The Fourth Disaster: People become gods through high martial arts and gaming

Chapter 312 Amidst turbulent seas, dragons gather; towering peaks cleave the sky.

The Dead Mountains, within a dense forest canyon.

Three colossal skyships hovered in mid-air. The middle-aged Bloodstained Clan man, who was playing with marbles, glanced at all the players who had been killed and then simply waved his hand.

shhhhhh...

The jet-black marbles that had been launched seemed to be summoned, flying rapidly out of the crater and landing back in the hand of the middle-aged man from the Blood-Patterned Clan, as if they were alive.

Immediately, the middle-aged man from the Bloodstained Clan put away the marbles and turned to fly directly towards the giant sky ship in the center.

Inside the command center of the colossal skyship.

As the middle-aged man from the Blood Pattern Clan entered the cabin, ten men and women whose blood and qi had clearly reached the Blood Condensation Realm were sitting inside. Leading them was a burly Blood Pattern Clan elder with a blood and qi as deep as the sea, wearing a jet-black helmet, and a body over four meters tall.

And this burly old man was none other than Rhine Manster, the Dragon Hunter, the renowned leader of the Dragon Hunter Legion.

"Commander, those people from the Obsidian Martial Arts Academy have been dealt with." The middle-aged man from the Bloodstained Clan said to Rhine Manster, who was in charge, with utmost respect.

“Very good. Notify the other two ships to release more flying exploration vehicles, then expand the exploration of this area. Once we confirm that there are no more people from the Obsidian Martial Arts Academy in this area, we will proceed.” Rhine Manster nodded, then waved for the middle-aged man to leave.

"Yes!" The middle-aged man bowed and left the cabin.

Inside the command cabin, the white-masked youth who had been standing behind Rhine Manster didn't come to his senses until the middle-aged man holding the marbles left.

"Even a Blood Condensation Realm expert like this isn't qualified to be the captain of the Dragon Hunting Legion?" The white-masked youth glanced at the other nine men and women sitting in the cabin, his heart filled with indescribable shock.

He had seen the fight between the men holding the marbles from inside the cabin.

Although the gray-robed disciples of the Obsidian Martial Arts Academy were weak, with the strongest being only a beginner-level martial artist, their marble-throwing skills were something that even a high-level Bone Forging Realm martial artist like him wouldn't dare say he could block.

Those marbles were moving too fast; their speed over short distances was probably more than ten times the speed of sound.

He also knew the man playing marbles; he was the Silent Hunter, one of the top ten players in the Four Regions Youth Competition five years ago, and one of the super geniuses cultivated by the Red Moon Chamber of Commerce.

The Silent Hunter is now a mid-stage Blood Condensation Realm martial artist, much stronger than before. Yet, within the Dragon Hunting Legion, compared to the other nine mid-stage Blood Condensation Realm captains, he is merely a vice-captain, which is truly unbelievable.

"As per the original plan, you will each lead your own teams to explore. I hope you can clear out these little insects before sunset, and then head to Misty Mountain City to discuss serious matters." Rhine Manster's voice was solemn and authoritative, making the white-masked youth standing to the side feel a chill run down his spine.

"Yes!"

After the nine captains of the Dragon Hunter Corps agreed, they all left the cabin.

After the nine captains of the Dragon Hunter Legion left, Rhine Manster turned his gaze to the white-masked youth, and a blood-red pendant appeared in his hand at some point. He then tossed it directly to the white-masked youth.

“Go back and tell Quillang that I helped him deal with these bugs in the Dead Mountain, and then we’ll be even.” Rhine Manster’s voice was cold, clearly showing his dislike for Quillang.

"Yes." The white-masked man took the blood-red pendant and left immediately, not daring to linger.

I had only heard of the Dragon Hunter Legion before, and knew that they were very powerful. But after actually getting to know them, I found that they were even more terrifying than the rumors suggested. Even just being on a ship was suffocating.

Blood Condensation Realm experts, who are rarely seen in the Misty Mountain area, are extremely rare in the Dragon Hunting Corps.

The nine captains and nine vice-captains are all experts at the mid-stage of the Blood Condensation Realm, and among the many teams, there are more than ten experts at the early stage of the Blood Condensation Realm.

A corps of a thousand men has more than forty experts at the Blood Condensation Realm. In terms of the number of Blood Condensation Realm experts, it is roughly equivalent to the combined strength of the two strongest forces in the Mist Mountain region.

The most terrifying thing about the Dragon Hunter Legion isn't its captains and vice-captains, but rather the members of the Dragon Hunter Legion.

It can be said that every captain of the Dragon Hunting Legion is a high-level Bone Forging Realm martial artist, and not just any high-level Bone Forging Realm martial artist, but a high-level Bone Forging Realm martial artist who has mastered at least one extraordinary martial skill, equivalent to a deputy city lord in the Fog Mountain area.

As for becoming a squad leader in the Dragon Hunter Legion, one generally needs to master a Sequence Extraordinary Martial Skill. The most skilled ones have even reached the perfect state of the second level of the Sequence Extraordinary Martial Skill, or are already experts at the initial stage of the Blood Condensation Realm.

His skills are only good enough to be a squad leader. If he stays any longer, it will seriously affect his confidence and self-awareness.

As the white-masked man departed, the official forum of Gao Wu's Arrival was bustling with activity, all because one post had been placed at the top of the list.

A world boss has appeared in the Mountains of the Dead! Pictures and proof are available. Come and get your hands on the Sky Giant Ship!

The post contained an edited video showing three giant sky ships hovering above a canyon, with over a hundred flying transport vehicles on guard around them. On the decks of the sky ships stood numerous Blood Condensation Realm experts suspended in mid-air. One of the Blood Condensation Realm experts flew out, and a jet-black marble flew out of his hand. The video immediately went black.

Although the edited video was very short, it was stunning to everyone who watched it.

Even players who were unfamiliar with the arrival of high-level martial arts could clearly feel the oppressive atmosphere that blotted out the sun. As for players who knew a little about the arrival of high-level martial arts, they couldn't help but gasp.

On the decks of the three giant sky ships, there were more than twenty NPCs who could be 100% confirmed to be at the Blood Coagulation Realm.

Anyone familiar with the game "High Martial Arts Descent" knows that the NPCs in the Blood Condensation Realm are all city lords. When more than twenty city lords appear together, it's like they're guarding a giant sky ship. It's unimaginable what kind of beings are inside that giant sky ship to receive such treatment.

"More than twenty Blood Coagulation Realm NPCs are guarding this place. Is this a world-class BOSS on patrol?"

"This sky-going giant ship is absolutely awesome! Can players use it too? If players can use it freely, this game will be invincible."

"Invincible! If we could get such a huge sky ship, we wouldn't have to worry about transporting anything anymore. We could even make a fortune in the game just by using a sky ship for transportation. Right now, those garrison groups have discovered quite a few mineral veins in the wild. It's not a big deal to just hire NPCs from the martial arts school to mine them, but the transportation is the real problem. We don't know how many trips we'd need to make with flying transport vehicles. There are too many monsters on the ground, so we have to spend manpower to guard them. If we had a sky ship, we could probably make a fortune just from the transportation fees."

……

The crowd was buzzing with discussion as they watched the video, while many new players were drooling over the three colossal sky ships in the video.

Almost every player who entered the game from version 2.0 knows the importance of vehicles, since mining is the most profitable way to make money in this version, making it practically the chosen one.

Whether it's a precious metal vein of grade B or higher, or an energy vein, it's far more profitable than hunting monsters in the wild.

Previously, even if players established a base, they had to mine themselves or hire other players, which was very inefficient. First, there were very few players willing to mine, and second, the cost of hiring players was not low, resulting in very little profit. The only advantage was that it was a steady stream of income.

But now that a base has been established, you can directly apply to the martial arts school for NPC mining services. The hiring price is much lower than that of players, and there are many NPCs available for mining. The only problem to solve is the insufficient transport capacity.

Previously, the daily ore production was not high, and we could only buy a dozen or so large transport vehicles from martial arts schools or NPCs, which would only allow us to make one trip a day. But now that we have hired NPCs, it is normal to make three or four trips a day.

However, ground transportation requires a large number of skilled personnel to accompany the vehicles to ensure the safety of goods and vehicles due to the monsters. Players also need to train and cannot always accompany the vehicles, so they have to work in shifts, which has led many players to complain that the game is too realistic.

In reality, working in a factory means working shifts as a tool, and even in the game, you're still doing the same thing.

With only so many skilled players, the number of trips that can be made each day is extremely limited.

While it's not impossible to buy more large transport vehicles to solve the problem, large transport vehicles have always been in short supply. Even martial arts schools and NPC merchants can only sell a limited number each time, so they are not something that can be bought casually. They also rarely drop in the wild, which results in the earning cap for each stronghold being very tightly limited.

But if one could acquire a giant skyship, its carrying capacity would be unimaginable, and because it would be transported by air, it would be even safer.

"Three giant sky ships and so many flying transport vehicles... If we could get a part of this, not only could we mine in more distant places in the future, but our income would also increase several times over. This wild BOSS is truly a treasure trove." Fang Zhen, who was resting offline, watched the video with incredibly burning eyes. "Even if we don't compete today, we must take down this BOSS!"

Fang Zhen immediately began gathering manpower and went online to the Mountain of the Dead.

Now, the garrison has grown to over a thousand people and has occupied many mining strongholds. However, as these people at the mid-stage of the Bone Forging Realm continue to cultivate, they have discovered that if they want to improve quickly, the cost is exceptionally high.

Not to mention the dual attributes of refreshed clothing, just renting the second level of the Cultivation Tower, the intermediate gravity chamber, and the beginner meditation room every day would cost tens of millions of points, not to mention the need for type-three energy potions.
If you don't take your medicine to cultivate for a day now, it's easy to be overtaken by others. After all, since version 2.0 was launched, players have been going all out to compete for the qualification to the third floor of the Cultivation Tower.

In this era of great expansion, ordinary players can move freely throughout the entire Misty Mountain region, while core disciples can travel freely throughout the four domains. These places contain many high-level areas with even more treasures. To establish a base and mine in these areas, simply being at the Bone Forging Realm is not enough; one must at least reach the Blood Condensation Realm.

The training rooms on the third floor of the Cultivation Tower are incredibly helpful for cultivation, making it impossible not to frantically climb the rankings in the arena every day.

"Wu Chang, everyone has assembled and is ready to go anytime." Zhang Qingwei looked at Luo Wu Chang, who had just emerged from the intermediate gravity chamber, and asked with some anticipation, "How's your cultivation going? Have you broken through?"

"I've just reached 100% proficiency in the second level of the Body Strengthening Technique." Luo Wushang said with a hint of regret, "The second level of this Body Strengthening Technique is much more difficult than I expected. To reach perfection, I'll probably need to spend a few more days thinking and trying in the beginner meditation room."

"How effective is the defense?" Zhang Qingwei asked curiously.

Although the body-strengthening techniques can improve physical strength once you get the basics down, the effects vary depending on your level of proficiency.

Even if they are mid-level Bone Forging Realm martial artists, the second level of the Body Strengthening Secret Technique is only the beginning stage. Their defense is only slightly stronger than that of a low-level lord monster. Only after reaching proficiency can they have the physical toughness of a mid-level lord. Ordinary C2-level weapon attacks can only break the skin, while C4-level weapons can truly injure and pierce through muscles and bones.

"It should be stronger than a high-level lord, close to an ordinary catastrophe-level monster," Luo Wushang said after thinking for a moment.

"Approaching a normal natural disaster-level monster? Is 100% proficiency at the second level really that strong?" Zhang Qingwei couldn't help but look at Luo Wushang after hearing this.

They had encountered Cataclysmic-level monsters before in the Dead Mountain Range, and even many times, but each time they were completely wiped out. They had a deep understanding of how to defend against Cataclysmic-level monsters.

It can be said that apart from Luo Wushang using a C6-grade alloy weapon that can break through the defense, the attacks of others are no different from tickling the Calamity-level monster. Even using the hard-won Tier 3 weapon, they can only damage the scales of the Calamity-level monster and make it bleed.

Luo Wushang's defense is now comparable to that of a calamity-level monster. Combined with a third-tier weapon, they now have a real chance to hunt down calamity-level monsters. After all, the real strength of the Body Strengthening Secret Technique is not in defense, but in recovery and the upper limit of cellular energy reserves.

Luo Wushang has already mastered the second level of mental techniques and the second level of energy techniques. In addition, she has mastered the foundational body-strengthening techniques to 100% proficiency. When she enters the extraordinary state, her strength will definitely increase even more. She wouldn't be surprised if Luo Wushang fought a calamity-level monster all by herself.

"Let's hurry over there too, or all those sky ships and flying transports will be looted." Luo Wushang looked at the stunned Zhang Qingwei, a hint of expectation in her eyes.

She had previously been very interested in the Sky Giant Ship and the Flying Transport Vehicle, but neither of these items were something they could own. The Flying Transport Vehicle was not sold by the martial arts school; players could only rent it at most, and could not possess it.

The map where Gaowu arrives is so large, and there are no flying vehicles, so moving around is very slow.

Now that non-story bosses are appearing with Sky Giant Ships and Flying Transport Vehicles, it means they have a chance to obtain them. Even if they don't get a Sky Giant Ship, just getting a few Flying Transport Vehicles would greatly increase Tianwei's wealth.

The Mountains of the Dead, a colossal ship in the sky.

As the Dragon Hunter Legion relentlessly hunted down players, they also made a frantic advance through the Dead Mountain Range, getting closer and closer to its edge.

A female captain pointed to the map on the conference table and reported respectfully, "Commander, after flying for more than half an hour from here, we will have left the Dead Mountain Range and reached the Mist Mountain area."

"How's the clearing going in the other areas?" Rhein Manster looked at the map and nodded slightly.

"Everything has been cleared, but the further we go, the greater the resistance becomes," the female team leader explained. "Now, dozens or even hundreds of people gather in many places, which slows down our progress."

"After all this time of the crackdown, can they still gather over a hundred people?" Rhein Manster asked with slight surprise.

Several hours have passed since they began clearing out the people from the Obsidian Martial Arts Academy. The count shows that they have killed more than four thousand gray-robed disciples from the Obsidian Martial Arts Academy. This number of gray-robed disciples is almost the same as the data provided by Kui Lang.

"Yes, those people are even quite familiar with our fighting style. If we captains don't step in now, many of our team members will probably die," the female captain nodded.

"You'll lose men if you don't make a move?" Rhine Manster was somewhat surprised and said with regret, "No wonder the Smiling Skull sent those four people. It seems that the Obsidian Martial Arts School is indeed quite interesting. It's a pity that it hasn't developed yet. If it had, it might have been able to put up a good fight against us."

The female captain nodded, agreeing that if the disciples of the Obsidian Martial Arts Academy grew up, they would indeed be a problem. After all, many of them could transform, causing their combat power to surge. Even if they were just ordinary martial artists, once they transformed, they would be equivalent to a high-level Bone Forging Realm martial artist. If a Bone Forging Realm martial artist transformed, their strength would be at the level of an ordinary Blood Condensation Realm beginner. This is why the captains had no choice but to take action.

However, just as Rhine Manster finished speaking, the giant skyship suddenly stopped, causing everyone present to stumble and fall to the ground.

"Why did you stop?" Rhine Manster frowned slightly.

As Rhine Manster asked the question, the young man piloting the ship replied with some fear, "Captain, it seems we're surrounded by people from the Obsidian Martial Arts School."

"Surrounded? How many of them are here?" Rhine Manster looked at the somewhat frightened operator and thought that the Dragon Hunter Corps had become a bit scattered recently. They were just surrounded by people from the Obsidian Martial Arts Academy. What was there to be afraid of?

“One thousand…two thousand…three thousand…” The operator stared intently at the scan statistics on the screen, looking at the map full of red dots. He couldn’t help but rub his eyes, thinking he was seeing things. “Three thousand five…four thousand…four thousand five…and they’re still increasing…”

It wasn't until the life scanning radar of the giant ship in the sky had completed its statistics that two huge numbers appeared on the large screen in the command center.

Number of ordinary individuals: 6186!
Number of high-risk individuals: 262!
"6186 ordinary martial artists? 262 Bone Forging Realm martial artists? How is this possible!"

The female captain stared wide-eyed at the life detection radar statistics on the large screen in the command center, completely unable to believe it was true.

(End of this chapter)