Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Return of the King

Pulling together every available resource, he added any material that could be of use, leaving nothing to waste. Even with the powerful boost of a top-tier game engine, it still took Yin Jian nearly two months to complete the demo portion of the game. While the character templates saved him a great deal of trouble, narrative games were different from other genres—many details had to be inserted and fine-tuned by hand.

"How presumptuous—to think a mere firefly's light could vie with the brilliance of the full moon!" Yin Jian recited joyously, setting this line as the final scene of the demo. Then, he tested the game once more. Satisfied that all was in order, he clicked to publish it.

He felt certain that this time, he would soar straight to success.

He opened Shi Tou’s chat window.

You Forced Me: New game is live, please sign off on it.

Shi Tou: [Contract File]

Yin Jian was surprised to see the contract sent over without any preamble. "No small talk this time," he mused. He skimmed through the contract to ensure everything was in order, signed his name, and forwarded it back.

With that done, he was about to close the chat window when he suddenly remembered something and paused.

You Forced Me: Shi Tou, about the name change I mentioned last time—any news?

...

"Where is he?" Staring at the silent chat box, Yin Jian was left somewhat bewildered.

...

That evening, Liu Yang sat alone at home drinking in silence.

He was an office worker, constantly dealing with the unreasonable demands of clients, which piled on the pressure.

"Just because they have a bit of money, they think they're gods? Bah!" Liu Yang took a swig of his drink, cursing under his breath.

This week, a client had been impossible to please—disliking every proposal and making him run in circles for a whole week, only to decide at the end that the first plan was best after all. At the time, Liu Yang had wanted nothing more than to punch someone. But he was just a wage earner...

"Ah..." Liu Yang sighed again, finished his drink, and sat at his computer, preparing to play a round of "Spore Evolution."

A colleague had introduced him to the game a few days prior, and in just a few days, he’d grown addicted to the ferocity of its "Rage Mode." The raw, primal evolution of creatures in the game was incredibly cathartic for him. And to unlock more starting options, he—who never spent money on games—had, over the past month, ended up spending nearly a hundred yuan in bits and pieces on this one.

If it had been any other game, he might have regretted it. But "Spore Evolution" gave him a sense of accomplishment like no other. Seeing the various creatures he'd unlocked filled him with pride and made every penny feel worthwhile.

[Notice: 'You Forced Me,' whom you follow, has released a new game.]

"A new game?" Liu Yang clicked into the "Spore Evolution" interface and saw the pinned announcement. Curious, he followed the link.

Because he was so fond of "Spore Evolution," he’d developed a certain fondness for its designer as well, even if the designer’s username was somewhat odd...

Clicking into You Forced Me's profile, Liu Yang looked at the latest game under the designer's name.

"You were once the genius of your clan, but due to certain events, you became a disgrace in the eyes of others..."

"'Xuan Practitioner'? A narrative game?" Liu Yang frowned—he’d tried a few narrative games before, but... That so-called "Depression Game" had left him sleepless for several nights. Instead of releasing stress, it had only made things worse.

With that in mind, Liu Yang was about to exit and return to "Spore Evolution." But after a moment's hesitation, he decided to give "Xuan Practitioner" a try. After all, anyone capable of creating a masterpiece like "Spore Evolution" surely wouldn’t make a bad game.

"If it’s no good, I can just quit," he muttered, and let his consciousness enter the game.

After a brief moment of darkness, two prompts appeared before his eyes.

[This game features the latest immersive mode.]

[To prevent addiction, please set your playtime limit.]

"Isn’t this just for kids?" Liu Yang was momentarily taken aback by the prompt. "I’m an adult—how could I lose myself in a game? Must be a system bug," he thought. But eager to play, he set a two-hour limit.

[Time set to two hours.]

[Enjoy your game.]

The prompts vanished, and everything went dark once more.

...

"Hurry, hurry! Today is the clan’s annual cultivation progress check—you can’t be late!"

"I was lucky enough to break through to Xuan Practitioner, First Stage, Middle Layer just yesterday. After today’s test, I’m sure to earn plenty of resources."

Hearing the voices around him, Liu Yang opened his eyes in a daze and looked around in confusion.

"Where am I?"

"Wasn’t I just playing... what was I playing?"

...

"No, my name is Liu Yang. I’m a member of the Liu family’s younger generation in Floating City, on the continent of Xuan Practitioners. I’m about to attend the clan’s annual cultivation assessment."

After uttering these words, the fog in Liu Yang’s eyes cleared. He lifted his head, intending to head toward the clan’s cultivation hall, but stopped after taking just a single step.

Floating before him were several transparent bubbles.

"What are these things?" He frowned, trying to recall what they were. They seemed familiar, yet he couldn’t quite place them.

"It seems like I can..." Liu Yang reached out to touch the nearest bubble. Instantly, a message appeared before his eyes.

[What kind of power leaves messages hanging in the air like this?]

"This..." Liu Yang frowned and checked the other bubbles.

[It seems only I can see these bubbles. Could something be wrong with my mind?]

[Who left these bubbles?]

[Dammit! Who’s playing tricks here?]

[Today is the day of the clan’s test.]

[Wait, could these have been left by me?]

[Is it possible I can reincarnate after death, but without retaining memories?]

[If so, can I leave myself messages in advance?]

[Mountain Cleaving Technique: Xuan-tier martial art. Once mastered, grants tremendous strength—unmatched at the same level...]

[There’s a cave in the back mountain. The herbs inside can help me restore my cultivation...]

...

"I’ve already been reborn many times?" Staring at the information within the bubbles, Liu Yang was shaken to the core. Yet after the initial shock, he quickly suppressed his excitement. This secret must never be revealed, or it would surely bring disaster upon him.

"But with these hints, not only can I regain my talent, I could stand at the very pinnacle of this world!"

"Let those who looked down on me, those who insulted me, be forced to look up to me!"

A fiery determination blazed in Liu Yang’s eyes. No longer lost or disheartened, he strode confidently toward the clan’s cultivation hall.

Today, he would show everyone—the prodigy had returned!

P.S. 1: Please vote for me! Monthly tickets and recommendations appreciated!
P.S. 2: The players had their memories blocked, so they believe all the bubbles were left by themselves. I feel like this concept alone could be the foundation for an entire novel.