Chapter 39: Digging Holes Brings Joy

"Fang Zhen?"
"Did you just join Storm Shadow?"

Chen Ya couldn't help but look him over carefully, a hint of surprise in her beautiful eyes. She had expected a young prodigy, not a middle-aged uncle. At his age, one would usually be on the verge of retirement, regardless of how mature one looked. Yet, she had never heard of such a master, even though he was nearing the end of his career.

"No, I’ve always been a member of Storm Shadow."

Fang Zhen was startled to see Chen Ya standing at the entrance of his gaming pod. He hadn't expected the famous "Blood Flame Gun Maiden" to personally seek out a nobody like him.

"You've always been with Storm Shadow? How come I don't have any data on you?" Chen Ya was even more baffled.

A master capable of triple micro-manipulation is the kind of talent every major club would track in minute detail, yet Fang Zhen’s name had never appeared in any reports. Chen Ya suddenly felt she needed to have a serious discussion with her scouting team. If she didn't, they would be blindsided by hidden masters on opposing teams during the National Tournament, just as she had been today.

While Chen Ya was deep in confusion, the Storm Shadow members present—especially the coaching staff—felt a wave of shame. It wasn’t just "Blue Enchantress" that lacked information; even their own club hadn't kept detailed records on him. In fact, the club had planned to retire Fang Zhen today and replace him with a promising reserve player.

"Forget it, that’s not important." Chen Ya stopped dwelling on the lack of data and looked directly at Fang Zhen. "Your marksmanship is excellent. I look forward to your performance in the National Tournament. You won't find it so easy to hit me next time."

She then turned her gaze toward Li Ranxing, who was still dazed.

"Let’s settle the outcome of this match during the individual event at the National Tournament."

"No problem."

Li Ranxing nodded at Chen Ya's challenge, determined to defeat her fair and square in the individual tournament. Without another word, Chen Ya led the members of Blue Enchantress out of the Storm Shadow club, showing no intention of lingering.

"Captain, were you planning on recruiting him?" Zilan asked in a low voice as she watched Chen Ya walk out the door.

Zilan knew Chen Ya well; she wouldn't bother investigating a member of Storm Shadow for no reason. If she was interested, it meant she valued his talent and strength. Blue Enchantress had always aimed for the championship, and adding a master of that caliber would significantly increase their chances.

"I did consider it, but never mind," Chen Ya shook her head. "He’s too old. His reaction speed will find it hard to remain at its peak for long. The National Tournament team event is best-of-five; it’s rare to only play three games. I’d rather save that budget for the genius we already have lined up."

"What a pity," Wang Yidao sighed. "At his age, this is probably his last year to compete. If he joined us, he might have had a chance at the title."

"What's there to pity? His potential is tapped out. Even if he came to Blue Enchantress, he'd be surpassed by newcomers soon enough. Better to leave the spot for other geniuses," Chen Ya shot a glare at Wang Yidao. "As for you, you couldn't even manage a one-for-one trade in a two-on-one situation. Whether you'll even make the main roster is now in question."

***

In the lobby of the Storm Shadow club, a middle-aged coach with greying hair walked up to Fang Zhen with immense excitement, holding an electronic contract.

"Fang Zhen, based on your performance today, our coaching staff has unanimously decided to upgrade your contract from Grade B to Grade S, with a three-year renewal. If you have no objections, we can sign it right now."

As soon as "Grade S" was mentioned, the surrounding Storm Shadow members cast envious looks at Fang Zhen. In the entire club, only Li Ranxing held a Grade S contract, with a guaranteed annual income of five million, which could increase based on performance in the national league. It was a leap to the top. While Li Ranxing’s guaranteed salary was higher—given he had placed sixth in the individual tournament last year—this was still the dream contract for countless professional players in the Mecha Continent.

"Coach, if I sign this contract, can I continue to train on my own?" Fang Zhen asked, the most important question on his mind.

The power of the game *High Martial Arts Descent* was beyond his imagination. He never expected that playing it daily would yield such improvements. He felt he needed to spend more time in the game rather than wasting it on routine training.

"Of course," the coach replied. "Grade S contracts offer total freedom. You just need to check in at the club every day." The other coaches nodded; they weren't surprised by the request. Many professional players had their own lives, and the game wasn't everything. It was only because Li Ranxing demanded it that the whole team participated in daily special training, but such constraints were meaningless for a Grade S player.

"Alright, I'll sign." Fang Zhen looked at the contract like he was in a dream. He had thought he would be forced to retire in less than six months. Now, with a guaranteed fifteen million over three years, he was making far more than he ever would have in game streaming.

"Brother Zhen, can you tell us how you train? That triple micro-manipulation was so cool!"
"And that bizarre footwork! It’s the first time I’ve seen a long-range mecha move as fast as a melee one. That’s insane!"

Once Fang Zhen signed the contract, the veteran players who were on good terms with him crowded around, asking for his secret. It was a miracle that someone his age could see such a massive improvement.

"I won't hide it from you guys," Fang Zhen said, seeing everyone looking at him. "I've been playing a combat game called *High Martial Arts Descent*. I learned a lot from it, which is why I’ve reached this level."

"A combat game?"
"Well, different virtual games have different focuses, so they can indeed produce unexpected training effects."
"Brother Zhen, what kind of training do you do in that game?"
"Hmm, ever since I started, I've mostly been digging holes and cutting down trees. Recently, I picked up a new task: repairing houses."

The crowd stared at him with disdain and speechlessness. What kind of combat game was this? Instead of fighting monsters, he was digging holes and chopping wood? Was this a serious combat game or a construction simulator?

Many suspected Fang Zhen was simply lying to keep them from catching up.

"Digging holes?" Li Ranxing, standing nearby, thought Fang Zhen wasn't lying. He remembered Fang Zhen mentioning digging holes in the middle of the night, which he had dismissed as a joke. "Maybe I should go give that game a try?" Li Ranxing felt he had hit a bottleneck; no matter how hard he trained, his skills weren't improving. Trying a new method might be a good choice.

***

At the Black Obsidian Martial Hall, as the sun began to set:

"Brother Zhen, what's gotten into you? You're digging holes so diligently today."

Gods of Twilight watched as Fang Zhen, abandoning his alloy shovel and using only his Stone-Crushing Fist, filled a bag with dirt and ran off like he had found a treasure, not even pausing to catch his breath. He was as industrious as a little bee.

"I'm in a good mood today, so I decided to dig more," Fang Zhen sighed with emotion. "And haven't you noticed? This game develops according to our progress. In the future, there will definitely be a massive influx of players. If we don't dig now, everything will be taken by others. We have to make the most of it while we can."

"Brother Zhen, what you say makes so much sense! Why didn't I think of that?" Gods of Twilight felt a sudden realization. "The underground space of the martial hall is limited. The more we dig now, the more planting land we'll have in the future. Once we have enough land, we’ll be earning more than the newcomers just by lying down!"

"Uh, I didn't think that far ahead," Fang Zhen admitted, feeling enlightened. "But you're right, let's keep digging!"

"Right!" Gods of Twilight grabbed his shovel with excitement and began to work furiously.

In the lounge, Lin Qi’s expression was rather dark. "Are these players crazy? It’s just digging holes—is it really that fun?"

He watched the ten players ignore the work of repairing the hall, obsessed with digging. He didn't understand what they were thinking. He had even increased the rewards for repairs, but they were as stubborn as mules, focusing entirely on their Stone-Crushing Fist and Leopard Shadow Steps. In just half a night, their proficiency had increased by over 7%, all crossing the 50% mark for "Beginner."

The proficiency he extracted had boosted his own Stone-Crushing Fist to 79% and Leopard Shadow Steps to 82%, with his Breathing Method reaching 43%.

Strength: 155.4 kg (Apprentice: 200 kg)
Speed: 11.2 m/s (Apprentice: 12 m/s)
Visualization: Star Explosion Visualization (Beginner 5%)

Purely in terms of strength, thanks to his mental control and reflexes, he could likely fight a low-level Apprentice master without even using martial arts.

"This won't do. I have to find a way to get them back to repairs, or the schedule will be delayed again." Lin Qi looked at his own strength gains with joy, but getting the hall repaired was his top priority.

*Beep! Beep! Beep!*

A notification sound signaled that the charging was complete. Lin Qi turned his attention to the mechanical doll he had cleaned earlier that day.

"Battery fully charged. Would you like to power on?"