Chapter 12: Forum Storm

"Dear user, your virtual account 5203 has received 343 yuan. Current balance: 343.00 yuan."

So comfortable!

Entering "Blue Sea" was definitely the right choice—I made over 300 yuan on the first day alone!

Fang Yue stared at the notification, feeling delighted inside.

The so-called virtual account was one he registered on the nation's largest professional gamer platform, primarily used for in-game cash transactions.

As a poor man, Fang Yue never kept money in his virtual account.

He planned to withdraw today's deposit to his bank card later, then treat Yuan Jie to a good meal to celebrate.

Regardless, this promising start strengthened Fang Yue's resolve to stick with "Blue Sea."

"Ahead is our village's Di He—the place where Human Souls are stored."

As Fang Yue thought of this, Lord Han's voice sounded.

Looking ahead, he saw a vast square, upon which floated a massive stone sphere, slowly rotating.

Around the square stood many guards, clad in crude armor and wielding weapons.

The guards first eyed Fang Yue warily—until Lord Han waved his hand, whereupon they bowed respectfully and dispersed their hostility.

"Our Gu Yue Cun's Human Soul fire is weak, and our Di He is small-scale, so our village's territory is limited, affecting only this small area."

Though he said so, Fang Yue, having walked with Lord Han this far, judged Gu Yue Cun's scale to be far from small—it had all the necessary facilities: a blacksmith's shop, a tailor's shop, an inn, and more.

"Every day from now on, sit beneath the Di He for one hour. After seven days, the erosion of your 【Yuhan zhi shi】 will recede."

Saying this, Lord Han called over a guard who resembled a Captain, pointed at Fang Yue, and the man stared at Fang Yue for a moment, memorizing his appearance, then nodded and left.

"Can I come back later to dispel the cold?"

"No. The longer you delay treating 【Yuhan zhi shi】, the harder it becomes to cure—unless you want to saw off your legs?"

Fang Yue shook his head vigorously.

"Good. Sit here and meditate for one hour. I'll return to fetch you then."

"Understood. Thank you, Lord Han."

Watching Lord Han depart, Fang Yue sat beneath the Di He, crossed his legs, and immediately felt a warm current flow from the square's surface into his legs.

The previous icy stiffness immediately lessened.

Though the system never notified him of 【Yuhan zhi shi】, the sensation he'd felt was no illusion, and Lord Han had no reason to harm him.

Fang Yue suspected the system would only display the 【Yuhan zhi shi】 notification once the affliction had degraded his body to a certain point.

One hour equals two hours—sitting still was boring, but Fang Yue stayed put obediently.

The Captain of the guards, seeing Lord Han leave, dismissed nearby guards and approached.

"Brother Ye, I'm Lin Ling, Third Captain of the Di He guard unit. For this week, you may come here daily for treatment—but after a week, without Lord Han's order, you may not return."

"Brother Lin, I understand the rules."

"Hmm, good. One more thing—I wonder what relationship you have with Lord Han?"

"…Uh, friends?"

Lin Captain smiled at this.

"Brother Ye, don't joke. What status does Lord Han hold? How could he possibly be your friend? I heard Lord Han has long suffered from a grave illness and seeks someone to inherit his martial arts—but found no suitable candidate. Could it be… you're the one he's looking for?"

As he spoke, Lin Captain stared fixedly at Fang Yue, a hint of threat in his gaze.

Fang Yue's heart stirred; he wore a look of helplessness: "Brother Lin, don't joke. Look at me—I'm afflicted with 【Yuhan zhi shi】, my body's ruined, I'm past my prime, and I don't know any martial arts. How could I possibly catch Lord Han's eye? He's just kind-hearted, pitying my plight and lending a hand."

Fang Yue had gathered plenty of information from Lord Han.

For instance, the ideal age to begin martial training is eleven or twelve—when one's potential is highest and most malleable.

At his age, even if he trained, his ceiling would be extremely low.

Thus, revealing this information easily deflected suspicion.

"That's true."

The coldness in Lin Captain's eyes gradually faded; after a few more casual remarks, he ignored Fang Yue entirely.

That guy.

Fang Yue stole a glance at Lin Captain, holding back a thought he didn't voice.

That was… he was a player.

Players training martial arts couldn't possibly be like Natives—they'd likely have system assistance.

So age wasn't an issue at all.

With only about fifteen minutes passed, Fang Yue was growing restless.

He set his character to maintain this posture and chose to exit the game.

"System Prompt: Player has exited the game. Your character remains active in-game. Please confirm your surroundings are safe or within a safe zone before exiting."

"Friendly Tip 1: Exiting the game from an inn, sect, or personal residence greatly increases safety."

"Friendly Tip 2: Players may enhance post-exit character safety by learning arrays, illusions, herbalism, or talismans to establish secure zones."

"Friendly Tip 3: When your in-game character encounters danger, the Game Watch will alert you to return immediately. Always wear your Game Watch. Players may also customize what events trigger what levels of alerts."

"Would you like to exit the game now?"

After confirming exit once more, Fang Yue opened his eyes in reality.

He checked the time.

2:10 a. m.

Already played two hours? Calculating, he figured he should log back in around 3:40 a. m.

He set an alarm, then eagerly turned on his computer and opened "Dragon Play," the nation's largest professional gamer platform, to withdraw his virtual account funds.

Soon, his phone vibrated—a deposit notification arrived.

Fang Yue gazed happily at the three hundred yuan added to his bank card, grinning like an idiot for a long while, then went to the kitchen and made a bowl of instant noodles, extravagantly adding three sausages and two eggs.

When the noodles were ready, he slurped them down noisily.

After eating, he cleaned up and opened the Longwan Platform.

As previously mentioned, the Longwan Platform was the largest professional gamer platform in the country, gathering all kinds of professional gamers, offering not only trading functions but also a forum.

Fang Yue opened the forum function.

When Fang Yue opened the forum, he froze in surprise.

What met his eyes was the platform's most popular post—a bold, red, capitalized title, highlighted by the moderator, reading: "Yese Liming: A Professional Gamer Who Leaped Over the Dragon's Gate!"

I—I—I—I'm famous?!

(End of Chapter)