
In the middle of the night. In the upscale area of Green Bamboo, Jin Hai City.
Shi Feng held the document folder as he sat quietly on the leather sofa. Gazing at the pool outside through the French window, Shi Feng was filled with frustration and unwillingness.
He was the captain of the [Shadows], one of the four best gaming Workshops of Jin Hai City. He had ordered a guild of tens of thousands of people. Moreover, he was a renowned expert of Jin Hai City; he was a Sword Witch. However, now the only thing he could do was to drink his sorrow inside his house.
Ten years, he spent time in the game.
Ten years, he fought in a blood-soaked fight.
He experienced countless trials and tribulations. Under his leadership, Shadow has successfully established ten City States in << Gods Domain >>. They were finally able to rival a First Level Union. However, before he could enjoy that endless glory, one document had turned everything into smoke; once it was gone, it would never return.
Shi Feng never thought that his efforts for ten years would only be in vain. He sacrificed very much just for the game however, all he did was pave the way for others to the end. All of this culminated because he was against Shadow's decision to join the Super-Guild, [World Dominators]. Not even the next day before Lan Hua Financial Group gave him an answer. He had to remove his Level 200 King Sword, an account that had consumed ten years of his blood and sweat, and to collect his completion checks from the finance department.
All he received was 5,000,000 Credits and one mansion. When compared to the ten established City States within the virtual money-making empire, it could not even be considered a decline in the ocean.
Shi Feng thought about how much he had contributed to Shadow. He thought about his efforts having turned the Lan Hua Group into a large financial group. Then, he thought about how they still threw it away, as if he was no different from trash; shi Feng vowed to take revenge for their actions.
"I'm not gonna let this go. At worst, I'll just start again."
Shi Fengs eyes shone with confidence and resolution; his hands tore the contract termination contract into small pieces. Grabbing the wine bottle from the table, he swallowed some mouthfuls.
Even if he no longer had the Sword King account, even if he no longer had the support of his team, the skills and knowledge he had gained from the game would not betray him. As long as his skills remained, he could still ascend once more within the domain of Gods rule; he could rebuild his own virtual kingdom.
Early morning. The sun just came up.
On! On! On!
The phone alarm kept ringing.
Shi Feng woke up irritated. He helplessly grabbed his phone by the bedside; the effects of yesterday's drinking still loomed over him.
"Hi how are you?"
"Brother Feng, it's me, Blackie. You still ask what's up? Didn't we agree to be professional gamers? Shadow Workshop recruits at our school today. Didn't you always want to be a core member of Shadow?"
Shi Feng was a little confused.
Lan Hua Financial Group had just fired him, so why was he attending the Shadow exam?
"Sister Feng? Brother Feng? Can you hear me? They'll test it at ten. If you don't hurry, you won't make it!"
"Blackie, stop joking; I just got fired from Shadow."
"Fired? Brother Feng, how much did you drink yesterday? Even now, you still haven't woken up? How could you be fired if Shadow hadn't even recruited anyone until now? All right, come quickly."
Blackie had disconnected the call before Shi Feng could reply.
When Shi Feng looked at his phone in bewilderment, he discovered that this old, damaged iPhone 6 was not his phone. The phone is the latest iPhone 12.
Immediately, Shi Feng inspected his surroundings.
What met his eyes was a messy room, no more than fifteen square meters. All around, there are books on game strategy. In the corner of the room, on the study table, there was a very outdated laptop. Inside the closet near the wall, there were clothes piled in a mess. Inside the closet, there was a mirror; a mirror that was currently showing a familiar face.
Shi Feng jumped in shock when he saw this extremely familiar face.
"How can I be young again?" Shi Feng immediately walked towards the mirror. Only after looking at the mirror, at the reflection shown on it, over and over again, Shi Feng confirmed that he had indeed become young again.
She slept in her luxurious and spacious room yesterday but now she was in this messy place after waking up. Not only that, he was also already young again.
Shi Feng could still recall some memories of this place. He lived here ten years ago. For more than six months, Shi Feng rented this place reluctantly, all so that he could play Gods Domain while also lecturing. Only after he had earned money in Gods Domain did he rent a large condo.
Shi Feng thought back to those difficult years. His family was not in good condition at the time. In order for Shi Feng to enter university, his parents had accumulated debts. Even so, Shi Fengs parents still made sure to send him sufficient living expenses each month, enduring the suffering, alone, in return.
Shi Feng wholeheartedly wanted to change the state of his family. However, finding a high-paying job while the streets were filled with university graduates was extremely difficult; so he thought of the highly profitable Virtual Reality game. Setting professional gamers as his goal, he even bought a Virtual Gaming Helmet, training hard in the game to improve his skills.
During that time, bread and instant noodles became his daily meal. To save money, she also avoids participating in social gatherings held by her classmates, causing her to become an invisible existence in her class. The boys would look at him with disdain, while the girls would distance themselves from him. Every time Shi Feng went shopping for glass noodles, his wallet would have no more than 10 Credits. He did not even dare to buy a ham sausage that only required one credit. Poor thing, the female salesman there has offered her ham sausage at a discount. However, the feeling of his empty wallet made Shi Feng refuse reluctantly.
"Did someone prank me?"
Shi Feng looked at his younger self through the mirror and in the familiar surroundings. Shi Feng could not help but shake his head, denying such a conclusion.
Even America, as the most advanced country in the world, does not have such rejuvenation technology. Besides, who would play a joke with a poor old uncle like him?
Shi Feng looked at the time on his phone.
19th-April-2129's chat.
"Don't tell me I'm reincarnated?" Shi Fengs face showed a bitter smile.
He remembered today the 5th of August, in the year 2139. It couldn't have been April 2129, the year he was still in college.
Shi Feng shook his head, trying to wake himself up. However, deep down, he still held a thread of hope, hoping that he could reincarnate, going back to ten years ago. He walked towards the table, turned on the laptop.
Even if the time on his phone could be faked, the information on the internet definitely could not.
After browsing the web for a few minutes. . .
"I've really reincarnated! Did I really go back to ten years ago?" Shi Feng sternly stared at the news report about Gods Domain, emotional tears flowing from the corner of his eyes.
Shi Fengs feelings were hard to explain at that moment. He felt regret, sadness, and joy.
It was as if everything before him was just a dream.
Nonetheless, the chirping of insects and the cold wind blowing from the AC said otherwise, that everything was real.
Looking at his phone, on the family photo he took upon entering the university, Shi Feng never realized that his parents were white-haired. The corners of his mother's eyes even had wrinkles. They were no longer as lively as before; they were really old now.
A year and a half had passed since the Liberation of Gods Domain when Shi Feng noticed the age of his parents. Huge amounts of debt, overwork, and stress have caused both parents to fall ill, seriously ill. Healing them required millions of Credits but, during that time, Shi Feng was only the captain of the troops in Shadow. The money he earned was far from enough to pay such a high fee.
Shi Feng tried everything to raise enough money, yet it was still not enough. Even with trying everything, Shi Fengs parents still left him a few months later.
In his previous life, he failed to properly care for his parents. How could he know about pain and suffering?
After Shi Feng earned millions of Credits, this pain remained in Shi Fengs heart for good.
He never thought fate would play tricks on him. He suddenly returned to the starting point, starting to rise from zero.
"Great! This is too great! Ahaha! Since I have reincarnated, I have to change everything. I'll get enough money to heal mom and dad and I'll let them live their lives without worrying." Shi Feng secretly swore to himself as he wiped away the tears.
Just as Shi Feng planned his future, Blackie's call came ringing again, constantly urging Shi Feng to go quickly to university for the exam.
However, Shi Feng was in no hurry. He dressed casually, tidied himself up before heading to Jin Hai University.
He could not be more familiar with Shadow.
Shi Feng still remembered. It was when he was in college that Lan Hua Group's precious son, Lan Hai Long, started Shadow Workshop to enter Gods Domain. Lan Hai Long also invested considerable funds into the recruitment of student experts from Jin Hai University. Shi Feng participated in the Shadow examination at that moment, successfully becoming a core member of the Workshop; whereas Blackie became an outside member. Shi Feng had been happy for quite some time after that incident.
After three years under Shi Fengs leadership, Shadow Workshop allowed Lan Hua Group to benefit greatly from Gods Domain, quickly becoming a large financial group. However, Shi Feng would never have thought that Lan Hai Long would be the one to fire him, personally.
Since he had reincarnated, he had an absolute advantage in the Gods Domain that no one else had. Naturally, he would not join Shadow to become a tool that benefited others. He wanted to take a different path; a path in which he fought not for others, but for himself. He wanted to eliminate the need for his parents to send him living expenses. He wanted to pay off all the debts they had accumulated. To do that, he wanted to be brave, to start his own Workshop, to start his own company, and to build his own virtual empire.
As soon as Shi Feng arrived at Teaching Block 1, he saw a thin and tall figure in front of the building. The tanned youth paced the hallway in panic; this person was Blackie.
"Sister Feng, you have finally decided to appear. Fortunately, the registration has not closed yet, so let's hurry up and register," Blackie said anxiously after seeing Shi Feng.
Shi Feng shook his head, seriously saying, "Blackie, I did not join Shadow; I will open my own Workshop. Will you join me?"
Blackie was someone Shi Feng had met in another Virtual Reality game and the former had quite good skills. The two of them had faced many challenges together and they were no different from true brothers at this moment. During their time together working in Shadow, Blackie showed great talent in administration, even though he lacked the talent to play the game. He managed the hundred thousand Guild members clearly and regularly. If Shi Feng had Blackie's help this time around, his plan would have been a step ahead. However, he would respect Blackie's decision. It was because Shi Feng had nothing right now, and the state of the Blackie family was not so good either. Blackie simply chose to become a professional gamer and joined Shadow to earn some Credits for living expenses.
Blackie pranked at Shi Fengs words, lowering his head in silence. It was too sudden. Not only that, the Shi Feng he saw today felt different. Unlike his usual impatient attitude, Shi Feng currently gave off an unshakable and confident aura.
After a full minute, Blackie raised his head to look at Shi Feng.
"Brother Feng, stop talking nonsense. Do you know how much a Virtual Gaming Helmet costs? That's 8,000 credits. You also need at least six people to start the Workshop. What about work, salary, and more? Just the initial funding will require seventy to eighty thousand. There is also continued investment. That's a lot of credit. Do you have a lot of Credits right now? " Blackie was well aware of Shi Fengs state. He knew Shi Fengs household was not prosperous, so he wanted to persuade Shi Feng away from this kind of crazy thinking.
"You're right. Right now, I don't even have the Credits for Gods Virtual Gaming Domain Helmet." Shi Feng nodded in agreement. It was just like Blackie said. Even just seventy to eighty thousand was considered a small number. Shi Feng remembered Lan Hai Long had spent over 5,000,000 Credits on the hundred-man Workshop he had recruited. He also spent more on the later stages to improve the quality and strength of the Workshop.
"Since this is true, rather than taking risks, isn't it safer to join Shadow? At the very least, Shadow can give us a Virtual Game Helmet. Otherwise, forget about being a professional player; we won't even be able to play the game. "Seeing that Shi Feng understood the crux of the matter, Blackie heaved a sigh of relief as he pulled Shi Feng into the teaching block.
Shi Feng released Blackie's hand, staring at Blackie sharply before saying in a serious tone, "I still plan on starting my own Workshop. I don't want to be controlled by anyone else. So, Blackie, will you join me?"
Shi Feng would not force Blackie because he had no guarantees. He also could not reveal the secret that he had reincarnated. He could only hope that Blackie would believe him.
Seeing Shi Fengs serious expression, Blackie felt Shi Feng acting strangely today. It's insanity. Everyone knows you cannot earn money during the initial period of virtual gaming. Did Shi Feng have a way to make money in Gods Domain? Even if they make money, it will happen after a few months. They don't have much time to spend.
After hesitating for some time, Blackie reluctantly replied, "I understand. You're boss. I'll start the Workshop along with you but what about the Virtual Game Helmet? We can't play the game without them, right ? "
Shi Fengs toned brows immediately relaxed as he happily patted Blackie on the shoulder, saying, "Now this is my good brother! Don't worry about the gambling helmet. I remembered that Gods Domain had a trial period available to students. Every university has a distribution point and, as long as you show them your student identification, then, for ten days, you can get a free gaming helmet. Let's go and see it. "
"What do we do after ten days?" Blackie's tanned face turned pale, suddenly feeling his future pitch-black. Why should he trust Shi Feng? Could it be Shi Fengs confidence and steadiness? There would be no problem exploring together with Shi Feng, right?
What can you do with ten days in Gods Domain?
They would definitely lose the Workshop recruitment period after ten days. In the end, they still had to buy a gaming helmet but where did the money come from?
Even professional gamers with groups would not be able to earn 16,000 Credits within ten days of the opening of Gods Domain.
"Make the money matter to me."
Shi Feng revealed a confident smile as he patted Blackie on the shoulder.
Earning 16,000 Credits in ten days was indeed truly a fantasy. However, he had the spirit as a reincarnated person. No matter what the challenge was, he would break through everything and the release of Gods Domain was the starting point of his awakening.
Following which, Shi Feng brought Blackie to pick up the virtual gaming helmet. He then used all his money to buy two large boxes of instant noodles, placing them under his desk in his rental home. They were enough to last for more than ten days. After briefing Blackie on some matters in Gods Domain, Shi Feng quietly waited for the opening of Gods Domain.
April 25th, 9pm. Inside the dark and silent room, a few glimmers of light flashed alive.
Shi Feng lay on his bed, gently pressing the start button as he closed his eyes.
"God Domain, I'm coming."