Chapter 210: Sea View Sect’s Summon
Mindsets can change.
Principles can be compromised for money.
Besides, this wasn’t really a matter of principle to begin with.
Mu Qiu used to think streaming had certain requirements, but Han Tian had told her all she needed to do was keep her head down and stay quiet.
For any individual in the Sect, twenty thousand points was still an astronomical sum.
Even Fan Guzhou didn’t have that many Spirit Stones to exchange with Han Tian.
It would take time for Mu Qiu to travel to and stay in the Dragon Frost Swamp. Surely she couldn’t be so unlucky as to be finished the moment she arrived?
She still needed to learn the specifics of getting to the Dragon Frost Swamp, so Han Tian told Mu Qiu to log into the game and head to Liu Xian City to gather information.
Officially, they weren’t qualified to enter Liu Xian City, so they’d have to find Zhai Xiaotian to smuggle them in again.
Mu Qiu didn’t rush to log on. During her time in the Illusion Realm, she had cut back on sleep, doing little besides eating and drinking, all because she was worried something might go wrong in the game.
First, she went out to the supermarket for a major grocery run to restock on food.
But as she went out, she felt a bit dizzy and muddle-headed while wearing her glasses.
’Is this a side effect of playing the game too much?’
’But that didn’t feel right.’
When she took off her glasses, she actually felt much more clear-headed.
Looking at the distant scenery, she suddenly wondered, ’Has my eyesight improved compared to before?’
’Why do some things look clearer than they used to?’
’Or is it just a different visual effect because I moved?’
Mu Qiu shook her head.
She had been severely nearsighted since her school days. Her prescription hadn’t changed in years, but there was no way it could have recovered on its own.
She had never even considered corrective eye surgery, mainly because she didn’t have the money for it.
Mu Qiu was still a little worried. ’My eyes haven’t changed in years. Could there be a problem with my glasses?’
’Looks like I’ll have to find time to get a new pair of glasses made.’
After returning home, Mu Qiu logged into the game.
The game’s Sect channel was more lively than usual.
[Qi Dazuo: Congrats to the player who successfully reached Foundation Establishment!]
[Gu Yunxi: They’re staying anonymous? If it’s not our pro, Mu Qiu, then who is it?]
[Ma Xiaoniao: I’m so envious. We all started at the same time, how has someone already reached Foundation Establishment?]
[Lin Yuyu: Congratulations!!]
[Daoist: With our Sect’s leveling speed, anyone can tell we’re not from around Yunzhou.]
[Lian Yueqiao: Congrats, congrats!]
...
Mu Qiu took a closer look. It turned out someone in the Sect had already successfully reached Foundation Establishment.
The system had specifically sent a congratulatory message in the Sect, which was how everyone found out.
But the person remained anonymous and chose not to reveal their name.
Now, everyone was guessing who it was that had reached Foundation Establishment.
Han Tian sent Mu Qiu a message.
Han Tian: [Was it you?]
Mu Qiu: [No. I feel like I’ve hit my limit. I’m just missing that final push. Maybe I need to make a trip to Demon Cave Valley before I leave.]
Han Tian: [That’s weird. If it wasn’t you, who could it be? I know our expert Miao Miao is here with me, and Lin Yuyu and the others haven’t reached it.]
Mu Qiu guessed a name: [Shuitan?]
Han Tian also thought of Shuitan.
Shuitan was a mysterious player.
Han Tian knew he was in the third batch to join, but his progress was terrifyingly fast.
He wasn’t in the Sect, either.
He was in the main game group chat, but he was quite mysterious.
He was also part of this hidden quest.
Han Tian: [If it’s him, I wouldn’t be surprised. Looks like we need to pick up the pace.]
The two of them guessed correctly. The one who successfully reached Foundation Establishment was indeed Shuitan.
Considering that Shuitan was still officially a disciple of the Sea View Sect, the news of his successful Foundation Establishment was not made public.
After all, others couldn’t see his player profile anyway.
Shuitan had, of course, successfully reached Foundation Establishment in the Illusion Realm.
Compared to the agony Song Jiulai had endured when her Sea of Consciousness was nearly breached during her own attempt, Shuitan’s path to Foundation Establishment had been remarkably smooth.
The Illusion Realm had abundant Spiritual Energy, and for the players, entering it was an opportunity in itself.
If seized, the chances of successfully reaching Foundation Establishment were quite high.
According to the System’s estimate, Zhou Nvzi was probably close as well.
Song Jiulai mused aloud, "I didn’t expect the first to reach Foundation Establishment would be Shuitan. But then again, he’s still on Sea View Sect’s turf, so I guess this speed isn’t all that fast."
This Illusion Realm was truly extraordinary; she was now on the verge of stabilizing her Mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation.
This speed was actually considered slow. Ever since she possessed a Sea of Consciousness, the Spiritual Energy she needed was several times that of others.
But since she was always fighting opponents of a higher level, she never got to display the overwhelming dominance she should have had against peers of the same rank.
Too bad. Song Jiulai still wanted to experience what it felt like to sweep the floor with her peers.
There just weren’t any peers for her to sweep.
Considering she lacked the resources of a Major Sect, her cultivation journey had been incredibly smooth.
"It’s actually stranger that Mu Qiu hasn’t reached Foundation Establishment yet. The Spiritual Energy beneath her plaza seems a little insufficient compared to the other small worlds."
The Illusion Realm itself was an opportunity.
An ordinary Sect Disciple might not encounter a single Secret Realm in their entire life.
Let alone a major Secret Realm like this.
Most of the Longevity Sect disciples were battle junkies, running all over First Mountain to train. With a cheat like the System, it would be a disgrace if their leveling speed wasn’t fast.
And yet, compared to those in a real Major Sect, this speed could only be described as average.
"When is this quest ever going to be finished?"
Song Jiulai looked at the Sect quest posted for all to see: have ten disciples reach Early-stage Foundation Establishment.
The Sect had been given half a year, but only three months had passed, and the first player had already reached the Foundation Establishment Stage.
This meant the quest was a sure thing.
The last mid-progress reward was 100 scrolls of the Palm Thunder Secret Technique.
’So what amazing reward will we get for the Foundation Establishment success?’
’Just thinking about it is exciting.’
Lost in this delightful fantasy, the Sect Master still had to give a reward to the first player to reach the Foundation Establishment Stage.
"I don’t have any money. Just give him 1,000 points."
’Points don’t cost real money anyway.’
Her stingy persona remained unshakable.
System: "Don’t you have Spirit Stones?"
Song Jiulai: "Those Spirit Stones are my personal property. Points are free. Is that the same thing?"
System: "If he exchanges points for Spirit Stones, it still comes out of your pocket."
Song Jiulai: "You don’t understand!"
In any case, there were plenty of things within the Sect that could only be redeemed with points, so most players would exchange any Spirit Stones they had for points anyway.
On the other side, Shuitan, who had received the points reward, slowly let out a breath.
His successful Foundation Establishment was not a simple success.
Anyone who was chased by a demon beast for several days in a row would also burst forth with extraordinary power.
That Cold Pool Bird, which died and came back to life and died again, had been chasing Shuitan non-stop.
Even with the system’s help, he couldn’t just endlessly consume potions; his wallet couldn’t take the strain.
After repeating this for several days, he finally broke through the bottleneck that had been holding him back and successfully reached Foundation Establishment.
The very moment he succeeded in Foundation Establishment, he summoned the Magic Treasure he could finally use.
The Gale Rain Fan.
It was an Earth Grade Magic Treasure given to him by the Fifth Elder. With this fan and his new Foundation Establishment level...
This time, a single wave of the fan sent the Cold Pool Bird—a creature that would have been a tough fight even for a Late-stage Qi Refining cultivator—straight to the Western Heaven.
Perhaps because it had died too quickly this time, the Cold Pool Bird didn’t revive for a long while.
Shuitan frowned.
Just then, he seemed to sense something and took out his Qiankun Bag.
Inside the bag was a Token belonging to the Sea View Sect, engraved with the two Yunzhou words for "Sea View."
It was shimmering with a faint light.