Version Update 1.01

Obsidian Martial Arts Hall, dawn was gradually breaking.

"They're finally back."

"They were gone for so long. Could they have made some huge haul?"

One Leaf Floating Cloud and the others stood at the martial hall entrance, watching the Big Three-Wheeler that had been pushed back all the way with curiosity.

The Big Three-Wheeler's cargo bed was wrapped layer upon layer in tattered cloth. Compared to when it had left, it had returned fully loaded, but unlike before, the vehicle now clearly bore quite a few marks of damage and battle.

"No way! No way!"

"They actually fought!"

"What the hell did we miss?"

Outlander Gunslinger and the others, who had been about to log off, looked at the arrow holes in the Big Three-Wheeler, then at Fang Zhen and the others pushing it back with excitement written all over their faces. Even their voices trembled.

"Brother Zhen, you guys really fought?"

Peerless One Shot's somewhat lean face nearly pressed against Fang Zhen's as he frantically checked him for any signs of battle.

"Of course." Fang Zhen raised his chin and said with an expression that screamed you guys really lost out, "You have no idea. This new map didn't just have new story content—it added new gameplay too. Too bad none of you went."

"New gameplay? What new gameplay?" Outlander Gunslinger rushed forward excitedly to ask.

High Martial Descent's sandbox gameplay was already fun, but if there was new gameplay, that would undoubtedly make it even more enjoyable.

"That starts with what happened on our way back." Fang Zhen paused before continuing, "Halfway back, we probably triggered the main storyline and unlocked a new wilderness faction, the White Feather Gang."

"They wanted to steal our haul, so we fought back and took them out. Every frame of that battle was a blockbuster-level cinematic."

"Yeah, that battle was incredible. The NPCs even opened up weapon trials. After one story battle, every one of us got 200 points as a reward. I wonder if there'll be more related missions later." Twilight of the Gods said expectantly, "If there are follow-up missions, earning points will definitely be faster than digging holes and planting crops."

"And after this story mission, I'm completely sold on High Martial Descent. This year's Virtual Game of the Year award will definitely belong to High Martial Descent. As for that combat experience, I dare say you couldn't find a second game like it in the entire virtual gaming world."

"Story combat missions?" Outlander Gunslinger's eyes went wide. "And weapon trials?"

He had only gone to work for a daytime shift. How much had he missed?

He had been playing High Martial Descent for more than four days now. Forget combat—he had not even touched a weapon. Being able to use a weapon in battle would be insanely awesome, wouldn't it?

"Yeah, that composite longbow's handling was beyond words." Fang Zhen nodded, looking reluctant to let the memory go. "It's just a shame those White Feather Gang guys went down too fast. I only fired one arrow before the NPC took the composite longbow back. I have no idea whether we'll be able to exchange points for one later."

"Brother Zhen, can you tell me more about how it felt?" Outlander Gunslinger was practically drooling.

As a professional player of Mecha Continent, sniping battles were his bread and butter. With High Martial Descent's 100% virtual realism, being able to directly use a composite longbow in combat was so exhilarating he could barely imagine it.

Even during his daily professional training these past few days, he had been thinking about High Martial Descent every day. The gap between the two experiences was simply too great. Playing Mecha Continent felt like a chicken rib—tasteless to eat, but a pity to throw away.

"Stop chatting and come help."

Lin Qi looked at the wildly excited Outlander Gunslinger and the others, utterly speechless.

The moment they heard there had been a battle, every last one of them acted like they had been injected with chicken blood. Talking about handling? Let them touch an iron rod at home—the handling would be first-rate too.

Still, listening to these players gave Lin Qi a reminder.

There really was a need to further strengthen the players. Having them fight all day with nothing but alloy shovels was not a solution.

It would also add new gameplay for the players. There was no need for him to personally handle every little thing, especially now that he had a certain amount of money. There was even less need for him to take risks himself.

Just like now—without any instructions from him, Outlander Gunslinger and the others had repaired quite a few damaged floorboards in the training room and even built themselves several shabby beds.

They had even found time to add wind-blocking wooden boards to those shabby beds. They were living better than he was...

It had to be said, these were qualified players. They had learned how to find things to do for themselves.

With that in mind, Lin Qi had everyone push the tricycle into the martial hall while he returned to the lounge and began drafting the martial hall's future development plan.

The first step was to activate the weapon exchange function for players and strengthen their current combat capabilities.

The second step was to activate the rental function, allowing players to haul ore and chop wood at Grizzly Mine on their own.

The third step was to improve the players' communication capabilities. That way, issuing missions, sending players to do things, and having players report information would all become much more convenient.

The fourth step was to repair the martial hall. He had originally thought ten people would be enough for a while, but this time they had killed six White Feather Gang members. Even though they had destroyed the corpses and erased the traces, there was no guarantee the White Feather Gang did not have some means of finding out.

Considering Obsidian Martial Arts Hall's safety, as well as the speed of his own growth, they had to replenish their manpower as soon as possible.

Obsidian Martial Arts Hall, the sun was gradually setting.

Fang Zhen and the others who had undergone professional training during the day logged in one after another. The first thing they did after logging in was check whether anything new had appeared in the notification bar before starting the day's work.

"Brother Zhen, hurry and look! There's been a version update!"

"A version update?"

At that reminder, Fang Zhen, who had not yet recovered from his daytime training, instantly snapped awake.

"Damn! There really is!"

Fang Zhen looked at the notification in the notification bar and instantly became fully alert, his breathing quickening. The others were also drawn over by the commotion.

Latest Notice: Version Update 1.01.

I. Weapon exchange has officially opened. The exchange catalog is as follows.

A3 Alloy Spear exchange price: 15,000 points.

A3 Composite Bow exchange price: 15,000 points.

A5 Composite Longbow exchange price: 50,000 points.

A3 Fine Steel Arrow exchange price: 1,500 points.

A5 Black Steel Arrow exchange price: 5,000 points.

II. Vehicle rental function has officially opened.

Electric Tricycle rental price: 20,000 points per month.

Any damage caused during the rental period must be compensated for at full value. Refusal or inability to compensate will incur the Dojo Master's displeasure. Serious offenders will be expelled from the martial hall.

III. Communication system has officially opened.

Sixth Generation Smartwatch: includes mission display, mission acceptance, real-time communication within the city, communication within a radius of one thousand meters, exchange list viewing, Martial Hall Points display and trading, and other functions. Exchange price: 10,000 points.

IV. Main mission "Past Glory" has opened: repair Obsidian Martial Arts Hall.

The Dojo Master will issue martial hall repair missions. Players may accept missions until the main mission is completed. Final rewards will be granted according to each player's mission contribution. This mission may only be accepted once.

As the four notices entered everyone's sight, the training ground fell utterly silent. One after another, they stared at the notification bar in disbelief, completely unable to believe it was real.