I've already become an immortal lord, and only now is the spiritual energy reviving?

"Aunt Liang, please wait a moment."

The security door was half-closed.

Qingyuan was stuck in the middle, still clutching a half-eaten multigrain steamed bun in his hand.

His facial expression was quite interesting, a mix of mockery and ingratiation.

The motion-sensor lights in the hallway were dim and yellowish.

Across from her, a middle-aged woman in floral loungewear had just taken out her keys when she heard the sound and turned around.

She placed a heavy basket of vegetables at her feet, and the jade bracelet on her wrist gleamed with a glossy sheen.

"Hey, Xiaoqing? Back so early? Didn't you work overtime?"

Liang Huilan smiled, her eyes crinkling, her tone carrying the relaxed ease typical of a Shanghai landlord.

Qingyuan coughed lightly, didn't respond, and awkwardly rubbed his palms together.

"Aunt Liang, the rent is due soon again. Could we... make a deal with you? I'd like to defer the rent for half a month this quarter. Don't worry, I'll definitely pay the principal and interest next month."

The air froze for two seconds.

When struggling in a big city, the hardest thing to ask for is not money from home, but to negotiate an extension with the landlord.

In Shanghai, where land is incredibly valuable, the relationship between landlords and tenants has always been fragile, and timely payments are the only true contractual agreement.

Liang Huilan looked Qingyuan up and down, but did not show the disdain that Qingyuan had expected.

She sighed softly, her tone softening considerably: "Have you run into some trouble at work?"

Qingyuan felt a lump in his throat and lowered his head to hide it: "Hey, it's nothing serious, just a change of scenery to adjust."

"Alright, stop trying to fool your aunt."

With a wave of her hand, Liang Huilan caused the jade to clink against the security door, producing a crisp sound.

"You've been leaving at the wrong times these past few days. I have a good eye for people. You're a student from a prestigious university, honest and reliable. I rented the house to you to save you trouble. It's only been half a month, it's no big deal."

"Auntie, thank you so much, I..."

"Hey, stop it. Don't give me that tearful, wailing stuff. It's giving me goosebumps."

She laughed heartily and picked up the shopping basket again.

"Give it to me when you have extra cash. It's not like we're short of a few dollars. Every young person has their struggles. It's not easy for the auntie to collect rent either. Managing the keys to more than a dozen properties must be tiring. Let's be understanding."

"A dozen or so sets..."

Qingyuan's lips twitched, and that bit of emotion instantly turned into an impulse to bow down to capital.

Watching the reclusive wealthy woman hum a little tune as she entered the house, Qingyuan gently closed the door.

"Click" The lock clicks shut.

The "liveliness of others" outside the door is completely shut out.

Qingyuan leaned against the door panel, his gaze fixed on the less than 20-square-meter rented room.

The room was cluttered, and a slightly messy cardboard box sat on the floor of the study/bedroom.

There was nothing of value inside the box:

Two years ago, I had a mechanical keyboard, an anime-style mousepad, several thick programming books, and a succulent plant whose fate was unknown.

All of these were belongings I brought back from the company this afternoon.

There were no heated arguments, no grand pronouncements of "fortune changes every thirty years."

Everything happened so calmly, so calmly it was nauseating.

Four hours ago, the bald boss called him into his office.

The reasons are high-sounding:

"Qingyuan, your performance during the probation period was good. Unfortunately, due to company restructuring, the new business line was cut. You are a top student in computer science from Nanjing University, so we won't hinder your future. We'll end your probation early."

to be honest.

Once the project is completed, the dirty work is done, and the cheap interns can get lost.

Before leaving, the finance department gave me two hundred yuan in cash, which the boss euphemistically called a "bonus".

Two hundred yuan in Shanghai isn't even enough for a decent farewell dinner.

"The first lesson in society?"

Qingyuan walked to the cardboard box, took out the succulents and placed them on the windowsill, then kicked the empty box away.

A graduate of Nanjing University, throwing himself into a first-tier city with tens of millions of people, is like a pebble thrown into the sea; he sinks to the bottom without even making a splash.

He is not a local, has no connections, and has no savings.

Aside from the knowledge of code in his mind, he weighs 130 pounds and has nothing of value.

Swallowing this anger is the only option.

Labor arbitration? I've been struggling for so long over an internship that hasn't been officially hired yet?

We can't afford to waste time.

"I don't want to think about it anymore; the more I think about it, the more pathetic I feel."

Qingyuan is an optimistic person who is good at self-regulation and an action-oriented person.

He threw himself into the peeling ergonomic chair and skillfully pressed the power button.

The fan roared, and both screens lit up.

Open the Bilibili creator backend, the profile picture is a funny line drawing, and the ID is [Pingpingwuqiqingmouren].

I was obsessed with hardcore strategy games in college, and being a technically skilled player, I casually made a few extremely hardcore guides and mod explanations, which received a great response.

With over 100,000 followers in the gaming community, he's considered a moderately well-known gaming content creator.

I originally just wanted to earn some pocket money, but unexpectedly, starting today, I'm forced to make it my main job.

I keep receiving private messages from the back end urging me to update.

"Qing Shen, when will the Stellaris Victims Alliance series be updated?"

"Want to see the latest strategy game reviews!"

"Looking for recommendations for niche but addictive farming games that I want to grind."

Looking at the comments, Qingyuan felt a little better.

Since I'm unemployed, I might as well improve the quality of my videos.

Sending out resumes with one hand and making videos to gain traffic with the other.

With technical skills at my disposal, I'll find work sooner or later. During periods of unemployment, I rely entirely on my fans, my "family," for support.

"We need to find new material."

Qingyuan muttered to himself and opened Steam.

Masterpieces have been broadcast to death by streamers, so technically skilled content creators need to break through by taking unconventional approaches.

Either play what others don't understand, or play what others have never seen before.

On the store page, under the "Simulation Management" tab, the scroll wheel scrolls aimlessly.

The screen is filled with titles like "XX Tycoon," "XX Hospital," and "City XX."

The skin is changed but the medicine remains the same, and there is no appetite whatsoever.

In the corner, an icon suddenly caught my eye.

The icon is minimalist, with no fancy illustrations, only a yellowish rice paper background and a single, elegantly written Chinese character:

Road.

Game title: Ancestor Simulator.

"Ancestor? Simulator?"

The name sounds like a poorly made web game, or a reskinned Xianxia (cultivation) mobile game.

What's strange is that the tags are clearly labeled as "extremely hardcore", "business strategy", "multiple endings", and "non-linear narrative".

The introduction is only two lines long:

"We don't cultivate immortality, we only cultivate incense offerings; we don't concern ourselves with immortals or heroes, we only discuss rise and fall."

"You are the god of this race."

"Management-based, sect-based cultivation, just my cup of tea."

In recent years, cultivation-themed games have proliferated, mostly featuring underdogs achieving success or sect leaders and their caretakers. Playing the role of an "ancestor"? A rather peculiar angle.

Click to view details.

There is no release date; only a "Demo Beta Download" button is available, and it's free to use.

"You get what you pay for?"

Qingyuan didn't download it immediately, but habitually switched to the data-grabbing script.

As a programmer, you should do your research before venturing into unconventional areas.

The script runs and displays the results.

Downloads: 0

[Rating: N/A]

"zero?"

Qingyuan rubbed his eyes to confirm that it was true.

"First release on the entire internet?"

The first person to eat a crab will either get pinched to death or eat the freshest meat.

However, as a content creator, even if you create a truly terrible video, you can still turn it into a viral hit for吐槽 (tu cao, a form of online commentary/criticism).

No matter how you look at it, you're not losing out.

"Only 200MB in size?"

Qingyuan glanced at the file size.

"Small size, good for estimating text or purely numerical data, feel free to try it."

Click to download.

My home broadband connection is pretty good; in the blink of an eye, a black and white yin-yang icon appeared on my desktop.

Qingyuan adjusted his sitting posture, put in two drops of spare eye drops, rubbed his face, and assumed a "battle stance".

"Whether it's a masterpiece or a piece of garbage, let's find out."

double click.

No lengthy logo or popping animation.

The screen goes black for a moment, then jumps to the minimalist main interface.

The two characters "Old Ancestor" are written vertically in the center, followed by the powerful "Start Game" below.

The background of the animated image features flowing, dark clouds that diffuse across a black background, resembling swirling smoke.

"The interface is clean and aesthetically pleasing."

Qingyuan mentally gave it a passing grade and clicked "Start Game".

"Zheng—"

The sound of the zither is clear and resonant, originating from the smallest detail and striking directly at the heart of the soul.

A dynamic ink painting scroll unfolds, with brushstrokes in a freehand, cursive style.

Clad in white, riding the wind, his sword intent swept across the summit of Liubai Mountain, its bold strokes transforming into a giant whale in the deep sea, its raging waves crashing.

At the center of the painting, clouds rise and fall, the sect stands majestically, and the morning bell and evening drum appear and disappear, creating a solemn and dignified atmosphere.

The ink wash has faded, the black screen displays seal script, and a simplified Chinese annotation is provided beside it:

"Throughout the millennia, the path of immortality has been ever-changing. In the vast Xuanhuang Realm, sects stand in great numbers, and immortals and demons rise together."

"You are the [Dongxuan Mingjian Furnace] that Guanhua Sect has worshipped for five hundred years. The disciples all believe that you are a sacred relic that can see the secrets of heaven and foresee good and bad fortune. They worship you every year and pray that you will protect the continuation of the lineage."

"However, they did not know."

"You are the founding patriarch of the Guanhua Sect—[Taiwei Sichen Yanyao Zhenjun]!"

"Five hundred years ago, when you were trying to break through to the 'Dao Embryo' realm, you encountered the jealousy of the heavens, and your Dao body collapsed. However, a trace of undying spiritual light remained, which merged with this incense burner that was nourished by your innate Dao essence, and fell into a long slumber."

"Now that your spirit is gradually awakening, the sect you once founded is struggling to survive in the cultivation world, and its incense is fading."

"On the surface, you must respond to the sacrificial ceremony, display the majesty of the 'sacred object,' and use the guidance that comes once every ten years to illuminate the secrets of heaven, guide the sect to grow stronger, and continue the lineage."

"Secretly, you need to use the sect's fortune to guide the disciples to find the lost inheritance, the rare objects to nourish your spirit, and even subtly transform the entire sect into the foundation for you to rebuild your Dao embryo and climb the Great Dao again."

"The sect is the starting point for your return; the disciples are the kindling for you to rekindle the flame of your path."

At the bottom of the screen, an option made of incense smoke appears.

[Click "Inherit the Incense Offering" to awaken the spirit of the patriarch and take control of the sect's destiny.]

"This concept is awesome!"

Business strategy is the outward appearance, while self-interest and the pursuit of immortality are the underlying intentions.

The overt plot involves deception and manipulation, while the covert plot involves behind-the-scenes maneuvering.

The fact that the game starts with an incense burner in a non-human form is simply unheard of.

This kind of gameplay must have an astonishing depth of strategy.

"It's you."

The mouse cursor transformed into an illusory hand, moving towards the smoky seal characters.

"To receive the offerings!"