with his eyes closed in the grotto or meditating.

After looking at him closely for a long while, the girl suddenly commented, “He is ugly.”

Even though Jing Jiu could calculate what would happen to Green Mountain in one hundred years, he didn’t expect her to have such an evaluation of the spirit of the All in One Sword. Jing Jiu uttered “hmm” to express his bewilderment.

“Our existence is more or less the imitation and copy of a human, be it our appearance or mind.”

The girl went on, “Which is why you’re very pretty, as am I. But why does he make himself look so ugly and fat?”

Jing Jiu returned, “Maybe he has never considered learning from and imitating humans in the first place; he thinks he is a human and therefore has no need to improve his appearance.”

Looking at Ping Yongjia in the grotto, the girl remarked, “I can’t agree with you on this; it’s because you’re a human, and he and I are the same.”

“Do you want me to call him out to meet you?” asked Jing Jiu.

The girl didn’t respond “Did you tell Ran Handong that you will side with them if I don’t support you?” she asked.

Jing Jiu said, “It’s not siding with them, but rather returning to them.”

“You’ve killed one of their important members,” said the girl. “Do you still think they will accept you?”

Jing Jiu turned around and came to the edge of the cliff. His line of sight passed through the clouds and fog and trained on the iron eagles gliding in the sky and the sword lights in the distance, which were all created and designed for the game.

The girl came next to him and looked ahead. As far as she could see, the clouds and fog had all dispersed, revealing the blue sky and the green and appealing peaks and fields.

The game “The Path Toward Heaven” employed a system that had a central part to control the separate data sections. The key data was all stored on the main server of the Twirling Rain Company, which the regular players couldn’t change at will. However, the main server and the separate data sections were nevertheless in the world of data and were a part of the interplanetary network.

She was the true god in this place, making her omnipotent here and able to see whatever she wished to see.

“This place is none other than Green Mountain.”

Jing Jiu went on, “They and I hailed from the same sect; hence, they have no reason to reject me because of a devil man from the Bloody Demon Church.”

“In that case, how can I believe you will betray them?” demanded the girl.

Jing Jiu didn’t say anything. He reached out his right hand and pointed forward.

A green bird flew over and landed on his palm.

The girl looked at the green bird and remained silent for a long time. “If our cooperation succeeds, you’ll give me the Green Sky Mirror,” she requested.

This green bird was not the real Green Girl. She looked at the girl curiously with her jet-black eyes, not knowing that she would be betrayed by Jing Jiu at any moment.

“Okay,” said Jing Jiu.

The green bird spun her head to shoot a glance at him.

…

…

The world in the game was indeed similar to the real world, especially the peaks of Green Mountain. It was probably because Jing Jiu had lived here for a long time.

Shenmo Peak pointed toward the sky desolately in the distance.

Shangde Peak was covered with snow.

Shiyue Peak and Xilai Peak faced each other silently.

A vague singing could be heard on Qingrong Peak.

The ocean of clouds on Tianguang Peak was both near and seemingly faraway. Though the ocean of clouds looked as if it was nearby, Jing Jiu couldn’t reach it with his feet when he sat on the cliff’s edge.

Sitting on the cliff’s edge, he had finally seen the person he was waiting for.

“The scenery is the same as before.”

General Li walked out from the hut.

Due to the design of the game, he didn’t wear a military uniform, nor did he wear the red overcoat. He wore a plain sword robe, looking somewhat like Liu Ci.

They were both the sect masters of Green Mountain; so it was not unusual for them to look alike.

Jing Jiu got up and bowed to him.