Global Games: Reporting the Great Ascension Stage at the Start

Upon seeing these two notifications, Shen Hua smiled slightly.

There are two important leaderboards in the game: the [Level Leaderboard] and the [Equipment Leaderboard].

While there are no overt benefits to being on both lists, you will secretly receive divine favor and have better "opportunities" than ordinary players.

It's no surprise that the [Ordinary Iron Furnace] topped the equipment list, since most players are currently in the beginner stage.

Some quests in the beginner village can reward you with lower-level magical artifacts. However, that happens much later in the game. If I remember correctly, in my previous life, the first magical artifact didn't appear on the equipment leaderboard until the seventh day, and we haven't even passed the first day yet!

Upon opening it, the "Fan Tie Ju Huo Furnace" was indeed hanging at the top of the list, and there was only one of it, hanging there all alone.

As for the second tip, Xu Lan's favorability has increased.

The affinity system is an important system in the game, and it is divided into eight levels: four positive and four negative.

The four positive ones are:

First impression → Friendliness → Attention → Enthusiasm

The four in the opposite direction are:

Indifference → Dislike → Hostility → Deadly Enmity

Once your rank drops to the level of mortal enemy, that NPC will relentlessly hunt you down.

Once the positive level is raised to [Passion], players can marry and have children with NPCs, or form sworn brotherhoods.

In his previous life, Shen Hua had already won over Xu Lan's favorability, and the two had become sworn siblings, though not related by blood.

The Grand Elder even tried to match them up, hoping that the two would become cultivation partners after Shen Hua advanced to the Golden Core stage.

Shen Hua was both amused and exasperated. If he could get married and have children in the game, what would he do after leaving the game? Would he abandon his wife and children?

But before he could reply to the Grand Elder, Bai Shuo descended from the sky with three other Golden Core stage demonic cultivators...

"Hmm... for now, let's focus on making money through medicine." Shen Hua stopped reminiscing about his past life and strolled towards the north side of the market.

The setting sun cast its light upon him, and his steps became even more resolute.

……

At that very moment, all players on the server received a notification:

The equipment rankings have changed, with the [Iron Furnace] now at the top.

When the top spot on either leaderboard changes, a server-wide announcement will be triggered.

Many players are still unaware that there is a leaderboard. Opening it, I indeed saw the [Iron Furnace] listed there.

The already bustling newbie villages erupted into a frenzy, with discussions filling the air:

"Which kid is so lucky?"

"Idiot, do you even need to ask? Didn't you see the fine print 'Owned by player [Summer Night]'?"

"Haha, that's really true."

"Could this 'Xia Ye' be his real name? His surname is Xia and his given name is Ye?"

"【Ordinary Iron Gathering Furnace】Is this a furnace-shaped magical artifact? I've seen powerful beings in cultivation novels use 'cauldrons' more often."

"We should have a medicine-refining furnace."

"That kid's really lucky!"

"It's not that they're lucky, it's that they're skilled! You might not know, but I've received a quest that rewards magical artifacts."

"Huh? What kind of mission?"

"It's not just me; many players have received the same message. They have to kill the level 4 giant wolf BOSS in the northern valley and hand over its head."

"This is so difficult, level 4!"

"Yes, these aren't the difficult tasks; they require a lot of lives to kill! A human life is incredibly precious these days!"

In the game Ascension, death is punished.

There are no penalties for scenario quests and dungeons; they will only display "Scene/Dungeon Failed." However, it's different in the open world!

While dying in the open world won't drop your equipment, it will reduce your real-world game time by a full day, which translates to 10 days in the game!

The death penalty in the starting village isn't that severe, since it's the beginner period; it only costs one hour in the real world, which is equivalent to one day in the game.

But everyone knows that time is precious in the early stages of the game, and no one would be indifferent to this day.

If it weren't for the huge sum of money, no one would be willing to risk their life to defeat a boss.

"I know! This [Summer Night] must be the leader of a big guild, extremely wealthy offline. He spent a lot of money to buy a bunch of people to fight the BOSS and that's how he got this magic weapon!"

"Oh, then it's not surprising."

"That's not surprising."

……

Shen Hua's deeds spread like wildfire across the entire server.

He was unaware that in the various newbie villages, his image was quickly being portrayed as a super-rich man who could spend billions and expend enormous manpower and resources to defeat the BOSS.

Even more outrageous rumors circulated that he was the young patriarch of the Long family, one of the four great families in China, and that he possessed the wealth of half a province that he could squander at will.

Shen Hua is currently working very hard on refining medicine.

Late that night, inside a monk's cave dwelling at the northernmost part of the market.

"Yes, yes," Shen Hua said, lifting the lid of the alchemy furnace and looking at the six soft and lustrous pills lying at the bottom. A relieved smile appeared on his tired face.

Because he had ample funds, he rented this cave dwelling, a place reserved for cultivators, instead of squeezing into a public inn. The rent for a cave dwelling was quite expensive, costing one spirit stone every three days!

This cultivator's cave dwelling is made of pure stone and has several rooms, each furnished with a set of exquisite wooden furniture. There are also defensive barriers outside the cave, and the cultivator's daily necessities are all provided inside.

Shen Hua checked in at dusk, had the innkeeper bring him some food to fill his stomach, and then began to refine medicine.

Using a lower-grade alchemy furnace does not require consuming spiritual energy. Even though he has no spiritual energy in his body, he can still control the lower-grade alchemy furnace with ease.

This is because the alchemy furnace originally contained a considerable amount of spiritual energy.

According to the game's setting, before the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, ordinary people without spiritual power could not use lower-level magical artifacts and basic talismans; only cultivators could use spiritual power to activate them.

But later, the weapon refiners and talisman makers of the Qin and Han dynasties discovered that there was also a market for it in the mortal world.

Some ordinary people may not have spiritual roots, but they are extremely wealthy, such as wealthy merchants or second-generation immortals who do not have spiritual roots.

These people are rich and care a lot about their lives, and they don't mind spending tens of thousands of dollars to buy low-level magical artifacts and basic talismans to protect themselves.

Therefore, when crafting the lowest-grade magical artifacts and talismans, the weapon refiners and talisman makers of the Qin and Han dynasties would store a portion of spiritual power within them so that ordinary people could use them and sell them to wealthy mortals.

This is why the Wang family's chief was able to use the [Divine Speed ​​Talisman] with an ordinary human body.

Back to the point.

Shen Hua used the spiritual energy in the alchemy furnace to refine medicine, continuing from dusk until late at night.

In the stillness of the night, his first batch of medicine was finally successfully refined!

At this moment, six pills lay quietly at the bottom of the alchemy furnace, each one plump and emitting a rich medicinal fragrance.

The pill was blue-green, exactly the same as the [Qi Gathering Pill] that Shen Hua had previously obtained.

What's special is that one of the pills is one-third larger than the others, its medicinal aroma is more than twice as strong, and its color is a deep bluish-green!

Shen Hua reached out and took out the pill.

【Qi Gathering Pill】

Rank: Tier 1, Low Grade

Quality: Spiritual Charm

Suitable cultivation levels: Qi Refining Level 1 to Qi Refining Level 6

Core effect: Moderately accelerates spiritual energy absorption and stabilizes the foundation of meridians.

……

Unlike other Qi Gathering Pills, which were previously classified as "ordinary," this one is clearly "Spiritual Essence," a much higher quality pill!