Seeing this, many players inwardly wailed.
The prerequisite for wearing down a BOSS using a human wave tactic was breaking their defense.
If they couldn't even break the defense, then no matter how many people there were, it would be useless.
Because when you couldn't even breach the defense, not a single drop of health would be lost; no matter how you attacked, it was nothing more than tickling the opponent.
Along with the demise of a large number of players, the previously depleted Life Source also surged at an extremely rapid rate.
Finally.
It broke straight through the mark of seven hundred points.
This was the highest amount of Life Source Qin Shujian had ever acquired.
All cultivation methods, including the Body Forging Scripture, displayed a plus sign before this stockpile of over seven hundred points of Life Source.
Without hesitation.
Qin Shujian directly focused his mind on the Body Forging Scripture.
Immediately afterward, he saw the Life Source decrease like a receding tide.
Then, a wave of intense pain slightly contorted his features, but it was directly suppressed by his willpower, which had now climbed to its peak.
Boom!
An even more formidable momentum erupted from Qin Shujian, and some players who were standing too close were caught off-guard, knocked stumbling backward by the sheer force of this outburst.
Seeing this, the other players could not help but stare in blank astonishment.
What was this?
He broke through?
Damn it!!!
Right now, every single player felt an urge to curse and swear internally.
The Liangshan Stronghold Master, a major BOSS, was already difficult enough to fight, and now he had made a breakthrough, making his strength inevitably even more terrifying.
With things coming to this, the possibility of putting up a fight was completely gone.
Sure enough.
Following his realm breakthrough, Qin Shujian's strength became even more terrifying. A fierce power surged within his body, and the veins on his arms bulged out, looking as startling as crouching dragons.
"Slash!"
With a sharp cry, his long saber swept downward.
Rumble!
A biting cold light glinted on the blade's edge, instantly clearing out all players within a radius of three paces in front of Qin Shujian, leaving behind a horrifying blade scar gouged into the ground.
This sight scared the remaining players into freezing in their tracks.
Meanwhile, Qin Shujian paid them no mind, continuing straight toward Wang Renbin. Any player who stood blocking his path was instantly turned into white light and vanished.
"Quick, go stop him!" Wang Renbin's face turned ashen as he hurriedly ordered the elite Wang Family players still guarding him.
Hearing this, the dozen or so remaining players did not dare hesitate and charged toward Qin Shujian.
Wang Renbin watched as there was only a little over a minute remaining, feeling an irrepressible surge of anxiety in his heart.
Never had he imagined that Qin Shujian's strength would soar to such a formidable degree.
Even thousands of players had failed to halt his footsteps.
With time running out, his opponent was now less than ten meters away from him.
Wang Renbin could even faintly sense the sharp edge of the blade in his opponent's hand.
Finally.
As the timer locked down to the last thirty seconds, a tall figure stood before Wang Renbin, the fierce aura washing over him and causing his heart to involuntarily tremble.
No!!
Even though Wang Renbin felt resentment in his heart, that blade, cleaving through the air with explosive force, had already descended upon him.
There was no parrying.
And no blocking.
Just as Wang Renbin watched the time run out, everything went black before his eyes, and his body dissolved into white light, leaving behind only a fine steel longsword on the ground.
Qin Shujian stepped directly into the circle of light.
Instantly—
System notifications surged forth.
We continue to ask for recommendation tickets in the recommendation rankings!
Chapter 31: Rank-One Faction
"You are participating in the contest for the Novice Village No. 10021 core token!"
"You are currently the owner of the token. If you are not killed within the limited time and do not leave the token's range, you will obtain ownership of the Novice Village No. 10021 core token!"
Beneath the system notification was a countdown timer.
Seeing this, Qin Shujian understood.
This was also why the player he had cleaved to death with a single stroke had stood there for so long without obtaining the core token.
A ten-minute limit might not sound like much.
In reality, it was fatal.
After all, amidst the contention of numerous players, who could guarantee that they would definitely be able to hold out, or stand out among thousands of contenders?
However—
Other players couldn't do it, but that didn't mean Qin Shujian couldn't.
Gazing at the surrounding players who did not dare to step forward easily.
Qin Shujian wore a stern expression, standing with his hands behind his back.
His tiger-head broadsword was stabbed directly into the ground, more than halfway buried in the soil.
Seeing this, quite a few players also showed anger on their faces.
Anyone could tell from the BOSS's actions that he completely disregarded them.
If it were anyone else, these players would have swarmed him all at once.
However.
Looking at Qin Shujian standing within the circle of light, the anger surging in these players' hearts did not last long before it abruptly dissipated, leaving only a sense of powerlessness in their minds.
To fight him.
They would first need to be able to win.
Even if they could just break his defense, so many players could have worn the BOSS down to death by throwing their lives at him through consecutive resurrections.
Yet the present Liangshan Stronghold Master was truly terrifyingly strong.
Not only was his offense formidable.
Even his defense was peerless.
With the current strength of the players, they couldn't even manage to break his defense.
Wishing to rely on sheer numbers to wear down and defeat this BOSS was undoubtedly wishful thinking.
At this moment.
All the players felt a deep, malicious intent originating from the game.
"There's no way to fight this!" Lu Shoujia took a few deep breaths, his heart filled with powerlessness.
Not just him, even the leaders of the other factions wore unpredictable expressions.
Having played so many games.
This was the first time they had ever had their faces rubbed hard into the dirt.
And yet, they lacked the ability to fight back.
Zhao Xiaomeng's face was gloomy as she sighed, "After this incident, our Novice Village No. 10021 is truly famous."
A novice village wantonly trampled upon by a BOSS.
The ones losing face were all the players of Novice Village No. 10021.
"Let's go."
Cao Hong directly turned and walked away.
Rather than look at Qin Shujian's infuriating smug face, it was better to be out of sight and out of mind.
The thought that he had died at the hands of the Liangshan bandits no less than ten times gave him an urge to drag Qin Shujian down with him in mutual destruction.
If mutual destruction were truly possible, Cao Hong would not have hesitated at all.
However.
He was also well aware.
If he really rushed up there, he would only end up getting pinned to the ground and beaten by the others.
Once Cao Hong left, the others hesitated for a moment before departing in frustration as well.
For a time, many of the players gathered in the center of the novice village quietly retreated.
Yet more of them remained standing there, filled with reluctance.
To advance was impossible.
To retreat was unwilling.
Time ticked away second by second.
The players did not dare to make a move, and Qin Shujian had no interest in making a move for the moment.
The most pressing matter at hand was to secure the core token first.
Ten minutes was neither short nor long.
Soon, the countdown reached its final moments.
"You have obtained the core token of Novice Village No. 10021!"
"You can choose to destroy or absorb it!"
"Destroy: The core token is converted into a corresponding amount of Life Source, and Novice Village No. 10021 ceases to exist!"
"Absorb: The Liangshan Stronghold Master token can absorb the core token of Novice Village No. 10021. Upon absorption, the Liangshan Stronghold Master token will be upgraded, and Liangshan Stronghold will also advance to a Rank-One Faction!"
When the countdown came to a complete end, the pale blue circle of light faded away, and the floating bronze token fell into Qin Shujian's hand.
Simultaneously, the system notifications arrived right on cue.
Seeing the last two notifications, Qin Shujian's heart stirred slightly.
Logically speaking, Life Source was the most important thing to him. Although destroying the core token might not yield an unknown exact amount of Life Source, it was estimated that it wouldn't be a small amount either.
After all, conquering Novice Village No. 10021 had taken quite a bit of effort.
Yet upon seeing the final prompt, Qin Shujian hesitated.
Liangshan Stronghold advancing to a Rank-One Faction!
What a Rank-One Faction was, Qin Shujian didn't actually know.
However, he could be certain of one thing: if Liangshan Stronghold were upgraded to a Rank-One Faction, it would likely bring certain benefits to the entire stronghold as a whole.
One choice clearly represented individual improvement.
The other had a very high probability of being a collective improvement.
Yet Qin Shujian only hesitated for a fleeting moment before making up his mind.
He had not forgotten.
The ability to improve his strength so rapidly was largely thanks to the other bandits slaughtering players and providing him with a massive amount of Life Source.
Otherwise, relying solely on himself, who knew how many years it would take before he could elevate his realm to its current level.
Moreover, looking at it from another perspective.
As the Liangshan Stronghold Master, elevating the strength of Liangshan Stronghold was also indirectly enhancing his own strength.
If the overall strength of Liangshan Stronghold grew stronger.
Then it would inevitably be able to provide him with even more Life Source in the future.
Therefore.
This was the primary reason for Qin Shujian's decision.
"Absorb!"
With a thought.
The Liangshan Stronghold Master token resting in his embrace immediately flew out, fusing together with the novice village's core token.
Finally.
A cyan-tinted token hovered before Qin Shujian's eyes.
When he grasped the cyan-tinted token, the system notifications refreshed once again.
"You have absorbed the core token of Novice Village No. 10021!"
"The Liangshan Stronghold Master token in your hand has undergone a transformation!"
"Due to your identity as the Liangshan Stronghold Master, Liangshan Stronghold has advanced to a Rank-One Faction!"
"Rank-One Faction: All bandits have their realms increased by two stages based on their original foundation (cannot exceed Martial Entry Sixth Stage), and the influence of Liangshan Stronghold has expanded!"
"As the Liangshan Stronghold Master, your realm has been elevated!"
"Because you are already at Martial Entry Eighth Stage, the realm elevation has failed, and you have additionally obtained 500 points of Life Source!"
Seeing these notifications, a satisfying smile appeared on Qin Shujian's face.
He never expected that upgrading Liangshan Stronghold to a Rank-One Faction would yield so many benefits.
To say nothing else.
Just the fact that all bandits had their realms raised by two stages on top of their original foundations was enough to multiply the overall strength of Liangshan Stronghold several times over.
At the same time—
"Because the core token has been absorbed by the Liangshan Stronghold Master, Novice Village No. 10021 ceases to exist. Players originally belonging to Novice Village No. 10021 will be randomly reassigned!"
"During the random reassignment, you will be forcibly logged off!"
"Countdown: Five seconds!"
When the core token was absorbed, the expressions of the other players instantly shifted dramatically.
The system notification caught them completely off guard.
"Damn it..."
Quite a few players cursed out loud.
Yet before they could say anything more, they dissolved into white light on the spot, already forcibly logged off.
Seeking votes, seeking votes!!!
Chapter 32: We Have Settled This Grudge (Seeking Collection)
Inside a luxurious, opulent room.
The gaming capsule slowly opened.
Cao Hong sat up from inside, patted his head a few times to clear it, and then stepped out of the capsule.
Thinking of the final system notification, his expression turned as ugly as death.
"What kind of nonsense is this? Wipe out a novice village by a BOSS?"
Recalling this matter, Cao Hong couldn't help but inwardly complain.
When Qin Shujian absorbed the core token, he had already prepared to leave the right-and-wrong place of Novice Village No. 10021.
The bandits of Liangshan Stronghold were too formidable.
Since he couldn't afford to provoke them, he could at least run away from them.
Yet before he could make his next move, he received the system notification and was subsequently forcibly logged off.
Recalling Qin Shujian's terrifying strength, Cao Hong let out another sigh.
Familiarly, he walked over to his computer.
Then, he opened the forum to browse.
Ever since the game launched, he believed that quite a few high-end players should have figured out some walkthroughs and guides.
Having been through the disaster brought by the bandits, Cao Hong knew he could no longer view this game with outdated perspectives.
Know yourself and know your enemy.
Only then could you win every battle.
Yet the moment Cao Hong opened the forum interface.
A large title was pinned right at the top of the forum's homepage.
"Heaven-defying BOSS annihilates novice village, tens of thousands of players helpless!"
Seeing this title, an ominous premonition welled up inside Cao Hong.
Sure enough.
When he clicked into the post, there was a video waiting to be played at the top, and its thumbnail featured the stern face of the Liangshan Stronghold Master.
He clicked to play the video.
After that, the scene abruptly shifted.
Half an hour later.
Cao Hong finally finished watching the video with a gloomy expression.
From the bandits attacking Novice Village No. 10021 to the very end where Qin Shujian stood within the circle of light, with no player daring to approach within three paces of him.
The entire process had been completely and meticulously recorded.
As for the recording feature, it was actually an auxiliary function possessed by every player.
What Cao Hong hadn't expected, though, was who on earth had recorded this incident and openly posted it on the forum.
With this out in the open, it would be very difficult for them not to lose face.
Having finished the video, Cao Hong originally intended to close the post directly, but seeing the 999+ comment count below, he clicked on it anyway on a whim.
Then came a continuous stream of comments.
Twenty minutes later.
Cao Hong closed the comments with a dark face.
He knew full well that the comments wouldn't contain anything nice.
Yet he had still let his twitchy fingers open them up.
Facts proved that his past assumptions weren't wrong in the least.
Still, judging by the comments.
Other players had virtually never encountered a major BOSS like the Liangshan Stronghold Master head-on.
A tiny minority of players maintained sympathy for the destruction of Novice Village No. 10021.
Of course, the vast majority were still complaining and ridiculing.
"Liangshan Stronghold Master... We have truly settled this grudge. Don't let me find an opportunity..." Cao Hong suppressed the burning anger in his heart.
Players always grew faster than NPCs.
Just because the Liangshan Stronghold Master was currently tyrannically invincible didn't mean he would remain that way forever.
Once the players' tiers were all fully upgraded, Cao Hong was already prepared to clear Liangshan Stronghold.
——Liangshan Stronghold.
At this moment, it had undergone a drastic transformation.
Once their realms were elevated to the Martial Entry Third Stage, the intelligence of these bandits also rose from their previous sub-intelligent state to a normal human level.
And this.
Was precisely what satisfied Qin Shujian the most.
Although the original bandits had been obedient, the overwhelming majority were of low intelligence, lacking smarts and easily tricked into death by players.
Before Zheng Fang and the others arrived, he couldn't even find a few bandits to have a normal conversation or communication with.
But now, with Liangshan Stronghold upgraded to a Rank-One Faction.
These bandits who used to cause Qin Shujian headaches finally acted like real human beings.
Beyond that.
The crude stronghold structures had also completely transformed.
Through the hands of those professional carpenters and masons, even though they still used materials sourced locally, the renovated stronghold gained a few extra points of the imposing air it ought to have.
Inside the Loyalty and Righteousness Hall.
Following the renovation, the space within the Loyalty and Righteousness Hall had expanded quite a bit, and even the decorations were no longer as crude as before.
Qin Shujian sat upright in the primary seat.
Below him were the bandit chiefs such as Zheng Fang and Zhang Tieniu.
"Thanks to everyone's hard work and contribution, we were able to conquer the outlander village and elevate the stronghold to a Rank-One Faction this time. As stronghold master, I am deeply gratified." Sweeping his gaze across everyone in the Loyalty and Righteousness Hall, Qin Shujian wore a smile.
Zheng Fang cupped his fists and said, "It is all thanks to the stronghold master's formidable strength that we could lay the foundation for victory in a single stroke. We dare not claim credit."
"The military advisor speaks truly! Everything is thanks to the stronghold master's brilliance!"
Zhang Tieniu and the others also hurriedly echoed in agreement.
"If I say you have contributed, then you naturally have contributed!"
Qin Shujian raised his hand and pressed down slightly, and the scene instantly quieted.
Then, his gaze fell upon Zheng Fang.
This newly promoted military advisor chief had originally been an expert of the Martial Entry Fourth Stage, but after being swarmed and killed once by numerous players, his realm had dropped back to the Martial Entry Third Stage.
Yet as Liangshan Stronghold advanced to a Rank-One Faction, instead of regressing, the man's strength advanced, leaping in a single bound to become an expert of the Martial Entry Fifth Stage.
Even the original bandits like Zhang Tieniu and Wang Tiezhu, along with Zhao Shanlin, Wang Hu, and others who had followed Zheng Fang, had all experienced an advance instead of a retreat in their realms, reaching the level of the Martial Entry Fourth Stage.
Besides them.
There were three other bandits who had reached the Martial Entry Fourth Stage.
At this moment, they were also seated here.
Feeling Qin Shujian's gaze upon him, Zheng Fang also felt immense pressure.
"I intend to establish three positions beneath the stronghold master: elite chief, major chief, and minor chief." Qin Shujian looked at everyone and said slowly, "During this conquest of the outlander village, the military advisor contributed greatly, so today I am specifically elevating his position to be on par with an elite chief."
As these words fell, Zheng Fang's body trembled slightly as he immediately stood up and solemnly declared, "Rest assured, Stronghold Master, this old man will surely exhaust his heart and strength, loyal unto death!"
"Mm!"
Qin Shujian nodded slightly, then looked toward Zhang Tieniu and the others, saying, "Zhang Tieniu and Wang Tiezhu have followed this stronghold master for quite some time, and they have always performed meritorious service through hard work. Today, I am also promoting you both to elite chiefs."
"Thank you, Stronghold Master!"
Zhang Tieniu and Wang Tiezhu were overjoyed and hurriedly stood up to reply.
"Zhao Shanlin, Wang Hu, Chen Dali, Fu Gang..."
When he reached the name Fu Gang, Qin Shujian could not help but pause for a moment.
There was no help for it.
In a bandit den overrun with names like Tieniu, Ergou, and Goudan, the sudden appearance of such a normal name forced him to take notice.
However, he only paused slightly before continuing.
"Fu Gang, Sun Erzhu, and three others are promoted to chiefs."
"Thank you, Stronghold Master!"
Zhao Shanlin, Wang Hu, and the three newly advanced Martial Entry Fourth Stage bandits all responded in unison at this moment.
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Chapter 33: Bone Marrow Filled
"Each elite chief governs three major chiefs, each major chief governs three minor chiefs, and furthermore, each minor chief commands ten ordinary bandits."
Qin Shujian said calmly.
He had long since entertained thoughts regarding these matters.
It was just that the player problem had not been resolved, so he had temporarily delayed implementing them.