Riding the modified motorcycle at breakneck speed, Yin Huaichen returned to the Yin residence at one in the afternoon.
Planting one foot on the ground, he executed a sharp drift. The scraping sound of the bike’s body against the metal wheel rim startled a flock of sparrows into flight, while the chain hanging from the handlebar continued to hum and vibrate.
He parked the bike casually by the courtyard and strode inside.
The moment he entered the Yin residence and saw the scene within, he froze.
“Young Master, you’re back?”
Butler Zhang was both surprised and puzzled to see him. “Didn’t the hospital say your discharge was scheduled for the afternoon…”
He had just instructed the driver to pick Yin Huaichen up at the appointed time yet the young master had returned on his own.
Peering outside, the butler immediately spotted the conspicuous and flamboyant black motorcycle at the entrance and rubbed his forehead helplessly.
Yin Huaichen shrugged, completely lacking any awareness of the danger of riding a motorcycle right after being discharged. Instead, he glanced at the pristine white equipment in the hall and the workers bustling about in uniforms. “What’s all this?”
“The eldest young lady sent over some gaming equipment today. The workers are installing it,” the butler explained.
“For me?”
“Yes.”
The butler carefully observed his expression. “The eldest young lady said that if you’re interested, you can go take a look…”
Yin Huaichen curled his lips. “Sounds nice but she just wants me to behave, doesn’t she?”
Although he said that, he didn’t refuse. With a ready made game pod available, it saved him the trouble of getting one himself. Casually tossing his motorcycle keys aside, he said, “I’ll go rest for a bit. Call me when it’s done.”
“It’s good that he didn’t refuse.”
In her office, Yin Hanshan, after receiving Butler Zhang’s report, finally relaxed her tightly furrowed brows. “He came back from the hospital on his own?”
“Mm…”
The butler hesitated. “I had the driver go pick him up. The young master was very obedient, he didn’t say anything and came back with the driver…”
“Stop covering for him.”
Yin Hanshan smiled faintly. “You think I don’t know him?”
From childhood to now, Yin Huaichen had always been this restless. Back when he decided to practice martial arts, he had secretly gone to the largest martial arts hall in Chen’gang City without telling his family.
They only found out two months later. Relying on his extraordinary talent, he loved participating in dangerous extreme sports and more than once had secretly gone to underground ancient martial arts competitions despite Yin Hanshan’s explicit prohibition…
Rather than saying his rebellious phase came early, it would be more accurate to say that Yin Huaichen had never not been rebellious. He was truly a constant source of worry.
Over the past two years since falling ill, Yin Huaichen had acted as if nothing were wrong. He still went to the martial arts hall, still rode his motorcycle, showing not the slightest awareness of being a patient.
It was as though he was trying his utmost to prove that he was no different from before, unwilling to let anyone look at him with pity.
The consequence, naturally, was that he became a frequent visitor to the hospital. The Yin family’s lifetime VIP card at that private hospital had never delivered such “value for money.”
Yin Hanshan had her own sources and knew that Eternity was unlike any previous full dive game. It was the first fully immersive simulation achieved through consciousness diving, independently developed by the StarNet’s central system.
In a sense, it could already be considered a “second world.” The Federation’s recent large scale promotional efforts were enough to demonstrate just how significant it was.
Not only her, many consortiums with sharp business instincts had already begun preparing to invest in Eternity, hoping to claim a share of this groundbreaking venture. Several well known gaming guilds in the full dive industry had seen their stock prices surge recently and related sectors had become popular investment targets, presenting a thriving, blue ocean landscape.
For the Yin family, however, the field of full dive gaming was relatively unfamiliar. Even Yin Hanshan had to proceed cautiously, feeling her way forward. These days, she had been so overwhelmed with work that she hadn’t returned home for nearly a month.
“That’s all for now. Keep an eye on Xiao Chen for me. He’s just been discharged, don’t let him go out and do anything dangerous again.”
Her tone was calm yet the concern beneath it was unmistakable butler Zhang quickly nodded in agreement.
…
After returning to his room, Yin Huaichen wasted no time. He opened his computer and began searching for information related to Eternity.
It wasn’t hard to find. From the moment the project was announced, Eternity had been explosively popular. A simple search brought up an overwhelming flood of discussions.
Even someone like Yin Huaichen, who paid little attention to games, had heard about it before, though today was the first time he had watched its promotional video from beginning to end.
At present, aside from some world building details and scattered bits of information, there weren’t many substantial revelations about the game itself. All the useful information could be summed up in a single sentence,
Welcome, players, to explore!
Even so, Yin Huaichen found what he was looking for.
Not only were the names of the four continents in the game identical to those in his memory, he also saw several familiar sects. If one or two coincidences could be dismissed, this many similarities clearly pointed to something more.
However…
While it seemed to resemble the world he had come from, it was also entirely different. Many elements were similar yet the world before his transmigration had been akin to an ancient martial arts era, whereas Eternity presented a steampunk fantasy setting that blended ancient and modern elements, a clear divergence in worldbuilding.
Was it the future of his original world? Or… merely a coincidence?
Perplexed, Yin Huaichen continued searching online, hoping to uncover more useful information.
With the game’s launch approaching, the Federation’s largest player forum was in an uproar. Speculation and gossip ran rampant, one moment a corporation announced its investment, the next a gaming guild or club declared its entry. It had been a long time since the gaming world had seen such a phenomenon level frenzy.
Yin Huaichen spent several hours in his room surfing through information yet details about the game itself remained frustratingly scarce.
Only when Butler Zhang knocked on the door to remind him it was time for his injection did Yin Huaichen finally look up.
“Got it, got it.”
Stretching lazily, he took the injection device. Aligning the needleless injector against his arm, he pressed lightly. As the medication’s molecules entered his body, the faint soreness in his joints gradually eased.
Watching the young master obediently administer his injection butler Zhang let out a quiet sigh of relief. Then he saw Yin Huaichen stand up.
“What time is it now?”
“2:50” the butler replied after glancing at the clock.
The official launch time was three in the afternoon. Not wanting to waste any time, Yin Huaichen knew that if he wanted answers, he would have to see for himself inside the game. Without hesitation, he left his room and headed to the adjacent holo room.
The room had already been cleared and reorganized. At its center lay the newly installed Eternity exclusive game pod.
The pure white, cocoon shaped pod sat quietly in standby mode. Its liquid metal exterior gleamed with a futuristic sheen, while faint golden clauses of the Neural Interface Agreement drifted across the semi transparent canopy, clearly setting it apart from ordinary full dive pods.
This was the highest end pod available on the market, as beautiful in price as it was in appearance. Beyond offering a more comfortable login experience, it could also monitor the player’s physical data in real time.
“Shall I call you when it’s time to eat?” Butler Zhang asked.
Yin Huaichen waved a hand. “We’ll see.”
The pod was equipped with nutrient solutions anyway, whether he ate or not didn’t matter much. Filled with curiosity and anticipation, Yin Huaichen lay down inside the pod. Just before the translucent canopy closed, he waved at the butler.
“Goodbye. I’m off to another world.”
Butler Zhang: “…Young Master, don’t say something so ominous.”
The teen’s pale, sickly complexion made him look like a cracked piece of crystal. When he smiled and said those words, the sense of fragility that radiated from him resembled a cinematic farewell before death, making the butler’s heart tremble involuntarily.
Yin Huaichen laughed mischievously. The pod closed and neural interface fibers surrounded him gently, like the awakening tendrils of a jellyfish,
…
The instant his consciousness descended into the virtual world, there was first darkness. Then ripples of light and mist stirred before his eyes, bursting into a cascade of sparks that signaled the completion of the game’s loading process.
When Yin Huaichen opened his eyes again, he was greeted by an entirely different scene.
He stood within a space filled with floating particles of data stardust. Beneath his feet, a bronze textured star map rotated and unfolded.
Around him, countless glass like screens rose from the void, each reflecting a holographic projection of himself from different angles, like an observatory suspended in a cosmic expanse, surrounded by dazzling particles and breathtaking visual effects.
At the very least, this login interface alone surpassed all other full dive games on the market by leagues.
“Welcome to the world of Eternity.”
A mechanical, emotionless voice echoed through the void. “Please register your player ID.”
“Yin Wuchang,” he replied casually.
The Wuchang Palace had been where he grew up in his previous life, the place he still couldn’t let go of even after eighteen years in this new world.
To him, the name was both a remembrance of the past and a reflection on the unpredictable nature of his fate: reborn yet reduced to a frail body. It felt fitting.
His fingertip brushed the confirmation key. The floating golden text dissolved into liquid data and flowed upward.
ID confirmed.
Seven mirrors appeared before him, each containing a different figure.
Like reflections, the faces in the mirrors were identical to his own yet their attire and aura varied greatly.
Having just reviewed the game’s materials, Yin Huaichen quickly realized this was the class selection stage.
Eternity featured seven major class archetypes: Martial Artist, Arcanist, Lingshu, Iron Vanguard, Soulbinder, Mechanist and Recluse. Each represented a distinct role, with their own branches.
He didn’t have time to examine them all. With a single glance, one mirror captured his attention.
The teen martial artist stood amid flowing streams of light, arms crossed, gaze arrogant and commanding. His black robe fluttered as if stirred by data currents, revealing a fitted crimson outfit beneath. His high ponytail swayed like a dark flame on the verge of extinguishing. This virtual body was beautiful and dangerous, like a legendary blade freshly drawn from a thousand years of ice.
Cool.
Looking at this “other self,” Yin Huaichen felt as though he had glimpsed a shadow of his past life.
Without even properly examining the other distinctly styled figures, he couldn’t resist stepping forward and extending his hand.
The martial artist in the mirror seemed to sense it. Lifting his gaze, he too reached out.
Their palms met within the stardust.
A powerful suction force surged forth and Yin Huaichen’s body was pulled uncontrollably into the glass like mirror.
As the scene shifted, a system prompt sounded in his ears.
【You have selected the class, Martial Artist.】
Randomly assigning spawn location…
【Spawn location: Canglan Continent.】
【Dear player, we wish you an enjoyable experience. 】
✦ ✧ ✦
Cresvynia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
The translator has battled grammar, context, and questionable sentences. Please send coffee.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Remember to keep a positive moodChapter 2 · Have fun playing the gameChapter 3 · Skill completion rateChapter 4 · Strange and malevolent creatures roam outside the cityChapter 5 · 90% complete!Chapter 6 · Serving the sect is my dutyChapter 7 · First meetingChapter 8 · Fang LecangChapter 9 · A prestigious and righteous sect!Chapter 10 · Kill Chi BantuChapter 11 · Spoils of warChapter 12 · We’ve made a fortune!Chapter 13 · Thunder and fire extinguish goldChapter 14 · You found it?Chapter 15 · The so called degree of freedomChapter 16 · The secrets of life and deathChapter 17 · A minor leader of the first rank.Chapter 18 · What kind of luck do you have?Chapter 19 · Let’s Do itChapter 20 · The BOSS escapedChapter 21 · “A wound to the heart is also a wound.”Chapter 22 · Good people are always blessed.Chapter 23 · The Old Man of the Valley of BonesChapter 24 · It’s me, young master!Chapter 25 · Take it slow and steadyChapter 26 · The older they get, the stingier they becomeChapter 27 · You know this person tooChapter 28 · I saw Wei Wanzhou againChapter 29 · You’d better keep having this kind of luckChapter 30 · “Password lock” crackedChapter 31 · We’ve come to punish you!Chapter 32 · A boorish country bumpkin who knows no manners.Chapter 33 · You have crossed the lineChapter 34 · Now that we’re here, do you think we can leave?Chapter 35 · A trivial skillChapter 36 · Actually, I was just kiddingChapter 37 · Upgrade mission complete, rating: SSS!Chapter 38 · AwardChapter 39 · I have always been law-abiding and law-abidingChapter 40 · Are you coming back for dinner tonight?Chapter 41 · Purple Lightning Square Seal.Chapter 42 · A money-grubberChapter 43 · BetChapter 44 · Four Continents Chamber of CommerceChapter 45 · This was my third meeting with Wei WanzhouChapter 46 · Oh, you want to hit on me.Chapter 47 · The angry drizzle has stoppedChapter 48 · Thunder SpearChapter 49 · “Are you a devil?”Chapter 50 · The Impermanent Lord!?Chapter 51 · Loot everywhere..Chapter 52 · His identity remains a mystery.Chapter 53 · Why not show yourself?Chapter 54 · He confronted Li Mingrui.Chapter 55 · Auction