Li Xiao is a classic gamer, a nerd who spends his days dozing in bed like a hibernating bear, then transforms into a hunter on the online battlefield at night. His room is small, the air thick with the mixed smell of potato chips and instant food. His desk is littered with drink cans and lunch boxes, and a tangled pile of game discs, like trophies from his "conquests." His dual monitors are blindingly bright, with multiple game interfaces open. Deafening gaming sound effects blare from his headphones, accompanied by the clatter of his keyboard fingers. The entire scene is a picture of chaos.

"You bunch of noobs, if you're clumsy, don't come up and embarrass yourself." Li Xiao jeered as he controlled his game character, his fingers hammering away at the keyboard like lightning. His movements were as smooth as flowing water, and he precisely knocked down his opponent. The bright red word "Victory" popped up on the screen, and he raised his lips in triumph.

"Is this your level? You're not as good as me using my feet." He took off his headphones and muttered to himself while finishing off the enemy.

In the corner of the room, another device stood out: a homemade hacking device, emitting a faint fluorescent light. To the average person, it might just be a dizzying pile of electronic junk, but to Li Xiao, it was a divine artifact. As a veteran game hacker, he wasn't content with just playing games. He was more interested in disassembling game code, finding loopholes, and then bending the rules to his liking.

"What kind of entertainment is gaming if it's not exciting?" Li Xiao pushed his glasses up, a sly look in his eyes. For years, his cracking skills had not only earned him a small fortune, but also landed him on the "blacklists" of several gaming companies. These "unscrupulous companies" hated him bitterly, but they were powerless to do anything about him.

"Alas, I'm actually tired of all these games." Li Xiao leaned back in his chair, flexing his fingers as his mouse moved across the major gaming forums, searching for new prey. He'd occasionally click on a post, curl his lips, and close it with disdain.

"This game is rubbish... The graphics are the same as last century." He switched to another page. "Hey, this one is hyped up like a fantasy blockbuster, and you dare to charge me? Next one."

Just as he was feeling bored, a pop-up ad suddenly appeared in the center of the screen, obscuring the post he was browsing. The image was filled with ancient Chinese elements, accompanied by an exaggerated caption: "Spirit Realm Battlefield: Ultra-immersive Immortal Cultivation Game, Zero-Lag Virtual Experience!"

"Hmm?" Li Xiao raised an eyebrow, looking at the slogan with a playful smile on his face. "Another piece of this kind of bragging? Zero lag, super immersion, who still believes that these days?"

He clicked on the ad link and was taken to the game's promotional page. The page was beautifully crafted, the ancient world scene shimmering with psychic light effects, appearing dreamlike. The characters all looked sage-like, and even the special effects were realistic. The slogans were outrageously exaggerated: "Real-time psychic simulation, experience an unprecedented life of immortal cultivation!" "Developed by a top team, the pinnacle of future technology!" "Everything you dream of as a celestial being is here!"

"Hahaha, I'm dying of laughter." Li Xiao laughed as he quickly scanned the page. He rubbed his face vigorously, trying to suppress his laughter. "This kind of bragging doesn't even require preparation. I'm afraid it's just kidding!"

However, a closer look piqued Li Xiao's interest. "A virtual battlefield for cultivating immortality? And even simulates psychic energy in real time?" His gaze fell on the "Free Download" button in the corner of the screen, a sly glint in his eyes. "How about... try it out next? Let's see just how far-fetched you are."

He reached out and clicked the button, then muttered to himself, "If this game is actually interesting... then don't blame me, 'Old Man,' for taking it apart and taking a look."

After installing the game, Li Xiao didn't rush in. Instead, he enthusiastically activated his cracking tool. A hunter's gleam in his eyes, his fingers danced across the keyboard, and as the code scrolled across the screen, the entire room seemed enveloped by his triumphant aura.

"Let me see what you can do." Li Xiao grinned, his eyes fixed on the screen. He discovered that the encryption method of this game was completely different from that of ordinary online games. The underlying code was actually mixed with some strange symbols, which looked like some kind of ancient runic language.

"Runes? You're even getting into metaphysics?" He scratched his head and scoffed, "Do you really think I'm a newbie? You think you can stop me with this little trick?"

He casually opened the tool and began analyzing it line by line, trying to bypass the login verification. He quickly identified and marked each line of code, his operation as skillful as a chef chopping vegetables, each knife precise. However, after he changed a few core function lines, the screen suddenly flickered, and a strange line of text suddenly popped up:

"Spirit Realm Battlefield is open, link permission has been activated."

"What the hell?" Li Xiao frowned. He tried to close the cracking tool, but the text on the screen seemed to come to life, constantly pulsing and refreshing. A bright light emanated from the monitor, illuminating the entire room in a white haze.

"Don't scare me! What's going on?" Li Xiao reached to turn off his computer, only to find his mouse and keyboard had stopped responding. His monitor was going crazy, the light growing increasingly glaring, and a low, strange sound came from his headphones.

"Spirit Realm Battlefield connection successful, data restoration begins..."

Li Xiao was stunned for a moment, then patted his monitor, trying to calm it down: "Hey, hey, hey, this isn't a virus, is it? Or is it that your game doesn't even allow people to exit alive?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the headset suddenly vibrated violently, causing his head to shift slightly and fall off the chair. Then, a low, mysterious humming sound came to his ears, like a whisper from ancient times, or like some kind of mechanical command.

"Holy crap!" Li Xiao tried to pull the headset off, but found it was stuck, like glue. Despite his nervousness, he couldn't stop mumbling, "I just changed a few lines of code. Why are you taking it so seriously? Is that really necessary?"

White light surged towards him from all directions, his consciousness gradually blurring, the entire world seemed to be torn apart. He vaguely heard a cold voice from afar: "The connection to the spiritual battlefield has been completed. Welcome to the other side of the real world..."

"The plot development is wrong! I haven't even started playing yet!" Li Xiao felt as if his body was thrown into a washing machine. The picture in front of him became more and more distorted, and then he completely lost consciousness.