Chapter 182: Slaying the Magma Monarch

“Such a conscientious operation—I’m pre-registering for the game right away!”

“The streamer’s gone viral! Hurry up and send out the gift bags!”

“Send gift bags! Send gift bags! If you don’t send gift bags, we’ll riot!”

“You can send gift bags?” Jiang Yan didn’t have much experience with live streaming, but after swiping a few times on the light screen, he indeed found the gift bag distribution portal.

He generously sent out one hundred Star Core Coins.

“Wait, aren’t gifts split fifty-fifty? So I actually lost 50 Star Core Coins?”

Wow, even paying to work is a thing now.

But since the gift bags were already sent, Jiang Yan couldn’t be bothered to dwell on it.

“Yan Thunder Destruction Slash!”

The Lava Monarch abandoned the other players and charged directly toward Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan might not be able to handle an Eighth-Rank Punisher, but a Seventh-Rank Lava Monarch was well within his grasp.

Behind him, the Crimson Gold Battle Shadow swung its broad saber and smashed it down.

Boom!

The cave collapsed, and fiery rocks rained down.

The broad saber sent the Lava Monarch flying, piercing through layers of rubble and soaring into the sky.

Jiang Yan shot into the air, enduring the splattering lava spewed by the Lava Monarch.

The scorching lava felt like nothing more than a tickle on Jiang Yan’s skin, completely incapable of harming him.

On the ground, players crawled out of the wreckage, each staring in awe at Jiang Yan battling fiercely with the Lava Monarch in the sky.

“Holy crap, who is this big shot? How is he so badass?”

“Incredible! He’s actually trading blows with a Seventh-Rank Lava Monarch—no, wait, he’s dominating it!”

As soon as the words were spoken, the Lava Monarch’s body was pierced through.

Jiang Yan swung his saber downward, stabbing through the creature’s skull.

Whoosh—

The Lava Monarch plummeted toward the ground, having exhausted everything after just a few exchanges with Jiang Yan.

Bang!

Jiang Yan dove straight down. A flash of white light erupted, and the sky lit up with dazzling fireworks.

A blood-red crystal crashed to the ground.

“It’s a Lava Crystal—the ultimate Divine Artifact for dealing with Punishers!”

Someone exclaimed, but no one dared to pick it up.

The Lava Monarch’s flesh and blood disintegrated mid-air, leaving not even a trace of bone or flesh behind.

Jiang Yan landed steadily on the ground.

Spiritual Power enveloped the Lava Crystal, drawing it into his hand.

The scorching heat wrapped around his skin, delivering an intensely realistic sensation.

“Alright, time to fight our way back to the factory and complete the newbie village storyline.”

Jiang Yan addressed the bullet comment audience, barely noticing the fans rapidly spamming “666.”

“666! Streamer, I thought you were just boasting, but you’re actually the real deal!”

“Too awesome! You defeated a Seventh-Rank Lava Monarch in just two or three moves. Streamer, are you sure you didn’t fake your age to get in here?”

“Badass, instant follow!”

“You single-handedly killed a Seventh-Rank Lava Monarch? You might as well just brute-force your way through this game.”

In an instant, the live stream’s popularity skyrocketed, with gifts continuously flying across the stream interface.

“At that moment, a private message arrived in his backend.”

Jiang Yan opened it to read.

“Mr. Jiang Yan, I am Mo Yu, the one responsible for liaising with you previously. Your potential has exceeded our expectations. We will now upgrade our cultivation efforts for you. From now on, for every player you attract to pre-register for Rising Tide Scorching World, you will receive a certain commission.”

“Rest assured, we will pay the commission at the highest market rate.”

“Therefore, please help promote Rising Tide.”

“Thank you very much.”

Jiang Yan: “As long as there’s compensation, I’m in.”

Mo Yu: “Thank you for your support.”

Indeed, a healthy ecosystem is always built on communication and cooperation. Civilized forces conduct themselves with civility—no matter how filthy their underlying motives may be, at least the civility they display appears utterly pure.

The Law of the Dark Forest may prevail in certain regions, but in the eyes of truly major powers, only long-term cooperation can extend the future further.

The Myriad Realms Game Company has built a massive wheel with their superficial “benevolence.” On the surface of this wheel, countless fruits are shared, while the filthy dregs and residue beneath it are often ignored by those who benefit.

Jiang Yan happens to be one of those beneficiaries.

Jiang Yan hung a small controller icon in his live stream room.

“Everyone, the game reservation link is in the bottom right corner. If you’re interested in this game, feel free to reserve it—help this streamer earn a bit more.”

As he spoke, ignoring the stunned streamers around him, he toyed with the Lava Crystal in his hand for a moment before gripping it tightly.

Then, he soared into the sky, leaving a white streak across the horizon.

“Next, I’ll just kill the Punisher, and that should be about it for today’s stream.”

Jiang Yan’s words immediately sparked a wave of lament in the live stream room.

“Bro, don’t end the stream! You’re amazing—I want to see more content beyond the newbie village!”

“Yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve seen a streamer giving out such generous rewards. Stream a bit longer, please!”

“Hahaha, I’ll be streaming regularly from now on, on this account. Everyone, remember to follow!”

…

In the Lava Abode, a group of streamers exchanged bewildered glances.

Their live stream rooms were in an uproar.

“Sigh, a whole group of streamers couldn’t even take down a single Lava Monarch, and then there’s that guy… sigh.”

“Quick question, what’s the name of that streamer over there?”

“Hey, hey, everyone, don’t leave! That guy is just an exception—our streamer is actually really strong!”

At that moment, someone started feasting on the “Yan Blood Steamed Bun.”

“Everyone, follow our streamer! I’ll go live stream the big shot taking on the Punisher for you.”

Bullet Comments: 666, you really know how to milk the moment.

“Hahaha, thanks for the follows! I’m heading out right now to find the big shot!”

Soon, another white streak shot across the sky.

“I’m going too!”

“Hey, me too!”

…

Before long, most of the closed beta streamers chose to go watch Jiang Yan’s battle. Otherwise, their earlier humiliation would easily cost them followers.

After all, people are drawn to strength—why should they follow you if you’re so weak?

But were they really weak?

On the contrary, each of them was a standout on their own planet; otherwise, they wouldn’t have secured contracts or closed beta access.

However, it’s important to remember that the Lava Monarch was a Seventh Rank Fierce Beast, roughly at the mid to late stage.

Translated to Tianyuan Star, that level would be a Source Domain Martial Artist!

Are there any Martial Artists among Tianyuan Star’s younger generation who have reached the Source Domain Realm?

No, at least not openly—not a single one.

So, can these streamers be blamed for being weak?

Absolutely not. It’s just that Jiang Yan stood out too much, making the Lava Monarch seem weak and, by contrast, making these streamers appear even weaker.

Factory.

At that moment, the Punisher was seething with rage.

“Who! Who killed my beloved wife!”

“Grrr, this infuriates me! It must be you damned slaves, you filthy scum!”

Crack!

The Punisher angrily whipped an NPC slave with his lash.

“Ah! Master, it wasn’t me! It wasn’t! I was working all last night!”

Crack!

“Enough excuses!”

Crack!

Soon, the NPC was whipped into unconsciousness by the iron lash, their already tattered clothes now torn to shreds.

“Bastard! Damn bastard!”

The Punisher was furious, ready to vent his anger over his wife’s disappearance on these lowly slaves.