Number One Great Fighter in All Servers!

The Black-Clothed Man's Dou Qi Armor shattered under Yang Shan's relentless onslaught.

Seizing the moment, Yang Shan prepared to finish the Black-Clothed Man with a single slash.

But at the critical moment, a light breeze swirled around the Black-Clothed Man. With a tap of his toes, he leaped three zhang away! Moving like a ghost, the Black-Clothed Man reached Yang Shan's blind spot in just a few breaths.

Movement Dou Techniques were already rare. Even if players acquired them at this stage of the server launch, they were generally only Yellow Rank Low-Level or Yellow Rank Mid-Level.

Yet the Black-Clothed Man's movement Dou Technique had reached Yellow Rank High-Level, and it bore a Purple Word Seal!

He used his extreme speed to circle behind Yang Shan and launch a surprise attack.

This was the Certain Kill AI Nüwa had arranged for the Great Fighter Heart Demon Trial in the launch version!

The Black-Clothed Man took four consecutive steps, each one shifting him three zhang.

The fifth step was the killing blow! But when the Black-Clothed Man took that fifth step, Yang Shan's figure vanished as well.

The Black-Clothed Man could already hear the wind tearing behind him.

Circling behind someone and exploiting their blind spot for a surprise attack—Yang Shan was even more skilled at that move than the Black-Clothed Man! Besides, the Golden Word Seal, Low-Level Profound Rank Thunder Spirit Flash, was far faster than the Black-Clothed Man's movement technique! In a pure contest of speed, the Black-Clothed Man was doomed to lose! Meanwhile, at Tian Yao Company's headquarters, President Ma Ru Long and Chief Planner Xiao Yan sat in the president's office, cigars in hand, puffing away.

Xiao Yan tossed a grape into his mouth and said indistinctly, "President Ma, it's so late. Why don't you get off work and go home to your little wife? I'm watching things here, so what are you worried about?"

Ma Ru Long frowned deeply.

"I just have a feeling that something isn't right."

Xiao Yan said, "You won't even tell me the truth?"

Ma Ru Long said, "My body's having a little trouble keeping up. I'm just looking for an excuse to take it easy for a while."

Xiao Yan repeatedly shook his head.

"President Ma, you're only in your forties. Exercise more, pop some Liuwei Dihuang Pills, and you'll be fine. If that doesn't work, swallow a couple sildenafil pills. Wouldn't that take care of your little wife good and proper?"

Ma Ru Long said, "True enough, but let's take it easy for now. Oh, right—how are the update preparations coming along? I heard that Yang Shan had already become a Nine Star Dou Shi a few days ago. Don't tell me—"

Xiao Yan gave a disdainful laugh. "What kind of joke is that? With AI Nüwa regulating things, the Heart Demon Trial's difficulty has increased dramatically in the launch version. One tiny mistake and he'll be down for the count. Great Fighter is for the next version. If a Great Fighter appears in this version, I'll go without sex for a month!"

Xiao Yan's confidence was not without reason.

In the launch version, the Great Fighter-level Heart Demon Trial was indeed extremely difficult.

Compared to the upcoming "1.1" version—

The Black-Clothed Man's level had been raised from Nine Star Dou Shi to One-Star Great Fighter, while his attributes had also been increased by an additional 30%.

The trial's opening had also changed from a frontal confrontation to a covert ambush.

The movement Dou Technique had been upgraded from Yellow Rank Mid-Level to Yellow Rank High-Level.

With that setup, theoretically, no player at the current stage could possibly defeat him! The Dou Qi Armor was not just for show.

While the Black-Clothed Man's Vitality Shield was being depleted, he could exploit his speed advantage and high attack power to launch a rapid offensive. What player could withstand that?

Xiao Yan was actually hoping Yang Shan would start the Heart Demon Trial.

"That bastard has gotten so many Global Announcements, only to get kicked away right at the gates of Great Fighter. Heh, heh..."

Just thinking about it made Xiao Yan laugh out loud.

Then, the next second, the office door opened.

Little Baldy, a thirty-year-old R&D employee with a bald crown, stood there drenched in sweat.

"Boss Xiao, that bastard became a Great Fighter!"

Xiao Yan immediately flung the bottle of wine worth over ten thousand in his hand onto Ma Ru Long's hundred-thousand suit.

"What? That bastard became a Great Fighter?"

Ma Ru Long did not even spare a thought for his expensive suit.

"Which bastard? That bastard?"

Xiao Yan gritted his teeth.

"That bastard really deserves to die! Pull up his Heart Demon Trial footage!"

Little Baldy said awkwardly, "Boss Xiao, that's private personal data. We can only ask the cyber police department."

Ma Ru Long said calmly, "Little Xiao, don't get too angry. Little Baldy, contact the cyber police department and ask them to help us out."

Xiao Yan said, "President Ma, there really wasn't a bug—"

Ma Ru Long said, "I understand. Our company trained twelve AIs specifically to detect game bugs. Even if there were a bug, AI Nüwa should have automatically responded to it long ago. That Yang Shan must truly be an expert."

Xiao Yan said, "He can't even be called an expert anymore. Even those real ancient martial arts masters training in the deep mountains aren't this outrageous!"

"Look at the videos of how he force-killed that low-health Fire Cloud Leopard and defeated Nalan Yanran in one move. That decisiveness, that fluidity when he attacks... If it weren't for the fact that the regular special forces soldiers we recruited for the closed beta all signed agreements not to touch Battle Through the Heavens for three years, I'd think they were the ones playing!"

Ma Ru Long analyzed, "Perhaps Yang Shan truly is exceptionally gifted and figured out the game's mechanics in just one month."

Xiao Yan did not argue. He merely nodded heavily.

It had to be admitted that, judging from the leaked videos, Yang Shan's current gaming skills completely crushed those of other players.

Everyone was a Newbie, yet one of them stood out head and shoulders above the rest.

Ma Ru Long said, "In any online game, there will always be a first-place player. Though this particular first is indeed a little too overpowered, as long as he achieved it through legitimate means, we should respect the player's accomplishments."

Xiao Yan nodded.

"Boss, I've actually thought of a solution and was just about to submit it for approval. Aren't we launching Faction Wars in every city next version? Why not hold a competition before the Faction Wars begin?"

Ma Ru Long said, "A competition? We just finished a version update, and the players are only getting started. Wouldn't it be inappropriate to make such a big fuss over a competition at this time?"

"Of course, we won't be the ones organizing it. But Jia Nan Academy content is also being implemented in the next version. The NPCs originally meant to recruit students will be wandering around the various cities anyway, so why not have them hold a small selection tournament in every city?"

Xiao Yan explained, "As long as we offer attractive enough rewards, plenty of players who have kept a low profile will definitely come out of the woodwork!"

Ma Ru Long's eyes lit up. "Rather than having one crane standing among chickens, it's better to have a host of heroes rise together! Great idea!"

Xiao Yan said, "Then players will notice that there are plenty of powerful players hidden right around them. Like stars scattered across the sky—even if Yang Shan is still the brightest one, it's still better than having a lone moon hanging in an empty sky! At least it'll stop certain people from constantly stirring things up and claiming the game has bugs."

Ma Ru Long nodded. "Approved. Put more thought into it!"

Xiao Yan said, "Alright, President Ma. Don't worry!"

Meanwhile, in-game, all players were once again dazzled by the Global Announcement triggered by Yang Shan: Ding! Global Announcement: Congratulations to player "Yang Shan" for becoming the first player on the server to break through to Great Fighter. He has received the title "The World's Number One Great Fighter," along with rewards of Free Spiritual Root +4, Meridians +8, Comprehension +3, and Good Fortune +3!

Compared to the previous Global Announcements, the waves caused by Yang Shan this time were not nearly as fierce.

Setting aside the posts accusing him of cheating or exploiting bugs, the discussion surrounding Yang Shan revolved around two core keywords:

The number one player in Battle Through the Heavens!

He really deserved to die!

By now, many players had grown accustomed to Yang Shan's heaven-defying existence.

The video of Yang Shan defeating Nalan Yanran in one move and the third-person video of him killing the Fire Cloud Leopard ranked first and second in forum views, respectively.

And the numbers were absurdly exaggerated.

Their combined views exceeded those of the next dozen or so videos put together.

They were miles ahead!

Many players watched those clips, each only a dozen seconds long, over and over again. Some even studied them frame by frame, hoping to learn Yang Shan's gaming techniques.

Players gradually began acknowledging Yang Shan's gaming skill.

Many players had even "predicted" that Yang Shan would become the first Great Fighter on the server.

And the final result was exactly as many players had expected.

Since it was expected, there was nothing much to be surprised about.

Of course, there was an even more important reason.

The server was about to shut down for an update.

Discussion of the new version had clearly overshadowed this Global Announcement from Yang Shan.

After killing the Black-Clothed Man, Yang Shan had already returned to the alchemy room.

Breaking through to Great Fighter had given Yang Shan 5 Meridians and 5 Free Attributes.

Beyond that, every star gained as a Great Fighter granted 1 Meridians and 5 Free Attributes.

From One-Star Great Fighter to Nine-Star Great Fighter, the increase in Meridians alone was equivalent to gaining a Yellow Rank High-Level Cultivation Method out of thin air.

Great Fighter was a "transition period."

It allowed players to transition from newcomers into veteran players.

For Dou Ling after Great Fighter, the attribute gains from each star more than doubled.

Not to mention Dou Wang and Dou Emperor.

A single star could easily grant thirty to fifty attribute points.

This also made killing enemies above one's level increasingly difficult the further one progressed.

Trying to recreate the iconic scene from the original novel where Xiao Yan, at the peak of Dou Wang, force-killed a Dou Zong was basically unrealistic.

Yang Shan still allocated his points according to the "Constitution 2, Bone Root 5, Agility 3" Ten-Point Allocation Method.

Player: Yang Shan

Level: One-Star Great Fighter

Attribute Stats—

Thunder Spirit Root: 15
Fire Spirit Root: 2
Wood Spirit Root: 1
Remaining Usable Spiritual Roots: 7
Constitution: 20
Bone Root: 42
Agility: 27
Meridians: 35
Comprehension: 19
Good Fortune: 10

Combat Stats—

Qi and Blood: 3110
Attack: 248
Defense: 157
Speed: 111
Dou Qi Intensity: 55
Total Dou Qi: 275
Cultivation Method: "Thunderclap Skill" (Gold; Yellow Rank High-Level)
Dou Skills: "Thunder Spirit Flash" (Gold; Xuan Rank Low-Level), "Thunder Cleaving Slash" (Purple; Yellow Rank Mid-Level)
Equipment: Thunder Guiding Blade (Purple; Hundred Refinements Grade), Fire Cloud Robe (Purple; Hundred Refinements Grade), Azure Wood Ring (Fine)

Among the current first-tier players, having an attack stat over one hundred was enough to earn someone the title of minor expert! Even Ye Suifeng, the top expert of Hero King Manor and one of the future Twelve Emperors, only had an attack stat of a little over 160.

Yang Shan was almost at 250! Yep, almost 250!

If he used "Thunder Spirit Flash," stacked "Thunder Cleaving Slash," and included the boost from the Thunder Guiding Blade, Yang Shan's theoretical maximum damage reached:

(248 + 55 × 1.8 + 20) × (1.3 + 0.25) = 568.85!

In the current version, even Earth Attribute cultivators with the best defenses couldn't withstand a single slash from Yang Shan after activating Dou Qi Gauze!

Once the Dou Qi Gauze broke, hitting a weak point meant an instant kill!

Even against a third-tier King of Beasts, Yang Shan was now absolutely confident he could deal defense-piercing damage!

Except turtles!

Those damned turtles weren't something Players should be messing with—their shells were ridiculously tough. As for Spiritual Roots, Yang Shan planned to save some Free Spiritual Roots for now.

After all, those things were still hard to come by.

Yang Shan had special gameplay techniques in mind that he'd figured out in his previous life.

When the time came, he might need to allocate Spiritual Roots toward the Fire Spirit Root.

In any case, 15 points in the Thunder Spirit Root were definitely enough for now. He would save the rest in case he needed them later.