Chapter 1 Starting Over

It was late at night in Green Bamboo High-End Residential Area, Jin Hai City.

Shi Feng sat quietly on the soft leather sofa, a stack of documents in his hand. He gazed out at the swimming pool beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, filled with disappointment and resentment.

As the leader of Youying (Dark Shadow), one of the four major gaming studios in Jin Hai City, commanding a guild of tens of thousands of players, and known throughout Jin Hai City as the Sword Magician, he was now reduced to sitting at home, drowning his sorrows in alcohol.

Ten years in gaming.

Ten years of bloody battles.

He had endured countless hardships and finally led the Youying Guild to establish ten city-states in "God's Domain," ready to compete with first-rate guilds and enjoy endless glory. But with a single document, it all vanished like smoke, never to return.

Shi Feng never imagined that his ten years of effort would be in vain. He had sacrificed so much for the game, only to become a stepping stone for others. All because he opposed Youying's merger with the super guild Xiongba Tianxia (Dominate the World). The next day, the Lanhua Consortium gave him their answer: his level 200 Sword King account, painstakingly built over ten years, was deleted, and he was told to settle his wages at the finance department.

All he received was five million credits and a luxury house. Compared to the ten city-states he had established, a virtual kingdom that generated gold every day, it was nothing more than a drop in the bucket.

Shi Feng thought about how much he had contributed to Youying, how much of Lanhua Group's rise to become a large consortium was due to him, and yet he was discarded like trash. He vowed to take revenge for the Lanhua Consortium's actions.

"I will never let this go. At worst, I'll start all over again."

Confidence and determination flashed in Shi Feng's eyes as he tore the termination papers to shreds. He then picked up a bottle of red wine from the table and took several large gulps.

Even without the Sword King account, without the support of a team, the skills and knowledge he possessed within the game would not betray him. As long as he had the skill, he could still rise in God's Domain and build another virtual kingdom of his own.

Morning arrived, and the sun had just risen.

Didi Didi!

The phone rang incessantly.

Annoyed at being woken up, Shi Feng reluctantly reached for the phone on the bedside table, still dizzy from last night's hangover.

"Hello, what is it?"

"Feng-ge, it's Heizi (Blackie). What do you mean, what is it? We agreed to become professional gamers. Today is the day Youying Studio is recruiting at the school. Haven't you always wanted to be a core member of Youying?"

Shi Feng was somewhat confused.

He had just been fired by the Lanhua Consortium, so why would he go to Youying for an assessment?

"Feng-ge, Feng-ge? Are you listening? They're starting the test at ten o'clock. If you don't hurry, you'll be too late!"

"Heizi, stop joking around. I just got fired from Youying."

"Fired? Feng-ge, how much did you drink yesterday? You're still not awake. Youying hasn't even started recruiting yet. How could you have been fired? Okay, hurry up and come."

Before Shi Feng could react, Heizi hung up.

His head still heavy, Shi Feng looked at the phone and realized that this worn-out iPhone 6 was not his phone at all. His phone was the latest iPhone 12.

He then looked around.

The small bedroom, less than fifteen square meters, was a mess. Gaming strategy books were scattered everywhere, and an old laptop sat on the desk in the corner. The wardrobe was overflowing with clothes, and in the wardrobe's mirror, a familiar face appeared.

Shi Feng was startled by the incredibly familiar face.

"How did I get younger?" Shi Feng immediately got up and went to the mirror, looking at himself over and over again to confirm that he had indeed become younger.

Yesterday, he was sleeping in a spacious and luxurious bedroom. Now, he woke up in this dilapidated place and was younger.

Shi Feng had some memories of this place. It was the small apartment he had rented ten years ago, during his senior year of college, when he was preparing to conquer God's Domain. He lived there for about half a year, and after earning some money in God's Domain, he rented a larger apartment in the city.

Back then, it was incredibly difficult. His family wasn't well-off, and they were still paying off debts to send him to college. Despite this, his parents still worked hard every month to send him enough living expenses, so he wouldn't suffer.

Shi Feng was focused on earning money to improve his family's situation, but college students were everywhere, and finding a well-paying job was harder than climbing to the sky. He then thought of the most profitable thing: virtual games. To improve his gaming skills, he had gritted his teeth and bought a virtual reality helmet, aiming to become a professional gamer and diligently honed his skills in the virtual world.

At that time, he ate plain steamed buns and instant noodles every day. To save money, he never attended class gatherings or social events, so he became practically invisible in his class. The boys looked down on him, the girls kept their distance, and whenever he went to the supermarket to buy instant noodles, he had less than ten credits in his wallet, not even daring to buy a one-credit sausage. The saleswoman, seeing Shi Feng's plight, recommended a special offer on ham sausages. Shi Feng looked at the tempting sausage, then touched his wallet, and reluctantly refused.

"Could someone be playing a joke on me?"

Shi Feng looked at the familiar scene and the younger version of himself in the mirror and shook his head, dismissing the thought.

Even the most advanced countries in America didn't have such technology to reverse aging. Who would joke with a down-and-out uncle?

Shi Feng then looked at the time on his phone.

April 19, 2129.

"Could it be that I've been reborn?" Shi Feng smiled wryly and joked.

He remembered that today was August 5, 2139. It couldn't possibly be April 2129, when he was still a senior in college.

Shi Feng shook his head, trying to clear his head, but he still held a glimmer of hope, hoping that he had been reborn and truly returned to ten years ago. He walked to the computer desk and turned on the laptop.

If the phone's time could be faked, then surely the news on the internet couldn't be faked.

After browsing the internet for a few minutes.

Shi Feng was completely shocked. The various information he searched for online all showed that today was indeed April 19, 2129. Even the official website of the globally popular God's Domain clearly stated the official launch time, with a countdown to six days later, April 25.

"I've really been reborn! Have I really returned to ten years ago?" Shi Feng stared intently at the news reports about God's Domain, tears of excitement welling up in his eyes.

At this moment, Shi Feng's mood was indescribable, a mix of regret, grief, and joy.

It was as if everything before him was a dream.

However, the sound of cicadas chirping outside the window and the cold air blowing from the air conditioner reminded Shi Feng that it was all real.

Looking at the family photo from his college days on his phone, Shi Feng had never noticed before that his father had gray hair and his mother had wrinkles around her eyes. They had truly aged, no longer as energetic as they once were.

He only noticed his parents were getting old a year and a half after God's Domain was launched. High debts, excessive labor, and stress had made his parents seriously ill, bedridden. Treatment and recovery would require millions of credits, but at that time, Shi Feng was just a small team leader in Youying, and the money he earned couldn't cover such exorbitant costs.

To raise money, Shi Feng tried every possible means, but it still wasn't enough. Even though Shi Feng tried his best to maintain it, his parents still passed away a few months later.

In his previous life, he hadn't taken good care of his parents, and who knew the pain and regret he felt?

Even though Shi Feng later earned millions of credits, it became a permanent pain in Shi Feng's heart.

He never expected that fate would play such a joke on him, actually starting over from scratch, with everything back to square one.

"Good, that's great, hahaha. Since I've been reborn, I must change everything, earn enough money to cure my parents' illnesses, and prevent them from worrying about life." Shi Feng wiped the tears from his eyes and secretly vowed.

Just as Shi Feng was planning his future, Heizi called again, constantly urging Shi Feng to go to the university for the assessment.

However, Shi Feng took his time, put on his clothes, tidied himself up, and then headed to Jin Hai University.

He was extremely familiar with Youying.

He remembered that when he was in college, Lan Hailong, the eldest son of the Lanhua Group, opened Youying Studio, providing substantial funding and organizing elite students from Jin Hai University to conquer God's Domain. At that time, he also went to the assessment and became a core member, while Heizi became an outer member. He was overjoyed at the time.

Three years later, with his leadership, Youying Studio made a lot of money for Lanhua Group in God's Domain, leaping to become a large consortium. He never expected to be fired by Lan Hailong himself in the end.

Since he had been reborn, and he had unparalleled advantages in God's Domain, he naturally didn't plan to join Youying again and become someone else's tool to make money for them. He wanted to take a different path, to fight for his own life, no longer having to rely on his parents for living expenses and paying off all debts. Therefore, he wanted to start his own business, open his own studio, establish his own company, build his own virtual empire, and live a good life.

When Shi Feng arrived in front of Teaching Building No. 1, he saw a tall, thin young man with dark skin pacing back and forth anxiously at the entrance. This person was none other than Heizi.

"Feng-ge, you're finally here. Luckily, registration hasn't closed yet. Let's hurry in and register," Heizi said anxiously after seeing Shi Feng.

Shi Feng shook his head and said very seriously, "Heizi, I'm not going to Youying. I want to open my own studio. Are you in?"

Heizi was someone he knew from a virtual game. His skills were very good, and they later ventured into the world together. You could say they were like brothers. During their time working together in Youying, Heizi, although lacking in gaming talent, was extremely strong in management, managing the guild's hundreds of thousands of members in an orderly manner. If he had Heizi's help, achieving his goals would be even easier. However, he would respect Heizi's choice. After all, he currently had nothing, and Heizi's family wasn't well-off either. He decided to become a professional gamer to earn living expenses.

Heizi was stunned and lowered his head in silence. Shi Feng's words were too sudden, and today's Shi Feng felt very different, exuding confidence and stability, unlike his previous impetuousness.

A full minute passed before Heizi looked up at Shi Feng.

"Feng-ge, stop talking nonsense. Do you know how much a virtual reality helmet costs? That's eight thousand credits. To open a studio, you need at least six people, plus a workplace, and pay wages, etc. The initial capital alone would be seventy to eighty thousand, and there would be ongoing investment. That's a lot of money, but do you have that much money now?" Heizi was very familiar with Shi Feng's situation, knowing that Shi Feng's family wasn't well-off, and he wanted to persuade Shi Feng to give up this crazy idea.

"You're right, I don't even have the money to buy a God's Domain virtual reality helmet right now." Shi Feng nodded in agreement. As Heizi said, even seventy to eighty thousand was an underestimate. He remembered that Lan Hailong spent more than five million to recruit a hundred-person studio, and a lot more was spent later to improve the studio's quality and strength.

"Since that's the case, why bother taking the risk? Wouldn't it be more stable to go to Youying? At least Youying can provide virtual reality helmets. Otherwise, we can't even play, let alone become professional gamers," Heizi said, seeing that Shi Feng understood the crux of the problem, and he immediately breathed a sigh of relief and pulled Shi Feng to enter the teaching building.

Shi Feng shook off Heizi's hand, looked at Heizi seriously, and said with an extremely serious expression, "But I still plan to open my own studio, not wanting to be controlled by others. Heizi, are you in?"

Shi Feng wouldn't force Heizi. After all, he had no guarantees, and he couldn't reveal the secret that he was a reborn, only hoping that Heizi could believe him.

Seeing Shi Feng's serious expression, Heizi felt that today's Shi Feng was very strange, too crazy. It was impossible to earn money in the early stages of virtual games, as everyone knew. Could it be that Shi Feng had a way to earn money in God's Domain? Even if they could earn money, it would be several months later, and they didn't have that much time to waste.

Heizi hesitated for a long time, bit his lip, and finally agreed, "I got it. Who told you to be my big brother? I'll open a studio with you. But what about the virtual reality helmets? We can't play the game without helmets?"

Shi Feng's tightly furrowed brows immediately relaxed, and he happily patted Heizi on the shoulder, laughing, "That's my good brother. Don't worry about the virtual reality helmets. I remember that God's Domain has a student trial offer. Every university has a distribution point. As long as we have our student IDs, we can get a free virtual reality helmet for a ten-day trial. Let's go take a look."

"What about after ten days?" Heizi's dark complexion turned ashen at this time, feeling that the future was bleak. Why did he trust Shi Feng? Could it be that it was Shi Feng's confidence and stability? Was it really okay to start a business with Shi Feng?

What could they do in God's Domain in ten days?

After ten days, they would definitely miss the good opportunities for various studios to recruit people. In the end, they would still have to buy virtual reality helmets, but where would the money come from?

Earning sixteen thousand credits in the first ten days of God's Domain's launch was impossible, even for a team of professional gamers!

"Leave the money problem to me."

Shi Feng patted Heizi on the shoulder, revealing a confident smile.

Earning sixteen thousand credits in ten days was wishful thinking, but he had the spirit of a reborn, and he would break through any difficulties one by one.

The launch of God's Domain was the beginning of his rise.

Afterward, Shi Feng took Heizi to collect the trial helmets, and then used all their money to buy instant noodles, placing them next to the computer desk in the rented house, two large boxes in all, enough food for more than ten days. After that, he explained some things about God's Domain and quietly waited for God's Domain to launch.

At nine o'clock in the evening on April 25th, a few glimmers of light flickered in the dark and quiet little house.

Shi Feng lay quietly in bed, closed his eyes, and gently clicked the start button on the helmet.

"God's Domain, I'm coming."