Chapter 1277: Chapter 66: Mutation in Reality

Thud—hiss!

Accompanied by a slight hissing sound, the silvery-gray game pod door slowly opened upwards, and Xiao Jie sat up from the cabin, flipping out smoothly.

However, his mood did not relax as it usually did when he left the game; instead, it felt as if a heavy stone was pressed upon him.

The departure of Shen Jizi and the other Immortals, the terrifying power displayed by the disaster root of Jianmu, and the looming shadow of the "Demon Lord" stealing the essence of the world... all of this dramatically increased his sense of crisis regarding the Doomsday Tribulation, weighing heavily on his heart.

"Time waits for no one..." he muttered to himself, his brow furrowed. An unprecedented sense of urgency compelled him to improve his strength faster and find a solution.

What made him feel uneasy was an indistinct premonition arising in his heart at this moment—a great crisis seemed to be not just confined to the Game World; it hung like a sword overhead, ready at any moment to descend into his reality!

He stood up and walked to the window, pulling open the heavy curtain. Outside the window was the familiar city night scene. Neon lights flickered, traffic flowed like a stream, and thousands of household lights outlined the city’s silhouette; everything seemed so peaceful and serene, indistinguishable from any ordinary night in his memory, showing no sign of anomaly or impending disaster.

"I hope I’m just overthinking it, just bringing the tension from the game into reality." Xiao Jie tried to comfort himself this way, but deep inside, a sliver of unease lingered, unable to be fully appeased.

"Jie, you’re out." A familiar voice came from the nearby living room, breaking the indoor silence. As Xiao Jie turned his head, he saw Gu Feiyu sitting cross-legged on the sofa, with a bucket of freshly unwrapped Master Kong braised beef noodles in front of him, holding a kettle, waiting for the water to boil to make instant noodles.

The familiar, rich aroma of the braised beef noodles wafted into his nose, and a wave of nostalgia inexplicably arose in Xiao Jie’s heart.

During the hardest days of running the gaming studio back then, this was what he ate the most. Each time they organized the team to stay up all night tackling a new instance, or pulled an all-nighter in a new server to race for an advantage, time was so tight that even going downstairs for a meal felt luxurious; that’s when everyone would simply cope with a bucket of instant noodles.

Unexpectedly, now that he had ascended to the Immortal Position and possessed unimaginable power, upon returning to reality, he still couldn’t escape this familiar yet cheap instant noodle aroma. This strong contrast made him feel as if he were in a different lifetime.

"Jie, are you hungry? The water will soon boil; I can make a bucket for you too?" Gu Feiyu enthusiastically offered.

"Make the damn noodles!" Xiao Jie interrupted with a laugh, "We are still ’people of the Immortal Realm’ after all. Upon returning to reality, shouldn’t we eat something nice to replenish? Let’s go; don’t eat this junk food; I’ll treat you out, let’s have a good feast!"

"Haha, that sounds great!" Gu Feiyu, upon hearing this, immediately beamed with joy and complimented adeptly, "Jie is mighty! Jie is domineering!"

Both of them joked with each other, lightening the atmosphere considerably. This scene seemed to go back to old times when the studio received a big order, or when valuable equipment was scored in-game and sold for a good price, Xiao Jie would often take the core team members out for a feast to celebrate, and Gu Feiyu would always show his support this way.

The two changed into casual clothes and left the apartment, heading towards a lively nearby street full of food stalls. It was only half-past nine in the evening, the busiest time for the night market. People streamed, and the shouts of vendors, the sizzling sounds of food being cooked, and the talk and laughter of diners mingled together, full of a lively atmosphere.

Xiao Jie discreetly cast a small spell to subtlety conceal his overly transcendent aura and disturbed the perception abilities of the passersby to avoid unnecessary trouble. He led Gu Feiyu straight to a fried noodle stall they used to frequent, where business was booming.

Now, as an Immortal, Xiao Jie had already reached the realm of Fasting, theoretically not needing food to sustain life at all. Yet, smelling the enticing fragrance of food mixed with various spices and oils permeating through the night market air, his long-dormant taste buds seemed awakened, and he couldn’t help his appetite from rising, mouth watering.

Moreover, there’s a huge advantage to feasting nowadays—no more worrying about food intake! Unlike before, where just a few snacks would make him full, now he could taste freely. So he swung his hand grandly, ordering a wide array of snacks all in one go: signature fried noodles, Yangzhou fried rice, sizzling mutton skewers, ice-cold beer, spicy little dragon shrimp, Teppanyaki squid, stinky tofu, grilled oysters... filling up a large table with a variety, appealing and aromatic.

The two didn’t waste any words, exchanged smiles, and each grabbed chopsticks and bamboo skewers, digging in heartily, enjoying the feast thoroughly.

While eating, Xiao Jie asked about Gu Feiyu’s progress: "Speaking of Feiyu, how’s your Immortal Fate quest going? Any new leads?"

Previously, Gu Feiyu successfully triggered the Immortal Fate and, through persistent badgering, obtained a clear path to Cheng Xian from that mysterious Immortal. However, the Immortal wouldn’t speak clearly, maintaining an air of mystery, merely instructing that to become an Immortal, one needs to concoct a special elixir called the "Sevenfold Creation Pill," which requires gathering seven extremely special "herbs": the Heart of Purity and Enlightenment, the Eye of Insight and Truth, the Will of Unyielding Endurance, the Wisdom of Knowing All Things, the Embrace of Heaven and Earth, the Enlightenment of Transcendence over Life and Death, and the Soul of Spotlessness and Flawlessness.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com