144: Golden Age

Star Era 100049, Leader's Pillar, Chen Jun Manor.

Chen Jun was sprawled on his All-Enjoyment Eternal Bliss Recliner—a chair that had undergone N generations of upgrades, now featuring a built-in micro Virtual Universe access port and countless new high-tech additions from the Dragon Kin Empire... He squinted, viewing the system data internally, his smile so wide it wouldn't fade... [System Interface]

[Level]: Level 1 (20.58%)

[Host]: Chen Jun

[Age]: 294 years old

[Remaining Lifespan]: 2704 years... 11... "20.58% huh..." Chen Jun smacked his lips happily. "Zhaojing, that boy, is truly the number one hero of my Old Chen family!"

Nineteen years had passed since Chen Zhaojing got married, and the system level had skyrocketed from 0.13% to 20.58%.

This meant that in those nineteen years, Chen Zhaojing had added a total of 2,045 new members to the Old Chen family!

That's an average of over 100 children born every year!

What kind of concept is this?

This was practically the human-shaped self-propelled seeding machine plus pro max version!

"Cui Hua deserves great credit, great credit indeed..." Chen Jun thought of his grandson's wife, who was still robust, still had a thick accent, and delivered twins or even triplets every time. His heart was filled with satisfaction... Over the years of Virtual Universe technology application, the Federation's changes were earth-shattering... Supported by Dragon Kin Empire technology and the Virtual Universe, the Federation's population had broken the one quadrillion mark!

Across the entire Federation territory, countless fully terraformed ecological planets and space cities dotted the star sea like pearls, each place brimming with vitality.

In the real world, citizens were rarely seen wandering around.

The streets were traversed by highly efficient service robots and transport drones.

From cleaning and material delivery to urban construction and planetary modification, all repetitive labor had been replaced by intelligent machines.

What were the citizens doing?

They were all immersed in the Virtual Universe!

The Virtual Universe had developed into the Federation's "Second Reality."

Here, the flow of consciousness time was 100 times faster than the outside world. This meant the lives of Federation citizens were indirectly extended by 100 times, and learning efficiency increased exponentially.

Even citizens with E-F level aptitude could break through to the Warrior level after long and efficient study and training in the Virtual Universe!

This directly led to a surge in the Federation's overall military strength.

The current standard for new recruits in the Federation military had been raised to "must complete the General-level trial in the Virtual Universe."

Real-world military training had become merely supplementary—primarily for adapting the strength gained in the Virtual Universe to the real world.

Life in the Virtual Universe was outrageously rich and varied... You could choose to experience the thrill of flying on a sword in the "Primordial Immortal Cultivation Zone"... command fleets to conquer the star sea in the "StarCraft Zone"... discuss painting techniques with master artists in the "Renaissance Zone"... or participate in warp drive design in the "Future Technology Zone"... Of course, the most popular area was the "Life Zone."

Here, you could own a seaside villa, taste delicacies from across the universe, and instantly teleport anywhere you wanted... Most importantly—

It was the best place to fall in love!

Romance in the Virtual Universe wasn't bound by reality. You could date partners from different star regions under a romantic starry sky, stroll through beautiful flower seas, and deepen your relationship through exciting adventures... With the 100x consciousness time acceleration, you had more time to experience various partners, especially since the Virtual Universe offered 100% simulation... and even sensory enhancement... It was incredible... Only when it came time to procreate would couples set a time to return to the real world to complete the "final ritual."

Furthermore, once a child was born, the Federation handled all the upbringing, and the parents received rewards! Especially the mothers! Their rewards were significantly higher!

If they missed their child, they could meet them anytime in the Virtual Universe!

Under these circumstances, who wouldn't want to have children? This greatly increased citizens' fertility efficiency and willingness to procreate!

Plus, having spent "decades" or even "centuries" together in the Virtual Universe, their emotional foundation was incredibly solid, even if only a few months or years had passed in reality...

"Great-Grandpa! Great-Grandpa!" A burst of cheerful shouting interrupted Chen Jun's thoughts.

He looked up to see over a dozen robust, spirited young men rush into the courtyard. Leading them was his great-grandson, Chen Zhaojing's eldest son—Chen Yuanyue.

Now eighteen years old, Chen Yuanyue was tall and strong, his features possessing both the handsomeness of the Chen family and the simple, sturdy nature inherited from his mother, Cui Hua.

Trailing behind him were over a dozen peers of similar age, all looking energetic, their eyes burning with a certain... sense of mission?

"What is it, Yuanyue? Why are you running around in the real world instead of cultivating in the Virtual Universe?" Chen Jun asked, smiling knowingly.

Chen Yuanyue straightened his back, his voice booming: "Great-Grandpa! We brothers have discussed it, and we are here to report to you today!"

He pointed to the young men behind him: "These are my brothers of the same generation, and we have all turned eighteen!"

Chen Jun counted them—good heavens, a full sixteen great-grandsons with 'the goods'!

"And so?" Chen Jun continued to ask knowingly.

"So, we are ready!" Chen Yuanyue's eyes burned with fierce enthusiasm. "It is our bounden duty to expand the branches and leaves of the Old Chen family!"

"Right! Our bounden duty!" the newly adult young men behind him echoed in unison, their voices shaking the rafters.

Chen Jun laughed: "Didn't you fall in love or anything in the Virtual Universe?"

"We did!" Chen Yuanyue answered honestly. "I met a girl in the Primordial Immortal Cultivation Zone. We've been together for over seventy years, and the relationship is great."

"Then why not just get married in the Virtual Universe?"

"You said it yourself, Great-Grandpa—children born in the Virtual Universe don't count!" Chen Yuanyue stated confidently. "To procreate, we have to come back to reality! We've already made arrangements to meet tomorrow!"

Chen Jun nodded in satisfaction. His years of ideological education had not been wasted.

Since these great-grandsons were old enough to understand, he had insisted on daily indoctrination of the "family core values."

It seemed the effect was significant!

"Good! Good! You are all fine lads of my Old Chen family!" Chen Jun slapped his thigh contentedly. "Do you need any help from Great-Grandpa?"

Chen Yuanyue and his brothers exchanged glances, rubbing their hands a little sheepishly:

"Uh... Great-Grandpa, the Virtual Universe Administration has too many people queuing up... We were hoping to jump the line and get the wedding done quickly... After all, we all logged into the Virtual Universe using ordinary citizen identities..."

Hearing this, Chen Jun waved his hand grandly: "That's a small matter! Yueyao!"

Chu Yueyao's figure instantly appeared in the courtyard—supported by a large amount of Origin Crystals, she had now broken through to the peak of the Stellar level, but remained as respectful as ever before Chen Jun.

"Ancestor Chen."

"Give these sixteen great-grandsons a green light. Arrange for them to meet their partners tomorrow!" Chen Jun declared magnanimously. "Pick a date and hold their weddings together with the previous twenty-six great-grandsons! The venue, ceremony, and wedding houses will all be of the highest specification!"

"Yes, Ancestor Chen." Chu Yueyao recorded this impassively, though she was internally complaining: This was already the third batch of "real-world meetings" arranged this year... As Chen Zhaojing's sons slowly came of age, this situation would obviously become more frequent... She was already considering establishing a separate "Chen Clan Exclusive Express Department," specifically to handle these descendants of Ancestor Chen who enjoyed playing in the Virtual Universe using ordinary identities... opening a dedicated hotline just for Ancestor Chen's descendants and the wives they found in the Virtual Universe... After hearing Chen Jun's arrangements, Chen Yuanyue and his brothers immediately cheered: "Thank you, Great-Grandpa!"

Decades of hard study, and... dreams? They could finally be put to use... After the great-grandsons happily departed, Chen Jun gleefully opened the system interface, looked at the 20.58% level, and began calculating:

"Forty-two great-grandsons... if each one is as capable as their father... hehehe..."

"However, the number of male great-grandsons has already reached 1,008, so there's no need to urge them to marry multiple wives; they can rely entirely on their own initiative..."

"With so many years of education, they will certainly 'marry more and breed more.' The children can just follow their hearts..."

"Time is my best friend, I don't need to worry... I just need to—lie down and win even more thoroughly!"

...He felt as if he could already see the beautiful future where the system level skyrocketed like a rocket... Virtual Universe, Primordial Immortal Cultivation Zone, Kunlun Immortal Sect.

Chen Yuanyue's companion, "Lin Yao," was packing her belongings in her cave dwelling.

Calling them belongings was generous; they were just commemorative virtual trinkets—in the Virtual Universe, items were made of data.

"Senior Sister Lin Yao, are you really going offline to get married?" A junior sister asked reluctantly.

Lin Yao nodded, a happy blush on her face: "Yuanyue and I have been together for over seventy years in the game. It's time to meet in reality."

"But... logging off to get married means having children, and I heard that's really painful..." another junior sister said worriedly.

Lin Yao smiled, "It's worth it for Yuanyue. Besides, medical technology is so advanced now, nothing bad will happen."

She looked at the churning sea of clouds outside her cave dwelling, her heart filled with anticipation.

In the virtual universe, she and Chen Yuanyue had cultivated together, trained together, and spent a long time equivalent to over seventy years in reality... From their initial acquaintance to falling in love, all their feelings were real.

Now that they were finally going to meet in reality, it would be a lie to say she wasn't nervous.

"I heard that Chen Yuanyue is the great-grandson of Patriarch Chen in reality?" a junior sister asked curiously.

Lin Yao nodded, "I only found out recently."

When she first met Chen Yuanyue, she only knew he was a highly talented cultivator, upright and kind-hearted, and had no idea of his true identity.

It wasn't until they began discussing marriage that Chen Yuanyue confessed everything.

"Oh my god! Doesn't that mean you're marrying into a powerful family, Senior Sister?" the junior sisters exclaimed.

Lin Yao just smiled and didn't answer.

To her, it didn't matter whose great-grandson Chen Yuanyue was; what mattered was the depth of their feelings for each other.

"I'm logging off now. Wait for my good news." Lin Yao waved goodbye and chose to exit the virtual universe... Reality, Kunlun Star, Federal Marriage Registration Center.

The registration center was particularly lively today—forty-two great-grandsons of Patriarch Chen were getting married simultaneously, which was huge news!

Chen Yuanyue, dressed in a custom wedding outfit, nervously rubbed his hands together.

Although he had spent over seventy years with Lin Yao in the virtual universe, this was their first time meeting in reality.

"Big Brother, don't be nervous." His cousin, Chen Yuanhai, patted his shoulder. "You've been together so long in the virtual universe, you're practically an old married couple."

Chen Yuanyue took a deep breath, "That's easy to say..."

Just then, the door on the other side of the hall opened, and two hundred and forty brides walked in, accompanied by attendants... Clearly, grooms like Chen Yuanyue, who only courted one person, were a distinct minority under the core values education of the Chen Clan... Some grooms had been 'dating' not just two, but ten... twenty... or even more partners in the virtual universe... Chen Yuanyue immediately recognized Lin Yao—she looked almost exactly the same as in the virtual universe, only with an added touch of realism in person.

Lin Yao also spotted Chen Yuanyue, and a shy smile appeared on her face.

The registration procedures were completed quickly, simplified and expedited under Chu Yueyao's special approval.

Next came the grand wedding ceremony... Since so many weddings were being held simultaneously, the venue was exceptionally lively.

Chen Jun, as the great-grandfather, naturally sat in the seat of honor, happily watching the scene unfold... Seeing his great-grandsons complete the ceremonies one by one, Chen Jun felt greatly comforted.

After the ceremony, the newlyweds were escorted to specialized "honeymoon suites"—these suites were personally supervised by Shi Yue, reinforced by Liu Qing, and equipped with the most comfortable environmental control systems.

Chen Yuanyue and Lin Yao's suite was decorated in an antique Chinese style, the setting they had loved most in the virtual universe.

"Um... hello..." Chen Yuanyue began awkwardly.

Lin Yao chuckled, "Weren't you quite the talker in the game? Why are you so reserved in reality?"

Chen Yuanyue scratched his head, "That's different... this is reality..."

Lin Yao walked up to him and gently held his hand. "To me, whether it's virtual or real, you are my Yuanyue."

Feeling the warmth in his hand, Chen Yuanyue's heart gradually calmed down.

That's right. Whether fighting side-by-side in the virtual universe or holding hands in reality, the person before him was the partner he had chosen to spend his life with.

"Lin Yao..." Chen Yuanyue looked at her affectionately. "We will be together forever, whether in the virtual universe or the real world."

Lin Yao nodded happily and nestled into his embrace... A month later, the first piece of good news came from the honeymoon suite area—Chen Yuanyue's wife, Lin Yao, was pregnant!

Soon after, the other brides also began reporting good news... When Chen Jun heard the announcement, he was playing a game of Stellar Match-Three in reality at his manor... Chen Jun was probably the only person in the entire Federation who didn't like playing games in the virtual universe; having his consciousness extended by a hundred times only made time feel slower... He preferred playing games in reality... "Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!" he repeated three times, immediately issuing a directive.

"Pass down my order!" Chen Jun announced spiritedly. "To celebrate my great-granddaughters-in-law's pregnancies, the entire Federation shall feast for three days!"

"Every citizen currently in the virtual universe will receive a 10,000 virtual coin red envelope!"

"In the real world, all restaurants will be open for free, with unlimited drinks!"

When the news broke, the entire Federation erupted in excitement again... In the virtual universe, red envelopes rained down non-stop... In the real world, banquets were set up one after another... Everyone was used to it by now—when there was good news in Patriarch Chen's family, the whole Federation benefited!

Meanwhile, at the Federation's Supreme Academy of Science, Mo Heng was monitoring the operating data of the virtual universe.

"The stability of the virtual universe has increased by another 3%," Mo Heng said, nodding contentedly as he watched the data stream, feeling immensely pleased.

"The citizens' creativity index continues to rise..."

"Thanks to Patriarch Chen's suggestion, the entertainment modules in the virtual universe have indeed greatly stimulated citizen participation."

"Having Patriarch Chen is truly the greatest fortune for our Federation!"

...The virtual universe has now developed a complete social structure and economic system.

Citizens work, study, and entertain themselves in the virtual world, and the resulting creativity and inspiration are automatically collected by the system to drive real-world technological progress.

As for the real world, it increasingly resembles a—"breeding ground"?

Apart from necessary work and reproduction, everyone prefers to stay in the virtual universe.

After all, they can live longer and experience more there.

"The number of concurrent users in the virtual universe has reached a new high," Mo Heng observed on the monitor screen.

"It has already reached 99.8% of the Federation's total population."

"The remaining 0.2% are mostly women about to give birth, newborns, and essential real-world personnel."

This model has led to an explosive growth in the Federation's technological capabilities.

Under the hundred-fold time acceleration of the virtual universe, scientists effectively have a hundred times more research time.

In the span of one real-world year, they can conduct a hundred years' worth of research in the virtual universe!

Coupled with the complete technology tree provided by the Dragonkin Empire, the Federation's technological level is "exploding" at an astonishing rate!

"At this rate, in another five thousand years, we will have completely assimilated all the technology of a Level 2.8 civilization," Mo Heng muttered excitedly to himself.

"I'm afraid it won't take that long. Many innovative concepts emerging from the virtual universe already exceed the scope of the Dragonkin Empire's existing Level 2.4 civilization technology."

"It's incredible! A proposal from an E-grade aptitude citizen—he provided inspiration for a brand-new spatial folding theory that could increase our warp travel efficiency by another 30% based on existing technology."

"E-grade aptitude! In reality, he might not even be able to attend university!"

"But in the virtual universe, he has a hundred times the time to study, think, and provide inspiration."

"This is the greatest value of the virtual universe—it allows the potential of every citizen to be fully realized."

...While the entire Federation was immersed in the festive atmosphere, Chen Jun lay in his armchair, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"This is only the beginning..."

He could already see that in the near future, the bloodline of the Old Chen family would spread like a spark, igniting every corner of the universe... "Weiwei," Chen Jun said to Lin Wei, who was nearby, "tell the servants to stew a huge pot of 'Ten Treasures Tonic Soup' tonight and send it over to the great-grandsons."

Lin Wei smiled gently, "I already prepared it. I knew you would do this. I'll send it over shortly..."

Chen Jun leaned back into the armchair contentedly, closed his eyes, and began calculating his next move.

Lost in thought, he drifted off to sleep... In his dream, he saw the descendants of the Old Chen family spread throughout the star sea, with the Chen family bloodline continuing on every planet.

As for himself, he was sitting in an even more comfortable armchair, watching it all unfold, his merits hidden deep... Yun Qinglan appeared silently by her father's side, covered him with a blanket, and then vanished... In the virtual universe, trillions of citizens were enjoying a hundred-fold life experience.

In the real world, the new generation of the Chen family was being conceived... The best era had arrived... A golden age belonging to the immortal lay-down-and-win generation!!!

Chen Jun smacked his lips in his sleep and turned over...