The process of memorizing the code left Feng Qi thoroughly frustrated.
After several hours of effort, he had barely memorized a small portion of it. Completing the entire code seemed like an insurmountable task, given the sheer volume of content.
Unlike memorizing cultivation techniques, the game's code presented a different challenge. Feng Qi had no prior knowledge of programming, so he lacked the contextual continuity needed to retain the information. Each character had to be memorized in isolation before being mentally strung together.
After hours of struggling, he decided to abandon the effort temporarily.
He resolved to study programming languages when he returned to the real world. Familiarizing himself with the underlying concepts would make the memorization process more manageable.
Otherwise, relying solely on memory to record the entire code would be as futile as trying to extinguish a blazing fire with a single glass of water.
More importantly, any alterations to history could potentially change parts of the code. If he couldn't memorize the game in its entirety during a single timeline, too many variables would be introduced.
Thus, he made the tough decision to let it go. At least until his memory improved significantly, he wouldn't pursue this avenue further.
Despite this, an intriguing idea surfaced in his mind during the memorization process.
The super virtual game in historical records primarily revolved around a multiplayer online battle format, akin to the MOBA games of the pre-catastrophe era.
The core concept was rooted in thousands of reality-based replicated techniques, simulated physical environments, and a hyper-realistic physics engine.
Players could freely customize their techniques within the game and engage in ladder-matched battles with opponents of similar strength.
The modes ranged from 1v1 duels to 5v5 team battles, large-scale hundred-player skirmishes, and even massive battles involving tens of thousands of participants.
No matter the mode, the players' opponents were always other players.
This sparked a thought in Feng Qi's mind: why not create game scenarios where players could face off against domain creatures instead?
The concept was reminiscent of real-world domain fields.
The game's instances could be fictional, yet the domain creatures within them could draw inspiration directly from reality.
Just as the techniques in the game replicated real-world methods, the creatures' appearances, behaviors, and abilities could be faithfully recreated from real-world data.
Such an approach would allow players, especially domain combat squads, to train against difficult domain creatures within the safety of a virtual environment.
If this idea worked, it would drastically reduce casualties among domain combat squads while simultaneously increasing their efficiency in clearing domain fields.
Of course, this was still just a concept.
The fact that this feature didn't exist in historical records indicated that implementing domain instances must involve significant challenges.
But Feng Qi wasn't too concerned.
His goal was to plant the seed of the idea in the real world. From there, all he needed to do was wait for it to grow.
Even if it didn't succeed in one timeline, he had multiple 1,500-year cycles to refine and perfect the domain instance concept.
[Good thinking, Qi-ge! If this idea pans out, clearing domain fields will become so much easier. Combat training between humans is ultimately superficial—it's mainly useful for practicing technique proficiency and combat awareness. But humanity's true enemies are domain creatures, and fighting them introduces countless unpredictable variables.]
[However, you should prepare yourself mentally. If you plant this seed, the next time you enter the future dream, the amount of code in the super virtual game will likely multiply several times over. Without an infinite memory ability, you might just break down under the complexity of it all.]
Hearing this reminder, Feng Qi felt a chill run down his spine.
The looming specter of his receding hairline suddenly seemed much more tangible.
The current codebase already gave him a massive headache. If it multiplied in size, the difficulty of memorization would increase exponentially—a truly daunting prospect.
[So, which do you think is harder? Writing the code or memorizing it?]
"I don't know. I'll try learning some programming knowledge when I get back to the real world."
Setting aside the memorization of the super virtual game's code, Feng Qi closed the code interface and opened the cultivation technique library.
He began browsing for techniques to bring back to the real world.
Among the options, he found a two-star-rated body refinement combat technique called Dragon Seizing Technique.
Opening the technique's details page, he dove into the learning process.
Compared to memorizing code, memorizing a cultivation technique was a breeze. The continuous flow of text resembled a structured lesson, with clear progression and logical continuity.
Moreover, Feng Qi was already familiar with most of the technical terms, which further streamlined the process.
Within two hours, Feng Qi had successfully memorized the Dragon Seizing Technique. The increased efficiency brought about by his evolved memory left him in a good mood.
Having used up all his allotted access to cultivation techniques under the visitor permissions, he turned his attention to domain combat squad configurations.
This knowledge would help him assemble a domain combat squad capable of gathering resources to support his game development team and himself.
Typing keywords into the search bar, he pressed confirm, and relevant data began populating the screen.
As Feng Qi continued reviewing the materials, he gained a deeper understanding of the composition of domain combat squads.
Domain combat squads, as the name implied, were specialized groups of cultivators engaged in resource harvesting and clearing domain fields. They were categorized into small, medium, and large squads based on the number of members:
Small Squads: Minimum of 100 members.
Medium Squads: Start from 1,000 members.
Large Squads: Start from 10,000 members.
However, the true measure of a squad's strength wasn't its size but its comprehensive power rating.
Some squads had fewer members but boasted extraordinary collective strength. Many elite squads refused to recruit members with strength ratings below Bronze, prioritizing quality over quantity.
The reasoning was simple: top-tier squads typically tackled high-risk domain fields, where having weaker members meant diverting resources to protect them, ultimately reducing efficiency.
Thus, elite squads often adopted a streamlined "elite-focused" structure, with numbers being secondary to capability.
Squads were rated from E-tier to S-tier, with the highest echelon being the Top Ten Elite Squads, classified as Super S-tier.
The Dawn Squad, once led by Mu Qing, had at its peak been recognized as one of the Top Ten Elite Squads.
The makeup of a domain combat squad resembled the role configurations seen in video game raids but was significantly more intricate.
Members were broadly divided into three categories:
Main Combat Personnel
Resource Identification and Collection Personnel
Support Personnel
Within these categories, there were hundreds of sub-roles.
However, certain roles were universally crucial—primarily the combatants and healers/support staff, who formed the core of any squad.
Combat roles included:
Commander (Squad Leader): Oversees operations.
Main Damage Dealers: Responsible for heavy offense.
Tanks (Damage Absorption): Absorbs attacks and shields the team.
Secondary Combatants: Support damage dealers.
Spellcasters (Area Suppression): Provides ranged magical attacks.
Support roles included:
Healers: Critical for maintaining squad health.
Formation Specialists: Experts in crafting and maintaining tactical formations.
Crowd Controllers: Ensures battlefield control.
Logistics Support: Handles supplies and operational continuity.
The exact composition of a squad varied depending on the target domain field.
For instance, in elemental-focused domain fields, physical damage was ineffective against elemental creatures. Squads would often replace physical combatants with more spellcasters to counter the environment effectively.
Exploring the documentation, Feng Qi noted that future configurations were far more refined compared to those of his era.
Many new roles had emerged, but he quickly realized a major obstacle: these roles often required specialized cultivation techniques that didn't exist in the present day.
One such unique role was the Spirit Gatherer.
This profession, akin to a healer, required practitioners to learn specific techniques enabling them to harvest unique energy materials from slain domain creatures. These materials could then be processed into energy crystals, providing additional revenue streams for the squad.
Unfortunately, Feng Qi found that Spirit Gatherer techniques were rated three stars or higher in the archive, beyond the access level of his visitor permissions.
After searching for a while, he decided to abandon the effort.
He reasoned that trying to implement such future-specific configurations in his present era was impractical. Establishing an entirely new cultivation system required time and foundational work.
It was akin to how modern warfare tactics couldn't be retrofitted to a pre-modern era. The two contexts were fundamentally incompatible.
After reviewing the combat squad configurations, Feng Qi began searching for instructional videos on cultivation technique development.
Immersing himself in the material, he lost track of time.
Finally, the narrator's voice rang in his mind:
[Aren't you supposed to head to the fog region? Better get moving now—your buddy Little Black is en route with his trusty 40-meter blade. If you don't leave now, it's game over… although leaving is also game over.]
The reminder jolted Feng Qi from his study. He nodded decisively and headed toward the metal passageway without hesitation.
Upon exiting the passageway, he turned to glance eastward.
Little Black wasn't visible yet, but Feng Qi could feel the encroaching presence.
Switching from his human form to his battle form, he immediately began sprinting toward the fog region.
After a ten-minute dash, he arrived roughly ten meters from the edge of the fog.
Standing still for a moment, he observed the dense gray mist rolling before him, obscuring the landscape beyond.
Feng Qi gazed at the roiling gray-white mist of the fog region. Within its depths, ghostly figures flitted about, their faint, shadowy forms appearing and disappearing. Low, raspy whispers echoed through the air, breaking through the veil of fog to reach his ears.
Moments later, a familiar dark silhouette emerged from the distance. Little Black was swiftly approaching, its presence palpable even through the dense mist.
Seizing the moment, Feng Qi launched himself directly into the fog, his voice thundering:
"Lin Ran, come out and face me!"
The eerie whispers within the mist grew louder and more chaotic in response to his shout. Suddenly, a face formed entirely of mist materialized before him.
At that instant, Feng Qi felt his body freeze, immobilized by chains forged of the same dense mist.
"Who are you? Which faction do you belong to? What do you seek from me?" the face demanded, its tone cold and probing.
Feng Qi didn't know if Lin Ran had truly succeeded in parasitizing and taking over the consciousness of the Black Mist Lord as he'd claimed in the past. His decision to visit the fog region before leaving the future dream realm was to confirm that very possibility.
Summoning his resolve, he shouted again, "Lin Ran! It's me, Feng Qi!"
The mention of his name visibly startled the Black Mist Lord. Its expression shifted as if dredging up fragmented memories.
For several seconds, the face remained silent. Then its features twisted into shock and disbelief.
"Feng Qi? But... isn't he already dead?"
As the words left its mouth, the face contorted in pain. The misty visage began to collapse and reassemble, cycling between destruction and reformation.
The chains binding Feng Qi shattered, scattering into the surrounding fog. The mist itself churned violently, mirroring the internal struggle of the Black Mist Lord.
Witnessing this, Feng Qi's heart surged with joy.
Although he hadn't placed much hope in Lin Ran's ability to parasitize and seize control of the Black Mist Lord, the chaotic response before him was undeniable proof that Lin Ran's consciousness had indeed been awakened. Now, Lin Ran was battling for dominance.
"Lin Ran, you idiot! Push through! Beat him down!" Feng Qi shouted with fervor.
[Go, Right Guardian! Weakling Qi-ge desperately needs your protection!]
At that moment, Little Black arrived, its form dissolving into black mist as it began consuming the surrounding fog, advancing rapidly toward Feng Qi's position.
[Run! Don't let Little Black catch you! At least live long enough to see if Lin Ran actually pulls this off!]
Hearing the narrator's urgent warning, Feng Qi bolted deeper into the fog.
With his vision obscured by the dense mist, he stumbled blindly, colliding with trees along the way. Despite this, he managed to put some distance between himself and Little Black.
Meanwhile, Little Black's black mist continued to devour the fog, absorbing it as sustenance.
The malicious spirits within the fog, unshackled by the Mist Lord's control, launched themselves at Little Black in desperation. However, the spirits—composed entirely of negative energy—were utterly powerless against Little Black. They dissipated into nothingness the moment they made contact with its black mist.
The narrator, monitoring the events with its perception, was momentarily stunned by Little Black's capabilities.
[Good grief. Little Black seems even stronger than before. It's like an energy vacuum. What on earth did the Institute of Technological Research use to create this thing?]
[This thing is scarier than most domain creatures. I'd bet the Institute of Technological Research used some kind of super-advanced materials to create Little Black, something beyond common understanding.]
Running at full tilt, Feng Qi suddenly spoke: "And what about you? You can travel with me through timelines and live parasitically inside my body. What material were you made from?"
[How would I know? One moment, I opened my eyes and saw you—a confused zombie staring blankly at the blood moon. Then you slapped yourself twice, trying to confirm if you'd time-traveled. I was sitting there thinking, 'Great, my host's an idiot. This is a total loss.']
"Really?" Feng Qi asked, his tone dripping with skepticism.
[Cross my heart and hope to die.]
Before Feng Qi could retort, a new face of mist materialized ahead, blocking his path.
The misty visage's mouth opened slowly:
"Is it really you... Qi-ge? Are you... not dead?"