Xu Nian still had some impression of the player 'Abbess, Don't Love Me'.
This fellow was one of the Four Talented Players. Moreover, his Talent was luck-based. Not only could he create a Gunpowder Bullet, but finding divine Equipment wasn't out of the question either.
However, the fact that the Mountain-Flipping Dragon dropped a weapon upon death was something Xu Nian had never expected.
So, was the Mountain-Flipping Dragon actually following Boss settings? If so, wouldn't players potentially get Equipment drops after killing some Bosses in the future?
Thinking of this, Xu Nian was also delighted.
He could perfectly master any Martial Arts the players learned. Would he also be able to take over divine Equipment in the future?
"My disciples, our great victory over Black Wind Stronghold today is the first step in the rise of our Profound Yellow Sect! Soon, we will restore our sect's prestige!"
Xu Nian looked at the group of players and said, "Pack up everything usable in Black Wind Stronghold and bring it back. We suffered heavy casualties today. Disciples, rest well for a few days and then focus on rebuilding our Profound Yellow Sect!"
His words also attracted the attention of all the players.
This time, they had indeed died many times.
They had essentially been sacrificing lives. If they were real people and not players, dying once would have been permanent.
Xu Nian stood at the doorway, doing his best to play the role of a Non-player Character.
However, among the players, trading had already begun.
Contribution Points were valuable. Now, everyone had at least one hundred Contribution Points, which could be exchanged for Martial Arts to enhance their Realms.
Of course, there were also players who weren't short of money but were short of Contribution Points.
Who wouldn't want to hold more Contribution Points to exchange for stronger Martial Arts?
Junlin calculated the Contribution Points he had, then turned to the other players and said, "Everyone, I'm buying Contribution Points. Offline Trading, one point for 100 RMB. This price is reasonable compared to other games. Anyone interested in selling, just contact me!"
One point for 100 RMB?
So 100 points are 10,000 RMB! Isn't that a month's salary from a normal job? By this calculation, weren't they now making over 10,000 RMB a day?
"Junlin, I'll sell fifty points. Let's trade now. I've sent you my bank account number privately."
"I'll sell eighty points. Rent is due soon, and it's not easy to find work these days. I really need the money now."
"Let's just sell ten points for now. What if Contribution Points become more useful later?"
"Let's see about those Martial Arts when we get back. If they're good, we should exchange for Martial Arts first. There are only thirty of us initial players, so most of the Contribution Points should end up with us."
"..."
There were also players in urgent need of money.
They had originally just planned to check out the game.
Who knew the game not only offered free equipment but even the 'gold farming' prices were so high? If the price could stabilize at one point for 100 RMB, why would they even bother working a regular job? 10,000 RMB a day! Who wouldn't want such a salary?
Apart from the basic trading currencies in the game—Copper Coins, Silver, Gold, Jewelry—Contribution Points could be directly exchanged for cash.
That is to say, to make money in this game, one must grind Tasks like crazy! Grind until the end of time, grind until the game goes bankrupt!
Earning money through a free game was something many people hoped to achieve.
And now, it seemed like they all could do it.
Seeing the players excited and jubilant, Xu Nian knew his plan had succeeded.
Players had already adapted to their identities as 'Workers.' For them, free things were always the best. But for Xu Nian, free Workers were the best.
[Host Task Completed, Reward Evaluation: Grade A!]
[Reward: Realm Elevated to Seventh-Grade Martial Artist, Martial Arts Fusion enabled. Players can freely fuse and create new Martial Arts.]
WHOOSH—
Internal Energy surged, wildly flooding his Dantian.
The feeling of being surrounded by a sea of Internal Energy made Xu Nian understand one phrase: Nectar of Enlightenment! That's right! It felt as if someone had instantaneously transferred all their Internal Energy to him. Exhilarating! Originally a Ninth-Grade Martial Artist, he had now skipped Eighth Grade entirely and become a Seventh-Grade Martial Artist!
The Martial Artist Realm was primarily about enhancing strength and speed. A single grade, a world apart. Beyond that, Xu Nian felt his perceptive abilities also climbing rapidly. The breathing of the players around him, the distant chirping of insects and birds—it all seemed to become crystal clear in this moment. Is this what only a Seventh-Grade Martial Artist could experience?
Throughout Liang City, whether it was the Fish Dragon Gang or Black Tiger Hall, their strongest were only Eighth-Grade Martial Artists.
Seventh Grade? It seemed that he, Xu Nian, was the only one! That was enough! At least now, he had the ability to temporarily protect the Profound Yellow Sect.
It was time to assign new Tasks to the players. The fighting and killing could stop for now; it was time to rebuild the Profound Yellow Sect's grounds and, more importantly, put the players to good use. He couldn't just support all these people for nothing. If the players didn't work hard, how could he improve his own Power? Get to work, players!
...
The Common People who were still imprisoned within the dungeons of Black Wind Stronghold were rescued by the player Disciples of the Profound Yellow Sect as they began their salvaging operations.
Although they were mostly the elderly, women, and children, the players greeted them enthusiastically.
They looked as if they were hoping to trigger some Hidden Tasks.
Unfortunately, no Hidden Tasks appeared.
Their Tasks were all assigned by Sect Leader Xu Nian.
If Xu Nian didn't assign any, they'd have no Tasks.
No Tasks meant no Contribution Points, which for players was akin to cutting off their money supply.
So, at this stage, Tasks were crucial to them.
"Hurry up and move the stuff back! The freedom in this game is incredible; I'm actually starting to feel hungry."
"I thought I was the only one feeling this hunger. Guess it's the same for everyone, huh?"
"Black Wind Stronghold has a lot of meat. Do you think if we cook in the game, we'll actually be able to taste it?"
"Cut the crap! Hurry, grab the stuff, let's go back and try cooking. I want to see what 'Stew a Pot of Shit' would actually be like in this game."
"Get lost! Don't say you know me!"
"..."
A high degree of freedom in the game significantly enhanced its playability for the players.
Now, it seemed they could do almost anything except take their pants off, right? And having fought a real battle, with actual swords and spears, was an experience they'd never had in other games. Battlefield? LoL? Sekiro? Pathetic! A real man should take up a Sword and face his enemies head-on, clashing steel against steel. If you lose, it's just Reincarnation. Besides, there's still time left in the Novice Stage. They have plenty of time to earn Reincarnation Points!
The first thing upon returning to the Profound Yellow Sect was to exchange for Martial Arts!
Only Martial Arts were the true choice for enhancing their Power. This game had no Recharge system. Aside from the Talent system, almost everything else was perfectly balanced. Combat Power was something you earned yourself. Starting with bare fists, all Equipment had to be earned through combat!