Online Game: Me, with Unparalleled Comprehension

The soft sound of the game pod lid sliding open was particularly clear in the quiet room.

Wu Feng sat up, braced himself on the edge with both hands, and easily leaped out with a little effort.

As my feet touched the cool floor, a real, powerful sense of grounding spread from the soles of my feet throughout my body.

He stretched his arms and gave a long yawn.

The joints made a slight crackling sound.

I could clearly feel that the strength in my chest was a bit stronger than yesterday, and the muscle lines on my arms bulged slightly in the dim indoor light, making their contours more distinct than before.

The daily punches, swordplay, and internal energy circulation in the game—the virtual training—are subtly yet tangibly impacting this real body.

The muscles are firmer, the reactions seem to be a little faster, and even the sensitivity of the five senses seems to have been slightly improved.

"The effect is still going on..." Wu Feng looked down at his palm, clenched and unclenched, feeling the flowing power, and muttered to himself, "This game is really a bit weird."

But as strange as it may be, becoming stronger is always a good thing.

He shook his head, deciding not to think about it anymore. The emptiness in his stomach was already quite obvious; virtual food couldn't fill his real stomach.

He quickly changed into loose casual clothes, grabbed his phone and keys, opened the door, and went out.

As dusk falls and the city lights begin to twinkle, the streets are bustling with people and vehicles, creating a vibrant atmosphere.

Unlike the damp, quiet, and insect-smelling nights of the Miao village in the game, this place is a different kind of lively scene, with a modern flair and restlessness.

He turned into his usual street with practiced ease and lifted the plastic curtain of the family-style restaurant.

The familiar cacophony of noise and the aroma of stir-fried dishes wafted over.

The shop was quite crowded, mostly with regulars from the neighborhood, gathered together drinking and chatting loudly.

Wu Feng found an empty two-person table in the corner against the wall and sat down.

The waiter brought over a greasy, plastic-sealed menu. He took it, glanced at it, and didn't hesitate for long.

"Boiled sliced ​​pork, spicy diced chicken, salted fish and eggplant casserole, and sizzling tofu." He ordered four of his usual dishes, and added one more: "Seaweed and egg drop soup. And a big bowl of rice."

"Okay, just a moment." The waiter noted it down, tore off the order form, and called out towards the kitchen.

Waiting for the food takes time. Wu Feng leaned back in the somewhat hard plastic chair and took out his phone from his pocket.

The screen lit up, and he swiped his thumb to enter the "Jianghu Supplies Exchange Group," which he checked almost every day but hadn't had time to look at closely lately.

As soon as the icon lit up, the information flooded down like a waterfall, so fast it was dazzling.

He didn't bother to examine the specific transaction announcements; instead, he quickly swiped the screen, his sharp eyes scanning the repeatedly displayed acquisition information that only included percentage figures:

"141/100 coins, unlimited payments, instant arrival, guaranteed reputation!"

"141 ratio, stable long-term, negotiable for large orders!"

"141Pay supports various payment methods; it's safe and fast!"

The price remained steadily at 141 yuan per 100 coins, just like when he last checked; it neither increased nor decreased.

Wu Feng tapped his fingers unconsciously on the rough tabletop. The market had indeed stabilized.

That makes sense. You need money to do anything in this game.

Learning martial arts, buying equipment, staying at a hotel, eating, teleportation... even learning the most basic third-rate kung fu at a martial arts school costs ten or twenty taels of silver.

Players need to increase their strength, and silver coins will be spent like water.

Even a self-proclaimed stingy professional goldsmith like him has spent several hundred taels of silver buying manuals and tools from martial arts schools and Miao villages in order to boost his attributes.

Not to mention the wealthy players on the forum who buy houses, visit brothels, and spend lavishly on music and virtual gifts, with their expenses reaching astronomical figures.

With such a large consumer market supporting it, it's difficult for gold prices to fall.

I still have enough silver in my backpack, and I'm going to Wanjie Valley next, where there might be a lot of expenses.

Keep the gold for now, and sell it when you need it or when the price is higher.

He closed the buzzing, constantly refreshing group chat window, swiped his thumb, and opened the "Jianghu Dream" official forum app.

The moment the icon lit up, the bold, enlarged online user statistics at the top of the homepage immediately caught my eye:

[Current concurrent online players in the China region: 12,000,000]

Twelve million.

Wu Feng's eyelids twitched.

It's only been a few days? And it's increased by more than two million.

In less than a month since the server opened, the number of online players has exceeded 12 million. This growth rate is like a snowball rolling downhill, getting bigger and bigger and faster.

"The market is getting bigger and bigger," he said softly, feeling nothing but a sense of unease; in fact, he thought it was a good thing.

The more people there are, the more potential investors there are, and the greater the demand. This means that people like him who earn money through skill have a higher space for survival and a higher potential for development.

He stopped looking at the staggering numbers and instead swiped his finger across the screen, browsing the trending posts on the forum's homepage.

The titles vary widely, but discussions about Dali, the Four Evils, and the serendipitous encounters still dominate.

Suddenly, a post that had been pushed to the top of the homepage and whose title included the words "[Breaking News]" and "[Video]" caught his attention:

[Breaking News! Top 10 ranked fighters join forces to annihilate the Four Villains! A fierce battle against Yun Zhonghe ends in a devastating defeat at the hands of Duan Yanqing! Full video recording!]

The poster's ID is "Jianghu Baixiaosheng" followed by a flame icon, indicating extremely high popularity.

Wu Feng tapped his finger, and the post opened.

The main text is minimal, primarily serving to create atmosphere and provide brief explanations:

"Latest battle report! An elite team temporarily formed by five top-ranked players, including Sword Howling Nine Heavens (ranked third on the leaderboard) and Moonlit Solo Drinking (ranked tenth), tracked down the lone Cloud Crane near Cangshan Mountain in Dali and decisively launched an attack!"

The two sides fought fiercely for over a hundred rounds, and the situation was deadlocked at one point!

However, the battle was too loud, attracting the notorious Duan Yanqing and the ferocious South China Sea Crocodile God to come and provide support!

In the end, the five masters were all wiped out, their levels were reset to zero, and their martial arts proficiency plummeted!

Below are combat videos recorded by players at the event. Please watch them for yourselves.

It can only be said that the Four Evils live up to their name; they remain a no-go zone for players at this stage!

The comments section exploded, with a rapid stream of exclamations, regrets, and analyses.

Wu Feng didn't read the replies; he directly clicked on the first-person perspective video link attached to the post.

The footage started to shake, and the photographer appeared to be hiding behind some distant rocks.

The background is a rocky beach at the foot of Diancang Mountain. Five players are besieging a tall, thin NPC dressed in flashy clothes and wielding a steel claw. His name is clearly marked in red above his head as "[Violent and Evil Yun Zhonghe]".

Wu Feng glanced at the five players; their equipment looked quite good, at least iron-plated leather armor, and their weapons gleamed with the luster of refined iron.

The movements were precise and skillful, showing that the artist had indeed put in a lot of effort.

In the video, the sword flashes, the blades whistle, the spears flicker, and the palms whistle, showing that these people have learned different martial arts styles.

But they all exude the upright and rigorous air of prestigious sects, probably from major sects like Mount Hua, Mount Song, or the Beggars' Sect.

"There are quite a few talented and lucky people who have joined major sects and learned real skills." Wu Feng curled his lips, not feeling envious at all.

He follows the path of overwhelming power through attributes and accumulating vast amounts of martial arts skills, and he has already received the true teachings of the Wudang School.

Although these people learned a lot of martial arts, it was clear that none of them had mastered the true martial arts of their respective sects.

But the battle that followed made him frown slightly.

Five against one, they had the numerical advantage and their equipment and martial arts skills were not bad, but the scene... was very ugly.

Yun Zhonghe moved like a ghost across the rocky beach, his steel claws aimed at the lower body and vital points with ruthless cruelty.

While the five players were all individually strong, their teamwork was absolutely terrible.