Xu Nian was naturally aware that players were creating their own top-grade Martial Arts. Initially, he thought players wouldn't touch the Martial Arts Stage again, as it was essentially a bottomless pit. According to Xu Nian's calculations, creating an Ultimate Technique was impossible without 10,000 Contribution Points. And if you had 10,000 Contribution Points, why not just buy an Ultimate Technique directly? Why create your own?
But now, things were different. Abbess, a Super Lucky Player, had stepped in, reliably producing Golden Light every time—how impressive was that? Of course, he hoped Abbess would continue. After all, any Martial Arts mastered by the players could also be perfectly mastered by him as Sect Leader. For example, with the "Eight Gates Escape Armor," players could only activate the "Open Door." But Xu Nian could directly activate the "Death Gate"! Though it might lead to his own death afterward, he could now indeed master it perfectly. The advantage for players was that they wouldn't die directly.
If Xu Nian wanted to become stronger, he needed the players to keep improving. The more players like "Abbess, Don't Love Me," the better! That way, he could progress in power as rapidly as possible, couldn't he?
After comprehending the "Eight Gates Escape Armor," Xu Nian couldn't suppress the restlessness in his heart; he too yearned for Emperor Kai's strongest move—Ye Kai! Furthermore, after activating the "Eight Gates Escape Armor," steam emitted from his body. He wondered if it could be displayed in this world.
Circulating his Internal Energy for one cycle, Xu Nian eagerly experienced it.
"Open Door!"
As his Internal Energy surged, Xu Nian felt his mind instantly clear, and a tangible, visible current of air formed around his body, swirling upwards from below. Though colorless, he could clearly perceive its presence. Moreover, at that moment, he felt a comprehensive enhancement in both strength and speed. Right now, he felt he could kill a bull with a single punch! It would be no problem. At least the "Eight Gates Escape Armor" was as he imagined.
After he closed the "Open Door," an indescribable fatigue instantly overwhelmed him, and Xu Nian's Internal Energy was depleted to less than thirty percent. Does that mean he had almost exhausted his Internal Energy the moment he activated it? How long had it been active? Not even a minute, right? As expected, a ridiculously powerful Ultimate Technique like this wasn't something ordinary people could handle. He was already a Seventh-Grade Martial Artist, yet he could barely maintain that state for less than a minute.
If he continued to activate it, all the way to the "Death Gate"… he would probably die before even reaching the "Death Gate." The more he activated it, the less his body could endure. Currently, it was only fatigue and a significant loss of Internal Energy; later, it might damage his meridians and endanger his life. Ultimate Techniques are great, but one must be alive to wield them.
After meditating for a long time to regulate his breath, Xu Nian felt his spirit and energy recover slightly, and his complexion gradually returned to normal. It had to be said, at this stage, training an Ultimate Technique was just too difficult. Internal Energy was the foundation. Almost all Ultimate Martial Arts required Internal Energy to activate. Without enough Internal Energy, one probably couldn't even execute a single move. Internal Energy! How could he increase his Internal Energy? Relying solely on meditation definitely wouldn't work. Not only was it too slow, but it also took too much time. He could only look for elixirs, pills, or Martial Arts Manuals that enhanced Internal Energy. Failing that, he would need to find someone to perform the Nectar of Enlightenment. Having someone transfer all their cultivation power to him wasn't a bad idea either.
The news of the creation of the "Eight Gates Escape Armor" naturally spread rapidly among the players. After all, this was the first Ultimate Technique self-created by a player! Thinking of this, some players couldn't contain their restless hearts. How could they miss such an event? They had to experience it! Unfortunately, their luck didn't seem very good. Let alone an Ultimate Technique, they couldn't even manage to create a high-level one. Hence, they could only pin their hopes on Abbess, as it seemed only Abbess could help them strike gold.
However, after creating the "Eight Gates Escape Armor," Abbess also chose to stop. Only Junlin and his team of four knew the specific reason. The rewards from her Talent were indeed significant, but if she kept exploiting this Talent to cause a stir, the Game Designers would probably start targeting Abbess. Then it would become difficult for them to continue playing.
「Noon」
Players began to log off one after another for lunch. Xu Nian, feeling his somewhat empty stomach, reluctantly headed to the kitchen alone. He wasn't a player, so he had to make something to eat himself. Luckily, there were still plenty of ingredients in the sect, so making a simple meal was possible. But as soon as he stepped into the kitchen, a tantalizing aroma wafted out, teasing his taste buds.
"Little Boss, your cooking skills aren't bad! You can even cook properly in the game."
"I'm a professional chef, graduated from Lan Xiang!"
"Isn't Lan Xiang for learning how to operate excavators?"
"What's wrong with me using an excavator to stir-fry? Just tell me if you're eating or not!"
Listening to their conversation, Xu Nian couldn't help but marvel at the players' diverse specializations. They even have a chef now. Perhaps even more types of people will join in the future.
As he stepped into the kitchen, the players turned to look at him. The player holding the cooking utensils was called Little Boss. He was the last of the talented individuals from the First Batch of Players. There were a total of four talented players in the First Batch of Players: Evil Queen Morgana, Abbess, Don't Love Me, Hero Xu Xian, and Little Boss. Xu Xian's Talent was mainly in Herbal Medicine, but he didn't seem to plan on being a Life Player. So Xu Nian had given up on this player who lacked foresight. Little Boss's Talent was in cooking.
[Exotic Delicacies: Food prepared will provide various buff effects, and the moment the lid is lifted from the pot, the food will emit a blinding light.]
Man oh man. So the food really emits a Golden Light? And Little Boss's dishes even have buff effects. He's truly an invaluable support role among the players.
"The Sect Leader is here!"
"Why has the Sect Leader suddenly started wandering around?"
"Please, we're players. We don't have to worry about hunger. But the Sect Leader, as an NPC, still has to follow the rules."
"Games with this level of high freedom are the best. Even NPCs know to cook for themselves."
Little Boss quickly dished out the food onto plates and stood with the other players. The Sect Leader has come to the kitchen, so he must want to cook. Since this is our first time trying to cook in the game, why not eat together with the Sect Leader?
"Sect Leader, care to join us for a bite?" Little Boss held up a plate with a smile. "I just made this. Want to try?"
In this game environment, Non-player Characters couldn't be treated as mere brainless entities. They had to be treated as living, breathing people. After all, this was their Sect Leader. If he discovered anything amiss, they, the players, would likely be in trouble. Affinity was an essential mechanic! So they couldn't treat this as just a simple game anymore.
Xu Nian nodded gently, stepped forward, picked up chopsticks, and took a bite. "Not bad. The color and aroma are both there. I didn't expect the Profound Yellow Sect to have such a talented Disciple like you."
Xu Nian tasted it, and his eyes instantly widened. It was just a simple dish, but the moment it entered his mouth, he felt a wave of homesickness. Are all Talented Players this terrifying?