"Breaking News: The full-immersion game 'Tian Dao,' heavily promoted by the government, has garnered widespread public attention. Just yesterday morning, the world witnessed its first player to achieve the Emperor-level talent, a feat previously thought impossible!"
"Initial estimates suggest that reaching this talent level requires an investment of nearly fourteen trillion Chinese Yuan!"
"This has sparked extensive discussion among the global player base of over two billion! The player is a Chinese national, and this is the only information they have disclosed."
"Relevant national departments have expressed significant goodwill towards this player, hoping to establish a cooperative relationship with our government?"
The news caused Ye Yun, who was engrossed in eating *xiaolongbao*, to pause. He then quickly finished the remaining dumplings.
"What's gotten into everyone lately? All this fuss over a silly game? Our group's boss sold millions in shares to invest in it, and I thought he was crazy. Now there are even more insane people out there."
Ding Yi, who was mopping the floor, complained upon hearing the news. This game was the reason she lost her job.
However, she had no idea what fourteen trillion meant to a player!
Even if the wealthiest nation in the world, China, were to suddenly produce such a sum, it would still gravely impact its livelihood.
The fact that the news specifically highlighted this piece of information spoke volumes.
"Sister Ding Yi, when you have time, you should try playing this game too. You might be surprised," Ye Yun said. Ding Yi was two years older than him, and perhaps more educated and experienced, but when it came to this game, Ye Yun dared to say no one in this world knew it better than him.
"Hmm, I'll get a ring later. Are you playing this game too, Boss? Is it really as mysterious as they say online?"
In Ding Yi's worldview, games were typically a distraction from one's responsibilities.
"Of course, I'm a professional player! Alright, I'm heading into the game now." Ye Yun gestured to the ring on his finger and, ignoring everyone else, logged in.
Ye Yun had logged in at two in the morning. It was then that the cooldown for his most potent talent skill, 'Golden Touch,' had finally reset, allowing him to upgrade his talent directly to Emperor-level, a tier above X-level!
A talent rank that was unique even in his past life! He was unmatched!
At this stage, the attribute points gained from each level-up reached a staggering 768 points! Double what it was before!
This had completely robbed Ye Yun, accustomed to an early bedtime, of his sleep. It could be said that even without the over nine billion gold coins, this talent alone was enough to make his past self, who had played for three years, grovel in admiration!
Upon reaching Emperor-level, the system had rewarded him with 100 attribute points. As the first player to achieve this rank, the system not only made a server-wide announcement but also granted an additional 500 attribute points.
Emperor-level provided an additional attack amplification of a colossal 640%! Even if Ye Yun were sent to fight a boss of level thirty-something, he would have complete confidence.
However, confidence aside, spending money was still necessary! Ye Yun first went to the 'Tian Dao' forum to claim his earnings from the auction of an epic set and browsing revenue, bringing in another 24.83 million gold coins, pushing Ye Yun's fortune across the 9.3 billion mark!
Ye Yun calmed his excitement and lavishly spent two hundred million to purchase 3000 attribute points for future use. He then spent ten million to expand his inventory by a hundred slots before stopping.
Compared to his past life, where he bought attribute points one by one, spending two hundred million at once was simply unfathomable!
"This game is so unreasonable. With so much gold lying around, they don't even give any interest!" Ye Yun grumbled, looking at the remaining ninety million.
If it weren't for his concern for Fengle Village and the need for long-term development, in Ye Yun's nature, he would have undoubtedly purchased attribute points with all of it.
The beginner village was as bustling as ever. Although a few players had already reached level ten and headed to the towns, they were negligible compared to the player base of twenty to thirty million, not to mention the constant influx of new players.
"Does the player confirm entry into the Cursed Secret Realm? Special Warning: This secret realm is extremely dangerous. Players may not exit midway once entered. Please confirm your decision."
"Enter!"
Having gone through this once before, Ye Yun was as familiar with the process as he could be.
Soon, Ye Yun appeared in a desolate wilderness. Black soil was littered with the colossal skeletons of ancient creatures. Withered vines and decaying wood, a revolting smell of burning hung in the yellowish sky.
Was this the sky? Boundless land?
Ye Yun stood atop a thick, rotten log and strained to gaze into the distance, only to find that this secret realm was utterly boundless.
This was a true world! Not a dungeon-like secret realm as in the first layer.
In his past life, Ye Yun had also visited places like this. The monsters within were at least twice as strong as players of the same level! They typically required squad-level teams to tackle.
And for pioneers like Ye Yun entering for the first time, the monsters would be even more terrifying!
"The end? It's so vast, how am I supposed to find it?" Ye Yun frowned as he looked at the mission countdown, feeling a bit exasperated.
He wasn't afraid of millions of monsters, but he loathed ambiguity.
"So fragrant, is this the unique scent of human fresh meat? Such fresh meat, I haven't eaten fresh meat in a long time. My children need to feed as well."
Suddenly, the entire space seemed to compress, and an oppressive feeling filled the air. A hoarse voice boomed in Ye Yun's ears.
"Who?" Ye Yun was shocked. The voice seemed to approach from afar, yet felt as if it were right behind him.
"Kid, who I am is not important. What's important is that my children are hungry..." The enormous voice ignored Ye Yun's question and slowly subsided.
Boom...
About a mile away, what appeared to be a flat plain suddenly formed a colossal hill, rapidly charging towards him. It was dark and indistinct.
Damn it, why are monsters so big?
What made Ye Yun feel even more miserable was that these hills weren't just in front of him; there were five of them surrounding him!
Ye Yun commanded Xiao Hei to charge forward, following closely behind. He had no desire to be surrounded by these five monsters.
Before Xiao Hei could even approach the mass, streaks of yellow orbs struck it. Numbers cascaded rapidly above its head, and Xiao Hei's health bar plummeted.
-88
-92
...
Damage numbers flashed by in a dizzying array, moving so fast it made Ye Yun's eyes water.