C10 Martial Arts

Reflecting on his life, Tang Tianyuv realized that his foster parents had toiled their whole lives, leaving him a modest inheritance of just over 70,000 credit points. Spending 50,000 on a Virtual Cabin had been a significant expense, and despite years of hard work, he had only managed to save a few tens of thousands. Yet, in just one day, after two trips down Black Stone Lane, he had astonishingly raked in more than ten million credit points.

It was undeniable—the disparity between individuals could be staggering.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Ye Xiaomi's slender, pale fingers, adorned with pink polish, danced before his eyes, snapping him out of his reverie. "What's the matter, struck dumb?"

Tang Tianyuv nodded, admitting, "A little."

Ye Xiaomi's enthusiasm was palpable. "Little brother, in light of your financial windfall today, how about treating me to dinner?"

After pondering for a moment, Tang Tianyuv replied, "Without your assistance, I never would've made this money. I owe you my thanks."

"Great," Xiaomi responded with a grin. "And how do you plan to thank me?"

Tang Tianyuv gazed at her intently, taking his time before responding, "I wonder how much it would cost to fully cure a mental illness."

For the second time that day, a woman's furious shout echoed from the Energy Auction House counter: "Tang Tianyuv, I'm going to throttle you!"

Later, as they sat in the upscale restaurant on the 30th floor of the Jinhui Building, enjoying their meal and conversation, any confusion about "mental illness" had vanished. Eighteen-year-old Tang Tianyuv and twenty-eight-year-old Ye Xiaomi found no awkwardness in their ten-year age difference, chatting with ease and laughter. Xiaomi's candid nature and Tianyuv's eloquence, honed by storytelling sessions with Yem Yu, bridged any gap.

"So, let me get this straight," Xiaomi teased, a playful smile on her lips, "you've got a landlady who's fierce as a lion, but she has a daughter who's as lovely and virtuous as they come, and she's been nothing but kind to you. Little brother, you've got a knack for crafting a drama series."

Tang Tianyuv earnestly clarified, "It's the truth. Xiao Yu is the most benevolent girl I've ever met. Without her, I'd probably be homeless by now. So, when I'm able, she's the first person I intend to repay."

Ye Xiaomi watched him with a mischievous grin until his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Then, out of the blue, she asked, "You like her, don't you?"

Tang Tianyuv scratched his head, uncertain. "I... I don't know."

"With my vast experience in romance, I can assure you, you're smitten," Ye Xiaomi said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "No more hesitating—go after her!"

Tang Tianyuv gazed at the delicate face across the table, feeling as if Ye Xiaomi were a peculiar uncle luring him into mischief with a lollipop. Yet, inexplicably, he found himself asking, "How do I do that?"

"It's simple: stick to her like glue, be her personal bodyguard," Ye Xiaomi declared confidently. "If Yem Yu is as wonderful as you say, there's probably a line of suitors stretching to the school gates by now. If you're not careful, she'll be snatched up by some big bad wolf."

Tang Tianyuv let out a wry smile. "What can I do? I've never been to university. By the standards of the Carlos Federation, I'm practically illiterate!"

"Then hit the books," Xiaomi replied without missing a beat. "East Hall University, right? If she's there, that's where you need to be. It's settled!"

She paused, noting Tang Tianyuv's puzzled look, and patted her shapely chest, "Relax, I've got this. With me, a former top ten beauty of East Hall University's Energy Department and a renowned talent, vouching for you, I could get you in even if you were a pig—which, for the record, you're not."

Noticing Tang Tianyuv's grimace, she quickly added, "Besides, you're definitely not a pig."

By the time he got home, the night had fully set in. In an uncharacteristic move, Tang Tianyuv knocked on his landlady's door and handed her a large paper bag. "Mrs. Zhang, here's my rent for the year."

Mrs. Zhang eagerly ripped open the bag and her eyes widened at the sight of the neatly stacked Federation Coins.

"This is way more than ten thousand; it looks like over a hundred thousand," Mrs. Zhang said, looking up at Tang Tianyuv with astonishment. "You rascal, what have you been up to? Coming home this late, you better not have gotten yourself into some kind of trouble."

"Rest assured, the money is obtained legitimately and is completely above board," Tang Tianyuv clarified, "It's a total of 110,000 yuan. I've covered the rent with 10,000, and the rest is for Xiao Yu's Virtual Cabin purchase—a promise I made to her."

"Good, good, good," Mrs. Zhang's demeanor brightened instantly, her face alight with a smile. "Ah, I always knew you'd make something of yourself. In these tough times, why else would I let you stay a year rent-free? My strictness was only to encourage your ambition. And now, you've truly made it. My Xiao Yu certainly knows how to pick 'em..." She clutched Tang Tianyuv's arm with warmth, "Come here, Tianyuv, you look so pale. You must learn to take better care of yourself. I'll go boil a couple of eggs for you and you can tell me all about how you've been earning your money."

After expending a Herculean effort, Tang Tianyuv finally extricated himself from Mrs. Zhang's clutches and retreated to his room, her nagging voice still faintly reverberating in his ears. He now understood why middle-aged women could be among the most formidable beings on earth. But this time, he'd dodged a bullet. At least Mrs. Zhang wouldn't be on his case about rent anymore, and she might even stop barring Yem Yu from his room. Those two well-rehearsed secret codes would likely gather dust from now on.

He lay back on his bed, letting out a contented sigh, feeling surprisingly unrested. His gaze fell on the Virtual Cabin resting silently in the corner, and he was suddenly struck by the realization that it had been ages since he last delved into "Martial Arts."

"Martial Arts" was no ordinary computer game. It was an all-immersive fighting simulation developed by the Carlos Federation to encourage physical fitness and martial cultivation among its citizens. Rumor had it that the game was built on military technology decades ahead of the civilian curve. While it turned a profit, that wasn't its sole purpose. The game aimed to nurture talent for the Federation and to harness the collective intelligence and creativity of the populace, fostering a renaissance of diverse martial and mental disciplines.

Within "Martial Arts," there were two primary classification systems. The first was the fully immersive combat simulation, where the Virtual Cabin's advanced scanning system would map the player's body in its entirety, creating an in-game avatar with physical capabilities virtually identical to the player's real-life attributes. In essence, it was a game character with the same combat prowess as the player, controlled directly by their brainwaves, making the gaming experience indistinguishable from actual physical combat.

Humans practicing cultivation arts inevitably require real combat experience. In the real world, this often leads to injuries and accidents, but in the virtual realm of gaming, these risks are non-existent. Even if you're beaten to the point of breaking arms and legs, it's merely a flow of data. This provides immense convenience for cultivators, which is why numerous sects and experts within the Carlos Federation periodically dive into the game to hone their skills.

The second type of combat is known as semi-simulated fighting, tailored for the average person. Ordinary folks harbor dreams of heroism, yet for a myriad of reasons, they are unable to pursue actual cultivation. Their frail bodies are no match for true cultivators, leaving them with no choice but to opt for this alternative mode of combat.

Within this mode, each participant is allocated a standard avatar with preset abilities. The avatar's speed, strength, and flexibility are fixed at a low level, akin to that of a novice cultivator, rendering the player's physical condition irrelevant. Even the physically weakest players, including those with disabilities, can savor the sensation of being fully able-bodied and engage in combat on an even playing field.

Never underestimate these ordinary individuals. They may not have the opportunity to cultivate in reality, but the world is never short of hidden talents. Since the launch of "Battle of the Martial Arts" over a century ago, countless sects and martial techniques have been refined, often by these very ordinary people who otherwise wouldn't stand a chance in a physical fight.

Their only deficiency is a robust physique, not a lack of wisdom or insight.

Tang Tianyuv settled comfortably into the Virtual Cabin, donned the brainwave helmet, sealed the hatch, and immersed himself in "Battle of the Martial Arts." Years earlier, he had invested nearly all of his adoptive parents' inheritance into this Virtual Cabin as his sole source of entertainment. At that time, he was incapable of much else, but more crucially, he discovered an innate yearning for battle deep within himself.

While ordinary people have the option of fully simulated fighting games, Tianyuv found himself ineligible. The Virtual Cabin's diagnostic concluded that his "comprehensive index was too low to construct a complete character." Essentially, the system deemed the data collected from him insufficient to constitute a living being—in simpler terms, it considered him as good as deceased.

It's somewhat ironic, yet Tang Tianyuv had grown accustomed to such ironies, so it felt only natural for him to gravitate toward the semi-realistic combat game.

It was in this space alone that he could inhabit a normal body.

The virtual display before his eyes revealed his current status:

Character: Hercules

Wins: 0

Losses: 3

Points: -30

Online Time: 1325 hours

Hercules wasn't just Tang Tianyuv's avatar name; it symbolized the deep-seated desire in his heart: to possess strength.

His gaming record was peculiar, to say the least. Those three losses were all from years ago when he had first dived into the "Martial Arts" game, still harboring some fanciful dreams. Braving the odds, he challenged three other novices who were as new to the game as he was. It was only after those defeats that he came to a disheartening realization: simply having a normal body didn't mean one could fight like a normal person.