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--- Chapter 513 ---
Han Yuan walked along a winding, quiet gravel path, observing the vast, sprawling meadow stretching before him and the fast-flowing river running nearby.
Suddenly, several clusters of shimmering light particles connected near the tall grass, manifesting into various low-tier Spirit Beasts.
These Spirit Beasts weren't powerful in the slightest. They were extremely weak, merely ten-year-level creatures designed as starter mobs for new players, posing virtually no threat to someone of his level.
Of course, he couldn't speak for some of the younger or less experienced players.
Soft-Bone Rabbits, Wild Boars, and Grass Snakes.
Frankly, if any player found themselves unable to defeat even these basic monsters, they could always remain in the safe zone of the main plaza to train first.
However, even the youngest among them would soon realize that staying behind meant falling behind—especially compared to the older, more competitive Spirit Masters.
"I didn't spot Sister Mu Xi in the plaza earlier, so she must have already headed outside..." Han Yuan brushed past the pitifully weak starter mobs, completely ignoring them because they couldn't even reach the tip of his clothes.
"I can sense her spiritual presence somewhere nearby, but where exactly is she—!"
Before Han Yuan could even finish his words, he caught sight of a slender figure standing by the riverbank. The girl was zapping weak, ten-year-old fish and frog spirit beasts with crackling white electricity, harvesting experience points like a possessed gamer.
"XP! More XP! Oh my goodness! Grinding experience is so much easier here!" The girl cheered, her eyes sparkling with pure, raw joy.
"..."
Han Yuan stood frozen on the path, completely speechless. He stared at the girl, who bore a clear resemblance to Mu Xi, except almost every single visual detail had been customized to mimic him.
Her hair had been changed to a brilliant, silky silver, matched by a pair of striking, luminous silver eyes—a near-identical match to Han Yuan's real-world appearance.
Raising his gaze slightly, Han Yuan inspected the glowing green name tag floating above her head. Sure enough, the dedication didn't stop at her avatar's physical features.
[Player Display Name]
[Xiao Yuan's Bride Sister!]
That username couldn't be any more subtle than a resounding slap to the freaking face.
Han Yuan approached his "bride sister" and squatted by the slow-running creek. "You're not giving those poor spirit beasts a chance to fight back, huh?"
"Who's there?!" Mu Xi spun around, spotting a player squatting beside her with a faint, amused smile on his handsome face.
The stranger was a handsome youth with jet-black hair and charming red eyes. His complexion was fair, leaning toward a cooler, more distant vibe than the warm, sunny tone she usually preferred, yet he gave off an inexplicably familiar sensation.
It was the same feeling she associated with her little brother.
Without a second thought, Mu Xi summoned her Martial Soul. A sphere of crackling white electricity manifested in her palm. She raised her index finger like a gun, aiming it straight at his forehead.
Han Yuan narrowed his eyes playfully. "Whoa, so fierce."
"I didn't know you had this aggressive side, Sister Mu Xi."
"Sister... Mu Xi?!" Mu Xi's eyes widened in shock. Her finger-gun trembled before slowly lowering. "Y-Y-You're... Xiao Yuan?!"
"You were chosen to enter DND Online, too?"
Han Yuan smiled faintly. "Well, something like that."
"I actually didn't expect you to be chosen... After all, from the information floating around, only kids from Heaven Dou City and its surrounding settlements were summoned here."
"Right, and I'm from Donghai City," Mu Xi mused, finally realizing the anomaly in her arrival. "Maybe I'm just special?"
"Maybe," Han Yuan replied with a shrug.
Putting her Martial Soul aside, Mu Xi threw her slender arms around Han Yuan, pulling him into a tight, cozy squeeze. "Ah, the sensation is still the same!"
"Even if this Xiao Yuan looks a bit aloof, he's still great, hehehe."
"Black hair and red eyes suit you, Xiao Yuan."
"Silver suits you, too, Sister Mu Xi," Han Yuan teased with a knowing smirk.
Mu Xi blushed furiously, caught completely red-handed. After all, there was zero ambiguity about who she was trying to replicate.
They bantered playfully for a few minutes before forming a party through the system interface.
As they walked toward the beginner village on the map, Han Yuan and Mu Xi also discussed the mechanics of DND Online and the odd constraints placed on players.
For instance, while players could freely channel their Martial Soul's innate physical enhancements and elemental properties, they couldn't directly access their real-world Spirit Skills.
Yes, including their own Spirit Souls.
This created a huge initial disadvantage for Spirit Masters with Tool Spirits—especially those on Support paths.
Fortunately, the game compensated for this via free skill learning.
DND Online provided six foundational combat and support skills that any player could learn, master, and chain together.
Moreover, players could gain experience points by slaying spirit beasts in the wilds and level up. Then, they could assign attribute points to develop their avatar's base skills or customize their innate abilities into unique combat builds.
Mu Xi soon realized that experience points were basically a better version of the spiritual energy dropped in the Spirit Ascension Platform. While XP didn't directly age or evolve real-world Spirit Rings, it steadily expanded a player's mental force and spiritual power.
Additionally, this enhanced mental capacity remained even after logging out, dramatically boosting players' learning speeds and cognitive retention.
For older Spirit Masters who lacked mental cultivation techniques or rare resources, DND Online wasn't just a game.
It was a free ticket to mental ascension—and reason enough for players to go absolutely wild hunting spirit beasts.
Of course, it wouldn't be as easy as they expected.
DND Online was no peaceful paradise for players. It was a trial ground built to filter out the weak and temper the finest seeds for the better future of Douluo Star.
In the center of the beginner village, a bold-looking youth stood on a wooden crate, shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Party! Party! Who wants to form a party with me?!"
"I've already reached level 5 and want to raid the Level 10 Wild Boss north of the village! We can take it down together and split the loot equally!"
Han Yuan and Mu Xi stopped at the edge of the square, watching the player along with dozens of others who had made it past the starter meadow.
Yet, no one stepped forward immediately.
The lingering paranoia from the main plaza served as a constant reminder that DND Online was fundamentally competitive.
An awkward, heavy silence settled over the village square for a good five minutes before a few newcomers finally approached the youth and agreed to form a party.
"Do you think it's worth forming such a large party this early?" Mu Xi asked, watching the departing group.
Han Yuan glanced at her, his expression thoughtful. "That depends..."
"Depends?" The girl tilted her head.
"Can you really trust people you just met ten minutes ago?"
Han Yuan gestured toward the crowd. "You trust me because we share a real-world bond, but you can't assume the same safety when paired with strangers."
"You don't know their real identities, let alone their true motives."
"If someone harbors ill intentions, or if greed takes over when valuable loot drops, there's no telling what might happen in a wild area..."
"Remember, you only have three lives..."
"Of course," Han Yuan then added smoothly, "if you happen to run into genuinely like-minded people, forming a team is great. But just like in the real world, true comrades are found naturally along the journey, not picked off a street corner."
"As expected... Xiao Yuan is so sharp!" Mu Xi beamed, clapping her hands admiringly.
Han Yuan rolled his red eyes with a faint smile. "Well then, why don't we go pick up some quests, Sister Bride? And please don't use my real name out loud here."
"I..." Mu Xi blushed hard all over again at the title, clearing her throat with a soft cough. "Ehem! You're right! Let me check the quest board, True Whale!"