CHAPTER 58: CHAPTER 55: CONTEST OF STRENGTH AND LIFE

"Fisher seems to be serious now."

"Fluo, is this okay?"

Papu, the Feather Race member with the combined long spear on his back, looked at Fisher, whose battle saber was drawn and whose eyes were sharp, with a slightly worried expression, he couldn’t help but glance at Fluo beside him.

As an advanced apprentice, once Fisher gets serious, not to mention defeating a beginner apprentice in three moves, he could easily kill one in three moves.

But they were here to discuss a partnership, not to cause trouble.

"Whether to determine superiority or life and death, I can feel that person is serious, we don’t need to interfere." Fluo waved his hand, glancing at Lin Qi in the distance, and sighed, "No wonder the people of the Grey Robe Gang dared to attack the White Feather Gang’s plantation base, with this kind of fearless expert, how could those cowardly White Feather Gang members withstand it?"

"True, I was being presumptuous." Papu looked at One Leaf Floating Cloud, who had taken a stance, feeling he indeed insulted the fighting spirit of One Leaf Floating Cloud.

While Fluo and Papu were casting respectful glances, on the other side, within the crowd of players, each cast disdainful glances.

"Damn! This guy is such a poser."

"I’ve been wanting to say this for so long, and he actually said it first."

"No way, next time I face an enemy, I also have to prepare a pre-battle line."

The players looked at the posturing One Leaf Floating Cloud, then glanced at those admiring eyes on the opposite side, in their hearts, apart from disdain, they thought they could learn a thing or two from One Leaf Floating Cloud, otherwise wouldn’t all their hardships be for nothing?

"Bring it on!"

One Leaf Floating Cloud looked at Fisher, who was serious yet slightly awed, and felt thrilled, unable to believe that a single line could win so much favor from the NPCs, thinking he should have learned a few more lines earlier.

"Facing a master like you, I won’t hold anything back either."

After drawing the pitch-black battle saber, Fisher stood firmly in front, exhaling a faintly scorching breath, and his skin gradually turned red.

"Scorching Moon!"

With just a low whisper, Fisher suddenly charged at One Leaf Floating Cloud, his saber performing a sudden horizontal slash.

Apprentice-level sword skill Scorching Moon!

This strike was fast and ruthless, doubling speed and increasing strength by 50%, enabling Fisher’s slash to reach over 900 kilograms of force, easily slicing a large tricycle in half.

"Well done!"

One Leaf Floating Cloud had been waiting for this moment, thrusting his long spear, taking a step, his whole body spinning with the spear.

Martial artist-level spear technique Spiral Demon Spear Kill!

In an instant, a black light directly struck the incoming red light.

Boom!

The clash was brief yet intense, their weapons knocked away simultaneously, both retreating over ten meters before regaining their footing.

"Deflected?"

"You!"

Fisher looked at the saber that was knocked to the wall, then back at One Leaf Floating Cloud, whose body was covered in blood, utterly shocked.

Her Scorching Moon slash would injure even a quasi-martial artist who took it head-on, yet beginner apprentice One Leaf Floating Cloud not only received it directly, he was almost a bloodied figure standing up to retrieve his weapon, clearly disregarding his own life, intending to fight on.

Moreover, it was fortunate she used Scorching Moon, for such a powerful spear technique was truly a suicidal frenzy.

"Come on! Let’s continue fighting!"

One Leaf Floating Cloud picked up the black steel long spear, once again taking a stance against Fisher, intending to perform another Spiral Demon Spear Kill.

In a few days, thanks to improved physical condition and Mentor No. 1’s guidance, the backlash of his Spiral Demon Spear Kill lessened, barely allowing for a second usage, though it would certainly be fatal the second time, but it was enough to satisfy One Leaf Floating Cloud.

Though Fisher wasn’t severely injured, her arms had multiple muscle tears from the shock, noticeably weakening her aura. If they clashed again, though he would die, Fisher wouldn’t fare well either.

Fisher also sensed One Leaf Floating Cloud’s resolve to die; amidst the shock, there was an added layer of respect. Just as Fisher went to retrieve the fallen battle saber, a deep voice suddenly echoed throughout the training arena.

"No need to compete anymore."

"Let’s consider this match as our loss."

As the words fell, Fisher and Papu both looked directly at Fluo who had spoken, their eyes full of confusion.

"I have already witnessed the strength of your gang. Continuing the match will only deplete your fighting power, which would be quite unfortunate." Fluo explained, then looked at Lin Qi and said, "Honorable leader, although I cannot agree to give you a 20% share for 20 people, if your gang can field 30 Apprentice Level experts, I can make the decision to grant your gang 20% ownership of the Red Moon Mountain Energy Ore Vein."

"Otherwise, with just twenty people from your side, the most I can offer is 12% ownership."

"Does it really have to be thirty people?" Lin Qi, upon hearing this, couldn’t help but fall into deep thought.

Currently, he could only mobilize thirty players. If he really sent out thirty at once, the entire Black Obsidian Martial Arts Hall would be emptied.

The Black Obsidian Martial Arts Hall isn’t what it used to be, with a wealth of valuable items inside that need long-term protection.

"That’s right. To get a 20% share, thirty people are required!" Fluo nodded, a slight smile on his lips, "This is absolute, non-negotiable."

This move was essentially an advance by retreat. Although the strength of the Gray Robed Gang was decent, bringing out twenty Apprentice Level experts was likely their limit, making it practically impossible to muster thirty Apprentice Level experts.

In this situation, he only had to pay an extra 2% ownership to gain ten more Apprentice Level experts for the death match, effectively reducing the numbers needed from a medium-sized gang in the wild and earning a few extra points of ownership.

"Alright, thirty people it is!" Lin Qi thought for a moment, still intent on securing more rights to the Energy Ore Vein.

The Energy Ore Vein is valuable, something average gangs in the wild have no right to touch.

Not only are Energy Ore Veins valuable, but simply using them to pave the ground of a martial arts hall or build a cultivation room would greatly enhance training effects.

While the Fitness Breathing Technique offers astonishing improvements, long-term practice of it also silently boosts physical fitness. Especially when trying to break through to become a Martial Artist, it’s not just about mastering a Fitness Breathing Technique book completely, especially when he only has half of one.

If he uses a cultivation room crafted from Energy Ore, he could surely become a Martial Artist faster. After all, whether it’s the Martial Artist Association in Chasing Light City or the forces living in the city center, they all use Energy Ore to build cultivation rooms to better become Martial Artists.

"Honorable leader, are you sure?" Fluo looked at Lin Qi, somewhat surprised.

Thirty Apprentice Level experts are no small number, even for the Cyan Sparrow Gang it would deal a heavy blow. It’s hard to imagine that a newly risen Gray Robed Gang has so many Apprentice Level experts.

"Of course I’m sure. Or was Fluo planning to make a fool of me just now?" Lin Qi’s voice suddenly became deep.

"Of course not." Fluo smiled slightly, taking out a pen and starting to fill in the new contract, "If the leader sees no issue, you can sign it now."

"Alright." Lin Qi looked at the new contract, confirmed there was no problem, and signed his name.

Afterward, Fluo saw the contract was signed and, without a word, quietly left the Black Obsidian Martial Arts Hall with Fisher and Papu, while the players in the training ground erupted in cheers.

"Brother Yi is amazing, managing to exceed the task."

"Thirty spots, doesn’t that mean anyone who becomes an Apprentice within twelve days can directly join the death match?"

"It shouldn’t be that easy, right? After all, it’s a new large-scale instance task, which everyone can participate in. Would the game developers be so kind?"

"Don’t jinx it, you, don’t slander the game developers. The game developers love distributing benefits to everyone!"

As everyone celebrated, some players felt that this increase in instance spots couldn’t be so simple, making the originally happy players shut up one by one, fearing the game developers would pull another surprise.

And these players’ thoughts were precisely Lin Qi’s thoughts: if all thirty went, the Black Obsidian Martial Arts Hall would be emptied, which is something that cannot be allowed. Increasing the number of players is necessary.

"One Leaf Floating Cloud, you performed excellently, perfectly completing the task assigned by the Martial Arts Hall." Lin Qi approached One Leaf Floating Cloud, whose face was covered in blood, and said with a smile, "As the Hall Master, I have decided to reward you with 1000 contribution points and 10000 points. Additionally, any disciple whose skill reaches the Fifth Rank level can be directly promoted to Inner Sect Disciple. I hope you can continue to bring glory to the Martial Arts Hall."

Upon hearing the reward of a thousand contributions, One Leaf Floating Cloud was initially quite excited as this would bring his contribution to three thousand, allowing him to become an esteemed Inner Sect Disciple.

But now he couldn’t be as happy.

Automatic promotion to Inner Sect Disciple upon reaching the Fifth Rank skill level meant he didn’t need contributions to become one.

Moreover, besides him, neither Luo Wushang nor Zhang Qingwei, both present, were far from achieving the Fifth Rank skill level. It’s just that, due to the need to accumulate contributions lately, they haven’t focused on improving their skills. If they let loose, they could soon achieve the Fifth Rank level.

"Fifth Rank level, huh?"

Luo Wushang glanced at the star-point data she had previously recorded, her eyes involuntarily lighting up.

Fourth Rank 89%!