Chapter 11: Conflict

Tang Xuan entered the Blackwind Stronghold instance through the instance envoy in the novice village.

A moment of darkness passed before he found himself at the foot of Blackwind Stronghold. The fortress clung to the mountainside, its architecture strictly ordered, testifying to the hand of someone well-versed in the art of war.

At the base of the mountain stood the main gate. Once crossed, the instance would be officially underway.

By now, numerous groups of players had already gathered at the foot of the mountain. These were the rising stars from various major online game clubs and guilds, each backed by the full resources and manpower of their organizations, granting them a leveling speed far beyond that of ordinary players. Even though the novice villages were assigned randomly upon logging in, these guilds always managed to have several—sometimes dozens—of their members in every village. With such support, whether gathering herbs, mining iron, or completing other quests, these players had an easy time compared to the rest. More than that, they were professional gamers, experts who navigated the game with practiced ease. Organizing teams to tackle elite monsters or boss-level enemies in the wild was no great challenge for them.

As a result, most of them had already reached levels seven, eight, or even nine, and were now preparing to raid Blackwind Stronghold in force. The gathering of so many luminaries from the online gaming world exuded an aura of supremacy, as if all the greatest masters had assembled.

At this moment, Wang Yajun, Luo Qingqing, Qin Yanran, and Li Weiwei arrived at the foot of the mountain, each having come via the instance envoy from their respective novice villages. The moment the four women appeared, they drew countless gazes. In this fully immersive virtual reality game, just as in real life, the four of them were stunning beauties, their looks and figures dazzling. Naturally, they caught the attention and admiration of the male players, some even becoming instant fans. With all four together, it was a feast for the eyes, each displaying her unique charm like a garden in full bloom.

No sooner had the four gathered than a flamboyant young man in white swaggered over, beaming. “Ladies, are you here for the Blackwind Stronghold raid as well? Interested in joining our ‘Dance of Death’? I am none other than the guild leader of Dance of Death!”

Dance of Death was a renowned game guild, ranking among the top thirty and one of the two major guilds under the top-ten "Galaxy Club." The young man in white introduced himself with a hint of pride, thinking the four beauties would surely be tempted after hearing the name of his guild.

Yet before they could respond, a cold voice rang out:

“Get lost.”

Tang Xuan strolled over to join the four women. As the leading player and a legend in online gaming circles, he possessed a certain temperament—unconventional and self-assured. To other players, even to the guild leader of Dance of Death, he offered only a single word: “Get lost.”

The young man’s expression soured as he glared at Tang Xuan. "Where did this little brat come from?" he spat.

At the same time, six or seven players gathered around him, all high-ranking members of Dance of Death, each already level seven or eight. At their leader’s call, they had joined the Blackwind Stronghold raid, forming a full party of up to ten members as allowed by the instance rules. Standing behind their guild leader, they eyed Tang Xuan with hostility. As professional gamers and experts themselves, they instantly recognized that Tang Xuan knew the four women—a connection that any man would envy, perhaps even resent. Now, having insulted their leader, their anger only grew.

"Not leaving?" Tang Xuan didn’t waste words. He moved at once, flicking his wrists and launching a volley of throwing needles.

The young man in white and his companions, all experienced players, reacted swiftly. Weapons drawn, they advanced on Tang Xuan, intent on overwhelming him in a single coordinated assault, believing that, with their combined force at levels seven and eight, they could easily dispatch him. It was the most logical tactic.

Unfortunately, they had underestimated Tang Xuan’s power.

These players, at levels seven and eight, had basic stats—attack, defense, and speed—in the seventies and eighties. Their internal skill levels were only one or two, with the highest at level three, offering limited attribute boosts. Their main stats hovered around one hundred. Their movement skills were only at level two or three, increasing speed by ten or fifteen percent at most; their attack stats saw similar modest improvements.

Even after activating their skills, their attack and speed barely exceeded one hundred.

Tang Xuan, on the other hand, wielded the Plum Blossom Thirteen Needles, fully mastered, granting an astounding one hundred eighty percent attack boost. At level nine, his base attack was ninety, and with the bonus from fully mastered internal skills, his base attack rose to two hundred ten. Equipped with throwing needles (+5 attack), his attack reached two hundred fifteen. With the percentage bonus, his attack soared instantly to six hundred and two.

And this was without the Tiger Fang Blade, which, as a bladed weapon, could not be used in conjunction with throwing needles—otherwise, his attack would have been even higher.

Tang Xuan’s needles flew in rapid succession.

-504
-540
-1204

Even with the defense stats of level seven and eight players, each strike dealt five to six hundred points of damage. One needle struck a vital point on the forehead, landing a critical hit—damage doubled for a lethal blow.

With the Plum Blossom Thirteen Needles, after just thirteen shots, the young man in white, guild leader of Dance of Death, was killed in two hits. The one struck by the critical blow died instantly. Of the others, those unlucky enough to be hit twice died as well; those hit once were left on the brink of death. At levels seven and eight, players had only seven or eight hundred health points.

“Damn! Over a thousand damage? Is this a bug?” gasped one surviving member of Dance of Death, staring in shock at the lethal strike. Even as a professional gamer, he found it hard to believe.

The gathering of high-profile players from all the great guilds at the foot of Blackwind Stronghold was thrown into turmoil. Even the eyes of Wang Yajun and her companions nearly popped out in disbelief. Among the elite players from the Imperial Club, a few who had seen Tang Xuan’s true prowess before recognized him, their expressions complex.