The players' enthusiasm was ignited.
Xu Nian was also very satisfied with this. At least he no longer had to worry about his own power stagnating.
However, he also had his share of troubles, chief among them being the Black Tiger Hall.
Among the three major forces inside and outside Liang City, the weakest was probably his Profound Yellow Sect, due to the significant disparity in numbers.
And Black Tiger Hall? It could be considered the strongest among them. There were over two hundred disciples in the hall, and nearly a hundred of them were Ninth-Grade Martial Artists. Their Hall Master was an Eighth-Grade Martial Artist, rumored to be a disciple from a Major Sect in Jianghu. His background was far from simple.
As for Zhao Xiongtu's Fish Dragon Gang, they had slightly fewer people but were still not to be underestimated.
The Black Tiger Hall's aggression was naturally aimed at getting a piece of the pie. After all, Black Wind Stronghold had been robbing passing merchants regularly, and the amount of silver they possessed was enough to tempt them. Now that this batch of silver had fallen into the hands of his Profound Yellow Sect, how could Black Tiger Hall not covet it?
Originally, the task of clearing out Black Wind Stronghold should have fallen to Black Tiger Hall and the Fish Dragon Gang, but now the tables had turned. It had been forcefully snatched by the Profound Yellow Sect. Having a cooked duck snatched away right from under their noses—such an affront would be hard for anyone to swallow.
For now, they could only hope that the players would be ready within a day.
After all, they were still too weak.
Although the System helped, allowing players to reach the Ninth-Grade Martial Artist Realm through their Martial Arts, Black Tiger Hall was still not to be underestimated. They were not mere bandits like those from Black Wind Stronghold.
Did they really have to adopt a reactive stance, countering soldiers with generals and damming water with earth as each problem arose?
Xu Nian stayed in the Great Hall, contemplating how to make Black Tiger Hall retreat while also guarding against the Fish Dragon Gang. The Fish Dragon Gang's lack of reaction was the most troubling aspect for him. Zhao Xiongtu was a man of deep thoughts and not easy to deal with. There was a chance he wanted to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight. No matter which of them—Xu Nian's sect or Black Tiger Hall—won, it would be beneficial for the Fish Dragon Gang. They might even seize the opportunity to become the sole dominant force in Liang City. Such trouble.
The players also started their tasks enthusiastically. After all, they only had one day and needed to act quickly.
Several people from Junlin's group also joined in, since Contribution Points were the primary concern.
However, right now, these four were considered among the top players. Evil Queen Morgana, for instance, pursued a path balancing tankiness and damage output—a brute-force style—and his fame had grown significantly after the battle at Black Wind Stronghold. He had exchanged for quite a few Martial Arts and was now a Ninth-Grade Martial Artist.
The other players also began their journeys in learning Martial Arts.
But there were also those who wanted to wait and see, and the construction of the Martial Arts Stage offered them a glimmer of hope. Martial Arts Fusion, Self-Created Martial Arts—for players with dreams of Jianghu, this was truly the ultimate experience.
"Junlin, are you thinking about gambling on the Fusion Martial Arts at the Martial Arts Stage?" Poisonous Panda asked, carrying a log over.
Junlin shook his head. "I have a feeling that Fusion Martial Arts aren't that simple. At least, to synthesize advanced Martial Arts or even Ultimate Techniques, the cost must be significant."
Hm? Was the Martial Arts Stage a trap? Under the Phoenix Tree frowned. "You mean this fusion is just a trap?" he asked.
"More than likely," Junlin mused. "If everyone could fuse high-level Martial Arts, wouldn't the Martial Arts in the Contribution Hall become useless? Do you think the Game Designer would make such an obvious error? Even if this game is designed for our benefit, its balance will absolutely not be broken. The only way to enhance a player's power is through the amount of Contribution Points they have. The balance of this game is very difficult to disrupt, unless someone accumulates Contribution Points on a massive scale, as I am doing.
"But the price I'm offering now has already deterred many Game Merchants. One hundred dollars per point isn't something everyone can afford. With the game's balance already disrupted by me, do you think the Game Designer would stand by and watch someone else continue to break it?
"For a game to endure, balance is an absolutely critical aspect that cannot be overlooked. How many games have lost players because of imbalance issues? But now, in this game, balance is clearly defined, and all players start on a level playing field. Everything regarding Equipment depends entirely on their own efforts. If one wants to improve combat power, then Martial Arts is the only way to go."
Junlin's current purchasing of Contribution Points was essentially a pay-to-win strategy. While it affected the game's overall balance, it didn't impact the grinding players.
Why do grinding players grind? Isn't it to earn money in the game? This kind of transaction was mutually agreeable. No matter how balanced a game is designed, absolute balance is impossible to achieve. If there are grinding players, there will definitely be pay-to-win players.
So, the only way for players to enhance their power was to work hard to earn Contribution Points. Not only could Contribution Points be exchanged for money, but they could also directly increase combat power. For grinding players, this was purely beneficial, with no downsides.
"How many Contribution Points do you have now?" Under the Phoenix Tree asked curiously.
Junlin glanced at his panel and said thoughtfully, "Almost five hundred. It seems other players are reluctant to part with their Contribution Points, showing they all understand their importance."
"Lower the price!" Under the Phoenix Tree suddenly interjected. "Reduce the price of Contribution Points to create a sense of urgency. Then, some players will be willing to sell."
There were Game Merchants among the players, but their offers were only half of Junlin's—fifty dollars per point. This price was the highest they were willing to accept. Not everyone could follow Junlin's pay-to-win path.
"Let's see," Junlin chuckled. "If the Martial Arts Stage is as I suspect, then the price of Contribution Points will definitely drop considerably. They aren't selling now, but once the Martial Arts Stage is built, the price won't be the same."
As the few of them were quietly strategizing, a player named Abbess, Don't Love Me! hurriedly approached them. This was another player who had gained fame after the battle of Black Wind Stronghold. Primarily, this player was a Super Lucky Player, gifted with natural talent that set him apart! In an era of cold weapons, he was using firearms—who wouldn't find that unsettling? Plus, he had even obtained the first weapon drop. Who wouldn't be envious?
Abbess, Don't Love Me! hurriedly stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Junlin, are you still buying Contribution Points? I might need to sell some."
"Oh? How many are you selling?" Junlin looked at him, somewhat surprised, and explained, "I'm always buying Contribution Points, but I'm actually more interested in buying that dagger of yours!"
The appearance of that dagger had truly caught Junlin's attention. He aimed to maximize his damage output, and for that, he needed a good weapon. The best weapon available right now was in Abbess, Don't Love Me!'s hands. How could he miss it?
"The Black Dragon Dagger? You want it?" Abbess, Don't Love Me! stroked his chin. "How much will you pay? I'm planning to sell eighty Contribution Points along with the Black Dragon Dagger. Make me a serious offer."