Text-based martial arts: A nighttime rendezvous with the gang leader's wife in a dilapidated te

Defying fate?!

Chen Xuan was visibly stunned when he saw this so-called destiny talent appear before him.

Then, almost without thinking, he clicked on this entry.

This is obviously another inherent way of playing this little game, isn't it?

From Chen Xuan's "professional" perspective, this just means he can trigger more missions, but his starting attributes are a bit weaker.

At that point, we might have to spend money on various in-game items to recover...

Even so, a small sense of anticipation still welled up in Chen Xuan's heart.

What if?

What if this little game is a little different?

Following his gaze, finally, the blood-red choice of identity had reached its end:

5. Please name yourself. This name will either resound throughout the world or vanish into dust.

(Note: Using a normal human first name will help you understand the world more quickly, and it will also help the world understand you more quickly.)

Chen Xuan thought for a moment, then typed three large characters with a blank expression:

【Chen Siming】

What's the point of a martial arts game if it's not a bit chuunibyou (a Japanese term for someone with delusions of grandeur)?

Everything is ready. Your story begins tonight, it begins with—

[Choose your birthplace.] (This will determine your initial location and environment):

[1. Outside Jinling City, a dilapidated temple in the night rain. You wake up in the cold rain, with only a dying campfire beside you.]

2. On the northern frontier, in a lonely city under a cold moon. Yellow sand swirls everywhere; you tighten your coat and step into this important border town.

3. A water town in southern China, a small seaside village. The sound of waves crashing rises and falls as you awaken in the home of a kind family.

[4. The capital city, the very heart of the nation, right under the emperor's nose. People from all walks of life, from nobles to high-ranking officials, all have their eyes and ears here. What changes will your arrival bring?]

Chen Xuan glanced at it, but still felt that the first option was more reliable and simpler. After all, a dilapidated temple was always associated with fortuitous encounters.

In addition, there was another factor: he had visited Nanjing several times in real life.

After clicking "Confirm," the blood-red text finally disappeared.

The screen went black again.

I don't know how many seconds passed, but then bright white text started appearing on the screen.

Meanwhile, the screen continued to flicker, and the next moment, a loud rumble of thunder and the crackling of a campfire came through the receiver.

This scene caught Chen Xuan's eye.

I must say, it's pretty good!

However, when it comes to word games, you still have to look at the words:

You were woken up by the cold.

You huddled against a crumbling half-wall, your back pressed against the moss-covered bricks, your old blue shirt soaked through, whether from rain or dew, it was hard to tell.

The faint firelight dispelled some of the chill. You found yourself drawn closer to the dying embers, looking around in bewilderment.

[Some offering tables were dilapidated, prayer cushions were covered in dust, and water still dripped from the roof tiles.]

You feel that you have almost no strength left in your body, and you are as listless as a dying person.

【…】

Chen Xuan frowned slightly as he looked at the snow-white characters.

This art style...something's not right.

Where's the in-game purchase interface? And where's my newbie gift pack? Is it because I haven't finished the tutorial?

He glanced at the upper right corner of the screen, where there was a large box. In the very center of the box was a small square with the words "Dilapidated Temple" written on it. Around the temple, apart from the "Leave" option, there was only darkness.

This should obviously be the minimap and move button.

In addition to this, below the map is a black box representing the environment inside the dilapidated temple, and the same text is displayed in the upper right corner:

Location: Unnamed dilapidated temple, eastern suburbs of Jinling City

[Time: 11:30 PM, August 2nd, 4th year of Tianwu]

On the left side of this interface, there is only a bare character option and the same unadorned attributes:

【Chen Siming】

Age: 16

[Title: Seeker of the Way]

[Destiny: Defying Fate]

[Realm: None]

[Practical Experience: 0] [Potential Points: 0]

[Body Constitution: 0+1]

【Perception: 0】

[Agility: 0+1]

[Power: 0+1]

[Luck: 0]

[Qi and Blood: 15/15] [Stamina: 1/23] [Internal Force: None]

[Status: Hungry (Your stamina is being consumed rapidly and cannot be restored by resting.)]

[Summary: A dying man.]

Chen Xuan ignored his appalling stats and tapped the backpack next to him.

Fortunately, there were still items in the backpack:

[Half a family heirloom jade pendant (yellow) (already equipped): If your constitution, strength, and agility are ≤3 points respectively, then your constitution will increase by 1, strength by 1, agility by 1, and your stamina by 10 points.]

Note: The jade is snow-white, a top-quality mutton-fat jade. If you don't care about the possible secrets behind it, you can choose to pawn it; you might get a pretty good price.

[A letter written in blood: The letter is written in a messy, illegible manner, and it's difficult for anyone other than a close acquaintance to decipher what it says. However, after seeing it, you'll always recall the shout, "Give him to Sun Buli, the leader of the Wanli Hall of the Golden Dragon Society!"]

Clearly, these two things must be the things that give them that special status.

Chen Xuan clicked on it and indeed saw another starting title:

[Seeker of the Dao: When you cultivate martial arts, whether you practice online or offline, your efficiency will increase by 10%, and you will be more likely to be favored by some 'reclusive' NPCs.]

Gone.

Chen Xuan shook his head, then closed the character panel and looked at the huge black screen of the dilapidated temple.

This means that in the center of the map of the ruined temple, there is only one middle option:

【bonfire】

The campfire, nearing its end, still has some damp branches that haven't been lit yet; it should last about an hour. Countdown: 1:59…

You can choose to extinguish it, but the cold will accelerate your stamina loss. Once your stamina reaches zero, your health will decrease over time. Reaching zero health will result in death.

You poked at the dying embers of the campfire; the flickering light barely illuminated your weak face, and also revealed the few peaches on the offering table behind you.

[You struggled to your feet, ravenously hungry, and ate a wild peach. Your stamina was restored, and you received an additional 3 wild peaches.]

Having regained your strength, you can now see the entire dilapidated temple clearly.

[A dilapidated earthen sculpture, a leaky roof—this place can barely be considered a shelter from the wind.]

Just as Chen Xuan was staring at the blank page, realizing for the first time that even such a small game was somewhat tricky, the text finally showed a turning point:

[You now have a sufficient understanding of the current situation. Do you wish to activate your destiny ability 'Defying Fate'? View all the possible encounters and their trigger conditions in the current situation.]

Upon seeing this prompt, Chen Xuan's eyes finally lit up.

[You have initiated a feat of defying fate. In the darkness, your eyes have turned golden, and destiny, time, and cause and effect are as clear before your eyes as the lines on your palm.]

[You have observed all the fixed encounters and trigger conditions for the map 'Ruined Temple':]

【1. Traveler's Relic (Common): Stay in the ruined temple until the countdown to the campfire going out is 15 minutes (30 minutes). Click on the campfire, select to add new fuel, and select the tablecloth. You will find a hidden item under the table.

Obtain a tattered map and a piece of dried rations outside Jinling City, unlocking the map outside the city. Simultaneously, retain this map to learn the "Appraisal" skill, and after reaching "Level 5 (Master)", use the map to unlock a new adventure quest extension.

[2. Shen's Promise (Ordinary): Hidden within the wall of the northeast corner window sill of the dilapidated temple is an early token of the prestigious Shen family of Jinling. After striking it a thousand times, retrieve it, and you may be able to find food and a place to live in the Shen family mansion on the outskirts of Jinling.]

[3. Mysterious Offerings (Location): Why would such a dilapidated temple hold offerings? You will find out the answer on the first or fifteenth of the lunar month when the weather is clear, and when your natal chart attribute is ≤2.]

(Note: All current encounters are one-time events. Once one player triggers one encounter, no other player can trigger or discover it again.)