Chapter 1

In the depths of night, in the Qingzhu High-end Community of Jinhai City.

Shifeng quietly sat on the soft leather sofa, holding a stack of documents in his hand, gazing at the swimming pool outside the floor-to-ceiling window, filled with a sense of loss and unwillingness.

As the leader of one of the four major game studios in Jinhai City, Yinyin, he commanded a guild of tens of thousands of members and was a well-known expert, the Sword Magician, in Jinhai City. Now, however, he could only sit at home, drinking to drown his sorrows.

A decade of gaming career.

A decade of bloody battles.

After enduring countless hardships and trials, he finally led the Yinyin guild to establish one of the ten major city-states in "Divine Realm," ready to compete with top-tier guilds and enjoy endless glory. But a single document turned all of this into a fleeting memory, never to return.

Shifeng never imagined that his ten years of effort would be in vain. For the game, he had sacrificed so much, only to become a stepping stone for others. All because he opposed Yinyin merging with the super guild "Ruler of the World," the Lanhua Group gave him a response the next day: deleting his 200-level Sword King account, which he had spent ten years cultivating, and settling his salary at the finance department.

All he could get was five million credit points and a luxurious mansion, which was just a drop in the bucket compared to the ten major city-states and the virtual kingdom that generated daily profits.

Thinking about all he had done for Yinyin, which had turned the Lanhua Group into a major financial conglomerate, he felt like he had been discarded like trash. He would definitely take revenge on the Lanhua Group for what they had done.

"I will not let this go. If I have to, I'll start all over again."

Shifeng's eyes sparkled with confidence and determination. He tore the termination document to shreds and then picked up a bottle of red wine from the table, drinking a few large gulps.

Even without the Sword King account and the support of his team, the skills and knowledge he had in the game would not betray him. As long as he still had his skills, he could rise again in Divine Realm and rebuild his own virtual kingdom.

In the early morning, as the sun just began to rise.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

The phone rang incessantly.

Shifeng, annoyed by the noise, reluctantly got up and picked up the phone by his bed. The hangover from last night still lingered.

"Hello, what's up?"

"Brother Feng, it's Heizi. What's up? We agreed to become professional players. Today is the day the Yinyin studio at school is recruiting, and you've always wanted to become a core member of Yinyin, right?"

Shifeng was a bit confused.

Just fired by the Lanhua Group, how could he go to Yinyin for an assessment?

"Brother Feng, Brother Feng? Are you listening? They're going to start the test at ten o'clock. If you don't hurry, it'll be too late!"

"Heizi, don't joke around. I was just fired by Yinyin."

"Fired? How much did you drink yesterday, Brother Feng? You're still not sober. Yinyin hasn't even started recruiting yet. How could you be fired? Come on, hurry up."

Before Shifeng could react, Heizi hung up the phone.

With a heavy head, Shifeng looked at his phone and realized that this old iPhone 6 was not his. His phone was the latest iPhone 12.

He then looked around the room.

The small bedroom, less than fifteen square meters, was in a mess, with books about game strategies scattered everywhere. The laptop on the desk in the corner was an outdated model. The large wardrobe by the wall was filled with clothes, and in the mirror, a familiar face appeared.

Shifeng was startled when he saw this familiar face.

"How did I become young again?" Shifeng immediately got up and walked to the mirror, looking at himself again and again to confirm that he had indeed become young.

Yesterday, he was sleeping in a spacious and luxurious bedroom, and now he was in this shabby place, and he had become young again.

Shifeng still had some memories of this place. It was ten years ago, when he was a senior in college, he rented this small house to conquer Divine Realm. He lived there for more than half a year, and later, after earning some money in Divine Realm, he rented a large apartment in the city.

Back then, life was incredibly hard. His family's situation was not good, and to pay for his college, they had accumulated a lot of debt. Despite this, his parents worked hard every month to send him enough living expenses, making him suffer.

Shifeng was determined to earn money to change his family's situation, but with so many college graduates, finding a decent job was as difficult as climbing to the sky. So he turned to the most profitable virtual games. To improve his gaming skills, he bought a virtual helmet and aimed to become a professional player, practicing hard in the virtual game.

At that time, he ate plain steamed buns and instant noodles every day to save money. He never participated in class gatherings or social events, making him a small, transparent figure in the class. The boys looked down on him, and the girls kept their distance. Every time he went to the supermarket to buy instant noodles, he had less than ten credit points in his wallet, not even enough to buy a sausage. The female cashier, seeing Shifeng's pitiful state, recommended a special offer sausage. Shifeng, tempted by the sausage, touched his wallet and, with a heavy heart, refused.

"Is someone playing a joke on me?"

Shifeng looked at the familiar scene and the young face in the mirror, shook his head, and dismissed the idea.

Even the most advanced country, the United States, did not have such a rejuvenation technology. Who would play a joke on a down-and-out middle-aged man?

Shifeng looked at the time on his phone.

April 19, 2129.

"Could I have been reborn?" Shifeng's face showed a bitter smile, jokingly.

He remembered that today was August 5, 2139, not April 19, 2129, when he was still a senior in college.

Shifeng shook his head, trying to clear his mind, but he still held a glimmer of hope, hoping that he had indeed been reborn and returned to ten years ago. He walked to the computer desk and turned on the laptop.

If the time on the phone could be faked, the information on the internet couldn't be, right?

After a few minutes online.

Shifeng was completely shocked. All the information he found online confirmed that today was indeed April 19, 2129. Even the official website of Divine Realm clearly stated that the game would officially open on April 25, six days later.

"I really have been reborn! I really have returned to ten years ago?" Shifeng stared at the news about Divine Realm, tears streaming down his cheeks.

At this moment, Shifeng's emotions were indescribable, a mix of regret, sorrow, and joy.

It felt like everything before him was a dream.

But the chirping of cicadas outside the window and the cold air from the air conditioner reminded Shifeng that everything was real.

Looking at the family photo on his phone from his college days, Shifeng noticed for the first time that his father had white hair and his mother had wrinkles around her eyes. They had really aged, no longer as vibrant as before.

When he noticed his parents' aging, it was one and a half years after Divine Realm opened. The heavy debt, the hard work, and the stress had made his parents seriously ill, and it would cost millions of credit points to cure them. At that time, Shifeng was just a small squad leader in Yinyin, and the money he earned was far from enough to pay for the expensive treatment.

To raise money, Shifeng tried every possible way, but it was not enough. Even with his best efforts, his parents passed away a few months later.

In his previous life, he had not taken good care of his parents, and the pain and regret were known only to himself.

Even after Shifeng earned millions of credit points, this became a permanent pain in his heart.

He never thought that fate would play such a trick on him, making him start from zero again, everything returning to the original point.

"Great, too great, hahaha. Since I have been reborn, I will change everything, earn enough money to cure my parents' illnesses, and not let them worry about life anymore." Shifeng wiped the tears from his eyes and made a silent vow.

As Shifeng planned his future, Heizi's call came again, urging him to go to the university for the assessment.

But Shifeng was not in a hurry. He got dressed, tidied himself up, and then went to Jinhai University.

He knew Yinyin very well.

He remembered that during his college days, the eldest son of the Lanhua Group, Lan Hailong, opened the Yinyin studio, providing a large amount of funding and organizing the top students from Jinhai University to conquer Divine Realm. At that time, he also went for the assessment and became a core member, while Heizi became a peripheral member. He was very happy for a long time.

Three years later, with his leadership, the Yinyin studio made the Lanhua Group a major financial conglomerate, but he was unexpectedly fired by Lan Hailong himself.

Since he had been reborn, he had an unparalleled advantage in Divine Realm and did not plan to join Yinyin again, becoming a tool for others and earning money for them. He wanted to take a different path, fight for his own life, and not let his parents send him living expenses or pay off all the debts. He wanted to start his own studio, create his own company, and build his own virtual empire to live a good life.

When Shifeng arrived at the front of Building No. 1, he saw a tall, dark-skinned young man pacing back and forth at the entrance, looking very anxious. This was Heizi.

"Brother Feng, you're finally here. Luckily, the registration hasn't closed yet. Let's go in and sign up quickly." Heizi said anxiously when he saw Shifeng.

Shifeng shook his head and said very seriously, "Heizi, I don't plan to join Yinyin. I want to start my own studio. Will you come with me?"

Heizi, whom he met in a virtual game, had excellent skills. They had fought together and could be considered close brothers. In Yinyin, although Heizi did not have gaming talent, he was very good at management, organizing the guild's hundreds of thousands of members efficiently. With Heizi's help, achieving his goals would be easier, but he would respect Heizi's choice. After all, he had nothing now, and Heizi's family situation was not good either. He decided to become a professional player to earn a living and joined Yinyin to earn a living.

Heizi was stunned and lowered his head in silence. Shifeng's words were too sudden, and today's Shifeng felt very different, exuding confidence and stability, unlike his usual impulsive self.

After a full minute, Heizi looked up at Shifeng.

"Brother Feng, don't talk nonsense. Do you know how much a virtual helmet costs? It's eight thousand credit points. To start a studio, you need at least six people, a workspace, and to pay salaries, etc. The initial investment alone would be around eighty thousand credit points, and there would be more expenses later. Do you have that much money now?" Heizi knew Shifeng's situation well, knowing that his family was not well-off, and wanted to persuade Shifeng to give up this crazy idea.

"You're right. I don't even have the money to buy a Divine Realm virtual helmet." Shifeng nodded in agreement, as Heizi said. Even eighty thousand was an underestimate. He remembered that when Lan Feilong recruited a hundred-person studio, it cost over five million, and more was spent later to improve the studio's quality and strength.

"Since that's the case, why take the risk? Joining Yinyin would be more stable. At least Yinyin can provide virtual helmets. Otherwise, we can't even play, let alone become professional players." Heizi saw that Shifeng understood the key issue and felt relieved, pulling Shifeng to enter the building.

Shifeng shook off Heizi's hand, looked at him seriously, and said, "But I still want to start my own studio and not be controlled by others. Will you come with me, Heizi?"

Shifeng would not force Heizi. After all, he had no guarantees and could not reveal the secret that he was reborn. He only hoped that Heizi would believe in him.

Heizi, seeing Shifeng's serious expression, felt that today's Shifeng was very strange, too crazy. Everyone knew that it was impossible to make money in the early stages of a virtual game. Did Shifeng have a way to make money in Divine Realm? Even if he did, it would take months, and they didn't have that much time to waste.

Heizi hesitated for a long time, bit his lip, and finally agreed, "I understand. Who made you the big brother? I'll start the studio with you, but what about the virtual helmets? We can't play without them."

Shifeng's furrowed brows relaxed, and he happily patted Heizi's shoulder, smiling, "That's my good brother. Don't worry about the virtual helmets. I remember that Divine Realm has a special offer for college students. Each university has a distribution point. With a student ID, you can get a virtual helmet for free for ten days. Let's go check it out."

"What about after ten days?" Heizi's dark face turned pale, feeling that the future was bleak. Why did he believe Shifeng? Was it because of Shifeng's confidence and stability? Would starting a business with Shifeng really be okay?

What could they do in Divine Realm in ten days?

After ten days, they would miss the best opportunities for recruitment by major studios and would still need to buy virtual helmets. But where would the money come from?

Earning sixteen thousand credit points in ten days before Divine Realm opened was impossible, even for a team of professional players!

"Don't worry about the money. I'll take care of it."

Shifeng patted Heizi's shoulder, showing a confident smile.

Earning sixteen thousand credit points in ten days was a pipe dream, but as a reborn person, he had the courage to face any challenge and break through them one by one.

The opening of Divine Realm would be the beginning of his rise.

Shifeng then took Heizi to get the trial helmets and used all their money to buy instant noodles, placing two large boxes by the computer in the rented house, enough for over ten days of meals. After explaining some matters about Divine Realm, he waited quietly for its opening.

At 9 PM on April 25, a few faint lights flickered in the dark, quiet room.

Shifeng lay on the bed, closed his eyes, and gently pressed the start button on the helmet.

"Divine Realm, I'm coming."