Civilian Instances

Jiang Qiu's bright face was flushed, and she wished she could dig a hole in the ground and disappear right then and there.

"----Mastery! I mean mastery!"

About five seconds later.

Jiang Qiu forced herself to piece her shattered expression back together.

She took a deep breath and forcefully steered the conversation back on track. "What I wanted to say was—well, I want to challenge you!"

Because of this interruption.

She didn't know what to say.

Finally, we simply gave up and got straight to the point.

"Yes, it's possible."

Lu Xiu thought for a moment, "But we can't fight here—please wait a moment."

to be honest.

She originally wanted to find someone in real life to try Neutralize.

This person is fine too.

But is this guy even capable of fighting?

"Etc."

Lu Xiu was about to change her clothes when she suddenly turned around and asked, "Excuse me, who are you—?"

"My name is Jiang Qiu, and I'm the president of the Longsword Guild."

"Jiang Qiu ----Hello."

Longsword Guild.

Lu Xiu had heard of him; he was indeed a top-tier player.

Why did you just blame yourself?

She left a message saying "Wait a moment" again, somewhat puzzled, and then went into the room.

After everyone watched Lu Xiu leave, their gazes tacitly turned to Jiang Qiu.

Jiang Qiu remained calm. "Director Yan has already agreed, so I'm not doing anything unnecessary."

She forced herself to maintain her composure, trying to use these words to justify her impulsive challenge.

But nobody cared about the steps at all.

Jian Li glanced at her.

For the others, the two words "papermaking" echoed in their minds like a demonic spell.

I'm starting to lose my composure.

Seeing everyone trying to cover up their misunderstanding, looking like they wanted to laugh but dared not.

Jiang Qiu felt like dying and desperately hoped that Lu Xiu would come out immediately.

Half an hour later.

The Coordination Bureau, the underground Training Ground.

The lights hung down from above, cool and even, illuminating the entire space without a single shadow. The floor was a single piece of dark gray alloy panel.

Lu Xiu stood in the center of the field, having changed into a simple tracksuit, her hair still tied up.

Jiang Qiu stood opposite her, about five meters away.

She was also dressed in a smart tracksuit, which clung to her shapely figure. Her bright face was expressionless, clearly indicating that she had already composed herself. "Miss Lu Xiu, as previously agreed, this is purely a hand-to-hand combat spar. The rules are simple: apart from not being able to use weapons, all other skills are permitted."

"Good."

Lu Xiu nodded gently, her high ponytail swaying slightly as she agreed.

I won't hold back.

"Good."

at the same time.

The edge of the Training Ground.

Yan Fushou over upon hearing the news, glanced at Lu Xiu and Jiang Qiu standing opposite each other, then turned to Jian Li: "Does this have anything to do with us?"

Jian Li gently shook her head. "I will stop it if there is any danger."

Yan Fushou a sigh of relief.

Shen Nian leaned forward, staring at the center of the arena, her expression a mixture of curiosity and an inexplicable worry.

She knew Lu Xiu was very capable.

There is countless pieces of evidence to prove this.

But can he really win against a famous guild leader?

In the center of the Training Ground.

Jiang Qiu took a deep breath.

It moved.

The next second.

Jiang Qiu's figure vanished from the spot in an instant, as if teleported.

The attribute was not stripped by the Roleplay Instance.

Jiang Qiu's terrifying attributes as a top player were on full display at this moment, with her extremely high agility attribute granting her superhuman explosive power.

Wow, so fast!

Lu Xiu only managed to catch a fleeting Afterimage before the thought even formed in her mind.

Jiang Qiu's first punch had already torn through the air, heading straight for her face!

Lu Xiu's eyes narrowed slightly.

That's too fast.

This was faster than any enemy she had ever faced before.

Lu Xiu's body suddenly leaned backward, her feet sliding rapidly backward on the alloy floor, while at the same time she raised her right hand and made a very dangerous slap.

Snap!

A crisp snapping sound rang out in the empty Training Ground.

To Neutralize.

Jiang Qiu felt a sudden numbness in her wrist joint. Her punch, which had been full of power, suddenly veered off course, grazing Lu Xiu's nose and missing its mark. The force of the punch only blew a few strands of hair from Lu Xiu's forehead.

The first shot missed.

Jiang Qiu's eyes widened slightly, but she reacted instantly. Without pausing, she used the momentum from the missed swing to twist her body in mid-air, leaving a blurry Afterimage before disappearing from Lu Xiu's sight once again.

The next second.

A bone-chilling cold shot straight to the back of Lu Xiu's neck as Jiang Qiu appeared behind her without warning!

At the critical moment, Lu Xiu Dodge Step forward and suddenly turned around.

I just turned around.

Jiang Qiu's second move came immediately, a fierce and unparalleled high roundhouse kick that swept across the air, instantly creating a sonic boom that made people's eardrums ache.

That's too fast!

Even though Lu Xiu instantly knew how to Neutralize the situation.

There was inevitably a bit of a flurry of activity.

Are these the top players in Nine Provinces?

Wow, that's amazing!

No wonder these people don't like Roleplay Instance!

With these attributes, what monster could possibly stop them if they weren't Roleplay Instance?

As Lu Xiu pondered this, she twisted her supple waist, her slender arms rising in a somewhat awkward angle, the back of her hand narrowly cutting into the inner joint of Jiang Qiu's whip kick.

Snap!

The clapping sound rang out again.

Jiang Qiu stumbled, but then veered off course and disappeared again.

This time she appeared beside Lu Xiu ----

Her offensive poured down like a storm.

Jab, whip kick, elbow strike, knee strike.

Each attack was accompanied by a sharp, piercing sound, and its speed was outrageous.

The relentless, storm-like pace of their attacks was breathtaking to watch.

Her figure was like an impenetrable net, enveloping Lu Xiu within it—under such a fierce onslaught, Lu Xiu was like a lone boat in a raging storm.

It kept retreating, constantly retreating.

Lu Xiu's shoes rubbed against the alloy floor, and her high ponytail flew wildly in the air.

Her movements looked somewhat clumsy, and several times she seemed about to be completely torn apart by the violent force of the punches, as if she would collapse at any moment.

Yan Fushou, watching from the sidelines, broke out in a cold sweat, his heart pounding in his chest.

Several times, he almost couldn't resist asking Jian Li to stop him.

But— Jiang Qiu missed every single punch!

The crisp, rhythmic clapping sounds echoed continuously throughout the Training Ground.

No matter how tricky Jiang Qiu's attack angle was or how terrifying his speed was, Lu Xiu could always precisely cut into the kinetic energy nodes on the outside of Jiang Qiu's wrist, elbow, or knee in the absolute minimum of milliseconds.

At first, Lu Xiu was indeed in grave danger, completely overwhelmed.

Several times.

She seemed to be at her Neutralize point, on the verge of collapse.

But each time, she managed to barely manage to Neutralize it at the last moment.

But as time went on...

Gradually, the situation on the field changed.

The main thing is that Lu Xiu Neutralize less forcefully.

Under intense pressure, she frantically processed Jiang Qiu's attack rhythm, never launching a single proactive counterattack and constantly retreating.

But Jiang Qiu gradually lost her ability to threaten her—even though Jiang Qiu's attacks were still ferocious and her figure was still too fast to see.

Lu Xiu gradually became more composed.

Her steps were no longer erratic, no longer retreating drastically; each Dodge Step and retreat became precise, as if measured.

Her gesture of raising her hand to Neutralize situation no longer seemed awkward or hasty, but rather flowed with a natural, effortless grace.

Jiang Qiu, who was at the eye of the storm, felt this most acutely.

She was clearly able to suppress Lu Xiu just now!

Although Lu Xiu's bizarre Neutralize left her completely bewildered, it abruptly cut off every effort she made, causing her great discomfort.

But at least, she still firmly holds the initiative on the field.

Lu Xiu, on the other hand, was like a lone boat adrift at sea, ready to capsize at any moment.

But gradually, things started to go wrong.

Jiang Qiu felt increasingly terrified as the fight progressed.

She suddenly realized that every time she attacked with all her might, it was like feeding the Architect in front of her experience points!

From her initial disheveled state, where she had to lean back and slide to avoid injury, Lu Xiu has now...

In just two minutes, she only needed to turn her body slightly and raise her hand to precisely time her burst of power!

Although no effective attack was launched!

But can they adapt so quickly?

Is it really that outrageous?

This can't go on!

Conventional close-quarters combat is completely pointless!

Jiang Qiu gritted her teeth. After Lu Xiu deftly deflected another powerful punch with the heel of her palm, she did not force a change of tactics to pursue the attack.

Instead, he used the momentum Neutralize to push off heavily with his toes on the alloy floor.

Bang.

With a dull thud, Jiang Qiu's figure shot backward like an arrow, instantly creating a distance of seven or eight meters between him and Lu Xiu.

Once the distance is increased.

Jiang Qiu immediately adopted a very special starting stance -

She stretched one hand forward, her fair fingers suddenly spreading wide, as if she wanted to grasp all the air in front of her in her palm.

Meanwhile, his other hand pulled back sharply, and his aura was as taut as a fully drawn bow, stretched to its limit!

Boom!

The next moment.

The hard, dark gray alloy floor emitted a dull thud as if it could no longer bear the weight.

As if teleporting, Jiang Qiu suddenly traversed a distance of seven or eight meters and appeared directly in front of Lu Xiu!

Then, carrying the terrifying force of an entire mountain collapsing, the fist slammed forward without reservation!

This time, Lu Xiu didn't try to Neutralize; instead, she raised her fair and slender arm.

Extraordinary, the Metal Aspect.

An indescribable feeling of indestructibility returned to his arms.

Lu Xiu suddenly clenched her five fingers and threw a perfectly standard straight punch, meeting Jiang Qiu's devastating blow without backing down!

Bang!

The two fists collided solidly in mid-air.

Time seemed to stand still for a strange moment.

There was no expected, horrific sound of bones shattering; the two remained in their punching stances, like two frozen statues.

Immediately afterwards.

After a moment of silence.

Boom!!!

A visible, violent shockwave erupted from the center of the clash between the two men's fists, spreading outwards in a ring shape in all directions!

A tsunami-like gust of air swept through the entire underground Training Ground in an instant, emitting a sharp whistling sound, causing the two people's high ponytails to fly violently in mid-air, making a loud rustling sound!

The terrifying shockwave spread all the way to the edge of the Training Ground.

Even from a distance, the gust of wind that rushed towards him still stung his face. Yan Fushou, who was standing at the edge, was caught off guard and instinctively turned to the side, raising his arm to shield himself, barely managing to steady himself.

Sun Yi and Li Shengkai, who were beside him, were forced to retreat by the aftershocks—staring in horror at the center of the arena.

A head-on clash?!

The way they just Neutralize was outrageous enough!

He actually took a punch head-on?!

That's Jiang Qiu!

Jian Li remained completely still—she simply lowered her hand slowly.

In the center of the field.

Jiang Qiu was even more shocked.

She remained in her punching stance, her eyes suddenly widening as she stared incredulously at the girl so close to her.

Lu Xiu didn't speak, but the Metal Aspect on her arm, which was still in a punching stance, switched without warning!

Sizzle.

A crackling sound of electricity rang out at the point where their fists met!

The dazzling blue-white arc of electricity, like a raging thunder serpent, instantly coiled around Lu Xiu's fair arm.

Extraordinary, Thunder.

Not good!

Jiang Qiu's pupils contracted sharply, and she immediately tried to back away.

But—it was too late!

In less than a millisecond, the violent arc of electricity shot upwards at the speed of light from the two men's joined fists!

A visible electric current instantly invaded Jiang Qiu's arm and then traveled wildly along her meridians throughout her entire body.

"Alas!"

Accompanied by a short, uncontrollable nasal sound.

Jiang Qiu's body tensed abruptly, and she fell straight forward. Her last thought was, "I actually lost. What on earth is this?!"

Instinctively, Lu Xiu dispelled the lightning on her arm and caught the other person.

Bang.

Two soft, warm bodies collided solidly in each other's arms, their full, proud curves pressed together.

Jiang Qiu felt a tingling sensation all over her body. She gritted her teeth and tried hard to straighten up.

But the numbness left her completely powerless for a short time, and she could only lean on Lu Xiu's shoulder with a sense of humiliation and helplessness, breathing slightly.

After a while.

She barely managed to straighten up, then looked at Lu Xiu, already bracing herself for the ridicule of this genius Architect.

However, no.

"No----"

Lu Xiu's clear eyes held no triumphant joy, but rather disbelief and even a hint of exasperation!

"You're so strong! I thought you were the kind of player who wasn't good at hand-to-hand combat at all!"

"But you're clearly quite skilled! In that close-quarters rapid-fire attack just now, I was completely on the defensive, unable to mount even a single effective counterattack!"

"If you hadn't suddenly abandoned your speed advantage, deliberately created distance, and tried to exchange blows with me, giving me the opportunity—I wouldn't have been able to do anything against your airtight combo!"

"You have such terrifying speed, keep fighting at close range! Can't you see I can't even touch you?"

"There are variations! Add feints!"

Why are you creating distance?!

The more Lu Xiu thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.

Continue speaking.

"And you're clearly so amazing! You only need to refine your skills a little more to become even stronger! Yet you told me not long ago that Sifu's difficulty level was too high?!"

"You don't actually believe that those Roleplay Instance suppress your attributes, strip you of your talents and skills, and even turn you into an ordinary person in dungeons, are just psychologically twisted Architect trying to torture you, do you?!"

"Can't you see it at all?"

"Roleplay Instance is the best training ground. It strips you of all external distractions, allowing you to rediscover your human combat instincts under absolute pressure. This helps us better adapt to and master the most fundamental combat rhythm!"

"Even as a Architect, I have to consider what to do without weapons! What do you do with your bare hands?!"

"Can't you even endure a little bit of suffering?"

"I understand that ordinary players can't clear the game and don't have any Survival Points, so they need lower-level alternative dungeons. I can do that too!"

Don't we have people like you yet?! Do we need a lower-level alternative dungeon?!

"Can't we just practice? Is it too difficult?! Please! That's an SS-rank dungeon! The highest rating is only SSS! What are you guys thinking? Just because an SS-rank unofficial dungeon is easy to clear, right? Just because unofficial dungeons are easy to enter? Just because unofficial dungeons are made by people! You're not going to play it because of the slightest difficulty?"

"Will you be unable to fight once you become ordinary people?"

"Even if I made [Undertale] so that there's no combat at all! Once you figure out the mechanics, you won't need time anymore? You won't need Survival Points anymore?"

"Ordinary people wait for lower-tier alternative dungeons, and you guys are waiting for lower-tier alternatives too? People without Survival Points or opportunities to level up can't clear it? And you guys can't clear it either???"

"Do you even know about the new version?! You—"

[Goddess Intervention]

The last sentence.

Accompanied by a prompt.

It was immediately Suppress Presence.

Lu Xiu directly opened the pop-up window.

"Just because the special event is over doesn't mean Prison Rock is weak. Don't be so extreme! Didn't you see the rating? Prison Rock is only level four. Above that, isn't there a level one area?"

"If we do a bunch of A-rank dungeons now, will we really be able to win?!"

"When the Sifu dungeon went live, the entire forum was filled with complaints, which I can understand. Since there are no entry requirements, there will definitely be people with inexplicable confidence who rush in, and there will also be some geniuses who don't dare to try because they don't have enough Survival Points."

"But you! Guild leader! You have at least several million Survival Points! You're telling me it's difficult!"

So what dungeon do you want to play?

".

Lu Xiu was genuinely angry.

Jiang Qiu is really not weak at all; her reaction speed is incredibly fast.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to maintain balance and play with such skill and discipline at such a high speed!

But this kind of person actually came to her and said that Sifu was too difficult, too extreme, and too outrageous.

real.

Even if a player who got screwed over in a dungeon and couldn't beat it came to complain, Lu Xiu would accept it.

Many people do need lower-tier alternative dungeons.

She did indeed proceed in the most stringent manner initially.

Dungeons are not something you can clear easily.

But she never expected that the person who had almost suffocated her would also need it!

What is the significance of top-tier dungeons?

Ordinary players without talent need to progress gradually, and even those with Survival Points talent points need to progress gradually. So why do so many top players need to?!

It's fortunate that Lu Xiu still pinned her hopes on these top players and geniuses who could summarize the characteristics of Bak Mei and other Southern martial arts in the dungeon!

Then promote and develop this method! On the one hand, it will allow other players to learn more and increase their chances of success; on the other hand, it will enhance the overall strength of the game.

She can also take a break.

After all, there are so many top players!

But what's the point of summarizing the situation now?

No wonder no one can beat the game!

The problem lies in the attitude from the very beginning.

They have Survival Points! They're capable! And when they can't win, their first reaction is to come to me, the Architect?

Lu Xiu genuinely believed that players would find a way to complete the game—but only if they wanted to!

Now that I'm not even looking for it, how am I supposed to beat the game!

Silence fell over the underground Training Ground.

After a while.

Jiang Qiu looked at Lu Xiu, her mouth slightly open. Perhaps due to the numbness, she was somewhat dazed and subconsciously said, "My main concern was that when I saw the clip of you verifying your success in the game, the difference between it and the actual dungeon content was quite large. It felt like it was a dungeon you prepared for yourself, and with the addition of a privately run dungeon, someone was in charge, so I always felt it could be easier—"

Lu Xiu took a deep breath. "I died for four hours in Sekiro against the Samurai General! When Architect, I was beaten to death more than ten times a day! And all you saw was the verification of the game's completion?"

No! What did these unofficial dungeons ever do to you? Just because they're unofficial dungeons, with someone in charge, doesn't mean they can be made easier. What are you talking about?

Are the ratings for unofficial copies fake???

"If the dungeon hadn't been pushed to this difficulty—do you think there would be a reward that allows a skill below Rating S to evolve once?"

Jiang Qiu was taken aback.

The others were also taken aback.

At the same time.

"Awesome."

Fan Lixin rubbed his afro, then looked at the completion window of the [Sifu] dungeon, thought for a moment, and entered the dungeon again.

There are actually moves like that!

I'll steal some of their techniques!