Natural Abode.
Mu Ya brought a set of woodworking tools – saws, axes, nails, chalk lines, and the like. Lin Zhao began to busy himself. He intended to make a square table for dining, one that could seat eight people. After all, the population at the Peak Villa was growing, and a small table would soon be insufficient. The eight-immortal table would have its legs and crossbars made from the wood of a twelfth-realm Blazing Maple, which felt incredibly smooth and was rich in spiritual energy. The tabletop, however, would be crafted from an eleventh-realm Water Birch.
“Sir.”
Niu Zhi, standing nearby, was puzzled. “Logically, Blazing Maple is the finest material. Wouldn’t it be best to make the entire eight-immortal table from Blazing Maple? Why use Water Birch for the tabletop?”
“It’s different.”
Lin Zhao rubbed his nose and smiled. “A Water Birch tabletop is traditional. It has the added bonus of Manager Tong Xiangyu.”
“Ah?”
Niu Zhi’s cherry lips parted, her expression one of utter confusion.
Lin Zhao continued his work, chuckling. “It’s a jest from my hometown. Don’t worry about it. If you don’t understand, it’s fine, it doesn’t matter.”
“Mm.”
Niu Zhi nodded with a smile.
Next, Lin Zhao began to make chairs. The chairs were entirely made from the materials of a Water Birch tree spirit, making them sturdy and durable. As for the blueprints, they were all downloaded from the internet. CAD drawings were quite reliable, and with a slight calibration in the game, they could be completed easily. Lin Zhao himself was sharp and quick-witted, grasping things instantly. After studying the blueprints for a while, he even understood the simple mortise and tenon joinery.
Niu Zhi, watching from the side, was filled with admiration. Her lord was truly remarkable, even understanding the principles of the Mohist school. It seemed he could no longer be fully described by his roles as a Confucian, a military strategist, or a sword cultivator; a quarter of a Mohist must now be added. Who else could handle this with such proficiency?
…
Shortly after, two stunning figures ascended the mountain – Leng Yan and Shen Xingchen.
“Why have you two come?”
Lin Zhao, having just completed a step, smiled. “You wouldn’t visit without a reason. Don’t tell me you’re here just for free food and drinks?”
Leng Yan pursed her lips and chuckled. “You guessed correctly!”
Shen Xingchen, holding her staff, added, “Ah Yan and I are nearing 60% hunger. So, we came to grab a bite to eat, and incidentally, to share a piece of gossip with you.”
“What gossip?”
“A new version is about to launch.”
Shen Xingchen’s dimples deepened as she smiled. “And, it might be the version you’ve been anticipating the most?”
“Ah?!”
Lin Zhao scratched his head. “I haven’t even figured out the last version yet. Since Bai Di City opened, I still don’t have a phantom beast. And now a new version? What version specifically?”
“The Realm system.”
Leng Yan said with a smile, “Within the next day or two, the system’s main map will undergo maintenance. A Tower of Realms will be spawned. Players can enter the Tower of Realms and challenge the endless mode. After completing it, they will receive corresponding realms. Once a realm is unlocked, it will bring numerous benefits. In short… it’s a must-play.”
“Finally, Realms!”
Lin Zhao clenched his fist, his spirits soaring as he laughed. “I can finally shed the title of a low-five-realm sword cultivator~~~”
Shen Xingchen and Leng Yan chuckled softly. Even Niu Zhi, who had understood some of it, covered her mouth and smiled beside them.
“Oh, Niu Zhi.”
Lin Zhao smiled. “Set a table at Natural Abode tonight. Have Dong Cang and Wang Yue prepare more good food. Tonight, it’ll be me, Miss Leng, Shen Xingchen, along with you, Mu Ya, Chu Yu, Chen Ben, Tong Yu, Wang Yue, and Dong Cang. We’ll squeeze in a bit and have a reunion dinner together.”
“Yes!”
Niu Zhi nodded with a smile. “Your subordinate will go and ask Dong Cang to prepare dinner.”
…
The dinner was a joyous affair. After dinner, the real-world time reached five in the evening, almost time for dinner in reality. Just then, a chime swept across the entire realm of Tian Xia. All players looked up, their gazes filled with anticipation. The new version had arrived so quickly!
“Ding!”
System Announcement: Players, please note that the system will enter maintenance in 30 minutes and will conclude maintenance at 12:00 AM tonight. Upon reopening, the [Realm] and [Sect] systems will be online! After the [Realm] system is launched, players who pay a certain price to enter the [Tower of Realms] and challenge endless mode will have their current strength estimated based on their challenge points, and will be granted a realm according to their strength. The higher a player’s realm, the higher the damage they will deal to Bosses and players below their realm, and the lower the damage they will receive. They will also gain certain abilities corresponding to their realm! After the [Sect] system is launched, players can freely choose a sect. Any mountain sect in Tian Xia, any organization established in Tian Xia, or any NPC of sufficient realm can become an object of sect selection, each with different disciple recruitment requirements. Upon successful apprenticeship, players will have the opportunity to learn corresponding skills, spells, and ultimate techniques! Wishing you all good luck!
…
“Damn…”
Lin Zhao looked up at the sky, a slight frown creasing his brow. “This is interesting. Not only realms, but even the sect system is here. Tsk tsk… Tian Xia is completely taking a diversified route, isn’t it?”
“Mm.”
Leng Yan nodded. “With the launch of the realm and sect systems, players’ development directions will indeed become more diverse. Especially the sect system. Unlike previous games that might have a limited number of twelve sects, it seems Tian Xia’s sects have no upper limit. There could be thousands upon thousands. I wonder if the server can handle it, that’s quite a load.”
Shen Xingchen’s dimples deepened as she smiled. “That’s not something we need to worry about. We should be concerned about how to improve ourselves. Especially the sect system. With this kind of setup, some players will surely choose to apprentice with demonic or ghost NPCs, and their own faction might even change. Player infighting will then be expedited.”
“It should only be a minority.”
Lin Zhao frowned. “I believe most players can discern what’s right. They’ll prioritize sects and cultivators on the human side of Tian Xia. As for anyone who joins the Northern Four Clans, there’s nothing to say. They’ll truly become sworn enemies.”
“Mm.”
Shen Xingchen smiled. “So, with both the realm and sect systems launching, there will be more variables. Perhaps our Crimson Moon Knights will also face more challenges.”
“In any case…”
Lin Zhao turned to look at the two beautiful young women. “Xingchen, A Yan, I hope that in our Crimson Moon Knights and Sheng Tian, no one will choose an opposing faction in the future. We can’t control who others join, but we can manage our own people. I don’t want my sword to one day cut down someone from our own side. How agonizing would that be!”
“Don’t worry!”
Shen Xingchen and Leng Yan nodded with a smile.
“Log off, let’s go eat.”
“Okay~~~”
…
As the system was about to undergo maintenance, the members of the Crimson Moon Knights studio also logged off one by one and gathered downstairs. The sound of Wang Ju stir-frying could be heard from the kitchen, with Chen Xue and Mo Chenxue helping out. Roman, however, insisted on dragging Lin Zhao to play table tennis, saying she wanted to “witness her brother’s prowess.” Ding Chi and Zhang Jun raised their eyebrows and followed to watch the spectacle.
Roman had exquisite, beautiful short hair, wore a well-fitting T-shirt, and a pair of short shorts, making her long, slender legs fully visible. She wore white sneakers and bounced around while playing. For a moment, Ding Chi and Zhang Jun were filled with longing. A man’s life would be complete if he could have such a girlfriend.
They looked at Lin Zhao. He served with a calm and collected demeanor, using a deceptive body block serve that instantly defeated Roman. He then grinned, shamelessly saying, “Slow down, 11:0. A bit boring, don’t you want to bet something?”
Roman, drenched in sweat, pouted and looked at him. “Bet what?”
“One hundred universal coins per game?”
“Let’s do it!”
The young girl was unconvinced. She lowered her stance, her beautiful eyes fixed on Lin Zhao, determined to hit the ball this time.
During dinner, Lin Zhao received seven 100-yuan universal coins from Roman, his smile stretching so wide his mouth almost split open. Roman sat to the side, huffing angrily. Shen Xingchen and Chen Xue couldn’t bear to watch him. As the leader of the Crimson Moon Knights, he only knew how to bully the guild leaders under him every day. Had he no shame? Yet, the two of them were also quite puzzled. Lin Zhao was actually very good to every girl in the studio. He treated Shen Xingchen and Chen Xue with respect. He was like a half-brother to Mo Chenxue, not too close, not too distant, but would subtly guide her when she had something on her mind. Only to Roman was he exceptionally cruel and merciless.
Perhaps this was Lin Zhao’s way of handling things. He treated each person differently. Precisely, it was this way of his that allowed him to maintain a certain distance with Roman, not too close, but not so distant that Roman would feel sad and estrange him.
Halfway through dinner, Shen Xingchen pushed her phone forward, projecting holographic images of some version details. “Some settings for the realm system have been released.”
Lin Zhao narrowed his eyes and looked. It was a calculation formula –
For players and bosses below one’s realm: Additional damage dealt (Realm difference) x10%, damage taken reduced (Realm difference) x10%
“Hmm, interesting.”
He smiled slightly. “So, it means that an eleventh-realm player fighting a sixth-realm player can deal an additional 50% damage and reduce the damage received from them by 50%. It’s the same for bosses, right?”
“Yes.”
Shen Xingchen nodded. “For the top players in the national server, like yourself, Lin Zhao, the damage reduction effect should already exceed 30%?”
“Mm, 32%!”
“So, this means if you are eleventh realm and fighting a fourth-realm player, the opponent hitting you won’t deplete your health. As long as the realm difference is large, low-realm players might be unable to damage high-realm players.”
“Impressive.”
Ding Chi said, “The effect on bosses is the same. Does this mean the difficulty of tackling bosses has decreased?”
“More or less.”
Lin Zhao smiled. “Previously, players were in a no-realm state. Even fighting Earth-grade bosses was challenging, and Heaven-grade bosses were even harder. If players gain realms by conquering the Tower of Realms, and realm suppression becomes less of a factor, the pressure of fighting tenth or eleventh realm bosses will be greatly reduced. In short, players’ realms are definitely a must-conquer. Without it, there’s no gameplay.”
Chen Xue smiled. “Later, everyone should rest, and then rush the Tower of Realms overnight to get their respective realms first?”
“Mm!”
Everyone nodded in unison.
Lin Zhao took a deep breath, his heart filled with hope. He could finally shed the title of a low-five-realm sword cultivator. As for how high he could go, that would depend on what this endless mode was like.