Chapter 224 – Breaching the Sanctuary

Holy Light Sanctuary had been quiet lately. Players from other servers, after repeated defeats, gradually retreated. Meanwhile, the main forces of the Sanctuary, after dominating the battlefield, also suffered consecutive losses on Huaxia Summit. As a result, they could only recuperate with nearly depleted MP bars. Thus, the entire server fell into a brief, delicate lull.

[Huaxia] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: The boss in Dragon River Cave has spawned.

[Huaxia] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: The Huasha Mermaid dropped a legendary Golden Fin Staff.

[Huaxia] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: The Dimensional Rift has spawned.

[Huaxia] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: The Dimensional Rift wiped out the Dragon Soars Tiger Roars squad.

[Huaxia] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: Okay, I was lying. You guys never chat anymore—at least let me post some ads…

Thousand Mountains pushed away his keyboard, idly twisted open a cola, gulped down half the bottle in one go, then tilted his head back and sighed at the ceiling: “Life is so fucking lonely…”

His only companion, Mountain Pup Lu, empathized deeply: “Woof!”

After nearly dozing off and almost falling off his chair, Thousand Mountains suddenly jolted awake and noticed an extra figure on his screen. His character, No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains, was currently in the vast desert, where the only things within a hundred miles were swirling yellow sand, scuttling venomous scorpions, and a towering giant cactus. Standing atop the cactus, he was safe from scorpion attacks and could bask in the sun while overlooking the sparse landscape—creating an atmosphere somewhat similar to Wong Kar-wai’s Ashes of Time.

But now, among the scorpions, stood a healer girl.

This girl wasn’t tall, wearing a mismatched set of level 65 gear—some blue, some orange—but none of it was top-tier. Just by looking, it was clear she had scavenged drops from mobs while leveling, cobbling together this shabby outfit.

Though her attire was unimpressive, her playstyle immediately caught Thousand Mountains’ attention—Willow Leaf Blade, Five Animals Play, Zephyr Jinx, Crimson Lotus Holy Fire, Willow Leaf Blade, Five Animals Play… cycling endlessly.

She was a healer, yet she didn’t use a single support skill. Only when her HP was nearly depleted would she toss herself a minor heal before charging back into the fray. It was a relentless, blood-soaked massacre—every strike precise, every hit devastating!

[Local] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: Which guild are you from? Leveling an alt?

A cold—no, hot—wind blew by. No response.

[Local] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: Hey girl, I’m talking to you.

Still silence.

Thousand Mountains grinned and, under the pretense of patting her shoulder, sent a Five Animals Play her way.

The person below either didn’t notice or was too engrossed in slaughtering scorpions to care.

Thousand Mountains smirked and followed up with a Zephyr Jinx—this time, a playful pinch on the cheek.

Turns out, while a girl’s shoulder could be patted, her cheeks were not to be casually pinched. In the blink of an eye, the girl had already dashed to the base of the cactus and retaliated with a Willow Leaf Blade!

Thousand Mountains took the hit head-on, expecting to start a conversation. Instead, she immediately began channeling Crimson Lotus Holy Fire!

Thousand Mountains was thrilled. Aside from his fellow troublemakers in the Dutch Chamber of Commerce, it had been years since he encountered someone in Holy Light Sanctuary bold enough to PK him. Without hesitation, he cast Trickling Stream on himself, leaped down from the cactus, landed squarely in front of her, and countered with a Willow Leaf Blade!

He thought this would mark the start of an exciting duel, but as he prepared to channel Crimson Lotus Holy Fire, he realized her HP bar was already nearly empty after just three of his minor attacks. It dawned on him—she was not only five levels lower than him but also equipped with gear straight out of the Qin Dynasty’s underground palace.

Thousand Mountains loved PK, but he despised bullying. He stopped his casting, ready to reason with her and win her over with sincerity. But before he could type, the little healer vanished, leaving only swirling yellow sand and a system message on the screen—

[System] Foxy Pear has logged out.

Thud—

Smack—

Crack—

“Keyboards are studio property. You don’t have to love them, but you can’t abuse them.” Today was Zheng Xi’s first day at work. Though Fang Zheng had told himself to “trust those you employ, employ those you trust,” given the newcomer’s notorious past, he couldn’t sit still at home and had come to the internet café. The moment he arrived, he saw the new employee brutalizing a poor keyboard. “What’s wrong? What pissed you off so much?”

Zheng Xi glanced at Fang Zheng, as if trying to hold back but failing. “The account you gave me is so trashy. I almost got two-shot by someone.”

Fang Zheng leaned his round face closer to Zheng Xi’s sharp features and patiently explained, “First, that’s a client’s account, not yours. We’re just power-leveling it. Second, the client’s request was to reach max level, not gear up or pick fights. So having something to wear is already a luxury. Want me to give you a level zero account so you can experience true minimalism?”

Zheng Xi scoffed but didn’t argue further. Fang Zheng sighed inwardly. Cultivating a ‘pillar of society’ was no easy task.

In truth, assigning Zheng Xi a nearly max-level account was a carefully considered decision by the studio partners. Since they couldn’t fully trust him yet, they couldn’t hand over valuable accounts or invitation codes from their new game. So they gave him this nearly max-level power-leveling job in Huaxia Online—both to test his skills and because, even if he messed up, it was only a minor loss of a couple hundred bucks.

Perhaps venting to the boss had calmed him down. Zheng Xi pulled his keyboard back and logged into the game.

Curious, Fang Zheng stepped behind him to observe. He wanted to see just how bad Fifth Brother’s account was and to assess Zheng Xi’s skills up close. Soon, the screen displayed an endless desert and a towering cactus, with a faint figure in the distance. Fang Zheng leaned in, squinting—

Zheng Xi: “Hey, why are you grabbing my mouse and keyboard?!”

Fang Zheng: “Adult matters are beyond you. Let me handle this—HAHAHAHAHA!”

Thousand Mountains had expected her to log back in, but not this quickly. He thought it’d take at least an hour, but she reappeared after just ten minutes.

However, the “girl” post-break seemed a bit different—

[Local] Foxy Pear: You almost killed me just now TAT

[Local] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: You smartly logged out.

[Local] Foxy Pear: What else could I do? My gear is trash, my level is low—how could I fight you? >_<

[Local] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: …

[Local] Foxy Pear: PK like this isn’t fair at all!

[Local] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: Definitely a crossplayer¹Crossplayer: someone who plays a character of the opposite gender..

[Local] Foxy Pear: Oh, you found out! ~\(≧▽≦)/

[Local] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: Real girls tend to be shy. They wouldn’t act like you…

Thousand Mountains had intended to say “playful,” but after struggling, he couldn’t bring himself to type it. For some reason, this crossplayer gave off a strangely familiar vibe—as if calling him “playful” would be an insult to the word itself.

[Local] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: Whatever. Long story short—you’re lower level, worse geared. PK’ing you would be bullying. But I like your playstyle. How about this: I’ll help you max out, then we’ll do a naked PK?

[Local] Foxy Pear: The last two words didn’t get censored?! That’s not scientific! (⊙o⊙)！

[Local] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: NO MORE EMOTICONS!!

[Local] Foxy Pear: Why?

Because they triggered some very unpleasant memories.

[Local] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: Just don’t use them. No questions.

[System] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains has invited you to join his party.

At his computer, Fang Zheng clicked “Accept” while lamenting. Holding back the tildes was hard enough—now no emoticons either?! Was there no humanity left?!

Though Zheng Xi still looked annoyed at being usurped, internally, he’d raised his rating of Fang Zheng from 2 to 8. After all, all he could do was log off after making an enemy, while Fang Zheng had turned that enemy into free labor within a minute of logging back in.

Still, a boss who insisted on using emoticons in every sentence was undeniably mentally unstable.

For the next two hours, Thousand Mountains single-mindedly power-leveled Foxy Pear. They started by farming world bosses, then gathered a few friends to clear an endgame dungeon—truly a modern-day Good Samaritan.

Fang Zheng wanted to PK Thousand Mountains, not level, so Zheng Xi took back control after the first few minutes. Fang Zheng watched from the sidelines, occasionally explaining background lore like “Dutch Chamber of Commerce is Holy Light Sanctuary’s top legion,” “This Burn Newspaper to Feed Ghosts guy is Thousand Mountains’ buddy,” and “Their leader is Don’t Stop the Meds, but he’s been laying low lately.”

While running the dungeon, Fang Zheng also observed Zheng Xi’s gameplay. The kid’s hands were unbelievably nimble—not in the same way as Your Sister’s god-tier APM, where attacks, jumps, and item usage came in an overwhelming, nonstop barrage. Zheng Xi’s speed was fast but not about cramming the most actions into the shortest time. Instead, he seamlessly integrated precise, well-timed inputs—even if the skills were mapped to distant hotkeys. His judgment was razor-sharp, too. Despite having the worst gear in the party, he kept his HP safely above the danger line the entire time.

After the dungeon, the group dispersed, and Thousand Mountains and Foxy Pear returned to the desert where they’d first met.

For the dungeon run, Thousand Mountains had lent Zheng Xi some non-binding orange-tier gear. Now that he was max level, Zheng Xi stripped the gear and returned it.

Thousand Mountains was surprised. Though the gear wasn’t worth much, he hadn’t asked for it back, assuming Zheng Xi would keep it—after all, his original set was abysmal.

[Local] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: Not keeping it?

[Local] Foxy Pear: No point.

[Local] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: It’s still better than what you’ve got.

[Local] Foxy Pear: She’ll farm her own. If you give it to her, she’ll just toss it.

[Local] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: She?

[Local] Foxy Pear: The client.

[Local] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: Client?

[Local] Foxy Pear: I’m a power-leveler.

[Local] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: WHAT?!

Fang Zheng: “You idiot—”

Both on and off-screen, two voices screeched at Zheng Xi simultaneously. Before he could react, Fang Zheng had already yanked him aside. Rubbing his stinging ears, Zheng Xi watched as his boss started typing furiously—

[Local] Foxy Pear: Don’t sweat the details! Come on, didn’t you want a naked PK? I’m ready! ~\(≧▽≦)/

[Local] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: …

The sight of the girl now only in her underwear was so striking that Thousand Mountains forgot all about the power-leveling revelation, the oddly familiar “don’t sweat the details” line, or the whiplash between dry and overly expressive speech. He stripped off his own gear, brandished his hammer, and charged!

Three minutes later—

Zheng Xi: “You died so fast.”

Fang Zheng: “Go away >_<"

Five minutes later—

Zheng Xi: “You died again.”

Fang Zheng: “Mistake >_<"

Seven minutes later—

Zheng Xi: “If you really have beef with him, you should practice before—”

Meng Chudong: “Why are you two crowding around one computer?”

Fang Zheng: “Birdy, they’re bullying me!!!”

Meng Chudong: “Oh, power-leveling a Holy Light Sanctuary account? Did you try trolling Thousand Mountains and get insta-killed?”

Fang Zheng: “…”

Zheng Xi: “…”

The long-awaited PK wasn’t as satisfying as Thousand Mountains had hoped. Though he admired his opponent’s persistence, he’d been looking for a DPS healer—someone who fought aggressively. Yet the moment they dueled, his opponent defaulted to healing, despite showing no such tendency while farming mobs.

Just as he was about to call it quits, another Zephyr Jinx flew his way.

Thousand Mountains initially wanted to end the fight, but he quickly noticed a shift in tactics—his opponent had returned to the reckless, no-holds-barred style from earlier, with movement even sharper and more precise than before!

Instantly reinvigorated, Thousand Mountains threw himself into the battle!

This duel dragged on endlessly—close-quarters brawling, kiting, even using the giant cactus as cover to evade him multiple times. Worse, after so long without high-intensity PK, Thousand Mountains’ fingers began to ache. And in that brief moment of distraction—

It was over.

Thousand Mountains slammed his keyboard, howled at the ceiling, and pounded his chest, wishing he could turn back time.

Though he might have felt better knowing his opponent wasn’t fighting alone.

Zheng Xi finally lifted his fingers from the keyboard. Though not sore, the prolonged high-speed inputs had left him fatigued. Still, he had to admit—Meng Chudong’s tactical guidance was masterful. Without him, Zheng Xi would’ve been flattened in two minutes. Of course, his other boss had contributed too—providing a constant BGM for morale support.

[Megaphone] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: Damn it, mourning me? Revive me already!

Zheng Xi facepalmed and cast Resurrection.

But the megaphone message drew the attention of Holy Light Sanctuary’s gossipmongers—

[Huaxia] X: What did I just see? Thousand Mountains died? HAHAHAHA

[Huaxia] Scholar Lu: Coords, please! I need to witness this!

[Huaxia] Mocha: Newspaper said you were helping someone run an endgame dungeon earlier. How’d you die so fast?

[Huaxia] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: Misclick.

Can’t you guys come up with a fresher excuse?

Though new to Huaxia Online, Zheng Xi had already grasped the game’s ethos—dying was fine, but admitting defeat was not. In short: Never surrender, even in death.

[Local] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: Again.

[Local] Foxy Pear: Losing once is a misclick. Losing twice means you’re outmatched.

[Local] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: Well done, kid. You’ve successfully earned my attention. I’m putting you second on my blocklist.

[Local] Foxy Pear: Who’s first?

[Local] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: A trash guild that never honors PK agreements.

[Local] Foxy Pear: Oh.

Zheng Xi had asked casually, with no real interest in the drama. But when the singing lunatic boss suddenly excused himself to the bathroom, and the prophetic boss started humming, Zheng Xi sensed that this “oath-breaking guild” might hide secrets he wasn’t privy to.

The next round of PK was no longer a quiet one-on-one. Nearly every online player in Holy Light Sanctuary rushed to the scene, turning the desert into a crowded train station during the New Year migration—after all, fewer than three people in the entire server could take down Thousand Mountains, and now some no-name had done it! How could they miss the live show?

Thousand Mountains felt a bit aggrieved. PK tactics often relied on gear advantages. Stripped of equipment, everyone was on equal footing—skills dealt identical damage, turning the duel into a tedious game of cat-and-mouse. But that was precisely why he’d proposed naked PK—because in Holy Light Sanctuary, almost no one had better gear than him, let alone a newbie like Foxy Pear. He wanted a pure, unadulterated duel.

While Holy Light Sanctuary spectated en masse, Fang Zheng and Meng Chudong returned to their roles—one providing BGM, the other tactical guidance—empowering Zheng Xi for the ultimate showdown!

Same desert, but now with hundreds of spectators serving as makeshift cover!

Foxy Pear darted through the crowd like lightning, with Thousand Mountains hot on her heels but unable to land a hit!

Though Holy Light Sanctuary’s players enjoyed seeing Thousand Mountains struggle—

[Local] Ever Bright: At this rate, the PK won’t end until nightfall.

[Local] Dutch Souvenir: Thousand Mountains isn’t exactly a gentleman, but Foxy Pear’s tactics are downright dirty.

[Local] X: Ugh, “dirty” just reminds me of Ghost Server…

[Local] Rain Ceases: Why bring them up in Holy Light Sanctuary’s pristine lands?

[Local] Half-Idle: But the fact that Thousand Mountains can’t catch her means she’s no pushover.

The audience grew impatient, and so did the combatants—

“Can’t we just brawl? This chase is endless!” Zheng Xi wanted to switch from fleeing to fighting.

“High-level PK is about endurance,” Meng Chudong said truthfully, though he respected Zheng Xi’s preference. “But if you’re okay with losing as long as you fight your way, go for it.”

Zheng Xi smirked. While he wasn’t indifferent to victory, he relished the thrill of close combat more than the outcome!

On-screen, the fleeing healer suddenly skidded to a halt and spun around to face her pursuer!

Thousand Mountains paused, then grinned—Finally, a real fight!

The crowd perked up—Finally, a real fight!

Fang Zheng understood—Finally…

[System] Dimensional Rift, activated.

“Wait, don’t fight yet—”

Zheng Xi, mid-combo, nearly dropped his mouse at the sudden shout. Thousand Mountains seized the opening and struck first. Just as Zheng Xi prepared to counter, Fang Zheng yelled, “Keep running!”

Zheng Xi didn’t fully grasp the order, but his hands reacted faster than his brain—his healer was already sprinting away, restarting the chase.

Fang Zheng glanced at Birdy, who smiled knowingly before he could even speak: “Get ready to post on the forums.”

…

The PK lasted twenty minutes, ending with Zheng Xi’s defeat.

But Thousand Mountains wasn’t celebrating, because—

[Huaxia] [Huaxia Summit] Polly: So this is Holy Light Sanctuary? Not bad.

[Huaxia] [Huaxia Summit] Polly: Can someone screenshot this for me? My angle doesn’t do it justice—can’t capture the grandeur.

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  Crossplayer: someone who plays a character of the opposite gender.