Chapter 305: Target: The New Continent
“Can a level nine player really be this strong after condensing spiritual energy?”
Qian Ren E Gui stared fixedly at the dispersing long river of sword qi, unable to believe it for a long time.
Although he had seen plenty of such grand scenes in many games, even ones dozens of times more spectacular than this river of sword qi, Immortal Road Eternal had only just entered public beta. It was hard to imagine that this level of destructive power could be achieved by a level nine player.
Not to mention, Immortal Road Eternal was not an ordinary virtual game, but the latest virtual game with a virtual degree exceeding 85 percent, with all aspects being nearly real.
The physical fitness of a level one player was only somewhat stronger than that of people in reality, roughly at the level of a level one athlete. With attributes distributed evenly, a level nine player’s physical fitness would at most be at the limit of human capability.
For someone whose physical fitness was only at the human limit to cleave out a canyon through the forest with a single swing, no matter how you looked at it, it was impossible. Yet Ye Qinglu had done exactly that.
The only difference between Ye Qinglu and him was that her spiritual energy had condensed.
At this moment, it was not only Qian Ren E Gui who was incomparably shocked and stunned. The members of the traveling group who had come along all looked at Ye Qinglu with completely different eyes.
Ye Qinglu’s sword had not only wiped out more than a hundred experts of the War God Alliance, it had also killed that level twelve great demon along with them. The destructive power was simply inhuman, completely shattering their understanding of level nine players.
“Sister Qinglu, how did you do that?” Can Dao Ru Xue grabbed Ye Qinglu’s arm with both hands, eyes shining as she looked at her. “Can you teach me?”
As this young girl Can Dao Ru Xue spoke, all the Azure Travelers, regardless of age or gender, pricked up their ears, curious how that move had been accomplished.
A move like that could be said to completely surpass their current realm. Even those at the qi refining realm likely could not reach such terrifying destructive power. If they could learn it, then once they reached qi refining realm, they would be able to walk sideways in Immortal Road Eternal.
“This move requires learning to control spiritual energy and make it manifest form. Without sufficiently strong spirit, it is impossible,” Ye Qinglu said, shaking her head at their expectant gazes.
The move she used could be called a simplified version of the heavenly cycle sword formation, but even the simplified version was not something that people who had not learned the stellar explosion meditation technique and the shocking god meditation technique could master.
Put simply, even if she wanted to teach them, Can Dao Ru Xue and the others would not be able to learn it. After all, they could not even control spiritual energy with their thoughts yet, let alone make it manifest form.
“Then sister Qinglu, can you teach me how to control spiritual energy?” Can Dao Ru Xue looked at Ye Qinglu, her eyes burning, clearly unwilling to give up.
“Ruxue, stop it. Qinglu came here on serious business. If you want to control spiritual energy, you just need to join the Divine Firmament Sect and obtain a cultivation method, then you will naturally be able to do it.”
With this deep and steady voice echoing out, Can Dao Ru Xue had no choice but to give up, and everyone else turned to look toward the source of the voice.
They saw a handsome man, roughly one meter ninety tall and around thirty-two or thirty-three years old, carrying on his back a wide greatsword as broad as a door panel. His dark gray pupils had no focus, clearly blind, yet he still held the great demon’s drops in his hand as he walked over slowly.
With each step this man took, everyone vaguely felt the surrounding spiritual energy become much clearer, as if he were the center of heaven and earth and all the spiritual energy around was unconsciously gathering toward him.
As the man approached at his unhurried pace, Yi Ye Fu Yun, who had been standing behind Ye Qinglu, had eyes shining.
Because this handsome blind man was none other than Yi Ye Fu Yun’s idol, the leader of the Azure Travelers.
Bi Hai Cang Tian.
A legendary figure in the virtual game world, whose personal strength could rank in the global top twenty experts.
“This young brother is the newcomer you mentioned, Qinglu?” Bi Hai Cang Tian seemed to notice Yi Ye Fu Yun’s gaze. His dark gray pupils turned directly toward Yi Ye Fu Yun as he said with a smile, “Earlier I heard Qian Ren say this newcomer has boundless prospects. I was a bit skeptical, but now it seems, young brother, your skills are indeed impressive. Welcome to the Azure Travelers.”
“Leader, you flatter me. Compared to the seniors, I am still far behind,” Yi Ye Fu Yun replied quickly, his tone full of humility and excitement. He had not expected to join so smoothly.
Qian Ren E Gui shook his head at Yi Ye Fu Yun. “Kid, you are being too modest. With the skills you just showed, you could definitely rank in the top five in the entire group.”
The others present all nodded in agreement.
They had all seen Yi Ye Fu Yun’s battle where he faced five War God Alliance experts head-on. Saying his combat level ranked top five was actually Qian Ren E Gui being generous to the rest of the group.
To be honest, the only ones in the entire group who might surpass Yi Ye Fu Yun were probably just the leader and the vice leader.
“Big brother Qian Ren, I am not just being modest,” Yi Ye Fu Yun explained. “I was only lucky enough to play High Martial Arts Descend before you all. If you had started High Martial Arts Descend at the same time as me, I would probably rank at the bottom of the group.”
He knew very well how special High Martial Arts Descend was. After being promoted to the bone forging realm, his mental reactions and mental activity had risen again compared to the viscera refining realm. Combined with the meditation techniques, he could divide his attention a hundred ways. It was normal that he surpassed the vast majority of the group now.
But if all members of the Azure Travelers entered High Martial Arts Descend, the result would be completely different.
“Yi Ye is right,” Ye Qinglu nodded in agreement at the side. “Don’t be fooled by how dazzling he looks now. If everyone went into High Martial Arts Descend, it would not take long for them to surpass his current level.”
“Is that internal-test High Martial Arts Descend really that amazing?” Qian Ren E Gui could not help feeling deeply intrigued and asked.
Ye Qinglu had already mentioned High Martial Arts Descend earlier at the underground black boxing ring. At the time, he had paid some attention but did not care much, because compared to Immortal Road Eternal, any other game was unimportant.
But now, whether it was Yi Ye Fu Yun or Ye Qinglu, the strength they displayed, especially Ye Qinglu, made it impossible for him not to take it seriously. After all, Ye Qinglu had been active in the traveling group for many years, and he knew roughly what kind of person she was.
At the very start of Immortal Road Eternal’s server launch, Ye Qinglu had wiped out over a hundred War God Alliance experts in a single move, something even leader Bi Hai Cang Tian could not accomplish.
“How should I put it,” Ye Qinglu thought for a moment and said, “having played both High Martial Arts Descend and Immortal Road Eternal, my feeling is that Immortal Road Eternal is like a low-spec version of High Martial Arts Descend. High Martial Arts Descend is not only more realistic, its methods for mental enhancement and strengthening far surpass Immortal Road Eternal.”
“Today I mainly came to recommend High Martial Arts Descend to everyone. If we all develop together in High Martial Arts Descend, I believe it will greatly help you in becoming pioneers in the future.”
As Ye Qinglu finished speaking, everyone fell silent. Some were clearly tempted, others looked indifferent, but more turned their eyes toward leader Bi Hai Cang Tian.
“As expected, it all comes down to the leader’s decision,” Ye Qinglu was not surprised at all by this and her gaze also shifted to Bi Hai Cang Tian.
The Azure Travelers adventure group had been founded single-handedly by Bi Hai Cang Tian, and all the members had been selected by him. After so many years together, most members simply wanted to follow Bi Hai Cang Tian as a person. What game they played was not important.
Some had even pursued pioneer status only because they wanted to follow behind Bi Hai Cang Tian.
“Qinglu, I understand what you are thinking,” Bi Hai Cang Tian said after pondering for a moment, nodding. “But there is no need to rush this matter. Immortal Road Eternal is not an ordinary game, and we know nothing about High Martial Arts Descend, nor the forces behind it. My suggestion is to investigate first. Once we fully understand High Martial Arts Descend, it will not be too late for us to move in. Of course, during this investigation period, I won’t stop anyone who wants to go.”
“I’ll follow the leader.”
“I agree as well. We already know quite a bit about Immortal Road Eternal, and now that it is in public beta with over one billion players, with more to come, it is also the only officially designated game. Abruptly switching to a game like High Martial Arts Descend, whose background we know nothing about, is too risky.”
In a short time, among the more than twenty members, over eighty percent agreed with Bi Hai Cang Tian’s view. The only ones interested who had not yet spoken were Qian Ren E Gui and Can Dao Ru Xue.
“Since everyone has decided, let’s each get back to our tasks,” Bi Hai Cang Tian nodded, his dark gray eyes turning toward Ye Qinglu. “Qinglu, even though you are going to shift your focus to High Martial Arts Descend, I still suggest you spend some time each day leveling in Immortal Road Eternal. This game is not as simple as you think.”
“Not as simple as I think?” Ye Qinglu nodded after hearing this, deciding to set aside some time each day to level up.
Bi Hai Cang Tian was not only a legend in the virtual game world, he also had a powerful background and excellent information channels. Since he said so, she, just the heir to a fitness center, had no reason to ignore that advice.
Besides, she had basically achieved her goal with this visit.
Although it was a pity she had not persuaded everyone, at least she had sparked the interest of Qian Ren E Gui and Can Dao Ru Xue. Even if only those two joined, it would still be a great boost to the garrison.
While the Azure Travelers dispersed to grind levels, the War God Alliance, who had resurrected in Baiye Village, exploded in outrage.
The dignified War God Alliance had sent over a hundred experts to besiege the Azure Travelers, who were just a group of a little more than twenty, yet they were completely wiped out, and all by Ye Qinglu alone. If this got out, the War God Alliance would lose all face.
“What is with this Azure Travelers? A mysterious new expert shows up out of nowhere, stronger even than that Qian Ren E Gui, and then there’s that crazy woman.” War God Alliance vice president Zhan Tian Ban Bu recalled the scene before his death, full of confusion. “Condensed spiritual energy, and that river of sword qi. When did she become this strong?”
They were all non-wipe internal test players. Without the ability to join sects or obtain cultivation methods during the internal test, Ye Qinglu could not only condense spiritual energy, but even control it to attack. It was simply unbelievable.
And as for Ye Qinglu’s level, as an old rival, they knew her quite well. After only a few months apart, she had suddenly killed them all instantly the moment the server opened. No matter how he looked at it, it was strange.
“Investigate. Send people to investigate those two for me. I must find out what is going on!” Zhan Tian Ban Bu ordered everyone directly.
Now that Ye Qinglu’s strength was terrifying, if they could not learn why she had become so strong, future actions of the War God Alliance in Immortal Road Eternal would become extremely passive and troublesome.
Only by uncovering the reason could they compete with the Azure Travelers over bosses and opportunities. Otherwise, they would gain nothing and only die in vain and lose levels.
For a time, everyone in the War God Alliance mobilized under Zhan Tian Ban Bu’s orders, frantically digging into everything about Yi Ye Fu Yun and Ye Qinglu, both inside Immortal Road Eternal and outside of it, leaving nothing unchecked.
After more than half a day.
In a bunker one hundred meters underground within a primeval forest on Blue Star.
The hatch of a virtual game pod slowly opened and a blind burly man stepped out. This blind burly man was none other than Bi Hai Cang Tian, who had just logged off.
As Bi Hai Cang Tian stepped out, the alloy door of the room also slowly opened, and two men walked in.
One of them wore a suit, a man just over forty, with many scars on his face and neck, giving him an exceptionally stern look.
The other man wore a tight black sports outfit. He looked only about twenty-five or twenty-six, but the tight suit was loaded with many weighted metal strips, totaling over one hundred kilograms. Yet his movements were completely unaffected, as if those heavy metal strips were merely decorations on his clothes.
Bi Hai Cang Tian’s unfocused eyes turned toward the two as if seeing straight into their hearts. “You’re here. Looks like I interrupted your exo-atmospheric mecha training.”
“Exo-atmospheric mecha training is nothing. We have killed who knows how many monsters on that planet together. Missing one coordination session doesn’t matter,” the suited man said indifferently. “So, young master of the consortium, what did you call us here for?”
“I want you to investigate a game for me, a game still in internal test,” Bi Hai Cang Tian said with a smile. “The game is called High Martial Arts Descend. We want you to fully investigate the forces behind it and the situation inside the game.”
“Why investigate an internal-test new game? Are you not caring about Immortal Road Eternal anymore?” the suited man asked in surprise.
“That game is a bit special, so I want to check it,” Bi Hai Cang Tian said, thinking of Ye Qinglu’s display of spiritual energy control in Immortal Road Eternal, a trace of a smile appearing on his face. “If it is really as my vice leader said, and there are no problems, then it is a new continent.”
“Young master, why did you call me then?” the youth in the tight sportswear asked in confusion. “I’m not much of a gamer. I only understand real combat and the operation of the starry sky series mechas.”
“Xing Kuang, it is precisely because you are good at those that I want you to go into that game and investigate,” Bi Hai Cang Tian said to the youth named Xing Kuang with a smile. “I heard that game has advanced research on mental aspects and can even help players improve their spirit. That is very important for improving your control over the starry sky mechas.”
Xing Kuang, whom he had personally trained from a young age, did not really play games, but his mental talent was extraordinary, surpassing even Ye Qinglu’s. Because of this, he had become a famed ace pilot of the starry sky at such a young age.
“I understand,” Xing Kuang nodded.
“Also, take the entire mecha corps with you. With more people, it will be easier to investigate,” Bi Hai Cang Tian instructed.
“The entire mecha corps?” Xing Kuang was stunned. “Young master, that is a corps of one hundred thousand!”
The consortium’s starry sky mecha corps was composed of the elite of the elite, all battle-hardened veterans. Sending some of them to play a game might be one thing, but sending all one hundred thousand, they could flatten a game without issue. With virtual games becoming more and more realistic, individual performance was increasingly dependent on real-life skill.
With their hundred thousand experts, this was not just an investigation; it was basically an order to beat the game to its knees.
“Off you go,” Bi Hai Cang Tian waved his hand and lay back down in the virtual game pod.
The two men left Bi Hai Cang Tian’s lounge and moved according to his instructions: one to investigate the background and backing forces of High Martial Arts Descend, and the other to lead people into the game to investigate the situation inside.
High martial arts world, Chiyue Town.
At noon the next day, the bell rang. The thirty-two hours of update time had come to an end, and the branch hall in Chiyue Town welcomed its first batch of newbies, numbering in the thousands.
