The list of materials for the cultivation of Xia Kong is like the magical legends circulated under the old locust tree at the head of the village, full of exotic flowers and plants, and stained with the breath of magical realism. The unfamiliar names of crystallized phlogiston, tide-eroded sail core, and burning phosphorus bone are like stardust falling from the sky, sticking to the fingertips of players and sticking to their souls. This long list of materials is a spider web woven by modern game designers, which tightly entangles players, like an old farmer working non-stop in the autumn harvest season, harvesting the virtual fruits that cannot be escaped.

I remember when I was a child, the old man in the village said that the gods in the sky would also send messengers to bring various trials. Whoever can complete them can pick the stars and embrace the moon. Today’s Xia Kong cultivation materials may be the test brought by the messenger. The impure, crudely extracted, distilled, and highly pure crystallized phlogiston are layered and stacked, like a winding stream in a valley, advancing layer by layer, with a clear and cold feeling, but people can’t stop looking for it. Players are like children running errands in the village. In exchange for a sharp hoe, they walk through muddy fields, brave the wind and rain, how hard it is.

And the “Golden Fleece” is no longer a golden treasure in mythology, but a hard bone in the game economy. The rule of limiting purchases to 15 pieces is like the old rules in the village. People can’t eat a fat man in one bite, but can only gnaw slowly. Whoever can own the Golden Fleece is like an old farmer who has obtained the fertilizer given by God, which can make the crops harvested. Everyone is jealous, and some people hate it. The limited and precious resources of this kind in the game reflect the helplessness and resistance of modern society to the unfair distribution of resources. The competition among players is like the shouting and collision of farmers when they rush to harvest fruits, which is warm but helpless.

The tidal sail core is like the surging waves in the deep sea, and every drop brings surprise and disappointment. Players, like fishermen, cast nets in the boundless sea, hoping to catch the fattest fish, but often only a few dried fish and broken nets. Repeated brushing of materials is not only a gameplay, but also a portrayal of the villagers’ labor year after year: despite the hard work, they still have to persist, because that is life and a ritual that must be completed.

The existence of the material “stuffed meat tofu” is like a hot meal served by the mother in the village, cheering up the children who have worked all day. Its design of increasing the material drop rate is like adding a little seasoning to life, adding a little flavor and hope to the monotonous life. In the repeated and tiring “brushing”, players rely on this little “welfare” as if relying on the bowl of hot porridge in their hometown to support their spirit and strength.

The world of the game is so complicated, and the list of materials is so huge, but it just reflects the complexity and helplessness of reality. Modern people are like players in this virtual world, kidnapped by heavy tasks and endless requirements, constantly looking for a way out in the maze of life. The design of the cultivation materials makes people feel anxious, but they can’t bear to abandon them. The contradiction of wanting to break free from the shackles but being unable to give up is a true portrayal of the hearts of contemporary people.

Xiakong’s cultivation materials carry a strong mark of the times and an ancient rural atmosphere. In a world where virtual and real are intertwined, players are like the tenacious farmers in the village, trapped by the environment and working hard to open up their own fields. The struggle and grinding in the game are like the farming and harvesting of farmers, sad but real, rough but full of vitality.

Mo Yan once said that the countryside is a magical place, and the cultivation system of modern games is also a magical realist performance. The complex materials are not only the rules of the game, but also the endless struggle and hope in people’s hearts. The materials for developing Xia Kong in the game are like the land of his hometown, muddy and overgrown with weeds, but full of the power of life, waiting to be understood and surpassed.