Chapter 221: Starting Today, I

"So you know, huh?" Noticing Feng Xue's expression, everyone present sighed; Guhui directly said:

"It seems our earlier hypothesis was correct: if we can't win within three years, this world will introduce new variables for both sides. With each new Hero's appearance, the old Heroes gain new power, while we only gain slightly more strength through our projections—our true bodies must still cultivate slowly. If things continue like this, the day our projections can unleash their full power will be the day the Heroes' strength matches ours—and then everything will be over."

"A version update, huh?" Feng Xue felt he might have crossed into some "Fourth Catastrophe"-style worldview. He was about to ask more, when suddenly he felt a "summons"…

"Oh, looks like they've arrived." Seeing the change in Feng Xue's aura, Dobio immediately spoke:

"Don't panic—it's probably your Tower been found. This is your first appearance. Your opponent will be just five, nothing compared to the twenty or fifty later on. You won't actually die, so relax. Also, these early challenges are mostly old Heroes—they're far stronger than you. But better hide some moves; it'll make later fights easier. Oh, and remember to perform—otherwise you'll be forced to perform…"

"So this important thing should've been told earlier…"

Before Feng Xue could finish speaking, he and Liu Yunxi, clinging to him, vanished from the spot—leaving only a three-meter-tall, empty giant sack.

…

"Holy shit! This boss is so cool!"

"The art style's off! How's a cultivation boss supposed to look like an alien? And that white snake—why does it feel so weird?"

"Clearly just patched-together assets. This company's probably planning to bail. Even that new class they made—zero cultivation vibe. Just slapped martial-magic skills onto a Chinese skin with no sincerity at all…"

Feng Xue opened his eyes to a chorus of chattering voices. His gaze swept across a group of people standing nearby, all lacking any lifespan indicator above their heads.

"Just as Dobio said—five-man dungeon! Their gear's flashy: two warriors, one archer, the other two with staves—can't tell who's the priest and who's the mage…"

Feng Xue quickly assessed the situation, then noticed—his own head also had no lifespan indicator.

"So this is what they call projection combat?" Feng Xue stretched his body, feeling an unprecedented fluidity.

After all, his 【Monster X】 shell was fundamentally Wuyou's 【Performance Method】, but this projection felt like a true physical body.

As Feng Xue mused internally, Mo Ying's voice suddenly sounded:

"Strange—I suddenly got the feeling all my abilities can now only target one person, and each use requires a cooldown…"

"Same here!" Liu Yunxi, coiled around Feng Xue's shoulder, whispered softly:

"I only have my demonic power enhancement left—but I wonder if it'll change after your transformation…"

"Don't think about it—you can't transform now," Feng Xue glanced at Liu Yunxi, yet her head bore no 【Mouth-Seal】 tag.

Nor did he have his usual string of spell "shortcuts." The Hu Tian Bag could still be used, but nothing could be retrieved from it.

Fortunately, the qi flowing within his "body" was now far easier to control.

"So this is gamification? This is the nerf Dobio mentioned? But for me, maybe it's a buff? Perfect timing—just when I needed it!"

Thinking this, Feng Xue grinned. He'd originally molded the Faith Seed into Kitamura precisely to swap his "shell." After all, in the Folklore World's cultivation path, the ultimate goal is to condense faith into a body, letting the soul dwell inside and become a Yin Spirit—even the extinct Yang Spirit merely replaced external faith with self-generated primordial energy or qi.

So Feng Xue's bold idea was to use this Faith Seed to forge himself a "physical body," attain Yin Spirit status while still alive, then gradually replace the borrowed faith within it with his own qi, primordial energy, and vows. In the common tropes of cultivation novels, this would be an "External Path Nascent Soul" (Note ①).

As he pondered how to exploit this world's mechanics, the Heroes' voices reached him again—

"Why's this boss just standing there?"

"First time exploring? This game works like this—the boss just broke his seal. If you hit him now, he'll instantly kill you, then deliver a monologue. Don't want to respawn? Wait a bit. According to the experts, this is the dungeon's first run, validating files. This game's so massive—bugs are inevitable, right?"

"More interesting: how's this alien-looking thing even connected to cultivation? The art styles don't match!"

"Who knows? The first big update introducing the class system had werewolves and vampires!"

Watching the players chatter, Feng Xue realized—he'd truly crossed into some game. Whether it was a Fourth Catastrophe world guided by a system-stream transmigrator, or a game-realm constructed by a higher narrative entity, he should perform now—or else, as Dobio warned, he'd be forced to perform.

Though curious about what background this world would assign him, he decided: others writing his backstory? Better to write his own.

Thinking this, Feng Xue activated his dramatic talent, channeling his restricted projection qi to cast a Petrification Spell on himself. As the stone shell—matching the Monster X's color—began forming, he halted the spell. His body twisted, the newly formed stone peeling away from his skin like a statue slowly coming to life.

"Finally! Finally revived! Not fully yet—but it doesn't matter! You insignificant ants! As a reward for awakening me, I shall grant you a painless death! Aaang—"

With a roar like a rumbling engine, Feng Xue lunged forward, his bestial claws aimed at the backline.

"Shit! I forgot this game's CG can attack!"

The shield-wielding player shouted as he raised his shield, bellowing:

"You bastard!"

Feng Xue had no intention of responding—but the instant the words left the player's mouth, an irresistible force struck him. His claw, originally aimed at the backline, twisted violently, nearly sending him sprawling, and slammed into the spiked, monstrous shield.

With a dull crash, the boss battle began!

(End of Chapter)