Why the bug I wrote became a core gameplay mechanic?!
Chapter 642 - 625 Daily Quiz

Chapter 642: Chapter 625 Daily Quiz

Gotta say, there are noticeably more random players around here.

Even though this game prioritizes matching with friends, it doesn’t exclusively do so. You’ll have a few friends, but the rest will mostly be randoms, adding a degree of unpredictability.

Chen Tingquan wandered around and noticed that many players had already immersed themselves in serious cultivation.

Some were hitting wooden posts, some were meditating in the practice room, and some were even sitting randomly on the ground. Everyone seemed to be racing against the clock.

The area of this branch is massive. Whether it’s the practice room, Martial Arts Arena, or Elixir Room, these buildings are more than ten times their previous size, spread across different hilltops.

So even with many players, these facilities are barely enough.

In most cases, you don’t need to queue.

"Why do I suddenly feel like I’m accidentally entering a gym?"

Chen Tingquan wandered around the wooden post training area and found that all the posts were being used by players, each one hitting the posts very earnestly.

It felt embarrassingly similar to wanting to do a bench press at the gym, only to find the bench rack, squat rack, and Smith machine all occupied.

That’s really quite unfriendly for people who are socially anxious.

"Forget it, let’s refine some Qi first."

The practice room was quite large on that side. Each person only needed a single cushion to meditate. There were still many vacant spots, so Chen Tingquan rode his flying sword to the practice room, planning to stagger his time with other players and meditate for a while first.

Anyway, he’s not in a hurry. In "Reverse Heaven," even if you want to achieve the best cultivation speed, you only need to actually play for about two hours daily. For the rest of the time, your character will cultivate on its own.

However, shortly after sitting down, he saw a message from the Sect appear on the screen.

It was somewhat like an announcement, similar to the one Instructor Ding spent money to broadcast earlier, except it covered the entire Henggang Sect at Songyang Middle School.

[Daily test is about to start! All disciples, please proceed to the test site!]

At the same time, information about the ’daily test’ appeared on the screen.

"Huh? What’s this about now?"

Chen Tingquan clicked to check, quickly figuring out the relevant rules.

Simply put, since arriving at the Intermediate Branch, there are two tests every day: one at noon 12:00 and another at 9:00 PM.

These are the game’s two peak times.

The test consists of two parts: the first part is an attribute test where players only need to stand in a designated area, and specific equipment will detect and scan to get precise values.

The second part is a combat test where players need to fight continuously with enemies in the Martial Arts Arena. The attributes of different waves of enemies will continually increase, and players earn scores based on endurance and the waves they withstand.

Each part has a maximum score of 50 points, totaling 100 points for the daily test.

Players need to complete at least 10 daily tests each month and calculate a composite score based on the test results.

The monthly composite score ranking will determine whether a player advances or gets eliminated.

Chen Tingquan felt a bit speechless: "This is getting more and more like high school!

"Moreover, high school usually has weekly and monthly tests; I’ve never heard of daily tests!

"Oh well, it’s fine that we only need to test 10 times a month, can still handle it.

"Might as well try the test today.

"Hmm? Wait, something seems off.

"How exactly is the monthly composite score calculated?

"I see the rule states it’s the average score of all tests.

"If I test now, wouldn’t I be at a disadvantage?"

Beside him, Li Wenhao curiously asked, "Why would it be a disadvantage?"

Chen Tingquan explained, "You see, we’re still in the novice period, and our cultivation progresses rapidly each day.

"Assume, in this 30-day month, on the first day I’m at Qi Refining Second Level, by the last day, I could be Qi Refining Third Level, a significant attribute boost.

"If I do the ten tests evenly throughout the month, early test scores would undoubtedly be poor, and later ones better.

"On average, the score would be lower.

"But if I do all ten tests in the last five days, testing on time every noon and evening, the scores would naturally be higher."

Li Wenhao was shocked: "Whoa? There’s actually such a trick? I didn’t realize at all!"

Chen Tingquan said earnestly, "How could you not think of it?

"This game is full of pitfalls. As free players, we already lack resources compared to whales, so we need to calculate meticulously!

"If there’s really a trap here, this rule alone would eliminate many dummies."

Liang Chun said, "Hmm, I just checked the detailed rules of the daily test, Brother Quan’s concern isn’t unfounded. We indeed need to carefully consider when to take the tests. But this rule might be more complicated than we think.

"Because when test times exceed ten, there’s a special selection algorithm within the rules.

"There’s one point needing special attention: when there’s significant test score improvement within a month, it will be deemed as ’clear progress’, resulting in extra bonus points.

"Therefore, if we want the best scores, we must carefully plan our cultivation schedule and the timing of our tests.

"Not only ensuring we choose the best score points but also maximizing the ’clear progress’ bonus points."

Li Wenhao was astonished: "...Absolutely didn’t expect there would be such a mechanism.

"Is all of this written in the rules? Why isn’t there a storyline introduction?"

If it weren’t for Chen Tingquan and Liang Chun being attentive and specially aware of this, Li Wenhao would never have realized it.

Liang Chun contemplated for a moment: "It feels like Nitiandang intentionally hides this within the rules.

"It’s kind of like an exam; the rules and exam focus are clearly laid out, but whether examinees have the patience to read all the details is also a part of the selection.

"It’s impossible to provide detailed explanations to everyone."

Li Wenhao suddenly felt this game was a bit of a brain burn.

Come on, what’s going on here, is this still the Immortal Realm?

I just wanted to play a cultivation game to relax, but it feels like traveling back to high school!

"Why take the average score? Can’t they just take the latest score or the highest score?" Li Wenhao suddenly thought of this question.

Liang Chun pondered for a moment: "Hmm... I think it’s because players’ scores could significantly increase or decrease.

"If they took the latest or highest scores, it might not fairly represent a player’s monthly cultivation results."

Chen Tingquan suddenly realized: "Right, that must be the case!

"In there, if you lose your physical body, you can only reincarnate. Reincarnation results in immediate score reset.

"Averaging is fairer than just taking the latest or highest score."

Li Wenhao felt a bit itchy on his scalp: "Alright, alright, let’s not discuss this further; we at least need to test today, right?

"Although we’re rookies now, if we test for the first time today and leave the weakest score, then save the remaining nine until the end of this month,

"We’ll have a better advantage whether calculating the average or getting the ’clear progress’ bonus points."

Liang Chun thought about it: "Hmm... that works too.

"To be more precise, we should look into the exact trigger conditions for the ’clear progress’ bonus points, and if possible, we could hit the threshold just right.

"But we don’t have much data now, so we can only study it gradually."

Li Wenhao: "Alright then, let’s go. Plenty of people are in line; if we’re late, we won’t make it."

The three of them quickly took their flying swords to the test site.

The test duration is half an hour, ending at 12:30 noon and 9:30 in the evening.

In the game "Reverse Heaven," there’s something quite inhumane: many things require lining up.

For instance, completing daily tasks like post-hitting requires lining up. Likewise, the test requires lining up.

If it were another game, they’d just create separate instances that don’t interfere with each other.

"Reverse Heaven" even optimizes its queue system: players must obtain a queue number from an NPC. Then, the screen shows the current queue and call status.

Once your number is called, you must arrive at the specified location within the given time to complete the test; otherwise, you need to line up all over again.

The only humane setting is that players can do other tasks while waiting, like meditation, Qi refining, sparring, or checking the auction house.

Chen Tingquan and his two companions each took a number and instantly regretted it.

"What’s with 57 people ahead in line and an estimated wait time of 32 minutes!

"This damn test only lasts 30 minutes in total!"