Chapter 68: Chapter Seventy; Xin Wang Shi Jie

【Heartnet—Connection】

"Welcome to Xin Wang Shi Jie."

A friendly female voice sounded; the friendly female voice was not electronic, but a genuine human voice.

However, Luofeng hadn't expected that this was actually a real person conversing with him.

Hello, Luofeng, I am customer service ddd196458. Since this is your first official entry into Xin Wang Shi Jie, please confirm your basic settings and personal information to complete the registration setup.

Would you like to skip the assistance tutorial?

Do not skip.

The personal information entry for Heartnet was already confirmed when filling out the entry agreement; the most basic information cannot be changed.

As for many extended contents, such as avatars, signatures, hobbies, etc., these extended contents can be freely changed according to one's needs.

And the basic settings contain not much: the style of the operation interface, the setting of information confidentiality level, whether the auxiliary voice function is manual or intelligent, etc.

Intelligent voice and human voice are essentially no different; on the contrary, intelligent voice can switch to various tones, and smart people know how to choose.

After completing the registration setup, the next step is to officially enter the Heartnet world.

【Chu Sheng Zhi Ting: the birthplace of Xin Wang Shi Jie, and also the birthplace of everyone who enters Xin Wang Shi Jie, is a sacred place for communicating between heaven and earth.】

Along with the auxiliary prompt tone, a light-blue light curtain also appeared in the upper right of Luofeng's field of view, displaying the introductory text.

Besides the gorgeous scenery of Chu Sheng Zhi Ting, what Luofeng paid attention to naturally was the function or significance of Chu Sheng Zhi Ting.

When Luofeng first came into contact with the World Tree, he knew that the World Tree had faith; all Nature Spirits and most members of the World Tree believed in an existence called the 'World Spirit,' which is the earth, the spirit of all things, the mother of the world, or simply the world itself.

Luofeng is an atheist and is not interested in such fortune.

According to Babata, there are far too many powerful beings in the universe; for earthly life alone, the strong ones in the sky are gods, the world of martial arts has no end, anyone could be a sentient being, anyone could also be a god.

Besides rest and recreation, the main function of Chu Sheng Zhi Ting is to draw near to that existence of faith; this is the temple of the faithful, the hall of pilgrims.

After experiencing so much, Luofeng couldn't help but want to go see; Luofeng had a premonition that many of his doubts could be resolved there.

Temporarily opening the map, there are three other places on the map.

【World Library】

【Dream World】

【Virtual Arena】

The World Library had also been opened in Dragon Gate before; at that time it was still called the Great Library, and the Xin Wang Shi Jie Library is not merely a name change.

In Dragon Gate, one could only enter the library via a fixed virtual link, but once everyone had the Heartnet frontend, they could naturally enter the library at any time and place.

At the same time, the library opened an external lending function; only a fee of one Dragon Gate coin is needed, and the books inside the library can be projected outward via the Heartnet frontend, allowing viewing at any time without entering the virtual world.

From the introduction, the library's book lending also set up a contribution threshold; some higher-value books require reaching a certain contribution level before they can be borrowed.

【Virtual Arena】

Similar to the fusion of Dragon Gate's life-and-death arena and the Challenge Tower, but here probably only full virtual mode can be used.

Combat is the stepping stone for martial artists to advance; if someday monsters are completely eradicated, wanting to experience suitable combat would only come here.

After briefly looking over the introductions of the three areas, Luofeng ultimately clicked into 【Dream World】.

【Dream World】 introduction: Our second world, our paradise.

After lightly tapping 【Dream World】, Luofeng, who had originally still been standing at the gate of Chu Sheng Zhi Ting, gradually dissipated; in Luofeng's sight, the surrounding scene slowly blurred and then reconstructed.

Reaching out, one could touch the clouds; the gaze could not reach the end of the abyss; the ground was like a beach soaked by seawater; like a slide, a rainbow.

In the boundless world, many planes could be seen in the distance: some like spherical planets, some like floating islands, some like flying warships, some like mountains hanging upside down.

Among them, various people could be faintly seen, either freely enjoying themselves or working meticulously.

The pop-up window in the upper right of the view contained all the functions of 【Dream World】: appreciating scenery, enjoying food, virtual games, artistic creation; seemingly everything conceivable in reality can be achieved in 【Dream World】.

However, here it is not limited to enjoyment; together with real-time office work of the real world, intelligently controlled machinery that can be operated remotely, or services like a personal voice assistant working in 【Dream World】.

In the upper left of the view there is also a warm reminder: please distinguish reality from dream, do not become overly silent in the virtual.

Below the prompt, a more conspicuous font marks a flowing number——01:56:32

The next second, the last 32 became 31.

If attention is focused downward, a few more lines of detailed explanation will appear.

To maintain mental health when entering Xin Wang Shi Jie, each person has only two hours of free time per day in the 【Dream】 world, and eight hours of work time. Work time cannot be changed; free time can be extended using Dragon Gate coins, but each hour of extension causes the cost to rise by a geometric multiple.

After a simple try of its entertainment, many facilities charge a certain fee, and many also offer positions; the experience made Luofeng enjoy himself, and the spending is not considered luxurious for ordinary people.

This world truly lives up to its name——it is a dream-like world.

In the blink of an eye, Luofeng actually used up his two hours; feeling that it was not enough, he was already transmitted back to Chu Sheng Zhi Ting.

Chu Sheng Zhi Ting is not as colorful as Dream World, but it exudes a tranquil beauty that brings peace of mind; the originally somewhat restless mood gradually calmed down.

Luofeng looked at the giant tree in the center of Chu Sheng Zhi Ting that connects heaven and earth; the more his gaze focused, the warmer and calmer he felt, and after a long while it felt ordinary.

Baba's said concerns have already been mostly dispelled in Luofeng's mind; as for the remaining answers, I hope they can be found here.

At the center of Chu Sheng Zhi Dian is Shen Shu Zhong Ting.

Every martial artist who officially joins the World Tree needs to come here to perform the oath ceremony.

Martial artists from the Extreme Martial Hall and Thunder Martial Hall who have been merged did not undergo this procedure, but they also bear this obligation.

Before swearing allegiance to the Divine Tree Jian Mu, martial artists like Luofeng could only be considered non-staff; many secrets inside the World Tree could not be accessed, and many internal benefits could not be enjoyed.

The same policy applies not only to martial artists; all Heartnet civilians being opened up are likewise the same—after completing the oath ceremony they will gain more conveniences, of course also needing to bear some responsibilities.

The content of the oath is also transparent and public; it matches the World Tree's external image quite well, except for some conspiracy theories, most people do not reject the oath's content.

Luofeng stepped into Shen Shu Zhong Ting; the scenery around was far less dreamy and splendid than that in 【Dream World】, but the simple scenery and fresh air made people feel refreshed and delighted.

Subtle sounds, the scent of the wind, bright light—this place is like the virtual border, where dream and reality intersect; even Luofeng cannot tell whether this is real or illusory.

Luofeng withdrew his gaze from the Divine Tree Jian Mu; under the tree, in the center of the lawn, a small boy with black pupils and green hair sat squatting, seemingly playing with the surrounding butterflies.

Luofeng slowly approached, looking at this boy who was really ordinary; aside from the hair color being a bit strange, there was no difference from a normal child.

Luofeng's gaze was unconsciously drawn to the butterfly dancing gracefully, the blue butterfly bearing black and white patterns, dancing and, at different angles, raising different-colored light spots; air currents flowed in mid-air into various shapes, refracting different colors.

The more Luofeng watched, the more he became absorbed; the more he watched, the finer the details became. This seemed not just a dance, but also music, and also a painting being brushed with colors.

Even finer, in colors humans cannot see, in scents humans cannot smell, in wavelengths humans cannot hear, this performance continues, as if crafting a one-of-a-kind artwork of the world.

Perhaps one could go deeper still, beyond human sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell… this performance seems to be creating a tiny world.

Luofeng's perception seemed to have reached its end, leaving only endless darkness, when Luofeng awoke again from the darkness.

Under the tree, on the lawn, a little boy, and the dancing butterflies.

"Nice to meet you, I am Jian Mu."

Luofeng stared blankly for a moment before coming to his senses.

"Hello, Jian Mu, I am Luofeng."

"What was that just now?"

Jian Mu smiled faintly and replied:

"That is the world I see, and also the path to be taken after reaching the planetary stage."

"The path after the planetary stage?"

Luofeng had only just begun to come into contact with cultivation after the planetary stage, and his understanding of this came entirely from his master's legacy and the teachings passed down by Babata.

"The fundamental laws constituting the Universe are metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, lightning, and light; they are also called the eight lesser laws by civilizations in the Universe. Comprehending the world's development is the key to cultivation after the planetary stage."

"Just as our touch can feel a wooden stick, feel a sword, the deeper our perception of the world, the deeper our understanding, the sharper the weapons we can wield become."

Jian Mu's explanation was very accessible, and Luofeng nodded in sudden realization.

"Well, let's take the oath first?" Jian Mu showed a smile that looked childlike.

Luofeng nodded again.

Having already come here, Luofeng had no intention of refusing the oath.

"I swear, I willingly join the World Tree, to be friends with nature, to coexist with Earth… forever cherish companions, forever love Earth… praise the land that nurtures us."

The oath's content was not strange, nor was it strict.

For Luofeng, saying it was only natural was not an overstatement, but as the oath's words left his mouth, his hidden fondness for the World Tree unconsciously increased a bit.

The oath ended.

Jian Mu looked at Luofeng, blinked, and said:

"You came here with many questions?"

Luofeng nodded.

"Do you still have many questions now?"

Luofeng shook his head and replied:

"Most of them have been resolved."

Jian Mu laughed, began to play with the surrounding dancing butterflies again, and at the same time replied: "If you have any doubts, please ask; I will answer within my duties."

"Is this how you treat all martial artists who come here?"

Jian Mu smiled and replied: "Of course not."

"In front of most ordinary people I need to maintain sufficient dignity and mystery, so of course I cannot be like this."

"Just like your human nation's leaders, when they go out for inspections they cannot possibly meet every ordinary civilian, patiently answering each of their questions."

Luofeng nodded, accepted Jian Mu's answer, and continued to ask:

"So I am quite different?"

Jian Mu's expression remained focused on the butterfly:

"Just like me, because of my special nature, I have been favored and became Jian Mu, just as you know Chén Chén, he will be the future master of the World Tree; this is the same principle."

"As for what kind of special, you humans have a saying: Dao follows nature, heaven and man are one. The closer we get to Him, the more He favors us; the more our actions and understanding align with Him, the more He will love us."

Luofeng did not have his doubts cleared by Jian Mu's words, because he himself believed he had done far too many remarkable things compared to those around him.

Jian Mu obviously knew Luofeng would not understand, so he continued to explain:

"Of course, you can also understand it as Heaven feeling that you will repay in the future, so now it invests in you; the giving and reaping could be that He gives first, then expects your return."

"In this world, there will always be some children favored by fate on the mountains, but fate's favor is not without reason; at least we should also be grateful to fate."

Luofeng nodded thoughtfully; this explanation was not unacceptable.

"There is still a doubt about the Heartnet."

Luofeng appropriately changed his wording, and his tone became that of seeking advice.

"Can the Heartnet affect the outside world?"

Jian Mu stopped moving the butterfly in his hand, looked at Luofeng, his surprised expression written on his face like a child's.

"That's right, you seem to have an intelligent life by your side; was it that which said this?"

Luofeng secretly startled, indeed you know of Babata's existence?

"Saying it has an influence is actually reasonable, just like the signal emitted by the communication device we use; a world filled with signals and a world without signals are naturally different."

"The composition of the Heartnet follows the same principle, only the Heartnet's composition is more complex, and the signals it uses are more complex and dense."

"As for the influence that your intelligent life spoke of, you wouldn't want one day to have an intelligent life like that or a higher civilization come to Earth and easily invade and obtain all information on Earth, would you?"

Luofeng nodded to indicate agreement.

"So that is a specialized protection against other civilizations deployed via the Heartnet, and it is not a bad influence."

Having heard this, Luofeng's doubts were mostly dispelled, and curiosity drove him to ask the final question:

"Regarding Chén Chén, am I qualified to know?"