To ascend, I had no choice but to create games

The day after the test ended, Fang Cheng arrived at the studio on time, ready to open up and begin working.

He actually quite liked the idea of using a fingerprint lock, which would allow anyone to open the door and then simply start work, without so much hassle. However, after only a day of trying it out, he found that Xiao Douzi pretended to clock out yet sneakily came back to work, and Huang Ping pretended to be working but, in fact, never left.

This discovery led Fang Cheng to decisively discontinue the use of the fingerprint lock, switching back to the more traditional door lock, thoroughly thwarting his employees’attempt to work overtime.

The only exemplary employee was Xu Qingling, who, as the receptionist, administrator, HR, and legal affairs, always managed to accurately follow his own steps, punctually arriving and leaving with him and making her the least worrisome employee.

After opening the door, he first went to the break room to water his Spirit Grass, and, seeing its pleasing growth, he smiled contentedly.

His love for Spirit Grass was just like his love for the braised meat his father made; no matter when, it could always bring a smile to his face.

People often say that Immortals should be like mud-sculpted statues, but cultivating immortality doesn’t mean stripping oneself of passions and desires, instead, it leads to greater determination and vitality.

Like is like, dislike is dislike, myriad feelings need not be forcefully suppressed, but should naturally flow.

He had seen Cultivators who became estranged from kin, but those who were toyed with by the Heart Demon before even ascending, leaving nothing behind, were always held up as negative examples for future generations.

Just after he finished watering the Spirit Grass, Xu Qingling stepped into the studio with a brisk pace.

“Boss, good morning. Your chives are also doing well today.”

Today, Xu Qingling was wearing a breathable white shirt and jeans with holes that made her legs look slender and straight.

After entering, she took the opportunity to come over under the pretense of looking at the Spirit Grass and stood next to Fang Cheng.

Smiling and nodding, Fang Cheng said, “That’s right, today’s Little One, Little Two, Middle One, Middle Two, Big One, and Big Two are all very healthy.” “Although people’s habits aren’t interchangeable, I thinkyour habit of naming chives is really odd, boss.”

It s alright, I read online that giving nicknames to chives can better deepen the bond between the boss and the chives.”

“I feel like the ‘chives’ they’re talking about and your ‘chives’ are not the same kind.”

“Aren’t they both the kind that grow incredibly fast, and once one batch is cut, another grows in its place?”

“…seems somewhat reasonable.”

During this conversation, the other two employees had already eagerly entered the company, greeted everyone, and then immediately started working.

Seven days of testing had yielded a large amount of player feedback. About ten percent was copious praise, twenty percent were suggestions to strengthen some characters and weaken others, and the remaining seventy percent were calls to add more female characters.

After organizing and summarizing these opinions, Huang Ping sent the document to Fang Cheng, and then, when the time seemed right, approached him and said, “Boss, I think adding female characters is absolutely essential.” Looking at the document, Fang Cheng’s good mood began to slowly fade, and he was left feeling helpless.

Indeed, he had failed again.

He had originally wanted players to appreciate the joy of meditation, but to them, meditation was merely a process, whereas combat was the key.

They derived great pleasure from it, but this pleasure was the opposite of his initial intent; this attempt at proving his doctrine was unsuccessful.

Fulfilling his Taoist Heart was indeed not so simple.

Completing the Taoist Heart was a major endeavor, subject to more disturbances from the unknown, so Fang Cheng didn’t believe that a few games could lead him to a comprehensive understanding of what is fun.

Although his own Taoist Heart lacked only a slight thread, this one thread might take decades to fill.

But he was prepared to persevere without yielding, knowing that even if he failed a hundred times, succeeding just once would be enough.

Of course, there was some frustration, but it wouldn’ t last long. Therefore, Fang Cheng nodded and said, “Okay, state your requirements. I’ll take the lead in creating the female character.”

Great. By the way, boss, has anyone been chosen for the previous role of executive planner?”

Even though Huang Ping was versatile, it would be a great waste to entrust him with all the non-numerical tasks.

Just as Fang Cheng was about to answer that no one had been chosen yet, he heard someone cheerfully ask at the door, “Excuse me, is this Fang Cheng Studio? I’m here to apply for the executive planner position.”

All four people looked up in unison. After seeing the person at the door, they fell into contemplation.

The person at the door was of average height, with a youthful face that screamed underage no matter how you looked at it.

He carried a backpack, chewed gum, and under the brim of his baseball cap were a pair of lively eyes looking at them expectantly.

After looking at the four people for a while, he set down his backpack, walked up to Fang Cheng, looked up, and said, “You’re Fang Cheng, right? I’ve heard about you. They say your games are amazing. Although I’ve only played ‘Quiet Cultivation’, I know they didn’t lie to me.”

“Thank you,” Fang Cheng nodded and asked, “You say you ‘re applying for the executive planner position, but are you of age yet?”

“Here, my ID, I’m over sixteen. My… uncle said I could start an internship at sixteen.”

Fearing Fang Cheng would refuse him, Chen Liang continued, “I really love games, especially the ones you make. My biggest regret right now is that I only got the game on the third day of testing and missed out on two days.” Knowing he was talking to a dedicated player, Fang Cheng asked curiously, “Oh, which part did you enjoy?”

“Of course, it’s the fighting.”

‘Which part did you dislike the most?”

Meditating! I hate meditating the most when I play Sword Immortal. That part is definitely the most boring part of the entire game, and it serves no purpose whatsoever.”

Pointing towards the door, Fang Cheng said, “See that elevator?”

“I see it.”

“Go press the button, then take it down to the first floor, exit, turn right, and after three hundred meters you’ll find a police station. They can help you buy a ticket home. If they won’t do it, you can come back here, and I’ll let you go home for free.”

Xu Qingling stepped forward, pulling the somewhat frustrated Fang Cheng aside, then asked Chen Liang, “Coming out for an internship requires parental consent. Do you have it?”

“No. After my parents divorced and started new families, they stopped caring for me. An uncle took me in after spotting me playing games at an internet cafe.”

The topic was a bit heavy, causing Xu Qingling to fall silent for a moment before continuing, “Do you have your uncle’s consent then?”

“No, but I’m really good at games! Trust me, no matter what game you challenge me with, I won’t lose.”

Equating “being good at playing games” with “being good at making games” is

a common mistake among newcomers.

Being a frequent and skilled game player provides some help to a certain extent, but game development relies more on intuition, inspiration, and teamwork, among other things. There’s a big difference between the two.

While Huang Ping was contemplating how to decline politely, Fang Cheng had already fired up the company’s internal game ‘Quiet Cultivation’ and said to Chen Liang, “Come on.”

Seeing the familiar scenes and exquisite characters, Chen Liang’s eyes lit up as he pounced excitedly in front of the computer and said, “Okay, let’s do this! Let me show you what a top-notch Sword Immortal is like!”

Two hours later…

“I’m sorry, I’m a noob. I’m really sorry you had to see a noob like me. I’ll leave right away.”

With a longing glance at Fang Cheng, Chen Liang had recognized from the other’s technique that he was the Meditation Immortal.

The level of skill in playing the game was indeed impressive, just as expected from someone who could create such a fantastic game.

However, just as Chen Liang was about to leave, Fang Cheng, lost in thought, looked at him and then said, “Stay, you’re hired.”