504: Clan Refining Day

In Luo Daonan's view, this so-called Family Refining Day was simply inexplicable.

On ordinary days, the household would use any means necessary to oppress the servants, creating what was practically a blood feud. Then, they would specifically choose a time to hold a Family refining event, allowing the servants to compete on the same stage as the young masters, with freedom as the prize for winning.

It was as if they felt their lives were too comfortable and insisted on increasing the difficulty for themselves; it was truly bizarre.

After all, the strength of a Martial Artist did not hold an overwhelming advantage over a Mortal. Even for Live Targets who were underfed, poorly clothed, and in poor physical condition, if they truly became ruthless, there was actually a chance for a counter-kill.

Furthermore, on Family Refining Day, the shackles of the Live Targets would be removed, allowing them to take the stage and contend with others.

If someone were to secretly hide some means—such as a poisoned dagger or a Medicinal Pill that grants a short burst of power—wouldn't the Luo Family Disciples be beaten to death alive on the martial arts stage?

From another perspective, if the Luo Family intended to deliberately select combat-capable Geniuses from among the servants, they would also have to face the possibility of such a Genius turning against them as an enemy.

Overall, it was a very nonsensical system, and he couldn't understand why the Luo Family would do such a thing.

Therefore, Luo Daonan felt that Family Refining Day itself was quite startling; it didn't seem like a system a person with a normal mind would design.

The Household retainers told Luo Daonan that the system of Family Refining Day was passed down from their ancestors for the purpose of tempering the Luo Family Disciples.

Servants aiming for freedom would try every possible means to bridge the gap in combat power. Consequently, the Luo Family Disciples had to give their all, or they might truly die on the martial arts stage.

This kind of life-and-death struggle was the best way to hone a person's actual combat abilities.

Luo Daonan couldn't understand it, but he chose to respect it. Perhaps these low-level families indeed had their own ways of survival, and various systems had their inherent logic.

Of course, if it were a player Family, they certainly wouldn't do this. Instead of wasting time on low-level combat tempering, it would be better to spend more time in secluded cultivation.

In any case, for the sake of the freedom promised by the Luo Family, the Live Targets all began to prepare actively, and the gazes they occasionally cast toward the Luo Family Disciples were filled with Evil Qi.

A month passed in this manner, and winter had arrived. Cold air gradually set in, and the temperature plummeted.

Some Live Targets did not survive, dying directly in the bitter winter.

Mortals were just that fragile.

By the time Family Refining Day arrived, only about twenty Live Targets remained who could actually participate.

This number was naturally insufficient, so the Household retainers were used as supplements, which naturally included Luo Daonan.

Strictly speaking, his status and position were no different from a Live Target; both were servants who had signed death contracts—to put it bluntly, slaves.

Unfortunately, even with them added, the numbers were still insufficient. It seemed the previous internal strife in the Luo Family had resulted in many casualties.

Thus, the Luo Family deliberately bought back over a hundred slaves from the market.

It was the arrival of these slaves that left Luo Daonan completely stunned.

Because mixed among them was a large number of players, accounting for over seventy percent.

The behavior of these players was completely different from the other Live Targets.

When normal Live Targets were brought below the martial arts stage and lined up to wait for orders, their expressions were complex.

Some craved freedom and were relatively strong, so they were full of anticipation, rubbing their hands and itching to get on stage for a death match immediately.

Some knew their strength was insufficient; their expressions were bleak and filled with despair. One could imagine that if no one forcibly dragged them onto the stage, they would never go up, even if killed.

As for the players... to put it simply, it was a chaotic dance of demons.

One player curiously stroked the stone of the martial arts stage and was forcibly suppressed by a nearby Luo Family Disciple.

Another player intruded into the ranks of the Luo Family Disciples, touching their limbs one by one, and even shouted, "This bone structure is no good; no wonder you can only bully noobs here."

This immediately enraged the Luo Family Disciples, who threw the player to the ground on the spot and gave them a good beating.

There was even a player who recklessly rushed before the current Luo Family Head and said arrogantly, "I have a path to immortality. As long as you perform the three prostrations and nine kowtows, I will teach it to you."

The veins on the Luo Family Head's forehead bulged, and he struck ruthlessly on the spot, piercing through the player's chest.

As for the majority of the players, although they weren't quite as eccentric, they still looked around curiously and even shouted loudly; not a single one was afraid or worried.

Luo Daonan stood stunned, feeling that there was something fishy about this.

He wasn't surprised by the players' eccentricities; he used to be such an eccentric player himself.

Even if they knew they were going through a major plot point and that their strange behavior would lead to not getting rewards...

They still couldn't help but act up; it was just their nature.

What surprised him was why so many players had suddenly flooded into the Luo Family as Live Targets.

They seemed to want to infiltrate the Luo Family, but why?

During this time, apart from contacting the Looking Up at the Stars Faction, Luo Daonan had not touched the player Forum at all.

Only in this way could he immerse himself in playing his new role, and he indeed felt he was becoming increasingly proficient, while his addiction to communicating on the Forum dissipated accordingly.

He had endured for a long time, but today he was truly curious. After some thought, he decided to take a look at the Forum.

He quickly browsed the recent big news among players.

First was the matter of the East Sea Dragon Descendant.

Since the Dragon Descendant spread the news about the artificial True Dragon embryo, more and more players were involved in the East Sea Exploration, and the number of players investigating the "Heaven-Reaching Pagoda" was also surging.

But no one had made any significant gains; they were still just scavenging in the Ancient Battlefield.

Wang Long and others had carefully interrogated Moon Abyss, but there were no results for a long time, as if the plot was stuck and couldn't be pushed forward.

So everyone could only think of other ways, collecting the Cultivation Techniques and Treasures of the Kongming Dao Lineage that had been circulated, attempting to reverse-engineer something.

This matter couldn't possibly yield results in a short time; the most optimistic estimate would be to expect it in years.

Next was the aftermath of the Ascension Assembly. Many players had successfully entered various major Sects and were posting one after another to show off.

Although most players had to start from the Outer Sect and climb up step by step...

A portion of players indeed had good luck. The Sects that chose them wanted Geniuses who could inherit the Dao Lineage, so they were taken directly to the Grotto-Heavens to be personally cultivated by Sect powerhouses.

This group of players posted very little, but their influence was enormous, allowing many players to catch a glimpse of the Grotto-Heaven scenes of the great Sects, exclaiming that a corner of the Heavenly Palace had been revealed.

Because of this, many players were trying every means to squeeze into the various Sects of the Eastern Region, thinking this was the strongest playstyle of the current version.

However, these Sects certainly wouldn't hold a second Ascension Assembly in a short time, and normal disciple recruitment assemblies obviously wouldn't be held either, because the number of disciples recruited from outside was already too high.

Therefore, everyone could only choose other methods.

Thus, some players found a new path:

Some Eastern Region Sects would have subordinate Sects and families. These vassals possessed the qualification to recommend talent to the main Sect. Although one needed to pass the "Outer Sect Grand Competition" to truly enter the main Sect, it was indeed a new path distinct from public recruitment.

So the players had a bold idea:

We can completely take over and steal the slots from these vassals.