Jiang Dali now found himself in a world that was incredibly mystical and bizarre.
There was the most powerful court.
There were thousands of sects and family clans that one could only see in very old martial arts novels.
Moreover, there were all sorts of martial arts heroes, mighty warriors, and peerless demons, etc.
In his previous life, when he discovered there were so many interesting stories of love and hate intertwined in the old world, he quickly grew fond of these almost forgotten tales.
Now, having been reborn in this game world for two years, he had become a character in these stories, a very ordinary game NPC.
But after living and rebirthing in this world for two years, Jiang Dali felt that this world might not be any game world at all, but a real one full of flesh and blood.
Once he pondered deeply on this issue, it became somewhat terrifying to consider.
If this world was real, then how would he return to the world where he once belonged?
Currently, Jiang Dali only had one answer—become stronger.
Only by becoming strong enough to reach the top of this world and control it, could he clarify a lot of hidden matters and potentially find a way back to the world he once knew.
However, this would inevitably lead to conflicts with some of the official powers and player guilds from his prior life.
Because since discovering the Mixed Martial Arts World in his previous life, the official organizations had always harbored ambitions to control it.
If the powers truly controlled this world with the support of experts nurtured by the authorities, becoming overlords, who knew whether they would uncover any secrets of this world and target him for elimination.
Fortunately, those official organizations from his previous life were not united, but a coalition composed of several world-controlling Family Consortiums, and their stances seemed to differ.
Therefore, considering various aspects, Jiang Dali felt he still had a certain opportunity.
His goal was clear—to become the overlord of this world, to control it, to seek the truth.
And now, he had come to know a truth under the current circumstances.
"It turns out that the power above the head of my little Black Wind Village is none other than Ru Yang Royal Mansion.
That Li Junwang who instructed us to rob the shipment from Dragon Gate Escort Agency probably means that some plot related to the Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber from my previous life's memory is about to unfold...
The matter has both advantages and disadvantages. Fortunately, I'm aware ahead of others, and apart from me, the players who are about to arrive can only learn about some of the old story plotlines from official ancient texts. Even the information held by the authorities may not be as comprehensive as mine, who has been reborn.
The only thing I need to be cautious about is that after the stories of this world unite into the Mixed Martial Arts World, the influence of the mutations might lead to some unforeseen events and even deviate from my previous life's experiences..."
Deep in the forest, Jiang Dali's eyes were thoughtful, "In my little Black Wind Village, I am the only one in the Inner Qi Realm, getting involved in the plot of Ru Yang Royal Mansion using Dragon Gate Escort Agency to strike at Wudang Sect could lead to a grave without a place to die if I'm not careful.
The ordinary mountain bandits under me might run away, but I, as their leader, definitely cannot escape. That's the weight of wanting to wear the crown.
The key point is that the deed has already been done, and to avoid being sacrificed as a pawn, I must immediately enhance my strength and develop my power."
Jiang Dali tried to use his Inner Strength to crush a piece of paper but found that his scant Inner Strength was not very effective. Helplessly, he stuffed the paper into his mouth and swallowed it, then walked out of the deep forest and back to his room to rest.
At night, he still entrusted Bucktooth Xu, a trusted bandit, to keep watch, while his pet, Sword Gate Demon Hawk, also hovered nearby to keep vigil.
Over the years of struggling in the Martial World, Jiang Dali appeared rough and unrefined on the surface, but in reality, he was meticulous and never let his guard down.
...
The next day, at dawn.
The clouds parted, and suddenly dozens of meteors fell from the sky like a shower of fiery rain, plunging straight down from the northern sky onto the eastern lands.
Such a mystical scene was captured by countless people, and it became a topic of conversation in the Martial World, with magicians vying to augur and predict.
Some said it was an omen of good fortune, some said it heralded bloodshed and disaster, and others claimed it signified the emergence of treasures.
The sage seated high in the Saint Dynasty Star Viewing Tower foretold a prophecy, and once it spread, the whole world was shocked.
The prophecy said, "A celestial phenomenon descends, an extraordinary person is born, a golden age is coming!"
Jiang Dali was awoken by the noisy calls of his underlings.
Stepping out of the house, the damp and cold early morning breeze of the mountain refreshed his mind.
Bucktooth Xu and a few smelly, drunken mountain bandits gathered around him, bringing up the matter of the meteor shower.
Jiang Dali had anticipated this, so he remained calm and ordered people to fetch well water and green salt to freshen up. He then sent some bandits down the mountain to the neighboring villages to collect some food and check if any new faces had appeared.
The first batch of Internal Test Players descending from the sky was not numerous, but they were definitely around in the surrounding mountain villages.
They were all prime sprouts ready to be harvested.
But one can't rush to devour hot tofu in haste; for the moment, Jiang Dali had no intention of showing himself personally.
...
Mengyin County, Xinghua Village.
Suddenly, a cry of surprise came from a house.
Huakai Jianhong stared blankly at the incredibly realistic surroundings.
He discovered he was in a run-down wooden house.
Looking around, he found that besides a broken bed, a bamboo chair, and a few bamboo bowls and cups, there was nothing else.
Even the bedding on the bed looked very rough.
Touching his body, he could feel the warmth and texture of his skin.
"Shit? The level of realism is this high?"
Huakai Jianhong was dumbfounded.
He was a professional gamer, and ever since Mixed Martial Arts World—a wuxia game that even the officials recommended, claiming that it adopted an ancient martial arts world setting—was announced, he had reserved an internal test spot in advance.
Today was the day he entered the Mixed Martial Arts World game.
However, when he entered the game world through the official neural link device, he too was shocked by the incredibly realistic experience.
Jumping out of bed and opening the door, Huakai Jianhong realized he was in the midst of a mountain village, surrounded by fields crisscrossing among a dozen or so dilapidated houses, all similar wooden structures.
"Although the game is very realistic, isn't this a little too shabby? Starting off in such a game environment?"
Huakai Jianhong was speechless.
But soon he felt some excitement.
This game didn't even have a tutorial for beginners, and he could even feel pain when pinching himself, which was quite special.
Huakai Jianhong opened his attribute template to check.
"Huakai Jianhong (Qi-Blood: 50/50)
Realm: None
Status: Ordinary villager of Xinghua Village
Martial World Title Reputation: Nameless (0/100)
Pet: None
Martial Arts: None
Internal Cultivation Methods: None
Cultivation Points: 0
Potential Points: 0"
Clean!
A completely clean panel.
Huakai Jianhong wasn't overly surprised.
As a professional player, he knew that the first thing to do now was to go out and develop social connections.
Since there was no guide for beginners, the next step was to proactively approach the village NPC residents to see if he could trigger any quests and earn Cultivation Points or even Potential Points.
As for Martial Arts and Internal Cultivation Methods, Huakai Jianhong had a hunch that they wouldn't be easy to obtain, but they probably wouldn't be too hard either.
After all, this is just a game.
Although the game has revealed very little information so far, it's said to have an Ancient Martial Arts setting.
But the developers still gave some information sourced from ancient literati and scholars who wrote what's called "wuxia novels," a special genre of cultural content.
"There are about 100,000 internal test players this time, and the test will last for two months.
I have to fully explore the various quests in this world these two months and strive to swiftly advance my Realm and learn Martial Arts.
The officials said it's a real world, and the gains from the internal test won't be reset during open testing, unless you die. Death would cause a drop in Realm and all items on your person to drop.
But a game is a game, all this talk about a real world is just..."
Huakai Jianhong muttered in his heart, full of ambition, breathing in the fresh air of the countryside, he walked assertively through the fields, eager to make contact with the village NPC residents...