Chapter 11: Apprentice-level Battle
Under the dim streetlights.
As Qin Mu and Hou Fei came to an agreement, the more than a thousand vagrants from both the Human Race and the Crystal Race retreated to both sides of the street, leaving over a hundred meters of open road to provide ample battle space for Heavy Spear Qin Mu and Crystal Bear Hou Fei.
“Those two NPCs look like they’re about to start fighting.”
Twilight of the Gods stared at Qin Mu and Hou Fei, both of whose figures were like giants, eyes shining, voice full of excitement. “I wonder how well this game’s combat system is designed.”
“If it can have impact feeling like those legendary wuxia masterpieces, this game will be the game of the year.”
“With how high this game’s virtual degree is, it should be able to deliver combat feedback like those legendary wuxia masterpieces.” Fang Zhen also spoke with great anticipation. “But even if this game falls a bit short compared to other top action masterpieces, I feel it’s fine. After all, the graphics and overall feel are already unbeatable.”
“I feel this game won’t be bad.” Wu Shang stopped swinging her shovel, rolled her shoulders, and looked into the distance at the two fighting figures, eyes blazing. “Based on my many years of playing Pilgrimage, plus the feedback from digging and the sense of body control it gives.”
“This game is already above Pilgrimage. I just don’t know to what extent those two NPCs’ combat demonstration can go.”
The three traded comments back and forth, full of curiosity and anticipation for the battle that was about to begin, completely in the mindset of evaluating a game. This left Lin Qi, listening beside them, deeply shaken.
Combat feedback?
Impact feeling?
And NPC combat demonstration?
He had to admit, the way the three of them had filled in the blanks was practically perfect; it even made most of his nervousness vanish.
“No, I can’t let them influence me. I need to take this seriously.”
Lin Qi shook his head, deciding he could not be led astray by the three of them. He adjusted his mindset and refocused on Qin Mu and Hou Fei, especially on Hou Fei.
Whether it was Qin Mu or Hou Fei, both were clearly figures standing at the peak among the vagrants.
By his estimation, both of their strength should have reached the level of apprentice peak martial artist apprentices, only a step away from quasi-martial artists. Otherwise, with so many people on both sides, they would not have left the decision over this area’s ownership to just the two of them.
In this high martial arts world, only when strength reached 100 kilograms and speed reached 10 meters per second would one be considered to have stepped onto the threshold of a quasi-apprentice.
From quasi-apprentice to true martial artist apprentice, one needed strength of 200 kilograms and speed of 12 meters per second.
That was the threshold of a martial artist apprentice, which counted as having a certain status in the City of Light Chasing and qualified one to apply for martial arts classes in various high schools.
And to advance from martial artist apprentice to quasi-martial artist, one’s strength had to reach 900 kilograms and speed 26 meters per second. Typically, the vast majority of martial artist apprentices were stuck at this step, with all their stats stalled between 800 and 899 kilograms and speed between 24 meters per second and 9 meters per second, which was the apprentice peak.
Qin Mu and Hou Fei clearly belonged to this tier.
With strength above 800 kilograms and speed over 24 meters per second, calling them humanoid beasts was no exaggeration. The way they fought was simply beyond what ordinary people could imagine.
Yet this battle between the two directly concerned his future development, and whether he stayed or left this area. Even if his own strength was insufficient, it was not impossible for him to affect the outcome of their fight.
That was by finding Hou Fei’s weaknesses. Even an extreme-level apprentice like Hou Fei would have many combat habits, and those habits often became weaknesses. If he could find them and remind Qin Mu, it would undoubtedly greatly increase Qin Mu’s chances of victory and change the situation between the two.
Before coming to the high martial arts world, he had played many virtual combat games on Blue Star. He had over ten years of virtual combat experience, and the number of monsters and players he had taken down was in the tens of thousands. In terms of combat experience, he likely far surpassed the martial artists of the City of Light Chasing. Discovering Hou Fei’s weaknesses was by no means impossible.
Under the streetlights, at the center of the street.
Qin Mu and Hou Fei had both put on armor forged from alloy, standing thirty meters apart.
To Lin Qi, who had been to the Azure Crystal Weapon Shop several times, the alloy armor they wore looked extremely familiar: apprentice-level armor, forged from A5-grade alloy, each set weighing over 60 kilograms and priced at more than thirty thousand Bit.
As for the weapons in their hands, these were no ordinary items either. They were clearly also made from A5-grade or higher alloy, each weighing over one hundred kilograms.
“Hou Fei, Crystal Bear of the Wilderness, I’ve long wanted to cross weapons with an expert like you. Unfortunately, we don’t move in the same areas out in the wilderness. Today, let me experience your blade technique!” Qin Mu, holding a silver spear, gave the over three-meter-long spear in his hand a casual flick, sending gravel on the ground flying as he stepped toward the more than three-meter-tall Hou Fei.
“Come, let me see whether your Seven Cloud Piercing Spears is as divine as the White Feather Gang says.” Hou Fei grinned, drew the mountain splitting sabre from his back, its length also over three meters, not losing out at all to the spear in Qin Mu’s hand in attack range.
As soon as his voice fell, the more than three-meter-tall Hou Fei let out a roar, gripped his sabre with both hands, and his muscles started to swell. He suddenly stepped forward.
Boom!
The sonic boom in the air echoed along the whole street. The ground beneath Hou Fei’s feet shattered inch by inch. With every step, the hard concrete road cracked open. In less than four steps, he appeared in front of Heavy Spear Qin Mu, his whole person like a giant bear crashing down on him.
“Good!”
Qin Mu did not retreat in the slightest. He stomped down, and his spear cleaved downward with the motion, blasting the air apart. He clearly intended to take Hou Fei head-on.
Seeing this, Hou Fei twisted his body. The strength of his body, along with the power of his arms, surged through the sabre as he swung it up in a horizontal slash.
One downward cleave, one horizontal cut, neither yielding an inch.
Boom!
Metal clashed, the sound echoing along the whole street. The collision of their terrifying strength forced both of them back several steps. With each step they retreated, the ground cracked apart inch by inch, and the surrounding streetlights shook as if in an earthquake.
“Your body has incredible strength.” Hou Fei looked at Qin Mu with some surprise, a hint of confusion in his heart.
The Crystal Race was naturally stronger than the Human Race. In terms of raw strength alone, he already exceeded 900 kilograms. It was only because his speed had not reached the mark that he could not become a quasi-martial artist.
For Qin Mu, as a human, to match his strength without falling behind showed that Qin Mu’s power was no less than his.
“You’re not bad either. You’re not only strong, but also so fast. You’re probably just a sliver away from quasi-martial artist speed.” Qin Mu looked at Hou Fei, his gaze much more serious.
If the quasi-martial artist speed standard was 26 meters per second, then Hou Fei had already reached 8 or In terms of stats, he was at the level of a limit apprentice.
“Looks like I can’t hold back against you.” Realizing that Qin Mu’s stats in all aspects were not inferior to his, Hou Fei raised his sabre high. “Since we are about equal across the board, then let’s go head-to-head and see whose strength and stamina are greater!”
With that, Hou Fei suddenly slashed down at Qin Mu, every strike carrying the sound of rending wind.
One slash, two slashes, three slashes, sweeping toward Qin Mu like a storm, the sabre shadows a blur. This move was Hou Fei’s signature technique in the wilderness, the Wind Slicing Blade. Each slash was stronger than the last, but every swing also inflicted huge consumption on himself.
One could say that once the Wind Slicing Blade was unleashed, it was victory or death.
“Since you want to go all out, then I’ll go all out with you!”
Facing the storm-like wall of blade shadows, with Hou Fei’s path like a gale tearing through everything, Qin Mu suddenly thrust his spear, like a venomous snake striking.
One thrust, seven shadows.
Each shadow exploded.
Seven Cloud Piercing Spears.
For a time, spear shadows and blade light clashed endlessly along the street. Every collision was like artillery fire, and even people over a hundred meters away could clearly feel the tremors in the air.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Neither side held anything back. Every attack was full force. After dozens of rapid exchanges, the recoil transmitted through their weapons made both of their bodies ache with stabbing pain.
As for the street beneath their feet, within a hundred-meter radius it had turned into utter ruin, with not a single intact piece of concrete left.
Farther down the street, Fang Zhen, Twilight of the Gods, and Wu Shang watched with their mouths hanging open, their shock beyond words.
“Monsters brawling?”
“They’re going completely berserk. Both of them are monsters. This destructive power is about on par with artillery from an entire company, right?”
“Is this actually not a game manufacturer playing us a blockbuster movie they filmed?”
From Fang Zhen’s perspective, the countless viewers in the live stream room were all stunned by what they saw.
One could say that aside from “holy shit,” there were no other adjectives left.
