Chapter 717: Chapter 371: This World Has Gone Mad

Blue Star, Huxin City.

The towering Celestial Power Building, nestled in the city center, originally ought to be the most bustling structure in Huxin City. Now, however, it had fallen into decline. Aside from a few trainees, even those coming in to commission Pilgrimage game-related tasks were less than a tenth of the usual.

In the conference room on the top floor, more than a dozen core guild executives sat silently in front of the conference table, their expressions far from pleasant. It wasn’t until Luo Wushang, Zhang Qingwei, Zhao Hu, and Yu Tian walked in that everyone turned their attention to the four.

"Now that everyone is here, I’ll share the board’s decision," said Chu Qingtian, glancing at the seated Luo Wushang and the others. His whole demeanor seemed to have aged ten years, with an abundance of white hair and a voice now bearing a touch of weariness. "Due to the withdrawal of those financial groups and the mass sell-off by board members, the guild is facing financial strain. We’ve decided to cut new recruits by half, reduce dividends for all executives, and appoint Luo Wushang as the new guild leader."

The ten or so elders present showed no surprise at Chu Qingtian’s words.

Chu Qingtian, nearing fifty, should have naturally retired to a secondary role long ago, allowing someone younger and stronger to take over. However, his remarkable performance on the frontline of Pilgrimage and his status as the founder of Celestial Might had kept him as guild leader, backed by the board.

But now, representing Celestial Might, Chu Qingtian had failed to even make it into the finals of the national competition on the Eternal Immortal Path, a substantial embarrassment that led many to question Celestial Might’s competence.

Thus, appointing Luo Wushang as guild leader is undoubtedly Celestial Might’s best choice.

Luo Wushang, admired for her strength and appearance, often draws attention from Pilgrimage players and frequently becomes a subject of comparison with other games’ attractive top players. Her fame extends even to those who don’t play Pilgrimage, making her leadership potentially key in resolving Celestial Might’s crisis and restoring confidence among players and investors.

"Guild Leader, may I ask about the details of the Eternal Immortal Path competition? Preferably with battle footage." Luo Wushang didn’t refuse and directly inquired to Guild Leader Chu Qingtian.

She didn’t care about becoming the guild leader of Celestial Might because she had already decided to dedicate herself fully to Descent of High Martial; anything else was unimportant.

Conversely, for Guild Leader Chu Qingtian to fail to even make it to the finals was indeed shocking.

Though the realm of virtual games is filled with top-notch players, being a numbered Saint in a masterpiece that previously had hundreds of millions of online users like Pilgrimage might not place someone at the pinnacle but should at least denote top-tier status. More so, considering Guild Leader Chu Qingtian himself was among the peak Saints, or else he wouldn’t confidently represent Celestial Might, nor would those financial groups have tacitly agreed.

Chu Qingtian took a deep breath and clicked on the table, quickly pulling up a combat video, "I have nothing to hide, this is my third preliminary battle, take a look yourself."

After saying this, Chu Qingtian clicked play, and the battle footage appeared directly on the conference table, allowing everyone an exceptionally clear view.

On a barren plain, Chu Qingtian and a young man stood thirty meters apart. Chu Qingtian wielded a long spear, while the young man had a longsword strapped to his back but showed no intention of drawing it. He merely smugly gestured for Chu Qingtian to make his move.

Such arrogance from the young man caused the elders present to twitch at the corners of their eyes, their anger rising.

Chu Qingtian, renowned in Pilgrimage, was being provoked by an unknown youth, which was fundamentally a challenge to all of Celestial Might.

However, on screen, Chu Qingtian remained utterly composed, evidently unaffected, and merely launched his spear.

The spear moved like a dragon, swift as a gale.

As Chu Qingtian reached the young man’s vicinity, his footwork shifted, instantly creating three shadows. From three directions, over a dozen spear shadows simultaneously thrust toward the young man, leaving him no room to dodge.

The elders present praised the move silently.

This move—Illusory Step combined with Gale Spear—was Chu Qingtian’s trademark in Pilgrimage, typically executed with Saint-like attributes, appearing as a storm of attacks from afar. However, in the Eternal Immortal Path where physical attributes were lacking, executing such a move felt exceedingly formidable, even for them.

Yet the young man merely extended a hand, blocking left and right, fending off all thrusts with just one hand, unscathed.

"This youth’s strength is remarkable! To actually intercept the Guild Leader’s attack!"

The elders, observing the unharmed young man on screen, dropped their earlier anger and now wore heavy expressions.

Guild Leader Chu Qingtian’s Illusory Step with Gale Spear, even they as elders couldn’t emerge unscathed; such attacks exceed the limits of handling capacity. Differentiating the real from the fake among these attacks was necessary to identify the true spear, else one would certainly be hit, riddled with holes.

Clearly, the young man identified them all, hence blocking so effortlessly.

Chu Qingtian on video was visibly taken aback, not anticipating anyone could stand against his signature move. But in that instant of surprise, the young man jumped up, raised a hand, and slammed down directly at Chu Qingtian’s head, his speed swift and fluid, leaving one barely able to react.