Chapter 208: How Can A True Martial Hall Disciple Not Fly Solo
“You attacked Wanxing City, and you still want a reward?”
Meng Wei looked at Fang Zhen, who clearly had some expectations in his words, and suddenly felt his hands itch.
Obsidian Martial Arts Hall building Chiyue Town in Crimson Moon Mountain had already made Wanxing City very displeased. Now Fang Zhen and the others had wiped out one of Wanxing City’s strongholds. It was as if they were afraid Wanxing City would not come after Obsidian Martial Arts Hall.
And on top of that they wanted a reward. Did they want a fist the size of a punching bag?
Even so, Meng Wei still took a deep breath and forced down his itching hands.
“Don’t even think about that. This was not a task arranged by the martial arts hall. The hall master will not give a reward,” Meng Wei said directly after counting all the loot Fang Zhen had brought. “For these scrapped battle armors, the buyback price for each B4 set is 6 million points, each B5 set 8 million points, each B6 set 10 million points. There are 78 B4s, 9 B5s, and 4 B6s, for a total of 580 million points.”
“Five hundred and eighty million points?” Fang Zhen could not help being overjoyed when he heard that.
Although he knew the hall’s buyback price was low, he could not repair damaged battle armor anyway, and keeping it was useless. He had not expected to get 580 million points in one go. Even split between two people, he and Xiao Yuan Ye Feng Kuang would truly not have to worry about points for a while.
He could even use the newly launched Primary Gravity Room for 390 hours, continuously for more than sixteen days, so he did not have to worry about failing to train the Body Strengthening Secret Technique to the second level.
As Fang Zhen earned 580 million points from the martial arts hall in one stroke, many players who had come to sell loot could not help staring with blazing envy.
“As expected, the pioneer server is where the big earnings are. We run tasks, explore and fight monsters around the city, work ourselves to death, and only make a hundred thousand or so points a day. The bosses on the pioneer server make several ‘small goals’ a day.”
“I wonder if the boss needs a leg accessory. This pioneer server is just too awesome.”
“I also don’t know when the game will open pioneer server quotas again. If they never do, the gap between us and those five is only going to grow.”
“The gap is indeed too big. I strongly demand the game manufacturer fix this bug. Or just let all of us enter the pioneer server to experience it.”
Watching Fang Zhen and Xiao Yuan Ye Feng Kuang make a killing, every player felt intense envy, jealousy, and resentment.
Although points in the game had depreciated a lot now, and not only newcomers could more easily earn a lot of points, but veteran players were also earning far more, the places to spend points were also increasing.
Especially when charging for the Martial Artist class change. If you wanted a higher success rate, you had to reroll the clothes’ attributes. Each reroll cost 300,000 points. The price of class change was extremely high.
And the Type 1 Energy Potion and Type 1 Healing Potion, which sped up cultivation below Martial Artist, had become necessities for newbies and veteran players chasing the first tier. Each bottle cost 80,000 points, thankfully without contribution consumption.
Now, if they did not have a bottle every day, everyone felt something was missing.
Even more infuriating, the game had launched the Primary Gravity Room, which could increase cultivation speed. Even if you were not a Martial Artist, just an apprentice, an hour in the Primary Gravity Room was equivalent to bitter training for one or two days outside.
Because of the Primary Gravity Room, the points buyback price on the Official Forum had not dropped, but instead risen somewhat. A large number of super rich players would buy any points available, making the only three Primary Gravity Rooms into super rich players’ joy rooms, with an insanely fast improvement speed.
Those super rich players spent only two or three hours going from Beginner Apprentice directly to Intermediate Apprentice, and that was only because their comprehension of the First Level Breathing Technique of the Startling Spirit Breathing Technique was lacking. Among the major teams, those with better talent went from Beginner Apprentice to Advanced Apprentice within two or three hours.
If not for a few big team bosses occupying most of the Primary Gravity Room time to cultivate the Body Strengthening Secret Technique, if those super rich players had a full day, then aside from the instability and life risk caused by using gravity to manipulate energy to stimulate cells, making Resurrection cost them a lot of time, reaching Quasi-Martial Artist level would not be impossible.
While many players were discussing the Level One Wilderness Exploration Permission issue, Meng Wei immediately went to Lin Qi’s lounge.
At this moment, Lin Qi had just finished a day of extraction and cultivation in the lounge, and was frowning at the completely empty bottles of Type 2 EnergyPotion and Type 2 Healing Potion on the table.
“These Type 2 Energy Potions and Type 2 Healing Potions are really getting used up too fast.” Looking at the five empty bottles of Type 2 Energy Potion and eight empty bottles of Type 2 Healing Potion, Lin Qi felt that the number of Type II Potions Yaklo could produce in a day could no longer keep up with the hall’s daily consumption.
After Yaklo’s hands were fully healed, he showed high talent in pharmaceuticals. Even making Type II Potions, his success rate was over 40%. If he used Blood Essence from high-level monsters, the success rate was even higher, reaching over 50%. Compared to directly redeeming with Blood Essence from mid-level and high-level monsters at the city, it was more than twice as cost-effective.
In one day he could produce as many as one hundred bottles of Type II Potion. In the suburbs’ major factions, such a number would be unimaginable.
For the previous Obsidian Martial Arts Hall, one hundred Type II Potions a day would have been more than enough.
Because of this, his three cultivation methods had all reached over 70% entry-level progress. Although cultivation methods became harder toward the end and gave smaller improvements, his strengthening of the internal organs had reached 8%. In normal physical fitness, whether strength or speed, he was already close to the extreme of Advanced Martial Artists.
Strength: 4 kilograms, speed: 6 meters per second.
It could be said that once his internal organs strengthening reached 80%, he could fully attempt a breakthrough into the Bone Forging Realm.
However, in these last few days, because of opening Type 2 Energy Potion redemption and the Qi and Blood Watermelons he had previously rewarded to Lu Fanchen and others, the number of players becoming Martial Artists in Obsidian Martial Arts Hall had reached twenty-two, with five having reached Intermediate Martial Artist.
Yes, in just two or three days, the number of Martial Artists in Obsidian Martial Arts Hall had doubled. These player Martial Artists were also redeeming Type II Potions for cultivation, at a minimum of four bottles per day, and he himself was a major consumer.
One hundred Type II Potions a day were far from enough.
And the number of Martial Artists emerging among players would only increase. Let alone one hundred bottles of Type II Potion a day, even two hundred would be far from sufficient.
“It seems that before Yaklo can train players who can make Type II Potions, we can only redeem with the city.” Lin Qi thought it over and decided this was the only way to solve the shortage of Type II Potions.
At present, more than ten players studying side professions in the hall could produce Type 1 Potions. Although the success rate was not high, only twenty to thirty percent, it was still slightly more cost-effective than buying directly at the pharmacy. Combined with the stock of Type 1 Potions previously seized from Iron Heart Gang and Two-Headed Gang, it was enough to sustain them until the hall was self-sufficient.
But producing Type II Potions was something players could hardly do in the short term. Trading one mid-level monster for fifty Type II Potions was certainly a loss; normally, if Yaklo made them, he could produce one hundred and fifty bottles. But to prevent the hall’s development speed from slowing, this trade had to be made even if it was unprofitable.
“Hall master, something has happened.” Meng Wei reported nervously as he looked at Lin Qi, who was organizing inventory data in the room. “Just a while ago, our martial arts hall disciples wiped out one of Wanxing City’s strongholds.”
“Are you sure they were our hall’s disciples?” Lin Qi could not help raising his head to look at Meng Wei, his eyes full of surprise.
Players’ activity ranges were strictly limited by him. They were either near the City of Light Chasing or in Crimson Moon Mountain. Only five people could be considered to have any freedom of movement.
These five had high talent and strong strength, but they were still not even Advanced Martial Artists, without a single decent B3-level or above battle armor. The idea of them destroying a stronghold of Wanxing City was simply a fantasy.
A stronghold of Wanxing City would have at least a hundred City Guard soldiers. Those five might not even reliably defeat individual City Guard members, let alone take on a fully armed Advanced Martial Artist captain. Even five together might not win.
“We can be sure. According to the hall disciples, the stronghold Wanxing City set up was in Death Valley, only over sixty kilometers from Crimson Moon Mountain. They even sold all the scrapped B4-level and above battle armors from Wanxing City’s guard corps to the hall, so it cannot be fake,” Meng Wei said in distress. “Hall master, what should we do now? Our hall disciples destroyed a stronghold of Wanxing City. Wanxing City will never let Obsidian Martial Arts Hall go. Even the City of Light Chasing will not help us; they will just watch us fend for ourselves.”
Destroying one of Wanxing City’s strongholds was a huge matter for Wanxing City, and revenge was certain. Given the current situation of the City of Light Chasing, abandoning Obsidian Martial Arts Hall would not be strange. After all, the first target of the monster tide was the City of Light Chasing. The city could not afford to offend Wanxing City to protect Obsidian Martial Arts Hall.
“Death Valley, huh? They’ve really grown bold.” Lin Qi listened and simply smiled, unconcerned.
“Hall master, please don’t joke.” Meng Wei looked at the smiling Lin Qi, utterly speechless. “If Wanxing City attacks, our hall’s people may never be able to take half a step outside the city again.”
They had destroyed a stronghold of Wanxing City. Wanxing City might not directly attack the City of Light Chasing and break intercity rules, but completely blockading Obsidian Martial Arts Hall would not be difficult.
If anyone from Obsidian Martial Arts Hall dared to leave the city, Wanxing City could just kill them, and the City of Light Chasing would not say a word. After all, Obsidian Martial Arts Hall had destroyed one of Wanxing City’s strongholds. How could they deny Wanxing City the right to retaliate?
But for Obsidian Martial Arts Hall, this would be a disaster.
The hall was currently supporting over ten thousand people. Though it was earning a lot through training, that income could not support so many, and these people also needed to cultivate. Not to mention that Crimson Moon Mountain outside was a key stronghold of the hall and a source of Energy Ore.
When recruiting large numbers of hall disciples, Lin Qi had already told him he planned to have them mine, because beneath Crimson Moon Mountain there was a Small Energy Vein. It was not safe to entrust it to outsiders. Only their own people could be used.
“Relax. Wanxing City should not dare to openly move against us,” Lin Qi said with a smile. “There is a Mithril Ore Vein in Death Valley. Wanxing City came into the territory of the City of Light Chasing to mine mithril. If the City of Light Chasing learns this, they will definitely go all out against Wanxing City. That loss is something Wanxing City can only swallow and wait for a better chance.”
“A Mithril Ore Vein? Are you sure there is a Mithril Ore Vein in Death Valley?” Meng Wei’s eyes went wide.
A B3-level primordial ore vein was a tremendous treasure for any city. B2-level and above alloy was scarce in every major city, yet it was the main alloy for dealing with mid-level and high-level monsters.
With B3-level mithril, just by adding some materials, one could easily produce B4-level alloy. With some extra cost, making B5-level alloy was also possible. With B4-level and B5-level alloys, the city could manufacture large quantities of B4-level and B5-level battle armor and B4-level and B5-level weapons, all crucial materials for resisting the monster tide.
Therefore, once such a primordial ore vein was discovered, every major city would fight to obtain it.
If Wanxing City had really come to steal ore, then this incident was not as severe as it seemed. It meant they now held a handle on Wanxing City.
With this leverage, Wanxing City would not dare go too far.
“Of course I’m sure. Otherwise, why do you think I’m so calm?” Lin Qi said with a smile.
At first, he had been shocked too, thinking the players had caused a major disaster and were about to drive Wanxing City to madness. But once he heard it was Death Valley, he understood everything.
On the damaged map he had obtained from Emerald Sky, Death Valley was marked as containing a Mithril Ore Vein. And it was not only Death Valley. Beneath Thorn Forest, less than forty kilometers from Wanxing City, there was also a Mithril Ore Vein, with reserves far greater than Death Valley’s, a medium-sized vein. Wanxing City apparently did not know and had instead gone for the distant one.
“If that’s the case, then there’s no problem,” Meng Wei let out a sigh of relief and did not ask how Lin Qi knew about the Mithril Ore Veins.
As a Vice Gang Leader who had been mixing in gangs for many years, Meng Wei knew very well what to ask and what not to ask. Every faction had its secrets; Obsidian Martial Arts Hall was no exception. Asking too much could cost him his life.
He even decided that once he stepped out of this room, he would forget everything about the Mithril Ore Vein.
“By the way, you’ve been busy lately, and your work has been good,” Lin Qi said with satisfaction as he saw Meng Wei stop asking. “I plan to organize a guard corps for the martial arts hall. We’ll select talented people from the recruited disciples, first taking five hundred. Ordinary members’ treatment will be the same as elite disciples of the hall, and captains will get core disciple treatment. You will be the first leader.”
Chiyue Town was already under construction. Once it became a real town in the future, it would need sufficient strength to guard it. Players could guard it too, but there were too few players, and their login times were unstable. They were not suitable to bear the responsibility of defending Chiyue Town and the hall.
Now that the hall had over ten thousand disciples, it could, like the factions in the city proper, select a group of talented people to cultivate a guard corps of its own to protect the entire Obsidian Martial Arts Hall.
“Hall master, I am only a Beginner Level Martial Artist. It is not very appropriate for me to be the leader. Let me be the vice leader instead and assist a stronger disciple in the hall,” Meng Wei said. Though secretly overjoyed, considering the importance of the guard corps, he still declined the leader position.
With a Bone Forging Realm Expert like Lin Qi at Obsidian Martial Arts Hall, if the leader of the guard corps was only a Beginner Martial Artist, other factions would look down on them.
“We don’t have that many rules here. If I say you are, then you are,” Lin Qi said indifferently, picking up a large watermelon from the table. “If you feel being a Beginner Martial Artist is not suitable, then break through to Intermediate Martial Artist. Once you eat one-eighth of this Qi and Blood Watermelon, your Qi and Blood Limit will increase by 30% for six hours. That should be enough to help you break through to Intermediate Martial Artist. The remaining seven portions you can give to disciples in the hall who are worth cultivating to help them break through and assist you in training this first batch of guard corps recruits.”
He had originally planned to wait a bit longer before cultivating Meng Wei. But now that the players had brought back so many scrapped B4-level and above battle armors, he intended to strike while the iron was hot and have Meng Wei cultivate a martial arts hall guard corps of Martial Artists. Once equipped with repaired B4-level battle armor, such a force would be impressive even in the city proper.
“Qi and blood limit increased by 30%?” Meng Wei was stunned. He had never heard of such a terrifying foundation within Obsidian Martial Arts Hall. He quickly recovered, took the big watermelon with trembling hands, and said, “Thank you, hall master. I guarantee I will not disappoint you. I will cultivate a group of the best guard corps disciples for the hall!”
“Alright, the Qi and Blood Watermelon cannot be kept too long. Go use it quickly,” Lin Qi said with a smile, motioning for Meng Wei to hurry back and break through.
For the current wilderness outside the city, Beginner Martial Artists were indeed not enough. Only Intermediate Martial Artists could be considered safe.
After Meng Wei left with the big watermelon, Lin Qi thought for a moment, then wrote a notice at his desk and posted it on the announcement board in the training ground. He also sent the same notice via smart watch.
The content of the notice was very simple. It added a new way to obtain core disciple status: a new core disciple assessment. As long as one passed the assessment, they could become a core disciple of the hall even without sufficient contribution.
Since the players were so restless, he had to find something for them to do.
The damaged map recorded a B6-level Rem Titanium Gold vein, the closest one in the deep mountains of the wilderness more than five hundred kilometers from the City of Light Chasing. Previously, he had felt it was too dangerous for players to get anywhere near.
But now that two players could even take down a stronghold of Wanxing City, going into the wilderness to mine some Rem Titanium Gold ore to repair battle armor should not be difficult.
After Lin Qi posted the notice, all the players in the hall were shocked.
