Chapter 437: Chapter 272: Immortal Road King of the S4 Season

This year’s weather is strange; even though it’s already winter, the temperature remains above 30°C, making people exclaim it’s unbearable.

Zhao Yunlong is not from Peng City.

He’s not even from the south. His hometown is in the distant Northeast, but his job after graduation is in Peng City.

As a northerner, despite staying in Peng City for almost five years, he still hasn’t quite gotten used to the climate here, nor is he accustomed to seeing the roadside greenery remain lush and vibrant in autumn and winter with hardly a hint of yellowing.

But it’s not a big issue!

He’s here to make money. The high housing prices in Peng City don’t allow him to consider it his home, so it’s okay if he’s not accustomed to it; he’s going back in a couple of years anyway.

Zhao Yunlong is an IT engineer working at a company in Peng City focused on smart home products, and the salary is decent!

The unfortunate part is that his company is like a monastery, filled only with men, just like the nearby businesses, completely devoid of opportunities to meet women.

This results in Zhao Yunlong having little social interaction outside gaming, as a bunch of guys practically have no other leisure activities than dining, karaoke, and snack grilling.

Fun fact!

Zhao Yunlong was a "Immortal Road King" in the S4 season of "Star Emperor," within the "Supreme Immortal Emperor" rank. Due to a busy company adjustment in the S5 season, he only reached Grandmaster rank...

This rank and Immortal Road title are enough to show how skilled he is at the game "Star Emperor."

What? Relying on hardware to dominate?

Zhao Yunlong admits he reached the Immortal Emperor rank in the Immortal Road using his computer’s configuration, but being a rank king still proves his solid skills, right?

The rank system of "Star Emperor" has its highest tier as the "Immortal Road King," with only 500 players across all servers!

Although he feels a bit like a "gatekeeper" in the king rank, he is still a king, and a "casual king," which is quite prestigious.

Across the entire region and server, there are only 500 kings, of which 400 are professional players from the GAL Golden Era League, leaving only about a hundred casual players.

In other words...

Zhao Yunlong might be a modest presence in the IT field, but in the game "Star Emperor," he is among the strongest players aside from the professionals.

Why did he say he might leave Peng City and return home in two years?

Because he’s considering whether to stay in Peng City doing his current job or become a "Star Emperor" game streamer.

It’s an offer from a streaming platform!

Thanks to the popularity of the GAL League and stable operation of the game "Star Emperor," its streaming segment has also become quite lively.

The king players standing at the peak of the Immortal Road naturally become coveted, with streaming platforms vying to sign them, inviting these casual kings or professional players to start streams on their platform.

Leaving aside the professionals.

After all, a contract with players generally involves discussing with clubs or teams, and unless it’s a superstar player, platforms usually sign an entire team.

Taking Zhao Yunlong, a casual king, for instance, the conditions offered by the streaming platform are quite good, with the guaranteed salary slightly lower than his current job, and importantly, including gift revenues.

"Should I change careers?"

Zhao Yunlong is very hesitant; he really can’t make up his mind.

The salary at his current job is higher, and it’s also steady and reliable, but the future is very predictable, and he won’t possibly make it to management in his lifetime.

Essentially, the salary he’s getting now equals a dead-end wage, perhaps with slightly better bonuses when the company has good performance, but nothing more.

Switching to be a "Star Emperor" game streamer requires starting from scratch, though, as a rank king with good speaking abilities, he can quickly gain popularity.

The only issue with this path is how long the game "Star Emperor" will remain popular and how many years he can earn a living from it.

"Don’t go become a streamer; with your skills, I believe you can earn a lot, but what about in a few years?"

A friend tried to persuade him earnestly: "The game ’Star Emperor’ is already on the decline; I can’t believe you can’t see it! It’s clearly a trap, don’t act impulsively and quit your job..."

The friend made a lot of sense.

"Star Emperor" might have been amazing, but now it’s a fact that it’s declining. If he changes to being a streamer now, he might only make money for a year or two and then return to his old job.

Unless "Star Emperor" can rise again, halt its downturn, and even surge upward!

But is it possible?

Just as Zhao Yunlong hesitated between quitting for a chance or maintaining the status quo, a piece of news came out that made him instantly decide.

"Star Emperor 2" is coming!

Zhao Yunlong stumbled upon the latest game news while scrolling through short videos and found out that "Star Emperor 2" is about to be released, causing his eyes to brighten instantly.

No need to hesitate anymore!

Earlier, he was troubled by the old age of "Star Emperor," fearing that if he became a streamer now, the game might be obsolete in a few years.

But now that "Star Emperor 2" is here, a proper sequel to the game has arrived, and his worries vanish in an instant.

As a new game, "Star Emperor 2" is bound to continue the predecessor’s glory for four or five years, right?

Think boldly!

Possibly then, Tianba Studio might release the so-called "Star Emperor 3," with one generation following another; why worry about losing livelihood?