Leo was a hacker, but not the kind that broke into banks or government systems. He was a cultivator, a practitioner of Qi, the mysterious energy that permeated the universe. He used his skills to hack into the cultivator internet, a network of devices and servers powered by Qi and accessible only to those who had reached the Qi Realm.
Leo belonged to the Hundred Herbs Sect, a small and obscure faction that focused on herbal medicine and alchemy. He had little interest in those fields, preferring to spend his time exploring the vast and varied world of mobile games. He loved finding hidden gems, obscure titles that few people knew about. He also loved tinkering with their code, modifying them to his liking or finding glitches and exploits.
One day, as he was browsing the latest releases, he stumbled upon a game that caught his eye. It was called "Adventure Realm," and it claimed to be an RPG. The file size was surprisingly small, and there were no reviews or ratings. Leo was intrigued. He downloaded the game, wondering what it was about.
He hastily integrated it into his virtual capsule and started the game. He opened the game, expecting to see a title screen or a character creation menu. Instead, he was in a forest, surrounded by trees and flowers. He felt the sun on his face, the wind in his hair, the smell of nature in his nose. He was stunned. He pinched himself, but it was not like the games he played before. He had somehow been transported into the game world.
Leo was amazed. He had never seen such realistic graphics, such lifelike sensations. He wondered how this was possible, how a game could create such a vivid and immersive 100% real-time experience. He checked his phone, hoping to find some clues. But his phone was not his phone anymore. It was a device that looked like a cross between a watch and a bracelet. It had a holographic screen that displayed his status, inventory, and map. It also had a voice assistant that greeted him and explained the basic rules of the game.
Leo realized that this was not a simple game. It was a technology far beyond anything he had ever encountered in his cultivation world. He tried to hack into the device, but he found that it was encrypted and protected by a powerful firewall. He could not access the code or the settings. He could only play the game as it was intended.
Leo felt a mix of curiosity and frustration. He wanted to know more about this mysterious game. He decided to play along for now, hoping to find some bugs along the way. A prompt appeared on his device, telling him to complete the tutorial mission. It was a simple task: to find and talk to an NPC in a nearby village. Leo sighed and followed the directions. He walked towards the village, ready to begin his unexpected adventure.
While Leo was enjoying the game, oblivious to the passage of time, Jin opened his eyes to a pleasant surprise. The system notified him that a player had accumulated 5 hours of playtime, granting him 100 cultivation points.
Ding! Congratulations to the host for accumulating your first 100 cultivation points. Since the host has crippled meridians, you can use 10 points to heal your body and 50 points to heal your meridians. You can use the remaining 20 points to browse the gaming system shop.
Without hesitation, Jin instructed the system to use the points to heal his battered body. A gentle light wrapped around him, soothing his pain. When the light faded, Jin felt a surge of vitality. He looked at his body and saw that his wounds had vanished!
But that was not all. His broken meridians, which had prevented him from cultivating, had also been restored. Jin gasped, unable to believe his luck. He could finally join the ranks of cultivators!
He leaped out of bed, laughing and crying at the same time. He had been given a new life, a new hope. The guards outside his room heard the commotion and rushed in, thinking he was in danger. They found Jin jumping around like a madman, his face full of joy.
"Jin, what's going on? Are you alright?" one of the guards asked, alarmed.
"I'm fine, I'm fine! Better than fine, I'm great!" Jin exclaimed, still bouncing.
"Did someone attack you? Did you see anyone?" another guard asked, scanning the room.
"No, no, no one attacked me. I just woke up and felt amazing. That's all!" Jin lied, trying to calm down.
The guards looked at each other, puzzled. They left, shaking their heads.
"System, can I use my accumulated cultivation points to buy stuff at the gaming shop?"
"Ding! Yes, you can use the accumulated points to buy items in the gaming shop. However, the Creator Shop is locked for now as your cultivation is still low."
"Creator Shop?"
"Yes, you can use this shop to improve the game, make features, and create better games with premium features. You can also use it to buy cultivation stuff and more."
Anticipation rose in Jin.
He hadn't used the one-time healing pill because he felt it was for emergencies and that he could find a way to heal his body. Now, he was ready to use the one-time talent pill to improve his talent.