Otherworldly Skeleton Evolution

In the dark expanse of a forest.

Xie Changkong, revered as one of the Twelve Gods and known as the Sword Deity, sat atop a massive black boulder, engrossed in a video from a bygone era.

By his side were dozens of top-tier expert players.

Just after the server opened, these top-tier players didn’t rush to level up. Instead, they quietly waited by Xie Changkong’s side.

It seemed like leveling up was not as important to them as being with Xie Changkong.

The surroundings were very quiet; the surrounding monsters had already been cleared out by the dozen or so expert players. Only the video in front of Xie Changkong continued to emit sounds of battle.

The game world of The Great Wasteland was hailed as the second world for good reason.

In the game, there were not only leveling up and fighting monsters for equipment, but also mechanisms for entertaining many casual players.

Watching videos was one of them.

However, activating such a feature also required payment.

But for someone like Xie Changkong, this amount of money was nothing at all.

At this moment, the video being played was from the once-popular game “Mythic,” showing a Blade Master undertaking a solo challenge against the Dark Overlord.

The Blade Master’s movements were extremely precise, with fancy footwork and techniques that were considered by many as the pinnacle of gameplay.

His style of combat was something that billions of players had never seen.

The entire video lasted for 140 minutes, during which the Blade Master only took damage once.

That was because the Dark Overlord had an ultimate skill that couldn’t be avoided within its range. Apart from that, he didn’t take any damage.

This feat of completing the challenge unscathed was once deemed impossible.

Until he appeared to break this impossibility.

When the video ended, Xie Changkong sighed deeply, lost in thought.

At this moment, a middle-aged player dressed in undead black robes approached him after seeing Xie Changkong finish watching the video.

“Young master, you’ve watched this video many times already, haven’t you? His Forced Combat, the Sky-Halting Strike, the Void Flash, the Dragon’s Descent, the Phantom Step… You’ve mastered all fourteen of his divine techniques, have you not?”

Xie Changkong played with the Elite-grade longsword in his hand, his eyes showing a hint of melancholy as he sighed, “Mastered, yes.”

“But…”

“To reach his level of proficiency, to execute twelve swords in an instant and even push beyond to thirteen… For me, I still have yet to break through the eleven swords per second.”

“These techniques will always be his, bearing his mark, and are best suited for him.”

The middle-aged player’s expression turned serious. “Young master, do you want to break free from his constraints? Create your own divine technique?”

Xie Changkong shook his head. “It’s not that simple. Since he can be hailed as an Eternal God, it’s definitely not just a matter of creating divine techniques.”

“I just feel regretful that I couldn’t battle him.”

“I once obsessively studied his techniques. Starting from the age of fifteen, it took me a full five years. On my twentieth birthday, I finally… mastered all of his divine techniques.”

“From that day on, I searched frantically for his whereabouts.”

“I thought I could find him, heal his injuries, and when he recovered, spar with him.”

“But… what I got was news of his passing.”

A hint of sadness flickered in Xie Changkong’s eyes.

Then he shook his head and chuckled bitterly. “Forget it… the dead cannot be brought back to life. My current opponents are other the gods.”

Turning his head, Xie Changkong asked the middle-aged player, “Uncle Long, have you found any traces of A Silly Cutie?”

“Not yet, but some superficial information suggests that it’s not a god’s alternate account… but a new Undead Player.”

“A new player?” Xie Changkong’s eyelids lifted slightly.

“No one’s helping?”

“No one’s helping.” The middle-aged player affirmed confidently.

“Interesting. If Xia Dongli knew that he had hired thirty experts to help him level up, only to be surpassed by a new player, would he be so angry that he spits blood?”

Xie Changkong smiled faintly.