Online Game: Me, with Unparalleled Comprehension

By the time we returned to camp, it was already getting dark.

Without a moment's delay, Wu Feng mounted his chestnut horse. With a flick of the reins, the horse neighed softly, took off running, and galloped south along the rugged mountain path.

The clatter of hooves sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet twilight.

A man and a horse, their shadows stretched long in the fading light of the sky, soon disappearing into the shadows deeper into the forest.

After riding for an hour, it was completely dark all around.

There is no moon tonight, and the starlight is obscured by the dense canopy of trees. Only the horse's heavy breathing and my own steady heartbeat are particularly clear in the boundless darkness.

The mountain wind swept through the treetops, making a strange whistling sound, mixed with the faint howls of unknown wild beasts in the distance, adding to the desolation and danger of the wilderness.

Wu Feng reined in his horse, squinted to adjust to the darkness, and with his exceptional senses, barely managed to make out a sheltered rock face not far ahead.

He led the horse carefully across, his feet sinking into a thick layer of fallen leaves and pebbles that crunched underfoot.

The depression was relatively dry, with solid rock on the ground. It was surrounded by natural rock formations on both sides and behind, leaving only a small opening in front, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Most importantly, there were no signs of monsters spawning nearby, and the air was free of the distinctive fishy smell of wild beasts.

"This is it."

He tied the horse to a protruding rock on the inside of the cliff, and took some dry hay and a small bag of water from his backpack and placed them in front of it.

The chestnut horse nuzzled his hand affectionately and lowered its head to chew slowly.

Wu Feng walked to the center of the depression, gathered some dry branches and leaves from the surrounding area, and skillfully lit them with a tinderbox.

The orange flames leaped up, quickly dispelling the dense darkness within five steps around them, bringing a touch of warmth, and also illuminating the rough texture of the rock wall.

The flickering firelight reflected on his calm, expressionless face.

He carefully checked the surroundings and confirmed that there were no lurking dangers or energy fluctuations from monster spawn points.

He then found a relatively flat rock next to the fire, sat down, and felt the warmth from the flames, which made him feel slightly relaxed.

It's time to log off.

With a thought, the image of the campfire before my eyes quickly blurred and faded, replaced by the soft sound of the game pod lid sliding open and the dim light in the room.

In the real world, the sky outside the window was already dark, and the city's neon lights cast hazy halos into the room through the gaps in the not-quite-closed curtains.

Wu Feng sat up and rubbed his stiff neck.

The long, bumpy ride in the virtual world seemed to leave a strange sense of fatigue in the real body as well.

He stretched his shoulders and got off the ground with ease.

I took a cold shower, washing away the lingering dust and grime of the mountains and forests.

After changing into a clean cotton T-shirt and casual trousers, I felt much more refreshed.

A strong feeling of hunger surged up at just the right moment.

He grabbed his phone and keys, put on his shoes, opened the door, and went outside.

The street downstairs was still bustling, with the lights and aromas of various food stalls mingling together.

He turned into the small but fairly clean home-style restaurant, which he knew the way well.

As soon as the plastic curtain was lifted, a cacophony of voices and the smell of cooking oil wafted out. The restaurant was almost full, mostly with regulars who came to eat after get off work in the neighborhood.

Wu Feng found a small square table that had just been vacated in the corner and sat down.

The proprietress brought over the menu, and he took it, glanced at it, and didn't hesitate much.

"Sweet and sour fish, braised fish, stir-fried sweet potato leaves with chili peppers, eggplant and green beans, and a sea clam and winter melon soup. A big bowl of rice." He ordered quickly, all dishes that would go well with rice.

"Okay, just a moment." The proprietress wrote it down and shouted the names of the dishes towards the kitchen.

While waiting for the food, Wu Feng leaned back in the somewhat greasy plastic chair and took out his phone to unlock it.

The light from the screen illuminated his face. His thumb instinctively tapped the app for the official forum of "Jianghu Dream".

The homepage feed was still scrolling by at breakneck speed. He quickly skimmed the headlines, his finger swiping unconsciously.

Suddenly, a popular discussion thread caught his attention. In the thread, several players were sighing:

"The top 50 on the rankings have lost almost ten names in the last few days, have you noticed?"

"We found out a long time ago! They all went and got themselves into trouble by messing with the Four Evils. Those big shots like Sword Howling Through the Nine Heavens and Drinking Alone Under the Moon are nowhere to be seen on the leaderboard now. They're probably still struggling to level up from scratch in the newbie village."

"It's not just them; many elite groups from well-known guilds have also suffered heavy losses. Dying once means resetting your level to zero and dropping one level in martial arts proficiency... This punishment is too harsh, it's like going back to square one."

"Who would dare go now? The forum's tone has completely changed; everyone's advising people to stick to leveling up and grinding, and not to be overly ambitious. Those world bosses are simply not something you can touch at this stage."

"Let's all go home, let's go back to the martial arts school and master our third-rate skills first..."

Wu Feng read through the list one by one, a slight twitch appearing on his lips.

The death penalty in this game is terrifyingly severe.

Resetting your level to zero means you can practice again, but your martial arts proficiency will drop by one level. For players who have painstakingly trained a martial art to a minor, major, or even perfect level, the loss is not just time, but a real decline in attributes.

If he were to die once, all his martial arts skills would drop from perfect to perfect, and the combined loss of attributes would be enough to make his combat power drop by several levels.

This risk is indeed enough to make most players who are caught up in the heat of the moment calm down and reconsider.

"If you're not confident, you really shouldn't take on a challenge." He shook his head.

The remaining posts on the forum are mostly about which leveling spots are efficient, which martial arts school has the best value for money, or showing off a newly acquired blue item, or complaining about how difficult a certain quest is.

It was noisy and bustling, but the previous fervor of everyone chasing after the Four Villains and seeking extraordinary adventures was gone.

After looking at it for a while and finding no more valuable information, he closed the forum and put his phone aside.

Just then, the waiter started serving the dishes.

Sweet and sour fish is bright red with a well-coated sauce and a tantalizing aroma; braised fish has a thick sauce and tender fish; sweet potato leaves are bright green and stir-fried with chili and minced garlic for a refreshing taste; eggplant and green beans are cooked until glossy and savory, perfect with rice; and sea cucumber and winter melon soup is clear and bright.

The aroma of real food wafted up.

Wu Feng picked up his chopsticks, stopped thinking about it, and focused on the food in front of him.

He ate very quickly. He shoveled large mouthfuls of rice and vegetables into his mouth, the rich flavors exploding on his tongue and quickly filling his empty stomach.

He devoured the four dishes, soup, and a large bowl of rice in a whirlwind, letting out a satisfied sigh.

I paid the bill and got up. I took a short walk to digest my food, letting the cool night breeze carry away the smell of the food from my clothes, before returning to my lodgings.

Take a hot shower to wash away the last bit of fatigue, and change into clean pajamas.

Without delay, he lay back down in the gaming pod.

After the soft click of the hatch closing, my consciousness quickly sank into that world constructed of data.

The campfire had burned out, leaving only a few dark red embers flickering in the night, providing limited light and heat.

The chestnut horse stood quietly in the shadows, seemingly asleep.

Wu Feng opened his eyes and adjusted to the dim light.

He did not get up immediately, but listened attentively first.

Apart from the occasional crackling of embers and the even breathing of horses, there was only the sound of mountain winds and forest rustling in the distance. Nothing seemed amiss.

He then sat up cross-legged and took out the two extra-large earthenware jars, each still containing half a poisonous insect, from his backpack.

Pulling out the cork from the jar with the centipede symbol, a strong, fishy smell mixed with the strange odor of medicinal mud wafted out.

Inside the jar, the armored centipede's dark, segmented body was tangled and squeezed together, most of it drowsy.

Without hesitation, he put on gloves, pinched out one, and began to circulate the "Five Poisons Gu Technique".

To draw out the poison, refine it, and absorb it.

Compared to the initial difficulty last night, the Five Poisons Gu Technique, now at its perfect state, runs much more smoothly.

The stinging sensation caused by the cold, toxic power surging into the meridians was significantly reduced due to the buffering effect of the poison's affinity.

However, the loss of health points continues, steadily decreasing by 10 points per second.

Wu Feng remained calm and focused, concentrating on guiding the toxic essence, repeatedly washing and refining the pale green vortex of poisonous energy.

After refining one centipede, discard its ash-covered shell and take down another.

The experience was monotonous and repetitive, accompanied by a persistent, subtle discomfort in the meridians.

Time slipped away quietly with each round of transport. The embers of the campfire were completely extinguished, leaving only a faint warmth.

The mountains and forests were completely plunged into the deepest darkness of night, utterly silent, save for his steady, long breaths, which rang out rhythmically.

The number of centipedes in the jar steadily decreased.

When the second jar was also partially emptied, the rotation of the pale green vortex in his dantian suddenly accelerated, its color becoming so deep as to be almost dark green, far more condensed than that of the Perfect Realm!