Chapter 24: New Map Unlocked

"You lot, hurry and go stop Brother Su! Don't let him leave!"

Chu Qingtian stared in bewilderment at Su Wuming, who had turned and walked away rapidly without a word. However, as the long-serving leader of the Tianwei Association, he quickly regained his composure and immediately ordered several elders to catch up with him.

Although the elders were still somewhat confused, they were experts with quick reflexes. They rushed toward the elevator, intent on intercepting Su Wuming.

"Qingwei! What on earth did you test him with? Why did he react so strongly?" Chu Qingtian looked at Zhang Qingwei with profound curiosity and confusion.

To think that the renowned Blade Saint, a top-tier powerhouse ranked highly throughout the entire Pilgrim City, would feel as though his heart had been wounded simply by completing an employment test—who would believe such a thing?

"Me? I didn't test him with anything unusual, just the standard assessment for 'High Martial Arrival,'" Zhang Qingwei replied, looking at the departing Su Wuming with equal confusion. "Is it really that difficult?"

Having earned the title of Blade Saint in Pilgrim City, her combat talent and skill level were second to none, certainly not inferior to the likes of Luo Wushang or Zhao Hu; she stood at the pinnacle of all experts.

Zhao Hu had previously mentioned how difficult the test was and that he wasn't yet confident in passing it, implying that he would need more time to master it. She assumed the same applied to Su Wuming, and that the test would serve as a perfect way to humble him. It had never occurred to her that Su Wuming would actually be left feeling hurt by the test.

"The assessment for 'High Martial Arrival'?" Chu Qingtian paused. "Is that the game Wushang recommended?"

"Yes, that game is destined to become a massive hit in the future; replacing 'Pilgrim' will be a breeze," Zhang Qingwei nodded.

Thinking back to that sense of realism and her own fluid reflexes, a fire ignited in her heart. She couldn't wait to rush back and continue digging; it was a joy she hadn't experienced in years.

"It seems this game is truly exceptional if it can earn such a high evaluation from you." Hearing this, Chu Qingtian held the game in even higher regard. He immediately added, "In that case, starting today, you and Wushang will form a dedicated 'High Martial' department. Money and personnel will be no issue; you will have the same resources as the other three new games."

"Leader, this game is unique. You must have a quota to enter, and the spots are extremely limited. With so many people waiting, getting in is like a lottery; money and manpower alone cannot solve it." Zhang Qingwei thought of the nearly twenty thousand people already on the waiting list for "High Martial Arrival."

If she didn't have enough people on her end, even if more spots opened up, it would be difficult to guarantee that their Tianwei members could get in.

"How many people do you need?" Chu Qingtian asked, realizing that the lottery system was quite a hurdle.

"A million would be ideal, and each person requires 4,999 for the reservation," Zhang Qingwei calculated. "If we have that, we should be able to get quite a few Tianwei members in the next time the quota increases."

"Uh, I think we should be steady with our expansion into this game," Chu Qingtian said, his hand trembling slightly. "You know the situation in Pilgrim City is unstable; we need a large number of people to guard the outlying cities. Let's start with ten thousand."

"Besides, the game is currently inaccessible anyway. Sending too many people would be a waste of resources. Let these ten thousand act as the vanguard; have them use the assessment to familiarize themselves with the game mechanics. When more spots open up, they can lead the others."

"Understood. I'll go make the arrangements. I'll hand over the rest of the guild's work to the assistants." Having received the green light, Zhang Qingwei felt liberated. Instinctively, she activated her Leopard Shadow Steps and sprinted toward home.

***

High Martial World, Black Obsidian Martial Arts Hall.

"Their expansion speed has really picked up over these past three days," Lin Qi remarked, sitting in the lounge with his small notebook, crunching the numbers.

With the addition of the seven newcomers and their steadily improving physical fitness, the progress of the underground expansion had surged. In just three days, they had cleared nearly two thousand square meters of energy-rich soil and planted 490 stalks of Blood Essence Rice.

In just ten days, they would be able to harvest 4,900 grams of Blood Essence Rice. After deducting costs, they would earn 1,470 bits at once, totaling 4,410 bits a month.

This income was already significantly higher than many official residents of Light-Chasing City; they were practically middle-class now.

It was estimated that by continuing this pace for another month, they could clear nearly twenty thousand square meters of land, generating 44,100 bits per month.

In two months, not only could they pay off the hospital debts and the loan to the Gorilla Gang, but they would also have some left over.

However, beyond the monetary gains, what pleased Lin Qi even more was his own improvement.

After three days of harvesting, his "Startling Spirit Breathing Technique" had progressed from 10% at the beginner level to 21%. Although it didn't stack as instantly as he had hoped—since it largely depended on the player's proficiency—the 11% improvement was still astonishing.

His strength had increased from 109.8 kilograms to 126.7 kilograms, and his speed had risen from 10.6 meters per second to 10.8 meters per second. Among ordinary people in the High Martial World, he was no longer weak.

The most incredible aspect of his extraction authority was that it didn't just extract training methods; it could also extract martial arts skills learned by players. However, this was random; he couldn't choose between a training method or a martial art, nor could he determine which specific technique he would receive.

Over the past three days, Lin Qi had chosen to focus on the two players whose martial arts had improved the fastest: Zhang Qingwei, who had reached 35% proficiency in Leopard Shadow Steps, and Fang Zhen, who had reached 37% in Gravel-Crushing Fist.

For some reason, these two seemed to have a natural talent for these techniques. While others trained until they were exhausted without ever breaking 20%, Zhang Qingwei and Fang Zhen reached their levels with ease.

Especially Fang Zhen—his use of the Gravel-Crushing Fist was incredibly slick!

When others encountered hard soil or rocks while digging, they used shovels, but Fang Zhen just used his fists. His efficiency left even the second-most proficient player, Luo Wushang, speechless.

Martial Art: Gravel-Crushing Fist, First Level: Rock-Shattering Realm (Beginner 53%)
Martial Art: Leopard Shadow Steps, First Level: Wind-Chasing Realm (Beginner 45%)

Although these two techniques were still at the beginner level and couldn't unleash their full power—and were extremely taxing to maintain for long—they had already given Lin Qi the strength to defeat a junior apprentice.

"With this level of strength, I can rent a large tricycle to go fetch some lumber," Lin Qi noted, looking at the system interface at the bottom of his field of vision.

[System: Congratulations, the number of reservations for the Martial Arts Inheritance System has exceeded 30,000. Rewarding Level 2 Selective Admission Authority. (Notice: Since the Host does not yet possess a complete martial arts hall, the reward is temporarily suspended.)]

Lin Qi had become hopelessly addicted to the Level 1 Selective Admission Authority, and his desire for Level 2 was all-consuming. But until Task 1 was completed, he couldn't obtain it.

Lin Qi walked to the announcement board in the training area and posted new tasks:

[Task 1: Ore Transportation. Follow the Hall Master to the Grizzly Bear Mines to transport ore. For every 100 kilograms of ore returned to the Hall, players receive 3 points. (Unlimited repeats. Restriction: Only players with strength above 95kg and speed above 9.5m/s may accept.)]

[Task 2: Lumber Collection. Follow the Hall Master to the Grizzly Bear Mines to fell trees. For every tree transported back to the Hall, players receive 5 points. (Unlimited repeats. Restriction: Only players with strength above 95kg and speed above 9.5m/s may accept.)]

As Lin Qi finished posting the tasks, Fang Zhen, who had just spent the night digging and was preparing to log off and rest, spotted the new notices. His sleepiness vanished instantly.

"Brothers! Everyone, get out here! Big news!"

"New tasks! There are new tasks!"

"Not only that, a new map has been opened: Grizzly Bear Mines!"