Chapter 3: On the Matter of the Mook Being the Final Boss

The noblewoman, still in shock, stared blankly at her own son, who was now issuing a formal duel challenge to her.

"You bastard, are you actually trying to lay a hand on your mother?" Chen Xiumei didn't say anything, but Wang Guowei, lying on the ground, grew anxious. The health bar above his head had turned yellow.

Receiving no acceptance of the duel, Wang Jingyuan turned to Wang Guowei: "Wang Guowei, do you still want to spar with me?"

"Spar? Fine, let's spar! Ah!!!"

Wang Jingyuan snapped one of Wang Guowei’s arms again, but this time, there was no system notification.

Wang Jingyuan shook his head, unsure whether it was because his duel invitation was invalid or because the opponent had already lost the ability to fight, disqualifying it as a sparring match.

Wang Jingyuan walked to the kitchen, grabbed a cleaver from the knife block, and walked back out.

"What... what are you doing?!" Wang Guowei struggled desperately to stand, trying to shield Chen Xiumei behind him.

Wang Jingyuan didn't even glance at him, walking straight toward the pretty-boy NPC lying on the floor. It was time to test if killing monsters granted experience points, and wasn't there a red-named monster right here?

"Wait! I—"

Wang Jingyuan wasn't interested in what he had to say; he simply and expertly drew the blade across the man’s throat.

Having played full-contact armored combat, this move was second nature to him. The only difference was that he usually used dull weapons, and his opponents wore neck protection.

Bright red blood splattered onto Wang Jingyuan’s face, causing him to pause for a moment. He wiped his cheek with his fingertip, looked at the warm blood remaining there, and broke into a delighted smile.

It wasn't green, it wasn't black, and the sensation was so realistic. This game world...

It is absolutely incredible!

"Brother!"

"Qingchi! My poor Qingchi!"

Watching the red-named monster slowly lose its breath, the surrounding NPCs began to wail and lament, but Wang Jingyuan only focused on the prompt appearing before him.

[Killed Tutorial Boss Wang Qingchi]
[Tutorial Level Cleared]
[Initiating Lucky Draw]
[Obtained Legendary Item: "Fourth Calamity Experience Scroll (Five Minutes)"]
[World Transferring]

Hearing the weeping in his ears, Wang Jingyuan’s vision darkened, accompanied by a familiar sensation of falling.

As he descended, he frowned in dissatisfaction. Bad review! What kind of game uses a chicken from the starter village as the final boss?

I just wanted to kill a chicken to test my skills, and you tell me I’ve cleared the game?!

Not long after, Wang Jingyuan felt the surroundings brighten slightly. He looked around—well, he was high in the air, and looking down, it appeared to be a mountain peak.

His clothes had changed from an ostentatious suit to a moon-white robe, and his hair had grown significantly longer. What was this? Auto-outfit change?

Wang Jingyuan didn't have time to ponder while in mid-air; he just wanted to figure out if this game had fall damage. But that question wouldn't bother him for long; perhaps he would find out soon enough. Wait! If you die in the game world, can you respawn?

Before Wang Jingyuan could feel fear, he realized his falling speed wasn't fast; some invisible force seemed to be supporting him, allowing him to descend at a manageable pace.

Because of this, even though the mountain peak wasn't far, it took Wang Jingyuan quite a while to get close.

So much so that the residents on the mountain had spotted him long ago, looking up from below, staring blankly at him.

There were two residents on the mountain, seemingly a man and a woman. Wang Jingyuan adjusted his posture, flipping over to face downward. Only when he was closer did he see the names floating above their heads.

The man was named Yue Buqun, and the woman was named Ning Zhongze.

Still in the air, Wang Jingyuan clapped his hands. So, it was a "Smiling Proud Wanderer" instance. He was familiar with this plot.

...

Since the conflict between the sword and qi factions, only Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze remained on Mount Hua. The rest of the disciples were recruited later and had not personally experienced that catastrophe.

But Yue Buqun was different; he had seen Mount Hua in its prime. He knew deep down that compared to those senior brothers who were considered geniuses, he was nothing. Yet, precisely because of that, he hadn't been targeted by many sword faction members during the conflict, which allowed him to survive.

If not for that conflict, the position of Leader of the Mount Hua Sect would never have fallen to him.

"Sword out of Mount Hua."

These four words were not limited to the Five Mountain Sword Sects back then; they were recognized by the entire martial arts world.

Because he knew what the Mount Hua Sect was like at its peak, when the heavy burden of revitalizing the sect fell upon his shoulders, he could truly feel how heavy that load was.

As the first person to rise every day in the Mount Hua Sect, he did so first to utilize the purple energy at sunrise to practice the "Purple Mist Divine Skill," and second, because under such a crushing burden, how could he possibly sleep?

Yue Buqun knew better than anyone what Mount Hua was like at the hour of the Tiger.

The second person to rise was, of course, Ning Zhongze. After all, this was the Ming Dynasty; the husband being the guide for the wife was the most normal thing. Since Yue Buqun rose early to practice, Ning Zhongze would naturally prepare breakfast for him afterward.

As for the other disciples, they wouldn't wake up until the sun was high in the sky.

...

So, when Wang Jingyuan drifted down slowly from the sky, only the couple witnessed the scene. The sun had just begun to peek out, and the faint sunlight illuminated the morning clouds, with a hint of purple hidden within the crimson glow.

This was the perfect time to practice the "Purple Mist Divine Skill," but Yue Buqun couldn't care less. He looked up and saw Wang Jingyuan descending slowly, bathed in the glow, looking back at him with an inscrutable expression.

Yue Buqun muttered, "An immortal? Or have I suffered a deviation in my cultivation?"

Ning Zhongze held Yue Buqun’s hand beside him: "Senior brother, I see it too."

Hearing this, Yue Buqun’s face twitched, his expression filled with excitement, nearly bursting into tears. An immortal descending to the world—though he didn't know why he had chosen Mount Hua.

But he and his wife were the first to see this divine being. What was this? This was a fated encounter with an immortal; that’s how it was written in the storybooks.

Even if there was no hope for immortality, they had finally seen a glimmer of light for the revitalization of the Mount Hua Sect.

Wang Jingyuan landed slowly on the peak of Mount Hua. Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze used their light-body skills to reach him and bowed deeply.

"Commoners Yue Buqun and his wife pay respects to the Immortal Master!"

Wang Jingyuan was about to speak when he saw a line of text appear before him.

[Hunger Status Activated]
[All Attributes Decreased]
[Please Eat Immediately]

At this moment, Wang Jingyuan’s stomach began to growl. He reached out to scratch his belly, looked at the pair kneeling before him, and asked, "Old man, do you have anything to eat here?"

When Yue Buqun heard Wang Jingyuan’s stomach growl, he was stunned. Because whether in plays or scriptures, it was repeatedly emphasized that immortals drank the wind and sipped the dew, untainted by the mundane world.

Suppressing the confusion in his heart, Yue Buqun exchanged a glance with his wife and carefully replied, "Please, Immortal Master, follow me."

He prepared to lead Wang Jingyuan to the Mount Hua Sect’s quarters. But before they had walked far, they were forced to stop.

Because this area was where Yue Buqun practiced—a cliff near the sect's living quarters that no one visited. There was no path built here; Yue Buqun always traveled to this spot using light-body skills.

But Wang Jingyuan didn't know light-body skills. So, the couple watched, wide-eyed, as the "Immortal" hugged a rock with all four limbs, struggling mightily to slide down.