Chapter 336: 《spirit realm》 Online Guidance Center

Though joy surged through him in countless waves, Wangchuan did not show it immediately.

After setting down his hammer and bidding farewell to the three master blacksmiths, Wangchuan returned to his own courtyard and climbed back into the wooden vat to continue cultivating 《Xuanwu Art》.

At present, he still had one extra ‘Lesser Rejuvenation Pill’ in hand.

But because he had already used up the quota allowed at the third-rank realm—each rank could only make use of three ‘Lesser Rejuvenation Pills’—this remaining pill could only be stored away for now, to be used after he broke through to the fourth rank.

Over the next ten-odd days, everything in the Sanhe Commandery hall operated smoothly on every front.

Wangchuan had now not only taken charge of the affairs of the Sanhe Commandery hall, but also brought the Weapon Room under his control, controlled the shipping business of the Sanjiang Branch Helm, and, through Fei Zai, gained control of the dock hall in Rong County as well as the four escort agencies of the Qingfeng Escort Agency. His monthly income rose from seven to eight hundred taels of gold to more than two thousand five hundred taels.

The gold notes in his possession grew thicker and thicker, and Wangchuan felt ever more secure.

He believed that, with so many streams of income in his hands, his monthly earnings were probably second only to Lin Cunxin, the so-called “Money God.”

But Lin Cunxin still had to turn over part of his silver to headquarters and hand a portion to those above him, so the fortune he actually managed to accumulate might not be all that much greater than Wangchuan’s.

In the blink of an eye, another ten-odd days passed.

The calendar had now turned to October.

Wangchuan had already been at the prefectural hall for nearly two months.

Under Old Seven’s arrangements, the Beggar Sect’s people in Sanhe Commandery were being continually targeted. They simply could not gather their forces or amount to anything…

From time to time, people arrived carrying the heads of Beggar Sect disciples to seek refuge.

With the Beggar Sect’s branch in Sanhe Commandery left leaderless, its disciples became ever more scattered and disorganized. They could do little more than beg in the streets and cling miserably to life.

Meanwhile, the Caobang continued to receive more and more orders from the Ouyang family. Mission after mission, they successfully escorted the Ouyang family’s fleets, greatly boosting the morale of the hall. The profits of both the Sanjiang Branch Helm and the hall rose with the tide.

People outside gradually came to understand:

The strength the Caobang had lost during the Blood Moon Incident had already been fully restored.

And the complete recovery of Old Seven and Lin Cunxin’s injuries meant that the Caobang hall once again stood on three strong pillars, with its own Sea-Stabilizing Pillar in place.

Shipping across every waterway grew steadier and safer by the day.

But!

That was only the situation in Sanhe Commandery.

In the neighboring Weihai Commandery and Qinghe Commandery, things were still difficult. Those places were proceeding with great caution, maneuvering carefully among the various powers, slowly licking their wounds and recovering their strength.

Even so, during this recent period, in the real world, the social uproar triggered by the release of the 《spirit realm》 Gaming Helmet had begun battering nation after nation across the globe.

More and more people were acquiring martial arts through 《spirit realm》 and seeing their strength improve.

As platform regulation loosened, more and more people began openly displaying the martial arts and abilities they had gained inside the game.

One university student casually lifted a barbell weighing more than two hundred kilograms, causing a sensation on campus. He then became a darling of the platforms and was interviewed by multiple media outlets.

Someone else used nothing more than a fruit knife to calmly disassemble a brand-new security robot.

An ever-growing number of platforms began to develop an atmosphere and trend centered around 《spirit realm》.

Public attention, which had previously been focused on the large number of strange deaths occurring in many countries, immediately shifted toward the subject of the human nervous system and muscular enhancement.

More and more people stated that, through exposure to 《spirit realm》, they had rapidly obtained physical abilities far beyond those of ordinary people.

Now, in the streets and alleys, and over tea and casual conversation, most topics of discussion had something to do with 《spirit realm》.

The same was true across the major platforms. Eight out of every ten videos were related to spirit realm.

Some people had even begun livestreaming their own Gaming Helmets.

Although Gaming Helmets had not yet been officially released within the country, everyone could clearly sense that the number of people with access to them was increasing.

Many people were going abroad to buy Gaming Helmets and enjoy the changes brought by 《spirit realm》 ahead of time.

Others, by simply recounting their experiences in 《spirit realm》, were able to gain tens of thousands of viewers and followers overnight and become wildly popular in an instant.

Some even said outright…

What a pity that 《spirit realm》 had no video-streaming connection. Otherwise, an immersive livestream of everything inside 《spirit realm》 would definitely become a smash hit.

Wangchuan himself had even received several private messages, all from old fans, asking whether the reason he had stopped streaming for more than half a year was because he had gone to play 《spirit realm》.

Heh…

Among his fans, there were both lechers and detectives.

“Wangchuan.”

“Please come to my office.”

That day, just when his 《Xuanwu Art》 had already advanced to 4976/5000, leaving only the final crucial day before it broke through to Perfect Mastery, Su Wan called and told him to log off and meet her.

“Chief Administrator Su, I’ve been very busy lately. What is it that can’t be said over the phone?”

Su Wangchuan was anxious to break through and really did not want to leave.

Su Wan explained from the other end, “Someone from the 《spirit realm》 Online Guidance Center has arrived.”

“Speak plainly?”

Su Wangchuan froze for a moment.

An explanation came over the phone.

“Official 《spirit realm》 personnel.”

Su Wangchuan paused very slightly, then immediately understood. Rising to his feet, he said, “Understood. I’ll come right away.”

The 《spirit realm》 Online Guidance Center was, in truth, the official regulatory body established by the authorities. It was responsible for distributing 《spirit realm》 Gaming Helmets, issuing licenses to 《spirit realm》 game studios, and supervising everything related to 《spirit realm》.

That…

Had to be taken seriously.

Su Wangchuan left at once and headed to the seventy-fifth floor.

Inside the office, aside from Su Wan, there was another man in a suit with a close-cropped buzz cut. He was also wearing an exaggerated pair of amber-tinted polarized sunglasses, and with that full-air of Jianghu bandit swagger, he was laughing and chatting with Su Wan.

What a bizarre look.

The moment Su Wangchuan entered the office, he could not help exchanging a glance with Su Wan.

This one?

An official?

Why did he look more like a repeat offender who had just been released after his third stint in prison…

Su Wan had already begun introducing them.

“This is Su Wangchuan of our studio, Mr. Su, a third-rank martial artist.”

“Wangchuan, this gentleman is from the 《spirit realm》 Online Guidance Center…”

“Wang Song.”

The rough-looking man in the suit and crew cut lowered his polarized sunglasses with one hand. His sharp eyes swept over Su Wangchuan from head to toe as he introduced himself.

“This time, I was ordered to visit the third-rank martial artists in H City and carry out the preparatory work for the upcoming full release and opening of 《spirit realm》.”

“Mr. Su, you are one of the many people we are evaluating.”

“This is our first meeting. A pleasure.”

He extended his right hand. The joints were distinct and powerful at a glance, the hand of someone who had clearly trained in martial arts and boxing for many years.

“A pleasure.”

Su Wangchuan reached out and shook his hand.

The moment their palms met, a considerable force came from the other man’s grip.

With only 60 points of Strength, Su Wangchuan immediately felt himself at a relative disadvantage.

This man…

Had a Strength attribute of at least 60+.

Fortunately, his Agility and Stamina had already reached 67 and 69 respectively. Keeping his face completely unchanged, he fixed the other man with a heavy gaze and silently activated 《Dragon-Elephant Body-Protection Technique》 to protect himself, ready to respond at any moment.

Wang Song could feel that, in an instant, Su Wangchuan’s hand had become as hard as metal and stone, unmoving and unyielding, no longer something that simple stat suppression could affect.

Wang Song nodded inwardly, released his grip, and smiled.

“Not bad.”

“You do indeed possess the strength of a third-rank martial artist.”

“I didn’t expect that, Mr. Su, your protective body technique, 《Dragon-Elephant Body-Protection Technique》, had already been cultivated to the realm of Integration. Even among third-rank martial artists, that is relatively uncommon.”