192: Chapter 192 I'm here! Let's set off some fireworks to celebrate!

Supreme Tower, top-tier cultivation room.

Chen You's mind was still immersed in the circulation of the Nine Revolutions Primordial Chaos Art.

Under the triple boost of the perfect qi gathering pill, his cultivation technique, and his title, his cultivation speed had reached an unfathomable level.

Beside him, two yuhuang swords hung quietly, waiting for their cooldowns to end to automatically farm monsters again.

Time passed silently.

"Ding!"

A crisp system notification sound interrupted Chen You's cultivation rhythm.

Only then did Chen You slowly finish his exercise and exhale a breath of turbid air, feeling much more clear-headed.

He frowned with a hint of impatience.

He didn't even have to think to know who it was.

He only had that one friend.

[Arrow of the Moon]: Guild Leader Chen, how is the progress on the new dungeon's first clear?

Chen You couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

Oh? So proactive?

I haven't even set out yet, and you're already delivering first-hand battle reports from the front lines?

His fingertips tapped lightly on the virtual keyboard as he weighed his words, a mysterious smile appearing on his face.

[Chen You]: The new dungeon is quite difficult; even the common mobs are hard to deal with.

The message was sent successfully.

On the other end, in the council chamber of the Moon Gods Radiance, Arrow of the Moon's heart sank upon seeing this reply.

As expected!

Even this mysterious immortal path pioneer finds it difficult!

Suppressing her internal shock, she replied quickly, both as a way of sharing and as a disguised probe.

[Arrow of the Moon]: Indeed. We've found that the first attack of every wave of mobs comes with a charging effect, and the damage is ridiculously high.

[Arrow of the Moon]: The main tank has to activate all damage reduction skills just to barely survive it.

[Arrow of the Moon]: Plus, there are various group silences and AOE skills, so the team must maintain a spread-out formation.

Looking at the string of text sent by Arrow of the Moon, Chen You almost burst out laughing.

Sister, you're cooperating a bit too well, aren't you?

I just made up a sentence, and you've already revealed everything you know?

Charged attacks? All damage reduction active?

These were manageable; he had high HP and defense, plus the substitute talisman, so taking them head-on wasn't impossible.

But this spread-out formation...

I'm by myself... how do I spread out?

By jumping left and right to create afterimages?

Chen You complained inwardly, but his hands didn't stop.

[Chen You]: It seems Guild Leader Yue's progress is quite promising?

This sentence was like a needle, accurately piercing Arrow of the Moon's sorest spot.

In the council chamber, Arrow of the Moon looked at the words "promising progress," and a hint of bitterness appeared at the corners of her mouth.

[Arrow of the Moon]: We only just reached the first BOSS, but that first BOSS... I simply can't make sense of it.

Can't make sense of it?

Chen You's interest was piqued.

Was the mechanic too complex, or were there special puzzle elements?

To leave the Moon Gods Radiance, one of the Three Great Divine Races, helpless, it certainly wouldn't be simple.

However, knowing they were stuck at the first BOSS made Chen You feel strangely relieved.

Checking the time, almost ten hours had passed.

One could say everyone was still at the starting line.

Just as Chen You was thinking about how to fish for more intel, Arrow of the Moon sent another message.

[Arrow of the Moon]: If Guild Leader Chen makes any major discoveries, I hope you can share them. Moon Gods Radiance will surely show its gratitude.

Chen You smiled slightly.

Fair enough, looks like there's nothing left to ask.

[Chen You]: I haven't seen the BOSS on my end either. I'll contact you if I find anything.

Closing the dialogue box, Chen You stretched, his mood excellent.

Free guides—might as well take them.

He checked his skills; there were still a few hours left before the Shadow Clone skill's cooldown ended.

No rush.

He left the cultivation room and returned to the guild territory with practiced ease.

In the herb garden, spiritual energy swirled, and all sorts of rare medicinal herbs were growing beautifully.

One-click harvest.

Afterward, he slipped into the alchemy room.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The rhythmic striking sounds echoed again as the musical notes on the cauldron flowed like water.

[Perfect!]

[SSS! God-tier Evaluation!]

[Heavenly Fire Descends!]

This time, he obtained sixteen immortal grade qi gathering pills!

Having done all this, Chen You returned contentedly to the cultivation room in the Supreme Tower to continue his seclusion.

Time ticked away in this dull yet efficient cycle.

Finally, when the gray icon representing [Shadow Clone] on the system panel glowed once more.

Chen You's tightly closed eyes suddenly snapped open.

[Skill "Shadow Clone" cooldown complete.]

...

Thousand Light City, West City Square.

This was originally an open-air square, but after last night's system maintenance and update, a hundred-meter-tall giant statue had risen in the center of the square without warning.

The statue's form was shrouded in a blurry shadow, making its features impossible to see clearly.

One could only vaguely discern a figure clad in heavy armor, sitting on a throne with a hand resting on a sword hilt.

Even the mere outline exuded an aura of eternal suppression, solemnity, and loneliness.

Below the statue, an NPC dressed in silver full-body armor with his face hidden behind a helmet stood quietly, named [The New King's Messenger].

Nearly a day had passed since the server update ended. Although the square was no longer as crowded as when the server first opened, it was still teeming with thousands of players.

They were in groups of three to five, of various races, yet without exception, they were all sighing, the air thick with a heavy sense of resentment.

"Damn it, this dungeon isn't meant for humans! Our main tank charged in and was one-shotted by those two gatekeepers at the entrance! Full health! Can you believe it?"

A burly warrior complained, spit flying everywhere.

"Don't even mention it. The numbers designer definitely designed this with their feet. I suggest checking if they took a bribe!"

"And those were just the gatekeepers; we haven't even seen the BOSS yet. How are we supposed to play this game?"

Discussions rose and fell as the elites of various guilds used their wipe-out experiences as bragging rights.

Competing over who died faster and more miserably.

They reached a consensus: the new dungeon [The Path of the Monarch] was absolutely impossible to clear at this stage!

Forget clearing it; teams that even reached the first BOSS were few and far between!

Just as the square was filled with complaints and the atmosphere reached a peak of suppression.

"Whew—Bang!"

A sharp whistle pierced the night sky, followed by a magnificent firework exploding loudly over Thousand Light City!

Golden specks of light burst at the highest point, and colorful sparks poured down like a waterfall.

All players, whether complaining or dazing off, looked up in unison, staring dumbfounded at this earth-shattering scene.

"Holy crap! Who is it? Who has so much money to burn?"

"This isn't an ordinary firework. This is that gift pack—ninety-nine gold coins!"

"Ninety-nine gold coins... just to hear a bang?"

A second whistle followed immediately.

"Whew—Bang!"

Another giant golden firework bloomed in the night sky, even more brilliant than the last, its light turning nearly half of Thousand Light City into daylight.

Then, a third, a fourth, a fifth...

Fireworks rose into the sky one after another, and the expressions of the Adventurers began to change.

"Whew-whew-whew-whew bang-bang-bang-bang—!"

The continuous whistles merged into a sharp melody, and the dense explosions were like drumbeats on a battlefield.

The night sky of Thousand Light City was completely ignited by this grand and extravagant firework feast.

One firework after another soared into the clouds as if they cost nothing, exploding into thousands of rays of brilliance.

Golden waterfalls, purple fireflies, blue seas of stars...

The entire sky became an incredibly gorgeous canvas.

Dead silence fell over the square.

Everyone had their heads tilted back and mouths agape, their faces filled with dull shock.

The initial ridicule and disdain had long since been washed away by the colorful and magnificent sight before them.

Only the most primal sense of awe remained.

The resentment and restlessness in the air seemed to be gently wiped away by an invisible hand in the face of this ultimate beauty.

The brilliant light and shadow were reflected in everyone's pupils, also shining into their hearts that had become gray due to constant failure.

A two-meter-tall, burly Orc Warrior, who had just been cursing the dungeon designer with flying spit, now stared blankly at the sky.

At some point, the corners of his eyes had actually become a bit moist.

Beside him, a female mage covered her mouth, tears falling silently.

"Hey, what are you crying for?" a companion asked, nudging her in confusion.

The female mage choked up and shook her head. "It's nothing, I just... miss that deadbeat lover of mine..."

"Risking being caught by my husband, he..."

"Alright, stop talking."

The atmosphere had completely changed.

The square, which had previously been filled with cursing and complaints, was now permeated with a strange atmosphere—a mix of sadness and tenderness.

"We're here working ourselves to death, wiping time and time again, feeling like the future is pitch black."

"But as it turns out, this world can also be this beautiful..."

"Maybe we've all been pushing ourselves too hard."

Once suppressed emotions find a vent, they pour out like a flood.

People stopped discussing the dungeon and cursing the system.

Under this grand firework display, they temporarily forgot their identities as players, let down their tense nerves, and felt the fleeting beauty.

And the culprit behind all this, Chen You, riding the Big White Rabbit, had just appeared at the street corner.