While large, the conference room was far too small for the crowd of cultivators within it. The core of the room was a technologically advanced holographic birds eye view of a battle encompassing thousands of cultivators and demons. While the room had been relatively quiet when battle had sparked it became deadly silent as the sudden appearance of 2 additional deity stage cultivators broke the stalemate. The oppositions defensive formations broke after a single swing of the sword and as the wave of sword qi swept relentlessly onward it left a trail of cultivators falling from the sky.
"Where the hell did he get two more Deity stage cultivators from?", vocalised an overly muscled body cultivator breaking the silence.
"I call hacks", called out an old monk with a cheeky smile on his face.
Before discussions could devolve further an overdressed beauty interposed, "Deity stage cultivators start the war game with 3 Yuanyang elders."
"But the games only been going for 100 years. How has they're cultivation risen up so fast?", asked a young man in a business suit confused.
While the muscled man moaned, "don't remind me. Right at the start of the game Lan Feng absolutely destroyed me. I had no chance!"
"For the experimental beta test time was set to 3x speed", a thousand-year-old little girl reminded the commentators. "Though that still seems a little fast, she added.
"A little fast?", echoed around the room voices tinged with disbelief.
A mousy man in a lab coat and overly large glasses interrupted the muttering, "when the beta launched it was decided that game wouldn't be completely realistic when it comes to advancement timeframe realism".
He waved his hands as voices cried out towards him. "Let me finish!", he yelled over the clamour. As the noise settled down he finished, "This was later overruled by the deity Jonathon who claimed it messed with the evolution of all living creatures within the game world."
The room sank into a thoughtful quiet. Everyone going back to watching the holographic display on the table.
"Lan Feng's character is fighting!", a bald monk called out in anticipation.
The Holographic display started bouncing between several characters on the map.
"It's 2 vs 1", the muscled man from before said pityingly, smiling in malicious glee.
"He could still escape", a uniformed young man said hopefully.
There were some nods from the spectators.
"He won't though", an old lady rejected. When several people looked at her in confusion she added, "they are concluding the game in preparation for the kingdom wide release."
"Ah! I thought it was odd that Lan Feng chose to clash head on with Vasily. That's never been his style", noted a different uniformed man.
The audience stopped talking as the battle picked up and stayed quiet for the next hour as the deity stage cultivators battled. The sheer power of the spells and battle techniques being used destroyed the surrounding terrain and left the spectators, even with their own powerful cultivation states, starstruck. It ended with the predicted defeated of Lan Feng though the audience commiserated.
"It wasn't particularly realistic that Lee Feng simply stood and fought." stated an overweight man wearing an oddly disproportionate chef's hat. His voice rose over the general discussions and most chose to nod in ratification.
"So, it's just Jonathon and Vasily's sects left, right?", the little girl from before asked.
Several knowledgeable individuals nodded in answer while the mousy man answered, "The last of the 100 yuanyang stage participants in the beta test was eliminated last week."
"My sect was crushed by the Nether-fire Pheonix race NPC faction when I tried to escape from Lan Feng and Vasily's conquests", quietly said a beggar-esque old man sadly.
Those that heard him over their own conversations nodded glumly in commiseration. They all had their own stories of misery.
"Jonathon's sect is in that valley at the center of the continent", an Amazonian woman noted.
"I was curious but far too scared to go anywhere near it", muttered a foreboding man all in black equipped with cowl and cloak in reply.
Several equally terrifyingly dressed individuals spoke out in agreement.
A black armored knight said, "Jonathon may not be a battle cultivator but..."
"He's eccentric", a wolf man agreed.
"Eccentric or not, there's not much you can do about that", said a simply dressed swordsman nodding towards the temporarily forgotten holographic display.
On the display the might of Vasily's forces was clear. 3 deity stage cultivators leading a force a hundred thousand strong. It was rather dramatic since only the thousand odd Yuanyang stage cultivators were relevant out of that hundred thousand strong army since Vasily chose for them not to form battle formations. Several hours passed as the horde moved across the game world. The spectators waited expectantly for the century long conclusion to the war games beta test.
When the army arrived, Jonathon's valley was revealed to be idyllic as the bird's eye view spanned overhead. Ringed by mountains the valley was covered in lush farms with herds of animals moving within pastures. Fields of golden grains and orchards of fruit. Picturesque.
"Terrifying", a grandmotherly old lady stated with no trace of sarcasm.
The audience nodded in agreement.
"Nothing will stop the First Sword", stated the same swordsman as before. When he didn't get the agreement, he was looking for he continued, "He has 3 deity stage battle cultivators."
Most of the spectators acknowledged the accuracy of his statement while several people including the mousy man in a lab coat didn't seem to agree but they said nothing.
On the screen the 3 deity stage cultivators slowly approached, flying across the sky dramatically they finally hovered over the peak of the tallest mountain. They dramatically drew their swords and prepared to unleash their strength on the peaceful valley below.
"I don't see how Jonathon could stop them", muttered the black armored knight.
As if in answer, the deity stage sword cultivators stopped mid-action. They looked around startled by something then- Boom! The mountain below them crumbled splitting apart and out of the resulting crevasse rose a dragon.
"An immemorial earth dragon", stated a scholarly old man in shock.
"It must be near ascension", a previously quiet woman said in enthusiasm.
As the full might of the dragon was revealed it dominated the entire game world. While only some of its body broke free from the mountain it was enough to reveal that it must be near a hundred kilometers long with a matching wingspan. Just the thought of such a creature would provoke both awe and terror. The sword qi of the deity stage cultivators that could easily split mountains and cleave oceans simply deflected from the dragon's scales. The dragon aura it exuded caused the mass of lower stage cultivators to fall from the sky. Spirit animals and beasts in the valley below bowed in acknowledgement and fear of their god and king. There was no retreat for the sword sect, no prolonged battle between experts. One sudden bite and all three were swallowed. The game was over.
"Nothing can stop the First Sword", the swordsman muttered miserably.
The little girl patted his arm in commiseration, "normally the deity cultivators would be able to retreat."
"I wouldn't be surprised if Jonathon suggested the additional rule just so he could win so shockingly", an old monk laughed over the general shock of the spectators. With the game over the spectators began to rapidly exit the stiflingly crowded conference room. Many walking together in discussion.
Still at the table the old scholarly man smiled knowingly "messed with the evolution of all living creatures within the game world", he quoted. Moments later he disappeared in a flash of light.