A New Journey and an Old Friend’s Fury

Upon entering the secret realm, Lin Shenyue surveyed the endless forest before her, a hint of helplessness clouding her expression. It seemed her only option was to wander aimlessly.

With a sigh, she plunged headfirst into the dense forest. The identical scenery on all sides left her utterly disoriented, a familiar struggle given her inherent poor sense of direction. The thought of circling back to her starting point after hours of walking filled her with dread.

Fortunately, despite her poor sense of direction, Lin Shenyue’s luck held true. After half an hour of navigating the labyrinthine woods, she successfully located a medicinal garden.

As she stepped into the garden, a system notification chimed.

“Ding! You have discovered a medicinal garden. Within this garden, you sense an environment perfectly suited for alchemy.”

Lin Shenyue understood immediately; this must be the place her master had mentioned. She glanced around, noting only a humble shack standing amidst the flourishing herbs.

Pushing open the door, she found the interior incredibly sparse. There was nothing more than a stone table, stone stools, and a stone bed, all appearing to have been there for an eternity. At the center of the room, a medicinal cauldron rested, clearly intended for players to practice their craft.

Stepping back outside, Lin Shenyue observed that the garden was overflowing with both basic and intermediate herbs. A bit of time spent gathering would provide her with ample materials. Moreover, while inside the secret realm, communication with the outside world was impossible.

Thus, Lin Shenyue began her dedicated cycle of gathering and refining.

****

Meanwhile, in Novice Village No. 45986, a woman appeared. Unlike Lin Shenyue’s pure and innocent demeanor, this woman exuded a captivating allure. Her figure was exceptionally curvaceous, her chest straining against the system-provided novice attire, creating two prominent swells.

Her exquisite face was etched with an expression of displeasure. She had attempted to add Lin Shenyue as a friend, only to be met with a system prompt indicating that the player was currently in a special environment.

Xu Linglong scoffed, frustrated. Unlike Lin Shenyue, Xu Linglong possessed a more assertive personality, often taking on a protective role for Lin Shenyue in the past.

She looked around with excitement. Before entering the game, she had already reviewed some information, giving her a basic understanding of the gameplay. She had immediately chosen the Warrior class, based on her extensive experience with online games, knowing that warriors typically split into defensive and offensive types. Her ambition was to eventually transition into an offensive warrior.

With a look of disdain, she picked up the beginner’s longsword provided by the system and gave it a few casual swings. Unlike the Lin family, a commercial dynasty, the Xu family was renowned for its martial arts, granting Xu Linglong impressive combat skills. Following some online beginner guides, she quickly accepted a quest, then slung her longsword over her back and dashed out of the village.

****

Five hours later, after Lin Shenyue was forcibly ejected from the secret realm, having refined countless potions, Xu Linglong had already reached level 5. By the time she was finally able to add Lin Shenyue as a friend, Xu Linglong was seething with barely contained anger. Never before had Lin Shenyue left her hanging for five hours without a reply. She vowed to make Lin Shenyue regret it once they met.

Lin Shenyue found it rather odd to receive a friend request from someone named ‘Exquisite Heart’. Her in-game name hadn’t been widely publicized, and few people knew her. This led her to believe the person was likely someone from her real life. After a moment of hesitation, Lin Shenyue accepted the request.

Immediately after accepting, a voice call invitation popped up. Lin Shenyue considered it briefly before accepting.

“Lin Shenyue, have you grown brazen?! How dare you ignore my calls for so long! If you weren’t still immobile in real life, I would have come looking for you ages ago…”

Startled by the furious outburst, Lin Shenyue instinctively flinched, then felt a wave of speechlessness. She had no idea who this person was, but it was clear they were a close friend, and not just an ordinary one.

“Hello? Are you listening? Make a sound if you hear me.”

Lin Shenyue deliberated for a moment before finally asking, “You are… who?”

The other end fell silent for a bit. Then, as if realizing something, Xu Linglong sighed and said, “My name is Xu Linglong. Perhaps you don’t remember me? You just need to know that we used to be very good friends.”

Sensing the sadness in the other person’s voice, Lin Shenyue couldn’t help but say, “Perhaps I’ll remember later.”

Xu Linglong scoffed, then declared assertively, “No need to wait. From now on, I’ll be looking out for you. Just make sure you behave.”

Lin Shenyue’s lips twitched. It seemed this friend of hers definitely had a queen-like personality. Based on her parents’ conversations, her former self was likely a well-behaved girl. How could two people with such contrasting personalities have gotten along so well? Yet, a warmth spread through her chest. She could feel Xu Linglong’s genuine concern in her tone. Hastily, she reassured Xu Linglong, “I’m sorry, I was in a special environment just now and couldn’t receive outside messages.”

Xu Linglong sighed, “Fine, I’ll forgive you this time. I’m coming to find you now.”

“Are you in Novice Village No. 1?” Lin Shenyue asked, puzzled.

Xu Linglong paused, “Novice villages have numbers?”

Lin Shenyue felt a touch speechless. It seemed her friend, despite knowing a few things about the game, had overlooked some basic details. “To prevent overcrowding in a single novice village, each one is limited to 1,000 players.”

“So I can’t come find you now?” Xu Linglong asked, annoyed.

Lin Shenyue nodded. “Only after you reach level 10.”

Xu Linglong shook her head. “Alright, then I need to level up quickly. I’m already two days behind, after all.”

Lin Shenyue thought for a moment. “Linglong, what’s your profession?”

“I’m a warrior, why?” Xu Linglong replied.

“I’ll send you some warrior equipment,” Lin Shenyue said. She promptly mailed some relatively precious warrior equipment that she hadn’t sold to Xu Linglong. However, only three pieces were suitable for Xu Linglong’s current level. The others were either too high a level or for different professions. Nevertheless, those three pieces were excellent bronze-tier equipment, which would certainly help Xu Linglong through the initial stages of the game.

Upon seeing the mail from Lin Shenyue, Xu Linglong expressed some surprise. “Yue’er, it seems you’re doing quite well! I thought it would take you ages just to find your way.”

Lin Shenyue felt a wave of exasperation. It appeared her sense of direction deficiency was an inherent trait of her current body, not a consequence of her own soul.

Without waiting for Lin Shenyue’s reply, Xu Linglong seemed to recall something, her voice tinged with a sniffle. “Could it be, Yue’er, that you’ve found someone new? Do you not need me anymore?”

Lin Shenyue couldn’t help but feel a touch helpless. She quickly reassured her friend, “No, nothing like that. I just joined a team, that’s all.”

Xu Linglong hummed, but ultimately chose not to press the matter further. After all their time together, she understood just how severe Lin Shenyue’s lack of direction was. Without someone to guide her, Lin Shenyue would likely never know where she was going.

“Yue’er, I’m going to focus on leveling up for now. We’ll reconnect once I reach level 10,” Xu Linglong said.

Lin Shenyue hummed softly. After the voice call disconnected, she retrieved the item Grove had given her and clicked ‘use’.

A teleportation portal materialized before her, and Lin Shenyue stepped inside.

Grove watched Lin Shenyue emerge and asked, “How did it go?”

Lin Shenyue checked her experience: 763,156/1,000,000. She replied to Grove, “I’ve basically mastered the refining of intermediate potions.” Each stage of alchemy had a distinct growth curve. When experience was less than a quarter of the current stage, intermediate potions could be refined, but with a low success rate. Between a quarter and a half of the experience, the success rate would increase. From half to three-quarters, the success rate would peak. Beyond three-quarters to full, one could attempt to refine higher-level potions, though the success rate would be dismal.

Grove nodded. “Not bad. It seems you didn’t waste too much time. From now on, you’ll have to work hard on your own. Strive to reach the Grandmaster level as soon as possible, then come find me. I have something to attend to now and will be away for a while. You likely won’t see me for some time.”

“Master, are you leaving?” Lin Shenyue asked, surprised.

Grove sighed. “Recently, some strange phenomena have been appearing around the world. I’ve been entrusted with investigating them. During this time, you’re free to use my alchemy lab as you wish. We will meet again when the time is right.” With that, Grove waved his hand, and a spatial gate appeared. He stepped through, and the gate closed behind him.

Lin Shenyue didn’t even have a chance to say goodbye, realizing her master didn’t want a farewell. Although they had only known each other for a few days, her outwardly cold yet inwardly warm master had treated her quite well. This secret realm was likely arranged specifically for her after he received the news. After all, it was only the end of the second day since the game’s launch, and she was already nearing the level of an advanced alchemist. Many others were probably just reaching the intermediate alchemist stage.

‘Master, we will definitely meet again,’ Lin Shenyue thought to herself.