The cultivation system of Xiakong in Mingchao is daunting. Her growth path is paved with complicated materials low-frequency, medium-frequency, high-frequency and even full-frequency tide erosion sail cores, as well as rare resources such as burning phosphorus bones and golden wool. If you say that these are just recipes in the game, it would be too narrow. In fact, the accumulation of these materials reflects the complex relationship between people in today’s society and the heavy burden on our spirit.
When you see that you have to defeat the Sighing Ancient Dragon to obtain the Burning Phosphorus Bone, you can’t help but think that this so-called ancient dragon is just a concrete symbol – that is the oppression and pain that are everywhere in life. It follows you like a shadow and lingers. Players run around various maps and repeatedly kill monsters just to accumulate these materials, just like people in reality are exhausted in order to make a living. The meager resources in their hands seem to never be able to meet their ambitions and expectations for the future.
The name Golden Fleece reminds people of the holy objects that symbolize hope and salvation in ancient mythology. In Mingchao’s setting, the Golden Fleece is limited, with a maximum of fifteen pieces available per week, and the price is high. Isn’t this a metaphor for the scarcity of resources and class solidification in real society The happiness and success that people want are not easily available to everyone, and the Golden Fleece is out of reach. Its limited supply also implies unfairness and institutional constraints, forcing people to struggle within the rules.
Items such as containing impure crystallized phlogiston and coarsely extracted crystallized phlogiston in the game are piled up like mountains, which is annoying. Just like in reality, the trivial affairs and complicated processes we face consume a lot of time and energy, but seem to be endless. It reminds people of the cannibalistic society described by Mr. Lu Xun, where people are exhausted for survival and their hearts are gradually numb. Players’ battles in the virtual world also have a sense of escaping reality, using this virtual busyness to cover up their inner loneliness and helplessness.
The temptation of recharge discount codes is a microcosm of modern consumerism. In order to get some discounts, players spend a lot of money and time. Behind this is the desire for instant satisfaction and the silent complaint of the pressure of real life. What we see is not a simple sale of games, but the survival logic of an era everyone is driven by consumption and becomes a slave to their own will.
The material requirements of the resonance circuit are meticulous, from the low-level crystallized phlogiston to the high-level full-frequency tidal erosion sail core, every step cannot be underestimated. This staged and progressive cultivation setting seems to tell players there is no shortcut to growth, and every tiny progress must be paid hard. Isn’t it the same for us in reality Struggling in the cracks of society, even if the road ahead is bumpy, we can only grit our teeth and move forward.
It is worth mentioning that the name of the copy Condensate Field·Confession Abyss is philosophical. Confession means repentance, which is a kind of self-reflection; the abyss is the abyss, symbolizing the unknown and danger. Players repeatedly challenge this copy, which is very similar to the struggle of modern people in their hearts to free themselves. The game gives players a short sense of accomplishment and satisfaction, as if it is a temporary liberation from the oppression of reality.
Looking at the cultivation system of Mingchao Xiakong, behind the detailed and cumbersome material requirements, there is a psychological picture of modern people. It makes people wonder, what are we running around in real life for Is it the satisfaction of the virtual world, or the compromise of the real world Perhaps, as Lu Xun said in his famous words Hope is attached to existence. If there is existence, there is hope. If there is hope, there is light.
However, perhaps this light is not in the virtual world, but in our reflection and struggle on life. Xiakong’s growth path tells us that only by facing those sighing ancient dragons and being indomitable can we usher in real change. This is also true in games, and so is life.