"Ah?"
Little Stone also ran out and looked at the "decapitated" stone lion, momentarily disbelieving.
Lin Zhao frowned.
Around him, a group of adults were comforting Lin Zhao.
"Lin Zhao, it's okay. This stone lion must have taken a disaster for you. The stone lion is gone, but your calamity has also passed."
"Yes, yes, it's fine now, don't be sad."
"What a shame, your father had the craftsman carve this for many days, and it's gone just like this."
"Lin Zhao, don't be sad, come to Aunt Ma's house for breakfast tomorrow morning. We're having fried dough sticks with fennel sauce noodles in the morning."
...
Lin Zhao thanked the elders of the backstreet one by one, but his heart was still heavy.
Just then, a middle-aged soldier came out and said, "Lin Zhao, since the stone lion is already in two pieces, and your Lin family is no longer a prominent mansion, there's no point in keeping it here. I'll have someone come over to drag away these two large stones to build fortifications for the front line. What do you think?"
Lin Zhao frowned, helpless, "Uncle Li, you decide..."
"Alright, I'll have people come to move the stones now."
...
By this time, quite a few people had gathered to watch the excitement. Some were even holding bowls of noodles, slurping them as they chatted and laughed with their neighbors about the stone lion. The townspeople were simple and honest; any small incident was enough for them to chat about for a long time. The stone lion being split in two was an even bigger event.
Amidst the crowd, a woman in green smiled slightly and turned to leave.
However, as she passed the stone bridge, she saw a person standing there in a grey and white scholar's robe. It was Qin Suihan, the owner of the bookshop.
"Oh, Mr. Qin!"
Zhao Yan smiled and was about to greet him when Qin Suihan slowly stepped forward. Suddenly, the surrounding stone bridge, trees, and houses all disappeared. Only Zhao Yan and Qin Suihan stood in a chaotic world. Zhao Yan felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave, her heart growing cold. At that moment, she had fallen into a world created by Qin Suihan. Being at his mercy, with him holding all the power, was precisely the feeling.
As for the cultivators in the world, anyone who could step out a small world with one foot was a renowned figure. It had to be at least the Star River realm of the tenth level; it couldn't be lower. Neither the Golden Core realm of the eighth level nor the Nascent Soul realm of the ninth level possessed such ability. And this middle-aged scholar, who usually had a kind smile, what was his realm and who was he?
What great skill could one possess by guarding a mere bookshop?
Zhao Yan thought this but dared not believe it, because at this moment, killing her was as easy as lifting a hand for Qin Suihan.
"Mr. Qin..."
Zhao Yan's voice trembled slightly. "Why... why is this?"
"Why?"
Qin Suihan clasped his hands behind his back, his expression quite stern. "Zhao Yan, as a spiritual cultivator who has already left the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool, you should not interfere with the matters of the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool anymore. Hmph, for two consecutive days, a Lightning Summoning Talisman and a Sword Illuminating Talisman. Do you, Zhao Yan, really think you've done this flawlessly and without anyone knowing?"
"I..."
Zhao Yan gritted her teeth. "Mr. Qin, what do you want?"
"What do I want?"
Qin Suihan's expression was calm. "With your Lightning Summoning Talisman, you ruined Lin Zhao's livelihood. With your Sword Illuminating Talisman, you destroyed a piece that Lin Zhengxi left behind to protect his wife and child. You want to kill Lin Zhao so badly? Are all of you Zhao family members so black-hearted? Zhao Jin was defeated when he went into the mountains to kill Lin Zhao, and Lin Zhao only cut off his arm without killing him. Your Zhao family is still so aggressive. Do you truly believe no one is watching over this Snow Domain Heavenly Pool?"
Under his imposing gaze, Zhao Yan could no longer hold on. She fell to her knees with a thud. "Zhao Yan... Zhao Yan begs Mr. Qin to punish me. Whatever the price, I am willing to bear it."
"You may."
Qin Suihan waved his sleeve, and a bloodline burst open at Zhao Yan's brow. Her cultivation realm plummeted straight from the sixth level to the fifth level.
For a moment, Zhao Yan's face contorted in pain. "Mr. Qin, do you really have to do this? It's not easy for cultivators to ascend step by step... How much suffering and humiliation did I, Zhao Yan, endure to break through from the lower five realms to the middle five realms? For such a worthless and ordinary boy like Lin Zhao, you are willing to cut off Zhao Yan's path of cultivation?"
Qin Suihan couldn't help but let out a cold laugh. "Firstly, you are not a cultivator. Secondly, Lin Zhao is by no means worthless. Immediately get out of Heavenly Pool Ridge. If you dare to offend again, I will show no mercy."
"Since that is the case, Zhao Yan will leave..."
Zhao Yan knelt on the ground.
Qin Suihan turned and left. The world began to clear. The stone bridge, trees, and houses reappeared in the mist, and Qin Suihan was nowhere to be seen. The neighbors on the backstreet saw Zhao Yan alone, kneeling there with her sword drawn, looking utterly bewildered.
"Isn't that the Zhao family's daughter?"
"Yes, wasn't Zhao Yan taken away by an old immortal many years ago to learn magic and cultivate in the mountains? She's considered half an immortal now, so why is she suddenly kneeling here?"
"Is it really Zhao Yan?"
For a moment, Zhao Yan's face was filled with shame and indignation. Without a word, she turned her sword and went down the mountain, not even bothering to greet Zhao Tai or Zhao Jin.
...
Afternoon.
Lin Zhao was fishing, and Little Stone was also holding a short bamboo rod, learning to fish with Lin Zhao. The harvest was good today. Not long after, the fish caught from fishing and the V-shaped trap combined totaled four or five catties. So, Lin Zhao put down his fishing rod and took Little Stone to practice boxing on the bank of the White Fish Creek. They stood in a horse stance together. Little Stone was learning extremely diligently, practicing with great verve. His movements were already showing some semblance of the form.
Soon after, a group of people arrived from the south of the town. There were a total of ten people, eight men and two women. Among them, the woman walking in front held a staff inlaid with white gems, and her white magic robe outlined a very graceful and alluring figure. With bright eyes and white teeth, she was incredibly beautiful. The woman walking beside her was in soft armor with a long sword on her back, exuding an imposing aura.
As for the men, some carried long swords, some rode warhorses, and some carried long bows. None of them seemed like ordinary individuals. They all looked at Heavenly Pool Town with novelty and excitement on their faces.
"We've finally arrived."
A rather handsome man smiled slightly and said to the even more beautiful woman, "Xingchen, this is Heavenly Pool Ridge, the stationed place of the Heavenly Pool Army. In the game 'Tianxia,' this place was previously called Snow Domain Heavenly Pool, said to be the place where the celestial maiden Mingyuechi ascended. In the 'Yueheng' game over a hundred years ago, this was definitely a sacred land."
The woman smiled faintly and said nothing.
A middle-aged warrior with a battle axe on his back chuckled. "Su Xinghe, there's no need to be so attentive, is there? You, the Alliance Leader of the Xinghe Guild, haven't even spared us a glance along the way, but you're so enthusiastic about Shen Xingchen. Tsk, does she even pay attention to you?"
Su Xinghe frowned. "Yi Shi Cang Liang, speak less sarcastically. I heard your Canglong Guild is frantically recruiting new members on the pre-set platform of 'Tianxia.' Hmph... You're also determined to win. It seems the competition for the number one guild in the world will not be without your Canglong Guild."
"Tsk tsk..."
The heroic woman with the long sword on her back smiled slightly. "Let's stop arguing among ourselves, shall we? It's only the internal test for now. There are only ten of us in the entire game. What's there to argue about? The resources are all ours; we can play however we want. As internal test players, our biggest advantage is being able to understand the game first and explore its deeper settings and monster settings."
"That's right."
Shen Xingchen smiled faintly, her smile like spring breeze melting an autumn pond. "Let's just enjoy the experience of the internal test."
...
In the distance, Lin Zhao, who was practicing his horse stance, frowned. He could understand what these people were saying, yet he couldn't. When he tried to carefully comprehend words like "internal test," "Tianxia," and "guild," his head began to ache. At this moment, these people were walking towards him.
"There's an NPC."
The man named Su Xinghe smiled. "I'll go ask for some information."
He stepped forward, clasped his hands lightly, and said, "My name is Su Xinghe, and I am from the Great Shang Dynasty in the south. There are ten of us, known as the Ten People of the World. May I ask, young brother, have there been any recent movements from the demon or devil races in the north?"
Lin Zhao frowned. "I haven't been down North Mountain recently, so I don't know."
"Oh, then may I ask... are there any teleportation points and inns here?"
Lin Zhao became even more confused. "I don't know what you're talking about..."
"Never mind."
Shen Xingchen stepped forward, looked at Lin Zhao, and smiled. "Let's just go into town and see if there are any NPCs to take quests from."
"Yeah, right!"
The group of people brushed past Lin Zhao.
Lin Zhao looked back at the woman named Shen Xingchen. Her voice was gentle and beautiful, and she was also good-looking, even more so than Chen Yu. However... she didn't seem like someone from this world, ethereal and a bit strange.
Never mind, he'd continue practicing his boxing.
Lin Zhao opened his stance. With continuous practice, his boxing intent became stronger and stronger, his boxing principles clearer, and the resulting boxing energy grew more ferocious. He was making rapid progress every day. As for Little Stone beside him, he was also practicing with great concentration. In fact, after only a day or two of practice, Lin Zhao already felt that Little Stone's talent for boxing was only average, even slightly worse than his own. However, he was diligent. Once he started practicing, Little Stone only had boxing in his heart, with no distractions. In this way, he might not be unable to achieve great things in the future.
...
Real world.
Su City, S District, Treatment Base.
Lin Zhao was still lying quietly in the game pod. His other self in a different world was diligently practicing boxing. Beside the game pod, Murong Feiyue sat in a chair, holding a control panel. With her slender fingers sliding, holographic images of game content appeared before her eyes. She frowned slightly and said, "Have the so-called 'Ten People of the World' participating in the internal test all entered the game?"
"Yes!"
Ding Chi said from the side, "They are all in the game. Most maps are not open during the internal test. The main open maps are the capital of the Great Shang Dynasty and Heavenly Pool Ridge. If nothing unexpected happens, they should be able to see Lin Zhao in Heavenly Pool Ridge."
"This..."
Murong Feiyue frowned. "Can we contact these internal test players? I want to know about Xiao Zhao's situation in the game through them."
"No."
Ding Chi shook his head. "The identities of internal test players are absolutely confidential. Unless an application is submitted to the United Earth Government, there is no permission to inquire. Sister Feiyue, let's just wait. There's no rush."
"Okay."
Murong Feiyue nodded. "I'm going to sleep for a while. You watch Xiao Zhao, and I'll take over tomorrow."
"Alright, go to sleep."
Ding Chi sat down with a thud, looked at Lin Zhao in the game pod, and said with ambition, "Ah Zhao, keep up the good work. Get more game bugs and secret information. When we brothers enter the game, we'll dominate and make a name for ourselves!"