Chapter 70: Leaving the Game?
With the agreement made, Gu Yunqing didn't delay any longer and returned to her personal space to make final adjustments.
He needs to maintain his best condition to cope with the harsh environment of the [Heart of Molten Core], while also being distracted by maintaining the initial existence of his new identity, Yan Kongshan. This in itself is a test of his mental strength.
The next day, Gu Yunqing arrived at the entrance to the [Molten Core] instance on time.
Not long after he arrived, a familiar figure swayed gracefully over; it was Su Meichuan.
He was still dressed in his unique style, which made his delicate face even more androgynous, with a playful smile on his lips.
"Yun Qing~" Su Meichuan's voice carried his uniquely lazy tone, "You're here so early. Xiang Bei has some urgent business to attend to in this world, so he asked us to wait a moment. He'll be here soon."
Gu Yunqing understood and nodded: "It's alright, we'll just wait for Brother Bei."
He noticed that Su Meichuan's curious gaze fell on Yan Kongshan, who was standing next to him, looking as if he wanted to shrink into a ball and avoid eye contact.
Su Meichuan glanced at Yan Kongshan a few times, his interest growing stronger in his peach blossom eyes. He leaned closer to Gu Yunqing, lowered his voice, and asked in a slightly gossipy tone:
"Yun Qing, this is... a new friend? Are you... planning to team up for the 'Battle of Glory'?"
His gaze shifted between Gu Yunqing and Yan Kongshan, clearly showing great curiosity about the pair.
Gu Yunqing remained expressionless and readily admitted, "Yes, Kongshan is an important teammate of ours. We are determined to win the 'Battle for Glory'."
He paused, then looked at Su Meichuan, his tone carrying a hint of inquiry, "Mr. Su, do you mean you don't plan to participate?"
Upon hearing this, Su Meichuan chuckled softly, a laugh as light as a feather brushing against the heart, carrying a hint of nonchalance yet seemingly containing a deeper meaning: "As for me, of course I'll participate. Such a lively event would be so boring if I didn't."
He changed the subject, his gaze drifting to the distorted light screen at the dungeon entrance, his tone becoming somewhat subtle, "But as for the God of War... whether he'll participate or not is hard to say."
Gu Yunqing's heart stirred slightly, and a hint of doubt appeared on her face at the right moment.
Su Meichuan looked at him, her smile deepening, and her voice lowered as if sharing a secret: "You don't know yet, do you? Our Brother Bei has changed quite a bit lately. After that incident at the Refining Heart Tower, and then some other things that happened afterward..."
He glanced meaningfully at Gu Yunqing and continued, "He's starting to be able to distinguish and understand... what true feelings are. It's no longer just a protective instinct based on logic and the 'first law'."
"You should understand what this means, Yunqing. He entered this game in the first place to find an opportunity to understand emotions and a way to solve his own problems."
"Now... perhaps the answer has been found. The allure of this 'battle for glory' is great, but for him, it may not be as great as the nascent 'reality' in the real world."
"Perhaps after this instance, he will prepare to leave the game."
A genuine look of surprise flashed across Gu Yunqing's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure.
He was not surprised at all. With Jun Xiangbei's strength and temperament, he already had the means to break free from the Pure White World. The only reason he had stayed was to seek "understanding".
I just didn't expect that this "understanding" would come so quickly, and... it seems to be inextricably linked to me.
"I see." Gu Yunqing nodded slightly, her tone revealing little emotion. "If we can get what we want, that's a good thing."
He quickly began to consider the possibility that Jun Xiangbei might leave the game, which could be a variable in his plans for "Battle of Glory".
Before that, he must make full use of this instance to achieve his own breakthrough and create a new identity.
Just then, a cool and aloof figure walked through the crowd and strode over; it was Jun Xiangbei.
His breathing was steady, but Gu Yunqing keenly noticed a barely perceptible urgency in his icy eyes, as if he was worried about keeping them waiting.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Jun Xiangbei's gaze immediately fell on Gu Yunqing. After confirming that he was alright, he glanced at Su Meichuan and Yan Kongshan, who was hiding behind Gu Yunqing.
"We just arrived too." Gu Yunqing smiled, indicating that it was alright.
Su Meichuan waved her hand with a grin, "It's nothing, Brother Bei, you have important business to attend to. Go on in then, have a safe trip and lots of fun!"
He winked at Gu Yunqing, then gave Jun Xiangbei a meaningful look before turning and leaving.
Jun Xiangbei didn't say much, but nodded to Gu Yunqing, then glanced at Yan Kongshan who was still cowering, and said in a deep voice, "Ready? Then let's go in."
"Let's go." Gu Yunqing said succinctly.
Without further hesitation, the three stepped side by side into the distorted and scorching portal of the instance.
A strong feeling of weightlessness and a high temperature that could burn the respiratory tract came instantly.
The scene before my eyes suddenly changed; it was no longer the orderly, pure white world, but a scorching, crimson hellscape.
The dark red sky seemed to be on fire, and beneath their feet lay the scorched earth cracked and flowing with lava. The air was filled with the pungent smell of sulfur and the violent energy of fire elements, and the roars of unknown creatures could be heard from afar.
"Stay close to me, watch your step and the air." Jun Xiangbei's voice remained calm, as if the harsh environment had no effect on him.
A faint, icy-blue aura emanated from him, slightly isolating him from the oppressive heat and simultaneously protecting Gu Yunqing and Yan Kongshan a distance behind him.
Gu Yunqing immediately used his mental energy to resist the high temperature, while simultaneously maintaining Yan Kongshan's persona. He deliberately kept Yan Kongshan in control of the main personality and amplified his instinctive fear of the environment.
"Ah! It's so hot!" Yan Kongshan had only taken two steps when he stepped on a red-hot rock, which burned him so much that he screamed, jumped up while clutching his foot, and tears welled up in his eyes.
"Be careful." Gu Yunqing sighed helplessly, reached out to help him up, and had an expression that said, "I knew this would happen."
Jun looked back to the north, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly, but he said nothing and continued to clear the way ahead.
He had somehow acquired a longsword that exuded a chilling aura, and wherever the blade pointed, the low-level fire lizards that occasionally emerged from the lava were instantly frozen and shattered.
However, Yan Kongshan's "burden" had only just begun.
On his way forward, he encountered a lava fissure that required him to jump across. He was so frightened that his legs went weak and he dared not cross it. In the end, Jun Xiangbei used his ice-type ability to temporarily build an ice bridge, and he scrambled across.
When attacked by swarms of low-level fire bats, he not only failed to help, but instead fled in panic, his screams even more piercing than the fire bats' hisses. Several times he almost ran into Jun Xiangbei's sword, forcing Jun Xiangbei to distract himself and control the range of his sword energy to avoid accidentally injuring him.
"I...I can't take it anymore...It's so scary...Can we go back..." Yan Kongshan's face was pale, his lips were trembling, and he almost collapsed to the ground.
While "laboriously" supporting him, Gu Yunqing cast an apologetic glance at Jun Xiangbei, but in her heart she was calmly assessing the system feedback.
Yan Kongshan's personality is accumulating emotions such as "fear," "despair," and "helplessness," and his performance is slowly but steadily increasing.
He was deliberately suppressing his alter ego, waiting for that tipping point to arrive.
Jun Xiangbei cleared out another wave of monsters, stopped, and looked at Gu Yunqing, his eyes questioning but not blaming: "Yunqing, his condition..."
He simply couldn't associate this burden in front of him with "reliability" or "ace".
“Give him a little more time, Brother Bei.” Gu Yunqing’s tone was earnest, but also firm and unwavering. “Trust me, and trust him.”
Jun Xiangbei looked at him silently for a few seconds, but ultimately chose to believe him, saying only calmly, "Stay close, there seems to be an energy reaction ahead, be careful."
They arrived at a relatively open area, in the center of which stood several broken, seemingly charred, huge stone pillars.
The moment they stepped into this area, something unexpected happened!
The ground suddenly cracked open, and several tentacles formed from molten lava shot out, sweeping towards them as if they were alive. This was clearly a pre-set trap.
"Watch out!" Jun Xiangbei reacted extremely quickly, his sword light surging, instantly severing several tentacles.
Gu Yunqing immediately used her movement technique to dodge, while also shouting in a "panic" tone, "Kongshan, get out of the way quickly!"
However, Yan Kongshan was already stunned by the sudden attack. He stood there, watching helplessly as the thickest magma tentacle, carrying devastating heat, lashed out at his chest like a giant python.
"Pfft!"
A dull thud resounded.
The magma tentacle slammed solidly into Yan Kongshan's chest. The terrifying heat and impact instantly sent his frail body flying, crashing heavily onto the scorched ground in the distance. His chest was charred, and his white bones were even visible.
“Empty Mountain!” Gu Yunqing called out.
Jun Xiangbei's eyes sharpened, and he instantly dealt with the remaining tentacles, appearing beside Yan Kongshan in a flash.
He reached out and sensed that Yan Kongshan's life force was as faint as a candle flickering in the wind.
Logically speaking, such injuries would be fatal.
However, the next moment, something happened that made Jun Xiangbei's pupils shrink suddenly.
Just as he was about to try to rescue him, a small fire elemental creature emerged from the lava pool next to him. Seemingly attracted by the commotion, it instinctively spat a fireball at Yan Kongshan, who was "dying" on the ground.
The fireball hit.
Yan Kongshan's body convulsed violently, and he let out an even more painful and weak wail, but he did not die immediately.
Jun Xiangbei frowned and immediately swung his sword to kill the fire elemental creature. He stared intently at Yan Kongshan, who was writhing in pain, his breath weak, as if he would die at any moment, yet he was clinging to his last breath.
"Brother Bei, come here first." However, at this moment, Gu Yunqing waved her hand and summoned Jun Xiangbei back.
Although Jun Xiangbei was somewhat bewildered, he felt that Gu Yunqing wouldn't kill his friend, so he stopped worrying about Yan Kongshan.
Unexpectedly, just as Jun Xiangbei returned to Gu Yunqing's side, a fire lizard appeared next to Yan Kongshan.
The salamander's sharp claws sliced across Yan Kongshan's arm, leaving a trail of blood and the smell of burning flesh.
Yan Kongshan did not die immediately, but was dragged from a state of seemingly instant death by serious injury into a long and painful state of "near-death torment".
"Is this all he can do?" Jun Xiangbei asked, his voice tinged with doubt.
He had seen all sorts of powerful defensive and restorative abilities, but this kind of near-"rule-level" invincibility, ignoring damage and forcibly maintaining an immortal state, was unheard of.
This goes beyond the traditional definition of "defense." It is the ultimate damage absorption unit and the most terrifying source of aggro on the battlefield.
Imagine, in a team battle, a character who is virtually invincible charging into the enemy ranks—how much firepower would they attract? How much space would they create for their teammates to deal damage?
He looked at Gu Yunqing with a complicated expression. He finally understood what Gu Yunqing meant by "special" and "trump card".
Gu Yunqing came to Yan Kongshan's side, helped him up, and explained to Jun Xiangbei, "This is Kongshan's 'forced blood lock'... As long as it is triggered, he will be immortal during the duration of the effect. It's just that Kongshan's combat power is relatively low."
He looked at Yan Kongshan, who was enduring continuous pain and injury, but his eyes were calm.
The system notification indicates that Yan Kongshan's character level is rapidly increasing due to the extreme pain and the experience of "immortality".
Jun Xiangbei looked at the seemingly fragile yet incredibly "hard" young man at the level of rules, and then at Gu Yunqing beside him, whose expression was calm yet resolute. His previous doubts and the unpleasantness caused by being "burdened" completely vanished, replaced by a completely new understanding and assessment.
He nodded and succinctly summarized the value of this capability: "Strategic level."
He didn't ask any more questions, but instead became more cautious in guarding the surroundings, clearing away the monsters next to Yan Kongshan, while also keeping an eye on Gu Yunqing's condition.
He noticed that Gu Yunqing's face was also somewhat pale, as if resisting this environmental pressure had taken a toll on him.
"Concentrate your mind and guide your energy to resist external pressure, rather than simply resisting it head-on." Jun Xiangbei suddenly spoke, his voice still cold, but carrying a guiding tone.
"High temperature is also a form of energy. Try to perceive it, analyze it, and even... under extreme pressure, try to guide a trace of it for your own use and forge your spiritual core."
This was his own experience in cultivation, which he was now sharing with Gu Yunqing without reservation.
Upon hearing this, Gu Yunqing's heart stirred slightly, and she immediately tried as instructed.
He no longer merely passively defended against the high temperature, but extended a portion of his mental energy outwards, cautiously touching and sensing the raging fire element like tentacles.
The process was extremely difficult, and his mental energy felt like it was being burned. But under this extreme pressure, he did feel that his mental core had been forged into something more solid.
The improved performance feedback from Yan Kongshan gave him a new understanding of the subtle manipulation of mental power.
"Thank you for your guidance, Brother Bei," Gu Yunqing said sincerely.
Jun Xiangbei nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over Yan Kongshan, who was still in a state of locked health on the ground, before landing on Gu Yunqing's face. A gentleness, which even he himself did not notice, flashed in his eyes.
"Once you two are fully able to withstand the environmental pressures, we'll venture deeper into the instance." He calmly planned the next step.
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