Across the web, immortals and true beings, their thoughts and energy creating the heavens.

Chapter 1 Qigong Masters of the Internet

"Comrade Lin Zhuo, do you agree with the following view: when faced with a critical exploration mission, if you are the only one who has a chance of completing it, and even if you sacrifice your life, it will only increase the probability of success by 1%, then choosing to sacrifice yourself is entirely worthwhile."

In the clean, white, and cramped room, Lin Zhuo sat upright in a solitary armchair, his hands resting on his knees.

A robotic arm on the opposite wall raised a ball-shaped surveillance camera, scrutinizing him intently. To his right was a one-way glass wall, where several interviewers arranged by the organization were behind a mirror, asking him questions through a loudspeaker in the corner.

The indoor air was cool and crisp. The 24-minute interview was drawing to a close, and every question that followed would determine the final evaluation, so careful consideration was essential.

"I agree," Lin Zhuo replied.

"Assessment of this viewpoint increases from one to ten. Which would you choose?"

"ten."

The monitoring camera in front fine-tuned the robotic arm so that the circular lens, like a ghostly green eye, could get closer to Lin Zhuo, carefully capturing his physiological data and facial expressions to analyze the possibility that he was not telling the truth.

"Extended question: Suppose you are the operation commander, and you know that one of your team members is the only one who can complete the mission. Would you actively request, encourage, or imply that team member should sacrifice themselves for the mission?"

"no."

"The level of denial increases from one to ten. Which would you choose?"

"ten."

A faint buzzing of conversation drifted from behind the one-way glass, interspersed with low laughter and sighs.

The young man sitting in the chair heard this, but did not move his gaze. His face remained as cold as iron as he stared at the monitor in front of him, accepting any measurement and scrutiny with equanimity.

"Further question: As the operations commander, if your team members volunteer to sacrifice themselves for the mission, would you agree?"

"agree."

How much do you approve of it?

"ten."

The discussion behind the glass wall suddenly intensified, with several loud bangs on the table, before quickly subsiding.

A moment later, the examiner's gentle and amicable voice came from the loudspeaker.

"Comrade Lin Zhuo, the psychological and personality review process has now concluded."

"Later, the AI ​​'Chijiang' will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of this interview, taking into account your past public statements and actions, as well as every mental test you underwent during your time at school."

"What follows is just casual conversation and has nothing to do with the test results. Do you remember the first topic of this interview?"

Lin Zhuo turned to look at the glass. "I remember."

At the start of the interview, the interviewer said, "Mr. Lin Zhuo, please start counting in your head after the countdown ends. We may ask about the timeout at any time during the rest of the interview."

"Excuse me, how much time has passed since the countdown ended?"

Lin Zhuo replied quickly, "Twenty-six minutes and thirty-three seconds, which is one thousand five hundred and ninety-three seconds."

Many clear exclamations came from the loudspeaker.

The examiner coughed lightly to quell the commotion, then said, "The error with the timer is six seconds, very precise, a record broken. It seems you're not anxious at all. Okay, the test results are in."

The loudspeaker was silent for several seconds, then a hurried discussion came from behind the glass wall, like the buzzing of water on a rainy day.

Finally, the examiner's voice rang out again: "I regret to inform you, comrade, that your application for interstellar pioneer crew qualification is rejected."

Lin Zhuo leaned forward slightly, as if preparing to get up and leave. "I accept the result."

"Comrade Lin Zhuo, you have the right to defend yourself. If you can convince the majority of us, then the outcome can be changed. In fact, everyone here has a very high opinion of your resume and performance."

"Comrade Chijiang's evaluation of you is that you are serious and loyal, lively and decisive, and a qualified candidate for decision-making. You deserve to be fully cultivated. His analysis is indeed reasonable."

"But the problem is that the review team found that you have obvious radical and adventurous tendencies, disregard your own life, violate long-standing social values, and are unwilling to take the blame for sending team members to their deaths, but accept the result of team members voluntarily sacrificing themselves. You cherish your reputation, are kind on the outside but hard on the inside, and violate the code of conduct for astronauts."

"The universe is vast, and opportunities are limitless. Interstellar pioneering allows for countless failures. Even the most perfect planet cannot compare to the weight of a human being's life in the astronaut community. We do not advocate sacrifice. We hope you can reflect on your mistakes."

The young man in the room sat up again, thought for a moment, and then spoke.

"Esteemed examiners, I never take my life lightly; on the contrary, I wish I could live forever. Since childhood, I have consciously exercised and maintained my health. Whenever the seasonal notice is issued, I take out the appropriate clothes in advance. Under the dome, there is little sunlight, so I take vitamin supplements on time. I never go into dangerous areas, I don't have snowball fights, I don't play with firecrackers, and I don't smoke or drink alcohol. I could go on and on about these habits."

"My reason for applying for this position is that I hope to quickly advance to Level 4 citizen and apply for life extension services. Therefore, your assessment of me is biased."

"If that's the case, why are you so eager to sacrifice yourself? And why do you so desperately want your team members to die to complete the mission? Isn't that contradictory?" another examiner asked gently.

"I trust my judgment. When the decision is made to risk one's life, it must be a matter of no other choice. Similarly, if my teammates decide to fight to the death, I fully trust their judgment. Life is precious, but clinging to life is shameful; death is fearsome, but one should never lose one's integrity and principles."

The third interviewer asked, "When it comes down to it, who can guarantee they'll have the courage? Your answer is too unreserved; it's just empty talk."

"Since we've made up our minds, there's no room for hesitation. Sacrifice is non-negotiable. This question has only two answers: zero or ten. All other options are wrong. That's all I wanted to say. Report complete."

The examiner turned on the loudspeaker. "Is your defense over?"

"Yes."

No one asked any further questions. After a brief discussion, the examiner gave his final decision: "I regret to inform you, Comrade Lin Zhuo, that while you have your principles, you do not meet our selection criteria. Please try applying for other positions. I believe you can achieve great things. Goodbye."

Lin Zhuo nodded, stood up, saluted the monitor and the interviewers, and then walked out of the room.

In the hallway, the other interview candidates heard the commotion and looked at him.

"How did it go? Did you get the job?" The classmate who had chatted with Lin Zhu earlier raised his hand to greet him. He was the next person to be interviewed. When he heard his number being called over the loudspeaker, he still leaned back in his chair, unhurried and relaxed.

Lin Zhu shook his head.

"Hey, I told you, you're too nervous. There's really no need for that." The alumnus smiled lazily. "The interviewer only wants to hear the same things. You say you cherish life, value the physical and mental health of your teammates, and are friendly and helpful. You have to stick to the main theme to sound positive. I'll go in now."

"I wish you success." Lin Zhuo nodded goodbye and walked out of the government service center.

In July, during Hongshui City's artificially simulated summer, hot air from the ground whistled through the streets and alleys.

Amidst the vast forest of buildings and the intricate transportation network, Lin Zhuo stood alone at the small, deserted bus stop, like an iron flagpole that hadn't been used for years.

His phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and saw an email message from his mother, Zhou Lingning, who wanted him to come home today, saying that the family hadn't seen each other for a long time and his younger siblings missed him.

[Lin Zhuo]: Okay, I'll come this afternoon, around 6 PM. [10:24][Read]

[Zhou Lingning]: Waiting for you (∩_∩) [10:25][Read]

[Zhou Lingning]: You must come. [Read]

[Lin Zhuo]: Definitely [read]

He shoved his phone back into his pocket, staring at the heavy flow of traffic weaving through the streets. Sweat beaded on his cheeks from the sweltering air, and large trucks carrying building materials kicked up clouds of dust that mingled with his sweat, turning into a grimy mess. Lin Zhu remained unmoved, silently contemplating his future.

These days, no one starves, but the quality of one's job greatly affects personal development.

He still had a few alternative targets in mind, and planned to try them one by one. As for now, he would go back to Jianlan Library first. Lin Zhuo had already worked there as a temporary worker for a week after graduation, looking for a better job while waiting for a new one.

As Lin Zhuo was deep in thought, he suddenly heard a strange sound.

Ding--

Immediately, a series of characters were projected into the field of vision, quickly converging into an information panel.

[Connecting to the Multiverse Integrated Game Network (hereinafter referred to as the Multiverse Network), reading version information]

[You have successfully connected to the Comprehensive Network ver26.beta - The Path of the Grandmaster]

Version content:

1. The following ports are not yet enabled in this version: player attribute points, player skill points, and daily and weekly dungeons.

2. In this version, a custom skill module and a learning progress mechanism are introduced. Players can improve their skill learning progress through training and combat, and can upgrade skill levels through specific methods.

3. This version adds a Path of Merit module. Players can earn merit points by completing Path of Merit quests. This version also introduces a dungeon invitation purchase pool; players need to spend merit points to purchase invitations.

4. This version includes an open forum module, a dungeon discussion channel, a free team-up function, and a cross-server trading channel.

(Please see the developer's additional notes for detailed update information)

The first patch for the Multi-Dimensional Spacetime Slice Automatic Search System has begun public testing... It will get better and better. —Herrscher of the Ring, Lighthouse Keeper

Based on the current version's built-in class template library, players' initial class is limited to Qi Master.

Player Information

Name: Lin Zhuo

Occupation: Qigong Master Lv1 (0/300)

Faction: Immortals

Health condition: Excellent (Adequate nutrition↑, Strong and healthy↑↑)

Comprehensive Network Disaster Coin: 0

Merit Points: 0

Skills: None available (you can create your own).

Occupational characteristics:

Mindfulness of Qi: You are able to perceive your own life-giving energy and transform it into Mindfulness of Qi through intention.

A crossover website? A Qigong master? What is this?