After the evening class, Xu Yunxi returned to the dormitory. Too hungry to even fill his growling stomach, he hurriedly took out the All-World Knowledge Token, activating it while asking his three roommates, “Can we play now? Can we play now?”
Zhang Congyue lowered his head, phantom images rising in his eyes. “Yes! Yes! We’ve all squeezed in!”
Today was the long-awaited official open beta of the large-scale virtual reality game *Lord of the Myriad Realms*, which had been heavily promoted by the True World. Countless beings had been eagerly anticipating this supposedly epoch-making experience!
Years after virtual reality technology had been widely used for martial arts training, there was finally a game that promised to let players experience different lives. Developed jointly by the Great Zhou Dynasty, which ruled over the Three Realms, and the “Tianyi Pavilion,” it could recreate an entirely new, intricately detailed, and seemingly real myriad of worlds!
In this game, beings would no longer be distinguished by race or status. Backgrounds were assigned completely at random, allowing players to luck into playing most roles in *Lord of the Myriad Realms*—whether as a sect disciple, a scion of a noble family, an oppressed demon or monster, or even a roadside flower or blade of grass—all contributing to the evolution of this virtual universe.
Xu Yunxi had everything ready except the final push. Without further ado, he focused on waiting to enter the game. Before long, the light and shadows before his eyes shifted, the dormitory transforming into a starry night sky, with himself standing at the center, as if the core of the universe.
“Loading data. Randomly assigning background. Please wait patiently.” A detached, lofty voice rang out, soothing Xu Yunxi’s inner impatience.
The wait felt like an eternity. To Xu Yunxi, those few seconds seemed like countless hours. Finally, the stars rearranged themselves into lines of text:
“You have been randomly assigned one of the highest-difficulty backgrounds.”
“In light of this, you may contact the game’s dedicated customer service hotline at any time for guidance. Number: XXXXXXX.”
“Once a background is generated, it cannot be changed until the character’s complete demise.”
“After the character’s demise, the player enters the reincarnation system.”
…
Xu Yunxi stared dumbfounded at these words. He hadn’t expected to be assigned one of the highest-difficulty backgrounds, setting him apart from the vast majority of players. He wasn’t sure whether this was good luck or bad.
As the text continued to form, Xu Yunxi pulled his thoughts together and focused intently. At this point, he had no choice but to accept it—might as well see if he could turn this into an advantage and become the “Lord of the Myriad Realms”!
“Character Background: Legitimate son of the Jiangdong Wang Clan, Young Master Wang Siyuan, nicknamed ‘He Who Calculates All Under Heaven’!”
…
The starry sky suddenly shattered, lines of text trailing dazzling light as they flew into Xu Yunxi’s mind, materializing into a corresponding character relationship chart.
Xu Yunxi jolted awake, sitting up abruptly. His lungs felt constricted, his throat itchy, and he couldn’t help but burst into violent, hacking coughs—so intense it felt like his heart and lungs were being torn apart, an experience he’d never had in his life.
A copper basin appeared before him, splattered with flecks of bright red. As Xu Yunxi recovered, he looked bewildered at the maid beside him—pretty, elegant, her face full of tender concern. “Young Master, did you have another nightmare?”
Young Master? Only then did Xu Yunxi realize he had entered the *Lord of the Myriad Realms* game. He marveled inwardly: *As expected of the first large-scale interactive virtual reality game—it doesn’t feel fake at all!*
With a thought, he summoned the holographic menu. Confirming he could log out, Xu Yunxi frowned slightly, a mix of worry, joy, and confusion on his face.
According to the earlier *Lord of the Myriad Realms* setting introduction, the status of the Jiangdong Wang Clan’s Young Master was one of immense prestige and nobility. Right from the start, he could learn the peerless-level technique *The Book of Calculations*, wield one of the strongest early-game treasures, the “Luoshu,” and synergize it with his real-life accumulation as a disciple of the “Ghost Valley Academy.” Such a background practically set him on the “easy difficulty” path for future development—so where did the “highest difficulty” come from?
Was it this body’s innate frailty?
“Ah, Young Master, the *Book of Calculations* is too formidable—it allows one to glimpse the secrets of heaven, and thus invites heaven’s envy. Frail and sickly, your lifespan will not exceed fifty. But if you can achieve the Dharmakaya before then, you will naturally turn death into life and break free from these shackles,” the maid sighed.
This maid clearly wasn’t a player but belonged to the “new player guides” mentioned in the earlier promotions, here to explain things in more detail… *Hmm, if I don’t achieve the Dharmakaya, I’ll die at fifty. That’s indeed a bit challenging. But if I can’t even reach the Dharmakaya by fifty, what’s the point of playing this game?* Xu Yunxi suddenly understood, his heart settling. Coughing twice, he said:
“Bring me something to soothe my throat.”
“Yes, Young Master.” The maid stepped aside and opened a food box—already prepared.
Watching the maid’s obedient demeanor, Xu Yunxi couldn’t suppress his delight. The background he’d been assigned could crush 99% of players. He was bound to make a grand splash in the future—what exhilaration! As for the so-called “highest difficulty,” it was completely acceptable.
“Ah!”
Just then, a piercing scream erupted, as if dredged from the darkest depths of every person’s heart, capable of summoning all savagery, cruelty, and madness.
Xu Yunxi couldn’t help but shudder, more terrified than if he’d met a ghost—a purely instinctive reaction.
“What was that sound?” he blurted after the scream faded.
The maid sighed. “Young Master, has your illness muddled your mind? Every ancestor of our Wang Clan who achieved the Dharmakaya let out a scream before their death, as if encountering something utterly horrifying. And… and it’s said they even turn into vengeful spirits.”
*Ah, so if I don’t achieve the Dharmakaya, I die at fifty. If I do achieve it, I’m cursed and meet a bad end?* Xu Yunxi’s heart sank, a sense of despair spreading.
*This really is the highest difficulty!*
Even though a “bad end” might not matter to a player, he couldn’t help but feel fear and dread!
Over the next few months, aside from martial training, Xu Yunxi immersed himself in *Lord of the Myriad Realms*, striving to carve out a sliver of hope for his “Young Master Wang” identity. Yet no matter how hard he worked, how he struggled, or how he calculated, he couldn’t see the dawn of hope. Before his eyes and in his dreams, chaotic, maddening shades of crimson seemed to run rampant—oppressive and despairing.
“Didn’t the Primordial Celestial of the Jade Void Palace say that all things under heaven hold a glimmer of hope? Since attaining the Dharmakaya is still beyond reach, perhaps I should seek guidance from the dedicated customer service.” Filled with frustration and gloom, Xu Yunxi dialed the customer service hotline.
After a brief wait, a holographic screen materialized before him, reflecting an elegantly furnished meditation chamber. Inside was a Go board covered in black and white stones, and behind it knelt a beautiful, youthful-looking man in white robes, his hair entirely silver, his face seemingly bloodless.
“You have questions about Wang Siyuan’s background?” the white-robed man asked with a faint smile.
*Why does this customer service rep have such an extraordinary aura? Is he a high-ranking member of the Tianyi Pavilion? And his delicate, sickly beauty—isn’t that Wang Siyuan’s trademark?* Though puzzled, Xu Yunxi voiced the question that had haunted him for so long: “…That’s right. It’s like being trapped in a dead end. No matter how I move, I can’t break free. What should I do?”
“Can’t break free?” The white-robed man picked up a black stone, as if to place it on the board. But suddenly, he released it. The stone fell like a meteor, crashing onto the board and scattering the game into disarray. “How about this?”
*How about this?* Xu Yunxi stared, suddenly seeing countless new possibilities emerge from the ruined board, breathing life into the game!
“This… this!” He sprang to his feet, face alight with joy. “If you can’t break free—smash the board!”
Rubbing his hands excitedly, he couldn’t wait to start calculating the specifics of “smashing the board.”
Just then, the white-robed man suddenly sobered and asked:
“What if the act of ‘smashing the board’ itself is part of the opponent’s game?”
*Part of the opponent’s game?* Xu Yunxi froze, his mind a muddled mess. He didn’t know how to answer, only sensing a faint sorrow and resignation in the other’s tone.
“Alright, that’s all the guidance for now.” Seeing Xu Yunxi’s reaction, the white-robed man shook his head, about to end the call.
Xu Yunxi snapped back to reality and blurted, “What should I call you?”
This didn’t seem like an ordinary customer service rep!
“Call me?” The white-robed man chuckled, coughing twice. “My customer service code name is ‘A Sliver of Hope.'”
*A Sliver of Hope?* Xu Yunxi was baffled, staring blankly as the light and shadows faded away.
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