This Is the Version's Child

At the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall training grounds.

"After digging dirt for so many days, it's finally time for a change of pace. I wonder what this new map is like."

"But this quest requirement is a bit high, needing 95 kilograms of strength and 9.5 meters per second of speed. My current breathing technique is only at 4% mastery. I'm lacking in both strength and speed. Has anyone here reached it?"

"I've been practicing Leopard Shadow Steps a lot recently, so my speed is there, but I'm still 3 kilograms short on strength."

The four people from One Leaf Floating Cloud, who had rushed over, looked at the mission on the announcement board with burning eyes. However, as newcomers who had only been here for four days.

Even with 24-hour training days and life-risking improvements, they were still short of the mission requirements.

"Although the rewards for this newly opened map are average, the game developers must not be testing it casually. Perhaps there's a special storyline or a special mission," Twilight of the Gods said, walking over with shining eyes.

Before, when he was digging tunnels, he had directly triggered a special storyline and received 500 points as a reward. He had then sold it to Luo Wu Shang for a hundred thousand. This time, it might be another opportunity.

A hundred thousand yuan meant he wouldn't have to worry about living expenses for several months. He could even eat extra meals every day, making his dorm mates incredibly envious. They all suspected he had won the lottery.

Even dying while exploring the underground Radiation Zone recently didn't require him to be so frugal anymore; he could just die for fun.

And to better explore underground and increase efficiency, he had endured over ten deaths to advance his Soul Shocking Breathing Technique to 8% mastery.

Now, his physical condition and all other aspects had met the mission requirements. He was just a step away from becoming a true Quasi-Apprentice.

"Qingwei, how are you doing?" Luo Wu Shang asked Zhang Qingwei, who had just walked over.

"I have no problem with speed, just lacking 0.4 kilograms in strength," Zhang Qingwei said with a smile. "But I should have no problem taking on this mission today."

As she spoke, Zhang Qingwei sat down cross-legged and began practicing the Soul Shocking Breathing Technique. However, she hadn't even practiced for a few minutes.

A mouthful of blood spurted from her mouth, scattering on the ground.

"Mm, there. My breathing technique has reached 8% mastery," Zhang Qingwei said, wiping the corner of her mouth with a happy smile. "But I'm quite seriously injured, with severe bleeding in one lung. Please wait, I'll respawn."

Zhang Qingwei fiercely mobilized the Soul Shocking Breathing Technique, and in an instant, her entire body almost turned into a bloodied mess before disintegrating into ashes.

This scene made One Leaf Floating Cloud and the others present watch with envy.

Breathing techniques weren't something you could improve just by wanting to. It required constant exploration. If you had a clear direction, the improvement of your breathing technique would be rapid. But without any direction, even dying a few times would be useless.

"Brother Zhen, are you going?" Outlander Gunslinger asked.

"Going, why wouldn't I go?" Fang Zhen said without hesitation. "Worst case scenario, I'll take leave today, and if the captain and the others scold me, so be it."

"What a shame. My and Gunslinger's breathing techniques are improving a bit slowly, only at 7% now. We'll have to rely on Brother Zhen to scout ahead," Peerless One Shot sighed.

Currently, among their Mecha Squad, only Fang Zhen's breathing technique had reached 10%, making him a Quasi-Apprentice.

He was one of only two Quasi-Apprentices among the ten of them. It would likely take them another two to three days to catch up. Moreover, to speed things up, they would probably need to die a few more times and spend a lot of money.

Outside the City of Light Chasing.

The midday sun beat down fiercely on the earth. As far as the eye could see, it was all ruins. There wasn't even a blade of grass, only wasteland shrouded in radiation.

A three-wheeled vehicle, the size of a small truck, slowly drove down the cracked street. Fang Zhen, Luo Wu Shang, Twilight of the Gods, and Zhang Qingwei sat in the back, looking around with curiosity, like newborn infants filled with wonder for everything around them.

"This map is so huge! We've been driving for almost an hour, and at this speed, we must have covered at least thirty kilometers," Fang Zhen said, deeply impressed by the scenery along the way. "I wonder how much money it cost to create such a large and detailed map."

"It really is huge," Twilight of the Gods agreed, nodding. "With such a large map, in other games, they would have already created several towns. This game doesn't even have a single town. This game is something else for creating such realism."

Although normal virtual games also had very large maps, they wouldn't typically have scenery stretching for tens of kilometers between points of interest. Usually, they would design many levels and quests, even numerous buildings. But in High Martial Descent, there was nothing like that. Such a lavish undertaking was truly unheard of.

"This vehicle is quite good. I wonder when we'll be able to own one. It would be convenient for travel then," Luo Wu Shang said, not paying much attention to the surrounding scenery, but rather showing great interest in the large three-wheeled vehicle in front of them.

A vehicle comparable to a small truck. If they could own one, they could easily outpace NPCs and transport ore and wood back and forth. The efficiency of earning points would be much faster than digging dirt.

"Such an awesome vehicle probably won't be available to players," Fang Zhen said, touching the metal body of the vehicle with a sense of longing. "I saw it's electric, only needing to be charged. If I could really own it, I'd definitely make the Guild Master go bald."

Lin Qi, who was driving the large three-wheeled vehicle, couldn't help but feel speechless at the four's conversation.

It was just a used electric three-wheeled vehicle that had been used for who knows how many years, yet it had become a divine artifact in the players' eyes.

Lin Qi couldn't even imagine what would happen if the players knew that in the High Martial world, there were not only combat vehicles that could fight ordinary alien beasts but also mechs that could equip martial artists. These were all directly sold in the City of Light Chasing. He wondered how excited they would be.

Of course, Lin Qi also yearned for those things, but their prices were so high that even the middle class couldn't afford them in a lifetime.

Even for Lin Qi at the moment, the selling price of this broken electric three-wheeled vehicle by those profiteers was fifty thousand Bit, and the rental fee was two thousand Bit per month. It was an existence that even unregistered wanderers couldn't afford.

If it weren't for the efficiency issues in repairing the martial arts hall, Lin Qi would truly hate renting this electric three-wheeled vehicle.

Grizzly Mine.

After Lin Qi drove for more than three hours, a continuous mountain range appeared before everyone's eyes. Tall, ancient trees grew everywhere on the mountains, completely different from the ruins they had seen so far, exuding a vibrant aura.

Not long after Lin Qi drove onto the mountain road, a drone with a radius of over two meters flew over from a distance and scanned Lin Qi and the others. The drone was equipped with a machine gun and two RPGs.

"Identity confirmed. You may now follow me to the mine area."

The appearance of the drone and its intelligent armament instantly stunned Fang Zhen and the other three present.

It wasn't just Fang Zhen and the others who were stunned; even the viewers watching the live stream were dumbfounded, completely unable to believe it was real.

They said it was a post-apocalyptic wasteland, but now it had become a futuristic technological world?

What was the point of learning martial arts?

Wouldn't learning to use guns be more appealing?

"Brothers, is it too late for me to switch to mechanical engineering?"

"Holy crap! This High Martial Descent world setting is pretty awesome. I don't really care about martial arts, and if it weren't for the 100% virtual reality, I probably wouldn't have even pre-ordered. But now I'm hooked! Mechs and cannons, I've got to get in there and play. My marksmanship is top-notch, fast and accurate within ten steps."

As the viewers in the livestream chat debated, Lin Qi followed the drone to the entrance of the mine.

"Alright, you'll split into two groups. One group will go into the mine to haul ore, and the other will chop trees." Lin Qi glanced at the departing drone and directly instructed the four of them.

Grizzly Mine was vast. Even if the major gangs of City of Light Chasing occupied it, they couldn't cover every inch. Most of it was just monitored to keep outsiders out. He had a partnership with Azure Crystal Weapon Shop. The amount of ore he brought out from the mine would be recorded by Grizzly Mine and then sent to Azure Crystal Weapon Shop.

Therefore, neither side was worried about problems with the ore, unless the haulers didn't want to live.

Grizzly Mine's most important resource was ore. They didn't care about the ordinary trees on the mountain at all, and naturally wouldn't stop them from chopping trees.

As soon as Lin Qi finished giving instructions, the four of them exchanged glances.

Luo Wu Shang and Zhang Qingwei went directly to haul ore, while Fang Zhen and Twilight of the Gods went to chop trees.

In the forest.

"Brother Zhen, why aren't you going to compete for hauling ore? With your strength and speed, you shouldn't be any worse than Sister Qingwei, and maybe the Hall Master would agree," Twilight of the Gods asked Fang Zhen curiously.

Fang Zhen was ranked first in strength among the ten, and his speed was second only to Luo Wu Shang. Hauling ore wasn't difficult; they just had to load it onto carts. The only challenge was the depth of the mine, requiring more trips and more carrying. But 100 kilograms yielded 3 points, which was much better than chopping trees and then hauling them.

"You don't understand this," Fang Zhen said with a sly smile. "Before the new map opened, the NPCs taught us two martial skills. One was Leopard Shadow Steps, which can be practiced while hauling. But what about Crushing Stone Fist? I've always been curious about it. They wouldn't release useless things in a game test."

"You mean? Crushing Stone Fist is used here?" Twilight of the Gods still seemed a bit confused after hearing this.

"Of course," Fang Zhen nodded, acting like a professional player. "Every game test has a purpose. We tested Leopard Shadow Steps in the martial arts hall basement before. Now that we're at Grizzly Mine, it's naturally time to test Crushing Stone Fist. And it's clearly stated on Crushing Stone Fist, isn't it?"

"The first level is the 'Stump Crushing Realm.' Stump crushing, stump crushing... aren't these natural wooden stumps? With so many wooden stumps here, this is a natural sacred ground for practicing martial arts. If we don't practice now, when will we practice Crushing Stone Fist?"

"Brother Zhen is amazing! This game understanding is simply invincible." Twilight of the Gods was enlightened and gave him a thumbs-up.

He had thought Leopard Shadow Steps was the meta, but he never expected Crushing Stone Fist to be the true "son of the version"!

"Alright, let's practice quickly so they don't find out."

"Otherwise, they'll definitely snatch it from us."

Fang Zhen waved his hand dismissively and found a large tree about four to five meters tall, ready to practice Crushing Stone Fist.