Chapter 132: Beginning to Unleash His Strength

"Damn, how is this boss already dead?"

"Qingcheng Yixiao" stared blankly at the loot scattered across the ground in the distance. People were busy collecting items, but the mood was rather lackluster.

When there is an abundance of items, they lose their value. Although the loot dropped by this ultimate boss was considered top-tier gear within the game, it wasn't worth much when legendary artifacts became as common as cabbages. The reason he had rushed over so excitedly to steal the kill wasn't the result, but the process.

This boss had been defeated countless times. With the massive exodus of players, the game was nearing the end of its lifespan. Qingcheng Yixiao only logged in occasionally to take a look or simply to find people for PvP.

To put it nicely, he was a master in this game, capable of crushing many others. To put it bluntly, he was just bored out of his mind. Hearing that someone was tackling the ultimate boss, he had rushed over to snatch the kill just to add some excitement to his day.

It wasn't just him; many others were even more bored, using the boss as a lure specifically to bait people into attempting to steal the kill, just to trigger a PvP skirmish. This way, they didn't have to go searching for opponents—the targets came right to them.

This state of affairs existed simply because there was nothing left to do in the game. Both sides were on the same page, which was why the "thief" was so excited and reckless. It was essentially a signal inviting a fight.

However, this boss had become increasingly pathetic. By the time Qingcheng Yixiao rushed across the map, the boss had already been taken down. Could it be that these were actually players trying to clear the boss?

"Yo, Qingcheng, why are you still here?" Just as Qingcheng Yixiao was lamenting his late arrival, someone greeted him.

"Oh, boss of the Qilin Palace, why are you here farming this boss? I thought you stopped playing this game!" Qingcheng Yixiao said, clearly surprised and puzzled.

In gaming, unless there were special circumstances, people rarely became bitter enemies. Generally, new conflicts would arise with every new game. The guild Qingcheng Yixiao founded focused on fun, so he maintained good relationships with many other guilds. It was perfectly normal to exchange greetings when bumping into each other.

"I had stopped, but the recent games I’ve tried have been exceptionally dull. I’d long promised to take this boss down a hundred times, and since I was one short, I came today to finish it," Gong Qilin said with a smile, sounding as if he were complaining about his recent boredom.

"Tell me about it. I don't know what these game companies are thinking these days. They only know how to cash grab. Not to mention the lack of innovation, they're becoming increasingly unplayable," Qingcheng Yixiao gestured, regretting that he was merely a game character; otherwise, the two would surely have shared a cigarette and a cup of tea like brothers.

Gong Qilin expressed his own regret and then asked in surprise, "Wait, don't you know?"

"Know what?" Qingcheng Yixiao was dumbfounded.

"Ugh, 'Seeking the Dao.' It's about to enter open beta. Don't tell me you haven't scrambled for an account yet?" Gong Qilin sat in front of his computer with his eyes wide, not needing to worry about his image since the other party couldn't see him.

"Scrambled for an account?" Qingcheng Yixiao curled his lip. "Buddy, what year do you think this is? Do we still need to scramble? Open betas and the like are just scams. How many games have split into 'open beta' and 'official launch'? The beta is basically the official release; otherwise, the servers would shut down before the beta even ended."

"Pfft, Qingcheng, are you the newbie or am I? Have you seen the promotional trailer for 'Seeking the Dao'? The one that just came out today, endorsed by Xiao Jingxuan and Consort Rou. If you had seen it, you wouldn't be saying that. Also, let me tell you, 'Seeking the Dao' is for real this time. Open beta accounts are extremely limited. Don't blame your big brother for not warning you if you go too late," Gong Qilin laughed, boasting that he was quick enough to have already secured his accounts.

"What, the one they're advertising everywhere lately?" Qingcheng Yixiao asked suspiciously, still unconvinced.

One couldn't blame him. Games were everywhere these days, and ads were plastered all over the place, not just on television. Veteran players didn't pay any attention to such hype.

"Haha, buddy, you're behind the times," Gong Qilin sighed. "If you haven't seen it, you have no right to speak."

"Fine, fine, I'll go take a look..." Qingcheng Yixiao didn't fully believe him. "Come to think of it, I'm a fan of Consort Rou. I should go support her regardless."

Consort Rou had become a shorthand for Chu Luoxi. Thanks to the drama *The Empire*, while many might not know the name Chu Luoxi yet, everyone knew who Consort Rou was.

Despite agreeing, Qingcheng Yixiao wasn't in a rush to log off. He figured it was just a marketing ploy; it couldn't possibly be as perfect as Gong Qilin claimed.

After playing a while longer, he truly grew bored. Seeing that it was dinner time, Qingcheng Yixiao logged off, ordered takeout, and went straight to the official website of "Seeking the Dao" to find the trailer.

He didn't rush to watch it. Once the food arrived, he poured himself a glass of water and prepared to enjoy the fully loaded trailer while eating. It was five minutes long—quite long for a promotional clip. He had let it load beforehand to avoid any mid-video buffering.

If the video turned out to be mediocre, that would be one thing, but if it turned out to be truly spectacular, he might just choke on his food.

To ensure an authentic experience, Qingcheng Yixiao didn't even look at the comments below to avoid forming any preconceived notions.

Everything ready, Qingcheng Yixiao clicked the mouse and picked up his disposable chopsticks to tackle his dinner.

The full-screen display dimmed, then brightened, revealing a breathtaking fairyland. It felt like the perspective of an immortal in the heavens, overlooking a beautiful and mysterious world.

As lifelike white clouds drifted by, a man, ethereal and immortal, and a woman, graceful as a startled swan, appeared together. The atmosphere, the attire, the perfect features, and the exquisite beauty of their faces—every detail in the footage made Qingcheng Yixiao's eyes light up.

While the ultimate goal of a game is the gameplay itself, who would complain if the visuals were easy on the eyes? However, a trailer is just a trailer; whether the actual game lived up to that quality remained to be seen.

But it had to be said, just as Gong Qilin had implied, Qingcheng Yixiao was already thinking about giving it a try after seeing only the beginning. Of course, this had a lot to do with the oversaturated game market and the rarity of finding a decent product.

As players—even if just for leisure rather than professionally—everyone was waiting for a game that would catch their eye and offer decent playability. It was exactly this psychology that fueled the developers who only cared about cashing in.

When a new game comes out, you have to try it to know if it's any good, right? How could one justify the scrutiny of a veteran player without giving it a try? Besides, some people weren't short on money; if the developers made enough from the first wave of players, the game had already served its purpose.

Not to mention the shoddy quality—many games were even more "fast-food" culture than television...