Chapter 137: Let's Level Up Together!

By the time Wanyu located this secluded, out-of-the-way bookstore, evening had already fallen.

Having searched for most of the day with a few servants in tow, she arrived at the narrow street only to find a long queue already snaking from the entrance.

Generally speaking, the closer one got to the center of Jiuhua City, the safer and more orderly it became; clearly, this area was far more stable than the backwater corner where Fang Qi resided.

Naturally, Zhang Wanyu had no intention of dutifully lining up, walking straight to the very front instead to ask, "Do you... sell Diablo here?"

At that moment, a man looking like a servant cheerfully paid his money and received a copy of Diablo, prompting Yu Zhiwei to finally look up, glance at the lady before her, and speak politely, "I am terribly sorry, but we are completely sold out."

"Sold out...?" Zhang Wanyu froze, "We only just arrived, how can it already be sold out?!"

The servant who was just about to leave sized her up, noting her luxurious attire, and smiled, "My lady, how about... I sell mine to you?"

Hearing this, Zhang Wanyu was instantly delighted and said, "That is most kind of you, how much?"

"One spirit crystal."

Zhang Wanyu’s face instantly darkened, "What did you say?!"

A single spirit crystal?!

That was more than enough to commission a deluxe, full-volume set of Martial Immortal with plenty of change to spare!

"You don't want it?" The servant countered with clear disdain, "Then forget it."

Zhang Wanyu let out a cold snort, thinking only a fool would buy it at that price!

She turned back to Yu Zhiwei, "Shopkeeper, when will the next shipment of this book arrive?"

Yu Zhiwei replied, "I am deeply sorry, but this book was placed here on consignment by a friend, and no more copies will ever be printed."

She pointed toward a sign hanging by the door, "Only one thousand volumes are available for sale."

"!!??"

Not only was Zhang Wanyu dumbfounded, but all the surrounding customers were stunned as well!

Only selling one thousand volumes? Never to be printed again?

With such incredible sales, was this person a fool?!

As for the matter of piracy... she had never even considered it.

Ever since Dong Qingli utilized her own influence alongside the official forces of Jiuhua City to ruthlessly crack down on a batch of counterfeiters, very few people now engaged in such a thankless, unprofitable endeavor.

Furthermore, one could tell just by looking at the servant's demeanor that this was definitely not something he would dare to pull off, meaning someone higher up was absolutely helping to prevent piracy from happening!

So in this short span of time, where else could she possibly find a copy?

She understood the principle that taking the initiative meant seizing business opportunities; they had already lost a considerable amount of business, and though their Qingfeng Mingyue Pavilion could still afford the loss, how would Dong Qingli view her if she handled matters so incompetently?

Moreover, the profits lost by Qingfeng Mingyue Pavilion definitely amounted to far more than a single spirit crystal!

Ultimately, she could only grit her teeth and call out, "Stop right there!"

"I will buy it for one spirit crystal!"

"!!??"

Everyone was left staring in disbelief once more.

Someone was actually willing to buy it?!

"A single spirit crystal, just to buy a book?!"

"Has she lost her mind?!"

"What on earth is she thinking?"

"She really has more money than sense..."

Even Yu Zhiwei, sitting inside the shop, was utterly dazed by the sight.

And yet...

"Diablo?" Zhang Wanyu felt as though she had heard this name somewhere before.

"A game?!" She was suddenly taken aback, recalling that the customers in her shop seemed to have mentioned it during past conversations!

...

By the time she arrived at the internet cafe cloaked in a black robe, night had already set in.

Yet the moment she stepped through the door, she realized that this Origin Internet Club truly did not look like the formidable beast people made it out to be.

In her original imagination, this establishment should have at least resembled a gambling den, with a few burly, formidable martial artists standing guard outside to watch the place!

But upon entering, she discovered none of that existed!

The shopfront was clean and tidy, the layout was immaculate, and the employee was actually a delicate, lovely young girl!

"What is going on here?" She could not help but feel perplexed, "Is this meant to deceive the customers?"

There were not many people in the internet cafe at this hour; the Liuyun Dao Palace and the Yunhai Sect had already finished their bustling activities, leaving the atmosphere quite serene.

A few individuals sat scattered in twos and threes among the seats, appearing equally quiet.

Before coming here, she had sought some information from Nalan Mingxue, who indicated that they seemed to be playing a highly intriguing game.

"If it is merely something like this, it shouldn't be of much consequence..." Mu Hongzhu thought to herself.

At this moment, she remained entirely unaware that Nalan Mingxue had already prepared a complete... package for her.

"The room number..." Following Nalan Mingxue's instructions, she first activated the game, entered the interface, created her character, and searched for the room number.

In truth, from the very moment she entered the game, she felt that something was amiss.

"Is this an illusion?! How can it feel so realistic...?"

"Find a blue door... and walk inside? Then I can find her?" Arriving at this point, she felt that the entire situation was incredibly strange.

But as for what exactly was wrong, she could not quite wrap her head around it.

"Lanyan has sent you a party invitation. Do you accept?"

She caught her breath in surprise, "Is that girl truly here?"

She quickly clicked accept, and before long, several figures appeared, leading a massive horde of monsters running in her direction.

"Watch out!" Being a high-tier martial artist after all, she immediately rushed forward upon sensing danger, but in the next instant...

The level-one novice assassin on the screen was sent flying on the spot by a heavy blow!

Following that, all sorts of lights flashed before her eyes, and the monsters collapsed dead all over the ground!

"...How have my injuries suddenly recovered?!" Sitting on the ground, Mu Hongzhu found herself unable to process what had happened, completely unaware that she had just leveled up.

"Instructor Mu?! You play this too? Come, come, come, let's go level up together!"

Mu Hongzhu: "..."

With a darkened expression, Mu Hongzhu snapped, "Level up what? Return with me at once!"

"Let's just level up for a bit before going back!"

And just like that, Mu Hongzhu, the level-one novice assassin, was swiftly hauled away by the group to level up against her will.

Ten minutes later...

Mu Hongzhu, having already leveled up multiple times and slain a fair share of monsters, only just snapped to realization.

"Are you saying that not only can we battle these monsters here, but we can also level up and increase our cultivation?!" Mu Hongzhu said in absolute shock, having just slain a zombie with her own hands. "And the speed of this advancement is actually this fast?!"

After being carried through several level-ups, she could feel her own cultivation visibly surging in the span of a mere ten minutes!

Wasn't this progress far too rapid, far too terrifying?!

"Of course," Lanyan replied, treating it as the most natural thing in the world. "Why else do you think we come here every single day?"

"Could it truly be so...?" Mu Hongzhu fell into a deep silence. She had certainly heard whispers that this place could raise one's cultivation, but she had never taken it seriously before. Coupled with the academy denouncing it as a heterodox and wicked path, she naturally hadn't given it much thought.

But now, as she felt the martial qi within her body, it had not only grown noticeably, but it was also incomparably pure—by no means comparable to the rushed, impurity-laden qi born of hasty cultivation!

This meant that the breakthrough she received carried absolutely no side effects!

An hour later...

Mu Hongzhu discovered that in this illusion-like game, leveling up didn't just boost one's raw strength and serve as practical combat training—one could even learn the martial techniques of the character they played?!

Furthermore, the character’s own insights and experiences were available for her to ponder and comprehend?!

This was simply too formidable!

If such a place existed for people to cultivate, what was the Lingyun Martial Arts Tower worth in comparison?!

At this thought, she suddenly began to dimly understand why Qin Bing wanted to suppress this little shop!

It was likely not because it would cause the disciples to lose their ambition to play!

Of than that, what she had yet to realize was—this game was also addictive as hell.

Under the guidance of the group, she had hacked through several bosses and equipped herself with a few pieces of gold gear, thoroughly enjoying herself for an hour without even noticing the passage of time!