Chapter 23: A New World — The Divine Eagle
Dawn broke.
Qiao Mian opened his eyes.
"Zero, open the game interface," he called out in his mind.
The game interface instantly popped up.
[Player Name: Qiao Mian]
[Game Level: Level 1 (267,423/1,000,000)]
[Game Currency: 67,221]
[Number of Employees: 7]
[Popularity: 70,000]
[Listed Items: Iron Man Suit Mark 6 (10,000 coins), Blood Orchid Extract (1,000 coins/portion), AllSpark (100,000 coins/unit), Kong’s Blood Serum (100 coins/unit), Dimensional Item Seeker (100 coins/unit) ...]
[Unlocked Modules: Ticket Hall, Administration Center, Dinosaur Park, Python Pavilion, Highway]
[Connected Worlds: Jurassic World, Kong, Anaconda, Iron Man, Transformers]
...
The number of employees had increased by two since last time.
This was due to Optimus Prime’s persistent persuasion, and Qiao Mian had half-heartedly hired two more Transformers as sightseeing vehicles, who also helped maintain order.
Jazz and Prowl.
Two rather interesting Autobots.
One was passionate about breakdancing and got along well with Bumblebee. The other marveled at the fantasy park’s environment and even asked Qiao Mian if he could travel around Earth on his days off.
For such diligent employees who worked around the clock, Qiao Mian certainly wouldn’t refuse their requests. After all, it was only one day off per month.
Qiao Mian scrolled to the bottom of the page, where an inconspicuous "Check-in" button awaited.
After choosing to check in, a series of pop-ups immediately appeared before him.
[Consecutive check-in: Day 365, rewarded with 365 game coins.]
[Congratulations on a full year of check-ins! You have earned an opportunity to unlock a new world. Would you like to unlock it now?]
[Yes] [No]
Finally, it’s here!
Qiao Mian clenched his fists tightly.
He didn’t choose immediately, but quickly got out of bed, showered with the pop-up still hovering before his eyes, and dried his hair. Placing his hands together, he silently prayed to all the gods and buddhas above, but then thought perhaps such prayers were useless—one day, real gods might appear before him, begging for his favor.
“Heavens above, please let me unlock a cultivation world,” Qiao Mian sincerely gazed at the ceiling.
He took a large swig of cola from the table and selected [Yes].
[New world unlocking...]
Three seconds later, the pop-up suddenly transformed into an ink-wash painting.
Like a scroll, it slowly unfurled.
"By the autumn waters, a maiden gathers lilies, her slender sleeves of gauze barely hiding the golden bracelets upon her wrists.
Reflection meets blossom, beauty mirrors beauty, her fragrant heart as tangled as silk.
At the Chicken-foot Creek, wind and waves rise late, mist weighs heavy and smoke floats light, the companions from before are nowhere in sight.
Faint songs drift far away, sorrow leads the gaze to the southern bank beyond the river."
As the song played, shadowy figures in ink tumbled and clashed on the scroll, blades flashing, swords dancing.
Information about the new world poured into Qiao Mian’s mind.
Five seconds later, the scene rolled up and disappeared.
“So it’s The Return of the Condor Heroes,” Qiao Mian narrowed his eyes slightly.
He was a bit disappointed.
If it had been a cultivation world, there would have been a wealth of mystical treasures and supernatural techniques. He might have become invincible on Earth in no time. But it was only a martial-arts world.
“Oh well, one can’t be too greedy. The treasures in a cultivation world are probably much more expensive—I probably don’t have enough game coins yet,” he tried to comfort himself.
He spent 100 game coins to purchase a Dimensional Item Seeker and used it on the new world.
[Key Character Detected: Divine Eagle] (This is considered a character?)
[Key Character Detected: Yang Guo]
[Key Character Detected: Xiaolongnü]
[Key Character Detected: Guo Jing]
...
[Key Item Detected: Nine Yin Manual]
[Key Item Detected: Dugu Nine Swords]
[Key Item Detected: Nine Yang Divine Skill]
[Key Item Detected: Tendon-Altering Sutra]
[Key Item Detected: Jade Maiden Heart Sutra]
[Key Item Detected: Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms]
...
[Key Item Detected: Poisonous Serpent Gall]
[Key Item Detected: Precious Snake Blood Serum]
...
[New Module Detected: Martial Arena]
[New Module Detected: Sutra Pavilion]
Qiao Mian’s head spun as he gazed at the endless barrage of pop-ups.
He’d used the Dimensional Item Seeker in previous worlds as well, but never uncovered so many things.
Leaving aside the new modules and characters, if all these key items were materialized in the store at 100 game coins each, there was no way his current balance would suffice.
He pondered for a moment, then focused his mind to check the descriptions of the two new modules.
[Martial Arena: A place for martial sects to practice their skills... Blades and spears are unforgiving; remember, it’s all about control.]
[Sutra Pavilion: A repository for martial arts manuals collected by the sects.]
Qiao Mian read carefully, a look of joy blooming on his face.
The Martial Arena was not just a practice ground; within its bounds, it would multiply learning speed and insight by tenfold, and during sparring, it would automatically prevent fatal blows.
In other words, no matter how fiercely you fought in this place, no one would die.
“This is perfect for Kong—he’s a born brawler,” Qiao Mian thought.
As for the Sutra Pavilion...
It could sell martial arts manuals and elixirs to the public!
Besides housing materialized martial arts and elixirs, it came preloaded with over a hundred foundational techniques from the major sects.
Though it lacked supreme skills like the Tendon-Altering Sutra and Nine Yin Manual, it was still extraordinary.
“Just having this should bring me a good deal of extra game coins, right?” Qiao Mian mused.
He checked the prices.
The Martial Arena was valued at 50,000 game coins.
On par with the Python Pavilion and Administration Center.
Not too expensive.
Next came the Sutra Pavilion...
150,000 game coins!
“Zero, isn’t that a bit much?” Qiao Mian asked.
“All game prices are in line with market value,” Zero replied coldly.
Market value...
Qiao Mian curled his lip, knowing there was no point arguing with this AI simpleton.
“Would you like to add the Martial Arena now?” Zero asked considerately.
Qiao Mian thought for a moment.
He only had a bit over 60,000 coins, nowhere near enough for the Sutra Pavilion.
As for the Martial Arena, it was at least a good promotional feature.
“But the name ‘Martial Arena’... Let’s change it to Fitness Plaza.”
Fitness Plaza sounded more modern and inclusive.
“Understood,” Zero replied.
Naming these areas was only a suggestion from the system; the final decision was always Qiao Mian’s. He could even add advertisements to the names if he wished—like (Sponsored) Dinosaur Park, (Sponsored) Python Pavilion.
“Oh, right,” Qiao Mian added, “Could the Martial Arena be split in two, with one part serving as a Coliseum?”
“The function can be split as requested,” Zero replied. “Remodeling requires an additional 10,000 game coins.”
Qiao Mian’s eyes widened. “That costs extra?”
“See game rules for details,” said Zero.
Qiao Mian was speechless.
He had just 66,000 coins in total.
“After the zones are split, you can charge separate admission,” Zero reminded him. “For a player, it’s a guaranteed profit.”
Qiao Mian pondered in silence.
The Fitness Plaza could have instructors teaching martial arts to visitors, and later, it could work together with the Sutra Pavilion. The Coliseum could handle disputes between employees or guests and also bring in ticket sales.
It really was a good deal.
“All right,” he said.
...