A hidden threat

How were they supposed to fight this?

There was no fighting it at all.

The two sides were on entirely different levels.

When the players came to their senses and tried to flee, they could barely get anywhere.

Soon, they all met the same fate as the first player.

Only two iron swords remained, lying forlornly on the ground.

After killing those players, Qin Shujian was neither flushed nor out of breath.

With his current cultivation at the Entering Martial Sixth Layer, dealing with players who had not even reached the Entering Martial First Layer was far too easy.

Picking up the two iron swords, Qin Shujian continued searching for other players.

The slaughter only gradually subsided as night fell.

The Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness, Liangshan Stronghold.

The newly recruited Zheng Fang and the others, along with Wang Tiezhu and his companions, had all gathered there.

"What were our losses this time?" Qin Shujian asked.

The others exchanged glances before Zheng Fang finally spoke. "Stronghold Chief, thirty-two of our men from Liangshan Stronghold died at the Outlanders' hands."

"And how many of our brothers advanced?"

"Seventeen advanced to the Entering Martial Second Layer, and two advanced to the Martial Entry Third Level."

Zheng Fang answered truthfully.

Qin Shujian also knew who the two men who had advanced to the Martial Entry Third Level were.

One was Wang Tiezhu, and the other was Zhang Tieniu.

Both had already been leaders in Liangshan Stronghold and were hardly weak to begin with. After killing so many players, it was only natural that they had advanced to the Martial Entry Third Level.

There had simply been too many system notifications afterward, and Qin Shujian could not be bothered to read through them one by one.

He had decided to wait until things settled down before reviewing all the information together.

Liangshan Stronghold had originally had seventy bandits. With the refugees who joined later, that number had surged to a hundred and thirty-three.

Losing thirty-two men this time meant that Liangshan Stronghold had only a hundred and one bandits left until those men respawned.

However—

A quarter of those remaining hundred and one men were at the Entering Martial Second Layer.

As a result, Liangshan Stronghold had not weakened much at all. Instead, it had grown considerably stronger.

Still, there were hidden threats in all this.

Before Qin Shujian could dwell on them, Zheng Fang spoke again from beside him. "Chief, there are simply too many Outlanders. They outnumber our men dozens of times over.

"And the Outlanders revive too quickly. We encountered the same Outlander three times today. While there is a gap between each layer below the Entering Martial Fifth Layer, those gaps are not insurmountable.

"A handful of Outlanders can overwhelm someone at the Entering Martial First Layer, and twenty or thirty can surround and kill someone at the Entering Martial Second Layer.

"If we do not handle this properly, we could be facing a catastrophe."

With his discernment, Zheng Fang could also see the threat the Outlanders posed.

Their vast numbers and rapid revival were both things Liangshan Stronghold could not match.

"However, I did notice one thing. Outlanders who have revived are somewhat weaker. They seem to have lost a cultivation layer."

Hearing this, Qin Shujian fell silent.

Zheng Fang's words also made him realize that his original plan had been far too naive.

True, the Bandits of Liangshan Stronghold were stronger than ordinary players.

But however strong they were, they were vastly outnumbered by the players.

A Bandit needed three days to respawn, while players did not need nearly that long to revive.

As long as the players fearlessly threw enough lives at them, they would eventually overwhelm and kill every Bandit in Liangshan Stronghold.

When that happened.

Before the dead Bandits could respawn, countless players would swarm the foot of Liangshan.

Even with his formidable strength, Qin Shujian did not believe he could hold off thousands upon thousands of players.

He had originally intended to keep the players of Starter Village No. 10021 penned up and use them as experience fodder. Only now, with a clear head, did he realize how dangerous that plan had been.

As for Zheng Fang's final remark, he could roughly understand why that happened too.

Players did not revive without paying a price. It was probably the same as when Bandits died and respawned: each death cost them one cultivation layer.

"I understand the matter now. Elder Zheng, since you were previously both a martial arts school master and a private tutor, why not resume your old work here in Liangshan Stronghold and teach our brothers?"

Qin Shujian changed the subject, turning his gaze to Zheng Fang.

"If you are willing, Elder Zheng, I will also establish the position of strategist in the stronghold. From now on, you will be Liangshan Stronghold's strategist, with a rank equal to that of a leader for the time being."

He had had this idea from the very beginning.

Seeing Zheng Fang this time, he formally proposed it.

After all, every Bandit in Liangshan Stronghold knew only the Body Tempering Scripture. Their abilities were too limited.

Zheng Fang clearly possessed other martial arts. Teaching them to the other Bandits would indirectly improve their strength.

There was also another consideration.

In Qin Shujian's view, learning a little more and becoming somewhat literate would be good for them.

Although he did not believe the Ordinary Bandits of Liangshan Stronghold had the intelligence to learn much, there was no harm in trying.

The ones Qin Shujian truly wanted to cultivate were normal Bandits like Wang Tiezhu and Zhang Tieniu.

Liangshan was a vast place. If he had to handle everything himself, it would be far too exhausting.

Cultivating a few capable people was also part of planning for the future.

Zheng Fang did not refuse Qin Shujian's proposal. Instead, he rose with gratitude written across his face. "This old man will obey all your instructions, Chief!"

"You may all leave now. I need some time alone."

After briefly announcing his decision, Qin Shujian dismissed them outright.

Hearing this, Zheng Fang and the others rose and took their leave.

In the blink of an eye, Qin Shujian was alone in the Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness.

He held Zheng Fang in high regard.

Whether in background or cultivation and strength, Zheng Fang was second only to him within Liangshan Stronghold. Such talent would naturally not be left to languish.

But Zheng Fang had only recently joined Liangshan Stronghold, so Qin Shujian could not readily give him too much authority.

If he said the strategist's position was equal to that of a leader, then it was equal to that of a leader.

Raising it above the leaders would likewise take only a word from him.

Before Qin Shujian took over as Chief of Liangshan Stronghold, there had only been two positions there: chief and leader.

For now, Qin Shujian did not intend to change too much.

Things had to be done one step at a time, just as a meal had to be eaten one bite at a time. Once he resolved the player problem, he could slowly deal with everything else.

With that thought, Qin Shujian checked his gains for the day.

Name: Qin Shujian

Identity: Chief of Liangshan Stronghold

Affiliation: Liangshan Stronghold

Cultivation: Entering Martial Sixth Layer (within Liangshan Stronghold's territory, cultivation +1)

Cultivation techniques: Body Tempering Scripture, complete (+) (strength follows intent) (mortal tier, low grade), Black Tiger Saber Technique (+) (pinnacle of mastery) (mortal tier, middle grade)

Life Source: 267

Equipment: Grade-nine weapon, Tiger Head Saber; grade-nine armor, Tiger Hide Outfit (Tiger Hide Coat, Tiger Hide Trousers, Tiger Hide Belt, Tiger Hide Boots)

His Life Source had surged directly from 22 points to 267, an increase of well over two hundred.

The sheer size of that jump made Qin Shujian draw a sharp breath.

For the first time.

He realized that players could actually provide so much Life Source.

And this was merely the harvest from a little over half a day.

Then Qin Shujian noticed something that startled him: another plus sign had appeared after the Body Tempering Scripture, which should already have been complete.