"So that's how it is. A Random Class Experience System, I completely understand now."
Gu Fangchen calmly tore a strip of curtain fabric and quickly wrapped up the wound on his hand.
He brushed the scattered pearls off the bed, sat down casually, crossed his left leg over his right knee, and rested his elbow on it, rubbing his chin.
This was his habitual thinking pose whenever he hit a bottleneck.
Mirror in the Dust was a groundbreaking single-player game with a 90% realism rate.
Naturally, it also featured various leisure activities and numerous sub-professions.
However, unlike other games, the sub-profession system here didn't require a formal transfer or class change. It followed the concept of "occupy the position, perform the duty."
As long as the player performed actions that fit a certain role, they would automatically gain that sub-profession.
If a player wanted to become an Emperor, they could.
Whether through overthrowing a regime or founding their own nation, if they ascended the throne, it counted.
But in Mirror in the Dust, this was extremely difficult.
Because in this world, National Fortune was a tangible, perceivable force.
Even if you hid in the deep mountains, found a bunch of primitive tribesmen, and declared yourself their emperor, within moments your stolen fortune would be sensed by the Great Wei Dynasty.
The golden robes might go on in the morning,but by the afternoon, the Blood-Robe Guards would arrive to take your head.
Still, for players, that just meant losing a save file, and there were always those who enjoyed dying creatively.
Some strategy groups had even compiled statistics on all obtainable professions in the game.
By the time Gu Fangchen transmigrated, the total count stood at two hundred and seventy-two,
And that wasn't even all of them!
As a professional strategy creator, Gu Fangchen had naturally studied the sub-profession system in depth.
Each sub-profession granted two unique skills, and some of these odd skills could produce shocking, game-changing effects in the right situations.
In fact, in the save file where he'd cleared the true ending, several professions were absolutely mandatory for progression.
However, in none of his saves was Emperor ever part of the plan,it was simply too hard to obtain.
Yet now, he'd been randomly assigned it right from the start. No denying it,this cheat felt damn good.
Although the class was random, and the duration too, the advantage was that it skipped all prerequisites. Even the hardest-to-obtain professions could now be unlocked instantly.
"And if I remember correctly... the Emperor class's two skills were absurdly strong."
He raised his eyes to look at them again.
[Skill 1: Mandate of Heaven (Passive)]
[Description: You are chosen by Heaven, bound to the nation's destiny. Your luck is extraordinary.]
The first skill was a permanent passive effect.
According to player tests, it influenced "probabilistic events" and "event outcomes."
In simple terms,it made the player much luckier, pushing outcomes toward favorable results.
Even jumping off a cliff would probably lead to being caught by a tree branch and discovering a supreme martial art scroll.
It was, in essence, the literal manifestation of "When fortune comes, all Heaven and Earth aid you."
That was also why, once you became an Emperor, the imperial court would immediately gank you.
Because this passive effectively meant you were forcibly siphoning part of the nation's fortune for yourself,how could the legitimate Emperor of Great Wei not be enraged?
"Speaking of which, since I've taken this class, the court should have sensed it by now."
Gu Fangchen fell into thought.
"But if you already have too many lice, what's one more itch? Too many debts, and you stop worrying about repayment..."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"The Northern Garrison Prince's Residence may look glorious on the surface, but the Blood-Robe Guards have their eyes fixed firmly on it. If the court does notice me, that could actually become a card in my hand."
For him at this moment, the first passive skill was just icing on the cake.
The one that truly mattered,the one that could save his life,was the second active skill.
[Skill 2: Power of Life and Death (Active)]
[Description: You wield imperial authority and command the fates of Heaven and Earth. Once per day, you may designate any target to die, ignoring all conditions.]
That's right,a kill card.
A true Death Decree. Whoever's name he marked would die.
Because the Emperor class was so hard to obtain,nearly impossible unless you were already at the game's ending,getting such a skill wasn't considered game-breaking.
But now, Gu Fangchen had it right at the start!
"A shame this class only lasts one day..."
"In other words, I have only one use."
He tapped his chin thoughtfully. The candlelight flickered in his eyes.
Back then, the Northern Garrison Princess Consort had borne only one child.
As long as Gu Yuandao's bloodline was confirmed as genuine, his own identity as the fake heir would be beyond dispute.
And the Prince of the North was cunning,he'd chosen to acknowledge his son publicly, before the entire court.
That meant forcing the Emperor himself to recognize it.
At this very moment, the Emperor must have already ordered a full investigation into what happened that year.
Whether Gu Yuandao lived or died, or whether Gu Fangchen's original self survived or not,none of it could be reversed now.
"With just one kill, how can I overturn a fated death?"
Gu Fangchen closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, a spark of excitement flickered within.
"Then let's go big."
He was a player,a gamer who had transmigrated to become an Emperor. Why should he hold back?
If the starting hand was bad, he would smash the table and rebuild the game!
He jumped down from the bed, examined the spiritual marks on the door, and brushed his fingers across them carefully.
Though this body was in a wretched state and couldn't hold even a trace of spiritual energy, his years of experience told him at least three ways to break a standard barrier without using spirit power.
And given how little the people of the residence thought of him, there was no way they would have set a high-grade barrier anyway.
But Gu Fangchen wasn't planning to break it.
Instead, he was going to reinforce it.
Right now, everyone in the Prince's Residence agreed that the fake heir,whose status was uncertain,should be locked up to prevent further scandal.
They were waiting for the Northern Garrison Prince to return and decide his fate.
Even if he escaped, he'd just be dragged back again.
With no power or backing, he was nothing but a pawn to be toyed with.
If he wanted to leave, he had to do the opposite,
Because in the entire residence, there was only one person who could protect him long enough to get out.
Gu Fangchen took a pearl from the bed as a medium, dipped a needle into his blood, and began drawing a formation upon its surface,a barely stable Reversal Wave Array.
For ordinary cultivators, drawing a formation by eye was nearly impossible. But come on,he used to draw with a mouse.
The pearls in the heir's quarters weren't ordinary either; they were Merfolk Tears from the Sea Kingdom, tributes fit for royals, perfect as formation cores.
And while he himself couldn't cultivate, his body, soaked in three kinds of supreme poison, had blood rich enough to rival heavenly treasures. It could serve as an ideal medium for channeling energy.
Since the Reversal Wave Array was several tiers above this basic barrier, if he inserted it into the right gap in the spiritual flow, it could overwrite the original inscriptions and alter the barrier's nature completely.
In theory, it could fail. But let's not forget,he now had Mandate of Heaven on his side.
"Done!"
The pearl in his hand glowed faintly blue, spiritual lines rippling like water waves. He drew a deep breath.
Then he pressed the glowing pearl firmly against the door's barrier.
In an instant, it shattered into dust.
The spiritual markings on its surface sank into the barrier, intertwining.
All around him, on the walls and beams, hazy blue lines emerged, releasing bursts of energy like surging tides.
Reversal Wave, as the name implied, a formation that reflected attacks.
"Bang!"
Gu Fangchen was thrown backward by the spiritual backlash, slamming into the ground. His face went pale as his chest heaved.
He clutched his ribs and shouted, voice hoarse, "Mother! It hurts!"
The next instant, he spat out a mouthful of blood.