Beyond the game’s three main zones lay countless social hubs—and the training ground was one of them.
Here, players could simulate scenarios and opponents for combat training. Upside? Zero pain settings. Test techniques without a flicker of hesitation. Downside? No unexpected events. Real crisis reflexes stayed unpracticed.
Safe-zone dungeons filled that gap—but if you were grinding dungeons anyway, why bother with the safe zone? Truth was, the training ground’s real perk was flexibility: jump in or out anytime. Perfect for warming up before a dungeon run… or *maybe* bonding with friends. More or less.
No wonder it stayed popular.
Players could create private training grounds with in-game points—but the cost was laughably low. Joining others’ sessions? Totally free. Basically a free ride.
After setting hers up, Xia Xinyan materialized in a void of pure white.
This was the default state: endless white floor, nothing else. Functional for combat, yes—but lingering too long bred quiet unease.
She tweaked the setting. White void swapped for a sun-dappled forest.
She stood in a clearing at its heart—spacious as several soccer fields, ringed by dense woods. Layout-wise, no different from before. But the scenery? Infinitely gentler.
After the Cataclysm’s gloom, vibrant forests like this lifted her mood just by existing. She often poured quiet care into such details—like her private space’s backdrop.
Maybe that was where she diverged from Ling Mo of this timeline. Even with identical pasts for twenty years, one branching point could make two people fundamentally different.
At least, that was her belief.
And it wasn’t just experiences… Their abilities had diverged too.
Xia Xinyan took a slow breath and activated her power.
Beastform: Black Cat.
Two black cat ears sprouted atop her head, twitching slightly without command. A black tail emerged from her spine, nudging up her shirttail as it unfurled. Her pupils flashed into feline slits—then softened back to round under the light. Otherwise, unchanged.
Her first move? Glance back at the tail. Same length and thickness as her succubus form—jet-black, but missing that signature weapon at the tip. Still curled upward, irresistibly.
After a silent beat, she reached back cautiously and grasped it.
…Nothing. No sensation.
【 Rumor has it a cat’s most sensitive spot is the neck. Host, try scratching there? 】
“Shut up.”
【 Host is advised to adjust her attitude. Current interaction dynamics violate standard Host-System protocols. 】
“I’d debug *your* logic processor first,” Xia Xinyan muttered, releasing the tail. “Or stay silent. Except when issuing tasks.”
This system was broken. Seriously broken.
【 System remains in factory settings. 】
“Then send it back.”
【 … 】
Shrugging it off, she activated her second ability—Succubus.
The tail’s tip instantly sprouted the signature weapon. Nothing else changed.
She conjured a full-length mirror.
Visually? A fusion: succubus tail, cat ears—the coexistence of both active abilities. She avoided checking her eyes. Didn’t want to seem vain.
So this was how she’d appear if abilities manifested in reality.
…Not bad. Better than imagined—she’d half-expected two tails.
But a flaw surfaced: dual abilities couldn’t peak together. They operated in a master-subordinate dynamic. The dominant ability overshadowed the other, which still functioned—but weakened.
Example? With Beastform dominant, touching her tail felt numb. With Succubus dominant? One brush sent her straight to cloud nine.
Switching dominance was seamless. Only drawback: an extra combat step. Tricky until mastered.
Time to warm up.
The training ground let players customize opponents—species, size, style—but capped strength at double the player’s. The system enforced the limit; players only adjusted percentages.
Confident from past experience, Xia Xinyan spawned a two-meter dire wolf, set power to 200%, and readied herself.
Perfect test subject for Black Cat’s enhancements: slow, brute-force, predictable.
Three-second countdown ended.
The wolf howled and charged.
Xia Xinyan crouched low—then shot forward, aiming straight for its eyes. A beast’s classic weak point.
Then…
【 You have been eliminated. Battle failed. 】
Scene rewound. She reappeared at start. Wolf reset.
Xia Xinyan froze. Stunned.
She… got one-shot?
Slapped down by a single swipe?
…Guess rust had set in.
Again!
Seconds later—
【 You have been eliminated. Battle failed. 】
…Again.
【 You have been eliminated. Battle failed. 】
…
Ten minutes later.
Panting, Xia Xinyan stared at the wolf—and finally understood.
She’d misread Beastform entirely.
It wasn’t *unsuited* for direct combat. It was *incapable*.
Speed surged, yes—but durability and strength dropped. Her body turned fragile. One casual swipe = instant death. And in this open, one-on-one space? No hiding. No true assassination.
Would it improve later? Unknown. For now, the flaw was glaring.
Solo missions? She’d need to rethink her capability.
Silent, she lifted her gaze. Initiated combat once more.
The wolf charged.
This time, she stood perfectly still.
As it lunged within range—her eyes flashed crimson.
Soul Charm!
The wolf skidded to a halt. Collapsed at her feet. That towering beast now groveled like a loyal hound, gazing up with adoring eyes, trembling to lick her boots.
Xia Xinyan: “….”
Unbelievable.
