Chapter 152: Too Fast
No teammates.
Nothing.
Jiang Feng smiled.
Perfect.
He closed the menu.
Around him...
Millions of players across thousands of starting regions were beginning the same journey.
But unseen by everyone...
Golden Fate gathered around FallenWind.
An old beggar sat beside a fountain.
Thousands of players passed him.
Ignored him.
Some laughed.
Some complained that the NPC smelled bad.
Jiang Feng walked past.
Then stopped.
Something about the beggar’s hands caught his attention.
Calluses.
Not random ones.
Sword calluses.
Jiang Feng turned.
The old beggar looked up.
Their eyes met.
For the first time all day...
The NPC smiled.
"Young man."
Jiang Feng approached.
"Yes?"
The beggar studied him.
Then asked a strange question.
"Do you believe a broken sword can still kill?"
Jiang Feng looked toward the wooden stick resting beside him.
Then at the old man’s hands.
His professional instincts screamed.
Hidden quest.
Jiang Feng smiled.
"Depends who’s holding it."
The beggar’s eyes brightened.
A notification appeared.
**Ding!**
**You have triggered a Hidden Quest.**
**Quest: The Broken Sword**
**Difficulty: ???**
**Accept?**
Jiang Feng stared.
Then laughed softly.
"Already?"
He selected...
**YES.**
. . .
Several hours later...
Back at the Shen mansion...
Chi Lingxi had gone home to be with her mother.
Before leaving...
She had hugged Shen Tian.
Nothing more.
No kiss.
No dramatic declaration.
Just a long hug.
And when she pulled away...
She smiled.
"I still mean what I said."
Shen Tian smiled back.
"So do I."
"I’ll wait until I’m..."
She hesitated.
"Better."
"There’s no deadline."
Chi Lingxi looked at him for several seconds.
Then nodded.
"Thank you."
She left.
Shen Tian watched the car disappear through the estate gates.
Xu Ning appeared beside him.
[You handled that surprisingly maturely.]
Shen Tian looked at her.
"Surprisingly?"
[Extremely surprisingly.]
"Thanks."
[It wasn’t entirely a compliment.]
"I’ll take it."
Xu Ning laughed.
Then...
A system notification appeared.
[WARNING]
[Jiang Feng has triggered his first Major Fate Opportunity.]
Shen Tian’s expression changed.
"Already?"
[Already.]
"How long has he been playing?"
Xu Ning checked.
[Forty-seven minutes.]
Shen Tian stared.
"Forty-seven minutes?"
[Yes.]
"And he’s already found the twelve-thousand-Fate quest?"
[Yes.]
Shen Tian turned.
"Where are those capsules?"
Xu Ning smiled.
[Entertainment wing.]
Shen Tian started walking.
Not running.
But definitely walking faster than normal.
Xu Ning floated beside him.
[Excited?]
"No."
[You’re practically speed walking.]
"I’m walking normally."
[Host.]
"Fine."
He smiled.
"A little. I love gaming..."
. . .
The Shen Family entertainment wing was ridiculous.
Calling it a gaming room would’ve been insulting.
The area occupied nearly an entire floor.
Private theater.
Arcade machines.
Racing simulators.
PC setups.
Console rooms.
Recording booths.
Streaming equipment.
And inside a newly renovated section...
Twelve full-dive capsules rested in two neat rows.
Shen Tian stopped in the doorway.
"..."
Xu Ning floated beside him.
[Your mother does not understand moderation.]
"I respect it."
Each capsule was top-of-the-line.
Custom built.
Cooling systems.
Emergency medical monitoring.
Neural synchronization safeguards.
One even had Shen Tian’s name engraved into the side.
He walked toward it.
"She personalized them?"
[Everyone has one.]
Shen Tian looked around.
Names appeared.
- Shen Tian -
- Yin Suyi -
- Shen Yan -
- Ling Shuangxue -
- Bai Xue -
- Qin Ruobing -
- Li Lian -
- Ruan Yizhen -
- Chu Zijin -
- Chu Mei -
- Chu Chuchu -
- Chu Luoshen -
Shen Tian stared.
"Mom bought herself one?"
Xu Ning smiled.
[Apparently she said...]
Xu Ning changed her voice in an exaggerated imitation.
["If my son is playing, why would I allow strangers to spend more time with him than his own mother?"]
Shen Tian covered his face.
"Of course."
[Your sister said something similar.]
"I don’t want to know."
[It involved hunting down anyone who flirted with your character.]
"I definitely don’t want to know."
Shen Tian opened his capsule.
Before climbing inside...
He paused.
"Xu Ning."
[Yes?]
"Can you enter?"
[Host.]
[If you go...]
[I go.]
Shen Tian nodded.
"Good."
He climbed inside.
The interior adjusted automatically around his body.
Soft supports locked into position.
Sensors activated.
A calm artificial voice spoke.
**User identified.**
**Shen Tian.**
**Neural synchronization beginning.**
The lid slowly closed.
Darkness surrounded him.
Xu Ning appeared beside him.
[Host.]
"Yeah?"
[One more thing.]
"What?"
She opened Jiang Feng’s Fate panel.
------------
**Current Fate Value: 200,000**
------------
[Be careful.]
Shen Tian looked toward the number.
"Because he’s protected?"
[Extremely.]
She continued.
[At two hundred thousand Fate...]
[Coincidences will favor him.]
[NPCs will notice him.]
[Hidden quests will naturally appear.]
[Boss drops will tilt toward him.]
[Enemies may make mistakes at critical moments.]
[Even if you steal one opportunity...]
[Another may appear.]
Shen Tian smiled.
"So... We’re playing against the protagonist... And the game itself."
Xu Ning nodded.
[Essentially.]
Shen Tian’s smile widened.
"Sounds fun."
The synchronization reached one hundred percent.
A voice echoed.
**Welcome to Eternal Realm.**
Light surrounded Shen Tian.
The character creation screen appeared.
----------
**Please select your race.**
Human.
Elf.
Dwarf.
Beastkin.
Several locked options.
----------
Shen Tian selected human.
**Adjust appearance?**
He looked at himself.
Golden hair.
Green eyes.
Same face.
Same height.
Same build.
"No."
Xu Ning raised an eyebrow.
[You’re using your real appearance?]
"Why change perfection?"
Xu Ning stared.
[Your confidence remains horrifying.]
"Thank you."
[Again...]
[Not a compliment.]
The naming screen appeared.
Shen Tian thought for a moment.
Then typed.
**ShenTian**
The system responded.
**Name available.**
He blinked.
"Seriously?"
Xu Ning laughed.
[Apparently nobody took it.]
"Good."
He confirmed.
Then came the most important question.
**Select Starting Region.**
Hundreds of regions appeared.
Xu Ning immediately highlighted one.
**Silvermoon Kingdom**
**Beginner Location: Greenleaf Village**
Shen Tian looked at her.
"He’s there?"
[Yes.]
A second notification appeared.
**FallenWind has progressed Hidden Quest: The Broken Sword.**
**Fate Opportunity progression: 18%.**
Shen Tian smiled.
"Then I guess we’re going to Greenleaf Village."
He selected it.
**Confirm?**
"Confirm."
The character creation space disappeared.
For several seconds...
There was nothing.
Then...
Wind.
Warm sunlight touched his face.
Birds sang somewhere nearby.
The smell of grass entered his nose.
Shen Tian opened his eyes.
A medieval village stretched before him.
Stone roads.
Wooden houses.
NPC merchants.
Blacksmiths.
Farmers.
Guards.
Hundreds of players rushed through the streets.
Some wore beginner clothing.
Others were already carrying crude weapons.
People shouted everywhere.
"Party looking for tank!"
"Where are the wolves?!"
"Anyone know where the blacksmith is?"
"How do I learn magic?"
"Bro, stop stealing my chickens!"
"THAT NPC JUST SLAPPED ME!"
Shen Tian slowly looked around.
"..."
Xu Ning appeared beside him.
No one reacted.
She remained invisible to everyone else.
[Welcome to Eternal Realm.]
Shen Tian opened his status.
------------
**Player: ShenTian**
**Level: 1**
**Class: None**
**Health: 100**
**Mana: 50**
**Strength: 5**
**Agility: 5**
**Vitality: 5**
**Intelligence: 5**
**Spirit: 5**
**Equipment: Beginner Clothing**
**Weapon: None**
------------
Shen Tian stared.
"...I’m poor."
Xu Ning gave a nod.
[For the first time in your life.]
"I don’t like it."
[You have ten copper coins.]
"Disgusting."
[Welcome to being normal.]
Shen Tian closed the interface.
Then...
A golden marker appeared in the distance.
Invisible to everyone except him and Xu Ning.
**Major Fate Target**
**Jiang Feng / FallenWind**
**Distance: 1.7 km**
Shen Tian looked toward it.
At that exact moment...
Another notification appeared.
**FallenWind has discovered the entrance to the Hidden Training Ground.**
**The Broken Sword quest has entered Phase Two.**
Xu Ning looked toward Shen Tian.
[Host.]
Shen Tian cracked his knuckles.
A grin slowly spread across his face.
"Alright."
He looked toward the road leading out of Greenleaf Village.
"Let’s see what a two-hundred-thousand-Fate protagonist looks like."
. . .
Somewhere beyond the village...
Inside a forgotten underground training ground...
Jiang Feng stood before an ancient stone door.
He placed one hand against it.
The door slowly opened.
Golden light spilled through the cracks.
A notification appeared before him.
**Congratulations.**
**You are the first player in Eternal Realm to discover a Hidden Area.**
Jiang Feng smiled.
His comeback...
Had officially begun.
Unfortunately for him...
Someone else had logged in.
---------
(Author’s Note: IMPORTANT!)
SEND POWESTONES!!!
ALL SUPER GIFTS (Magic Castle, Space Ship, Golden Gachapon) = MORE ChapterS!