How can you become stronger without spending money?

"As long as your ID name is 5173, right?"

"Yes."

"No problem, it's a simple matter."

"Alright then, looking forward to your competition for the top spot."

The cooperation went smoothly.

5173 had already collaborated with some gaming workshops when selling virtual equipment.

Now, he brought out 5000 yuan to support them in reaching the top. The enthusiasm among the various gaming workshops was unparalleled.

He leveled up for himself, and he did it for others too.

But his ID was 5173.

For such a small favor, the gaming workshops were more than willing to oblige.

This, of course, included Wang Pangzi's workshop.

"Jian Ge, how's it going?"

"It's done. We've already paid a 1000-yuan deposit to the major gaming workshops."

"That's great."

Chen Yu nodded.

Since the major workshops agreed, Chen Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

For the time being, he would have to rely on these workshops to level up.

"...Wang Chang, it's been about a month. How's your gaming website doing?"

"Thanks for asking; it's already online."

"Haha, I know. I even checked out your website. I thought it was some amazing site, but it's just a personal website with only a few tens of thousands of daily IP flows. Isn't that a bit pitiful?"

"Is it? Still better than your instant messenger that's been in development for ages."

"Don't worry; our instant messenger is almost complete and will soon be on the market. By the way, do you want me to reserve a three-digit number for you? I'll tell you, three-digit numbers aren't available to the public; most people won't have them."

"You'd better keep it for yourself."

Wang Chang left with a cold expression.

"...Xie Zhang, how far have you leveled up?"

"Level 17."

"Not bad, not bad. I checked, you're ranked 87th in the entire region. Keep it up."

After patting Xie Zhang on the shoulder, Chen Yu returned to his office.

Lately, major game companies had been launching new servers. At the same time, the leveling ID 5173 of various gaming workshops also entered the game.

However, they didn't initially show any outstanding performance.

Chen Yu wasn't worried.

It had only been a few days since the new server started. He estimated that the results would slowly appear after a week.

"Huzi, Dongzi, did Boss Chen look upset just now?"

"Did he?"

"It seemed like it."

Watching Chen Yu offer only a slight word of encouragement before returning to his office, Xie Zhang felt conflicted inside. "Didn't we swear to secure the top spot in the entire region?"

"Yeah, but haven't we already reached 87th place now? That's pretty impressive."

"What's the use of 87th place?"

Xie Zhang shook his head. "Even if we were in the top three, it wouldn't matter. Just like exam scores, people remember only the first place; who remembers anything beyond that?"

"That's true."

"So, what should we do? I mean, if it continues like this, won't we miss out on the 2000 yuan reward?"

Li Youhu and Zhao Xingdong muttered in disappointment. "Damn, how did those guys level up? The three of us have been online grinding monsters 24/7, and we're only ranked 87th."

"Yeah, Xie Zhang, have you researched if there are any leveling tricks in this game?"

"We've looked into the tricks they used for leveling up, and it's the same as what we've been doing. The only difference is..."

"What's the difference?"

"They spent money."

As soon as this was said, both of them instantly understood. While Heroes of Jin Yong operated on a prepaid card fee model, it still had players who spent real money. Those who spent money were undoubtedly stronger. Whether it was buying equipment, in-game currency, or other virtual items, as long as you spent money, you had a definite advantage. This was also why some leveling fanatics could outpace ordinary players.

"So what should we do?"

"Should we spend money too?"

The group exchanged glances, but Xie Zhang suddenly had an idea. "How about we spend money too?"

"Xie Zhang, come on, you're a rich guy. How much can you spend?"

"I don't have much money."

"If you don't have money, what's the point?"

"I mean, what if we ask Jian Ge for some?"

"Ask Jian Ge? Would he agree?"

"How will we know if we don't try?"

They decided to take action.

With his quick-witted mind, Xie Zhang immediately sought out Zhang Jianming and presented the idea of spending money to level up.

After hearing Xie Zhang's proposal, Zhang Jianming glared at him, then went to Chen Yu's office. "Chen Yu, these guys are trying to pull a fast one."

"How are they trying to pull a fast one?"

"This guy isn't leveling up properly. He just asked if the company could allocate some money for him to level up."

"Oh..."

Chen Yu, who was sipping tea, couldn't help but chuckle and nearly choked. "My, oh my, they've learned the art of 'whaling'."

"Whaling spending? What's that?"

"It means spending money."

Chen Yu placed his teacup on the table. "Not bad, not bad, their minds are indeed flexible."

"Chen Yu, you're saying he has a flexible mind."

"Isn't it? Look at you; you didn't even think of spending money."

"Do I look like a lazy person?"

Sweating...

Chen Yu smiled. "Spending money has nothing to do with laziness. You've seen their performance these past few days. The three of them worked in shifts 24/7, and their computers were never turned off. Yet, even with all that effort, they still haven't reached the top spot in the entire region. It's not about their lack of effort; it's because someone else is spending money."

"That's right. Some gaming workshops and rich players do tend to spend money."

"Exactly. That's how games work. How can you get stronger without spending money? Since they're spending, and we're not, how can we possibly surpass them? Jian Ge, you should approve it."

"Ah, they're really going to spend money?"

"Why not?"

Chen Yu nodded. "I told them before that no matter what methods they use, spending money is one way. Besides, compared to advertising and promotion, this kind of spending probably saves a lot."

"Alright, I'll talk to them."

One couldn't deny the truth that getting stronger often required spending money. Whether in the past, the present, or the future, it remained the same.

Initially, Xie Zhang and his team had been leveling up tirelessly for 24 hours, but they were still ranked around the hundredth place. However, with Chen Yu's financial support, their rankings began to skyrocket.

At the same time, the gaming workshops that had partnered with them earlier were also following suit.

These gaming workshops understood the principle of spending money to get stronger better than any regular players. Although they had opened these workshops to make money, they were willing to invest upfront, knowing that it would yield returns many times over in the future.

With the added support of 5000 yuan from 5173, their leveling efforts left ordinary players in the dust.

In fact, they even outpaced many true whales.