To ascend, I had no choice but to create games

Game testing, day seven.

Wang, who had only slept for five hours, was woken up by his alarm clock.

He didn’t go to bed the night before but slept in the high-tech gaming chair given to him during a live stream he used for selling products.

The integrated gaming chair, worth 38,000 yuan, came with massage and sleep functions and was even more comfortable than lying in a bed.

The gift he had recently received symbolized his current status; the price was of no importance—what mattered most was the feeling of respect he derived from it.

After wiping his face with a hot towel, he returned to his chair only to see a barrage of messages demanding updates in his fan group.

“Wang, time for an update, you’ve been gone six hours.”

“Even the donkey from the production team isn’t as bad as you!”

“This red envelope is only here for an hour, I hope you show up within the hour. Wang, you might not like me, but you can’t dislike money, right?”

“Wang, Wang, come back! Wang, what am I going to do without you?”

Since he went offline in the wee hours, calls for updates had been incessant, even more active than those begging for seeds on forums.

Looking at the messages demanding updates in the group, Wang sneered.

Are you craving me?

You’re craving my game!

Usually, these guys in the group would either demand that he cross-dressed or that he cross-dressed with them, which often led new fans to misunderstand his sexual orientation.

This group was particularly infectious; soon, newcomers would be tainted by the group’s culture, making the group even more frivolous.

And even though they now address him courteously as “Wang,” after the game testing ends tomorrow, they’re sure to start calling him “Old Thief” again.

But with the hype up, it would be foolish not to capitalize on it.

After receiving the activation code, he happily played for two days before remembering to let the brothers in the group have their share of fun.

It seemed the others had done the same, getting so engrossed in the game that they lost track of time, which is why only scattered news had come out now.

After shouting “I’m here” in the group, Wang opened the live streaming client and said, “Today, we continue the live stream of ‘Quiet Cultivation.’ Since the game test will end tomorrow, we’ll stream for a longer period. Honestly, I think this whole game testing thing is just a formality—the graphics and the gameplay deserve a 91 out of a too. The remaining 9 points are withheld because the number 6 got flipped. All right, what mode today? Let’s randomize… Team mode, let’s go!”

Because team mode was still incomplete—for instance, the crucial chat system was not yet implemented.

However, the game characters had a wide range of motions, and players quickly established a so-called conventional method of communication to facilitate in-team discussions.

Raising the left hand to indicate someone is on the left, raising the right hand to indicate someone is on the right, stamping your foot to signal that someone is using a burrowing technique, or looking up to alert that someone is peeping with Heavenly Eye, etc.

Pointing forward to signal “I’ll go first,” and leaving numbers on the ground to say “this is my QQ, add me and we’ll soar together.”

Since activation codes were distributed to players who had purchased ’Princess Dungeon,¹ those who entered the game had a solid foundation in 3D gaming, which made the teamwork exceptionally smooth and the gameplay incredibly thrilling.

Team mode required a great deal of cooperation. With attributes, cultivation techniques, and awareness up to standard, even the strongest players couldn’t take on three opponents at the same time—except perhaps for the highly skilled Sword Immortals. Even the weak had the chance to unite and stand against the stronger ones.

On the last day of testing, everyone had figured out their fighting style. Heavenly Soldiers, Ape Demons, and Ming Generals dominated the scene, with only a few Sword Immortals struggling to survive.

But the remaining Sword Immortals were all experts.

Wang could understand that feeling, that thrill.

Controlling a Sword Immortal felt like controlling Li Xunhuan himself; the instant that Flying Sword was cast, the fate of friends and foes hinged on that gleam of the sword, which was jokingly referred to as “the sword of equality for all beings.”

The formidable Sword Immortals hardly bothered to meditate; after seizing one or two meditation spots and acquiring the right cultivation techniques and sword light, they would start roaming and killing, seeking the thrill that comes with hovering between life and death.

Today, to Wang’s surprise, aside from being an Ape Demon himself, his three teammates turned out to be Sword Immortals.

That’s weird!

“Quiet Cultivation” currently has no feature for naming, but players have their own habits, and by observing for a while, one could generally guess another player’s skill level, and then infer who they might be.

One of them, right off the bat, started looking for meditation spots—it was the Sword Immortal who had once killed him with a single strike.

This guy was really amusing, going online not to kill others but to find meditation spots to meditate, yet he always managed to be the last man standing.

Because no matter who it was, they all had to grit their teeth and confront him eventually, ending up being struck down by a single blow.

With no extra movements, the viewers in the live broadcast jokingly called him “Meditation Sword Immortal,” meaning he cared about nothing but meditation.

Another one was even more entertaining.

His personality was lively. Though a Sword Immortal, he couldn’t resist joining in whenever there was a fight and wanted to provoke everyone he saw, earning him the nickname “Monkey Sword Immortal.”

This temperament suited an Ape Demon better, but his aiming was incredibly accurate, mastering the control of the Flying Sword’s range to often kill enemies at the edge of its limit.

The final Sword Immortal wasn’t as precise as the other two, but was exceptionally steady.

He wouldn’t take action until it was necessary, and when he did, his strikes were almost always on target—thus, he was called “Mature Sword Immortal.”

Seeing these three Sword Immortals, Wang knew he was set.

With three top players on his side, he could recklessly blunder his way to victory—who in the world could stop him!

Just as Wang was proudly preparing to wreak havoc, the three Sword Immortals beside him came to a halt.

Striking a puzzled pose, Wang was about to ask what was wrong when he saw the Monkey Sword Immortal suddenly attack, unleashing a sword light towards the Mature Sword Immortal.

“Are we starting with infighting?!”

The viewers watching Wang’s live stream were all clamoring, each one commenting that Wang was true to form, starting the show with a bang.

Wang was startled by the Monkey Sword Immortal’s actions but soon noticed the Mature Sword Immortal rolling out of the way, avoiding the attack and quickly putting distance between them.

He didn’t strike back immediately but lay in ambush within the bushes, slowly retreating and soon disappearing from Wang’s sight.

Once the target had left, the Monkey Sword Immortal didn’t continue the attack. After the sword light returned, he glanced at Wang and then turned to vanish as well.

The team had barely started and had already fragmented, leaving Wang feeling like the white horse in “Journey to the West” whose baggage had been divided among others.

Looking back at the Meditation Sword Immortal behind him, Wang hesitated for a moment, then gestured, “Shall we stick together from now on?”

Without any nonsense, the Meditation Sword Immortal immediately abandoned Wang and dashed for the next meditation spot, leaving a disheveled Ape Demon in the wind.

I’m an Ape Demon, and at the early stages, I’m just cannon fodder!

Moreover, meditation time in team mode is lengthy; I don’t have the strength to fight for meditation spots, and even if I did, I couldn’t defend them!

Brothers, come back!

What was thought to be an easy victory turned into a descent into hell in less than five minutes. The massive upset not only filled his live stream with showmanship but also left his expression a blend of three parts helplessness, three parts confusion, and ninety-four parts gloom.

A new meme was born, the live stream viewers were rolling with laughter, and they set a small goal for Wang.

Survive, Wang!