On the western part of Riverside, a 21-year-old beauty had just finished her morning workout routine and was prepared for today's stream.
She was Beatrice Rend, also known as Bia by her fans.
[Phew! It's been harder and harder to improve my body's refinement realm lately. I need better cultivation resources, but they are stupidly expensive. *Sigh* The income from streaming has been seriously decreasing lately, with the surge of newbies joining the Heavenly Mirror platform.](Beatrice)
As she had Normal-grade spiritual roots, Beatrice tried to focus more on Body Refinement than on Qi Refinement. As a result, while she only reached the 9th level of Qi Gathering, her physique was honed to the second realm, Soul Forming.
While this body refinement realm wasn't equal to the Foundation for Qi Refinement, adding her Qi Gathering progress, she could exhibit power comparable to that of early Foundation cultivators after going all out.
Combined with her pretty face and toned body, she became a somewhat popular streamer. At least locally, that is.
As she was going through her emails, hoping to find any endorsement offers, she surprisingly found an official one sent from the Bright Moon sect.
And the sect leader, nonetheless!
Seeing as she was invited to stream-test a new Secret Realm endorsed by the big boss of Riverside City, Beatrice immediately grew ecstatic.
The email came with the typical contract, according to which she couldn't disclose the Secret Realm copy she would receive to any other third parties unless otherwise stated by the owner.
Her remuneration would be a static 1,000 spirit stones—paid from Michael's pocket, of course—and a future collaboration based on the results of the current one was possible.
Also, the sect leader asked her to act impartially when evaluating the project and handed over a set of instructions on how to explore the Secret Realm, including the mandatory Tutorial, unless she wanted to embarrass herself in front of her audience.
Initially, she thought the sect leader might look down upon her abilities, but after receiving such advice from a Nascent Soul cultivator and a potential regular customer, she immediately swallowed down her indignation.
After signing the contract, she received a follow-up email containing the link and password for the Secret Realm from Bright Moon sect's online platform.
[According to them, I have three days until other streamers will also receive an invitation to play this new 'game.' I don't understand why they call it a game... maybe the difficulty is easy, similar to one? Or perhaps it has fantasy elements?](Beatrice)
Pumped up after collecting enough money to pay her rent for this month and the next, she immediately connected her headset and logged into her account on the Heavenly Mirror streaming website.
Five minutes later, the Secret Realm was finally installed after going through a round of security hoops, and she could start her stream.
Receiving the notification that their favorite streamer was online, many young cultivators and regular folk alike tuned in.
Before she even appeared, there were already 2,000 or so people watching.
[Another day, another stream! *Sigh* Such is my leisure life...]
[Is Beauty Bia still planning to explore the Volcanic Island today?]
[I hope not! I'm already bored to death watching it for three days in a row.]
[Ugh... Don't remind me. I've been watching five different streamers explore the same Secret Realms for the past month! I'm gonna puke!]
[Why are you guys complaining so much?]
[I just want to see something new...]
[Signing a new petition for Beauty Bia to do a topless stream: 1]
[+1]
[+1]
[+1]
[+1]
[+1]
[+1]
Eyebrows twitching at the animals in her chat, Beatrice was curious if any of these cowards hiding behind the anonymity of the internet would be daring enough to say that to her face.
Remembering that her sponsor should be watching, she quickly connected the recording function of her internet, and the viewers could finally see what she was up to.
[Hello, fellow seekers of immortality! I am your host, Beatrice, and today, I will be exploring a brand new Secret Realm never before seen on the market.](Beatrice)
[The Beauty's here! Hide the petition!]
[Quick, quick!]
[Hello, Beauty Bia!]
[Eh? Something new? Did my pleas finally get answered?]
[I see an island...]
[Fuck! Another demon invasion!?]
[BRB! Need to puke first...]
Seeing the intro go just about as she expected it to, she calmly smiled into the camera as the space between her and the island continuously shrank.
[I have high expectations for today's Secret Realm, and you should, too! This new product was released by the Bright Moon sect, who chose me as their first explorer!](Beatrice)
[Here comes the plug!]
[Ads...]
[Uhm... never mind. I'll watch it since Beauty Bia is streaming.]
[I wonder what demon clan will it be this time.]
[Since it's the Bright Moon sect, maybe the Demonic Lion Clan?]
[Nah. They have at least 50 Secret Realms with them as opponents.]
[Quiet down, quiet down! Let the Beauty speak!]
Honestly, Beatrice was also a bit reluctant to explore yet another island where she had to face demonic hordes, but she took the money, and now she had to put in the work.
Still, it was best to save some face first.
[Since it's a new product that is not yet on the market, I have yet to try it myself, so it will be a first-time experience.]
[I am watching Beauty Bia's first time. *Sigh* Such indulgence...]
[KEK!]
[Here come the mods!]
[Yup. Timed out!]
[So many trolls...]
[Quiet, you bastards! I want to watch Beauty Bia's first time! KEK!]
Rolling her beautiful eyes at the dumb chatters, Beatrice connected her headset to the Secret Realm, and a large screen appeared in everyone's view.
Realizing what was going to happen, she immediately switched perspectives, allowing the viewers to see the video from a first-person perspective.
[Often, I am asked, what does a hero truly need...](Merchant)
Surprised after being 'ambushed' by the sudden video, the chat fell silent, with only a couple of comments appearing every five or so seconds.
By the end of the promotional video, the viewers exploded into a frenzy.
[WTF! WTF! WTF!]
[Huh? Where's my demonic invasion!? Did you trick me, Beauty Bia!? Never mind... I'll forgive you since you're pretty!]
[What's going on? Who was the fat dude? Who were all those people fighting?]
[Did you see the blue-skinned Beauty!?]
[Fuck! Don't talk about my future wife, you animals!]
[Damn, that red dude looked awesome! Body Refinement cultivator? What realm?]
[Are you morons actually not talking about the guy who transformed into a flying lizard!?]
[Lizard? Did that creature look like a lizard to you? KEK!]
Ignoring the chaos in her chatroom, Beatrice took a couple of moments to recompose herself.
This was... unorthodox! Especially for the Bright Moon sect.
[So... not a demonic invasion, it seems. Let's get started, then! I am sure everyone is curious to see what this Secret Realm is all about.]
[ Welcome, player, to The Battlefield of Heroes! As this is your first time here, it is recommended that you start the Tutorial. Through it, your understanding of this world will deepen. ]
[Eh? The Secret Realm seems to be called The Battlefield of Heroes. Fellow seekers of immortality, let's follow the suggestion of the A.I. I don't want to run around blindly since this doesn't seem the usual Secret Realm type.](Beatrice)
[Tutorials are for newbs!]
[KEK! As if such a thing is needed for Beauty Bia!]
[Hmm... it's acceptable since it's something new.]
[True! Instead of running around like a headless chicken, it's better to follow the instructions.]
[I'll watch no matter how many clothes Beauty Bia has on!]
[LOL!]
[Timed out!]
[Another one bites the dust!]
Ignoring the protests, Beatrice followed the instructions given by the sponsor and started the Tutorial.
After watching the second video, the chatters exploded into chaos again, having received confirmation of the Secret Realm's content compared to everything else that's on the market.
Then, everyone started licking their screens once Beauty Bia appeared in the Radiant fountain.
Controlling Luna, she stood upon the gorgeous panther, sending the horny viewers into a frenzy again.
[GYAT DAYUM!]
[Mommy! I mean... *Cough* Such a beautiful creature! The mount, of course!]
[Look at them curves! I'm in love!]
[What do you mean cheating on the blue-skinned beauty!? Isn't this beauty also wearing blue clothes? It doesn't count!]
[Licking the screen!]
[Licking the screen! +1]
[Licking the screen! +2]
[Licking the screen! +3]
...
[How did Beauty Bia become this... Mommy! *Cough* *Cough*]
[Look at how confused she is! Beauty Bia! Be careful with that weapon! You'll hurt your little cat!]
[Does none of you horndogs see the surroundings? Look at that ginormous tree!]
[True, true! It's almost as big as mine!]
[What do you mean? It looks much bigger than 5 centimeters??? *Confused*]
Completely forgetting to interact with her viewers, Beatrice looked around in wonder.
Her body changed to that of a curvaceous hottie, silver hair flowing down her shoulders. There was also the black panther looking into her eyes as if asking for instructions.
Trying to dismount, she did so successfully and began moving her body while testing the degree of freedom she had with it.
Much to her surprise, there was almost no noticeable difference between real life and this Secret Realm.
[This is amazing! My movements don't feel stifled at all. It's only that my cultivation base was restricted to the 1st level of Qi Gathering. My body cultivation is similarly reduced to the first level of the Mortal Flesh realm. But there's no lag between movements! Look at how fluid my attacks are!](Beatrice)
[Tsk! Look at them bouncing!]
[*Cough* *Cough* I suggest prolonging the fan service for an additional couple of days.]
[Beauty Bia must do all 12 Calisthenic Exercises! Only that way we can confirm how good this Secret Realm truly is!]
[Seconded!]
[Seconded! +1]
[Seconded! +2]
[Seconded! +3]
...
[Wait! If her cultivation base has been restricted to the Qi Gathering realm, then isn't this a Tier 1 Secret Realm?]
[What? For real!? But... it looks so good! The scenery, I mean!]
[Of course, you do...]
[Look, look! The Tutorial started!]
Already having a general idea of what they were supposed to do in this Secret Realm, the viewers impatiently hurried Beatrice to start moving.
There were a total of 8 Tutorial scenarios for the newbies to learn the ropes.
The basic mechanics, how to move around the island, the teleportation function, what are and how to use couriers, regeneration consumables, then finally, a short hero presentation (showcasing all 81 available to pick), culminating in having the player use the selected hero to fight against an A.I-controlled one.
As she didn't usually enjoy using skills and spells that much, Beatrice preferred fighting fist to face.
So when she noticed a woman hero with a childish complexion, she immediately picked it.
Re-appearing as Marci in the fountain, Beatrice quickly bought the Recommended Items and prepared to run toward the river.
Remembering her long-forgotten audience, she decided to throw a couple of words at them and then focus on the gameplay.
[*Whistle* *Whistle*](Beatrice)
[???]
[???]
[???]
[???]
[Uhm... Beauty Bia? Why are you whistling?]
[Ahahahah! I'm dying!]
[Clipped and saved! Look at her perplexed face!]
[*Whistle* *Whistle*](Beatrice)
Seeing that it was impossible to speak, she mentally consulted with the A.I. to make sure it wasn't a glitch or something.
[ Hero Marci is a mute. The player can disable this function and speak normally, or you can continue with the current settings. ]
Turning her face to the camera, the young beauty's face sported a large grin. Winking at the viewers, she whistled again and laughed mutely, chasing after the creep wave.
[Fellow immortality seekers! I have a serious question!]
[Same here, same here!]
[*Cough* *Cough* The age?]
[Scram! This fellow degenerate, how dare you look at my girlfriend that way!?]
[Tsk! I think Beauty Bia is the first person to choose becoming a mute, just so that she can ignore her viewers.]
[These unfaithful fellows! What good is there about those flatlands!? Bring back my wife Luna!]
[That's right, that's right! And introduce us to the other beauties!]
[*Cough* *Cough* Fellow immortality seekers! I have an idea!]
[Same, same!]
[When is this available to be bought!? I want to touch and frisk... *Cough* *Cough* try it myself!]
Giving her viewers a disdainful stare, Beatrice reached the river and began battling with stone golem.
Trying out the first skill, she quickly found the concept interesting and engaged the enemy hero in a brawl.
Since it was the Tutorial, this first true match set the difficulty of the A.I. to Easy so that it wouldn't demoralize the player.
Nevertheless, Beatrice barely clinched victory with a 3-2 score in her favor.
Remembering the feeling of being thrown into the air, only to land in the middle of an avalanche of rocks, a slight phobia of heights formed.
She did have a lot of fun, though—more than she initially expected.
['81 hero choices, with 43 more to be revealed at a later date,' is what it says. Hehe! But I won! Did you see me pummel that big rock fellow?]
[Tough talk after screaming loud enough to burst my eardrums after you were tossed in the air.]
[Or when you were almost buried alive by the rocks.]
[Or when the golem smacked you flying.]
[Or when the creeps killed you.]
[Or when... *Cough* Okay, okay! Don't bully the beauty!]