CHAPTER 77: CHAPTER 74: SPIRIT SECRET TECHNIQUE

Black Obsidian Martial Arts Hall, Hall Master’s Resting Room.

When Lin Qi slowly placed a smart watch stained with quite a bit of blood onto the metal plate, something happened instantly that left Lin Qi utterly astonished.

The metal plate was actually absorbing blood!

The blood dripping from the smart watch onto the metal plate was visibly being absorbed, and countless blood-red runes appeared on the originally smooth metal plate.

These runes flowed, and even though Lin Qi couldn’t understand them, he knew they were not simple.

Because just by the runes flowing on the metal plate, one could clearly feel the room’s energy starting to gather around it, which was simply astounding.

This did not feel like a mere metal plate; rather, it seemed like a living entity, one that could autonomously absorb external energy.

This kind of occurrence, Lin Qi had never encountered during his days in the world of Gao Wu, despite learning quite a bit about it through the network on his smart watch.

He knew very clearly that at least in Chasing Light City, there definitely wasn’t such a miraculous item.

"The fact that Nagana carried it on him all the time suggests it’s not dangerous," Lin Qi mused as he took up the metal plate for another observation and wondered, "But why did he insist on carrying it?"

If not for the White Feather Gang expert dropping it, no one might have even noticed this metal plate.

The entire Abandoned Area had too many metal objects, and it was quite common for people in Chasing Light City to use metal boxes for packaging, so metal items generally wouldn’t catch anyone’s attention unless they were super rare metals, like the A6 Level native metals, or anything beyond the A6 Level native metals.

The metal plate’s material seemed a bit like A4 Level white steel alloy, and the surface was smooth as a mirror. Most would consider it just a piece of scrap, maybe use it as a hidden weapon. It didn’t even qualify as a mirror because it didn’t reflect enough light.

Even though it’s a metal plate that would normally warrant no attention, Nagana chose to carry it with him, not minding it burdening him, which was nothing short of peculiar.

Lin Qi then tried carrying it himself.

One minute... Two minutes... Three minutes...

After a full ten minutes, Lin Qi removed the metal plate, realizing it was too uncomfortable even to use as a Heart-Protecting Mirror, especially with the chilling sensation against the body, akin to an ice block, leaving Lin Qi wondering how Nagana got used to it.

"Since it’s not comfortable to wear, the only possibility is blood," Lin Qi thought of all sorts of treasures in novels, where blood was necessary to activate them, so perhaps this was the same case with the blood-absorbing metal plate.

Without hesitation, Lin Qi decided to call in the top contributor among the newcomers for this experiment.

Since it was an experiment, there was no need to risk himself.

Players could revive at will; if he didn’t use that for experimentation, it would be a waste of his role as an administrator.

"Hall Master, you wanted to see me?"

Ye Qinglu entered the resting room, noticing Lin Qi holding a metal plate, and felt a bit curious about what good thing the Hall Master might reward her.

Ye Qinglu, through information from One Leaf Floating Cloud, already knew that each group of newcomers would go through a competitive trial, where the first place would get additional rewards from the Hall Master.

In this main storyline battle, she alone had taken down three basic apprentices and, along with a girl named Xiaoyuan, even stalled the BOSS at a critical moment, earning her the first rank among newcomers.

Since it was a story mission, everyone got a base reward of five hundred points; taking down an apprentice level White Feather Gang expert earned a thousand points to be split if multiple participants.

As for the points from taking down the BOSS, anyone who fought with the BOSS shared ten thousand points equally.

With this, she personally earned a total of 13,500 points, leaving many veteran players green with envy.

With 13,500 points, she could purchase almost all of the Martial Arts Hall Techniques except weapons and armor above the A5 Level, including the Fixed Star Explosion Visualization Technique mentioned by One Leaf Floating Cloud.

With martial arts techniques and methods in hand, Ye Qinglu yearned for good weapons, preferably two swords, due to her dual-wielding swords in other games.

Especially having seen the B2 Level longsword Lin Qi displayed in the warehouse, which sliced through A6 Level armor like cutting a watermelon, a true Divine Weapon to make up for her lack of attack strength.

Yet the B2 Level longsword could only be a fantasy.

At a 4 million point exchange rate, even selling One Leaf Floating Cloud wouldn’t be enough to buy it.

"Qinglu, although you’ve just become a prestigious Martial Arts Academy Disciple, considering your excellent performance, I’ve decided to give you a great opportunity," Lin Qi said seriously to the expectant Ye Qinglu, "Do you see the metal plate in my hand?"

Ye Qinglu nodded, clueless.

"This is your great opportunity!" Lin Qi exclaimed with feeling, "This is the treasure of our Black Obsidian Martial Arts Hall. Regular disciples never get a chance to even touch it, but due to your excellence, I decided to let you touch it."

"Touch it?" Ye Qinglu was dumbfounded.

She expected Lin Qi to reward her with a powerful martial art, as he had in past times, yet this time it broke all expectations.

Let alone a basic martial technique as a reward, it was merely a metal plate she was allowed to touch.

Was this really a reward? Or not?

"What are you thinking? It’s obviously not just a simple touch," Lin Qi said, sensing Ye Qinglu’s strange look, and explained, "Pierce your palm and place it on this metal plate. You’ll naturally know what’s going on then."

"Know what’s going on?" Ye Qinglu noticed some issue in Lin Qi’s words and couldn’t help asking, "Hall Master, do you also not know what will happen?"

Faced with the perceptive Ye Qinglu, Lin Qi was speechless, surprised that the new players were so keen, wondering who taught them.

"Of course, I know," Lin Qi paused, then smiled and said, "This is a secret of our hall, not to be shared without experiencing it firsthand. If you don’t want this reward, I can otherwise offer you a Thunder Light Palm exclusive to Inner Sect Disciples; you can choose either."

Lin Qi was all too familiar with players; if unwilling to experiment voluntarily, he would have them choose. He didn’t believe that taking out Thunder Light Palm wouldn’t tempt players who liked to take risks.

"Thunder Light Palm?" Ye Qinglu was tempted, knowing it was a defensive-breaking Divine Skill costing ten thousand points and requiring Inner Sect Disciple status. She gritted her teeth, then said, "Hall Master, I choose the metal plate."

Though Thunder Light Palm was rare, she could get it directly from One Leaf Floating Cloud, no need to obtain an extra copy, and while the metal plate seemed strange, Lin Qi’s mysterious demeanor hinted it might be a special scenario offering better rewards, considering even the baseline choice was Thunder Light Palm, the other option wouldn’t disappoint either.

"Place your hand here then," Lin Qi put the metal plate on the table for Ye Qinglu to handle.

Ye Qinglu hesitated no more, being a player, knowing there was no real danger, so at worst, she’d just need to spend 648 for a revival.

Drawing her bloodied palm, she placed her jade hand directly on the metal plate.

With blood making contact, the metal plate burst out with numerous blood-red runes, rapidly absorbing blood from Ye Qinglu’s palm, with the red glow of the metal plate continuously intensifying. After twenty seconds of this, Ye Qinglu withdrew her hand, looking slightly pale from the obvious blood loss.

"How’s it?" Lin Qi asked curiously, "Have you gained anything?"

"Incredible!" Ye Qinglu regained herself, looking at the metal plate on the table with complete astonishment, no longer doubting Lin Qi, and her eyes full of joy, "The treasure of the Martial Arts Hall indeed, it can imprint a Spirit Secret Technique directly into your mind, impossible to forget."