Chapter 8: The Virtual Hunting Ground
As he ascended to the twelfth floor, Zhang Chu was greeted by the sight of twelve enormous glass domes stretching towards the sky.
This was the Virtual Beast Hunting Arena.
Through the combined marvels of holographic projection and 6D modeling technology, martial artists could immerse themselves in combat against exotic beasts, thus honing their skills with unprecedented realism.
Yet, for all its innovation, it offered no benefit in increasing one’s vital energy.
“First time here, young man?” a voice called out.
“This month’s promotional prices are in effect—normally twelve hundred per session, but now only eight hundred. If you manage to defeat the virtual beast and climb onto the leaderboard, you’ll receive a cash prize.”
This was a project into which the Martial Artists Administration had poured vast resources in recent years, newly empowered and full of promise. Martial artists tended to scoff at it, and ordinary people found it impossible to master. Business was abysmal.
To attract more martial artists and promote the virtual beast hunting arena, not only had they increased the leaderboard rewards, but they’d also installed seating around the arena. Anyone could pay for a seat and watch martial artists battle beasts live.
This strategy had drawn quite a crowd, even stealing business away from the cinema.
Especially among university students preparing for their martial artist certification. For a hundred yuan, they could witness a live battle against exotic beasts—a bargain.
The lobby manager, troubled by this month’s failing KPIs, was thrilled at Zhang Chu’s arrival.
“Set up a session and let’s see how it goes,” Zhang Chu said, glancing at the scrolling digital display showing this month’s reward structure.
First place: five thousand yuan.
Zhang Chu didn’t even have enough for bus fare. He hadn’t come to the virtual arena to improve his martial arts proficiency, but simply to earn some money for daily expenses.
“Alright then, Arena Number One!”
The manager smiled, expertly guiding Zhang Chu through the card swipe.
Once Zhang Chu entered Arena Number One, the manager hastily grabbed the intercom: “Start selling tickets! In five minutes, Arena One will host a martial artist trial. The audience area holds fifty seats—eighty percent off, sell them fast!”
Meanwhile, as Zhang Chu entered the arena and studied the instructions on the digital display about using the AI helmet to activate the virtual arena, a group of clear-eyed university students quickly settled into the viewing area on the eleventh floor.
The massive three-hundred-square-meter screen locked onto the perimeter of Arena One, playing a five-minute fire safety advertisement.
Zhao Panpan cradled a tub of popcorn, eating with gusto as she hurriedly sent a voice message to Su Mingyue: “Mingyue, you missed out by not coming to the Martial Artist Center to watch the virtual arena match! Today’s sixty percent off, it’s a steal.”
Meanwhile, at Binzhou University’s Martial Artist Testing Center.
Su Mingyue had just landed a punch.
She watched as her vital energy value froze at 146.5 on the digital display. Clenching her delicate fist, she turned to the leaderboard’s anonymous dog-head avatar at the top: “Who are you? I, Su Mingyue, will surpass you before the Martial Arts Institute assessment!”
No sooner had she spoken than she received a barrage of voice messages and photos from Zhao Panpan: “Mingyue, I’ll record video for you when the arena starts. It might be helpful.”
...
“Ding!”
Five minutes later, Zhang Chu followed protocol and placed his martial artist card on the sensor, then donned the AI helmet.
Instantly, Arena One was constructed in vivid holography: a barren stone wilderness, sand and rocks flying.
The university students in the eleventh-floor viewing area quickly put on their glasses and stared at the digital screen.
“Wow, so that’s what a martial artist looks like? He’s so cool.”
“Holy crap, isn’t that virtual beast the Level One Stone-Armored Wild Wolf we studied in our textbooks?”
“The stone-armed wild wolf is covered in armored plates—its defense is formidable. This guy’s got a tough opponent today.”
“Oh, stop worrying, it’s a virtual arena. No one’s dying.”
The students, naive and excited, whispered among themselves; this was their first time watching a match in the arena, and they were positively giddy.
Zhao Panpan, however, was confused.
Looking at Zhang Chu through her glasses, she frowned and quickly snapped a photo to send to Su Mingyue: “Mingyue, am I seeing things, or does this martial artist look a lot like Zhang Chu?”
“Panpan, are you trying to annoy me?”
“When I saw him yesterday, he was still in a wheelchair. Don’t ever mention that arrogant good-for-nothing to me again!”
Su Mingyue replied curtly, storming out of the testing center in a huff.
...
At that moment, the viewing area echoed with the wild wolf’s furious roar.
The gigantic digital screen displayed a 3D holographic image.
The wild wolf seemed to leap out of the screen, eliciting screams from the students—thrilling and scary all at once.
Zhao Panpan instinctively shrank back.
In Arena One, Zhang Chu faced the bristling, stone-armored wild wolf for the first time, tension written all over him: “Damn, and this is just a virtual beast. If I ever made it to the actual beast forest, I’d be done for!”
Roar!
The wild wolf moved, lightning-fast, pouncing at Zhang Chu.
Though the environment was virtual, the realism was astonishing—even the wind whistled past his ears.
As the students held their breath, Zhang Chu sprang into action.
A hook punch.
Bang!
The wild wolf’s jaw took the blow squarely, its massive body arcing through the air and crashing down with a deafening thud.
“Ding!”
“Congratulations, martial artist! Trial completed in ten seconds.”
“Martial technique used: Level One, Low Grade, Sky Cannon. Proficiency: Beginner.”
“Reward: Four thousand yuan. Already credited.”
A moment later, the smart assistant’s voice rang in Zhang Chu’s ear.
Was that it?
Still shaken, Zhang Chu watched as the virtual scene dissipated, bewildered.
He recalled the punch—it had erupted instinctively: precise, swift, ruthless, striking the wild wolf’s vulnerable throat.
“Is earning money… this easy?” Zhang Chu murmured, stunned.
Meanwhile, the university students on the eleventh floor nearly lost their minds, clamoring for refunds.
Sixty yuan for just ten seconds—this was highway robbery.
Zhao Panpan was dumbfounded.
She hadn’t even turned on her phone’s camera before the hunt ended.
Her popcorn suddenly lost its flavor.
In the twelfth-floor lobby, things were different.
Looking at the Level One martial artist trial leaderboard, the martial artist in Arena One had completed the hunt in ten seconds, using the most worthless technique—Sky Cannon—and ascended to the top.
The lobby manager hurriedly called his superior: “Director, you won’t believe this—a freshly minted Level One martial artist just shot to the top of the leaderboard with Sky Cannon in ten seconds!”
At the same time, footage of the trial was synced by the Martial Artist Center’s system to the forum video page of the Martial Artist Mall.
Within two minutes, it had been reposted a thousand times.
The comments below grew ever more absurd; some even openly doubted whether the technique used was truly the trashy Sky Cannon.
Zhang Chu had no idea that, as long as you made the top ten on the leaderboard, your trial video would be automatically updated.
He was still itching for more.
He immediately removed the AI helmet and called out via intercom: “Manager, if I refresh my ranking, do I still get four thousand yuan? I want another round!”
“My God!”
Zhao Panpan in the eleventh-floor viewing area stared at Zhang Chu’s face, leapt from her seat, and quickly snapped a photo to post in the class group: “Guys, I feel like an idiot—I just saw Zhang Chu. Not only is he standing, he’s actually in the Martial Artist Center’s virtual trial arena!”