Night fell, at the Black Obsidian Martial Arts Hall basement.
A batch of new players appeared in the confinement room, and like the previous batch, these new players were filled with curiosity about the nearly realistic world in front of them.
One after another, they either touched the iron bars or hopped around on the ground, with some even rubbing against the walls.
"Awesome! This game is so awesome!"
"Earlier, when it was said this game had a 100% virtuality rate, I didn’t quite believe it. I didn’t expect it to be true; now I can’t even tell the difference between reality and illusion. This game is definitely going to blow up!"
"I can rave about these graphics and clarity for a whole year."
"When is this game going to open beta? I’m going to spend all my money. Just give me the top martial arts skills."
"Dude, do you know what the price of Martial Arts Hall Points is on the forum now? It’s already up to a hundred bucks per point, and those Martial Artist Level martial arts skills cost at least three thousand points, which is thirty thousand. Are you sure you can spend all that?"
After familiarizing themselves a bit, the newbies started chatting amongst themselves, clearly more acquainted with the Descent of High Martial than the previous batch.
This scene left the old players outside amazed, not expecting the new batch to be much quicker at adapting to Descent of High Martial, each already discussing how to play.
"Guys! Did you see that! I’m in, Xiaoyuan!" Among the newcomers, a youthful, vibrant, and lovely girl not yet twenty kept talking to the void above, like a lunatic, "From today, Xiaoyuan will teach everyone how to play Descent of High Martial from scratch. I’ll upload daily instructional videos to my private channel, so rest assured you won’t miss any full instructional content. Please follow, and give lots of likes!"
"Old Zhen! That Xiaoyuan seems to be your peer," Twilight of the Gods laughed, looking at the girl named Xiaoyuan, "Looks like your live streaming popularity will get robbed."
"Rob my popularity?" Fang Zhen glanced at Xiaoyuan and couldn’t help but shake his head with a wry smile, "You overestimate me. Although I’ve gained quite a bit of popularity from Descent of High Martial, even making it into the top ten in game livestreams, that Xiaoyuan is a big shot in the game strategy group; she doesn’t stream often, but whenever she does, she’s in the top five of game streaming."
"Strategy group big shot?" Twilight of the Gods was surprised, "Is she that strong?"
With more and more virtual games on Blue Star, besides nurturing a bunch of professional gamers, many have started doing detailed game strategies. These people are called the strategy group.
To be called a big shot in the strategy group means completing super rare achievements in some extremely difficult games, either setting records in various instance speed runs or crafting strategies for ultra-high difficulty instances that even idiots can clear.
It’s hard to imagine someone about the same age as him could be a big shot in the strategy group.
"I’ve seen her strategies," said Outer Gunman beside them, "Recently, she was working on a strategy guide for Descent of High Martial’s assessment test. The demonstration video from yesterday has already managed to last fourteen seconds, and that video has gone viral, with over six million clicks so far."
"Fourteen seconds? Isn’t she getting close to the assessment record on the forum?" Twilight of the Gods was shocked.
Currently, the platform has opened an official forum for Descent of High Martial, where people post their endurance times for the assessment test daily. It’s rumored that some pilgrimage figures are also posting their results.
The best record confirmed on the forum is 15.7 seconds, and people suspect this person might be an old monster from the pilgrimage realm, performing after taking some medicine.
Fourteen seconds is already on par with those pilgrimage figures.
While Fang Zhen and others chatted about Xiaoyuan, the big shot of the strategy group, One Leaf Floating Cloud’s facial expression suddenly changed to one of ecstasy.
"Sister, you’re here!"
One Leaf Floating Cloud walked towards a woman who looked like a fairy, and she was Ye Qinglu.
"Eternal Immortal Path’s open beta still has some time, better than doing nothing," Ye Qinglu didn’t even look at One Leaf Floating Cloud, merely quietly stretching her hands and legs, casually evaluating, "This game does have some substance. Its realism surpasses that of Eternal Immortal Path, but I’m curious how it performs in real combat."
"Sister, don’t worry. The combat in this game is unmatched," One Leaf Floating Cloud confidently assured.
He was initially worried about Ye Qinglu wanting to play, but with the reservation numbers exceeding 150,000, choosing 40 people from 150,000 seemed unlikely. Yet Ye Qinglu had entered the game that night, a delightful surprise.
As the crowd bubbled with excitement, Lin Qi also walked in, drawing the attention of everyone present.
Nowadays, most newcomers to the Descent of High Martial have seen the NPC introductions on the official forum, where Hall Master Lin Qi is particularly noteworthy, being an NPC with player management authority, even affecting the game’s main storyline, compelling importance.
If players upset this NPC and get expelled from the Martial Arts Hall, they would feel utterly hopeless.
The thirty veterans on site also curiously eyed Lin Qi, unsure what test he would impose on the newcomers this time.
"Newcomers! Welcome to the Black Obsidian Martial Arts Hall. I am your Hall Master, Lin Qi. By the rules, if you wish to become honorable disciples of the Martial Arts Hall, then you must prove yourselves."
"On the table, there are registration books. Write down your name and age, then choose a beloved little spade over there. Exit, turn right, and head upstairs to the training ground. I’ve prepared..."
As Lin Qi spoke, a loud bang suddenly came from upstairs, as if something had blown apart.
"From that sound, it seems as if the big wooden door upstairs shattered?"
"No way, that big wooden door is over four meters high and more than twenty centimeters thick, said to be made of the ironwood sourced around here, as hard as steel, weighing a good four to five tons. To blow it apart, you’d need a rocket launcher."
"Could this be the Hall Master’s test for the newcomers?"
The veterans were quite familiar with the explosive sound, especially since the Martial Arts Hall would close its large doors at night. With the explosion and the sound of something heavy falling from upstairs, it could only be the hall’s main doors.
"Is someone attacking?" Lin Qi asked the crowd upon hearing the noise, "Everyone, head to the armory on that side, grab your weaponry and gear, then follow me upstairs!"
Although Lin Qi wasn’t sure who chose to attack at midnight, the current Black Obsidian Martial Arts Hall was not the force it once was. Especially since his Leopard Shadow Step had reached the First Layer Perfection, granting a 5% speed boost along with his entry-level Liaoyuan Spear Technique. With the current buff, his strength had surpassed 600 kilograms, making him an Advanced Apprentice.
In less than a minute, Lin Qi donned A6-grade armor, wielding Lante’s A6-grade long spear, leading the equipped players to the training ground.
"White Feather Gang!"
Lin Qi looked at the twenty or so individuals in the training ground wearing White Feather Gang attire, members of the Feather Race with wings on their backs. They were all fully armed, wearing A4-grade armor, carrying A6-grade weapons, all exceptionally skilled apprentices.
The leader, a feathered giant over two meters tall, wielded an unknown grade of Mountain-Crushing Giant Axe, weighing over 200 kilograms by itself, donned in A6-grade armor, emitted an aura far surpassing Cyan Sparrow Gang’s Fluo.
The shattered double doors on the ground bore an axe mark, clearly cleaved open by the feathered giant in front of them.
"Deputy Gang Leader Ghana! That’s them," a one-armed feathered youth pointed at Lin Qi and the others, sneering coldly, confidently stating, "They’re the ones who took our White Feather Gang’s medium-sized transport vehicle!"