Chapter 001: Trapped in the Game World!

"The entrance to the fantasy world 'Xuanying Continent' is about to open above Hailan Star,"
"Final ten seconds of the countdown!"
"Chosen players, please get ready!"

Across the globe, millions were selected, and the media hailed these lucky ones as Children of Destiny. When the countdown ended, a serene blue portal appeared in the skies above Hailan Star. The chosen players silently chanted "Log in" in their hearts, and golden light burst from their bodies, transforming them into streams of light that soared up into the portal.

Meanwhile, in Xuanying Continent, countless beams of light appeared almost simultaneously in tens of thousands of beginner villages. From each beam stepped forth a player from Hailan Star, newly arrived in this world.

Song Ye was among them.

The beginner village where Song Ye was born was called "Qiuyu Village," a simple little place. The once peaceful country lanes were now packed with a bustling crowd of Hailan Star players, all gazing around in wonder at their unfamiliar surroundings.

But then, suddenly, the players all transformed back into streams of light and shot up into the sky, as if the scene of their arrival was now playing in reverse. The village paths returned to their usual tranquility, but within Song Ye, a storm was brewing. Why had everyone vanished into thin air?

At that moment, a system notification sounded in his mind:

"An unknown error has occurred in the game!"
"All Hailan Star players have been forcibly ejected from Xuanying Continent!"
"The entrance to Xuanying Continent is now closed!"

Song Ye was stunned. Did this mean that all the other players had been forcibly logged out, but he’d been forgotten here?

He suddenly recalled a famous line from a film: "I haven’t even gotten on the bus yet!"

What’s more, the game interface had no "log out" button, which meant he couldn't leave this world by his own will! Clearly, this game system was unreliable.

Still, Song Ye thought this might just be a temporary "network delay." He figured he’d soon be able to exit the world and return to Hailan Star like the others. But looking at it another way, he was now the only player on the entire Xuanying Continent. That was an advantage—he could complete all the quests first and get a head start!

The quest list would periodically refresh with beginner village tasks. Completing quests awarded experience points or some cheap game items. If he finished three quests in a day, he would receive one attribute point.

Attribute points were precious—the foundation of everything!

Therefore, he had to complete at least three quests every day. There were two daily tasks that could be done repeatedly. In other words, as long as he completed the two daily tasks plus any one random quest, he could meet the requirement of three and earn an attribute point.

The first daily quest was to catch a fish at the village pond. If luck was against him, he might not catch one all day, in which case he’d have to complete an additional random quest. The second daily quest was to shoot down a bird with a slingshot somewhere in the village.

For now, “fishing and bird-shooting” were the only two fixed daily quests in the beginner village. The game inventory included two starter items: a bamboo fishing rod and a slingshot.

Song Ye chose fishing as his first quest. He had the rod, but needed bait, so he dug up an earthworm using his rusty beginner’s sword. Sitting by the pond, he cast his line with the worm on the hook and waited patiently for half an hour before finally catching a small tilapia, barely half the size of his palm.

"Ding! Congratulations, player, you have completed the quest [Fishing]. Experience +100!"

The second task was to shoot down a bird with the slingshot. Fortunately, Song Ye had decent aim. In under ten minutes, he brought down a small white bird. This species didn’t exist on Hailan Star, so he had no idea what it was called.

"Ding! Congratulations, player, you have completed the quest [Slingshot Bird]. Experience +100!"

Next, Song Ye picked a seemingly simple random quest from the quest list:

[Wolf Extermination]: Wild wolves frequently appear west of the village. Please, young hero, go and slay three wild wolves!

He set out for the western edge of Qiuyu Village, where a small hill stood. Sure enough, three wild wolves were prowling there, their eyes fixed hungrily on him.

They soon spotted the solitary Song Ye and charged at him.

The wild wolves were only level one, with a mere 120 HP each—the lowest-level monsters in the area.

Song Ye drew his rusty iron starter sword and swung it forward.

Heaven-Shattering Earth-Rending Slash!

Three crimson sword auras sliced through the air. The first wolf was instantly left with half its health.

[Heaven-Shattering Earth-Rending Slash] was Song Ye's only beginner skill, with a maximum level of 10, but currently only at level 1.

He unleashed several more Heaven-Shattering Earth-Rending Slashes before finally dispatching all three wolves.

"Beep! Player has slain [Wild Wolf], experience +20!"
"Beep! Player has slain [Wild Wolf], experience +20!"
"Beep! Player has slain [Wild Wolf], experience +20!"
"Ding! Congratulations, player, you have completed the quest [Wolf Extermination]. Experience +300!"

Now, he was 560 experience points ahead of all the other players who had been forced out!

At that moment, a massive figure suddenly appeared on the hill.

Song Ye looked closely—it was a giant wild wolf, as large as a tiger or leopard.

[Wolf King]: Level 10!

The Wolf King charged at Song Ye with the speed of lightning.

Without a second thought, Song Ye turned and ran! After all, he was no match for a level 10 Wolf King on his own. Survival came first!

The Wolf King was gaining fast, its snarls thunderous in his ears. But all at once, the howling stopped, and so did the pounding of its paws behind him. Song Ye still dashed another hundred meters before daring to look back.

He saw the giant wolf lying dead and bloodied on the ground. Next to it stood a woman in a flowing white dress, her face cold and beautiful, brows like distant mountains, eyes clear as autumn water—she seemed a fairy untouched by mortal dust.

At that moment, two villagers happened by. They immediately set down their shoulder poles and knelt before the woman, calling out in unison, "Immortal Master Su!"

The woman known as "Immortal Master Su" glanced at Song Ye and said coolly,

"You have good natural talent, and you were willing to drive away wolves for the villagers. You have a kind heart. Take this."

A card floated from her hand into Song Ye's palm.

He looked at it. Written on the card was: "Invitation from Xuanqing Palace."

"Take this invitation to Xuanqing Palace, and you may become an outer disciple."

Before the words had even faded, Immortal Master Su had already soared into the sky, vanishing into a tiny white speck at the horizon.