Two words, polite yet somewhat cold, left Wind Chime Fairy inexplicably disappointed.

Fans in the livestream room kept urging Wind Chime Fairy to send an email to Lone Madman, asking about his level, or even directly asking who he really was. But this time, Wind Chime Fairy refused.

Lone Madman was not a fan of Wind Chime Fairy; his attitude had made that clear.

He wasn't interested in Wind Chime Fairy at all!

In his eyes, the aura of being the top female streamer on the official website, a high-level player with a million followers, had no effect on him whatsoever.

This guy was truly mad!

In this situation, it was best not to disturb him while he was leveling up.

...

At exactly 9 PM, Zakas respawned on time.

Lu Chen quickly took down Zakas with the three fools and logged off.

Lu Chen always believed that human energy was limited, and staying up late to level up wasn't more efficient than going to bed early and rising early. After three exhausting days, he needed a good night's sleep.

The next morning, Lu Chen planned to go out for a hearty breakfast and then head to the supermarket to buy some instant noodles and drinks.

Having not gone out much for three days, stepping outside felt like a lifetime ago for Lu Chen.

Even the small shops in the neighborhood had Nine Heavens advertisements plastered on their doors! People around seemed to be discussing this game.

A group of high school students walking together were visibly excited.

"Hey, Fatty, what level are you?"

"Level 3. I was stuck in the Starter Village on the first day and couldn't move."

"I'm also level 3, but we have classes, so we can't level up as fast as the pro players. By the way, Monkey seems to be level 5 already."

"Level 5? No way!"

"He spent 300 on a weapon. That guy is now the highest level in our class."

While it was normal for young people to talk about games, seeing the elderly in the community gym discussing it made Lu Chen feel a bit out of place.

"Old Zhao, I wasn't lying to you, was I? You can really feel rejuvenated in there!"

"Yeah, technology is advancing so fast these days. I never thought you could feel young again in a game."

"Exactly, in there, we're no different from the young folks. We can run, jump, and fight. Even my presbyopia has improved, and I can see things clearly! If it weren't for my son strongly recommending it, who would've thought this was possible?"

"Does your son play too? Isn't he busy with work?"

"He plays, yeah. They have a lot of work pressure, so they use it to relax."

"By the way, did you know? Old Li also bought a game helmet yesterday. He's been in a wheelchair for most of his life, and he never imagined he could stand up in a game."

"Haven't you noticed how much better Old Li's spirits have been these past two days?"

The application of quantum technology allowed these elderly people to genuinely feel young again.

Even if they didn't know how to level up or fight monsters, just walking around and feeling the freedom of movement and vitality, and seeing the picturesque world, was something they never dared to dream of.

The influence of Nine Heavens was gradually permeating all age groups and social strata.

"No wonder the number of players keeps increasing..." Lu Chen couldn't help but sigh. "At this rate, the number of Nine Heavens players will continue to grow."

After buying some provisions, Lu Chen returned to his rental apartment and logged into the game.

Overnight, Zakas had respawned, and Lu Chen wasn't going to let him go.

Before long, he took down Zakas, and with last night's gains, he had two Cragbreakers and two Shoulder Guards.

Lu Chen immediately notified the guilds and placed the items in the Auction Zone.

Cragbreaker for 3800, Shoulder Guard for 1400, plus a few level 1 Gnoll Clubs, netting him just over ten thousand.

"Not bad, earning ten thousand in the morning." Lu Chen looked at his account balance, feeling quite pleased.

After reaching level 10, the Gnolls nearby were becoming a bit too low-level. Here, level 8 was rare, with most being level 7, and the rewards for killing them were too meager.

Moreover, after a night, players' levels should have increased quite a bit. They could already reach places not far from the hills, and there might be some daring ones who would venture to where Lu Chen was.

Lu Chen thought for a moment and decided to change locations.

"At worst, I'll come back later to see if Zakas has respawned." With that, Lu Chen left the foothills with the three fools.

After leaving the foothills, he followed a narrow mountain path and stood halfway up the mountain, stunned by the view before him.

Ahead lay a dense primeval forest, filled with towering trees and lush, unknown plants. The air was thick with the scent of earth and grass.

A clear stream flowed through the forest, producing a gentle babbling sound.

"Damn, how is this any different from a real otherworld? Skywalk is truly amazing!" Lu Chen marveled at the breathtaking scenery.

Following the stream for a short while, Lu Chen suddenly noticed a stone tablet glowing faintly in the distance.

"Hmm? What's that?" Lu Chen wondered, quickly walking over.

When Lu Chen reached the stone tablet, the system displayed a prompt.

[You have left the Starter Zone and entered the Poison Mist Forest]

"Damn, no way, I just left the Starter Zone?" Lu Chen was surprised.

It seemed this stone tablet marked the boundary between the Starter Zone and the outside world.

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There were a few lines of text on the stone tablet, and Lu Chen read them carefully.

[Poison Mist Forest!]

[The Poison Mist Forest is the only path to the level 10 Main City, inhabited by powerful creatures. Throughout history, only one in ten has managed to escape!]

[(Fighting the monsters in the Poison Mist Forest is unwise. It's advised not to linger in battle; try to pass through quickly!)]

"Throughout history?" Lu Chen chuckled, "As if it's real, Nine Heavens has only been live for a few days."

"Don't fight, just run through? How strong are the monsters here?" Lu Chen was puzzled, having never encountered such a situation in other games.

Of course, Skywalk's game couldn't be compared to ordinary games.

"Perhaps it's to increase the difficulty of reaching the level 10 Main City. Theoretically, reaching level 10 brings a qualitative change, but to learn Inner Art and such, you have to reach the level 10 Main City. It seems Skywalk doesn't want players to achieve this transformation so easily," Lu Chen speculated.

He looked at the words on the stone tablet, "Only one in ten has managed to escape!"

"Skywalk, oh Skywalk, only you dare to challenge players like this." Lu Chen laughed, shaking his head. "In any other game, players would've quit by now."

As Lu Chen marveled at Nine Heavens' hellish difficulty, five spiders descended from the giant tree in front of him using webs!

The spiders were unusually large, the smallest over a meter tall, covered in gray fur, with menacing faces, truly terrifying.

Among the five spiders, there was one large one, standing two and a half meters tall, entirely black, even its fur was black, with long, slender legs, red eyes, and constantly rubbing mouthparts, looking hungry.

Four level 8 Forest Poison Spiders and... one level 9 Forest Poison Spider (Elite)!

"Monsters appeared? They don't seem as strong as I imagined." Lu Chen frowned slightly.

After descending from the tree, the Forest Poison Spiders surrounded Lu Chen and his group, regardless of whether they were Gnolls.

"They'll even attack me?" Lu Chen wondered.

The stone tablet advised against fighting the monsters here, but Lu Chen's eyes were fixed on two words.

Elite!

By now, he had completely forgotten the warning on the stone tablet, with only one thought in his mind.

Elite monsters drop 3-Star Materials!