Chapter 322: The Movie is Born

"This is the ultimate secret art, 'The Sword of Totsuka,' pretty much an advanced version of the 'Mu-Shiki'." Having finally beaten the game, Fang Qi was in a splendid mood. Lighting a cigarette, he relaxed into his chair, watching the ending cinematic while casually offering his explanation.

In truth, back when they played KOF '97, the concept of "Totsuka" did not exist; it was not officially introduced until The King of Fighters 2003.

"Uh..." Behind him, the crowd of noodle-eating cultivators stared blankly, utterly bewildered.

The storyline of King of Fighters was highly fragmented, with proper cinematics only triggering upon reaching the Orochi Team, but this did not stop them from piecing together fragments of the lore.

For instance, the resurrection of Orochi by the Hakkeshu, and Orochi's true identity.

But the problem was...

Could a martial artist truly be this powerful?! If so, why was I even bothering to be a cultivator?!

It was a good thing they had already witnessed the Heavenly Books in Jade Dynasty. Otherwise, seeing this scene, they might truly have contemplated changing careers to become martial artists.

Similarly, their encounter with Orochi—a being who seemed to master both the magical and the physical—astounded everyone. Not only were his close-quarters martial arts formidable, but the terrifying scope and peerless destructive power of his 'Scattering Light' left them breathless.

"Boss, can we learn Orochi's spells?" Huangfu Tao asked, a mouthful of instant noodles still unswallowed as he stared with wide, unblinking eyes, his voice muffled.

Setting aside the Desperation Moves, even the ordinary pillars of spiritual energy, the reflecting shields, and the dark particles were enough to unleash a terrifying might.

By this time, the ending cinematic had finished playing.

A glorious victory! Congratulations on re-sealing Orochi. You have earned a Gold Trophy. Would you like to share this to your Penguin Moments?

Owner Fang casually shared it.

Soon enough, all of Fang's friends received a notification on their Moments feed, and a delicate gold trophy appeared right behind his avatar, looking exceptionally prestigious.

"Holy crap! Amazing!"

"Boss, how did you do that?!"

Su Tianji, who was still grinding away at Plants vs. Zombies, felt her vision go dark: This master has been grinding Plants vs. Zombies every single day and still hasn't beaten it, so how did this brat finish so quickly?!

He even got a trophy?!

Meanwhile, within the "My Space" shop, the purchase permissions for all the moves used in the KOF '97 tournament by Kyo Kusanagi, Iori Yagami, and Chizuru Kagura—including their Desperation Moves—had been unlocked.

Of course, as for the money required to purchase the training methods for those Desperation Moves... it was definitely insufficient.

Even if it were enough, reaching the current level of the three protagonists would still take a very long time.

Yet, this was still more than enough to make the crowd burn with envy.

As for the cultivators, they were entirely green with envy over Orochi's spells, while simultaneously harboring a doubt in their hearts: "Boss, can martial artists really be this strong?!"

"You should ask the martial arts masters of the Dajin Kingdom about that," Fang Qi replied earnestly. "They are already learning the Twenty-Third Sword."

After taking the opportunity to educate them on what the Twenty-Third Sword actually was, everyone finally realized...

It was not that martial artists were inherently weak, but rather that the martial artists within their previous sphere of knowledge were simply not strong enough!

...

Meanwhile, the artifact masters of the Wuwei Daoist Alliance in the Dajin Kingdom were still continuously researching the runes and spells.

Evidently, while their replication work proceeded smoothly, trying to peel back the layers and understand the knowledge of an entirely different system from its foundational roots proved to be exceedingly difficult.

They quickly hit a bottleneck. In many areas, they knew the 'how' but not the 'why.' Yet, because these novel and peculiar elements truly compensated for many deficiencies in the existing cultivators' artifact-crafting system, combining the two could form a more complete framework, making them loath to give up.

"How is it going?" Jun Yangzi asked, looking rather overwhelmed.

"Very troublesome," Li Haoran replied, his face clouded with gloom. "Many foundational elements in Diablo have been lost to time. While replication techniques pose no issue, trying to innovate and bring forth something new will likely prove quite difficult..."

And just at this juncture.

The silence that followed the defeat of the Yundian Region had previously allowed many to see an alternative possibility. Quite a few neighboring factions had even begun pouring into Jiuhua City within the Dajin Kingdom to investigate the underlying causes.

But almost overnight, this situation underwent a fresh transformation.

"A toxin known as 'Internet Addiction' has appeared in Jiuhua City? Is this true?" At the overseas Yuqiu Mountain, a green-robed elder held a cup of clear tea, his gaze locked tightly onto the man before him clad in a white robe adorned with gold patterns—none other than Feng Xi.

"Elder Xu, do disciples of your noble sect occasionally sneak out, to the point of missing morning classes and frequently absenting themselves from the elders' lectures?" Feng Xi asked, his expression cold and solemn.

The green-robed elder surnamed Xu from Yuqiu Mountain assumed a solemn expression: "It seems there are indeed such disciples!"

"Then that is it!" Feng Xi nodded and said, "Such a lack of ambition, such indulgence in play that saps the will, and even disrespecting teachers to the point of skipping an elder's transmission of the Dharma—this is all caused by the toxin of 'Internet Addiction'! Such a great menace, if left unchecked, could spread to the entire sect. Your noble sect must be careful!"

"..." Elder Xu's weathered face trembled. If all the disciples in the sect turned out like this, who would be left to shoulder heavy responsibilities in the future?

He hastily inquired, "Is there a cure?"

"No need to worry." A look of compassion surfaced on Feng Xi's face. "Our Three Great Sacred Sects foresaw this tribulation of the cultivation world long ago, and we already possess a method to counter it. I, Feng, have come today precisely for this purpose."

"Then... I shall trouble the envoy!" Elder Xu was instantly overjoyed. "Though the Three Great Sacred Sects dwell beyond the mortal realm, they constantly watch over the safety of the cultivation world. This is truly our blessing! Whatever Envoy Feng wishes to do, just speak the word, and we shall cooperate fully!"

"Then I shall trouble you all." Feng Xi nodded and said, "The manpower of our three sects is limited, so we can only ask you to gather these disciples afflicted by the toxin and send them to our three sects for unified treatment."

"What virtues or talents do these headstrong disciples possess to receive such fortune? This is truly a blessing for them all!" Elder Xu rejoiced even more in his heart. "But how could we dare trouble you with our sect's matters?"

"This matter concerns the safety of the entire cultivation world," Feng Xi stated. "Naturally, it is not the concern of your house alone."

"Very well!" Elder Xu finally ceased his polite refusals. "I shall immediately order men to send the disciples over to have this toxin removed... I leave them in your capable hands!"

Within the Taixi Sect, Sage Duyou sat poised by the lakeside, clad in a single white robe.

A black-robed elder stroked his beard and smiled faintly. "In this manner, without expending a shred of effort, we can mobilize the strength of the major factions to unite against them, while we remain completely untroubled. Sage Duyou is brilliant indeed."

"Heh-heh, ha-ha..." The white-robed elder laughed. "Once these secular mortals grasp a modicum of power, they no longer know the height of the heavens or the depth of the earth. Little do they know that for us, overturning them is but a turn of the palm."

...

"&&￥*%#..." Inside My Space, Song Qingfeng and the others were flamboyantly mimicking Kyo Kusanagi's voice lines, imitating the punch of the "Mu-Shiki," believing themselves to be exceptionally handsome.

By this time, the player base for King of Fighters had clearly grown significantly under Owner Fang's influence. Even Nalan Mingxue had run into Fang's space to try her hand at the "IQ Card" mini-tornado, though the result was naturally a thorough thrashing by Owner Fang.

Suddenly, a system notification arrived:

The number of mini-game players in 'My Space' has reached 200. The quest has been completed.

Quest Reward: The movie 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone', and access to the Game Training Room for one day.

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PS: This... before writing, I went back to re-watch it, so the update is late.

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