To ascend, I had no choice but to create games

Noticing that the Xiemen Waidao still wanted to follow, the Taoist Boy spat fiercely on the ground and then slammed the door shut with force.

Watching the gate being closed in front of him, the Xiemen Waidao grumbled dissatisfiedly, “This NPC is really impolite.”

“You had it coming.”

“Mukuai 1234, you’re pretty impolite too.”

“You had it coming.”

Once led into the Taoist temple, Fang Cheng looked around the environment and found that the temple was almost an exact replica of his memory, which stirred a sense of familiarity within him and led to a deep sense of emotion.

When dealing with this world, most circumstances needed to be managed on a macro scale, with many details only briefly touched upon.

Now, merging in as a player, he could appreciate the intricacy and details here, which he found quite satisfying.

He was led to sit down on a meditation cushion, and a pot of fragrant tea was brought over.

Through the steam rising from his cup, Fang Cheng heard the soft sounds of a qin nearby, the essence of Taoism spreading out with it, filling the room with a profound and mysterious ambiance.

Seeing this scene, Fang Cheng thought it would be a good idea to have a similar room where he could meditate and drink tea during his leisure time, which would be quite delightful.

Recording his current emotions, Fang Cheng continued to enjoy the tranquility of the moment, and before he knew it, a quarter of an hour had passed.

Only then did he hear a hearty voice say, “Fellow Taoist, your meditation skills are truly remarkable.”

Turning his head, he saw a middle-aged man walking leisurely toward him, his ample daoist robe moving with the breeze, his sleeves fluttering, making him look quite carefree and natural.

In this world, there were extraordinary cultivators, but their levels of cultivation were average because the upper limit of this world was locked, preventing cultivators from breaking through it, no matter how much they comprehended the heavenly heart.

Of course, there were not many who could even reach this limit.

After entering, the daoist sat cross-legged in front of Fang Cheng and said with a smile, “Fellow daoist seems like someone with destiny. I am the eldest disciple of this Taoist temple. Are you seeking Taoism or magic?”

“I’ve come for a seal impression.”

“I see…”

After sizing up Fang Cheng, the eldest disciple said with a smile, “You are very courageous, fellow daoist. Then, I shall have a contest with you to see whether you are worthy of meeting the Temple Master. What would you like to contest in?”

“Whatever you want.”

“Good, then let’s compete in divination. Not to brag, but among the disciples, I’m pretty strong in that.”

It took less than five minutes for this distinguished eldest disciple to leave with a covered face, streaming with tears.

Then an old daoist came in and sat in the eldest disciple’s original spot, saying gently, “Fellow daoist…”

“Whatever you want.”

“…Let’s stick with divination, then.”

It took less than five minutes for this venerable daoist with the appearance of a young child to leave with a covered face, streaming with tears.

Finally, the Temple Master made an appearance.

This person was clearly of high cultivation, a significant figure in the imperial city, with an inscrutable level of cultivation, truly worthy of the status of Temple Master.

Sitting on the meditation cushion, the Temple Master fixed his phoenix-like eyes on Fang Cheng without moving, his gaze already flowing with a divine charm, quite extraordinary.

It took less than five minutes for this silent Temple Master to leave with a covered face, streaming with tears.

In an hour’s time, Fang Cheng walked out with the token of the Taoist temple and also acquired an advanced skill, Taoism.

After battling and defeating three enemies in the Taoist temple, his Taoism skill level rose to 15. A level 15 Taoism allowed Fang Cheng’s character to use some derivative spells, such as Palm Thunder.

Palm Thunder, although it included the word “thunder,” could actually shoot out anything from the palm.

For example, mastering fire could unleash Palm Fire; mastering Gang Wind allowed the release of Palm Wind. Fang Cheng had also seen someone adept at sunlight able to emit rainbow lights from their hands, always asked to come and liven up the atmosphere at sect gatherings.

Looking back now, the life of cultivation was actually quite colorful and varied.

And another item, a token, was an even more amusing thing.

This Taoist temple belonged to a Sect called the All-Heart Sect, and possessing the token essentially made you the Sect Leader; all other Disciples had to obey you.

Apart from that, it was also a small magical weapon that, when mana was infused into it, could summon a mist of blood, which was quite nice for cooling off in the summer.

Seeing Fang Cheng walk out, Xiemen Waidao, who had been waiting at the door and was so bored his Boredom Level had increased, cheered and ran over to ask, “Good brother, you finally came out. Did you manage to handle it?”

“Yeah.”

“Then have you learned the way of cultivation? Can you teach me?”

“Yeah… definitely next time.”

“People who say that often don’t have a next time!”

Xiemen Waidao was about to retort when he was slapped to the ground by Mukuai 1234.

Watching these two, Fang Cheng felt it was quite alright to occasionally join the players for some fun.

After making plans to meet next time with Xiemen Waidao, Fang Cheng logged off and then began to browse through the players’ comments.

The first thing he saw was a report from a well-known media journalist, an avid fan of Mukuai, and a famous Fang Cheng Studio devotee, comrade Chen Rang.

This report was brief but fully showcased the reporter’s somewhat abnormal mental state and a desperate need for assistance.

The reporter paid out of pocket for a spot in their own network media and used enlarged, bold, and darkened font to write one sentence

“Fang Cheng Studio, I adore you!”

Fang Cheng couldn’t comprehend what the reporter was thinking until he saw the screenshot of him with his Mukuai in the comments section, and then he realized why the other party was so excited.

Because of this report, the discussions among players about “The Supreme One” became somewhat sidetracked, with many speculating whether Fang Cheng Studio was planning a crossover event.

If there really was to be a crossover, then would their equipment from “Princess Dungeon” be transferable?

And could the little animal and plant spirits from one’s own “Botanic Garden” also be brought over to this game?

Many people became happier and more excited as they entertained this idea, eventually sparking a vote on which game they most hoped “The Supreme One” would do a crossover with.

Ultimately, “Healers” won by a large margin; after all, every player who had played “Healers” hoped their in-game spouses could appear in the new game, joining them in the quest to become First Under Heaven.

In addition to this, the report almost became a gathering spot for fans of “The Supreme One,” with a large number of fans sharing their gaming experiences and lavishing praise on the game.

[I tried farming, my crops grew incredibly well and the village chief’s daughter would send me longing looks every day and bring me meals, but I just found her annoying. I just want to farm in peace, please don’t disturb me.]

[Being a butcher, slaughtering pigs, then laying down the cleaver to immediately find enlightenment and becoming a monk to earn karma. Moving from one temple to another every time, until my karma was so high I would get chosen as the Abbot right away. I love this bug, and I love this game.]

[Steal something then give it to a companion, turn yourself in, and vehemently request to be beheaded. After revival, the item is still there, although it’s easy to bring one’s reputation to a negative value. The NPCs in this game are dumb, but playing it is truly a blast, 10 points!]

A free world leads to free gameplay.

Fang Cheng didn’t impose any restrictions, because he believed in the players’ ability to cause mischief, and once they had amassed attributes and skill levels, they would certainly start pursuing more ambitious goals.

For now, this was their free time; later on, they would discover that playing the game with motivation and purpose was an even more interesting and goal-driven endeavor.

Besides this report, comments from other prominent media outlets were also being released.

Fang Cheng Studio had now been promoted to a first-class developer, and many media outlets had begun to review its games.

Different media had different focuses, with some gaming outlets having strict reviewers whose opinions tended to be more stringent and critical, ready to point out a multitude of issues even in well-known games.

The freshly launched “The Supreme One” was also a key focus for these reviewers, and their evaluations were in, offering the game’s final verdict:

Truly fun!

Not buying it would be a loss!