Chapter 449: Past and Present Lives

Unlike a blind box, the prize wheel allowed one to see exactly what rewards were up for grabs, providing a modicum of reassurance before the gamble began.

Take the wheel before him, for instance; Fang Qi could discern the film *The Matrix*, a snack labeled "d-Dove Chocolate," potato chips, and special items such as the "Orochi Blood" and the "Magnum Pistol."

With a thought, Boss Fang initiated the spin on the system panel.

The pointer of the Lucky Wheel whirled in a continuous blur.

Slowly, it decelerated, coming to a halt directly over the potato chips. Boss Fang stared in blank disbelief.

"...WCNM!"

He came within a hair's breadth of smashing the system panel to pieces.

Yet at that very instant, he noticed the pointer possessed one final, microscopic ounce of momentum. It crept forward by a single notch.

"Ding. Acquired the film *The Matrix*."

"New quest unlocked."

New Quest: An Alternative Civilization.

Quest Description: Activate 4,000 copies of *The Legend of Sword and Fairy 3* and 1,000 copies of *The Matrix*.

Quest Reward: *StarCraft*, and one day of access to the Game Cultivation Room.

Boss Fang stood frozen, speechless.

...

For those who had no intention of claiming the crown, the time had already come where their achievements sufficed, leaving little reason to strike again. It was from this precise moment that the true contention among the pinnacle geniuses of the Haotian Academy examination truly commenced.

Naturally, this no longer concerned a certain young master who had nearly been beaten into a state of paraplegia. He was already disqualified, marking the first time in many years that a scion of the Seven Great Clans had been eliminated so early in the academy trials.

"Show yourself." A young man, possessing a faint scholarly air buried deep within his demeanor, paused in his tracks. His gaze was fixed upon a highly concealed blind spot.

"How thoroughly vexing," a rather frivolous voice echoed. "I was hoping to snare a few minnows, but I never expected to reel in such a massive fish."

Had Fang Qi been present, he would have instantly recognized the owner of this voice as Tang Yu.

Simultaneously, outside the main gates of the Haotian Academy.

A young man stood tall and erect, enveloped in a swirling shroud of purple energy.

Before his very eyes...

Xun Yuan’s eyes suddenly widened in sheer bewilderment as a little girl, a young woman clad in green, a beauty in blue, and a young lady in a white Daoist robe all approached in unison.

Xun Yuan, who had intended to intercept anyone passing through, felt his eyelids twitch violently.

"Oh? We’ve arrived!" Jiang Xiaoyue and her three companions blinked in surprise.

They were still staring intently at the magical communication jade in Jiang Xiaoyue's hand, watching the chat messages rapidly scroll by within their group.

"Should we just rob the fellow standing in front of us?" Yue Bai lifted her head slightly. "If we do, the first-place spot will undoubtedly be ours."

"Do you and Sister Xiao Qing want to take first place, Sister Bai?" Jiang Xiaoyue’s large eyes blinked innocently. "Why don't you two take it then? If you win first place, you have to go study under Grandfather Academy Head, and then I won't have any time to play games."

"Play games...?"

"Yes!" Jiang Xiaoyue muttered dejectedly. "Come to think of it, I haven’t been able to play *The Legend of Sword and Fairy 3* for days. It’s so annoying. We agreed I could play every day after school, but this academy exam has dragged on for so long."

"Sister Bai, let me tell you, *The Legend of Sword and Fairy* is my absolute favorite game..."

Xun Yuan could only watch as the four of them strolled past him with complete nonchalance.

"Jiang Xiaoyue, pass!"

"Li Ranruo, pass!"

"Yue Bai..."

...

As far as Jiang Xiaoyue was concerned, her objective had never been to vie for the championship, nor did anyone expect her to.

The final battle of the Haotian Academy examination was, to her, a completely different battlefield—a place where the once-renowned youth of the world gathered from all corners of the earth, utilizing everything they had learned throughout their lives to scale another pinnacle of existence.

A low rumble of thunder echoed across the heavens; this time, the rain was truly coming.

Raindrops as large as beans splashed down, quickly merging into a continuous downpour that transformed into a vast curtain of rain encompassing the entire sky and earth, leaving nothing but a hazy expanse of grey between heaven and sea.

Outside the Haotian Academy, purple energy surged on one side, while auspicious light filled the sky on the other. The torrential rain seemed to be held aloft by an invisible force. Even in such inclement weather, the battles that were destined to occur would not be delayed.

The new shop had just welcomed a few dozen customers, and there was practically no one else. Inside, people were scattered in small groups, while the exterior remained desolate. The rain grew heavier, causing a dense cluster of small white water-flowers to splash against the pavement outside.

"Young Master Yu, you’re still coming in this weather? To a tiny shop like this..." The sound of the rain was thick and heavy, yet within that dense downpour, a few approaching voices could faintly be heard.

"Why wouldn't I come?" The newcomer held a flask of wine, seemingly in a foul mood and tinged with disappointment—or perhaps he had never harbored any hope to begin with, displaying a rare melancholy seldom seen in him.

With a surge of spiritual energy, he dried the moisture from his clothes. He noted that while few people were using the computers today, the lounge area was unusually crowded.

"Boss, didn't you say the Cola here could improve one's mood... forget it, just give me a cup of milk tea." He waved his hand carelessly.

Originally, the shop had been quite empty, but within this heavy downpour, customers strangely began to arrive one after another.

Through the misty curtain of rain outside, two oil-paper umbrellas suddenly appeared. Beneath the eaves, the umbrellas were lowered, rainwater cascading from their tips to reveal a young woman dressed in a pristine white Daoist robe.

Her slightly upturned phoenix eyes scanned the interior. "Xiaoyue, is this the shop you spoke of?"

"Oh? Why is the shop so quiet today?" Jiang Xiaoyue pushed open the door with her small hand.

"Brother, Boss, I brought two new friends back with me! They are both senior sisters from the Academy." Had she not been lacking a small backpack on her shoulders, she would have looked precisely like a primary school student returning home after the school day.

"Huh?" Jiang Xiaoyue looked toward the large screen. "What is the boss broadcasting today?"

Meanwhile, at the Half-City shop.

Liu Ningyun, Mo Xian, and the others stared at the screen in astonishment. "The boss is livestreaming *The Legend of Sword and Fairy 3* today?"

One had to understand that Boss Fang had mostly been playing by himself recently. As for livestreaming... he had only done so briefly on the day he arrived in Lingzhou.

Even though the boss had not been streaming it, because *The Legend of Sword and Fairy 1* had deeply touched the hearts of the people, the player base for the third installment remained substantial. Furthermore, even players who had never experienced the first game faced no barriers in enjoying this title.

This was because the events of the third game took place a century before the first game had even begun.

"Hmm...? Is this Jing Tian?"

In the original game, as a reflection of past memories, the historical events were not heavily detailed, but the system version was clearly far more comprehensive.

It was like a complete cycle of reincarnation, possessing both its past life and present existence.

"This... doesn't seem to be Jing Tian?" Jiang Xiaoyue remarked, filled with doubt.

Jing Tian’s personality was somewhat mischievous, and in certain respects, owing to his humble origins, he bore a resemblance to Li Xiaoyao.

Yet the man before them, clad in armor with a deep and solemn gaze, shared the exact same appearance as Jing Tian, but possessed an entirely different demeanor.

"Where is the boss playing right now?" The companions in the bullet chat expressed their confusion.

"It seems to be... the ancient Kingdom of Jiang?"