Chapter 74: Spiritual Arcana
Obsidian Martial Arts Hall, hall master lounge.
When Lin Qi slowly pressed a smart watch stained with quite a bit of blood onto the metal plate, something that left him extremely astonished happened in an instant.
The metal plate was really drinking blood.
He saw the blood that had dripped from the smart watch onto the metal plate being devoured visibly to the naked eye, and on the originally incomparably smooth metal plate, numerous blood-red runes emerged.
These runes flowed. Although Lin Qi could not understand them, he knew these runes were not simple.
Because as these runes merely flowed on the metal plate, he could clearly feel the energy in the room beginning to gather toward the metal plate. It was simply unbelievable.
Rather than calling it a metal plate, it felt more like a living thing, a living thing that could autonomously absorb external energy.
During his many days in the high martial arts world, and from the information he had learned on the network through his smart watch, Lin Qi had never encountered such a phenomenon.
He was very clear that at least within the City of Light Chasing, there was absolutely no such miraculous item.
“That Gana actually carried this on him all along. This thing should not be dangerous,” Lin Qi said, picking up the metal plate and examining it again. “But why did he insist on carrying it on him?”
If not for this metal plate being dropped by a White Feather Gang expert, probably no one would have paid attention to it.
Throughout the abandoned area, there were far too many metal items like this. In the City of Light Chasing, people even used metal boxes as everyday packaging, so metal products would not attract attention at all, unless it was some super rare metal, such as A6-level native metal, or native metal above A6-level.
From the material, the metal plate was somewhat like A4-level white steel alloy, and its surface was smooth as a mirror. At most, people would treat it as an iron sheet, to be used as a hidden weapon for fun. It was not even qualified to be used as a mirror, because its reflection was too poor.
Obviously it was a metal plate that would not attract attention, yet Gana still chose to carry it on himself and did not mind the metal plate rubbing against him. That was absolutely strange.
Lin Qi then tried carrying it on himself as well.
One minute… two minutes… three minutes…
Only after ten full minutes did Lin Qi take off the metal plate. He understood that even if it was used as a heart protection mirror, wearing it was uncomfortable. The icy cold feeling against his body was like being pressed against a block of ice. He really could not understand how Gana had gotten used to it.
“Since it is not about wearing it, then the only possibility is blood,” Lin Qi thought of various treasures in novels that needed blood to trigger. Combined with the metal plate drinking blood, it was very likely the same kind of thing.
On this point, Lin Qi did not hesitate to choose to call over the newcomer who was ranked first in contribution this time.
Since it was an experiment, he naturally could not personally take the risk.
Players could casually resurrect after dying. If he did not use them for experiments, it would be a waste of his manager status.
“Master of the Pavilion, are you looking for me?”
Ye Qinglu walked into the lounge. Seeing Lin Qi holding a metal plate, she felt some anticipation about what good item this hall master might reward her with.
Through information from Yi Ye Fu Yun, Ye Qinglu already knew that with every batch of newcomers descending, there would be a competitive trial. As long as one took first place, one could receive an extra reward from the hall master.
In the big battle of this main storyline, she had single-handedly killed three beginner apprentices and, together with the girl called Xiao Yuan, blocked the boss’s steps at a critical moment. Thus she became the top newcomer this time.
Because it had been a plot task, everyone received a basic reward of five hundred points. Killing one apprentice-level White Feather Gang expert would grant one thousand points, divided equally among those who participated in the kill.
As for the boss kill points, anyone who had fought the boss got to share one hundred thousand points.
So from this wave, she personally earned a lot, a full thirteen thousand five hundred points, making many veteran players extremely envious.
With thirteen thousand five hundred points, aside from being unable to purchase weapons or armor above A5-level, she could basically buy all the martial arts hall cultivation methods, including the Stellar Explosion Meditation Technique that Yi Ye Fu Yun had mentioned.
With no shortage of martial skills or cultivation methods, Ye Qinglu was thinking about getting good weapons, preferably two swords. After all, in other games she was more accustomed to using dual swords.
Especially when she saw that B2-level long sword displayed by Lin Qi in the warehouse slicing through A6-level armor like cutting a watermelon, it was simply a divine sharp weapon and happened to be able to make up for her insufficient attack power.
But as for that B2-level long sword, she could only think about it.
At a redeem price of four million points, even if she sold Yi Ye Fu Yun, she still could not afford it.
“Qinglu, you have only just become a glorious martial arts hall disciple, but in view of your outstanding performance, I, as hall master, have decided to give you a great opportunity.” Lin Qi looked at the somewhat expectant Ye Qinglu and said very solemnly, “Do you see the metal plate in my hand?”
Ye Qinglu nodded, not knowing what he meant.
“This is your great opportunity,” Lin Qi said with feeling. “This is the most precious treasure of our Obsidian Martial Arts Hall. Ordinary disciples have no chance to come into contact with it, but in view of your excellence, I, as hall master, have decided to let you touch it.”
“Touch it?” Ye Qinglu was dumbfounded.
She had originally thought Lin Qi would more or less reward her with a powerful martial skill, just like the previous times, but when it came to her turn, he did not follow the usual pattern at all.
Let alone rewarding a basic martial skill, he just took out a metal plate and only let her touch it.
Was this really a reward, and not a “reward”?
“What are you thinking? Of course I am not letting you just touch it normally,” Lin Qi said, noticing Ye Qinglu’s strange look. He explained, “Prick your palm and place your hand on this metal plate. Then you will naturally know what is going on.”
“Know what is going on?” Catching something off in his phrasing, Ye Qinglu could not help asking, “Master of the Pavilion, do you also not know what will happen?”
Seeing that he could not brush off Ye Qinglu so easily, Lin Qi was speechless. He had not expected the new players nowadays to be this sharp. Who were they even learning this from?
“Of course I know,” Lin Qi paused, then smiled and said, “This is the hall’s secret. Those who have not come into contact with it cannot be told. If you do not want this reward, I can reward you instead with Lightning Palm, which only inner disciples can learn. You can choose one of the two rewards.”
When it came to players, Lin Qi knew very well. Since they were unwilling to take the initiative to be experimented on, then he would let them choose between two. He did not believe that offering Lightning Palm would fail to tempt players who liked to gamble.
“Lightning Palm?” Ye Qinglu was moved. Lightning Palm was a defense-breaking divine skill. One copy cost ten thousand points and the status of inner disciple. She gritted her teeth and then said, “Master of the Pavilion, I choose the metal plate.”
Though Lightning Palm was precious, she could get it directly through Yi Ye Fu Yun, so there was no need to obtain another copy. The metal plate was strange, but from Lin Qi’s mysterious attitude, it might well be some special plot that could grant a better reward. After all, with Lightning Palm as the guaranteed bottom-line reward, the alternative choice should not be worse.
“Put your hand on it,” Lin Qi said, placing the metal plate on the table for Ye Qinglu to use.
Ye Qinglu did not hesitate anymore. She was a player; there would be no real danger. At worst, she would just spend 648 to resurrect.
She cut her palm, and her jade-like hand pressed directly onto the metal plate.
As the metal plate came into contact with a large amount of fresh blood, it suddenly erupted with a large number of blood-red runes. The blood flowing from Ye Qinglu’s palm was rapidly absorbed, and the red glow of the metal plate grew more and more intense. After this continued for more than twenty seconds, Ye Qinglu finally withdrew her hand. Her face was a bit pale, clearly from losing too much blood.
“How is it?” Lin Qi asked curiously. “Did you gain anything?”
“It is so amazing.” Ye Qinglu came back to her senses and looked at the metal plate on the table in shock, with no trace of her former suspicion toward Lin Qi. Her eyes were full of wild joy. “It truly deserves to be the martial arts hall’s most precious treasure. It can directly imprint a mental secret technique into my mind so that I cannot forget it even if I try.”
