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

Chapter 371 This world is going crazy

Blue Star, Lake City.

The Tianwei Building, with over a hundred floors, is located in the city center. It should have been the most prosperous building in Huxin City, but now it has declined a lot. Apart from some new trainees, even the number of people who come to entrust the pilgrimage game business is less than one-tenth of the usual number.

In the conference room on the top floor, more than a dozen core members of the guild sat quietly at the conference table, their expressions not very good. It wasn't until Luo Wushang, Zhang Qingwei, Zhao Hu, and Yu Tian walked in that everyone turned their attention to the four of them.

"Now that everyone is here, I'll announce the board's resolutions." Chu Qingtian glanced at the four people sitting down, including Luo Wushang. Compared to before, everyone could tell that Chu Qingtian seemed to have aged ten years, with much more gray hair and a somewhat weary voice. "Because of the withdrawal of investment from those conglomerates, a large number of board members sold their shares, and the guild is now facing a financial crisis. We've decided to reduce the number of new members by half, and at the same time, all senior executives' dividends will be halved. The position of guild leader will be taken over by Luo Wushang."

Chu Qingtian's words did not surprise the dozen or so elders present.

Chu Qingtian was already close to fifty years old, and normally he should have retired to the second line long ago, with younger and stronger people taking over. However, Chu Qingtian's performance on the front line of the pilgrimage was still outstanding, and he was also the founder of Tianwei, so the board of directors allowed Chu Qingtian to continue to serve as the chairman.

But now, Chu Qingtian, representing Tianwei, failed to even make it into the main competition of the Immortal Path Eternal National Tournament. This is a huge embarrassment, causing everyone to begin to doubt Tianwei's strength.

Replacing Luo Wushang with the president is undoubtedly the best choice for Tianwei.

Luo Wushang has attracted much attention from pilgrimage players for her strength and appearance, and she often goes beyond the gaming circle to be compared with beautiful and skilled players in other games. This has made many players who do not play pilgrimage aware of Luo Wushang's name. Therefore, making Luo Wushang the guild leader is the only way to solve Tianwei's current predicament and restore the confidence of the vast number of players and investors in Tianwei.

"President, could I know the details of the Immortal Path Eternal Tournament? It would be best if there were any videos of the matches." Luo Wushang didn't refuse and asked President Chu Qingtian directly.

She didn't care at all whether she became the president of Tianwei, because she had decided to focus all her energy on the arrival of high-level martial arts, and nothing else mattered.

On the contrary, it is truly surprising that the president, Chu Qingtian, couldn't even make it into the main competition.

Although there are many experts in the virtual game industry, even in a masterpiece like Pilgrimage, which had hundreds of millions of online users in the past, one can become one of the top saints. While one cannot be said to be at the peak, one is at least at the top level. Not to mention that the guild leader Chu Qingtian is also a top figure among the saints. Otherwise, he would not be so confident in representing the might of the heavens, and those conglomerates would not resist but choose to acquiesce.

Chu Qingtian took a deep breath, clicked on the desktop, and quickly brought up a battle video: "I have nothing to hide. This is my third battle in the preliminaries. You can watch it yourselves."

After speaking, Chu Qingtian clicked play, and the battle scene appeared directly on the conference table, allowing everyone to see it very clearly.

On a desolate plain, Chu Qingtian and a young man stood about thirty meters apart. Chu Qingtian held a long spear, while the young man, though carrying a long sword, showed no intention of drawing it. He merely arrogantly waved to Chu Qingtian, signaling that Chu Qingtian could make a move.

Such an arrogant young man made the elders present twitch with anger.

As the leader of the association, Chu Qingtian was renowned throughout the pilgrimage. Now, he was being provoked by a young man he had never seen or even heard of. This was tantamount to a provocation against the entire Heavenly Might.

However, Chu Qingtian in the video remained calm, clearly unaffected, and simply drew his gun quietly.

The spear moved like a dragon, swift as the wind.

As Chu Qingtian approached the young man, his footwork shifted, instantly transforming into three figures. More than ten spear shadows simultaneously pierced the young man from three directions, leaving him with no way to dodge.

The elders present were full of praise for this beautiful sight.

This move, "Shadow Shift" combined with "Swift Wind Spear," can be said to be Chu Qingtian's signature move during his pilgrimage. Normally, it is used with the attributes of a Saint, and from a distance, it looks like a raging storm. However, in the Eternal Immortal Path, where physical attributes are not very good, even they would find it extremely difficult to deal with if they could unleash this move.

But the young man simply stretched out one hand, blocking left and right, deflecting all the stabs with just one hand, and was unharmed.

"This young man is incredibly strong! He was actually able to detect the guild leader's attack!"

Looking at the unharmed young man on the screen, the elders no longer felt their previous anger, but instead showed solemn expressions.

With President Chu Qingtian's Shadow Shift combined with the Gale Spear, even the elders couldn't escape unscathed. After all, such attacks exceeded their limits. Moreover, these attacks were a mix of real and feints. Unless they could distinguish them all and find the real spear, they would inevitably be hit and end up with several holes in their bodies.

The young man had clearly found them all, which is why he was able to block them so easily.

Chu Qingtian in the scene was also taken aback, clearly not expecting anyone to be able to block his signature move head-on. However, in that instant of surprise, the young man jumped up, raised his hand and smashed it directly at Chu Qingtian's head. The speed was swift and fluid, leaving everyone feeling like they couldn't react in time.

However, Chu Qingtian had fought in pilgrimages and battles for many years, participating in no less than ten thousand battles, and combat had become second nature to him. He directly used the Iron Chain Across the River.

boom!
The spear collided with the fist, bending into a crescent shape, causing the ground beneath Chu Qingtian's feet to sink more than ten centimeters.

Seeing that Chu Qingtian had finally managed to block the attack, the young man was slightly surprised, but then he struck down with his other hand. This simple palm strike was like lightning, striking the spear and forcing it to bend into a full moon. The palm struck Chu Qingtian's chest, knocking half of Chu Qingtian into the ground.

Before Chu Qingtian could even step out, the young man took another series of photos.

boom!
boom!
boom!
……

Each palm strike was fast and heavy, like a thunderclap. More than ten palm strikes were unleashed in succession. Even though Chu Qingtian tried his best to defend, he was still hit by several palm strikes, causing his health points to drop to zero.

The entire battle lasted only a few seconds from beginning to end, but it was clear to everyone that it was a completely one-sided fight.

"Who exactly is this young man?"

"Are all the young people on the Eternal Path of Immortality this powerful?"

"With this level of strength, even those old monsters who have taken drugs are probably no more than this."

The elders in the conference room stared wide-eyed after watching the battle video; their shock was evident on their faces.

Confused!

Shocked!

Frightened!

Everyone present was a saint, and they all believed that their strength would rank among the top in any virtual game. However, when faced with the young man in the video, their strength was clearly far inferior to his.

"President! Didn't any of the people from the conglomerate watch this battle video?" An elder in his forties suddenly stood up, pointing at the young man in the video with astonishment. "This young man's strength is terrifyingly high. Let alone you, President, even the top five experts in the current Pilgrimage would probably be no match for him. This isn't the President's fault at all; it's just that he had some bad luck and didn't make it into the main competition. What are those people on the board of directors thinking?"

The elders present all nodded in agreement, feeling that those conglomerates were utterly despicable, as were the board members. Anyone with eyes could see that this young man was terrifyingly strong, and would likely be a favorite to win the national tournament.

President Chu Qingtian's sudden encounter with such an unknown yet incredibly powerful individual was definitely a matter of bad luck, not a lack of ability. After all, facing that young man, let alone the president, even any expert in the pilgrimage wouldn't dare claim victory. The consortium and board of directors' use of this excuse to renege on their investment and attempt to seize power has truly angered the elders.

"Alright! Don't embarrass me any further!" Chu Qingtian slammed his hand on the table, silencing the entire room. His face grew even uglier as he said, "If it were just this, neither the conglomerate nor the board of directors would say anything, but this young man was eliminated in the fourth round; he didn't even make it to the main competition..."

As Chu Qingtian finished speaking, the entire hall fell into a deathly silence, and the elders who had been so excited earlier were now dumbfounded.

"Eliminated in the fourth round, didn't make it to the main tournament?"

"President, what exactly is going on?"

The elders looked at Chu Qingtian's grim face and felt like their minds were going blank.

Since Tianwei's main task was pilgrimage, and Chu Qingtian was personally involved, no one paid attention to this national competition on the eternal path of immortality. They only knew that there were five rounds of elimination matches, after which the main competition would determine three hundred people.

But how come such a talented young man was eliminated in the fourth round?

"You don't need to guess anymore. Everyone who made it to the main competition in this national tournament is more skilled than this young man." Chu Qingtian explained helplessly to the stunned elders, "That's why this tournament has seen so many upsets. Almost none of the established masters from various games made it to the main competition, and those who did were almost all new faces. This is something that the major conglomerates didn't expect, and it makes them think that we, the masters of the virtual gaming world, are simply not worthy of our reputations."

He didn't really want to talk about it, and even now, he still feels like he's dreaming.

Having fought in a masterpiece like Pilgrimage, which boasts hundreds of millions of online users, for so many years, he might not be invincible, but he is certainly one of the top experts. Yet, in a national competition like Immortal Path Eternal, he was not only utterly defeated by an unknown youth, but also by a group of unknown youths. This made him wonder if he had been too arrogant. True experts would never bother with such competitions.

Now that the Eternal Path of Immortality is related to lifespan, it has been fully revealed to teach all the top players in the game a lesson.

What does it mean to say that there are always higher heavens and more capable people?

The elders present also understood, and as they looked at the young man in the video, their feelings became complicated.

The young man who seemed so talented to them turned out to be nothing but a joke in front of the other contestants. So what were they anyway?
Just as everyone in the conference room was stunned, a clear and melodious voice echoed in their ears.

"I understand."

"I accept the position of president."

Everyone looked over and saw that the one who spoke was none other than Luo Wushang. However, Luo Wushang's expression was calm at this moment, as if she was not affected by the young man in the video, nor was she surprised that the young man could not even enter the main competition.

"Wu Chang, this burden is much heavier than you imagined. Are you sure you want to take it?" An elder in his forties couldn't help but ask Luo Wu Chang.

For a moment, the other elders also looked at Luo Wushang with some concern.

Before they knew this news, they thought it was a good idea for Luo Wushang to be the president. She was capable and a great beauty, and she might be able to restore Tianwei soon.

But now a large group of unknown experts have emerged. If Luo Wushang doesn't have the strength to join them, Tianwei will probably be finished.

"Elder Lu, don't worry, Wu Chang has the ability." Zhang Qingwei looked at the elders who were still a little worried and said with a smile, "That young man is strong, but he is no match for Wu Chang."

“That’s right.” Zhao Hu nodded as he looked at the young man in the video.

Rock Smash Fist!
Lightning Palm!
Although the young man used these two martial arts skills quite well, reaching the initial stage of the Subtle Realm in combat, in the context of the High Martial Arts Descent, he was only at the level of a Bone Forging Realm player. If it were him, who was at the Blood Condensation Realm, he would have simply used the Reverse Star Hand to end the battle in one go, without having to go through all that trouble.

At this moment, Elder Yutian, who was considered one of the oldest among the elders, nodded: "There shouldn't be any problem handing over the position of president to Wu Chang."

With Elder Yutian giving an affirmative reply, the elders present were also full of surprise. They did not expect that even the most experienced Elder Yutian would say so, believing that Luo Wushang now had the strength.

However, thanks to Elder Yutian's affirmation, the elders present were also relieved.

Since Elder Yutian has spoken, it means that Luo Wushang's strength should be much stronger than the young man in the picture. In other words, Luo Wushang should have the strength to compete for a spot. With such strength, Tianwei will at least lose face when facing these unknown experts in the future.

"Alright, from this moment on, Wu Chang will be the president." Chu Qingtian breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at Luo Wu Chang, who had agreed on her own initiative.

He is no longer qualified to lead the guild in terms of strength. If Luo Wushang believes she has the ability, that would be even better. After all, there will be more competitions like the Eternal Immortal Path in the future, and that will be the time for them to wash away this humiliation.

The elders present felt a sense of relief upon hearing this, believing that it was fortunate that the guild had a genius like Luo Wushang. Although the guild would face great difficulties in the future, there was hope for it to return to its peak.

"Now that I'm the guild leader, I'll announce my first order as guild leader." Luo Wushang stood up and said very solemnly, "From today onwards, the guild will abandon all other game-related activities, and everyone will devote themselves entirely to the High Martial Arts Descent event!"

"Wu Chang, what do you want to do? Abandon all existing game businesses. Do you know what that means?" Chu Qingtian looked at Luo Wu Chang and couldn't help but ask.

Tianwei's current scale and wealth are built on its existing gaming business. It's unimaginable what would happen if it were to abandon it all, not to mention that it's not even investing in the currently most popular game, Immortal Path Eternal, but rather in the game High Martial Arts Descends.

You have to understand that Tianwei is not an ordinary guild. They have hundreds of thousands of employees. If they don't have enough revenue, it's impossible to support so many employees. Otherwise, everyone would starve.

Just as the elders were about to stand up in protest, Luo Wushang glanced at Zhang Qingwei beside her. Zhang Qingwei then clicked on the virtual screen on the table a few times, and the official game forum of "High Martial Arts Descends" and related updates appeared on the large screen on the conference table.

"Game acceleration?"

"How can such technology exist?"

At this moment, both Chu Qingtian and the elders fell silent upon seeing the forum and updates about Gao Wu's arrival, their eyes filled with disbelief.

Although Luo Wushang and others kept saying that the closed beta game "High Martial Arts Descends" was very good and worth the guild's full investment, in their eyes, how good could it be? Could it compare to the current "Eternal Immortal Path"?
However, seeing that the game "High Martial Arts Descends" costs 4999, the number of pre-registrations has exceeded 100 million. In terms of popularity, although it cannot compare with "Eternal Immortal Path", it is still much more popular than the "Pilgrimage" back then. After all, pre-registration for "Pilgrimage" was free, but for "High Martial Arts Descends", the pre-registration fee alone is 4999. How could ordinary people possibly pay that?

Of course, what's even more unbelievable than the number of reservations is the game acceleration technology. This kind of cutting-edge technology has always been the dream of major game companies. It's incredible that the high-level weapons that appeared in the closed beta could be realized.

"I won't go into the game's potential. I've already obtained a town-building token in the High Martial Descent world, allowing me to establish a town in the Mountain of the Dead. The elders should understand the value of this," Luo Wushang said confidently, pointing to the High Martial Descent world on the screen. "Once this town is built, supporting the current guild won't be difficult, especially for those who just want to live in the game. They'll definitely be willing to spend a fortune to buy a suitable residence for cultivation and resource acquisition. The more towns we own, the more income we'll generate. The returns will be several times, even dozens of times, higher than the current Heavenly Might."

“It’s normal for casual players to buy houses in this game, but they probably won’t spend a lot of money to buy them. After all, everyone has the same amount of time in the game. Ordinary players don’t want to participate in adventures and battles, so living in NPC cities is undoubtedly better.” Elder Lu raised his doubts, not understanding why Luo Wushang was so confident. It’s pointless for ordinary players to spend a fortune to buy a house in the game.

Luo Wushang smiled slightly, as if she had already guessed this: "What if I said that leveling up in the game would also increase one's lifespan in reality?"

(End of this chapter)