Chapter 21: Self-Cultivation of the Players-Quarta Calamidade: Em um Mundo de Artes Marciais Supremas, Jogos o Tornam um Deus(Gato Velho do Destino Celestial)

"Someone beat us to it." Luo Wushang sighed slightly as she watched the Leopard Shadow Step being taken.

When Lin Qi first produced the two martial arts manuals, Luo Wushang had immediately recognized the immense potential of the Leopard Shadow Step. It was the bicycle of the exploration world; while the Shattering Stone Fist might have great practical value in combat, in this current version of the game, underground exploration was the true path to success.

"Gunman, well done." Fang Zhen walked up to the Outland Gunman, his eyes filled with excitement. "Quick, let us take a look together and see what this martial art really is."

"Alright." The Outland Gunman took it out without hesitation, and he, Fang Zhen, and A Gun Unmatched began to study it together.

The others present cast envious looks in their direction. With Fang Zhen’s nudge, everyone now understood that the Leopard Shadow Step was the "son of the version." Once learned, it would surely allow them to pull ahead of the others and accumulate more martial arts hall points.

"Rewards have been distributed. Now, I have an important announcement," Lin Qi said, pausing as he watched the crowd prepare to disperse. "Both of these hall-exclusive martial arts are available for exchange to any disciple of this hall, provided you have at least 20 points. You can check the detailed exchange list on the announcement board in the training grounds."

He had stayed up late last night not only preparing the first volumes of the Shattering Stone Fist and the Leopard Shadow Step for everyone but also converting the old sign-in board in the training area into an announcement board. Previously, notifying everyone of anything required finding them individually, which was far too troublesome. He had considered getting everyone smartwatches, but they were prohibitively expensive—even second-hand ones cost a thousand bits. The watch on his own wrist was an old model Luo Qi had discarded after five or six years of use. Therefore, smartwatches would have to wait until he had the means to provide them to the players. For now, to facilitate management and prevent players from running to him constantly to ask what could be exchanged, listing the available items on the board was much more efficient.

"We can exchange for this directly? Isn't this supposed to be a quest reward?" The Outland Gunman heard this and looked at the Leopard Shadow Step in his hand, feeling that its value had instantly diminished. After all, he had spent a whole month’s wages to acquire this manual!

"Get used to it." Fang Zhen patted the Outland Gunman on the shoulder, as if he had anticipated Lin Qi’s move. "It’s not like we don’t have an advantage. After all, one still needs 20 points to unlock the exchange for the Leopard Shadow Step, and we can start practicing now."

"That’s true." The Outland Gunman had no choice but to accept it. New players currently had zero points, and even if they worked themselves to the bone, it would likely take a full day to earn 20 points, giving the early adopters an extra day to master the technique.

***

Elsewhere, Luo Wushang and her group rushed to the training ground's announcement board to check the exchange prices.

*Leopard Shadow Step (Volume I): Apprentice-level footwork. Divided into two volumes. Mastering the first stage, "Chasing Wind," increases speed by 20%; mastering the second stage, "Hunting Shadow," increases speed by 30%. (Requires 20 hall points to unlock; costs 10 points to exchange for Volume I, and 20,000 points for Volume II.)*

*Shattering Stone Fist (Volume I): Apprentice-level fist technique. Divided into two volumes. Mastering the first stage, "Crushing Piles," increases strength by 100%; mastering the second stage, "Shattering Stone," increases strength by 150%. (Requires 20 hall points to unlock; costs 10 points to exchange for Volume I, and 20,000 points for Volume II.)*

"The Hall Master actually had a rare moment of conscience, only charging 10 points," Dusk of Gods said, his eyes gleaming. "The boost from these two martial arts is massive. If I can master both, I could definitely hold my own against a quasi-apprentice. With my current points, I can afford to exchange for both."

"Cheap, sure, but if we grind for a day, we could probably afford both," A Leaf Drifting in the Clouds remarked, frowning slightly. "But that would mean falling a day behind in progress."

"Are you interested in a loan? If you want the Leopard Shadow Step, I can exchange for it and give it to you," Luo Wushang said, turning to A Leaf Drifting in the Clouds with a smirk. "Of course, it’s not unconditional."

"Wushang?" Zhang Qingwei looked at her in surprise, unsure of her intentions. After a night of observation, Zhang Qingwei knew that among the three of them, Luo Wushang was by far the wealthiest. She had recently bought 500 points from Dusk of Gods in one go, spending 100,000 yuan at a rate of 200 yuan per point. At the time, it had seemed like a waste, but now it appeared to be a brilliant investment.

"What are the conditions?" A Leaf Drifting in the Clouds glanced at her and said in a low voice, "If you want us to join your guild, forget it. We’re used to being free; we don’t like joining guilds."

"Don't worry about that. Tianwei never forces anyone to join," Luo Wushang replied with a smile. "The conditions are simple. I can lend you 80 points now. I don't need you to pay me back in points; I just want priority usage rights for 200 square meters of the energy-rich land you explore. A fair trade, isn't it?"

"Deal!" A Leaf Drifting in the Clouds agreed without hesitation. The other two nodded, consenting to his decision. Although they would lose the priority rights to 200 square meters for planting blood-essence rice, which would significantly reduce their future point earnings, the ability to obtain both martial arts manuals immediately meant they could work much faster. Once they mastered the Leopard Shadow Step and the Shattering Stone Fist, their efficiency would double. The Leopard Shadow Step, in particular, was a "god-tier" skill that allowed them to practice and improve while working. To miss an entire day of training would be a tragedy.

Subsequently, Luo Wushang exchanged for six copies of the Leopard Shadow Step (Volume I) and five copies of the Shattering Stone Fist (Volume I), while Fang Zhen spent all his earned points on two copies of the Leopard Shadow Step, leaving Lin Qi sighing in admiration.

"As expected, these professional players are truly more professional."

***

Lin Qi had originally thought these new players would have to grind for an extra day before they could exchange for and learn the martial arts. He hadn't expected Luo Wushang and Fang Zhen to refuse to give the newcomers even a single day’s lead, choosing to grind while practicing simultaneously. He had to admit, when it came to squeezing every bit of value out of a game, these professional players were the real experts.

After distributing the manuals, Lin Qi didn't forget his daily sign-in.

"I wonder how much those three have improved today." Lin Qi opened the system menu and selected the "Extract" function for Luo Wushang and the other two. Three system notifications rang in his ears, and a wealth of training memories flooded his mind.

*System: Congratulations, Host. The first level of the "Startling Spirit Breathing Technique" has improved from Novice to 8%.*

*System: Congratulations, Host. The first level of the "Startling Spirit Breathing Technique" has improved to 9%.*

*System: Congratulations, Host. The first level of the "Startling Spirit Breathing Technique" has improved to 10%.*

"Extracting the same training method from multiple players actually stacks the proficiency?" Lin Qi was stunned as he looked at the notification box. He had originally thought this extraction was merely a way to acquire memories from players, allowing his own proficiency to reach the highest level among them. But it turned out to be a far more terrifying ability: the capacity to absorb training experiences from multiple players and integrate them from various perspectives to boost his own proficiency.

The effect on the Startling Spirit Breathing Technique was significant, jumping from 3% to 10% in one go. Lin Qi felt every cell in his body being stimulated, rapidly strengthening with every breath. The sensation was so exhilarating that he couldn't stop. Ignoring what the players were doing, he found a spot with dense energy, sat down, and feverishly stimulated his cells to absorb the surrounding energy.

After more than two hours, the cell stimulation reached its limit. Feeling incredibly refreshed, Lin Qi pulled up his data panel.

"Have I... reached the level of a quasi-apprentice?"