Chapter 232 This is not a game! This is a second life!

[Here it comes! Streamer, hurry up and start! I can't wait to see the joke!]

[A VR headset costing 20,000 yuan—I'd like to see what kind of tricks they can pull off!]

[Selling sunflower seeds, peanuts, and bottled water in the front row. Waiting for the streamer to try it for one minute before yelling and demanding a refund!]

Ignoring the teasing comments in the chat, the streamer carefully broke the seal and opened the metal box.

A sleek, silver-gray headset lies quietly in the center. Unlike traditional VR headsets, it lacks bulkiness and resembles a sophisticated sci-fi crown, its surface shimmering with a subtle glow.

"My God..." the anchor exclaimed instinctively, "The texture... the craftsmanship... just looking at this, it doesn't feel like an ordinary product!"

He picked up the equipment and showed it to the camera.

"It's very light, extremely light! And look, the material feels metallic to the touch, yet it also has the warm, smooth feel of jade."

Stop talking nonsense! Try it on!

Exactly! Let's see what they're made of!

Without further hesitation, the anchor put the "Qiankun Instrument" on his head, following the simple instructions in the manual.

Without complicated wiring or tedious debugging, the equipment automatically fits and adjusts to the most comfortable position.

"Connected".

"Neural signal synchronization in progress..."

"Completed simultaneously."

A series of soft electronic sounds rang directly in his mind.

Soon, a login screen appeared in front of the streamer, requiring him to bind his identity information and choose a name. After filling in this basic information, the streamer found another setting, which was to record or stream from a first-person perspective. Without hesitation, he chose to stream simultaneously.

"Do you confirm that the first-person perspective footage will be synchronized to the live stream?" the electronic voice asked again.

"Yes!" he silently replied in his heart without hesitation.

"Syncing complete. Please prepare to log in to the game in 5 seconds."

He quickly lay down on the gaming chair he had specially prepared.

Soon, everything went dark, and then the live stream suddenly switched from the streamer's excited face to his first-person perspective!

In the darkness, a glimmer of starlight appeared.

Then came the second point, the third point... billions of starlight converged into a dazzling galaxy, rushing past before our eyes!

The unparalleled visual impact silenced the entire live stream room.

A few seconds later, the light faded, and a stunning scene was presented to tens of millions of viewers.

The anchor was standing on a vast, boundless white jade square. The jade beneath his feet was warm and smooth, reflecting the flowing clouds in the sky.

At the edge of the square, a vast sea of ​​clouds rolled in.

In the distance, majestic mountains float in the air, silver waterfalls cascade from their peaks, and flocks of birds sing their melodious songs.

After a period of complete silence, the live stream room erupted with an unprecedented barrage of comments!

Holy crap!!!

[I'm blind! I'm absolutely blind! This is game footage?! You're telling me this is cutscene?!]

[This...this must be real-life filming, right? Which scenic spot was it filmed at? The special effects are amazing!]

No! Look at the streamer's hand! He raised his hand! It's a model from the game! But... the skin texture! The lighting! It's exactly the same as the real thing!

[Twenty thousand yuan? I was wrong! I was so wrong! Twenty thousand yuan could have bought me a whole new world! Why did I believe those bloggers?! I deserve to die!]

The streamer was completely dumbfounded. He stared blankly at his hands, then looked around at the other players who were also in a daze and kept appearing out of thin air.

Just then, several people dressed in the same clothes appeared. The leader stepped forward and said, "Hello, travelers from the mortal world."

"This realm is called 'Yuan'."

"Please follow my guidance to the center of the square to awaken your dormant essence."

As the voice faded, a path paved with golden light stretched from beneath everyone's feet all the way to a towering black stone monument in the center of the square.

No one spoke; everyone stared wide-eyed and silently stepped onto the path of light. Soon, thousands of players spontaneously formed a long queue in front of the giant spirit-testing stone.

"Place your hands on the stone tablet, and the tablet will tell you the answer."

The first player was a burly man with a face full of scars. He nervously rubbed his hands together and placed his palms on the cold stone tablet.

Buzz—

The stone tablet emitted a faint red light.

That authoritative voice rang out again: "Low-grade, Fire Spirit Root."

The burly man was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed: "I have a spiritual root! Haha! I have a spiritual root!"

The second player, a bespectacled, refined young man, was found to have "medium-grade, earth elemental root".

The third one, the fourth one...

"Low grade, water spirit root."

"No spiritual root."

"Low grade, wood spirit root."

Upon hearing the words "no spiritual root," the player visibly slumped, his face filled with despair.

The viewers in the live stream were on the edge of their seats.

[Oh no! This game even considers talent? What's the point of playing if you don't have spiritual roots?]

[Hang in there, streamer! If you don't have any spiritual roots, I... I'll just send you a rocket as a consolation prize!]

Finally, it was the host's turn.

He felt his heart pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of his throat. Trembling, he placed his hand on the spirit-testing stone.

One second.

Two seconds.

The stone tablet did not react.

The live stream was filled with wails of despair.

[It's over, the streamer is gone.]

[That's all, that's all. Twenty thousand yuan for nothing.]

However, in the very next second!

A bolt of purple lightning suddenly shot into the sky from the stone tablet! Crackling arcs of electricity flickered around the stone tablet!

"Mid-grade, Lightning Spirit Root".

That authoritative voice seemed to carry a hint of emotion.

"Aaaaaaahhhhh!" The streamer looked at his hands, then at the towering lightning, and let out a pig-like scream: "Lightning Spirit Root! I have a Lightning Spirit Root! Family! I've made it!"

The live stream went completely crazy! The screen was flooded with countless gifts and "Holy crap!"

After everyone had finished their tests, the NPC spoke again: "Those with spiritual roots can follow the guidance to learn the 'Qi Induction Technique' and embark on the path of cultivation."

"Those without spiritual roots need not be discouraged. The Great Dao is fifty, and the Heavenly Evolution is forty-nine; there is still a glimmer of hope. The physical body is also a precious raft to cross the sea of ​​suffering. You may enter the 'Body Refining Hall' to cultivate an indestructible body and prove the Dao through strength!"

As soon as the words were spoken, those players who had been utterly despondent and had no spiritual roots raised their heads instantly, and the flame of hope was rekindled in their eyes!

"In addition, besides the methods of cultivating magic and body, there are also the Hundred Arts of Immortal Cultivation in the Yuan Realm. You may explore them on your own."

After the NPCs finished speaking, they left. While most players went to learn the "Qi Induction Technique" or enter the "Body Refining Hall," some quick-thinking players began to explore the huge newbie plaza.

A girl who was a music academy student in real life sat down curiously in front of a guzheng in the corner of the square and casually plucked a string.

bite--

A clear, melodious zither note.

A barely perceptible wisp of green light spilled from her fingertips and merged into the strings of the instrument.

[Hint: You have already encountered the path of music and can begin the journey of "musical cultivation."]

On the other side, an art student was gazing at the surroundings with fascination. He subconsciously picked up a twig from the ground, dipped it in the puddles, and began to paint on the white jade floor. The moment the painting was completed...

[Hint: You have already encountered the path of painting and calligraphy, and can now embark on the paths of "Talisman Cultivation" and "Painting and Calligraphy".]

A chef mixed wild fruits and spring water gathered in the game and cooked them using the simplest methods, and surprisingly made a bowl of "spiritual food" that could slowly restore stamina!

[Note: You have come into contact with the principle of food and medicine sharing the same origin, and have begun the path of "food cultivation".]

Alchemy, weapon crafting, array formation, swordsmanship, medicine...

Everything can be cultivated into immortality!

When these messages spread wildly through live streams and forum posts, the entire Chinese internet spiraled out of control.

I was wrong! This isn't a game! This is Second Life!

My mom asked me why I was kneeling and looking at my phone, and I said I was looking at gods!

[Cultivating magic! Cultivating body! Cultivating immortality through all arts! My god! Is the freedom in this game infinite?! This nation is awesome (voice cracks)!]

The end of the universe is computer programming, and the end of games is cultivating immortality! The ancients were right!

[I tested it! I have a superior water elemental root! I can really feel the energy flowing through my body in the game! It feels so amazing!]

[I don't have spiritual roots, but I chose body cultivation! I just finished a set of Body Tempering Fist techniques, my whole body is burning hot, it feels amazing!]

Countless positive reviews, like a tsunami, drowned out all the previous criticisms and doubts.

Those netizens who failed to purchase the "Qiankun Instrument" looked at the magnificent fantasy world on the screen and saw the excited sharing from other players, their eyes practically red with envy.

They flooded the official accounts of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Culture with humble messages.

[Dad! I was wrong! Please give me another chance! I'm willing to pay the "stupidity tax" again!]

[Mom! Mom! I'm your own child! Please love me one more time!]

[I'm willing to pay more! When will the second batch be released? Please!]

Even the donkeys in the production team wouldn't dare rest like this! Hurry up and ramp up production!

Meanwhile, in a secret meeting room, several white men in suits were staring intently at the game screen of "Aura Resurrection".

"Go, buy a few more from the Chinese at a higher price!"

"No matter what method you use, break it down to understand the underlying principles!"