Chapter 45: Healthy Competition

Blood-Colored Plain.

Duan Xing sat atop a twisted, withered tree, gazing at the cluster of players brawling in the distance, his heart filled with utter confusion.

Through days of observation, he had discovered that these mysterious creatures possessed the special ability to switch into monster forms for combat.

Although their bodies were frail, their capabilities were far from weak.

Yet, he still could not comprehend the behavioral logic of these mysterious beings.

His observations revealed that these mysterious creatures often gathered in vast numbers across mountains and fields to hunt evil spirits and monsters, engaging in group brawls; their nature was extremely bellicose.

However, they did not do this to seize territory, nor to compete for resources; hunting monsters was not even for food. It seemed they fought simply for the sake of fighting, then departed with smiles on their faces.

Just today, he discovered an even more bizarre phenomenon.

These mysterious creatures had actually erupted into internal strife.

In Duan Xing's view, intra-racial conflict was not an issue; even within his own Ni Chao Legion, various factions held divergent ideologies.

The problem was that just moments ago, these mysterious creatures had been queuing orderly before the cave entrance, chatting and laughing.

For some unknown reason, they suddenly turned on each other with extreme brutality, their sole objective being to kill members of their own kind.

This behavior, erupting into a death match over the slightest disagreement, left Duan Xing's mind full of question marks.

It was the same as when they risked their lives to save him previously; before that, he had successively killed thousands of these mysterious creatures, so logically, he should have been an unforgivable enemy in their eyes.

Yet, when he was on the verge of death, these mysterious creatures had desperately rushed to rescue him, sacrificing the lives of many of their own kin in the process.

Duan Xing could not fathom the logic behind this series of actions.

"I don't understand."

Murmuring softly, Duan Xing lowered his head to look at the rune mark in his hand, his expression instantly turning dejected.

Coming here had been smooth enough, but returning was impossible.

Without the shuttle's assistance to transmit signals, he could no longer find his way back, and he wasn't even sure where he currently was.

Thinking of this, Duan Xing gnashed his teeth in hatred.

The shuttle was protected by rune armor resistant to destruction; theoretically, as long as it suffered external damage, the rune battle armor on his body would receive a signal, allowing him to rush over quickly.

Furthermore, the shuttle possessed positioning capabilities; even if stolen, he could quickly locate and lock onto its position.

But bizarrely, the shuttle had vanished into thin air without being damaged or moved.

Aside from the actions of these mysterious creatures, he could think of no other possibility.

This was also the reason he had recently been observing the movements of the mysterious creatures, attempting to locate the missing shuttle.

"All members of the Fanzuigong Society gather at Dizhongcun Society; tear off the dog heads of those guys from the Shenyigong Society. Bullying our people demands a price."

"Boss, contact with the Ban Ban Zhuan Society has been established; they are on their way and will rendezvous with us to charge together shortly."

"Contact with the Eryuangong Society is also settled; they are waiting on the Blood-Colored Plain for us to meet up."

The battle to seize soul crystals had continued until now; the two major societies had ignited true fury and were mobilizing forces to prepare for another clash.

Even Li Tie, who had always operated alone, was recalled to join the fight.

After the forces led by the Fanzuigong Society gathered at Dizhongcun Society, they marched majestically toward the Blood-Colored Plain region, initiating a new round of chaotic warfare.

Besides the two opposing factions, many onlookers were also present in the melee.

They had no affiliation with either of the warring societies; they were purely there to watch the spectacle.

During the event, they even discussed the strength of both societies on the forum.

Among these discussions, the hottest topic was Li Tie of the Fanzuigong Society, known in-game as "Da Tie," who ranked first in Body Tempering level.

At the current stage, no small number of players had opened their second Star Vein, but Li Tie was the only one with a Body Tempering level of 5, allowing him to inherit all attributes of five monster Minghun in his human form.

His combat prowess shone brightly during this melee.

The battle axe formed after fusing five Spirit Artifact Minghun possessed immense power; he was invincible in the chaotic battle, and not a single player from the Shenyigong Society could withstand even one strike from him.

The onlookers engaged in heated discussion regarding this.

Long Night: "This guy is truly incredibly strong; his strength absolutely ranks among the top three of all players, perhaps even first. The extreme output of the Spirit Artifact flow is so violent it makes me tremble. He really kills one kid with every slash; he's gone completely berserk."

Dark Land is Fun: "Such ridiculous output; one can only say he got lucky, entering the game earlier than us. The few Primordial monsters near Dizhongcun Society in the early stages were very weak, and he killed five of them alone. He truly hit the jackpot."

Rise of Humanity: "Stop talking big. If you actually encountered Primordial monsters, you wouldn't have the strength to hunt them. I've seen this guy in other games; he's the top enforcer of the Fanzuigong Society, extremely fierce. It's said he participated in the real-world war suppressing alien races back in the day."

I Won the Lottery: "His strength might be fierce in reality and in-game, but on the forum, he's still lacking. Everyone here averages Star Vein level 20 and Body Tempering level 20; the existing thirteen Minghun aren't even enough to inlay (slippery. pg)."

Amidst the discussions, players were filled with interest in the Spirit Artifact flow pioneered by Li Tie.

Among all existing Minghun combinations at the current stage, this was the most violently offensive close-combat Star Vein flow.

When the battle axe in Li Tie's hand struck a target, it triggered effects such as armor penetration, damage amplification, and mental shock, resulting in terrifying lethality.

Under Li Tie's charge, the Shenyigong Society collapsed in a one-sided rout.

The battle lasted over an hour before concluding, ending in a crushing defeat for the Shenyigong Society.

However, this did not mean the hatred had vanished; all the onlookers understood that these two societies had now thoroughly formed a grudge against each other.

In the future, whenever players from both sides met outside, a battle would inevitably ensue.

Just as the onlooker players had guessed, an hour later, members of the Shenyigong Society began logging in one after another, but they did not immediately launch a revenge campaign. Instead, they chose to spam the regional voice channel, offering to purchase Sacrificial Power.

Their intention was crystal clear: they wanted to boost their combat strength before fighting the Fanzuigong Society again.

This action caused the purchase price of Sacrificial Power to surge once more.

The guild master of the Shenyigong Society offered a purchase rate of 200: for Sacrificial Power and stated that players willing to sell large amounts could receive an even higher price.

This behavior sent the brick-moving players into ecstasy, meaning the real-world yield from killing a single monster had increased.

Regarding the conflict between the two major societies, the onlookers expressed their support one after another.

Qi Sheng, observing secretly, was naturally aware of the clash between the two major societies.

Regarding this, he had no intention of intervening.

Before transmigrating and inheriting Di Zhao to solidify his origin, he too had loved various types of games and was a loyal gamer.

From the very beginning of creating the Challenger System, he had contemplated the issue of competition among players.

In MMORPG-type games, many factors ignite players' desire for growth in strength, with one major factor being the conflicts and competition between players themselves.

Many games, to force spending, would even deliberately set up resources that needed to be contested, thereby triggering conflicts between players.

Some game companies would even specifically recruit batches of "shills" to cause trouble in-game or join different game societies, inciting fierce confrontation between players on both sides to heighten the desire of both parties to spend money to become stronger.

Viewing the issue of players brawling from the perspective of strength growth, the motivational nature brought by competition far outweighs the losses generated by internal friction.

With the subsequent pressure brought by external forces such as the Black Black Tide Legion, players of the same camp would inevitably choose to cooperate to Iron Face them.

(End of Chapter)