Chapter 7 – Official Forum

In the future, the extraordinary game might provide him with vast wealth and social status, but currently—at least for now—he couldn’t find a way to monetize it. He was broke.

Besides, Mu Yuan possessed noble character; why would he resist registering his identity and obeying the law?

It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that his identity had likely already been confirmed by the authorities.

The official personnel, based on the situation, were quite certain he was a genuine player.

He genuinely wanted to obtain more information from the officials, and if he could get it for free, that would be even better.

Mu Yuan didn’t fully trust them, but when it came to freebies, authenticity didn’t matter much. His mind was filled with a heap of doubts, so he carefully selected one and tentatively asked, “It’s said that top-tier troops possess the power to overturn rivers and seas. What exactly are top-tier troops, and to what level do they need to be trained to wield such power?”

“This question…”

Yang Kong was about to answer when he realized the knowledge involved was quite broad. The question touched on at least three or four points. Wow!

Some aspects even ventured into areas beyond his expertise.

Ahem, stay calm. This kid is just a newbie. If there are parts I’m not sure about, I’ll just skip them. A newbie wouldn’t be able to tell anyway.

He paused and said, “Actually, most of us players find it very difficult to obtain Advanced or top-tier troops. However, even ordinary troops can develop terrifying power when trained to a high Rank.

“Um, let me first explain the troop Rank system to you. You’ve probably seen from the panel that newly recruited troops start at ‘Zero-Order First-Level.’ The Zero Order is also called the Apprentice Tier. At this stage, troops are still relatively ordinary, operating within mundane limits.

“When troops reach Level 9, they can attempt a Breakthrough to the Professional Tier, also known as the Soldier Tier. At this point, troops can split large rocks, shatter walls, and even dodge or block bullets, possessing all sorts of incredible abilities. The main troops of most veteran players are at this Rank.

“Beyond that are the Second-Order Elite Tier, Third-Order Warlord Tier, and Fourth-Order Commander Tier… A Commander Tier is already a formidable force in its own right.”

But as for how strong a Commander Tier truly was, Yang Kong had never seen one. He was just a clerical worker, after all.

“Of course, breaking through a major tier for troops isn’t easy. Not only do you need to train their experience to Perfection, but you also have to consume many rare Materials to aid the Breakthrough. You understand that, right?”

Mu Yuan certainly understood.

This was standard game mechanics. Soul Sand was like experience books, and rare Treasures were Breakthrough Materials. He was all too familiar with this system. He never expected that even after transmigrating to another world and entering an extraordinary game, he’d still have to grind for Materials diligently.

“Not only that, but there’s also a chance of failure when troops attempt a major tier Breakthrough. The failure rate is closely related to the troop’s grade. That’s why everyone pursues high-grade troops—it’s just that finding a single high-grade troop is incredibly difficult.”

“Then, do ordinary troops have no chance to advance… to promote to a higher grade?”

Mu Yuan asked.

Yang Kong: “Of course, they have a chance. On the Eternal Continent, anything is possible. Some Treasures possess effects like baptism, transformation, or evolution. However, such Treasures are so rare that finding them isn’t much easier than recruiting a rare troop.”

From Yang Kong, Mu Yuan also learned about the troop grade classifications.Common, Rare, Exceptional, Epic, Legendary, Mythical. Each major tier is further subdivided into one to three stars.

Thus, the Skeleton Soldier can be considered a top-tier Common-grade unit ←_←.

“What if a player randomly gets an Advanced unit at the start? Wouldn’t that be like reaching the sky in a single bound?”

“That scenario is impossible. Even veteran players find it difficult to recruit Rare units, let alone newbies. Moreover…”

Yang Kong paused, “Even if a player were to randomly obtain an Advanced or top-tier unit, a newbie wouldn’t be able to control it. Many Advanced units possess a certain level of intelligence from the early stages, and a few exceptionally gifted ones can even awaken self-awareness, capable of speaking human language, thinking independently, learning, and improving… These powerful units would never submit to a novice player.

“However, Advanced units are indeed formidable. For instance, Rare-tier units typically come with skills, allowing them to manipulate energy even before reaching the Professional Tier. Higher-tier units even possess innate abilities, making fighting lower-tier units as easy as a father disciplining his son.”

So that’s how it is, but…

Mu Yuan switched back to the game interface, glanced at the skills on Deadbone’s panel, and looked at this skeleton who was practicing on its own, constantly improving, and even talking. He fell into deep thought.

“Ah, right, right, right.”

“Advanced units are truly overpowered. I’m super envious.”

…

Mu Yuan asked several more questions one after another, seemingly giving Yang Kong a headache, before reluctantly stopping.

Opportunities to freely obtain information like this might not come again in the future.

“Ahem, you don’t need to worry about information. The current forum is just a guidance forum with limited and mixed-quality information. For true game players, our Xuan Nation has also built a communication platform—the Taixuan Forum. I’ll send you the invitation code later. Most information can be found on the Taixuan Forum.”

Mu Yuan had already guessed that the Xuan Nation possessed a massive information exchange platform, but freeloading is more enjoyable.

Yang Kong quickly changed the subject, “Next, let’s discuss a relatively important issue concerning the safety and future of you new players.”

“You must have experienced the difficulties players face in the early stages on the Eternal Continent. As time passes, the presence of player territories will become more noticeable, attracting the attention of more enemies, making survival increasingly difficult.”

Indeed.

Leaving himself aside, many players on the forum had posted help requests, suffering heavy losses on their first or second day. If this continues, the probability of defeat isn’t just high—it’s absolute.

“New players have few units, mostly Common one-star, and lack experience. Even if they encounter some Opportunities during subsequent explorations, it’s hard for them to survive the novice trial. Remember, during the trial, players will face even fiercer assaults.”

“The territory cannot be defended. However, losing the territory doesn’t necessarily mean losing your life. Therefore, our advice to most new players is to abandon their territories and transfer their game characters to safe locations. This way, there will naturally be no life-threatening dangers.”

This seems feasible—a clever move.

But…

“Losing the territory must have a significant impact on the player, right? Moreover, players can’t cross the Wilderness alone to find a safe place.””The impact is indeed significant. Without a territory, a player’s status will drop from ‘Quasi-Chosen Lord’ to ‘Chosen One,’ with restrictions on commanding units, inability to own unit buildings, and far less promising future prospects… cough, I’ve said too much. Of course, lord players have more advantages than non-lord players, but there’s a prerequisite: we must prioritize survival first.”

“For newcomers without extraordinary backgrounds or extreme luck, my advice is to prioritize staying alive.”

Yang Kong continued, “As for relocation, if you accept our proposal, the authorities will dispatch an elite team to escort your game character to a large city established by our Xuan Nation’s top players.”

“Sending an elite team through numerous obstacles to escort your game character comes at a considerable cost. Let me be straightforward: this cost will be covered by the value remaining in your dismantled Lord Altar. A self-dismantled Lord Altar still holds significant worth, so not only will you not need to worry about the relocation process, but you’ll also receive an additional amount of Soul Sand.”

“Of course, locating your game territory takes time and requires your cooperation. Moreover, official personnel may not always be readily available. You’ll need to hold out for at least a few days until the escort team arrives.”

According to Yang Kong’s explanation, players’ landing locations aren’t entirely random. Players from the Xuan Nation are most likely to land on the outskirts of the nation’s already developed territories.

As Mu Yuan is from Baijiang City, he would land in the corresponding area of White Cloud Province and Baijiang City, with minimal margin for error.

The authorities in White Cloud Province have already established large cities and possess considerable strength and influence on the Eternal Continent, which is the basis for rescue operations.

Otherwise, given the vastness of the Eternal Continent, dispatching elite teams from farther away for rescue would be both time-prohibitive and exponentially riskier.

“While rescue operations are profitable for official personnel, players are more than willing to accept them. After all, the vast majority of players have no other choice. Without official rescue, they might not even survive. With official intervention, players can escape life-threatening dangers while retaining their player status—it’s a win-win situation.”

Mu Yuan pondered.

“You’re right, but I still want to give it a try.”

Yang Kong: “Since you agree, I’ll register you for… Huh? Wait, what did you say?!”

Yang Kong: “???”

Had he forgotten to describe the dangers of the Eternal Continent, or was this guy just stubborn?

Buddy, this is a matter of life and death!

Wait, Yang Kong considered a third possibility: this young man seemed calm, and if his initial units weren’t bad either, he might be fairly confident.

But often, it’s the swimmers who drown.

During his time as a guide, Yang Kong had seen confident players who ended up completely crushed. Of course, he had also encountered true geniuses who cleared the novice trials on their own and developed independent territories.

It’s a path fraught with thorns.

Meanwhile, those who lay back and relaxed early on often lived comfortably.

Like himself.

But Yang Kong also understood that for such confident or stubborn players, mere persuasion was unlikely to change their minds.

He held respect for them, and the Xuan Nation hoped for more players to overcome the novice trials, expanding the nation’s territory and influence on the Eternal Continent.He emphasized the dangers of the novice trial and cautioned, “No matter what, you must be extremely careful when exploring the surrounding areas in the early stages. During this period, you can’t afford any mistakes. Also, if you change your mind, you can contact me anytime… Remember, never push yourself too hard, or it’ll be too late when something really happens.”

“The official authorities also provide substantial support for Lords determined to pass the novice trial, including Unit Shards, Soul Sand, equipment, and more. However, to obtain these benefits, new players must prove their potential by passing an assessment… For specific details, you can inquire at your local Player Association.”

“Lastly, let me reiterate one more thing: don’t forget to register at your local association. Although our player community occasionally competes, more often than not, we cooperate for mutual benefit. You can trade resources with other players, exchange information, form teams to raid monster Camps, and so on.”

“And most importantly, stay safe. Only by staying alive can you have a future.”

(End of Chapter)