After the internet was disconnected, I connected to the magic world.

In the Nine Provinces World, at the Guest Reception Courtyard on the back mountain of the Qingyun Sect.

The afternoon sun shone through the bamboo shadows, casting dappled light on the stone table.

Xuanqing, Shimingyuan, Zhao Hao, Zhang Lei, and Zhou Ming sat around the stone table, taking a rare half-day break from their intensive cultivation.

Zhao Hao took a big gulp of tea and was the first to complain:

"This is really weird."

I'm almost at the threshold of the late-stage Acquired Realm here in Kyushu; nine of my twelve meridians are open.

In reality, I'm stuck three days into the middle of the day after tomorrow, unable to break through no matter what.

"The progress is too far behind. In reality, cultivation is like an old ox pulling a broken cart. You can only move one step and then get stuck for three steps. It's exhausting."

The boy looked frustrated. He had thought he was exceptionally talented and could make great strides in reality, but reality gave him a harsh reality check.

Zhang Lei nodded in agreement: "That's right. I've calculated it, and the cultivation speed in reality is only about 40% of that in Kyushu."

One day of training here is equivalent to two and a half days of training in real life.

This body is like a rusty water pipe; it's incredibly difficult to channel internal energy.

He works in sales and drinks frequently for business purposes, so his health was already poor, making him even less healthy than Zhao Hao.

"I am quite well," said Shi Mingyuan, his hands clasped together in a calm tone.

"Through years of meditation, my spirit is focused and my blood and energy are stable. In reality, I've made about 60% progress in Kyushu."

Xuanqing stroked his goatee and said slowly, "The old Taoist is about the same."

Decades of breathing exercises haven't been for nothing; my physical body's Qi and blood are fairly abundant, perhaps lacking about 30%.

They already had a solid foundation, so the gap between reality and dreams was naturally much smaller.

Zhou Ming pushed up his glasses, took out a small notebook, which was filled with densely packed data:

"I have compiled feedback from more than 30 people on the world channel, and the average progress is between 30% and 60%."

The better one's foundation and the more focused one's mind, the smaller the gap becomes. For the average person, it's around 30%, so we're considered fast.

He paused, then added, "Moreover, I discovered that the insights gained from cultivation in Kyushu are perfectly applicable in reality."

It's like we're practicing and gaining experience here for free, which we can then apply directly to real-world situations when we get back.

Even if it's a little slower, it's still a hundred times better than figuring it out on your own.

That's the truth.

Without cultivation experience in the Nine Provinces, relying solely on the Azure Cloud Manual, they might not even be able to grasp the Qi sensation even after half a year of trial and error in reality.

After discussing their progress in cultivation, the conversation naturally drifted to recent developments.

"Have you noticed that there are more and more supernatural beings lately?" Zhou Ming turned to another page.

"Three days ago, there were only forty-odd people on the world channel, but now it has exceeded one hundred and twenty, and it is still rising."

Almost all of the dozen or so sects, large and small, in the vicinity now have extraordinary individuals stationed there, and even people from Youzhou in the north have gone there.

"When the five of us were first born, the Qingyun Sect Leader treated us like living gods, like honored guests, giving us whatever we wanted."

New recruits are now accepted as ordinary disciples by the sect; they do their chores and stand in the corner as punishment, without any special treatment.

Zhang Lei scoffed: "Things are valued for their scarcity. If there's too much of it, it becomes worthless."

"What ancient prophecies, what chosen ones? So there are hundreds of chosen ones at once? That's so worthless."

He had always felt that something was wrong with this.

What kind of unexpected opportunity falls into your lap for no reason? Or does it just happen in batches?

"Speaking of this, I've always had a question." Zhou Ming put down his notebook, his brows furrowed slightly.

"What exactly is this world?"

Everyone looked at him.

"When I first came in, I thought it was a real other world, with mountains, water and people, and I could even feel the wind blowing on my face."

Zhou Ming slowly said, "But later, they added a control panel, a world channel, an inventory, and an exchange function, making it more and more like a full-immersion online game."

Have you ever played any immersive online games?

Account creation, starting village, leveling up by fighting monsters, trading system—it has everything now except for a quest system and a cash shop.

Master Mingyuan nodded slightly: "This humble monk also has this question."

If it were a dream, it would be too real; the food, clothing, shelter, and transportation are no different from reality.

If it were the real world, it would be filled with traces of human design; even the panels are perfectly aligned, as if someone deliberately made them.

"Hey, who cares what it is, as long as it increases my strength, that's all that matters." Zhao Hao waved his hand dismissively.

"Even if it's a game, it's a real game where you can bring your abilities into reality. Free superpowers, why not take them?"

"It's not that simple." Zhang Lei shook his head, his tone serious.

"There's no such thing as a free lunch. They went to all this trouble to bring us in; they must have something to gain."

We spend our days here practicing and chatting, who knows what they might be reaping from us behind our backs.

After these words were spoken, everyone fell silent.

Thinking about it carefully, it is indeed creepy.

How could someone gain extraordinary power for no reason not come at a price?

"Holy crap! Do you guys think it might be a system-generated content?"

Zhao Hao suddenly slammed his hand on the stone table, his eyes shining brightly as if he had discovered a new continent.

"There's someone behind the scenes who got hold of some kind of dimensional cultivation system, or a fake-to-real system!"

This world of Kyushu was originally fake; he created it, then brought us in as players, and through our willpower and conviction, slowly made the world real!

"Once the world becomes completely real, he will be the god of this world! We will all be tools working for him!"

"Either it's a dimensional conquest system, to train us players first, and then go conquer other worlds and expand our territory!"

The boy became more and more excited as he spoke, his spittle practically flying out of his mouth, clearly indicating that he had read quite a few novels of this kind.

Zhang Lei rolled his eyes: "You should read less online novels, kid. System, huh? I think you're the system."

"If there really was a system, why would they need a high school student like you?"

"So what if he's a high school student? Aren't all the main characters supposed to start as high school students?" Zhao Hao retorted defiantly.

"Don't make a sound." Zhou Ming frowned, seemingly lost in thought.

"Actually... we can't completely rule out that possibility."

"This power, which is far beyond human comprehension, is either a god-level alien civilization or an extraordinary existence that we cannot understand at all."

Regardless of the type, we are all on someone else's chessboard, just pawns.

"The only difference is whether they want to fatten us up and harvest us, or whether they genuinely want to help us achieve extraordinary things."

Silence fell again around the stone table.

Sunlight fell on their faces, and although it was a warm afternoon, a chill inexplicably crept in.

Xuan Qing coughed softly, breaking the silence.

"Alright, stop scaring yourself," the old Taoist said calmly.

"No matter who's behind the scenes, no matter if this world is real or fake, the skills we learn and the internal strength we cultivate are our own, and no one can take them away."

"The most important thing right now is to improve our strength. With strength in hand, we will have the confidence to face whatever happens."

"It's better for the five of us to stick together and share information than to go it alone."

"If the person behind this all shows up someday, we'll see if they're friend or foe."

His words were calm and powerful, and the others nodded in agreement.

Overthinking is useless; ability is what matters.

Just as the five members of the Qingyun Sect were discussing the truth behind the scenes, another faint light flashed in the novice village of Qingshi Village.

Seven or eight people appeared out of nowhere under the old locust tree, staggering about, looking completely bewildered.

"Where am I?! I was just revising the plan!"

"Kidnapping! It must be a kidnapping! I'm calling the police!"

"Mom, I'm scared..."

The sounds of crying, screaming, and cursing were chaotic, like a vegetable market.

Song Xian stood at the edge of the crowd, his back tensing instantly, his professional instincts prompting him to immediately observe his surroundings.

Low-lying mud-brick houses, villagers dressed in coarse cloth and shorts, distant rolling green hills, the air filled with the scent of grass and earth, even the feel of the wind on your face is crystal clear.

That's so true.

It's 10,000 times more realistic than the most advanced VR devices.

He casually touched his pocket, where the peach wood pendant lay securely.

It's exactly as described in the materials.

"Everyone, please be quiet!"

A clear female voice rang out; it belonged to a white-collar worker in business attire, who was trying to maintain order, but her voice was too soft and was instantly drowned out by the noise.

Song Xian took a deep breath and took two steps forward.

He had served in the military and worked on the border, and he carried with him a well-trained and ruthless aura.

"Shut up, all of you."

The sound wasn't loud, but it was like a muffled thunderclap, drowning out all the noise.

Everyone stopped instinctively and turned to look at him.

Song Xian's gaze swept around, his speech steady and clear:

"First of all, this is not a kidnapping. No one would go to such lengths to throw you into a place like this."

Secondly, did you all fall asleep and lose consciousness, only to wake up here?

The group of people paused for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

"That's right," Song Xian said calmly.

"We've entered another world. I can't say for sure what it is right now. But panicking won't help, and crying won't help either."

"If you want to understand the situation, come with me into the village and ask the local villagers."

"Those who want to leave, follow behind me and don't wander off; those who don't, stay here, and you'll be responsible for anything that happens."

After saying that, he didn't wait for anyone's response, turned around and walked towards the village. His steps were steady, and his back exuded a reassuring power.

The group exchanged glances, none of them daring to stay alone, and quickly followed after them in a swarm.