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

Chapter 332 New Year and Town Establishment Order
Obsidian Martial Arts School, Beginner Meditation Room.

Hou Fei looked at Lin Qi who was asking questions, and after a long silence, he gritted his teeth and said, "Master, our lineage of the Crystal Clan and the lineage of the Smiling Skull Crystal Clan actually both come from the vanished First Domain City."

After Hou Fei finished speaking, the room fell silent.

"Your lineage all comes from the vanished First Domain City?" Lin Qi looked at Hou Fei, unable to believe it for a long time, and couldn't help but ask Hou Fei again, "What evidence can prove it?"

First City!
As the world's first domain city built to deal with monsters, the monsters around the world were not so powerful at that time, and the technology and equipment of all races were at their peak. No technology was lost, and the area that could be explored at that time was far greater than it is now. There were far more ruins that were explored than there are now.

Whether it's global talent, geniuses, technology, martial arts, or any other of the best things in the world, they've all been concentrated in the First Domain City.

It can be said that the First Domain City at that time was the pinnacle of the world.

If Hou Fei and his group truly came from the vanished First Domain City, this news would definitely alarm the Four Domains, causing the big shots from the Four Domain Cities to rush over immediately.

“I do have that,” Hou Fei said hesitantly, “but the proof I have isn’t in my possession.”

"What is it? Who has it?" Lin Qi asked curiously.

"That's an energy ore refining and compression device from the First Domain City. It can turn energy ore into energy crystals and energy blood essence. This device was brought out by our ancestors when they left the First Domain City. It's a device that none of the four major domain cities have been able to replicate to this day. They've only made a degraded version that can compress energy crystals into energy blood essence," Hou Fei explained. "And this thing has always been in the hands of the Smiling Skull. In fact, many of the energy crystals in the City of Light and many other cities in the four domains come from this device. For example, some crystal merchants come to the City of Light and buy up large quantities of energy ore, just to do business with the Smiling Skull and exchange it for energy crystals."

"Can energy ore be converted into both energy crystals and energy blood essence?" Lin Qi was slightly surprised, and then suddenly realized, "No wonder the Smiling Skull, despite not having the financial resources of the Red Moon Merchant Guild and Earth Star Pharmaceuticals, has been able to cultivate so many experts in the Bone Forging Realm and Blood Coagulation Realm while living in the Dead Mountain Range. It turns out it's because of this device."

This technology was indeed something he had never heard of before, and its value far exceeded the energy blood essence manufacturing technology mastered by the four major domain cities.

Energy crystals in energy veins are extremely rare; even a small energy vein can yield very few, let alone energy crystals used to create energy blood essence.

However, if energy ore is used directly to make energy blood essence, the production output can be greatly increased. Not to mention that energy crystals are helpful to Bone Forging Realm warriors. If energy ore is converted into a large amount of energy crystals, the difficulty of cultivation below the Celestial Realm will definitely be reduced by one level.

"This is also why the Smiling Skull has been searching for the First Domain City in the forbidden area of ​​the Dead Mountain Range." Hou Fei nodded and sighed. "When our predecessors left the First Domain City, the equipment they could take with them was only outdated equipment, and not much of it. If they could obtain a large number of the most advanced equipment from the First Domain City, the four major domain cities would probably have to submit to the Smiling Skull in the future."

His lineage, as a branch that had strayed from the First Domain City, came to the City of Light. Their original plan was to find a powerful but underdeveloped force in the City of Light to cooperate with. In this way, the other party would provide energy ore, and they would provide energy crystals, supporting each other and developing together in the City of Light.

Before he could even begin cooperating with the Obsidian Martial Arts Academy, the Academy skyrocketed like a rocket, soaring to the top in a speed he couldn't even react to, and has now become the number one power under the four major domain cities.

He felt that if he didn't quickly make a deal with the Obsidian Martial Arts Academy, the matter of the First Domain City would probably be useless by then.

“Okay, I understand.” Lin Qi looked at Hou Fei and said with a smile, “Your information is of great value to the martial arts school. I hope you can continue to keep it a secret and not tell anyone else. As for the quota, I can give you two elite disciple quotas. After that, you can just go and tell Qin Mu, and he will arrange everything for you.”

Although what Hou Fei said cannot be considered conclusive evidence, since it was just talk and he had never seen the device, Hou Fei had already joined the Obsidian Martial Arts Academy, and all he asked for was to improve his status and treatment within the academy.

If Hou Fei is lying, then he can take these things back at any time, so there's not much point in deceiving him. As for the forbidden area deep in the Dead Mountain Range, it might be extremely risky for others, but for him, it's no big deal.

"Two elite disciple slots?" Hou Fei was stunned for a moment after hearing this, then looked at Lin Qi excitedly and said, "Thank you very much, Master Lin."

The disciples of the Obsidian Martial Arts Academy are divided into four levels: formal disciples, inner disciples, elite disciples, and core disciples. Elite disciples belong to the second level and enjoy much higher benefits than inner disciples.

Moreover, the biggest difference between elite disciples and inner disciples is that they don't have to work anymore. They can also get a lot of points every month, allowing elite disciples to focus on cultivation and improvement. They even have free rental time for the second-level cultivation room of the cultivation tower every month, as well as the qualification to rent the intermediate gravity room.

In addition, by simply completing the assigned tasks each month, one can earn a considerable amount of points and contributions. The top-ranking elite disciples in terms of monthly contributions can rent the legendary beginner meditation room for a whole day for free, which is an absolute path to success for those with low comprehension.

“Master, there is one more thing.” Hou Fei suddenly remembered something and said very seriously, “According to my father, when our ancestors left the forbidden zone, it was around January of the new year. The teams that left the First Domain City outside of that time did not receive any news at all. My father believed that this time was very important, and might be the key to leaving the forbidden zone.”

"New Year's?" Lin Qi nodded. "Okay, I'll remember."

According to the intelligence provided by Azure Wing City, the forbidden zones are indeed very sensitive to time. Not every time is suitable for exploration. In fact, the time for exploration varies from region to region. Entering at an unsafe time is like suddenly turning an easy difficulty into a hellish one. This intelligence was obtained at the risk of lives by the top forces.

Hou Fei's predecessors were undoubtedly very lucky, as they left the forbidden zone at a safe time in the Dead Mountain Range. Otherwise, they would probably have suffered the same fate as other teams that left the First Domain City.

After speaking, Hou Fei respectfully left the beginner's meditation room and immediately went to find Qin Mu.

After Hou Fei left, Lin Qi opened the system menu and focused his attention on the hidden building, the Advanced Lounge, which was a system reward.

"It seems we have no choice but to use this." Lin Qi looked at the introduction to the VIP lounge with great regret.

The premium lounge can be considered an evolution of the rest area.

Normally, it takes 10,000 units of energy to transform a room into a rest area and bring in ten players.

The VIP lounge is even more impressive, capable of accommodating 500 players in one room. Its only drawback is that it requires energy crystals, with each room costing 10,000 energy crystals. It's truly a room for the elite, designed to fleece the wealthy.

The only advantage is that it can save a lot of space for the martial arts school, indirectly saving a lot of time in building rooms.

Just like now, the martial arts schools in the City of Light and the Red Moon Town are still being expanded because there are too many rest areas to build. In particular, the tens of thousands of players introduced earlier have used up more than 90% of the rooms built by the martial arts schools during this period. As a result, even if they want to introduce a large number of players in a short period of time, there are not enough rooms to renovate.

But now that they know about the First City, they have to quickly increase their manpower, since the existing players can hardly support the Obsidian Martial Arts School in developing trade routes while exploring forbidden zones.

Not to mention that a large number of players will definitely advance to the Blood Coagulation Realm in the future, and the amount of energy blood essence needed will also increase, making the conversion equipment in the First City very important.

Even if Tianhe City were to sell the equipment for creating Energy Blood Essence, a single set would cost a staggering two million energy crystals, producing only twelve Energy Blood Essences per year. Leaving aside whether he has that many cities, the sheer amount of energy crystals he earns—two million for a single set—is far too much to buy with his millions of energy crystals. Furthermore, accumulating Energy Blood Essence requires a significant amount of time, which is clearly insufficient in the current state of the four domains.

Although it is possible to earn energy essence by continuing to sell martial arts school buildings through further cooperation with Tianhe Domain City, this is not something that can be achieved in a short time.

Moreover, even if it succeeds, the number of players that can be supplied will be very limited.

The Domain City has cultivated a large number of Blood Condensation Realm cultivators. Just maintaining the daily needs of Blood Condensation Realm warriors requires a lot of energy blood essence. The Domain City can only provide so much now, which is only a surplus from many years and cannot last long.

If he wants a permanent solution, the only option is the conversion equipment in the First Domain City.

The Smiling Skull has always been entrenched in the Mountain of the Dead, which means it is unlikely to have many cities or large strongholds. However, the Smiling Skull is able to support a large number of Blood Coagulation Realm cultivators, just like the Red Moon Merchant Guild and Earth Star Pharmaceuticals, which is enough to show that the conversion equipment in the First Domain City is very efficient and the output is far superior to that of the equipment in the Four Domain Cities.

If he could acquire a large number of these conversion devices, or even produce them himself, then players would at least not have to worry about the path to the Blood Coagulation Realm in the future, and would be more confident in facing the major problem of the Forbidden Zone.

"However, the existing training buildings in the martial arts school are already very strained, so we can't bring in too many players at once. There are still more than half a month until the New Year. Let's bring in 2,000 people every day for now, and then increase the number of people as the training buildings are completed."

Lin Qi made a plan and then spent one million energy crystals to renovate one hundred high-level rest rooms, so that the other workers could all go to build intermediate gravity rooms, advanced training rooms, beginner meditation rooms, martial arts arenas, beginner cultivation towers and other cultivation buildings, instead of wasting time building rest rooms.

The sudden surge in daily player slots delighted many who had made reservations, who exclaimed that the game developers had finally shown some compassion. However, players already in the game felt the increasing competitive pressure.

As the popularity of "High-Level Weapon Arrival" grew, more and more people paid attention to it, attracting more game studios and guilds to turn their attention to it. With more and more skilled players entering the game, the number of game slots suddenly surged, making the already fierce competition for wilderness resources even more astonishing.

Normally, players near Red Moon Town could hunt low-level monsters, but in just over ten days, they had to form groups early in the morning and drive transport trucks hundreds of kilometers away to hunt mid-level monsters.

The reason is simple: there aren't enough monsters to fight over within a hundred kilometers of Crimson Moon Town and City of Light. People have to go to farther places to hunt monsters to earn points and contributions. This makes Crimson Moon Town a rare place to live in the eyes of nomads in the Misty Mountain area. Even if a lord-level monster comes within a hundred kilometers of Crimson Moon Town, it will turn around and run away.

The Mountain of the Dead.

As a deafening sound echoed and dissipated deep within the mountains, Lu Fanchen, Li Tianxing, and Lin Xinyao, who were traveling through the mountains, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"If the three of us hadn't all broken through to the Blood Condensation Realm and run fast enough, we would have been killed by that monster in the underground mine." Li Tianxing glanced at the distant mountains with lingering fear and wiped the blood from his head.

Originally, after the three of them successfully advanced to the Blood Condensation Realm through the Golden Blood, they thought they could quickly open up a safe route to the Heavenly River Domain in the Mountain of the Dead. However, after exploring deep into the Mountain of the Dead, they discovered a rare large energy vein and thought they had struck it rich.

As it turned out, deep within the large energy vein, there was a dragon over six or seven hundred meters long. With just one strike, the dragon blasted the three of them directly out of the ground. If it weren't for the incredible recovery power of the third level of the Body Strengthening Secret Technique, which allowed them to escape as soon as they recovered from their serious injuries, the three of them would definitely have been stuck there.

Moreover, it was all thanks to Lu Fanchen's immediate burst of energy as he stepped forward to block the attack and absorbed most of the force; otherwise, it's unimaginable what would have happened to them.

"The monsters on this road are too strong. Let's change routes. Now, while we have the advantage of Golden Blood, we should advance to the Blood Condensation Realm before the other teams. We need to open up a safe route as soon as possible. If we wait until the number of Blood Condensation Realm warriors in other teams increases, we won't have much of an advantage anymore," Lu Fanchen said.

"I really don't know how Luo Wushang and Ye Qinglu did it. Without treasures like golden blood, they were able to break through to the Blood Condensation Realm so quickly." Lin Xinyao nodded, unable to help but sigh.

The power of the Golden Blood goes without saying. Everyone's rapid progress is due to the Golden Blood. However, Luo Wushang and Ye Qinglu were able to break through so quickly, especially Ye Qinglu, who advanced to the Blood Condensation Realm on the fifth day after Luo Wushang's breakthrough. The three of them only advanced to the Blood Condensation Realm after the seventh day.

While Lu Fanchen and the others were resting, a C6-class large flying transport vehicle passed by in the distance. A team of more than 20 Blood Condensation Realm warriors was led by a half-step Celestial of the Forest Clan. Each of these men and women wore the mark of the Misty Mountain Domain City.

Upon discovering Lu Fanchen and the other disciples of the Obsidian Martial Arts Academy, they couldn't help but show surprise.

"Shefina, are these people from the Obsidian Martial Arts Academy?" A four-winged woman of the Feather Clan, whose strength had reached the peak of the high-level Blood Condensation Realm, looked out the window at Lu Fanchen and his companions and laughed. "These people are even more formidable than the rumors suggest. They actually dared to come to this place. Don't they know that this is the territory of the Earth Dragon King?"

"How did they end up here?" Xie Feina, who had only recently advanced to the Blood Condensation Realm, looked at Lu Fanchen and the others with some surprise, not expecting that the people from the Obsidian Martial Arts Academy would venture so far into this place.

As one of the kings of the Dead Mountain Range, the Earth Dragon King is someone that even the Domain City dares not offend. Forces from the four domains would all take a detour when they come over. Yet Lu Fanchen and his two companions dared to get so close; they were simply courting death.

However, before the people in the car could exchange more than a few words, Mond, who was in the lead, let out a soft hum.

"Alright, quiet down!" Mond glanced at everyone in the car. "We'll be meeting up with the team in the Forbidden Zone of the Mountains of the Dead in a bit. That Forbidden Zone is the home ground of the Smiling Skull, with a Celestial Grandmaster in charge. Our Domain City doesn't have a good relationship with them right now, so be careful when you go in. If you anger a Grandmaster and get killed by him, it'll be a pointless death. Also, be careful of the aliens. Although we, a few of us who are half-step Celestials, will be protecting you, and this is a safe period, the existence of aliens is unpredictable. You must be careful of sneak attacks from those around you, understand?"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the car became serious and stopped joking.

The aliens are arguably the most troublesome things in the forbidden zone. They don't even know how their companions are being corrupted and replaced. If they are ambushed by an alien, even a half-step celestial being will not escape death.

Just as Mond finished speaking, Shefina glanced at Lu Fanchen and the other two outside the car window and couldn't help but be surprised.

Are those three heading towards the restricted area?

Shefina was astonished to see the three of them suddenly rush towards the forbidden area of ​​the Dead Mountain Range as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

However, Xie Feina had no idea that Lu Fanchen and the other two had just received a system announcement.

The New Year limited-time event "City Beyond the Realm" in the "Advanced Martial Arts" event has begun. There is a city in the forbidden zone on the map of the Mountain of the Dead. All core disciples of the martial arts school can go to the forbidden zone of the Mountain of the Dead to find this city. The more valuable items you bring back from this city, the more contribution and merit points you will be rewarded with.

The top five players will receive Energy Essence as a reward, and will also receive a Town Building Token in the Mountain of the Dead.

As soon as the system announcement was released, players, whether online or offline, couldn't sit still.

(End of this chapter)