"Keep watching. Don't alert him. The secret on him is bigger than we thought."
The voice on the phone was deep and cold, carrying an unquestionable command. The figure in the stairwell corner put away the phone and melted into the shadows like a ghost, not making another sound.
Inside the rental room, Chen Mo still stood behind the door, his brows tightly furrowed.
Those footsteps had been faint, but they couldn't escape his now extremely sharp senses. The other party was deliberately hiding their tracks—their purpose was clear: someone was spying on him.
Was it someone who'd seen his unusual performance at the delivery station? Or… a force connected to that mysterious game?
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind. Chen Mo suppressed his unease and turned back to the center of the room.
Right now, he had no power or status. Even knowing he was being watched, there was nothing he could do. The only thing he could do was seize every second to get stronger. Only with enough power could he control his own fate and uncover the truth.
He stopped thinking about the watcher outside the door, sat cross-legged again, and threw himself fully into cultivation, following the circulation path of the Sword Profound Heart.
The warm current flowed slowly through his meridians. Each cycle made his body tougher. Strength, speed, and perception improved steadily at an almost imperceptible rate.
No earth-shaking phenomena, no sudden enlightenments—only the most boring, solid, repeated training.
That was the change the game skills brought to reality: no shortcuts, only persistence.
Time slipped by. Night deepened, and the urban village gradually quieted down. Only a few scattered street lamps cast dim yellow light outside the window.
Chen Mo emerged from his cultivation state, feeling refreshed and clear throughout his body. The warm current inside him had grown more condensed, its speed much faster. With every move, he could feel greater power than before.
He stood up and stretched lightly; his joints let out soft cracks.
"At this rate, I'll truly master this power before long."
A flicker of anticipation flashed in Chen Mo's eyes. He walked to the window, pulled back a corner of the curtain, and looked out.
The night was deep. No one was downstairs, only a few shabby electric scooters parked randomly. The watchers hid too well to leave any trace.
He didn't observe any longer. Turning to the desk, he unlocked his phone.
The video "Yellow Lightning on the Street" was still blowing up online, with over ten thousand likes and comments. The yellow figure weaving nimbly through traffic amazed netizens.
"This delivery rider must have martial arts training!"
"A road god descended! I'll never learn that positioning in my life!"
"Tell me where you are, master—I wanna learn to weave through cars!"
Chen Mo shook his head helplessly at the teasing comments.
He'd only used the movement skill from the game on impulse because he was in a hurry to deliver the package. He never expected it to cause such a stir—and that exposure had brought watchers down on him.
"From now on, I have to be more careful. I can't show my abnormalities casually anymore."
Chen Mo silently noted the lesson, closed the video, and ignored the online buzz.
Right now, only two things mattered: cultivation in reality, and gaming at night.
Cultivation in reality laid the foundation, while real combat in the game let him truly master sword skills. The two complemented each other; neither could be missing.
He tidied the room a little, wiped the game helmet clean, and waited quietly for game time.
According to the previous prompt, the game was open daily from 18:00 to 06:00—12 real hours equaling four in-game days.
To pass the time, Chen Mo practiced the basic sword forms from the game in reality.
Slash, block, thrust, dodge… he used his hand as a sword, strictly following the force instructions in the skill guide.
The warm current flowed with his movements. Each strike was more precise and smooth than the last.
Before he knew it, the sky outside dimmed. The clock on the wall slowly ticked toward 6 PM.
Chen Mo's gaze sharpened. He stopped at once, put on the helmet, and lay on the bed.
Light flashed before his eyes, accompanied by a familiar dizziness. In the next second, his consciousness had entered the game world.
He was back in Qingxi Town Square. The ancient buildings, the passing NPCs and players—everything was exactly as he'd left it.
No exploding hair, no malfunctions. The helmet ran smoothly.
Chen Mo looked down at his hands. He held an ordinary iron sword, smooth and unadorned, with a basic sheath—the reward from the blacksmith's quest.
[Player: Chen Mo]
[Class: Immortal Swordsman]
[Mental Technique: Sword Profound Heart (Level 1)]
[Skill: Sword Control Art (Beginner)]
[Health: 100]
[Stamina: 85]
[Proficiency: 120]
A clean interface, no flashy stats—only basic status displays.
Chen Mo gripped the iron sword, feeling the combat presence entirely different from real cultivation. In reality, he could only practice empty-handed. But in the game, he could refine his sword skills and raise proficiency freely.
"I'll start with the basics. Improve the precision of Sword Control Art."
Without hesitation, he headed for the Liusha River Beach outside town.
Open, flat terrain—it was the perfect place to practice sword skills. It was also a low-level monster spawn zone, ideal for farming materials while training.
Along the way, many new players busied themselves: chopping wood, gathering herbs, clearing monsters. Everyone chased resources and proficiency.
This game had no one-click completions, no auto-pathing. Everything had to be done by hand.
Chen Mo passed through the crowd and reached Liusha River Beach.
On the sand, several Mudflat Crabs crawled slowly, with hard shells and sharp pincers—one of the lowest-level monsters.
He didn't attack immediately. Instead, he channeled the warm current using Sword Control Art and poured it into the iron sword.
"Rise!"
He whispered. The sword trembled slightly and lifted half a foot off the ground. It still wavered, but much more steadily than his first try.
"Steady…"
Chen Mo focused, keeping the sword floating smoothly in the air, correcting his control little by little.
As he concentrated on practicing Sword Control Art, a sharp exclamation burst from the beach corner not far away.
"Ah—!"
A female voice, clear and panicked—she was in danger.
Chen Mo's brow lifted. He looked over and saw a slim figure surrounded by three crabs. She held a medicine hoe, retreating step by step, in grave danger.
It was a female player, dressed in simple cloth, clearly a Life Profession Herbalist. With no proper weapon, she couldn't fight off the crabs.
One crab raised its pincer and snapped toward her arm. The female player squeezed her eyes shut in terror.
At that moment, a dark blur flashed.
Chen Mo moved like a gale, rushing over. His iron sword blocked precisely, deflecting the crab's attack.
Clang!
Metal clashed. The crab was knocked back repeatedly.
The female player slowly opened her eyes. Staring at the tall figure standing in front of her, gratitude filled her gaze.
"Thank you… thank you so much."
Chen Mo didn't look back. His eyes locked on the crabs, and he slowly raised his sword.
He used no fancy skills—only basic slashes, pressing the crabs with precise footwork and solid blocks, wearing down their stamina slowly.
No quick kills, no overmatches. Every strike was rational, full of real combat skill.
Minutes later, the three crabs collapsed, exhausted. Chen Mo knelt and, following the game rules, dissected them for crab shells and meat.
These materials could be sold to NPCs for copper coins to cover living costs in the game.
Watching his skilled movements, the female player hurried over and pulled a light green potion from her bag, holding it out.
"I'm Wanshuang, a Herbalist. Thank you truly. This is a basic Health Potion—please take it as a token of my thanks."
Chen Mo took the potion. It was a low-tier heal, not very effective, but essential for new players.
He looked up at the female player; her ID shone clearly: Wanshuang.
"Mo Chuan," he said simply, as his reply.
It was his first time meeting another player since entering the game—and the first meeting of the male and female leads inside Star Era.
Wanshuang smiled gently at Chen Mo's calm demeanor. She was about to speak when a low roar erupted from deep within the beach. Several larger crabs scuttled rapidly toward them.
Chen Mo's gaze hardened. He gripped his sword and stepped in front of Wanshuang.
"Watch out. Stronger monsters are coming!"
Wanshuang's face paled. She clutched her medicine hoe tightly, staring nervously into the depths of the beach.
Chen Mo had no idea that this accidental encounter would not only give him his first teammate in the game but also bind them to protect each other in reality before long.
Surveillance in the dark continued. The game's secrets remained uncovered. And a crisis threatening the entire real world was quietly brewing.