426: Honest Old Potato

Old Potato never considered himself a very powerful player, nor did he think he was in the first echelon.

Back during the Great Love Sect era, he was just a middle-tier member following behind Midnight Gao Sou.

He even died during a failed mission, forcing him to start over and lose his accumulated progress.

After that, he went to the Great Desert, befriended Yan Xiao, developed step by step, and finally became a Golden Core, even possessing a Heavenly Flame.

In the eyes of many players, he should be considered a top-tier player.

But Old Potato knew that he was still lacking far too much.

That year, he traveled west out of the Great Desert, successfully befriended Yan Xiao, obtained the Fire Virtue Cultivation Technique, and also acquired some methods for controlling the Heavenly Flame.

Later, he truly found the Heavenly Flame, possessing this supreme treasure of heaven and earth, seemingly on the verge of reaching the peak.

But he knew that gain always comes with loss.

Because of his long-term cultivation in the Great Desert and the time spent completely mastering the Heavenly Flame.

Therefore, Old Potato's training in spells and Divine Abilities lagged behind Golden Core Playerss of the same level.

He hasn't even mastered a single Innate Divine Power to date; he could be called the weakest Golden Core.

If the Heavenly Flame wasn't powerful enough to maintain his reputation, he probably wouldn't dare to wander around.

To put it plainly, his Dao Cultivation was too poor; he relied purely on external power.

So, when he was confined by the Yuyao Kingdom within the Beast Bone Mountain Range, Old Potato was angry at first, but after calming down, he actually felt it was a good thing.

He could settle down properly here and treat it as secluded cultivation.

But... “What does it mean that the Throne might be related to the immortal path?

“What does it mean that the purpose of the Heavenly Flame is beyond imagination?

“What does it mean that Ma Dun exposed my situation in the Yuyao Kingdom?

“What does it mean that everyone is asking me about the Yuyao Kingdom's Throne situation? And they think I might have already found the immortal path?”

Old Potato looked at the new posts constantly appearing on the forum, his mind buzzing.

Oh no, everyone thinks I'm a top-tier player, a High-level Cultivator who can unlock new versions!

Old Potato really wanted to explain to people that he wasn't some High-level Cultivator, that he knew nothing about the immortal path, and that his use of the Heavenly Flame couldn't compare to Yan Xiao's at all.

He was just a poor wretch imprisoned by the Yuyao Kingdom to be an Artifact Refining slave.

But no one would believe him if he said it out loud.

Finally, when Helian Rui once again delivered cultivation resources and the Artifact Refining Method Legacy.

Old Potato couldn't help but ask:

“Is your Helian the Helian of Helian Meng?”

Helian Rui was silent for a moment, then said:

“No. Are you players always so direct when asking questions?”

Old Potato’s mouth twitched.

Another reason he didn't consider himself a top-tier player was evident here.

True top-tier players are not only powerful in combat but also proficient in various minor arts to some extent.

More critically, they have thoroughly studied the ecology of the natives, enabling their behavior and speech to be completely consistent with native Cultivators, making it impossible for others to realize they are players.

This greatly facilitates the players' actions. Some players in Yanwang Prefecture have even entered the Dharma Eye of Sect High-level Cultivators because of this, are no longer feared, and are nurtured as inheritors.

But Old Potato couldn't do that.

He still felt that the Helian Rui in front of him was an NPC, so he subconsciously asked questions directly.

He was “pushing the main storyline.”

If there were a dialogue box in front of him, it would definitely look like this:

[What exactly is the Throne?]

[Does the Yuyao Kingdom want to Ascend?]

[Is your Helian Rui's Helian the Helian of Helian Meng?]

These were probably the three options, all designed to push the main storyline.

Old Potato planned to ask them one by one, from bottom to top.

But... Helian Rui wasn't a rigid NPC. He didn't play by the rules; there was no sequence of “He answers one sentence, I ask another, and then click 'No problem' when finished.”

After being questioned in return, Old Potato froze in place, unsure what to say.

“Old Potato.”

Helian Rui looked at him and suddenly sighed.

“You are a little different from the other players.

“I can sense that you possess a sincere heart; you are an honest man.”

Old Potato was momentarily unsure if he was being praised or insulted. Feeling bewildered, he couldn't help but ask:

“Have you met many players?”

That was a pointless question.

After the Yuyao Kingdom opened up, Helian Rui, as an Envoy, had probably seen more players than Old Potato.

“Yes, many, but not many have left a deep impression on me.”

Helian Rui fell into contemplation, then immediately said:

“The first player I met was named Wan Lin, and he was just a Mortal at the time.

“He witnessed the Yuyao Kingdom's army marching without changing his expression. I originally thought he was a person of great courage, and I specifically introduced him to the Yuyao Kingdom, recommending him to receive a Legacy there.

“Later, I learned that you players can resurrect, so you treat life as a game and are not afraid of death.”

Old Potato had unknowingly been led astray by Helian Rui, forgetting that he wanted to ask about the Throne, the immortal path, and Helian Meng.

He just subconsciously replied, “So, Wan Lin didn't leave a deep impression on you?”

Helian Rui shook his head and said:

“No, he left as deep an impression on me as you have.

“At the time, he was just a Mortal, a weak Mortal whom I could crush with a single breath.

“As the first player to arrive at the Yuyao Kingdom, the uniqueness of his Soul allowed him to converse with the Throne.

“But in the end, he still refused the Yuyao Kingdom's Legacy, choosing instead to cooperate with the Demon Race Outside the Wall and attempt to cultivate the Body Tempering Method... “I saw ambition in his eyes; his entire body was filled with excitement.

“Old Potato, pay attention to this person. I have a premonition that he will definitely become someone important in the future.”

Old Potato thought for a moment. He had heard of Wan Lin, the player who was jointly sponsored by Li Changfeng and others to purchase a Special Physique, and also the first player to step onto Sacred Emperor Mountain.

He couldn't help but say, “As far as I know, he hasn't shown much talent in cultivation, and even needs assistance from others. Why should I pay attention to him?”

Helian Rui shook his head and said:

“You don't understand. You players are too unique to be judged by common sense.

“What you lack is not Comprehension Ability, resources, Opportunity, or Legacy.

“Rather, it is a Dao Heart that supports you to persevere.

“Wan Lin possesses such a Dao-seeking Heart, but I still don't know what Dao he is seeking.”

Dao Heart?

Old Potato's heart trembled slightly.

Players were no longer unfamiliar with this concept.

The concept of the Dao Heart began to circulate widely during the minor version update when Mingshui Heaven fell.

This thing is hard to describe.

Those with a Dao Heart don't necessarily think they are amazing, and those without one don't feel they are lacking anything. Furthermore, no one can definitively say whether they possess one or not.

“Wan Lin? I'll remember this person...”

Old Potato muttered a few words.

He suddenly realized that he seemed to have been led by the nose by Helian Rui, who had forcefully changed the subject.

He quickly asked again:

“Brother Helian Rui, you've spoken so much about us players, could you perhaps tell me a thing or two about your Helian family?

“This is very important to me.”