The Starweb was intrinsically linked to the fortune of the Great Yi Dynasty—its strength directly reflecting the might of its national fate. The more powerful the fate, the greater the Starweb became, expanding its coverage to unimaginable scales. Within this expanse, the Starweb had become a heavenly eye, watching over the entire realm.
The virtual community within the Starweb had already been launched.
Communication devices, long-distance chats, even video calls—these had become deeply integrated into the lives of every citizen of Great Yi. Nowadays, who didn't log into the Starweb during their leisure time to chat and exchange information?
The star ring within the Starweb, resembling a galactic river, had gradually solidified—under constant tempering by spiritual energy—into tangible form. Already, one-third of it had been refined from illusion into reality. This ring was the virtual world within the Starweb, capable of generating personalized virtual spaces, akin to a second world. However, to complete this refinement was a massive undertaking. Even with the mental power generated daily by ten billion citizens, only a third had been refined. At the current pace, it would take another four to five years for the transformation to be fully realized.
The Starweb had fused with the Eye of the Magus and the Illusion Spirit Pearl, breaking free from previous limitations. Fueled by a constant stream of spiritual power, the Starweb evolved every moment—it was in perpetual transformation.
Even now, with only the virtual community available—essentially just individual personal spaces—it still brought great benefits to cultivators.
Take alchemists, for instance. Using virtual Eternal Coins, a currency formed from spiritual power, they could purchase all kinds of spiritual herbs. Though these couldn't be taken into the real world, one could still practice pill refinement in their virtual space. Whether the attempt succeeded or failed, the cultivator's experience and technique improved continuously.
After two or three years, a massive wave of alchemists had emerged within the Great Yi Dynasty.
The most accomplished among them were Wang Fengshan and Qiu Weiming, both high-ranking members of the Heavenly Medicine Hall. With natural talent in pharmacology and ample resources, their skills had skyrocketed. Thanks to the Starweb's virtual spaces, they could endlessly practice alchemy without worrying about wasting materials.
Each type of pill was refined thousands—even tens of thousands—of times, allowing them to perfect their understanding and even improve the formulas. As a result, success rates soared, while material costs plummeted.
At present, **Qiu Weiming and his peers could produce pills of the Profound Grade (玄阶).
Pills were ranked from highest to lowest as: Divine, Immortal, Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow, with each grade further divided into Low, Medium, High, and Top Quality, making a total of six grades and twenty-four ranks.
Yellow-grade pills were useful for Spirit Sea and Life Aperture Realm cultivators, and even for those at the Life Map Realm.
However, for Dao-Proving Realm experts, yellow-grade pills were nearly useless—less effective than their own healing capabilities.
As life levels evolved, so did their needs.
Thus, Yellow-grade was considered low-tier, while Profound-grade pills were potent enough to aid Life Map, Manifestation, and even Nascent Soul Realm cultivators. Earth-grade pills could benefit Nascent Soul experts and beyond.
The fact that Qiu Weiming and others had become true Profound-grade alchemists marked a massive leap forward.
In typical sects, a Profound-grade alchemist would be highly revered, a symbol of prestige. And with access to nearly every formula in Great Yi's Scripture Library through the Starweb, they had practiced and succeeded in refining a vast number of pills.
This made them immensely valuable assets.
The experience they gained within the Starweb directly translated to real-world capabilities. Today, Qiu Weiming was one of the most renowned alchemists in the dynasty—and he was not alone.
The Starweb had drastically lowered the threshold to alchemy.
Anyone willing to try could refine pills with relatively low costs. Consequently, many chose alchemy as a cultivation path.
Many had already mastered Yellow-grade recipes and opened alchemy shops in their own Immortal Cities, selling the pills they refined.
This phenomenon was widespread and thriving.
The same held true for refiners and talisman creators.
The Starweb had fueled rapid development in all fields of cultivation across Great Yi. In just two or three years, it had compensated for all foundational weaknesses, greatly enriching the dynasty's background.
There was no doubt—Great Yi now truly had the aura and depth of a celestial dynasty.
And now, with the Nightmare Gate being integrated into the Starweb, the speed of its evolution was about to multiply several times over.
"Xing'er, go ahead and absorb the Nightmare Gate."Yi Tianxing said with a smile.
"Yes, Father!"
Xinghai nodded respectfully and did not hesitate.
The Nightmare Gate naturally fused into the Starweb.
In that moment, the Starweb began a silent, profound transformation.
As this occurred, every citizen logged into the Starweb was suddenly ejected by an invisible force.
"What's going on? I was just chatting with Lao Hu—why was I kicked out? That's never happened before."
"No way—I was in the middle of refining a pill. It's all ruined now! Even if they're just virtual ingredients, I still paid good Starcoins for them!"
"My artifact—damn it, I just started forging it! It's going to be wasted!"
All across Great Yi, cries of dismay rang out.
The Starweb's virtual currency, known as Starcoins, was used to distinguish it from Eternal Coins. Since its inception, it had been widely accepted, with no issues.
Great Yi's people were deeply accustomed to the Starweb—it had permeated every part of their lives. Now, with sudden and inexplicable downtime, people felt lost, anxious, and deeply uncomfortable.
Like a world suddenly stripped of electricity, the silence was suffocating.
The Starweb remained closed for half a day.
From morning until afternoon.
Then, without warning, it returned.
"It's back! I can log in again!"
"Thank the heavens! I really thought the Starweb had collapsed. Life would've been unbearable."
It was like losing internet in the modern world—suddenly everything felt primitive.
Upon reentering, people immediately noticed a stunning change.
"What's this? There are two doors in my virtual space now?"
"One emits starlight, the other radiates dark light—what are these?"
"The first is the Stargate, leading to the true virtual world. The second… Nightmare Gate?"
"It says I can enter the Nightmare World—a realm formed from the dreams of all beings. Through it, one can manifest a spiritual avatar. Defeating monsters within earns heavenly treasures, even martial techniques and skills? What kind of world is this?!"
Shock and awe spread across every Immortal City.
In one city, Zhou Yu, dressed in robes, entered the Starweb with his mind. Upon witnessing the changes, his heart trembled.
"According to the records, before the Great Fusion of Realms, Heaven's Chosen could kill beasts and gain wondrous treasures, even skills. But after the fusion, such blessings vanished. They were a gift from heaven to all beings.
Now the Nightmare World offers the same? This… this is an inconceivable blessing."
His thoughts raced.
This was undoubtedly the opportunity every citizen of Great Yi had dreamed of.
"Opportunities are real, but whether you obtain them—that's another matter. Danger and fortune come hand-in-hand."
Zhou Yu did not act rashly.
The Nightmare Gate explicitly discouraged entering with one's real body—a clear warning of the dangers within.