Chapter Nineteen: The 100% Real Virtual Game

Speaking of it, Bai’s method of transmitting information directly into the mind was truly miraculous. Lan Tian ran through the entire set of level 81 Energy Condensation cultivation methods in his mind, and by the time he opened his eyes again, he already felt somewhat fatigued.

The sheer volume of information was staggering. If it were all written in books, each level’s cultivation method, along with the necessary precautions, could fill a thick tome.

“How is it? Finished reading everything?” Bai asked.

“Yes, I’ve seen it all. This way of transferring information is just incredible—it’s as if it’s been engraved in my mind. Whenever you get a chance, could you transmit to me the other languages from Earth?” Lan Tian nodded contentedly.

“There’s no need to bother with these local languages. I’ll send you the official universal language of the cosmos later. That’s the only one that matters out there,” Bai replied with a dismissive shake of the head.

“Uh… Fine, then… Should I start cultivating now?” Lan Tian asked, resigned. He had no way to argue with Bai—after all, Bai wasn’t his own intelligent terminal; everything required negotiation.

“Don’t rush. Let me build a 100% realistic virtual game for you first. For the first level of Energy Condensation, you’ll simulate the cultivation process in the virtual world to make sure nothing goes wrong.” Bai stopped him, then closed his eyes to begin constructing the virtual environment.

“You can build a perfectly realistic virtual game? That’s amazing! If you could turn today’s most popular games into fully immersive realities, every gamer on Earth would go mad!” Lan Tian exclaimed in shock.

“How naïve. Wait until you reach the Starlight level and gain cosmic star force. Once you connect to the virtual cosmic network, you’ll realize your Earth’s so-called internet is nothing but trash!” Bai scoffed, raising a hand to stop any further questions. “Don’t ask more. You can’t access it now anyway. The virtual game is ready—don’t waste time. Get started.”

With that, Bai didn’t give Lan Tian a chance to react; he forcibly pulled his consciousness into the virtual game.

In the next instant, Lan Tian found himself standing in a vast wilderness. The earth beneath his feet was black, and overhead, three bright moons hung in the sky, forming a tripod and casting down endless, gentle moonlight.

Not far away stretched a range of majestic mountains, shrouded in drifting clouds and mist.

“It’s truly indistinguishable from reality!” Lan Tian clenched his fists and swung his arms a few times, then pinched his thigh. “Ouch! That hurts!”

“All right, enough with the fuss. Get started now. Use the cultivation method I’ve given you: absorb cosmic energy and integrate it into your body.” Bai’s voice suddenly sounded in his ear.

Lan Tian stopped playing around, recalled the cultivation method in his mind, and began to arrange his limbs into a strange posture.

According to the manual, the human body was initially extremely fragile and almost completely insensitive to cosmic energy. Without the proper postures and movements, there was no way to sense the endless energy of the universe.

What he was doing now was a set of cultivation movements—eighteen forms in total, corresponding to the first eighteen levels of the human Energy Condensation system. Each move was stranger and more difficult than the last.

Lan Tian hadn’t expected to encounter such difficulty on the very first form. In fact, the posture was utterly inhuman—no one, not even the world’s top yoga master, could achieve it.

“Bai! Did you make a mistake with this first form? Are you kidding me? How could anyone possibly twist their leg behind to touch the back of their own head? And after looping an arm around the back, how could it still reach the chest in front?” Lan Tian struggled for ages before realizing just how impossible this first movement was.

It was simply an unachievable task!

“Nothing is impossible. You must complete the first form precisely and hold it perfectly still. If you begin absorbing cosmic energy with even the slightest error, your body will be instantly torn apart by its immense power,” Bai said coldly. “That’s why I built this virtual game for you. Otherwise, do you think I have nothing better to do?”

“Wait, it’s not about holding the pose—right now, I can’t even do the movement…” Lan Tian muttered in frustration.

“Heh, you’ll manage. I’ll help you…” Bai’s tone suddenly turned sly, and in the next moment, his figure appeared before Lan Tian. In the virtual world, Bai was no longer a three-dimensional projection but a living, tangible presence.

Without warning, Bai grabbed Lan Tian’s thigh and wrenched it backward.

“Ahhh!” A wave of excruciating pain swept through him, and Lan Tian let out a scream that barely sounded human.

At that moment, he finally understood why Bai had insisted he find a secluded place for cultivation. If this happened in reality, given the paper-thin walls of his old rental, the entire building would have heard his screams.

This thought flashed through his mind only briefly before it was swallowed by the overwhelming agony.

Crunch. Crack. Crunch…

The relentless sound of bones colliding and breaking echoed around him. Bai allowed him no resistance, and in a short span—through a brutal process—forced Lan Tian’s body into the pose required by the first form.

“Don’t move! Hold perfectly still. Focus and sense it—cosmic energy is already beginning to seep into your body. The slightest movement will spell instant death!” Bai barked.

Lan Tian’s eyes were bloodshot from the pain, but at Bai’s command, he gritted his teeth and endured, focusing inward.

Despite the unbearable pain, he could still sense a cold current gradually infiltrating his body, seeping from the surface inward.

An overwhelming hunger welled up from within, and the chilly energy suddenly intensified, pouring in faster and faster. With every degree it penetrated, the agony lessened, replaced by a tingling numbness that gradually spread.

However, this was hardly a relief. The sensation was even harder to bear than the pain: it felt as if ten thousand ants were crawling and biting all over him, leaving him itching and aching beyond endurance. He couldn’t help but shudder.

Then, something terrifying happened. Because of his uncontrollable shudder, the first form’s posture deviated ever so slightly. The cool energy instantly turned scorching hot, and instead of seeping in, it flooded his body in a torrent.

Splurt! Splurt! Splurt!

With a series of gruesome, wet pops, Lan Tian’s body was ripped apart by the overwhelming force of the invading cosmic energy. As his body reached its absolute limit, he just had time to hear a sound like tearing leather before his form exploded—flesh and blood spraying in every direction.

And then, he lost consciousness…