The dust settled as Ye Bai rested for a while, finally catching her breath before propping herself up from the ground. The cold, gray sand beneath her had formed a deep depression from the impact of her fall.
As she rose, a sharp twinge of pain made her lips twitch involuntarily.
To be precise, this was Ye Bai’s first real solo battle in reality—and the first time she had ever killed someone with her own hands.
But perhaps because the virtual world had felt so lifelike, indistinguishable from reality, she now felt only the relief of having eliminated a formidable enemy. The faint, instinctual complexity of emotion surfaced briefly before vanishing just as quickly. After all, she had already experienced countless battles in the game.
Her gaze swept over the corpse—or rather, the scattered remains—of the mysterious assailant. Due to the immediate petrification upon death, the limbs and fragments had turned completely to stone, never reverting to flesh and blood.
At the same time, Ye Bai felt a twinge of disappointment. The mysterious figure didn’t seem to have left behind any loot.
Much of the clothing the enemy wore was made from some kind of organic material, likely deemed as flesh by the petrification effect. Most of it had turned to stone along with the body, leaving only a few scraps of other materials clinging together—hardly worth salvaging.
Beyond that, the figure carried no other equipment or items. An A-level psychic could manipulate space, so Ye Bai wasn’t sure whether the enemy had simply brought nothing or possessed something like a "spatial storage" technology. Either way, the mysterious figure had appeared empty-handed in life and death alike.
Then, her eyes sharpened.
Her attention locked onto the broken junction between the neck and head of the petrified remains. Embedded within the shattered stone was a half-exposed droplet-shaped object, resembling jade with a soft, luminous glow.
This location…
Though her body ached from the fall, nothing was broken. Gritting her teeth against the pain, Ye Bai slowly approached the dismembered remains.
She wasn’t mistaken—nestled within the enemy’s neck was a smooth, rounded stone about the size of a pigeon’s egg.
A personal terminal?
Given its placement and shape, Ye Bai could only associate it with a personal terminal.
To maximize responsiveness, personal terminals were typically embedded at the base of the neck, where neural pathways were unobstructed.
However, once psychic abilities reached C-rank, placement hardly mattered. Still, most kept it there as a safeguard—especially for interstellar warriors. Losing limbs in battle was common, and keeping the terminal anywhere else risked losing it along with a limb, necessitating costly replacements.
Unlike Ye Bai’s own silver metallic terminal, this one had a jade-like luster, its surface rippling with light.
Personal terminals for Stellar Alliance citizens were standardized technology. But this mysterious figure clearly belonged to the lawless factions of the chaotic star systems. Was this a "jade terminal"—a variant from the uncharted sectors?
The thought made Ye Bai’s brow rise. How different was this from the Stellar Alliance’s version?
The petrified neck was already fractured. She reached out, pried at the edges, and with a firm tug, the foreign terminal came free in her palm.
Ye Bai cast Insight upon the "jade."
'…', '…', 'Silicon.'
After four or five attempts, the only concrete detail she gleaned was its silicon composition. With her remaining psychic energy dwindling, she stopped probing.
A personal terminal functioned like a smartphone—locally data-free, with each user’s unique psychic signature as their login. Losing it didn’t mean losing personal data; anyone with D-rank psychic power could block its signal. Most features relied on planetary networks…
That was her understanding of Stellar Alliance terminals.
But for the chaotic star systems? She had no idea. The interstellar net wouldn’t help either—any users from those sectors would operate under aliases, never revealing their true affiliations.
So after retrieving the terminal, Ye Bai refrained from activating it with her psychic energy.
Even now, she had no clue about the mysterious figure’s origins, their ties to that executive from the Markus Group, or whether killing them would invite further trouble.
She had also tried using Insight on the petrified remains, only to get a list of elemental stone compositions. The enemy’s original essence was gone, replaced by ordinary rock.
If she activated the terminal now, it might automatically send a signal to allies or superiors—a risk not worth taking.
Yet conversely, stranded alone on this desolate planet in lawless space, with no supplies and potential enemies lurking, this terminal might be her only key to understanding the mysterious figure and the chaotic star systems.
Breathing in the thin, frigid oxygen of the barren world, Ye Bai’s enhanced body slowly mended its wounds.
After one last sweep of the remains to confirm nothing was missed, she turned toward another distant wreckage and strode away.
Her plan was simple: find shelter to recover while diving back into the game to complete her third class advancement. Only then would she dare experiment with the terminal.
Based on her past advancements and the feedback from her psychic form, reaching the third tier in-game should push her real-world abilities to B-rank.
B-rank psychics were elite among cosmic warriors, marked by two defining traits: the ability to defy planetary gravity and fly, and the capacity to survive in the vacuum of space without oxygen or protective gear.
Both were critical right now. She couldn’t build a ship from wreckage, nor could she count on a passing vessel for rescue. Leaving this place would hinge on raw power alone.
Moreover, she had already expended two precious legendary spells. Reaching B-rank would bolster her strength, better preparing her for whatever dangers lay ahead.
……
By the time the planet’s sun dipped below the horizon, Ye Bai reached another cluster of ruins she had spotted earlier.
During her search, Ye Bai had a stroke of luck—the wreckage she found was a logistical component from a manned spacecraft, and inside was an intact canister of nutrient fluid.
Although Ye Bai learned after using Insight to analyze it that this nutrient fluid had been produced hundreds of years ago and was long expired, the airtight seal and the low-temperature environment had preserved most of its nutritional content.
"Gulp, gulp…"
Twisting open the canister of this "vintage '82 nutrient fluid," Ye Bai chugged the entire thing in one go to prevent further spoilage.
The influx of nutrients kickstarted her enhanced body's natural healing process, quickly restoring circulation and dispelling the bone-chilling cold.
After resting briefly, Ye Bai found a hidden, secure spot within the wreckage, closed her eyes, and logged into the Stellar Network.
This was a desolate planet, where the only real threats were astronomical or meteorological hazards. If enemies appeared, her danger intuition would alert her.
Her vision shifted, and the familiar interface of her personal Stellar Network space materialized.
Ye Bai exhaled in relief. This was the beauty of the Stellar Network—even in the uncharted chaos of the outer reaches beyond the Stellar Alliance's jurisdiction, there was no such thing as "losing signal."
When she re-entered the Boundless Realm, she found herself still by the Blood River outside Landu City. It was now the second in-game day, and the sun cast its glow over the crimson waters. The lively bustle from the previous day had vanished, replaced by serene quiet, save for a lone fisherman drying his nets by a distant bend in the river.
"Ah-uh!"
Autofis's familiar cry rang out. Ye Bai tossed it two pieces of bread before pulling up her personal stats panel.
Under Disintegration Refund, a new skill, Psychic Chains, appeared in the Psionic category.
[Psychic Chains]
Binds the target with mental restraints, dealing 1,000 spell damage over the skill's duration, immobilizing them for 5 seconds, and slowing them for 15 seconds.
The description left Ye Bai momentarily stunned.
This abrupt appearance of [Psychic Chains] wasn't a skill native to Boundless Realm—it originated from the mysterious attacker in the real world!
During the earlier encounter, Ye Bai had vaguely sensed she could replicate the assailant's abilities. She'd assumed Disintegration Refund only worked in reality, but testing it in-game had proven otherwise.
Moreover, thanks to the system’s "translation," she now understood the mechanics of this previously ambiguous ability.
The virtual and the real had truly achieved two-way integration.
After a long silence, Ye Bai took a deep breath and allocated her remaining two talent points. She invested them into two survival-oriented talents: [Against All Odds] and [Potential Unleash].
[Against All Odds]
When HP drops to 1%, locks HP at that value for 5 seconds, preventing further loss. Cooldown: 3 days.
This talent, colloquially known as "plot armor," was perfect for handling the unknown dangers Ye Bai might face.
[Potential Unleash]
When Spirit Energy reaches zero, converts HP into Spirit Energy. Cooldown: 3 days.
Having recently cast two consecutive Legendary Spells, Ye Bai had keenly felt the importance of mental energy. These two talents could even be comboed—in a dire situation where her Spirit Energy was depleted, she could use Potential Unleash to trade HP for energy, then rely on Against All Odds to survive the backlash.
Perhaps because they were survival-focused, activating these talents didn’t bring the usual pain. Instead, a soothing warmth flowed through her body.
With that settled, Ye Bai turned her gaze to the tranquil Blood River. Unsure if any players had completed their class advancement yesterday, she logged back into the Stellar Network and searched for three keywords: "Landu City," "Blood River," and "BOSS."
If someone had already succeeded, she'd need to find another server's Chaos Capital for her own advancement.
But the search results left her stunned:
[Landu City Blood River Permanent Event BOSS]
[Analysis of Drops from Landu City Blood River BOSS]
Further back was [Reasons Why Landu City Blood River BOSS Remains Unbeaten], with records dating back a month in-game—around the time players began mass class advancements.
Baffled, Ye Bai combed through the information and finally pieced together the full story.
This hidden class questline was discovered by Landu City players during the peak of their advancement phase—roughly when Ye Bai was undergoing her own second-tier advancement.
Players who stumbled upon the hidden quest naturally followed the clues to the final step: battling the "Class Instructor."
And that’s where the problem lay.
The instructor tied the historical clue "Faith Harvest" to that bizarre, amorphous creature—the Chaos Beast.
The Chaos Beast was a random entity—not just in appearance, but in abilities.
Each time it appeared, it would assimilate traits from a nearby magical creature, adopting its skills. It functioned like a reverse parasite. Upon reaching 50% HP (entering Phase 2), it would shed its current host and begin unleashing truly randomized abilities—drawing from every skill it had ever assimilated.
Theoretically, the Chaos Beast’s skill pool encompassed every attribute in Boundless Realm.
Of course, as a mere Class Instructor, it could only cast spells up to its tier’s limits.
From the records Ye Bai found, by this point, nearly every Landu City player had attempted to fight the BOSS. Yet none mentioned defeating the Chaos Beast past Phase 2.
Players considered it a "permanent event BOSS" because, upon entering Phase 2, the Chaos Beast would shed its host, leaving behind a weakened, mutated Blood River creature. Killing this mutant yielded rare organ materials, which could be sold to NPCs for high profits—though unlike regular BOSS drops, they didn't include gold or common loot.
The Chaos Beast only appears at night, so in the eyes of players in Landu City, it has become a secondary target. The byproducts it drops upon entering its second phase have instead become the primary "harvest," turning this hidden boss into a routine event boss to farm.
Upon learning this, Ye Bai couldn’t help but find the situation bizarre.
If this were her keyboard-based version of "Myriad Realms," she would have rushed to release an emergency hotfix—what was originally intended as a unique monster mechanic had somehow been exploited as a bug by the interstellar players.
Having benefited from numerous game mechanics herself, Ye Bai never expected to witness interstellar players collectively exploiting a bug like this.
Yet her confusion remained unresolved. The Chaos Beast, when not facing her as a second-tier Arcane Breaker, was merely a first-tier boss for other interstellar players. How had no one managed to kill it in its second phase all this time? This defied the typical player mentality of "wanting it all."
Moreover, players who completed the prerequisite quests should have received a class advancement prompt during their battle with the Chaos Beast.
With such a prompt, any rational player would prioritize completing the advancement over farming the boss for materials.
The silver lining was that this meant Ye Bai could complete her class advancement quest in Landu City tonight without needing to push through the prerequisites or waste time searching for opportunities on other servers.
Puzzled but determined, Ye Bai logged back in and waited by the Blood River.
As evening fell, groups of Landu City players began gathering in teams of three to five.
Now Ye Bai understood why players here always formed parties—when competing for loot, having a team significantly increased their chances.
While others grouped up, Ye Bai stood alone, drawing curious and wary glances from those around her.
Night arrived on schedule, and right on time, a glow emerged from beneath the water, just like the previous night.
"Splash…"
Water surged as the indescribable Chaos Beast emerged from the depths.
"Eeeek!"
The player teams stirred, eager to engage. But this time, Ye Bai, focused on her advancement, didn’t hesitate. She charged straight toward the emerging beast.
With her level and gear, Ye Bai’s speed far surpassed that of the other players, who were barely level 30. She moved like a gust of wind, weaving through the crowd.
Meeting the Chaos Beast as it breached the surface, she swung her snow-white sword, followed by an ice spike piercing its body.
"Clang!"
"Eeeek—!" The beast shrieked in pain. Strangely, after Ye Bai’s attack, its amorphous, cloud-like body began to inflate like a pufferfish, swelling to three or four times its original size in an instant. Its pink skin darkened into a dangerous crimson.
[‘Taboo Apostle’ Advancement Trial Activated]
A system prompt appeared before Ye Bai.
Her attack had triggered a transformation in the Chaos Beast, the class advancement mentor. Its level doubled, and its stats—HP and others—multiplied several times over, scaling to Ye Bai’s current third-tier level of 60.
The nearby players gasped in shock.
After farming this "event boss" for so long, this was the first time they’d seen the Chaos Beast change like this.
Once the initial surprise passed, some quickly realized that Ye Bai, the lone player, must possess knowledge they lacked to trigger such a mutation.
"Everyone, get back!"
Ye Bai took a step back and shouted a warning to the surrounding players.
"Are you kidding?"
The crowd scoffed. No one was about to retreat now—everyone wanted a piece of this suddenly transformed boss.
But in the next moment, the Chaos Beast’s form shifted again, faintly revealing the silhouette of an icy-blue serpent within its massive body.
"Whoosh…"
The water-based spell [Frost Nova], typically only usable by third-tier Archmages, rippled outward in concentric circles from the Chaos Beast. Each wave not only inflicted a severe slow effect but also dealt over a thousand points of frost damage to nearby players.
A single wave nearly wiped out the HP of those closest.
With an 80% movement speed reduction, they couldn’t escape before the second wave hit, finishing them off.
"What’s going on—?!"
The players could tell the boss had grown stronger, but leaping from first-tier to third-tier was beyond their comprehension. The power gap between tiers widened exponentially, and at this stage, players couldn’t even handle second-tier bosses, let alone a third-tier one.
After five waves of [Frost Nova], three-quarters of the players—despite using every trick they had—were obliterated, vanishing into white light.
The remaining quarter had either been too far away or managed to retreat in time.
Ye Bai, meanwhile, had rolled back the moment the Chaos Beast began casting, then used [Featherfall] to leap clear of the icy radius.
Once the spell ended, she rushed forward again. Facing the Chaos Beast, now fused with some icy creature in its first phase, she raised her hand under the astonished gazes of nearby players. A pale-blue ring, identical to the one the beast had just unleashed, expanded from her feet, slowing the monster’s advance.
Then, with a triple-cast [Fireball] combo, she dealt another round of damage to the immobilized beast.
The battle quickly fell into Ye Bai’s rhythm.
"So strong! Who is that? An NPC or a player?"
"Could it be… Ye Bai?"
The surviving players exchanged glances, but it didn’t take long for them to piece together her identity—the snow-white sword and magic attacks were clues.
After all, this was the Blue Star server, the only one famous across the universe because of a single person.
For the first time, most players had no desire to approach the boss.
First, the boss’s one-shot potential was terrifying, and its power defied all previous understanding. Second, reputation mattered—just as Ye Bai’s town’s growth was legendary, so too was the mystery surrounding its lord.
To this day, Ye Bai had made few public appearances, and no one knew her true class—only that it seemed spellcaster-oriented.
Just moments ago, the boss that had effortlessly wiped out so many level-30 players was now locked in a fierce back-and-forth battle with Bai Ye.
The remaining seven or eight pairs of eyes in the arena began ‘screenshotting,’ eager to capture this rare moment of Bai Ye showcasing his true strength.
Yet what followed left everyone present utterly bewildered.
Under Bai Ye’s solo assault, the boss’s health steadily declined. Strangely, it seemed Bai Ye could replicate every skill the boss unleashed, while the boss itself couldn’t always counter Bai Ye’s moves.
How could Bai Ye’s skill tree be even more expansive than that of the boss, which they had once believed to have the most diverse arsenal? This situation… was it really not the other way around?
