Isn't This a Game? Why Are You All Cultivating for Real!

After the meeting ended, Liu Wen Yu and Wei Jun remained in the conference room.

The discussion they just had didn’t really lead to any conclusions.

After all, the information they currently had was still too thin.

Wei Jun waited until everyone else had left before speaking slowly. "Regarding those players, the higher-ups have decided that this matter cannot be made public for the time being. The experts who were observing them have already signed non-disclosure agreements and gone off the grid."

Liu Wen Yu was silent for a moment, then nodded. "So that’s why you didn’t bring it up during the meeting, Minister."

In truth, the system’s purpose wasn’t the most critical issue.

They had concealed something that was fatal to Blue Star.

The existence of that game was changing the players’ very genes.

It had already been confirmed that it didn’t just link two worlds.

It truly had the power to change everything.

The phrase "world domination" wasn’t nearly enough to describe its power.

The government had provided the deluxe pods not just for them to have a better gaming experience, but also for the dual purpose of protection and surveillance.

If the secret of the physical transformations were to be made public, the players who could enter the game would surely be frantically investigated or even imprisoned by others.

The only solution was for the game to release more slots.

But they had no way to influence the game’s decisions.

Liu Wen Yu’s group’s fundamental goal was to protect the players.

But there were also things they couldn’t control—when humans truly grasped the power to become gods, could they really stay true to their original selves?

Wei Jun sighed with emotion. "Many people in our position, or at least most, can remain rational and choose the right path. But we can’t guarantee that everyone can resist such a temptation."

Liu Wen Yu lowered her gaze, then suddenly said, "Actually, I believe in her."

Wei Jun paused. "You mean..."

"Her current selection process indicates that she won’t choose people with ulterior motives, at least not for now. If the key to godhood is in someone else’s hands, that in itself can be a form of restraint. The one who makes the door decides what kind of door the key opens."

Wei Jun sighed faintly. "A shame we have no way to communicate with her yet."

At least, Song Jiulai hadn’t shown any such intention.

Liu Wen Yu speculated, "Perhaps she’s afraid of the trouble. After all, she seemed to be an ordinary person before and has never had contact with us. Sometimes you don’t need to force things; just observing the process is enough. All we need to do now is get more people in to help her complete her tasks."

Wei Jun nodded. "What’s the reaction from the players?"

Liu Wen Yu looked at the information in her hands. "For now, most of them haven’t noticed the changes. But I think Zhan Sheng and Shuitan have most likely figured it out, along with Liang Xueyao and Jiang Tianya. As for the ordinary players..."

"It’s hard to say with Mu Qiu and Chen Miaomiao. The others have low cultivation levels, so the changes might be less obvious."

Wei Jun: "Let’s stick to observation for now."

Liu Wen Yu nodded.

After packing up her files and preparing to leave, Liu Wen Yu suddenly let out a low chuckle. "Minister, would you say what we’re doing counts as mortals prying into the affairs of a god?"

"A god? If she’s truly a god, that would be for the best," Wei Jun laughed heartily. "Let’s call it a day for now."

-

Mu Qiu finished her tasks for the day and logged off to rest.

This wasn’t to sleep, but because she was getting sick of gathering spirit materials and fighting demon beasts these past few days.

To get the Dragon Breath Spirit, she and the trio from Honghuang had been grinding like they were working in a sweatshop.

Han Tian saw how hard she was working and told her to log off and rest, offering to treat her to a big meal.

Han Tian was practically a minor celebrity these days, but not many people recognized him in person.

That was mainly because he used his in-game face when streaming.

Everywhere you went now, you could hear people discussing the Broken Sect.

Han Tian treated Mu Qiu to some ridiculously expensive foreign cuisine, asking her about the game as they ate.

As they were eating, Mu Qiu suddenly asked Han Tian, "Have you noticed anything strange lately?"

"Like what?" Han Tian popped a thumb-sized pastry into his mouth. "Nope. Just eating well, sleeping well, feeling great. Even my shits are smoother than before. I used to be constipated all the time."

Mu Qiu: "..."

’Damn it.’

’We’ve all gotten pretty close in the game, but there’s no need to be *this* familiar, right?’

"Not that." Mu Qiu nudged a small pastry on her plate. "There’s something I haven’t dared to tell anyone."

She looked up and pointed to her eyes, which weren’t behind glasses. "I’m wearing contacts today."

Han Tian looked up and sized her up for three seconds. "Ah, you look better than before. So what? It’s not like it’s some shameful secret. Why can’t you tell anyone?"

Mu Qiu: "..."

She sighed. "You know I’m nearsighted, but I think my eyes are... healing. The last time I felt something was wrong with my eyes, my glasses felt tighter than before. I thought my prescription had gotten worse, but when I went to the hospital for a check-up, it had actually decreased by 100 degrees. Do you have any idea how ridiculous that is? I’ve been nearsighted since middle school."

"When I went for the check-up, I told them I was at 700 degrees before. The doctor said I must have seen a quack, but I was tested at a specialized eye hospital."

Han Tian’s eyes shot wide open. "Holy crap! For real? Nearsightedness can be cured?"

Mu Qiu said distractedly, "I find it unbelievable too. I’ve looked it up online, but all I found were some fabricated stories about recovering from nearsightedness. Most people say it’s impossible for a prescription that high to suddenly drop after so many years, unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless the body undergoes a massive change. Some people say that those who are nearsighted when they’re young sometimes stop being nearsighted when they get old."

But Mu Qiu clearly didn’t fall into that category.

She was genuinely recovering her vision.

The only possible explanation was the game she was playing.

Every time she logged off, she was nearsighted, but inside the game, she could see scenery a kilometer away. The difference was just too great.

Han Tian immediately understood. Mu Qiu wouldn’t have brought this up for no reason; there was only one reason she’d be discussing it with him.

"You suspect it’s because of the game?" Mu Qiu nodded and lowered her voice. "This game is incredible, isn’t it? Maybe it can really affect people in the real world, too?"

Han Tian thought for three seconds, then said decisively, "Then why not ask the system? It might know."

Mu Qiu was shocked. "Ask the system? Would it even answer?"

Han Tian: "Worth a shot. I feel like aside from things it doesn’t know, it’ll usually tell you anything it does."

But Mu Qiu considered it for a moment, then shook her head. "Forget it."

She was afraid of hearing the answer she was expecting.

And she was also afraid of not hearing it.

Seeing her reaction, Han Tian said, "This game has already changed our lives. Look at how much you used to make at your part-time jobs versus how much you make now!"

Mu Qiu: "..."

That was true. The game had changed her life.

After finishing their meal and returning to the game, Mu Qiu received a system notification.

She now had the qualifications to stream.

However, Han Tian had spent a good chunk of points to get this qualification for her.

Besides, with the Energy Pool now open, more and more streaming qualifications would become available in the future, and the system could open up access.

Mu Qiu was a little nervous. Since she was going to stream, she couldn’t use her previous face, because it wasn’t good-looking.

She had just received a puppet reward, which gave her a chance to re-customize her face. And this time, there was even a template she could use.

Mu Qiu was stunned when she saw the template face.

"Did the Sect Master make this?"

System: "She doesn’t have that kind of skill."

"..."

"ACHOO!" Song Jiulai suddenly sneezed. "Someone’s talking about me. It must be the Supreme Mysterious Sect!"

System: "Correct!"

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