Chapter 29: Version Update 1.01
Obsidian Martial Arts Hall, dawn breaking.
“They’re finally back.”
“They were gone so long this time; could it be they made some great discoveries?”
At the entrance of the martial arts hall, Ye Fuyun and the others watched with curiosity as a tricycle cart was pushed back slowly.
The cargo compartment of the tricycle was wrapped in layers of tattered cloth. Compared to when they left, it was clearly fully loaded, but the tricycle itself bore many obvious signs of damage and battle scars.
“No way! No way!”
“They actually fought a battle!”
“What exactly did we miss?”
The Desert Gunslinger and the others, who were about to log off, looked at the arrow holes on the tricycle and at Fang Zhen and his group, whose faces were glowing with excitement and exhilaration. Their voices trembled with disbelief.
“Brother Zhen, you didn’t actually fight, did you?”
Yiqiang Bajue, with his lean face, nearly pressed against Fang Zhen as he frantically checked for any battle marks on him.
“Of course,” Fang Zhen lifted his head proudly, as if to say, “You guys really missed out. This new map isn’t just about new storylines; it also adds new gameplay. Too bad you didn’t come along.”
“New gameplay? What kind of new gameplay?” the Desert Gunslinger asked eagerly.
Although the sandbox mode with high martial arts had been fun, if there was new gameplay, it would definitely be more exciting.
“That’s a story for the journey back,” Fang Zhen paused, “Halfway home, we triggered the main storyline and unlocked a new wild faction—the White Feather Gang.”
“They tried to seize our loot, but we fought back and wiped them out. The battle scenes were cinematic, frame after frame worthy of a blockbuster.”
“Yeah, that fight was exhilarating! The NPCs even unlocked weapon trials for us. After the story battle, each of us got 200 points as a reward. I wonder if there’ll be follow-up missions,” said Twilight of the Gods with anticipation. “If so, earning points would be way faster than digging holes or planting.”
“Thanks to this story mission, I’m completely sold on High Martial Arts Arrival. This year’s virtual game of the year award definitely belongs to it. The combat experience—I dare say no other virtual game comes close.”
“Story combat missions?” The Desert Gunslinger’s eyes widened. “And weapon trials?”
He had just come back from a day’s work—how much had he missed?
He’d been playing High Martial Arts Arrival for over four days, and hadn’t even touched a weapon, let alone fought. The chance to wield a weapon in battle sounded amazing.
---
“Hmm, the composite longbow feels incredible,” Fang Zhen nodded, clearly enchanted. “Too bad the White Feather Gang was taken out so quickly. I only got to shoot one arrow before the NPC confiscated the bow. Not sure if we can redeem it with points later.”
“Brother Zhen, can you describe how it feels?” The Desert Gunslinger’s mouth was watering.
As a professional player from Mecha Continent, sniper duels were his specialty. With High Martial Arts Arrival’s 100% virtual immersion, the chance to fight with a composite longbow was beyond imagination.
These days, even during his daily training, he couldn’t stop thinking about the game. The difference in experience was staggering. Playing Mecha Continent felt bland—like a dull, useless morsel, something neither enjoyable nor worth abandoning.
“Enough chatting, come help out,” Lin Qi said, watching the overly excited Desert Gunslinger and others, speechless.
Hearing about battles had them all hyped up like they were on adrenaline. They talked about weapon feel, but even just holding a metal rod at home would feel just as good.
But listening to their talk reminded Lin Qi of something important.
Indeed, it was necessary to further boost players’ power. It wasn’t right to have them fight with just a simple alloy shovel.
Also, new gameplay elements needed to be added. Not everything required his direct involvement, especially now that he had some financial resources—there was no need to take risks.
Right now, without his orders, the Desert Gunslinger and the others had repaired much of the damaged flooring in the training room and even built some makeshift beds.
They’d even nailed wind-blocking planks onto the beds, living better than he did...
He had to admit, that was a proper player—learning to keep themselves busy.
With this in mind, Lin Qi ordered everyone to push the tricycle into the hall. He then returned to the lounge to start drafting plans for the martial arts hall’s future.
Step one: activate weapon redemption to strengthen players’ combat abilities.
Step two: open vehicle rental so players could independently mine in Grizzly Mine and chop wood.
Step three: enhance player communication, making tasks, missions, and feedback much more convenient.
Step four: repair the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall. Initially, ten people seemed enough for a while, but after killing six White Feather Gang members—even if the bodies were destroyed—they couldn’t guarantee the gang wouldn’t find a way to track them.
Considering the hall’s security and his own progress, recruiting more hands was urgent.
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Obsidian Martial Arts Hall, sunset.
Fang Zhen and the others who had trained during the day logged back in one after another, and their first action was to check the notice board for any updates before starting their new day’s work.
“Brother Zhen, look! The version’s updated!”
“Version update?”
The alert snapped Fang Zhen out of his post-training daze instantly.
“No way! It really is!”
Fang Zhen stared at the notice board, suddenly alert and breathing faster. The others, hearing the commotion, gathered around as well.
Latest announcement: Version Update 1.01.
1. Weapon redemption officially launched. Redemption catalog as follows:
- A3 Alloy Spear: 15,000 points
- A3 Composite Bow: 15,000 points
- A5 Composite Longbow: 50,000 points
- A3 Steel Arrows: 1,500 points
- A5 Black Steel Arrows: 5,000 points
2. Vehicle rental officially launched.
- Electric tricycle rental costs 20,000 points per month. Players must compensate for damages at market price. Refusal or inability to pay will offend the hall master and may result in expulsion.
3. Communication system officially launched.
- Sixth-generation smart wristwatch featuring mission display, mission acceptance, real-time city communication, communication within a one-kilometer radius, item redemption list, hall points display, trading functions, and more. Redemption price: 10,000 points.
4. Main storyline mission ‘Glory of the Past’ unlocked. Repair Obsidian Martial Arts Hall. The hall master will issue repair missions. Players accept missions and continue until the main storyline is complete. Final rewards correspond to players’ contribution levels. This mission can only be accepted once.
As the four announcements appeared on the notice board, the training ground fell silent. Everyone stared in disbelief, unable to believe it was real.