Shen Lu: I've Mutated into Multiple Game-Breaking Abilities

Chapter 13: News

If you factor in the experience he gains from venturing into Shen Lu himself, the actual time it takes to reach Level 100 will certainly be even shorter! “I just saw a news report at noon saying someone reached Level 93 in three months, becoming the world’s highest-level player.” “If they saw this mutated experience orb, they’d probably go crazy.” It’s easy to imagine that if this item were revealed to the world, it would inevitably spark a terrifying bloodbath! No powerful player could resist such a “divine artifact.” Especially when they’re being tormented by the difficulty of leveling up. Shaking his head to stop dwelling on it, Ling Yi used the item directly from his backpack. The next second. [You gained 90 experience points] Leveling up from Level 8 to Level 9 requires 900 experience points; ten percent of that is exactly 90 experience points. Glancing at his level bar again, it had already changed to Lv8 (292/900) “Excellent! If I enter Shen Lu tomorrow, I’ll be able to reach Level 10!” Ling Yi clenched his fist, a confident smile spreading across his handsome face. At that moment, he was filled with hope for the future! Early morning. As sunlight bathed the land of Shen Xia and people began to wake from their slumber, eye-catching news stories had already spread across the globe. Every single one of these stories detailed the exploits of the group of players from earlier that morning. Ordinary people had long since grown accustomed to this. On the morning of the first day of every month, it was almost a given to see which new player in which server had done something—completed some “feat” that sounded impressive but was actually just average, or obtained a high-star skill, and so on. But with similar news month after month, everyone had gradually lost the enthusiasm and curiosity they once had. However. When many people saw today’s headline prominently displayed at the top of the forum rankings, without exception, their eyes widened. They wore expressions of disbelief and exclaimed things like, “What? How is that possible!?” “Level 70 Player’s Attack Spotted in Beginner Map!” (Blast) This was today’s top story on the forum. Upon seeing this headline, everyone’s first reaction was disbelief! They thought it was just an exaggerated headline designed to grab attention. But even knowing that, almost no one could resist clicking on it. [A shocking scene unfolded in Server 66, which opened early this morning... ] Below the lengthy text was a short video clip. The video was only a dozen or so seconds long, yet it fully captured the sequence of events. “Oh my God! This actually happened.” After watching the video, everyone—whether casual viewers or players—was deeply astonished. “What on earth is going on? What exactly is that energy form that looks like a flaming meteorite? And who summoned it?” “Hahaha, this must be the work of Alhan, the wealthy merchant from the White Elephant Kingdom—he’s determined to become a Celestial Archmage!” “Zone 66, huh? I heard the Young Alliance Master of the Alliance of the Gods is in that zone too. Could it be...” “This makes absolutely no sense. How could a player who’s not even Level 10 cast a skill this powerful? Even a severely glitched skill couldn’t possibly be this strong!” ” “Damn it, that skill is even more powerful than mine—and I’m level 50 with all my stats in Mana!!” “This is the first time I’ve ever heard of a Wolf King getting one-shot on the very first day.” Everyone was completely baffled. In the comments section, all sorts of weirdos and trolls started popping up one after another. “Case closed—the video’s fake.” “Why would so many people believe something so contrary to common sense? Are we in this day and age too quick to trust others?” “Actually, that person was me. If you want to know more details, please join my group chat. The entry fee is...” While heated discussions about this incident were raging on the Shen Lu Forum and major online platforms across the real world In Shen Xia Shangdu, within a lavishly decorated Western-style courtyard. In a pavilion, an old man and a young boy were playing a game of chess. Standing respectfully on either side of them were two rows of young, handsome male attendants. This was the Wang Family Manor. The two playing chess in the pavilion were none other than Wang Ao, the head of the Wang family, and his grandson, Wang Shaoyu. Wang Shaoyu loved playing chess, so Wang Ao—who doted on his grandson—often came to play with him. The two were evenly matched, and a single game would often last an hour. But now, watching his grandson hold a black piece in his hand without making a move, Wang Ao couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. “Ah, he’s still too easily distracted by external matters.” Ever since learning of the earth-shattering attack on Zone 66 a short while ago, his grandson’s brow had not once relaxed. It had remained furrowed to varying degrees the entire time. He knew what the boy was thinking, but he chose not to say anything, wanting to see if he could adjust his mindset on his own. Clack! The hand clutching the black stone hovered in the air for five or six seconds before finally dropping heavily. But it didn’t land on the board—it landed on the table. “Sigh.” Seeing this, Wang Ao let out an almost imperceptible sigh. He looked at his grandson, and sure enough, he finally couldn’t resist asking. “Grandpa, do you think that guy is actually what level?” Wang Shaoyu was also a new player in this batch, based in Zone 7. In the final few minutes, he’d managed to rush up to Level 3. He’d emerged feeling full of vigor and self-confidence—until he saw the news from Zone 66. While others were focused on that terrifying attack, he was more interested in the experience points earned from killing the Wolf King! “In Shen Lu, the experience gained from killing monsters is split evenly among the players who participated. With hundreds of us teaming up to kill the Wolf King, each of us only got a few points of experience.” “That single attack wiped out the Wolf King—so doesn’t that mean the person who landed that attack just gained hundreds of experience points all at once?” “And if you count the elite monsters next to the Wolf King...” “That guy’s probably already Level 5 or 6!” Wang Shaoyu clenched his teeth, a look of deep concern appearing on his fair, handsome face. Last night, the Wang and Xia families had made a wager. The Wang family’s condition was this: if Wang Shaoyu became the first among this year’s newcomers to reach Level 10, the two families would form an alliance through marriage, and the Xia family’s eldest daughter—who was still an ordinary person—would marry him. The Xia family’s terms were: their eldest daughter would marry only the first person in this cohort to reach Level 10. However, if that person were not Wang Shaoyu, the Wang family would have to provide the Xia family with three Grade A treasures. At first, Wang Shaoyu had been brimming with confidence, convinced that no one could match him, which was why he had proposed the wager. But now he was truly panicking. “If only I’d known, I never would have entered into this Shen Lu wager!” Yesterday, to ensure the wager would be carried out without fail, both sides entered into a Shen Lu wager. Even if one party went back on their word, it wouldn’t matter—the wager would be enforced by Shen Lu’s boundless might. The mere thought that that stunning beauty might become another man’s wife filled him with unbearable jealousy and rage. He wished he could go back to yesterday and stop the wager from happening. Unfortunately, there are no “what-ifs” in this world. Wang Ao looked at his grandson’s furious expression; he knew exactly what was on his mind. He had also met the two young ladies from the Xia family. They were indeed, as people said, blessed with extremely alluring figures and utterly captivating faces.