“Ding! ‘Path of Tao’ has finished downloading. Would you like to enter the game now?”

“Of course!”

Lin Nan excitedly climbed into the game pod.

The developer of this game was Universe Entertainment, whose previous MMORPG, “Overlord,” had also been Lin Nan’s favorite.  
In “Overlord,” Lin Nan’s female Xiaoyao Sword Immortal character had once ranked seventh on the server-wide PvP leaderboard.  

Considering that “Overlord” was practically a nationwide phenomenon—nearly every young person played it—and that the game was entirely free-to-play with only time-based fees (and even featured perfectly balanced PvP arenas that neutralized equipment advantages), reaching the top ten through pure skill was truly extraordinary, a testament to Lin Nan’s exceptional reflexes and micro-control.

However, with the launch of “Path of Tao,” interest in “Overlord” had quickly faded.  
After all, “Path of Tao” was the world’s very first full-immersion xianxia (immortal cultivation) MMORPG—a groundbreaking milestone in gaming history. Compared to such an innovation, older 3D games confined to computer screens simply couldn’t compete.

On the very day “Path of Tao” opened registration and login, “Overlord” officially shut down its servers.  
Players barely had time to voice complaints before they were swept away by the grand, majestic world of “Path of Tao.”

According to official promotions, the game world of “Path of Tao” was nearly equivalent to an alternate Earth set in a xianxia universe. Time flowed at the same rate as in the real world, and every major in-game event occurred only once—unlike traditional MMOs where any player with sufficient resources could repeatedly farm bosses or gear. Moreover, NPCs in “Path of Tao” possessed true life; if they died, they were gone forever, never respawning.

In other words: the earlier you logged in, the greater your advantage.

Thus, a massive wave of players rushed into the game the moment registration opened—including Lin Nan.

But what he didn’t notice was that his old “Overlord” client hadn’t fully closed. Even though the servers were down, for some inexplicable reason, the image of his ethereal, graceful female Sword Immortal still stood atop a towering mountain peak—her robes fluttering gently as she gazed down upon an endless sea of clouds.

“Logging into game… Loading…”

Lin Nan’s consciousness instantly materialized within a vast, empty three-dimensional space. Perhaps to help players acclimate to full-immersion gameplay, the area was roughly the size of a football field, allowing free movement.

“Welcome to ‘Path of Tao’…”

Lin Nan immediately skipped the system’s introductory narration and went straight to the most pressing question: Could he create a female character?  
Life was already tough enough—why would anyone want to stare at burly, sweaty male backs in-game when sleek, elegant female figures were far more appealing?  
If he could control a female avatar in a full-immersion game, wouldn’t that be absolutely thrilling?

However, the character creation rules clearly stated:  
“Players may only create characters matching their real-life gender. Facial features can be adjusted within 20% of the player’s actual appearance.”

“What the hell?! This game is seriously rigged! No female character? Then what’s even the point of playing?!”

But… he sighed. “Path of Tao” was just too revolutionary. No other game could compare.

“Detection complete: You already have an account registered in ‘Overlord.’ Would you like to log in with your existing account or create a new one?”  
A soft female voice echoed in his ears.

Using his old account was obviously more convenient—no need to re-register a username or password.

“I’ll use my existing account,” Lin Nan said.

In the next instant, his entire form was projected before him.

Lin Nan was reasonably handsome—if he didn’t adjust anything, his avatar would still look decent. But why not make himself even more striking?

Just as he was fine-tuning his facial structure to achieve the perfect jawline, the space around him suddenly trembled. All on-screen parameters glitched and scrambled.

“Hey! I spent all this time adjusting my face, and you mess it up right before I confirm?!”

Lin Nan shouted furiously into the void.

Immediately afterward, the entire space plunged into utter darkness. A repetitive, urgent alarm blared from above:  
“Warning… Warning… Data error… Rebooting…”

In an instant, Lin Nan lost consciousness entirely. Back in the real world, his physical body inside the game pod vanished without a trace.

When he awoke, more than a month had passed since the official launch of “Path of Tao.”  
Of course, he had no idea.

Consciousness slowly returned. Before his eyes lay a steep, craggy mountainside. He lay sprawled across a broad, flat boulder.  
Where am I?

He clearly remembered being in the initial setup space, adjusting his facial parameters—how did he end up here in the blink of an eye?  
Could this be the newbie village?

Lin Nan stood up slowly and looked around. Beyond a short distance, thick mist obscured everything. Beneath his feet was hard, black ground veined with strange markings—and upon closer inspection, a faint red liquid was seeping continuously from cracks in the stone.  
This place definitely didn’t feel “righteous.”

Had the system randomly assigned him to some villainous faction?

After all, one of “Path of Tao”’s advertised features was total freedom—including faction choice.  
In “Overlord,” his character had been a pure, elegant disciple of a righteous sect—always clad in white robes, admired wherever she went. He’d fully intended to continue that immortal cultivator fantasy in “Path of Tao,” but instead, the system dumped him straight into this godforsaken wasteland.

And then—something felt off.  
He suddenly realized… he was now female.

Just by glancing down, his view of the ground was completely blocked by a prominent chest. The slightest movement sent ripples through his upper body.  
“What the—this game’s realism is insane!”

His attire was a ghostly black silk gown, and slung across his back was a pitch-black sheathed sword.  
He drew the blade—its entire length was obsidian black, the polar opposite of the luminous, sacred sword he’d used in “Overlord.”  
This had to be a villain archetype—no doubt about it.

Being able to play as a female character was great—but did it have to come with a dark faction tag?

“System! Hey, system! This is your fault! Can’t you let me re-roll my character? I don’t want to be a villain! I want to be a pure, snow-white, ethereal immortal maiden!”

After two loud calls, the system finally responded—not with words, but by silently displaying a data panel before his eyes.

Name: Lin Nan  
Gender: Female  
Level: 1  
Faction: Unknown  
Skill 1: Black Snow (Level 1 – damage scales with “Coldness Value”; effect unknown)  
Skill 2: Flowing Wind (Level 1 – mobility skill; consumes stamina, no cooldown)  
Skill 3: Phantom Sea (Level 1 – exclusive to Blackwind Sword; cooldown unknown)  
(Note: All skills can be upgraded, but skill level cannot exceed character level.)

Talent: Passive EXP Growth – Gains 5% of current EXP every 24 hours.  
(Activation condition: Coldness Value must remain above 100. Current Coldness Value: 10. Below 100, this talent becomes inactive.)

Outfit: Black Radiance Gown – Grants +10% to all stats; attacks inflict poison, dealing 5% of target’s current HP as damage per second.

Weapon: Blackwind Sword – Comes with built-in “Intimidation” buff. Automatically triggers upon unsheathing. Stuns enemies below Level 30 for 1 second (duration scales with level). Buff cooldown: 1 hour. (Upgradable; upgrade conditions unknown.)

Lin Nan scanned the screen—confused yet thrilled.

Was this the standard newbie package in “Path of Tao”?

He was only Level 1! Yet the game handed him a full set of gear and a weapon with outstanding stats.  
This sheer black gown was practically end-game legendary gear—if this existed in “Overlord,” players would’ve killed each other for it.  
And the Blackwind Sword? A true artifact! A one-second AoE stun was an incredibly powerful crowd-control ability—imagine swinging it in a group battle; it could potentially wipe out entire teams.

Could it be that in “Path of Tao,” such gear was handed out like cabbage to every new player? If so, the developers were absurdly generous—and the game would be flooded with overpowered players!

And that passive EXP talent, though seemingly minor, was actually insane. Sure, 5% daily growth sounded small—but at higher levels, where EXP requirements ballooned into millions, this passive would let him level up almost effortlessly. It was practically cheating!

Trying to calm his racing heart, Lin Nan reread the panel carefully—then froze.

There was no “Log Out” option.

No matter how hard he searched, he couldn’t find the logout button. Panic began to set in.  
What’s going on?

The system remained utterly silent—like it had died.

Then he remembered: game pod regulations mandated that players could stay immersed for a maximum of 8 hours before being forcibly logged out, followed by a mandatory 2-hour cooldown. This was a national anti-addiction measure.

So even if he couldn’t log out manually, he’d be ejected automatically once the time limit hit. He could always file a complaint with the game company afterward.

But for now, with the system ignoring him completely, he might as well explore.

Though he was dying to understand this new body, he was alone in the wilderness—if some pervert suddenly appeared, he’d be in serious trouble. After all, in “Path of Tao,” everyone’s avatar likely matched their real gender.

Even if this was a villain’s starting zone, there should at least be a tutorial NPC! But after scouring the entire hillside, he found no one—not even a ghost.

Was the system personally offended by him? Aside from giving him a female avatar and flashy gear, everything else had gone wrong.

“This is so annoying! So annoying!” Lin Nan couldn’t help but shout.

“Coldness Value –5. Current Coldness Value: 5. Warning: If your Coldness Value reaches zero, your passive talent may be permanently disabled.”

The system’s voice suddenly chimed in his mind.

“Ugh! You ignore me when I call, but pop up just to mock me?!”

Stay calm. Stay calm.

He was now, technically, a “playfully cute” beauty—but without a mirror, he couldn’t even see his own face. And now the system was forcing him to adopt a stoic, icy persona. Fine. For the sake of that passive EXP talent… I’ll endure it.

Lin Nan suppressed his frustration, smoothed his expression into serene indifference, and began walking with deliberate grace—as if he belonged here all along.

“Coldness Value +5.”

The lost points were restored.  
He’d just discovered the secret to raising his Coldness Value.

As he descended the mist-shrouded slope—outwardly composed, inwardly panicking—a sudden gust of wind blew from below, scattering the fog.

And revealed more than a hundred heavily armed men and women in rugged combat attire, standing just 60 meters away.

They froze the moment they saw Lin Nan.

Before them stood a tall, pale woman draped in flowing black robes. Her long black hair whipped in the wind, a black-sheathed sword strapped to her back, and even her lips carried a faint bluish tint. She radiated chilling, otherworldly aura.

Not a single person dared move.

Could she… be the hidden boss of this map?