Reincarnation of The Strongest Sword God

761-780

Chapter 761 - Visit from Various Parties

In the spacious Special Forging Room, Shi Feng carefully took out the Philosopher's Stone and placed it on the stone table. He then began his Alchemical Synthesis.

"Hopefully, 10,000 Magic Crystals will be enough." Shi Feng still felt a slight sting he saw the synthesis success rate of 50%.

During the war in the Stoneclaw Mountains, the Mana Pulse Cannon had needed to consume 1,000 Magic Crystals for each shot.

Aqua Rose had fired the cannon over 30 times.

Although it had been magnificently effective, over half of Zero Wing's Magic Crystal supply had been depleted during the war. Now, the Guild had barely 15,000 Magic Crystals remaining, and he was about to use another 10,000. Even to Zero Wing, this expenditure was considerable.

While Shi Feng synthesized Mana Stones, Fire Dance sat out of his way and watched quietly.

When will I truly become an asset to Guild Leader? When Fire Dance recalled the danger she had faced during this war, frustration filled her heart.

If not for Shi Feng, the Flower of Seven Sins would have wiped out Zero Wing's main force.

Despite having an advantage in Attributes, she had been utterly helpless against that Seven Sins party leader.

Although their Guild had won, they were still far from being a match for God's Domain's major powers.

---

Stone Forest Town:

After the war between the Star Alliance and Zero Wing, Stone Forest Town's atmosphere had transformed.

Originally, the various large Guilds had quietly eyed Stone Forest Town and waited for Zero Wing to suffer defeat. Once Zero Wing lost its prestige, the Guild would lose members. After that exodus, they simply needed to gang up on Zero Wing to obtain Stone Forest Town. However, their plans had vanished into thin air when the Star Alliance had been defeated.

Moreover, they had finally seen Zero Wing's true strength.

The Star Alliance had suffered over 50,000 casualties. The various Guilds' shared a similar death count. In total, the Star Alliance and the various large Guilds had lost over 100,000 elite players. In contrast, Zero Wing had only lost 4,128 members, while Ouroboros had only lost close to 30,000 members.

Based on the death counts of either side, Zero Wing's power was apparent.

Despite only dispatching an army of 10,000 elite players, Zero Wing had defeated an enemy several times its size. Meanwhile, Zero Wing had over 20,000 elite members in its midst.

With such strength, what Guild in Star-Moon Kingdom would dare to challenge Zero Wing?

The Star Alliance's fate served as the best example.

After the Star Alliance had been defeated, several thousand members had withdrawn from the Guild within an hour. Moreover, due to the disappearance of the upper echelons, despite the Guild Elders' attempts to stabilize the situation, over 30,000 players had left the Star Alliance. As time passed, this number would only increase.

Making a rough estimate, the various large Guilds guessed that the Star Alliance had lost at least 20 to 30% of its members from just this single war. It would be extremely difficult for the Guild to recover from such a huge loss.

Although Zero Wing and Ouroboros had both lost close to half their members in this war, they had recruited far more than those they had lost. Moreover, due to their overwhelming victory, both Guilds managed to collect plenty of weapons and equipment, filling their Guild Warehouses. Not only had the Guilds' prestige grown after this war, but they had also increased their overall strengths.

Many of the other Guilds grew envious of this situation.

As a result of this war, Ouroboros had also replaced the Star Alliance as Star-Moon City's overlord, becoming the city's number one Guild.

One was the number one Guild of Star-Moon City, while the other was the number one Guild of White River City.

With these Guilds working together, who would dare attack Stone Forest Town?

On the contrary, now that Zero Wing had already taken care of its main enemy, it shifted its concentration towards the other Guilds that plotted against it.

For a time, the various large Guilds that had joined hands with the Star Alliance felt an impending doom.

None of them knew what Zero Wing would do next.

Even if Zero Wing joined hands with Ouroboros and laid claim over the Stoneclaw Mountains, none of the other Guilds could do anything about it.

The Stoneclaw Mountains had become an important source of Magic Crystals for the various Guilds. If they were banished from Stone Forest Town, their harvest would be limited. They would stagnate.

Hence, immediately after the war, various Guild Leaders and upper echelons hurried to Zero Wing's Guild Residence in hopes of negotiating with Shi Feng.

However, Shi Feng did not have that much time to waste on these people. Hence, he had passed the responsibility to Aqua Rose.

Currently, the Guild Leaders and upper echelons from the various Star-Moon Kingdom Guilds occupied Zero Wing's residential reception hall. Normally, these individuals were extremely secretive about their intentions, and arranging a meeting was rare. Yet, now, all these powerful individuals sat obediently, waiting for their turn.

"Next!" Xiao Zhao, Aqua Rose's female assistant, shouted in the reception hall.

Immediately, Unparalleled, the Guild Leader of the second-rate Guild Heaven's Gate, stood and walked into Zero Wing's meeting room.

Unparalleled was a Level 34 Ranger. He wore Level 30 Fine-Gold rank or above equipment. He was an expert who had reached the Trial Tower's sixth floor. In an ordinary NPC city, he would be considered one of the top experts. Unfortunately, in front of Aqua Rose, he was no one special.

Heaven's Gate was a second-rate Guild that occupied two cities within Star-Moon Kingdom. Even here, it was a relatively powerful Guild. However, when Unparalleled entered the meeting room, he had no choice but to show Aqua Rose proper respect.

Heaven's Gate was indeed the overlord of two cities. However, those cities' total player population had not yet reached 400,000. On the other hand, White River City's population closed in on 5,000,000. Moreover, the city housed numerous elite and expert players. Other cities could not compare to White River City.

"Guild Leader Unparalleled, let's not waste each other's time. Here's the contract. If you have no issues with it, please sign here," Aqua Rose said as she took out a contract and handed it to Unparalleled.

The contract was quite simple. If Heaven's Gate wished to remain in Stone Forest Town, the Guild would have to hand over 15% of its total Magic Crystal income to Zero Wing. Otherwise, Heaven's Gate would be banished from Stone Forest Town.

At the end of the day, Stone Forest Town was just a town, not a city. It could only contain a limited number of players.

Initially, not many players had visited Stone Forest Town, so it had not mattered whether or not they collected fees from the various large Guilds. However, once mainstream players reached Level 30, the town would begin to see an influx of activity.

Hence, they could not just allow the other Guilds and players to occupy the town's limited space for nothing. They had to collect a small fee, similar to how cities charged entry fees. After all, they had not established a town for charity, but to increase their profits.

Of course, it was impossible for a town to collect an entry fee like cities. However, it was possible to adjust the repair fees and accommodation fees in Stone Forest Town. Guilds that did not sign Zero Wing's contract would experience doubled repair fees and tripled accommodation fees during their future visits to the town. For those who signed the contract, however, the rates would remain the same.

"You bastards!!" Unparalleled paled. He had never imagined that Zero Wing's demands would be so vicious. This contract was an agreement to join Zero Wing's labor force!

"If you have nothing else to say, then please leave." Aqua Rose gestured towards the door. 

Chapter 762 - Grandmaster Forger

Unparalleled never thought that Aqua Rose would not show any intention of persuading him at all. With no better choice, he could only sign the contract.

Currently, over a hundred Guilds had come to Zero Wing's Residence in Stone Forest Town, and over a dozen of them were second-rate Guilds. Who knew which Guild had signed Zero Wing's contract, and which had not?

It would be fine if nobody signed a contract with Zero Wing. However, if some did while others did not, those who did not sign it would definitely fall behind in their development at the Stoneclaw Mountains.

After all, the rest stop known as Stone Forest Town was simply too beneficial for the purpose.

On one hand, members of Guilds that signed the contract needed to travel only about an hour to reach the Regional Dungeon. On the other hand, players from Guilds that did not sign it had a travel time of over a dozen hours. The former would have a tremendous advantage over the latter, whether it was in terms of revival point or equipment repair.

If the situation persisted, what would become of the second-rate Guilds that did not sign the contract?

Magic Crystal was now the most critical resource after Coins.

Even after handing over 15% of its Magic Crystals, a Guild would still earn substantially more than the alternative should they abandon the assistance of Stone Forest Town.

In the end, the choice was obvious.

It seems that from now on, nobody will be able to stop Zero Wing's development in Star-Moon Kingdom, Unparalleled thought as he left the meeting room. When he saw the reception hall packed full of Guild representatives, he could not help but sigh inwardly.

In truth, they should already consider themselves lucky.

Unlike them, the dozen or so Guilds that had secretly assisted the Star Alliance did not even get the opportunity to sign the contract. Zero Wing had immediately banished these Guilds from Stone Forest Town after the war ended.

In the future, these Guilds would most likely not be able to develop themselves at the Stoneclaw Mountains even if they wanted to.

On the other hand, due to this contract, Zero Wing's income in Magic Crystals would increase by two- or threefold at the very minimum.

Originally, the Guild's daily income of Magic Crystals was already plenty frightening—enough to supply the daily needs of every core member within the Guild. This provision was a feat no other Guild could achieve.

If Zero Wing's Magic Crystal supply doubled or tripled, the Guild's core members wouldn't be the only ones to receive Magic Crystals from the Guild. The Guild's elite members would be able to get a share too. At that time, even Zero Wing's elite members would improve rapidly.

---

Inside one of the Special Forging Rooms of the Candlelight Trading Firm, Shi Feng finished synthesizing 100 Mana Stones after two hours. The amount of Magic Crystals he had expended was somewhat lower than he had initially expected—only over 8,000 crystals.

The Mana Stones placed on the table looked splendorous. Just their presence increased the Mana density within the entire room significantly. Although the Mana Stones were merely the size of a fist, they contained a frightening amount of Mana. If fully utilized, there was enough Mana here to turn the entire Stone Forest Town into ash instantly.

My job's finally done. Next up will be repairing Thousand Transformations. Shi Feng carefully put away the 100 Mana Stones. He then looked towards Fire Dance and said, "Let's go. We're going to visit a smithy."

Although Fire Dance had no idea why they were going to a smithy, she still followed after Shi Feng immediately, leaving behind the serene and elegant Special Forging Room.

Shi Feng first stored the Philosopher's Stone back in his Warehouse. He then took an advanced horse carriage with Fire Dance and headed towards Seliora's smithy.

To ordinary players, even meeting a Master Forger was already a tough challenge. As for meeting a Grandmaster Forger, that was practically a dream.

However, no one less than a Grandmaster Forger could repair a weapon like Thousand Transformations.

Besides Seliora, Shi Feng had never heard of another Grandmaster Forger in Star-Moon Kingdom.

If he had not been lucky enough to help Seliora become a Grandmaster Forger, Shi Feng would most likely be having a massive headache at this moment over figuring out how to get Thousand Transformations repaired.

Shi Feng did not know that, when Galaxy Past had obtained Thousand Transformations, he had been extremely elated. He had even mobilized the entire Star Alliance to search for a Grandmaster Forger. Unfortunately, even after scouring the length and breadth of Star-Moon Kingdom, they could not find any trace of a Grandmaster Forger within the kingdom. In the end, he had no choice but to give up on the endeavor.

If Galaxy Past were to find out that Shi Feng was able to locate one so casually, he would definitely have a heart attack. Not only had he failed to use the item that he had obtained after going through many difficulties, but he had also given his enemy an advantage.

When Shi Feng arrived before Seliora's smithy, the large steel door of the little house was still shut tight. There was not a single player or NPC present in this place.

After he gave the steel door a few knocks, a gap cracked open.

"Oh, it's you," Seliora mumbled. She then opened the door and said, "Come in."

At this moment, Seliora had a sleepy look on her face. She had on a tight, black leather shirt and short, black leather pants. Not only was her appearance extremely sexy, but she also looked like a lazy kitten that had not gotten enough sleep. To the ordinary male, her demeanor was pure temptation. Even Fire Dance was mesmerized by Seliora, her eyes fixed on the Grandmaster Forger's body.

"Fire Dance! Fire Dance!" After entering the house, Shi Feng discovered that Fire Dance still hadn't moved. And even after he called out to her twice, she remained dazed.

Shi Feng could not help but shake his head and laugh at this scene.

Seliora was a rose in the forging world. A countless number of young males had tried courting her before, including the prince of an empire. One could see just how amazing Seliora was.

However, Seliora's attractiveness lay not just in her appearance. There was also her temperament. Lookswise, Seliora was only on par with Gentle Snow, whereas figurewise, she was on par with Zhao Yueru. Generally speaking, Seliora's appearance was not enough to seduce a great beauty like Fire Dance. Seliora had only managed to captivate Fire Dance due to her unique temperament.

If Shi Feng were still the young sapling that he had been back then, Seliora would have most likely sucked out his soul already. Unfortunately, Shi Feng was no longer the same as before. His willpower had long since grown to surpass ordinary people's.

He quickly flicked Fire Dance's forehead.

"Guild Leader?" Fire Dance covered her reddened forehead with her hands, confused about Shi Feng's actions.

"The fact that Seliora mesmerized you shows that your training is deficient. After we return, we'll need to make sure you properly cultivate your willpower," Shi Feng explained slowly. "Fortunately, the one you encountered right now is Seliora. If you were to encounter Medusa, you would have most likely been petrified by now."

Medusa was one of God's Domain's Ten Great Beauties. She was also one of the legendary figures in God's Domain. Even without using any Skills, Medusa could make countless expert players surrender themselves to her, regardless of gender.

Fire Dance nodded wordlessly. Inwardly, however, she was very curious as to why Seliora would suddenly enthrall her.

"Being mesmerized is not a problem. The great characters and powerful monsters in God's Domain have already reached an extremely high level of mental strength. Even without doing anything, they can affect a player's mental state. This is your first time encountering a great character like Seliora, so your reaction is very normal," Shi Feng explained.

In truth, with Fire Dance's mental strength and willpower, Seliora should not have been able to mesmerize her so easily. Only, the current Seliora was no longer the Seliora Shi Feng had known in the past. Instead, she was now a Grandmaster Forger.

Through normal identification, Shi Feng could see only Seliora's name. Both her Level and Tier were in question marks.

Even after utilizing Omniscient Eyes, the only additional information Shi Feng managed to obtain was Seliora's Level and class.

[Seliora] (Human, Grandmaster Forger)

Level 200

HP ? ? ? ? ? ?/ ? ? ? ? ? ?

"Speak. Why have you come looking for me?" Seliora asked as she tidied up her forging materials.

If it were any other player, Seliora would've most likely chased them away by now. However, Shi Feng was the player who had helped her become a Grandmaster Forger. Hence, he received better treatment from her.

"I wish to have this weapon repaired," Shi Feng said. He then took out Thousand Transformations from his bag.

With just a single glance, Seliora's eyes immediately widened when she saw the broken sword.

"The Flawed Weapon Thousand Transformations! This is great! With this, I can finally complete the weapon I designed before!" Seliora instantly appeared in front of Shi Feng and snatched Thousand Transformations out of his hands, her eyes flashing with excitement. 

Chapter 763 - Legendary Quality

Before Shi Feng could even react, Thousand Transformations was already in Seliora's hand.

There, Thousand Transformations underwent massive changes. The Mana in their surroundings suddenly began surging towards the Flawed Weapon. In Seliora's hand, Thousand Transformations seemed as if it were alive.

Is this the ability of a Grandmaster Forger? Shi Feng was surprised.

Shi Feng had encountered other Grandmaster Forgers in the past. However, these Grandmasters would never display their abilities before commoners like himself.

Hence, this was his first time witnessing a Grandmaster Forger's ability on display.

A forger made weapons and equipment. Their understanding of weapons and equipment was most likely much greater than that of the users themselves.

Despite this clearly being Seliora's first time wielding Thousand Transformations, Shi Feng could sense that her compatibility rate with the Flawed Weapon was at an extremely frightening level.

If the Abyssal Blade could display 80% of its true power while in Shi Feng's hand, then Thousand Transformations could display 120% of its true power while in Seliora's.

This scene fascinated Fire Dance too.

Thousand Transformations was a short sword. Even though Seliora was clearly not an Assassin, Thousand Transformations seemed more like a living being rather than an inanimate object as she wielded it.

When Seliora gave Thousand Transformations a few casual swings, the Flawed Weapon sent ripples through space. Despite having already lost most of its power, Thousand Transformations still managed to tear through the space within the house, leaving behind numerous pitch-black spatial rifts.

Even with Killing Ray, Shi Feng's swings could never achieve such a standard.

In the next moment, Fire Dance suddenly unsheathed the Truefire Blades that hung at her waist, brandishing them. As she swung the weapons, her body movements contained not a single bit of excess motion. The speed of the Truefire Blades suddenly increased sharply, Fire Dance's Attack Speed accelerating significantly. Moreover, her attacks were no longer as rigid as before. They now seemed much more relaxed.

"What?!" Shi Feng was thunderstruck.

Fire Dance had only watched Seliora do a few swings, yet she actually managed to break through the final barrier and officially set foot into the realm of top-tier experts. Her power of comprehension was simply too frightening.

So this is the Refinement Realm. No wonder I never could win against Guild Leader! There was actually such a large gap between us. Fire Dance was still reliving the pleasure she felt just now as she looked at the Truefire Blades in her hands.

Shi Feng sighed with emotion at seeing Fire Dance officially enter the Realms of Refinement.

He had spent many years before managing to set foot into the Refinement Realm. On the other hand, Fire Dance had succeeded in less than two months after coming into contact with God's Domain. Her talent was simply extraordinary. Although some luck was involved in her achievement, luck was also a part of a person's strength. If it were anybody else, they probably couldn't set foot into this realm within such a short time.

Now, Zero Wing finally had its second Refinement expert. This would have an immense impact on Zero Wing's combat power.

As soon as Fire Dance reached Level 40, she would be able to equip both the Petrified Thorn and Thousand Transformations. At that time, even if Shi Feng was not around, Zero Wing would still be an existence that everyone would fear in Star-Moon Kingdom.

It would be great if Violet Cloud can set foot into the Realms of Refinement as well. Shi Feng was not particularly sure how far Fire Dance could reach in the future. With Violet Cloud, however, Shi Feng knew very clearly just how great a potential she had.

Tier 6 God-ranked players were peak existences in God's Domain.

Not to mention a Tier 6 God-ranked player, if a first-rate Guild managed to produce even one Tier 5 player, the Guild would celebrate and hold feasts for days.

In the past, after a decade of development in God's Domain, the gap between first-rate Guilds became extremely massive.

Take Ouroboros for example. Even after ten years had passed, the Guild had not boasted a single Tier 6 God-ranked member, though there were quite a few Tier 5 players in the Guild. As a result, Ouroboros was only middling among first-rate Guilds. However, a first-rate Guild that had a Tier 6 God-ranked member would be considered top-tier among first-rate Guilds—even if the entire Guild had only one Tier 6 God-ranked player and no Tier 5 experts.

Meanwhile, due to Aqua Rose and her Mage God friend, Unyielding Ice, Twilight Echo, which had similarly been a first-rate Guild, succeeded in developing into a super-first-rate Guild back then, only a short distance away from becoming a Super Guild.

This potential was the amazing part about Tier 6 God-ranked experts.

As long as Violet Cloud and Aqua Rose continued striving, it was only a matter of time before the both of them set foot into the Realms of Refinement.

After Seliora finished toying around with Thousand Transformations, she turned to Shi Feng and asked, "Are you trying to get this short sword repaired?"

"Mhm. I've already prepared the materials needed to repair it." Saying so, Shi Feng took out the 100 Mana Stones from his bag.

"As your friend, I don't recommend you repair this sword," Seliora said seriously. "Although I am not sure what managed to destroy a Flawed Weapon like this, and although the divine runes engraved on Thousand Transformations are still mostly intact, this sword is already dead. Even if you repair it, the weapon won't be able to display its original strength. After all, Flawed Weapons are essentially failed products."

"I still wish to have it repaired. A damaged Flawed Weapon is still not bad." Shi Feng naturally knew about the problem plaguing Thousand Transformations. This problem was the reason why Feather had switched out Thousand Transformations for a better weapon back then. However, Thousand Transformations was not an ordinary Epic Weapon. Even if it could not recover its peak state, it would still be significantly stronger than an ordinary Epic Weapon.

"I'm not finished speaking. If you were to bring this thing to anybody else, they would repair Thousand Transformations and leave you with a barely usable weapon at most. However, after researching the Broken Steel Set Equipment Forging Design you left with me last time, I received plenty of inspiration and produced several weapons, gaining tremendous experience. The Famed Smith that made Thousand Transformations originally intended it to be a Legendary Weapon. However, due to some error in the forging process, the final result was unsatisfactory. Even so, the raw materials used to make Thousand Transformations were extremely precious Legendary ranked materials. As long as I recast it, it might end up becoming a true Legendary Weapon," Seliora said proudly.

"Recast into a Legendary Weapon?" Shi Feng was stunned.

He never imagined that Seliora actually possessed such remarkable capabilities.

Legendary Weapons were weapons that only Famed Smiths and Craftsman Forgers could produce. The probability of a Grandmaster Forger producing one was abysmally low.

After playing God's Domain for over a decade, Shi Feng had never once heard of a Grandmaster Forger successfully producing a Legendary Weapon.

"That's right. Of course, there are some risks as well. If the recasting fails...the weapon will naturally end up scrapped," Seliora said sternly.

"What is the success rate?" Shi Feng asked.

"Hmm... Roughly 20%. How about it? Pretty high, right? An Epic Weapon has a 20% chance to become a Legendary Weapon. This is a trade that you'll never be able to find anywhere else," Seliora said as she puffed her chest out proudly.

"I'll stick with repairing it," Shi Feng said definitively.

What a joke! Only a 20% chance of success meant an 80% chance of failure. If it were three or five years later, not to mention 20%, even if there was only a 5% chance, he would willingly take the gamble. Now, however, he could not afford to do so.

Currently, the value of an Epic Weapon was in no way inferior to a Legendary Weapon. How could he possibly let Seliora turn one into scrap metal? 

Chapter 764 - Epic Hidden Quest

"Don't be in such a rush. I'm still not done speaking." Seliora wagged her finger at Shi Feng as if she'd guessed his thoughts. Laughing softly, she added, "Although there is only a 20% chance for it to become a Legendary Weapon, that doesn't mean that the other 80% will be a failure."

"What do you mean?" Shi Feng asked uncertainly.

Fire Dance didn't understand Seliora's words, either.

"I've already said that the materials used to produce Thousand Transformations are very high-quality, but because of some small defects, it did not become a Legendary Weapon. If I recast it, then there is a 20% chance it will evolve into a Legendary Weapon, as well as a 50% chance it will become a Fragmented Legendary Weapon but never an actual Legendary Weapon. As for the remaining 30%, the recasting will end up a complete failure, and Thousand Transformations will turn into scrap metal," Seliora explained slowly. "Now you should understand what I'm trying to say, right? Are you sure you are fine with just repairing it?"

Shi Feng and Fire Dance were both stunned for a long time.

"Really?" Shi Feng sought further confirmation, thinking that he had heard wrong earlier.

Not to mention upgrading Thousand Transformations into a Legendary Weapon, just turning it into a Fragmented Legendary Weapon was already an unbelievable notion.

Currently, the various large Guilds and major powers in God's Domain were frantically searching for traces of Epic Weapons. Who knew whether they could even obtain one?

Fragmented Legendary items were practically godly weapons to players right now.

It was just like the Heavenly Dragon's Breath he had obtained, which could raise his personal combat power by a large margin. However, the Heavenly Dragon's Breath was only a ring. If it were a weapon, the improvement it could bring him would be dreadfully high.

Legendary items could give players the ability to challenge opponents of a higher Tier. Tier 1 could go up against Tier 2, Tier 2 against Tier 3, and Tier 3 against Tier 4.

Meanwhile, a Fragmented Legendary item might not allow players to challenge opponents one Tier higher than themselves, but it would still increase a player's strength by a large margin.

Although Fire Dance was already in the Refinement Realm and she possessed combat power at the peak of Tier 1, she was still no match for a Lord ranked monster of the same Level at the moment.

The purpose of combat techniques was to give players the ability to exert their own combat power. Take an ordinary player for example. Even if said ordinary player were fully geared in top-tier equipment and their system combat power value was at 1,000 points, so long as their combat techniques only allowed them to exert 20% of their combat power, then their actual combat power value was only 200 points. On the other hand, expert players could bring out more of their combat power in battle. An expert player who could exert 50% of their combat power in battle would have 300 points in actual combat power value when wearing shabby equipment and having a system combat power value of only 600 points.

However, a person's combat power was only half of what determined a battle's outcome. The other half was external environmental factors. Ordinary players failed to exploit their surroundings. Expert players, on the other hand, were adept at using the environment to their advantage. This knack was another major difference between ordinary players and expert players.

Should an ordinary player and an expert player of the same Level fight against each other, the outcome of the battle was self-evident. Even if the expert player had poorer equipment, the victory would still belong to the expert player.

Fire Dance's normal combat power was only at the peak of Tier 1. In a situation where she lacked any advantage in environmental factors or any special Skills or tools, a frontal clash with a Lord of the same Level would only end in her loss. After all, Fire Dance's limit was the peak of Tier 1. Even if she could exert 100% of her combat power, defeating a Lord ranked monster, which was equivalent to a Tier 2 class, would be impossible for her.

However, as long as Fire Dance equipped a Fragmented Legendary Weapon, she would immediately gain the combat power of a Tier 2 class. She would then be capable of soloing a Lord.

"What's your decision now?" Seliora asked with a smile on her face.

"Since there's a 50% chance for it to become a Fragmented Legendary Weapon, let's recast it, then." After giving it some thought, Shi Feng still decided to gamble.

Not only was there a 50% chance to upgrade Thousand Transformations into a Fragmented Legendary Weapon, but there was even a 20% possibility for the Flawed Weapon to become a true Legendary Weapon.

Moreover, although Epic Weapons were currently extremely precious and could improve a player's combat power considerably, an Epic Weapon would not provide Fire Dance with the combat power she needed to go up against a Lord—even if she wielded two Epic Weapons.

Without the Heavenly Dragon's Breath, Shi Feng's combat power would directly decrease by at least 40%. In such a case, he would not last even a single exchange with Sky of the Flower of Seven Sins.

Such was the strength of Fragmented Legendary items.

If Fire Dance could obtain one herself, rather than improvement, her strength would undergo a metamorphosis. If Thousand Transformations became a Legendary item, once Fire Dance equipped it, her strength would most likely surpass even Shi Feng's.

"Since you've already decided, then go prepare the materials." Seliora nodded.

Sure enough, the game won't give away a Fragmented Legendary Weapon so easily. Shi Feng smiled bitterly.

God's Domain was particular about fairness. Gains and losses came in equal proportion. No matter how Shi Feng thought about it, it was simply impossible for him to turn the broken sword he had casually picked up into a Fragmented Legendary Weapon for no cost whatsoever.

"The Mana Stones should be sufficient already. However, it is extremely difficult to melt down Legendary ranked materials. Although I have some of the materials I need here at my place, after conducting my previous few experiments, I've already used up all of my Inferno Gold. Go and collect ten more pieces of it for me," Seliora said, smiling. Her eyes gleamed as if she saw a rich tycoon when she looked at Shi Feng.

System: Epic Hidden Quest "Recast Thousand Transformations" accepted.

Quest content: Collect ten pieces of Inferno Gold.

Quest reward: Seliora will recast the Flawed Weapon Thousand Transformations for you.

"Ten pieces of Inferno Gold?! Does it have to be this vicious?!" Shi Feng felt his stomach aching when he heard the system notification.

"Guild Leader, I've just checked, but there's no mention of Inferno Gold on either the official forums or our Guild's database. Where are we supposed to find this thing?" Wanting to share some of Shi Feng's burden, Fire Dance had searched through Zero Wing's database for Inferno Gold. However, she came away empty-handed.

God's Domain had an extremely enormous amount of information for players to process. However, aside from basic information, the official game developers did not provide players with anything else. Players had to depend on themselves to search for the information they wanted through the Libraries, ruins, and other such places.

For convenience, the various large Guilds had tasked individuals to collect information in the game after entering God's Domain and compile it into a single database. The upper echelons of Guilds could then search this database for the information they wanted. After Shi Feng established Zero Wing, the Guild naturally had tasked certain members with collecting all sorts of information and integrating it into the Guild database.

This was also the reason why players always crowded the entrance of Libraries. Most of these players were not suited to battle but were suited to information gathering. They would also often visit the Libraries of various cities to collect information, because the information stored in Libraries were not uniform, with some Libraries having information that other Libraries did not.

Only Zero Wing's members could access its database. However, the level of information available to them would also differ depending on the individual's rank within the Guild. For example, as the Commander of Zero Wing's main force, Fire Dance had first-level authority to the Guild database, which was beneath only Shi Feng's top-level authority. 

Chapter 765 - Grinding Field Bosses

Shi Feng simply chuckled in response to Fire Dance's worries.

Inferno Gold was beyond current players.

Only Master Forgers or better could use Inferno Gold. It was used specifically to melt materials, particularly extremely rare materials such as those of Epic or Legendary rank.

A single ingot was worth as much as an Epic item as it was a necessary component in crafting Epic and Legendary items.

In his previous life, Shi Feng had often led teams to farm Inferno Gold. However, Inferno Gold was hard to find, and they had never managed to collect much at all.

Only Field Bosses has a chance to drop the ingots. Moreover, the Bosses had to be Level 50 Great Lords or above.

Level 50 Field Great Lords were extremely rare in God's Domain. These monsters were walking treasure troves, so Guilds with sufficient strength would dispatch their forces to kill these Great Lords upon encountering or receiving information on one.

Meanwhile, Field Great Lords' Inferno Gold drop-rate was not particularly high, averaging around 3%. Because Master Forgers needed the ingots to produce Epic Weapons, Inferno Gold's market price had only increased as time passed in the past.

Scanning through Zero Wing's current database, it was natural that Fire Dance had not discovered anything regarding the valuable metal. She would find less than nothing if she scanned the internet.

I need to find time to update the Guild's database. Fire Dance's question had reminded Shi Feng.

In God's Domain, players who joined Guilds would have access to three main benefits: expert nurturing, the Guild Warehouse, and the Guild's database.

These benefits were also the three main criteria most independent players based their decisions on when choosing a Guild.

Needless to say, any Guild that wished to grow stronger needed its own experts. However, it was extremely difficult to develop experts. Ordinary Guilds would not have the necessary means; only first-rate Guilds and above had the appropriate environment.

After all, the task that required a lot of manpower and resources. It was as costly as the upkeep of an entire first-rate Guild. Second-rate Guilds' backgrounds weren't strong enough. Although second-rate Guilds received financial support from corporations as well, they received far less funding than first-rate Guilds. Maintaining normal operations already taxed their budgets. Second-rate Guilds never had enough time or money to nurture experts.

This was also the reason why there was such a massive gap between first-rate and second-rate Guilds.

Meanwhile, a Guild's Warehouse allowed members easy access to the equipment and items they needed. Unlike independent players, Guild players did not need to purchase items from Auction Houses or trading firms. Usually, a Guild Warehouse also offered a wider array of items.

A Guild's database was even more valuable to players. Generally, players needed to look for clues regarding the whereabouts of quest-related items themselves, which required a lot of time. Fortunately, Guilds usually had players who specialized in collecting such information. Guild members could easily obtain the information they needed by accessing the Guild's database, saving precious time. This was one of the reasons that Guild players leveled up much faster than independent players.

Veteran Guilds in the virtual gaming world would strike at these three factors when entering a new game. Hence, many players preferred joining well-known, long-standing Guilds.

However, there were differences between each Guilds' information. Moreover, collecting and registering information was not easy as it had to be transcribed in the Guild's database by hand. Meanwhile, every Library in God's Domain contained an overwhelming amount of information. Transcribing it all into the Guild's database was a vast project that needed a lot of manpower.

Although Aqua Rose had invested a lot of effort into developing Zero Wing's database, at the end of the day, Zero Wing was merely an upstart Guild that had only recently established. Naturally, it could not compete with other large Guilds in terms of resources. Hence, its database was inferior to those long-standing Guilds that had spread their roots throughout God's Domain.

"Knowledge is power" was a suitable term in God's Domain.

If Zero Wing's current database had even half of the information Shadow had ten years ago, Zero Wing's strength would soar.

Although Shi Feng could not remember every shred of information Shadow had collected, he remembered how to acquire a few Hidden Quests and rare materials. If he recorded this information in the Guild's database, it would be a massive help to Zero Wing's upper echelons and the Candlelight Trading Firm.

Moreover, thanks to his Demon Hunter title, Shi Feng was a World Noble. He could easily visit the Libraries of various major cities without needing to complete quests and grind for Reputation. He could also take others with him into a Library. With this, Zero Wing could send at least one person to every Library in God's Domain. The Guild would be able to gather information even faster than a first-rate Guild. It wouldn't be long before Zero Wing surpassed their first-rate neighbors.

While Shi Feng pondered, his system communicator rang.

Phoenix Rain, who had not reached out to him for quite some time, waited for him to accept the call.

"Guild Leader Black Flame, congratulations on your victory in the Stoneclaw Mountains. With this, you have stabilized Zero Wing's position in Stone Forest Town. Really though, you are full of surprises. You actually managed to join the top 100 on the God's Domain Experts List. I doubt that there is any major power in God's Domain that hasn't heard of you now," Phoenix Rain said, chuckling.

"May I know what business you have with me?" Shi Feng did not think that Phoenix Rain had called him just to congratulate him.

"It's nothing urgent. Your first opponent for the Dark Arena has been decided, so I've called to notify you." Phoenix Rain revealed a charming smile that could melt one's heart. "The fight will be in three days. The venue is in the Fire Dragon Empire's imperial capital. Don't be late. I'm eager to earn some money off of you."

"Who's our opponent?" Shi Feng asked.

"Ah, I nearly forgot. It's a battle team called Glorious Lions. Everlasting War is their leader. This battle team has already won twice in a row, so it is very strong. I'll send you the information we have on them in a moment," Phoenix Rain said before disconnecting the call.

"Everlasting War is my opponent?" Shi Feng could not help his smile when he heard this name. He had originally planned to join the Glorious Lions Battle Team. He had never imagined that they would be his opponents. Immediately, he turned to Fire Dance. "Fire, contact the main force members and have them gather in Star-Moon City. Tell them to bring all of the Barrier Crystals and Nine-star Polar Domain Magic Scrolls we have left. We're going to grind Bosses."

Currently, the various large Guilds were either busy in the Stoneclaw Mountains or Team Dungeons, so they were not particularly focused on hunting Field Bosses, not to mention Level 50 Field Great Lords. Guilds typically avoided such Bosses like the plague.

With the strength of Zero Wing's main force, killing a Level 50 Field Great Lord was practically a dream.

Fortunately, they had the Nine-star Polar Domain Magic Array. Shi Feng could think of a few Level 50 Field Great Lords they could test their strength on.

Previously, to avoid the Flower of Seven Sins's assassins, Zero Wing's main force had taken a break from leveling, hiding safely in the city. Hence, their Levels were not particularly high.

There were no level restrictions or strength suppression in the Dark Arena. Even a difference of one level could lead to a huge difference in Attributes. Zero Wing was at a disadvantage. Hence, he needed to raise everyone's levels as quickly as possible.

By killing these Bosses, not only could he farm for Inferno Gold, but he could also help his team level up, killing two birds with one stone.

"Understood! I'll notify them right away! Everyone will be excited to hear this!" Fire Dance burst with energy. It had been a very long time since Shi Feng had taken them along to kill Bosses. Moreover, after breaking through into the Refinement Realm, her strength had improved significantly. She could use these Bosses to get used to her new strength. 

Chapter 766 - Asura Battle Team

Beast Empire, Beast City:

As the imperial capital of an empire, Beast City was far more prosperous than Star-Moon City. Moreover, its territory was vast. It ranked near the top, even among the many empires on the continent of God's Domain.

Beast City's player population alone exceeded ten million. The city had even more elite and expert players than White River City and Star-Moon City combined.

Although there were five first-rate Guilds in Beast City, the imperial capital's true ruler was the Super Guild Battle Wolves. All five of these first-rate Guilds submitted to Battle Wolves' rules. They were only allowed to develop in Beast City after signing an agreement with the Super Guild. Otherwise, the massive Guild would have chased them out of the city long ago.

---

Inside Battle Wolves's Guild Residence:

"Leader, our opponent for the next match has been decided. Here is a list of their names and the information we have gathered," the Vice-Leader of the Glorious Lions Battle Team, Journey Leave, reported as he approached Everlasting War.

The report Journey Leave held was very thin as the folder only contained a single sheet of paper. Many of the battle team's members in the meeting room were confused.

"Vice-Leader, you couldn't have brought the wrong report, right? Why is there only one sheet of paper? Don't we usually have a stack for each team?" the other members asked curiously.

Journey Leave's report regarding the previous two battle teams they had faced had taken them nearly three days to analyze, yet their Vice-Leader held only a single sheet this time. No matter how they looked at it, that did not seem like their usual reports.

"This isn't a mistake; the battle team we're facing this time has only recently joined the Dark Arena. This will be their debut match," Journey Leave confirmed.

When he had received the report, he, too, had his doubts. However, the intelligence department had confirmed that there was nothing wrong with the report, stating that their opponent was a new battle team. Aside from the battle team's leader, there was no information on any of the team's members.

"A new battle team?" Everlasting War's curiosity grew. He had not expected a new battle team to boldly challenge the Glorious Lions. "It seems that the battle team's employer is confident of their team. In any case, we should be careful. Journey, give us a general introduction."

Journey Leave nodded. He then opened the report on the meeting table and displayed it before his team members.

"This battle team is a new one, so, aside from some basic data on the registered team leader, we haven't uncovered any information. As of now, the other members have not been registered yet, and we have nothing on them.

"The battle team is called Asura, and it's led by Ye Feng. I researched this Team Leader myself. When God's Domain launched, he was relatively famous. He had once defeated a large Guild by himself, so he is very powerful. However, it has been a very long time since anyone has seen him. Even when I went to the Secret Pavilion to research him, I left empty-handed. He is a complete mystery. As for his exact strength right now, that is also unknown."

Journey Leave then played Shi Feng's battle video for everyone to watch. However, this battle video had been recorded before everyone had reached the cities. In the video, Ye Feng killed dozens of players by himself while inside the town.

Although Phoenix Rain had given Shi Feng full authority over the battle team, he had no intention of participating in the Dark Arena as Black Flame. Black Flame was a Guild Leader. Having a Guild Leader of a large Guild participate in a brawl would only make him a laughingstock. Hence, Shi Feng intended to use his true identity in the Dark Arena.

"What kind of report is this?"

"Is this a joke? Doesn't this mean that, aside from the battle team and the team leader's name, we know absolutely nothing?!"

"What is our intelligence department doing?! How old is this battle video? Ye Feng hadn't even reached Level 10 yet! Mainstream players are already reaching Level 30! Don't we have anything current on him?!"

The battle team's members demanded answers, one after another.

There was a massive gap between Level 10 and Level 30. The battle video could not be used as any kind of reference.

Journey Leave shook his head helplessly. He had also investigated Ye Feng. However, there was nothing to find. It was as if all traces of Ye Feng had vanished from God's Domain.

While everyone complained, Everlasting War sat back in a daze.

"Why is he the Asura Battle Team's team leader?" Everlasting War had tried to invite Shi Feng multiple times, hoping to recruit him as the Glorious Lions' Vice-Leader. Unfortunately, Hua Qiushui, the representative of the corporation backing the battle team, was adamant in modifying the contract and restricting the battle team's freedom. The result was Shi Feng's rejection.

Everlasting War had felt Shi Feng's strength personally. Although he had never exchanged moves with the young Swordsman, he knew that Shi Feng was a Refinement Realm expert. Shi Feng could even emit an intense pressure. Experts in the Refinement Realm were extremely rare in God's Domain. Most of these experts were relatively old. They weren't usually interested in such competitions. Thus, Refinement Realm experts were relatively rare even in the Dark Arena.

"Leader, do you know him?" the other team members asked curiously.

"Yes. Originally, Ye Feng was supposed to participate in the last audition. However, due to complications, he did not take part. I had never imagined that he would lead the Asura Battle Team. Now, we have to face him," Everlasting War said disappointedly. "His strength is the real deal. Although he is keeping a low profile, I suspect that he's a Refinement Realm expert. As for his weapons and equipment, it's been a long time since I've seen him. Even I am not sure how strong he has become."

At this moment, Hua Qiushui, who sat at the head of the table, wore a twisted expression.

Although she had forgotten about a minor character like Shi Feng, Everlasting War had reminded her.

The minor character that she had forgotten had become a leader of a battle team. Furthermore, his battle team was going to face her own.

If the Asura Battle Team won against the Glorious Lions, the other major corporations would take advantage of her humiliation.

Seeing Hua Qiushui's reaction, everyone quickly realized the severity of the situation.

Back when the Glorious Lions had held its auditions, Hua Qiushui had decided to change the battle team's requirements, restricting the team member's freedom. In reality, however, they had not lost much. Take Everlasting War for example. His restrictions were minimal.

"Leader, you're not the same player that you were before. This is just a brat in the Refinement Realm. After all of your special training, this will be child's play!" a team member joked.

However, this joke was also true.

The Super Guild Battle Wolves supported their battle team. Since they had begun participating in the Dark Arena, they had gained access to various resources. They didn't need to worry about top-tier weapons and equipment at all. They had even less worry about obtaining Skills. As for leveling up, they had a group of players who helped them gain levels rapidly. It was heaven. They only needed to improve on their combat techniques, thinking of ways to exert more of their strength.

They could also spar and receive guidance from the Super Guild's older generation. In the real world, they also received guidance from martial arts masters on a daily basis. Ever since joining the Glorious Lions Battle Team, their strengths had improved by leaps and bounds.

After two matches, the Glorious Lions Battle Team had earned quite a bit of fame in the Dark Arena. It would be a piece of cake to deal with a new battle team.

"Everlasting, for the upcoming competition, I only have one demand. You must annihilate the Asura Battle Team! You cannot go easy on them just because you know Ye Feng!" Hua Qiushui interjected as she turned to Everlasting War, her voice soft but commanding.

"I will always fight to my limits, regardless of my opponent. Please rest assured, Director Hua." Everlasting War could guess what was going through Hua Qiushui's mind. However, he wouldn't go easy on an opponent just because they were acquainted. The Dark Arena was his battlefield. On a battlefield, he would not show any enemy mercy.

Hearing Everlasting War's assurance, Hua Qiushui nodded in satisfaction.

---

Campbell Volcano:

After Shi Feng finished dealing with his matters, he led Zero Wing's main force to Campbell Volcano in search of Level 50 Great Lords.

"Guild Leader, I've found the Boss!" Minor Wind shouted in the team chat. 

Chapter 767 - Godly Skill for Grinding Monsters

"Alright, everyone gather over there!" Shi Feng commanded through the team chat.

Campbell Volcano was a Level 40 to Level 50 regional map in Star-Moon Kingdom and was famed for dropping Fire Resistance equipment.

However, the Campbell Volcano's environment was extremely severe.

Not only did the scorching temperatures increase the burden on players' Stamina significantly, but players also had to deal with a Debuff.

[High-temperature Environment]

All of your Basic Attributes have been decreased by 10%, flame damage received increased by 20%, and HP recovery rate decreased by 50%.

The monsters in Campbell Volcano's map all used fire-type Skills. Some monsters even dealt flame damage with their basic attacks. Due to the severe environment, even Common monsters were challenging opponents, not to mention the Elite and Boss monsters.

In the future, however, Campbell Volcano would become a favored destination. Many Workshops would grind here for Fire Resistance equipment, earning a fortune.

However, God's Domain's mainstream players had not yet reached Level 30, so ordinary players could not survive here.

Guild players were even less likely to visit this map.

This was primarily due to the two main Field Bosses that wandered about Campbell Volcano. Both Bosses were Level 50 Great Lords, and they would turn any player that ventured into Campbell Volcano to level up into a charred corpse.

"Guild Leader, that's the Boss," Minor Wind said as he pointed towards the massive bear sleeping in the magma-filled valley.

[Violent Flame Bear] (Elemental Being, Great Lord)

Level 50

HP 63,000,000/63,000,000

"Its HP is insane!" Blackie gulped.

This was the first time he had seen a Boss with such a high HP. How long would they have to spend to grind this Boss down?

The Violent Flame Bear was a Level 50 Great Lord. Depending on the Boss's Defense, after including the damage reduction due to the level suppression, their damage output would drop by at least 50%.

"Its HP isn't the only challenge. Don't forget about its environment. Look, we are surrounded by magma. If we accidentally touch the magma, the entire team will be in danger." Fire Dance quickly noticed that there were too few footholds for them to stand on. There was no way their MTs could dodge the Flame Bear's attacks properly.

A Level 50 Great Lord's Attack Power would definitely be astonishing. If their MTs did not have enough space to avoid attacks...

With Fire Dance's reminder, the team realized the crux of the problem.

The Great Lord was already absurdly strong. If it could use Skills that utilized the surrounding magma, they would not be surprised if they team-wiped.

Without extremely high Fire Resistance, the magma would reduce them to ashes in less than three seconds.

Fear ripped through the team as they were suddenly paralyzed.

"Cola, Ye Wumian, stand where the magma intersects. Everyone else, wait along the sides of the valley's entrance. I'll lure the Boss." Shi Feng could not help but laugh at his team's response.

If they threw themselves into battle, they would never defeat a Level 50 Great Lord.

It was especially true for the Violent Flame Bear. Due to the High-temperature Environment, the Flame Bear could even instant-kill a well-equipped Level 50 MT. Normally, only Tier 2 MTs could survive a Great Lord's attacks.

In addition, the Violent Flame Bear also had the team-wiping Skill Earth Fury. When activated, the Great Lord would execute an earth-shaking stomp. Although the Skill's damage was not particularly high, the stomp would create a magma tsunami that would devour all enemies within a 50-yard radius.

Even Shi Feng, with his high Fire Resistance, would lose 500 or 600 HP each second in the molten liquid. He'd be surprised if his teammates didn't lose 5,000 HP per second.

Among Zero Wing's main force members, even Cola would only last several seconds with all of his Lifesaving Skills active, much less everyone else.

In the past, to deal with the Violent Flame Bear, the various large Guilds had lost hundreds of 100-man teams.

These teams had consisted of Level 50 and above elite players. They had been much stronger than Zero Wing's main force.

Naturally, since Shi Feng had chosen to raid this Boss, he had a strategy to deal with it.

Shi Feng retrieved the Bible of Darkness and the Magic Amplification Scroll. He then summoned a Demon.

A Tier 3 Demon was the equivalent of a Great Lord. Although the Tier 3 Demon Shi Feng summoned would suffer the Debuff and wouldn't have any environmental advantages, it could still act as a meat shield.

A Level 53 Tomahawk Demon with 11,000,000 HP appeared before them, stupefying Zero Wing's main force. None of them had thought that Shi Feng could still summon a Tier 3 Demon.

A single Tier 3 Demon was far more useful than four or five Level 50, 100-man teams.

With this Demon, raiding the Violent Flame Bear would be much easier.

"Go!" Shi Feng directed the Tomahawk Demon to fly towards the Great Lord.

When the Tomahawk Demon was within 50 yards of the Flame Bear, the sleeping Great Lord discovered its presence. Suddenly, the Flame Bear opened its mouth, gathering an overwhelming surge of fire-type Mana in its mouth before releasing it.

Tier 2 Spell, Breath of Fire.

Instantly, a red beam of light lanced through the air towards the Tomahawk Demon.

The beam was too fast. Shi Feng already struggled to control the Demon. Hence, the red beam struck the Tomahawk Demon, sending it plunging into the molten magma.

-124,084!

The Violent Flame Bear's damage left everyone speechless.

With one move, the Flame Bear had managed to obliterate so much of the Demon's HP, regardless of the fact that it had as much Defense as a Great Lord of the same Level. If a player had received that attack, they would die instantly...

"Isn't it going to instant-kill us if we rush at it?" Cola unconsciously gulped when he saw the Demon plunge into the fiery liquid. He doubted whether he could even stop the Violent Flame Bear from moving past him.

However, while everyone was still in a daze, Shi Feng controlled the Tomahawk Demon to brandish its axe. The five-meter-tall battle axe transformed into a stream of light and slammed into the Great Lord's body.

Tier 2 Skill, Axe of Destruction!

-84,509!

Despite using a Tier 2 Skill, the Tomahawk Demon's attack was weaker than the Violent Flame Bear's. However, Shi Feng did not mind. After all, with him directing the Tomahawk Demon, he exerted less than 50% of the Skill's effect. He was satisfied with dealing over -80,000 damage.

"Gaoo!" The attack had clearly inflicted pain as bloodthirst flashed in the Flame Bear's ruby eyes. Immediately, it launched itself from the magma and charged towards the Tomahawk Demon.

"Good. It took the bait." Shi Feng then had the Tomahawk Demon rush towards the valley's entrance. "Cola, Ye Wumian, get ready. When the Flame Bear gathers Mana in its mouth, use Mock to attract its aggro and direct the Bear's attack towards the intersection where you're standing. Do not let it attack elsewhere."

The Violent Flame Bear's general attacks were limited to Flame Claws and Breath of Fire. Flame Claws was not an AOE attack, so the Tomahawk Demon could deal with it easily. Breath of Fire, on the other hand, was a straight-line AOE Spell. The Spell contained frighteningly destructive power, and any mishap could destroy the valley's entrance. This would put the other players in danger.

The Tomahawk Demon did not possess any aggro-holding Skills, so it could not control the direction of the Flame Bear's attack. They needed someone else to do the job. If Cola failed to attract the Great Lord's aggro, Ye Wumian could back him up.

As long as the valley's entrance remained intact, the high terrain could prevent everyone from drowning in magma when the Violent Flame Bear activated Earth Fury. With their HP, Zero Wing's main force members could easily handle Earth Fury's base damage.

"I understand." Cola nodded heavily.

Very quickly, Shi Feng lured the Violent Flame Bear to the valley's entrance. He then directed the Tomahawk Demon to pin the Great Lord down.

With the Tomahawk Demon's high Attack Power, no one could steal the Great Lord's aggro.

Time flew by.

Throughout the battle, Zero Wing's main force toyed with the Violent Flame Bear. Whenever it opened its mouth to use its breath attack, Cola provoked it. After the breath attack, the Tomahawk Demon would use a Tier 2 Skill to redirect the Great Lord's aggro. As for everyone else, they bombarded the Great Lord with attacks without a care in the world. After all, regardless of their damage, they could not outdamage the Tomahawk Demon.

When the Violent Flame Bear eventually executed Earth Fury, although its attack had caused the earth to tremble, and the team members had taken plenty of damage, they still had over half of their HP after the attack. As for the resulting magma wave, it stopped growing after it engulfed the mountain's lower half. It didn't come near Zero Wing's main force.

After a dozen or so minutes, Shi Feng activated Divine Providence and dealt the final blow.

The Violent Flame Bear released an agonized scream as it fell to the ground. A treasure trove appeared around its body. 

Chapter 768 - Summoning Flute

In God's Domain, killing a Field Boss for the first time would double its drop-rate. Hence, large Guilds loved to raid bosses on new maps.

Players had yet to develop C ell Volcano. All of its Bosses were untouched.

If anyone killed the Bosses here, they would obtain a treasure trove. Furthermore, Shi Feng had a Skill like Divine Providence, which greatly increased his Luck Attribute.

Despite Level 50 and above monsters having poor drop-rates, after Shi Feng applied Divine Providence, the Violent Flame Bear dropped a frightening amount of loot.

Not only did the Great Lord dropped over 20 items, but it had also given everyone a bounty of EXP. A Level 50 Great Lord already provided an abundant sum of EXP, but after including the bonus EXP for defeating a monster of a higher Level, some members even gained a full level, climbing from 32 to 33.

"The EXP is awesome! I gained 40% of a level after just a little over ten minutes of hard work! If I had to level up myself, I probably wouldn't even get this much after half a day of grinding. If we continue leveling up like this, it won't be long before we reach Level 40. We'll be able to buy our own Mounts!" Blackie could not help his excitement when he saw his experience bar.

He had never thought that a Field Great Lord would provide so much EXP. Even after splitting the Great Lord's EXP between 100 people, he obtained nearly half of an entire Level. He was already Level 33. He required a massive amount of EXP to level up. Even if he grinded and raided Dungeons nonstop, it would take him at least two or three days to reach Level 34.

Now, however, he only needed to kill two more Great Lords to reach Level 34. He could level faster than a rocket.

Shi Feng simply laughed and shook his head as he watched Blackie's reaction.

His friend was too optimistic. Although it was true that Field Bosses provided an abundance of EXP and that they had only taken a dozen minutes or so to defeat the Violent Flame Bear, Field Bosses were not Common monsters and were not easy to find. Take Campbell Mountain for example. There were only two Great Lords in this entire map. After these Bosses died, it would take them a day to respawn. They could not grind them indefinitely.

Moreover, they had been able to kill this Boss due to the Tier 3 Demon. Without the Tier 3 Demon tanking the Great Lord, with their current Level and equipment, killing a Level 50 Great Lord was impossible for them as they were.

"Guild Leader, what did the Boss drop?" Although Cola was similarly shocked by the EXP he had received, he was more interested in the Boss's loot.

Hearing Cola's question, everyone redirected their attention towards the loot as well.

A Great Lord ranked Boss's loot was a temptation to any Guild in God's Domain.

"The loot is alright. The Flame Bear dropped eight weapons and pieces of equipment. Among them, one is a Level 50 Dark-Gold ranked plate armor; one is a Dark-Gold ranked two-handed battle axe, and the rest are all Fine-Gold rank. However, this flute is the most precious item among the loot." After Shi Feng finished arranging the drops, he smiled as he revealed a silver flute.

Players were lucky if an ordinary Level 50 Great Lord dropped even ten items. It was only due to the first-kill bonus and Shi Feng's high Luck Attribute that the Violent Flame Bear had dropped over 20. Among the items, over half were rare materials. The materials were all good quality, and even an ingot of Inferno Gold, an item with an extremely low drop-rate, had dropped. They had definitely profited from this raid.

However, what had surprised Shi Feng the most was the appearance of the silver flute in his hands.

"Guild Leader, what's so special about this flute?" Even after examining it for a long moment, Aqua Rose could not see any peculiarities about the silver flute.

The others couldn't see anything special about it, either.

There was only one line of text introducing this silver flute.

[Broken Flute]

If they had picked up this item during a normal hunt, they would have sold it to an NPC as garbage.

"You guys have heard of Summoning Flutes, right?" Shi Feng smiled faintly as he provided a hint.

"What?! Guild Leader, are you saying this is a Mount?!" the Guardian Knight Turtledove shouted excitedly.

While everyone else relied on their own feet for travel, it would be absurdly awesome if she could ride a high-ranking Mount.

Mounts were still out of players' reach, and it wasn't only because of their low levels. The main issue was money. Even after reaching Level 40, players needed to 40 Gold to purchase a steed.

Even to expert players, 40 Gold was astronomical.

Furthermore, expert players would not be satisfied with a Common Mount. However, obtaining rarer mounts was extremely difficult. A Guild Mount also required a lot of time and resources to nurture. Hence, riding a high-ranking Mount right now was practically a dream.

Everyone began drooling over the silver flute in Shi Feng's hands.

"This flute should trigger a quest that rewards a Mount. The Mount should be Bronze rank at the very least. It might even be Mysterious-Iron rank." Shi Feng was relatively familiar with Mount Quests. A Mount Quest generally awarded a Bronze Mount. However, as they had obtained this flute by killing a Field Boss for the first time, the Mount Quest might even reward a Mysterious-Iron Mount. "Alright, which one of you wants it? We'll start the bidding at 50,000 GCPs."

In terms of Coins, 50,000 GCPs were worth roughly 150 Gold.

A Bronze Mount would cost far more than just 150 Gold. There was also a chance that this silver flute would yield a Mysterious-Iron Mount. If that were the case, the Mount would be worth several times more.

"Guild Leader, don't you want it? This is a high-ranking Mount!" Aqua Rose asked strangely.

Shi Feng was Zero Wing's Guild Leader. He was their Guild's face. He should be seen on the best Mount they could find.

Although she knew that the Guild had already captured a Mount, the Guild Stable had not been built yet. None of them could purchase a Guild Mount right now. Moreover, a Guild Mount only started out slightly stronger than a Common Mount. It was far from the prestige of a Bronze or Mysterious-Iron Mount.

"I already have one, so you can fight for it." Shi Feng smiled faintly. He had not told anyone that he had obtained an even better Mount when he had visited the Dark Den.

When everyone heard that Shi Feng would not participate in the auction, their hearts pounded as they frantically shouted their bids.

In just a short moment, the bidding had increased past 100,000 GCPs. However, this was only the beginning. As the main force's ordinary members reached their limits, Blackie, Fire Dance, Aqua Rose, Violet Cloud, Cola, and the other upper echelons joined the auction.

"One-hundred and forty thousand!"

"One-hundred and forty-five thousand!"

"One-hundred and fifty thousand!"

...

"Two-hundred and twenty thousand!"

As the upper echelons reached their limits, Aqua Rose shouted an offer that disappointed everyone present.

Aqua Rose did not normally utilize her Guild Contribution Points. She also often donated plenty of weapons and equipment to the Guild Warehouse. Hence, she had accumulated an immense amount of GCPs. Her offer instantly dismissed everyone's hopes.

If converted to Coins, 220,000 GCPs would be worth 660 Gold.

If other Guilds discovered that Aqua Rose had only spent 660 Gold to purchase a Mysterious-Iron Mount, they would be shocked. If it were up to them, they would not hesitate to spend 1,000 Gold on purchasing the Mount.

Following which, Shi Feng handed the silver flute to Aqua Rose as envy swept through the team.

Before she had even reached Level 40, Aqua Rose had obtained a high-ranking Mount. As soon as she reached Level 40, she could travel through God's Domain with ease.

"Alright, enough idling. Split up and search for the other Great Lord. Who knows? The next one might drop another Mount as well," Shi Feng said, laughing.

Shi Feng's words motivated everyone instantly as they began searching for the other Great Lord in Campbell Volcano. 

Chapter 769 - Levels Rising Rapidly

In the Stoneclaw Mountains:

A long-abandoned city rested within a circle of mountains. Tens of thousands of corpses belonging to both players and Half-orcs surrounded and littered this city.

Several hundred players stood at the city's entrance. They were all out of breath and covered in fresh blood.

"Flame Blood, revive the healers first. We'll continue after some rest," a man wearing deep-blue chainmail and carrying a longbow on his back commanded.

Flame Blood, whose white robes had long since been stained red with blood, immediately began reviving the fallen healers.

"Guild Leader, the respawn rate is simply too fast. We've only managed to clear out these Half-orcs after so much trouble. If we don't hurry and enter now, entering the city will become far more difficult," Daybreak Fog said anxiously, a tired expression on her face.

To enter this ruined city, Heaven's Burial had dispatched all of their elites, over 20,000 players.

Only after several hours of fighting had they eliminated the Half-orcs surrounding the ancient city. Overall, they had sacrificed over 20,000 elite players to deal with the tens of thousands of Elite Half-orcs, a Great Lord ranked Half-orc, and five High Lord ranked Half-orcs. If they did not venture into the city now, all the regret in the world would not help them when the monsters respawned.

"It doesn't matter. Even if they respawn, that Level 45 Great Lord won't be a problem. At most, we'll have to deal with those High Lords again. If we want to complete this quest, we need to stabilize the situation outside the city. Otherwise, we'll die," Singular Burial, the man in the deep-blue chainmail, responded calmly. "We've been here for several days already. Now that success is in sight, it is important that we do not rush. As long as we complete this quest, Heaven's Burial will become Star-Moon City's overlord. Both Ouroboros and the Star Alliance will have no choice but to submit."

Currently, players throughout Star-Moon Kingdom and the surrounding countries drooled over the Stoneclaw Mountains. These Guilds watched Stone Forest Town, which was under Zero Wing's control, enviously.

However, nobody knew that...

The person responsible for activating the Stoneclaw Mountains was Heaven's Burial's Guild Leader, Singular Burial.

"But now that Zero Wing has stabilized its position in Stone Forest Town, it is only a matter of time before the Stoneclaw Mountains become their backyard. Will this quest really help Heaven's Burial become Star-Moon City's overlord?" Lightning Blade questioned doubtfully.

Singular Burial had been keeping a tight lid on the quest's information. Nobody else knew what the quest would award.

Based on Lightning Blade's understanding of God's Domain, there shouldn't be a quest that could allow a Guild to dominate over a city.

"Zero Wing's backyard?" Singular Burial sneered. "It's just the Stoneclaw Mountains. So what if we give it to Zero Wing?

"Since this quest is almost complete, I'll explain. Do any of you know why there are so many Magic Crystals in the Stoneclaw Mountains? Although other countries have their own Regional Dungeons that provide Magic Crystals, none of them are as saturated as the Stoneclaw Mountains.

"This ancient city is the reason. This city contains a treasure that is capable of condensing Mana naturally. Hence, the Stoneclaw Mountains' monsters have a much higher chance to drop Magic Crystals.

"If we can get our hands on that treasure, even without grinding monsters in the Stoneclaw Mountains, any monster we kill within a certain radius of the item will drop Magic Crystals. Moreover, the drop-rate will be the same as it is in the Stoneclaw Mountains.

"Do you think I would pay so much just to clear a ruined city if not for such a treasure?"

When Daybreak Fog and the others heard Singular Burial's explanation, they were stunned.

The monsters in the Stoneclaw Mountains were too strong. Not only were these monsters hard to kill, but they were also harder on weapons and equipment than monsters elsewhere. If monsters in other maps could also drop Magic Crystals with the same probability as the monsters in the Stoneclaw Mountains, they would be able to farm Magic Crystals much faster and more efficiently than in the Regional Dungeon. Moreover, it would cost less to farm elsewhere.

Even if the other Guilds put more effort into farming Crystals in the Stoneclaw Mountains, they would be miles behind Heaven's Burial.

As long as they had a sufficient stock of Magic Crystals, Heaven's Burial could rise to power.

"Alright, get some rest. We'll enter the city when we've recovered," Singular Burial commanded.

---

While Heaven's Burial's members were preoccupied with their secret quest, the various large Guilds throughout Star-Moon Kingdom desperately tried to level up, getting themselves ready to challenge Level 40 large-scale Team Dungeons.

To ordinary players, Level 40 was still far out of their reach. To the various large Guilds, however, they would reach it soon.

Level 40 could be considered a new beginning.

At Level 40, players could use Mounts, doubling their mobility. As a result, their leveling and questing efficiency would double as well.

However, purchasing a large number of Mounts for its members was unrealistic for a Guild. Having a Guild Mount was more reasonable. Hence, Guilds needed to focus on constructing a Stable. However, Stable Design's drop-rates were abysmal. Only 100-man Team Dungeons had a somewhat higher drop-rate. Hence, the various large Guilds were desperately preparing to raid Level 40 large-scale Team Dungeons in the hopes of obtaining a Stable Design sooner.

For a time, Guilds were in a frenzy to raid large-scale Team Dungeons.

---

Time quickly passed. Three days had gone by before anyone had realized it.

During this period, Shi Feng led Zero Wing's main force all around the kingdom, hunting for Great Lords. If they did not find any, then they would kill Field Lords and High Lords until they had finally exhausted the Magic Amplification Scroll. Shi Feng had also completed his quest.

All ten Inferno Gold ingots were accounted for.

Meanwhile, the team had climbed in levels.

Originally, the average level of Zero Wing's main force was Level 33. Now, the lowest among the team was Level 37. Blackie, Fire Dance, and the other upper echelons had even risen to Level 38. Throughout all of God's Domain, they had the highest Levels.

Currently, the number one player on Star-Moon Kingdom's Ranking List was only Level 35. Although there was only a difference of two levels, the EXP gap was massive.

As for Shi Feng, he had reached Level 39. He was only one step away from Level 40.

Unfortunately, Shi Feng's Magic Amplification Scroll was now useless. He could no longer summon a Tier 3 Demon to assist them in battle. Otherwise, they would have continued leveling at this speed.

Aside from levels, they had also obtained a massive stock of materials and Level 50 equipment. They had filled Shi Feng's bag completely and placed the overflow in Aqua Rose's bag.

They had more than 40 pieces of Level 50 Dark-Gold Equipment and several hundred pieces of Fine-Gold Equipment. Contrary to what they had expected, they had obtained less than 100 pieces of Level 50 Secret-Silver Equipment. If they sold these items on the Blackwing Auction House, it would definitely shake God's Domain's major powers.

Currently, while the various large Guilds struggled to reach Level 40, Level 50 top-tier equipment was already on display...

It'll be a little rushed, but fortunately, we've completed the quest. Shi Feng breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at the time. He had five hours remaining before his appointment with Phoenix Rain. Immediately, he said through the team chat, "Everyone can head back to the city. Aqua, take your team to get some rest. In three hours, meet up in Star-Moon City's Teleportation Hall." 

Chapter 770 - Basic Fire Resistance Armor Kit

Star-Moon Kingdom, White River City, Candlelight Trading Firm:

Upon arriving at the trading firm with Fire Dance, Shi Feng noticed a significant decrease in the Shop's customers.

We've reached our limit already? Shi Feng glanced at the players on the streets before taking another look at the situation inside the Shop.

Despite the Candlelight Trading Firm's location in the Trade Area, a high-traffic area, and the fact that this area enjoyed a growing player population, the trading firm was losing customers. This situation illustrated a lot of problems.

Glancing at the street again, Shi Feng noticed that several large Guilds and Merchant players had set up Shop near the street corners.

With more shops, the competition grew more intense. Although the Candlelight Trading Firm's position in White River City was still unshakable, the trading firm was losing profits.

Initially, the firm could bring in over 1,000 Gold every day from each shop. Now, including the Shops in major cities throughout Star-Moon Kingdom and other countries, the Trading Firm was just barely making a total profit of 1,000 Gold per day.

Currently, fewer and fewer hot-selling items such as Whetstones and Advanced Whetstones, as well as various other necessities such as Recovery Potions and Mana Regeneration Potions, sold each day. This was all due to the new competition.

Most of these new Shops had powerful backers. Furthermore, the designs for hot-selling items were becoming more common. One could easily farm them or purchase them from the Auction House. As long as these Shops hired some Lifestyle players to produce these items and sold them at a lower price than the Candlelight Trading Firm, with a profitable location, they could easily steal plenty of the Candlelight Trading Firm's customers.

Fortunately, Light Stones and Basic Strengthened Armor Kits still sold like hotcakes.

However, Shi Feng knew that this situation would not last. Neither the Light Stones nor the Basic Strengthening Armor Kits were unique items like the Mana Armor Kit. As more time passed and players reached higher levels, it would become easier to obtain these items' designs.

As a matter of fact, after just being away from the city for three days, other Shops had already begun selling Basic Strengthened Armor Kits. Only, they demanded slightly higher prices than the Candlelight Trading Firm. It wouldn't be long before Light Stones would appear in other Shops as well. At that time, the Candlelight Trading Firm would lose some of its advantages.

"Guild Leader, why have you called for me?" Melancholic Smile asked with a tired expression as she entered the firm's reception room.

Melancholic Smile was feeling the pressure of the lost profits. Although she had thought of many solutions, none were effective enough to save them from this predicament.

"How is the production of the Strengthening Devices coming along?" Shi Feng asked.

With the Candlelight Trading Firm's current income, they could never earn 150,000 Gold in the next twenty-some days. They needed to increase their profits.

The Strengthening Devices were their only hope.

More players flocked to White River City. Among them, there was no lack of elite and expert players. These players often ventured to high-level maps to grind. The burden on their equipment was much higher than ordinary players. Hence, they also had a much greater need for an item like the Strengthening Device, so that they could grind and adventure for longer periods.

"So far, I've produced 400 Strengthening Devices. My success rate is roughly 40%. Unfortunately, our stockpile is still too small to begin selling them. We will sell out before we even begin attracting customers. I intend to put them up for sale in the trading firm once we have a stockpile of 1,000 units," Melancholic Smile was optimistic about the Strengthening Devices.

When they began to offer the Strengthening Devices, the Candlelight Trading Firm would regain its popularity, increasing their daily sales tremendously.

A success rate of 40%? Shi Feng was slightly surprised. He had not expected Melancholic Smile to have such a high success rate. If Shi Feng produced the Strengthening Devices himself, he'd have a 30% success rate at most. He then revealed a stack of designs and passed them to Melancholic Smile, saying, "Let Cocoa and the others learn these designs. If the firm has anyone with potential, you can allow them to learn one as well. Produce as many of these as you can. I have something important I need them for."

Melancholic Smile was dumbfounded as she accepted the stack of designs.

Strengthening Device!

Basic Fire Resistance Armor Kit!

Melancholic Smile already knew how important the Strengthening Device was. Obtaining even a single design was already an amazing feat, yet Shi Feng had five more...

If they had five more people producing the Strengthening Devices, they could satisfy the demands of one or two city's worth of players. After all, the cost of forging for the Strengthening Device was relatively high, and the forging success rate was low. Hence, they could not offer the Devices for too low a price.

However, the other item, the Basic Fire Resistance Armor Kit, confused her slightly.

[Basic Fire Resistance Armor Kit]

Defense +120

Endurance +5, Agility +3

Fire Resistance +7

Maximum binding limit per character: 3

Can only be bound to Level 30 equipment or above.

In terms of Basic Attributes, it was only slightly stronger than the Basic Strengthened Armor Kit. However, the materials it required were much rarer. The Basic Fire Resistance Armor Kit would cost twice as much to produce as the Basic Strengthening Armor Kit. Would anyone really be willing to buy these?

Although the Fire Resistance Armor Kit provided quite an amount of Fire Resistance, there were many areas in God's Domain that didn't offer the danger of fire. Players didn't need to head to leveling maps or Dungeons that required high Fire Resistance. One could say that the Fire Resistance Armor Kit was not a necessity. Even if they produced this item, not many players would be willing to purchase it.

However, the fact that Shi Feng viewed the Basic Fire Resistance Armor Kit and the Strengthening Device as equally important showed that the former was just as precious.

"From now on, focus on forging Strengthening Devices and Basic Fire Resistance Armor Kits. Set everything else aside." Shi Feng was aware of Melancholic Smile's concerns.

However, the Basic Fire Resistance Armor Kit was no less valuable than the Strengthening Device.

Although the Armor Kits were not useful right now, once the Eclipse Gate opened, items that provided Fire and Ice Resistance would skyrocket in price. Only then would the Fire Resistance Armor Kits shine.

With these three Armor Kits, one could gain 21 points of Fire Resistance. This way, players could equip fewer pieces of Fire Resistance equipment. Although Fire Resistance equipment could increase one's Fire Resistance, they would have to sacrifice Basic Attributes. Having too much of that equipment would wound a player's combat power, making it more difficult to kill monsters in the Eclipse Gate.

Hence, after the various large Guilds discovered the Basic Fire Resistance Armor Kit, they would rush towards Campbell Volcano to farm for the design. Unfortunately, the design's drop-rate was incredibly low. Moreover, they only dropped from the volcano's Field Bosses.

Throughout these past three days, Shi Feng had killed plenty of Field Bosses at Campbell Volcano with Zero Wing's main force. After three days of hard work, with the help of Divine Providence, they had obtained a total of nine copies. Anyone else would thank their stars to obtain just one.

"Right, how many materials have we collected for the Stable so far?" Shi Feng made it clear that the Guild Stable was also a priority.

The various large Guilds were closing in on Level 40. It would be a huge waste if he had the Stable Design but could not construct it. 

Chapter 771 - Thousand Transformation Evolves

Hearing Shi Feng's question, Melancholic Smile's expression sank, a hint of embarrassment appearing on her face.

"I've only managed to gather a little more than half of the required materials. We're still short 20 logs of Primal Emerald Wood and 12 Soul Cultivating Stones," Melancholic Smile reported honestly.

Shi Feng had instructed her to handle the material collection for the Stable, regardless of the price, a while ago.

Yet, until now, aside from the materials Zero Wing's members had gathered, she had only managed to source a small fraction of the required materials.

"Alright. I doubt we'll be able to obtain the remaining materials easily. I'll try to think of a way to collect the rest. Focus on forging the Strengthening Devices." Shi Feng nodded.

Shi Feng understood just how difficult it was to find the materials they needed to construct a Stable.

Even in 100-man Hard Mode Team Dungeons, the drop-rates for these materials were abysmally low. Only Hell Mode had a slightly higher drop-rate. If they had not obtained the First Clear of the Frost Prison, they wouldn't have as much stock as they did right now. It was already impressive that they had over half of the materials.

Moreover, the situation in God's Domain had changed.

The various large Guilds were only a short time from the Level 40 era.

As long as the various large Guilds did a little research, they would discover a hint to what they needed for their own Stables. Primal Emerald Wood and Soul Cultivating Stones were among the more obvious necessities. However, only those with Stable Designs would know the majority of the materials they needed.

There were many kinds of rare materials that dropped in large-scale Team Dungeons, and they could be used in multiple designs. Even if they came across some building material that the Stable Design would require, the various Guilds might assume it had a different purpose.

However, as information on the Primal Emerald Wood and Soul Cultivating Stones was available in cities' Libraries, it would be nearly impossible to purchase these materials from other Guilds. They were usually hard to obtain.

However, Shi Feng was also feeling celebratory.

If he had not been able to participate in the Dark Arena, searching for a way to obtain the remaining Stable materials would have really given him a headache.

On the surface, the Dark Arena appeared to be a secret competition between the various international corporations. In truth, however, it was a place for the various corporations to exchange precious material and items. The Dark Arena provided a method to obtain the rarer materials and items.

Of course, if one wanted these items, they needed to gamble on the team battles.

In the Dark Arena, Credits were not the most valued resource. Rather, it was the precious materials and items of God's Domain. Normally, God's Domain's major powers refused to sell these rarer items. At most, they might be willing to trade for items of equal value. Meanwhile, in the Dark Arena, if one offered a fair price, they could negotiate. Once both sides agreed, they would then bet on a match of their choosing.

The winner would take everything.

However, the winning battle team would also earn a small portion of this bet. If the battle team did not want the offered rewards, the party that won the bet could purchase the items from the winning team with Credits.

This was why so many powers throughout God's Domain had hungered to join the Dark Arena in the past.

They hadn't just wanted the fame. They had also wanted the chance to earn endless wealth and resources in God's Domain.

Unfortunately, not everybody could take part in the Dark Arena. The Dark Arena had its own inner circle. Ordinary Guilds were not worthy of an invitation. Take Shi Feng for example. Despite being the Guild Leader of a second-rate Guild, he needed to get the assistance of the upper echelon of a first-rate Guild to gain entry into the Dark Arena.

In the past, Shi Feng had visited the Dark Arena over a dozen times, and he had to admit that second-rate Guilds could not afford to mingle there.

Even Legendary items and player-constructed cities were sometimes used as bargaining chips, much less Legendary ranked materials.

Although each team in the Dark Arena consisted only of ten members, the profits one could earn from a single match could inspire hundreds, even millions, of people to fight.

The Primal Emerald Wood and Soul Cultivating Stones were precious materials. In the Dark Arena, however, these materials were considered subpar wagers.

Hence, it would not be difficult for Shi Feng to gather the materials he needed to build his Stable.

After Shi Feng stored the rare materials and Level 50 weapons and equipment in the Trading Firm's Warehouse, he hurriedly led Fire Dance towards Seliora's smithy.

---

In Seliora's smithy:

Shi Feng handed Seliora the ten Inferno Gold ingots. Immediately, the sound of a system notification reached his ears.

System: Epic Hidden Quest "Recast Thousand Transformations" completed.

Quest rewards: 200,000,000 EXP and Fortitude +5.

Suddenly, Shi Feng's experience bar rose to 42% of Level 39. Two hundred million EXP might be a lot to ordinary players, but to Shi Feng, it was a drop in the bucket.

Aside from the fact that he required double the EXP normal players required to level up, an ordinary Level 39 player needed an astonishing amount of EXP to level. Even several hundred millions of EXP was not enough to climb from Level 39 to Level 40.

However, the 5 Fortitude points were quite valuable. If Shi Feng challenged advanced quests, he would have to waste a lot of time and complete three or four to gain 5 Fortitude points.

After stowing away the Inferno Gold with satisfaction, Seliora looked at Shi Feng and asked seriously, "Now that I have everything I need, who is the weapon intended for?"

"My companion here will use it." Shi Feng tugged Fire Dance forward as he introduced her to Seliora.

Since Thousand Transformations was going to be recast, a Grandmaster Forger like Seliora could not recast the weapon blindly. She needed to make sure that the weapon would fit its user perfectly.

Taking a look at Fire Dance, Seliora turned back to Shi Feng and said, "You must think this through. The weapon I recast will not be some garbage Epic Weapon that you can find anywhere on the streets. It will have the possibility of becoming a Legendary Weapon. Are you truly willing to give that up?"

Even Tier 6 Gods would go crazy over a Legendary Weapon.

Seliora refused to believe that Shi Feng would actually go through all that effort for the sake of a "companion."

"Why wouldn't I be willing?" Shi Feng laughed.

Thousand Transformations was a short sword. Although Swordsmen could use short swords as well, they did not suit his style. On the other hand, Fire Dance was Zero Wing's number one Assassin. She could wield the Thousand Transformations to its greatest potential.

Hearing Shi Feng's confidence, Fire Dance's face burned with both excitement and bashfulness. With the light from the smithy's furnace, Fire Dance's normally white cheeks seemed to have been stained red.

"You blockhead! Fine! It's your decision!" Seliora then shifted her gaze towards Fire Dance. "You, follow me."

Fire Dance nodded silently. She then followed Seliora and arrived before a silver magic array.

"All you need to do is stand in the center of the magic array," Seliora instructed. Her hands then began tracing divine runes in the air.

By the time Fire Dance took her place at the array's center, Seliora had already written dozens of lines of golden divine runes; her casting speed was tremendous. Shortly after, Seliora flicked her delicate finger, and the divine runes wrapped around Fire Dance's body rapidly, enveloping her.

After finishing her preparations, Seliora took out the Mana Stones Shi Feng had readied for her and tossed them into the furnace.

Suddenly, 100 Mana Stones hovered above the magic array, looking like stars as they circled the Thousand Transformations, which the Grandmaster Forger had placed inside the furnace.

"In you go!" Seliora took out the ten Inferno Gold ingots and tossed them into the furnace as well. Immediately, the crimson flames transformed into golden tongues of fire.

In the next moment, the broken sword, which even Killing Ray could not damage, melted as they watched.

When Thousand Transformations had melted completely, it transformed into multi-colored globs of molten metal.

"Condensate!"

Seliora shouted. A multi-colored magic array then enveloped the furnace and everything around it. The 100 Mana Stones instantly transformed into liquid and melded with the liquified Thousand Transformations.

Afterward, Seliora returned to rapidly writing divine runes and curses. The golden runes and purple curses also began to flow into the liquid metal inside the furnace.

The Grandmaster Forger wrote runes for over half an hour. By the time Seliora finished, her face had paled to an unhealthy white.

Meanwhile, the divine runes and curses had molded the liquified Thousand Transformations.

Seliora waved her finger. Thousand Transformations then flew out of the furnace and hovered in midair. Currently, Thousand Transformations glowed red and radiated a scorching heat.

"It's finally complete." Seliora could not help but reveal an excited smile as she gazed at the newly recast Thousand Transformations. 

Chapter 772 - Extraordinary Ability

Due to Thousand Transformations, the temperature in the smithy had increased rapidly. Shi Feng felt as if he stood in the mouth of a volcano.

Despite standing ten yards away from the Flawed Weapon, Shi Feng received tens of damage with each passing second.

If a player with low Fire Resistance stood in his place, they would not last ten seconds. Fortunately, Fire Dance was cocooned deep inside the magic array. She did not receive a single point of damage from the heat. Naturally, Seliora didn't need to worry about the heat.

"Stand further away!" Seliora reminded Shi Feng with a low command. A bottle of dark-blue liquid then appeared in her hands.

The instant Seliora took out this bottle, the smithy's temperature decreased significantly.

Shi Feng was still basking in the aftertaste of Seliora's forging process. However, upon hearing Seliora's reminder, he ran out of the smithy.

Shi Feng was no stranger to forgers. He was even a famous forger himself.

Although Shi Feng had watched Master Forgers work many times in the past, he had never once witnessed the forging process of a Grandmaster Forger. He had never imagined there was actually such a huge difference between a Master Forger and a Grandmaster Forger. The experience of watching Seliora work had been quite valuable.

Even after ten years, Grandmaster Forgers had still been extremely rare in God's Domain. Even the Guild Leader of a Super Guild had to treat such an existence with great respect. One could imagine just how high a Grandmaster Forger's status was.

Initially, Shi Feng had thought that the largest difference between a Master Forger and a Grandmaster Forger was their research and understanding of materials. However, after watching Seliora work, he realized the difference wasn't just the understanding of materials. A Master Forger could never hope to compare to a Grandmaster's understanding of divine runes, curses, and magic arrays as well.

It was no wonder why the Master Forgers of Shadow had never reached Grandmaster status, regardless of how hard they had tried. The strength of Grandmaster Forgers was ridiculous.

"Fortunately, I recorded Seliora's entire recasting process. Afterward, if I show the recording to Melancholic Smile and the others, they might have a better chance of becoming Grandmaster Forgers." Shi Feng, who waited outside Seliora's house, could not help smiling.

After Shi Feng had left the house, Seliora opened the deep-blue bottle and poured a single drop of the deep-blue liquid onto the glowing Thousand Transformations. The instant the deep-blue liquid connected with Thousand Transformations, the Flawed Weapon cooled at a visible rate. The smithy also chilled to become a frozen hell.

Although the smithy looked simple, extremely powerful magic arrays strengthened the area. Nothing from the outside world could disturb the house's interior. Likewise, nothing inside the house could disturb the outside world. Hence, Shi Feng, who stood outside the house, was safe. He could not even sense the drastic changes inside the house.

Only after another half an hour had passed did Seliora call Shi Feng back.

Thousand Transformations had already cooled completely. It was finished. The Flawed Weapon was white as snow. The sword's blade also emitted a faint glow, looking like a star in the night sky. Despite doing nothing beyond hovering in the air, Shi Feng could feel a frightening power radiating from the short sword.

"Was it a success?" Shi Feng asked curiously.

If it were a success, then the moment Fire Dance equipped the weapon, her Attributes would most likely surpass his by a wide margin. After all, he only had a single Fragmented Legendary item on his person. A complete Legendary item had the power to decimate the heaven and earth. Several Epic items and a Fragmented Legendary item could not compare.

Unfortunately, Seliora shook her head in disappointment and said, "Although I've completed the runes on the sword, there are some defects in the original materials. It can only reach Fragmented Legendary rank. If I had the complete Thousand Transformations, it might've become a Legendary Weapon."

Shi Feng expressed his sympathy when he saw Seliora's disappointment.

Every Grandmaster Forger dreamed of creating a Legendary Weapon of their own. Although Seliora had not been forging an entirely new weapon, only recasting one, if she succeeded, it would be of immense help towards making a Legendary Weapon in the future.

However, he had expected this.

A Legendary Weapon was not easily obtainable. It was not something he would stumble across after completing a single Hidden Epic Quest. A Fragmented Legendary item was the limit. If he wanted to obtain a Legendary Weapon, he would have to complete a Legendary Quest at the very minimum.

If Galaxy Past knew that his death had given Zero Wing an additional Fragmented Legendary item, he would probably die from a heart attack. Shi Feng could imagine just how much effort Galaxy Past had put into obtaining Thousand Transformations. However, it had fallen into Zero Wing's hands. As for Feather, the future God-ranked Assassin, Shi Feng could only apologize to him.

"Come; test it out," Seliora said as she turned to Fire Dance, who had been frozen in place throughout this process.

Players could wield and test any weapon in God's Domain. However, if they did not meet the necessary requirements, they could not use the weapon in battle.

When Fire Dance grasped the hovering Thousand Transformations, she was instantly stunned.

Only after a long moment did she dazedly make a few casual swings. Suddenly, a silver flash appeared in the smithy. Despite only swinging the weapon a few times, it felt as if the silver sword were present throughout the building. Moreover, only the Sacred Sword Killing Ray in Shi Feng's hands could match this sword's speed.

So strong! Shi Feng watched the myriad of sword images that filled the space, feeling threatened. Despite being a Void Realm expert, he could not predict the Thousand Transformations' attack trajectory. He also couldn't tell which image was real and which image was just an afterimage. They all seemed real and fake at the same time. Is this the true power of Thousand Transformations?

Shi Feng had watched Feather's battle videos in the past. However, Thousand Transformations had not been this powerful. Although Feather's attacks with Thousand Transformations had also created numerous sword images, a Refinement Realm expert could, more or less, differentiate the fakes from the real deal. Meanwhile, Shi Feng had already reached the Void Realm, yet, he couldn't differentiate between the sword images Fire Dance had created. Even though he could feel many of the sword images were fake and were out of sync with Fire Dance's movements, the pressure these sword images gave off felt very real to him.

"There is a reason why this sword was named the Thousand Transformations. When swung, it can transform its user's attack into a myriad of forms and confuse the enemy. However, when the opponent attempts to retaliate, they will quickly discover that most of the sword images are fake. Yet, when struck by these fakes, they will receive damage. Thousand Transformations can interchange illusions with reality. It's a pity that it did not become a Legendary Weapon. It would have been truly magnificent," Seliora explained, smiling. As she had personally upgraded this weapon to Fragmented Legendary rank, she understood Thousand Transformations like the palm of her hand. "How about it? Do you feel any discomfort while using it?"

Fire Dance was still deeply immersed in the sensation of using Thousand Transformations. Even after Seliora asked her a question, she remained unresponsive.

However, judging from Fire Dance's current reaction, it was obvious that the weapon fit her like a glove...

"Guild Leader, it feels like this weapon is a part of my body! I can even feel the blade cut across air!" Fire Dance said excitedly as she wielded Thousand Transformations like a favorite toy.

"Of course! This is a Fragmented Legendary Weapon Lady Seliora has personally adjusted for you. It should fit you far better than any other Fragmented Legendary Weapon. You should feel that way," Shi Feng laughed. "Alright, stop playing with it for now. Thousand Transformations already belongs to you. You have all the time in the world to analyze it. Let me see its Attributes." 

Chapter 773 - Strongest Attributes

Shi Feng was incredibly curious to see how powerful a Fragmented Legendary Weapon was.

There were quite a number of Fragmented Legendary items in God's Domain. However, those who had obtained Fragmented Legendary items were not fools. They would not intentionally reveal their item's Attributes, allowing their opponents an opportunity to guess their strength and discover weaknesses.

Moreover, Fragmented Legendary items that belonged to large Guilds were kept as Guild secrets. They wouldn't even advertise owning one, much less revealing the item's Attributes.

Although Shi Feng had been Shadow's Guild Leader in the past, the Guild had not owned a single Fragmented Legendary item. On the other hand, the Guild had owned quite a few Epic items. However, at the end of the day, an Epic Weapon was only an Epic Weapon. It could never compare to a Fragmented Legendary Weapon.

Hearing Shi Feng's request, Fire Dance lost her composure. Hurriedly, she sent Shi Feng the Thousand Transformations' statistics.

"As expected of a Fragmented Legendary Weapon. Compared to this, an Epic Weapon is practically garbage." Shi Feng's hands involuntarily trembled when he saw the weapon's Attributes.

[Thousand Transformations] (One-handed Sword, Fragmented Legendary Rank)

Equipment Requirement: Strength 700, Agility 700

Attack Power (200% of Strength)

Attack Speed (2% of Agility)

All Attributes (Increases according to user's level)

When equipped:

Strength increased by 50%, Agility increased by 60%, Intelligence increased by 40%, Endurance increased by 50%, Attack Speed increased by 50%

Ignore Levels +20

All Skills +3 Levels

All item level requirements reduced by 10 Levels.

Attacks have:

60% chance to trigger Deadly Blow, increasing damage by 220% and Attack Speed by 20%.

20% chance to trigger Critical Point effect, ignoring all block and Defense effects, and dealing 330% weapon damage.

Additional Skill 1-

Phantom: When activated, summons five doppelgangers. The doppelgangers share Attributes with the wielder. They do not have any Attack Power. All attacks against doppelgangers will have no effect. User can freely swap positions with any of the five doppelgangers without Cooldown.

Duration: 30 seconds

Cooldown: 1 hour

Additional Skill 2-

True Illusion: If wielder dies within 40 seconds upon activation, wielder will respawn at full HP nearby. Grants 3 seconds of invulnerability. All buffs before death will remain in effect.

Cooldown: 48 hours

Additional Skill 3-

Illusory Power: Increases Strength by 80%, Agility by 100%, and Movement Speed by 70%. All damage received has a 50% chance to be sent into the void. Grants immunity to all control effects.

Duration: 3 minutes

Cooldown: 5 hours

Created by Famed Smith Jax. Thousand Transformations is 65th of God's Domain's 108 Flawed Weapons. It had lost all its power due to the blade's destruction. However, it had been recast by Grandmaster Forger Seliora.

Unable to be dropped.

Unable to be traded.

Unable to be destroyed.

User: Fire Dance

An Epic Weapon could never hope to compare to the Thousand Transformations' Attributes, much less the Additional Skills.

This weapon was perfect for Assassins.

However, the most impressive aspect of Thousand Transformations was the True Illusion Skill. It was even more amazing than the Full Revival Skill.

Even when a player revived with Full Revival, they would still have to suffer the death penalty and lose a Level. Moreover, the monster they fought would leave combat due to their death. When said player challenged the same monster again, the monster would have recovered to full HP. The player would have to start the battle all over again.

However, True Illusion was different. It could dismiss a player's death, allowing them to reappear with full HP without needing to lose a Level. Even if one died in mid-battle against a monster, they could reappear and continue fighting immediately.

In PvP, this Skill was even more powerful. In ordinary Duels, this Skill might not be useful as the system would declare the outcome of the battle as soon as a player's HP fell to 1. In a Death Match, however, the battle would only end after a player had died. In such a situation, True Illusion would take effect, allowing the player to reappear with full HP instantly. The system would not judge the player as the loser, and the battle would continue.

With this Skill, with the survivability of Assassins, it would be near-possible to kill Fire Dance. If one did not have the strength to instant-kill Fire Dance, they would not be able to kill her at all.

Moreover, Thousand Transformations was now a personal weapon. Even if others wanted the Flawed Weapon, they could not steal it from her. Of course, if Fire Dance obtained better equipment, Thousand Transformations would go to waste. There were both pros and cons.

"Can you equip it now?" Shi Feng asked Fire Dance, his excitement evident in his tone.

If Fire Dance could equip Thousand Transformations right now, they would have a much easier time in the Dark Arena. After all, that was a team battle. An individual's strength was limited.

To prevent monster-like characters from dominating the entire competition, the Dark Arena ran team battles. This way, the outcome was much harder to predict. It was also impossible for one player to carry a battle team to victory.

A battle team was only likely to secure victory if the majority of the members were very powerful.

If Fire Dance equipped Thousand Transformations, it would undeniably increase the Asura Battle Team's chances of victory.

"My Agility is sufficient. However, I don't have enough Strength." Fire Dance was similarly tempted and wished she could equip the new weapon immediately. However, the weapon demanded 700 Strength, and of everyone in Zero Wing, only Shi Feng had met this requirement.

"How far are you from the requirement?" Shi Feng asked.

"I'm short by 133 points," Fire Dance felt helpless. Unfortunately, she had placed the majority of her Free Attribute Points into Agility. Her Tier 3 Gemstones were also all Agility-types. However, had she not focused on her Agility, she wouldn't have enough for that requirement either.

"That's quite a lot." Shi Feng frowned. If it were only several dozen points, he had some ways to make up for the gap. However, over 100 points was a little too much. Unless she could replace her equipment..."Right, now that you're Level 38, you should be able to equip the Petrified Thorn! Try!"

The Tier 1 Set Equipment for Assassins, the Dark Melody Set, could decrease the equipment requirement by 3 Levels. The Petrified Thorn could only be equipped at Level 40. As for the other equipment requirements, Fire Dance had fulfilled them long ago. She could equip the Petrified Thorn now.

Being reminded by Shi Feng, Fire Dance hurriedly replaced the Sub-hand Truefire Blade with the Petrified Thorn.

Immediately, her Attributes skyrocketed.

Not only did an Epic Weapon provided more fixed Attributes, but it also increased a player's Basic Attributes by a fixed percentage after being equipped. Take the Petrified Thorn for example. When equipped, it would increase the wielders' Strength and Agility by 10%.

Moreover, the Truefire Blade was only a Level 30 Dark-Gold Weapon. How could it possibly compete with a Level 40 Epic Weapon in terms of Attributes?

Sure enough, after Fire Dance equipped the Petrified Thorn, she was only 32 Strength short of reaching 700 points.

Afterward, Shi Feng led Fire Dance to the Candlelight Trading Firm and had her replace some of the Tier 3 Agility Gemstones with Tier 3 Strength Gemstones, instantly pushing her Strength to 700 points. Her Agility remained above 700 as well.

"Test it out," Shi Feng said. He could not help but laugh at Fire Dance's slightly nervous expression.

"Mhm." Fire Dance then replaced her main weapon with Thousand Transformations.

Immediately, Fire Dance's aura changed massively. The pressure Shi Feng felt from her also increased tremendously. The Assassin now felt like a ferocious beast that had just woken and bared its sharp fangs.

Shi Feng was incomparably excited to see Fire Dance's strength increase.

Currently, in terms of Basic Attributes, Fire Dance had surpassed him.

"Alright, it's time to make a trip to the Fire Dragon Empire." Shi Feng smiled. 

Chapter 774 - Four Great Empires

In one of the bars in Star-Moon City's Slums:

A middle-aged man in silver robes turned and looked at his surroundings. After confirming that no one had followed him, he walked into the bar.

Aside from the NPC barkeeper, the bar's only occupant was a white-haired youth dressed in exquisite, black leather armor. When the white-haired youth, who had been enjoying a bottle of vodka in silence, sensed the silver-robed man walk over, he turned around and smiled, saying, "You're finally here. It seems that Black Flame has put you through quite the ringer. Did you finish what I asked you to do?"

The silver-robed man was none other than Sky from the Flower of Seven Sins. He was also the first Void Realm expert Shi Feng had killed.

Sky's position in the Flower of Seven Sins was extraordinary. He could be considered one of the organization's key figures. Normally, upon meeting, the Fower's members only felt fear and respect. They were deeply afraid of offending Sky, who had a strange personality. Yet, when speaking with this man, the white-haired youth remained calm and natural.

If the other members saw this, they would definitely be shocked.

"As you guessed, he can steal players' Immortal Souls. However, I did not discover that item's presence on him. Really though, this incident has ruined me. I wasn't able to log into the game for three days. I've fallen behind in levels. I even lost an excellent pair of shoes. Say, how do you intend to compensate me for the losses?" Sky said, annoyance clear in his tone as he glared at the gloating youth.

"Fine. They were just a pair of shoes. What do you think of this?" the white-haired you asked, laughing. He then revealed a pair of Level 35 Dark-Gold ranked combat boots.

Currently, God's Domain's mainstream players were around Level 30, while its experts were Level 33. Even expert players were barely reaching Level 35. Yet, the white-haired youth could so easily hand Sky a pair of Level 35 Dark-Gold ranked combat boots.

Even Level 30 Dark-Gold Equipment was very difficult to obtain, not to mention Level 35 Dark-Gold Equipment.

"That is more like it. Anything less and you'd fail to live up to your name, Silver." Sky, however, was not particularly surprised. He accepted the combat boots. "You really are a strange one. Instead of looking for him yourself, you chose me to test his strength and learn whether or not he has that item. Isn't this just a waste of time? With your abilities, can't you find an opportunity to kill him fairly easily?"

"You don't understand. There is only one chance to obtain that item. In the off chance that I alert him, I will lose that one opportunity.

"Besides, it was fortunate that I didn't join you. It would have been too difficult to kill him. He didn't bring the item with him, either. Killing him would have been useless." Silver shook his head. Laughing softly, he said, "I am not in a rush, anyway. In any case, I have other places to be, as well. However, I need you to keep a close eye on him and report any movement to me.

"As for the reward you requested, I'll take care of it as soon as possible. However, you mustn't forget that only you and I know this information. If I find that word has gotten out... you will suffer the consequences!"

Sky involuntarily shivered under Silver's warning glare. Hurriedly, he replied, "I understand."

Silver was a true upper echelon of the Flower of Seven Sins. Throughout the organization's history, Silver was the only player to join the organization's upper echelons at such a young age. His strength and abilities were extraordinary. If he offended Silver, not only would he find it impossible to mingle in God's Domain, but he would also suffer in the real world.

---

Fire Dragon Empire, Flame Dragon Imperial City:

God's Domain was the home of numerous empires. The Four Great Empires, however, towered above the rest. The Fire Dragon Empire was one of these four.

The Beast Empire's imperial capital only had a player population of around ten million. Flame Dragon City, however, had a population of over thirty million. Beast City could not compete with Flame Dragon City. At the same time, Flame Dragon City was also one of the four venues that often hosted the Dark Arena.

Flame Dragon City's territory was also massive. Compared to Flame Dragon City, Star-Moon City and White River City were merely small children.

Currently, a large number of players had gathered in Flame Dragon City's Underground Arena.

Every one of these players either held prominent positions in the virtual gaming world or was one of God's Domain's many overlords. No one could afford to offend a single one of these players.

Currently, ordinary players could not enter the Underground Arena as a Super Guild had cordoned off the area. If a player dared to cause a scene here, they would find themselves very quickly removed from God's Domain. Hence, no one dared to approach without an invitation.

"Big Sis Rain, it's almost time, yet, those people haven't arrived yet. Should we have the others prepare for now?" a charming beauty wearing luxurious, purple mage robes asked Phoenix Rain softly.

"We still have some time. It won't hurt to wait a little longer. If they aren't going to show up, we'll have the others take their place," Phoenix Rain said as she glanced at the charming beauty beside her. Smiling, she continued, "Blue, I know you have a low opinion of Zero Wing, but Black Flame is the expert who defeated Martial Dragon. Just a while ago, he even defeated Sky from the Flower of Seven Sins. His strength is at the pinnacle of God's Domain."

In the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion, Blue Phoenix was no less famous than Martial Dragon. She was one of the top combatants the Phoenix Pavilion had paid a large price to nurture secretly. However, due to Martial Dragon awakening his Domain a step ahead of her, Blue Phoenix was weaker than Martial Dragon. Even so, she was still an expert ranking at the very top of God's Domain.

Originally, Phoenix Rain had intended to allow Blue Phoenix to lead the battle team, taking advantage of her strength to make a fortune.

However, Black Flame's sudden appearance had changed her mind. If she had Black Flame lead the battle team instead, she had a better chance of keeping herself hidden. At the very least, nobody would connect her with this battle team.

"But Black Flame looks down on us! Big Sis Rain, you only obtained this battle team slot after a lot of trouble, yet they haven't shown themselves, and we're losing time before the match begins. This shows that they're not taking this seriously at all! How could someone like this fight with everything they have in the match?" Blue Phoenix complained indignantly.

As Phoenix Rain waited quietly for Shi Feng's arrival, a woman in a set of glamorous purple robes appeared before her. This beautiful woman radiated the air of luxury.

"Why, if it isn't Miss Feng[1]. I never thought that after so many years, you'd still be a measly Pavilion Master. If you had agreed to my brother's conditions, you wouldn't be in such a pitiful state," Exemplary Willow said, giggling. Her eyes, however, contained ridicule as she spoke.

"And here I wondered who had appeared before me. So it's Miss Liu[2], who recently suffered a miserable defeat at the hands of an upstart Guild like Zero Wing," Phoenix Rain chuckled while covering her mouth with her hand.

Hearing Phoenix Rain comeback, Exemplary Willow flared with anger like a cat whose tail got stepped on.

"Feng Qianyu, don't think that you've won just yet! Sooner or later, I'll teach you that all your efforts are for nothing! Your fate has already been determined and cannot be changed! Even the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion cannot help you! Not to mention, you're still just a measly, little Pavilion Master!" Exemplary Willow snorted as she stomped away.

After Exemplary Willow left, however, Phoenix Rain's complexion darkened slightly.

...

"Big Sis Rain, time's up. The organizer is ushering us to get ready. What should we do?" Blue Phoenix asked.

TL Notes:

[1]Feng (Feng Qianyu/ Phoenix Rain): Feng Qianyu is Phoenix Rain's real name. In truth, she's using her real name in the game as well, but I don't think Feng Qianyu will be meaningful/memorable.

[2]Liu (Liu Shishi/ Exemplary Willow): Liu Shishi is Exemplary Willow's real name. She's using her real name in the game as well. 

Chapter 775 - Sure-kill Spell

"Could he have forgotten?" Phoenix Rain frowned slightly.

In truth, she had more confidence in her subordinates than in Black Flame. After all, she had gone to great lengths to nurture these subordinates, molding them into experts. Moreover, they wore the best equipment the Phoenix Pavilion had to offer.

She had invested a lot of time and effort into this match.

Even Zero Wing, a Guild famed for its equipment, was unlikely to have better equipment.

Immediately, Phoenix Rain called up the system interface, intending to contact Black Flame. If the man truly wasn't going to show up, then she could only send her subordinates into the match. Although there was the risk of exposing her identity, winning the match was equally important.

Just as Phoenix Rain was about to click "Contact Friend," Shi Feng appeared in her line of sight. However, rather than his appearance of Black Flame, Shi Feng wore the features of Ye Feng.

"Hello, Phoenix Pavilion Master. I am Ye Feng, the leader of the battle team Guild Leader Black Flame has sent," Shi Feng explained slowly.

"Hello. May I know where your Guild Leader is right now?" Phoenix Rain asked as she looked at Shi Feng, not taking him seriously.

She knew of Ye Feng. In her opinion, however, this was only a trap Black Flame had set to confuse the enemy battle team. Black Flame should be the battle team's true leader rather than this young man before her.

"Guild Leader has something important to take care of, so he delegated all responsibilities regarding the battle team to me. If Phoenix Pavilion Master has any questions, please feel free to ask." Shi Feng could tell what was going through Phoenix Rain's mind. Laughing, he said, "Moreover, Phoenix Pavilion Master, do you really think that it is appropriate for Zero Wing's Guild Leader to take part in such a competition?"

"Then, are you saying that Guild Leader Black Flame won't be participating in the Dark Arena at all?" Phoenix Raid asked with a chilling tone, wrathful flames flaring up in her eyes. This development was unexpected.

"Of course. However, Phoenix Pavilion Master, please rest assured. We won't disappoint you," Shi Feng said, not particularly minding Phoenix Rain's anger. Calmly, he continued, "If Phoenix Pavilion Master is still unsure, you can test my strength personally."

Shi Feng was very curious about Phoenix Rain's current strength.

In the past, countless Guilds had fallen into Phoenix Rain's hands. There was even on instance where multiple apex experts banded together to deal with Phoenix Rain, yet without exception, she defeated every one of them. Back then, the assassination attempt had boosted Phoenix Rain's prestige in God's Domain. She had been given the "Demon Queen" title as a result. After all, not only was she a country-toppling beauty, but she also possessed an absolute strength that allowed her to step on apex experts.

Those apex experts, who had tried to deal with Phoenix Rain, had admitted that, when they had fought Phoenix Rain, she had killed them without taking any damage at all.

Those apex experts had been to Gods to Shi Feng. He had only been able to look up to them.

Yet, such experts hadn't been able to land a finger on Phoenix Rain, even after banding together. Phoenix Rain's strength was inconceivable.

However, after that battle, Phoenix Rain had practically avoided combat. She had left all matters to Blue Phoenix to handle. As a result, Phoenix Rain's true strength remained a mystery in God's Domain.

At this moment, Blue Phoenix stepped forward and said, "As expected of the team leader favored by Guild Leader Black Flame. Since you're so confident, let me have a bout with you."

Blue Phoenix was furious with Zero Wing.

Black Flame had actually decided to neglect such an important match, passing all responsibility to a subordinate instead. At this point, she intended to teach Zero Wing's members a lesson and humiliating Black Flame.

"Of course, I have no issues with that. However, it doesn't seem like we have much time," Shi Feng said after glancing the time.

They only had 15 minutes before the competition officially began. If they did not enter the arena before the competition started, they would automatically forfeit the match, and their opponents would win without even fighting.

"One minute will be more than enough," Blue Phoenix said as she glanced at Shi Feng's level, which he had modified to appear as Level 35.

"Phoenix Pavilion Master, what are your thoughts?" Shi Feng turned to look at Phoenix Rain.

"I'm also curious about Guild Leader Black Flame's judgment. Since he has chosen you to serve as the team leader, let me see your strength. If you cannot survive for one minute, I can only say that Guild Leader Black Flame is overly optimistic. If that's the case, I'll have to reconsider our cooperation." Despite observing Shi Feng for a long time, she did not think that Shi Feng was particularly strong. Although she felt a faint pressure from him, this pressure was minimal. It was far from the massive pressure she felt from Black Flame. "The nearby dueling ring is available. You two can fight there."

In truth, Phoenix Rain was also curious about Shi Feng's identity.

She had seen Ye Feng's name in Zero Wing's investigation report before. However, Ye Feng had only appeared briefly during God's Domain's early stages. Afterward, he had not accomplished anything notable. Yet, Black Flame had given Ye Feng full authority over the battle team for such an important event like the Dark Arena. Even Aqua Rose, Zero Wing's Vice-Leader, was only the battle team's second in command.

How could this situation not pique her interest?

Based on Phoenix Rain's impression, Black Flame was a man of absolute calm. He knew his priorities and had glimpsed upon the world of the great.

It was impossible that Black Flame did not understand the importance of the Dark Arena. Yet, he still delegated all responsibility to Ye Feng...

It would be unwise to cast aside Ye Feng without testing the young man. Hence, she decided to take the time to test Ye Feng's strength. If he could last one minute against Blue Phoenix, then he was relatively strong. It would not be impossible for him to secure victory in the upcoming match. After all, the other Zero Wing members of the battle team were relatively strong as well.

"Since Phoenix Pavilion Master doesn't have any problems with it, I have no issues with it, either," Shi Feng laughed as he walked towards the dueling ring.

There were many dueling rings inside the Underground Arena that players could rent for practice matches. However, the higher rank the dueling ring was, the higher its rental fees were.

...

In the dueling ring, as soon as Blue Phoenix and Shi Feng turned towards each other, the Duel's countdown began.

Five seconds...

Four seconds...

...

Just as the Duel was about to begin, Phoenix Rain suddenly noticed that Zero Wing's other members weren't particularly interested in watching. On the contrary, they chatted, carefree, with each other.

"Underestimating my subordinate?" Phoenix Rain could not help but laugh. Her laughter, however, contained a hint of frost.

Blue Phoenix, noticed the behavior of Zero Wing's members.

Good! Very good! I intended to go easy and let your team leader last a few more seconds. Now, I'll take him down in five seconds! Blue Phoenix inwardly swore.

Blue Phoenix was a Level 36 Tier 1 Elementalist. Meanwhile, her equipment consisted of Level 35 Dark-Gold and Fine-Gold quality. The staff in her hand was even the Level 30 Dark-Gold ranked Dawn Scepter, a weapon she had obtained from a Level 30 Hell Mode Team Dungeon. The Dark-Gold ranked staff could even level with her to Level 35. Overall, Blue Phoenix's magic damage was astonishing. Even her minor Skills could inflict massive damage to an MT of the same Level.

Soon, the bell signaled the start of the Duel.

"Die!"

With a low shout, she began drawing several lines of runes with great familiarity. Immediately, dozens of Ice Spears appeared around her and shot towards Shi Feng.

Tier 1 Sure-kill Spell, Ice Madness!

Every Ice Spear contained immense power. Players that came into contact with the spears would suffer a debuff, their Movement Speed reducing by 40% and Attack Speed reducing by 30%.

Under Blue Phoenix's control, dozens of Ice Spears flew towards Shi Feng from all directions. The Swordsman had nowhere to hide.

Moreover, Blue Phoenix had already reached the Void Realm. She could perceive her surroundings and Shi Feng's actions like the back of her hand. With Shi Feng's slightest movements, she could immediately adjust the attack angle of her Ice Spears.

However, this was not all.

Suddenly, Blue Phoenix waved her hand, and two Ice Walls appeared in front of her, preventing Shi Feng from charging at her. 

Chapter 776 - Triple-casting

"Such swift and fierce techniques. She must be more than just an ordinary expert of the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion." Aqua Rose, who watched from the stands, was slightly stunned. She had not expected Blue Phoenix to be so highly skilled.

Magical classes and melee classes' combat methods were different.

Magical classes had to focus on their familiarity and control of their Spells.

The more familiar a player was with a Spell, the faster they could cast said Spell. Once they were familiar with a Spell to a certain extent, they only needed minimal Concentration to cast it. It was even possible for players to skip chanting completely and cast their Spells instantaneously.

Meanwhile, the higher a player's control was of their Spells, the more Spells they could cast simultaneously. Also, high-tiered Spells required more control to cast. Multicasting Spells was like multitasking in real life. One might be able to handle one task with ease but would find two or more simultaneous tasks difficult. For magical class players, without a certain level of control of their Spells, it was impossible to cast multiple Spells at once.

Of course, there were some talented people who could multitask two or more tasks without training. If these people played a magical class, they could easily become experts. Even without a high degree of control, they could cast two or more Spells simultaneously.

One could overwhelm their enemies by multicasting Spells, drowning them in a bombardment of magic.

After all, evading one Spell attack was already difficult, not to mention evading two or more.

Being able to double-cast Spells would greatly increase a magical class player's variety of attack methods. They would not have to rely on monotone attacks that could be easily avoided. Naturally, this would increase their combat power by leaps and bounds.

Currently, Aqua Rose could only handle double-casting. Moreover, she could only cast two Tier 0 Spells simultaneously. Even casting one Tier 0 and one Tier 1 Spell simultaneously was beyond her. Yet, Blue Phoenix was capable of multicasting a Tier 1 Sure-kill Spell and a Tier 0 Spell. One could just imagine how superior Blue Phoenix was to her.

Facing the dozens of incoming Ice Spears, Shi Feng ran, leaving behind multiple afterimages as he moved.

It was far more difficult to hit a moving player with a Spell. Not to mention, Blue Phoenix had to focus on controlling so many Ice Spears.

"It's useless!" Blue Phoenix had long since seen Shi Feng's intentions and had taken countermeasures.

However, Shi Feng was also an expert in the Void Realm. He could sense the dozens of Ice Spears' exact locations. The instant the Ice Spears were about to reach him, he sidestepped and allowed the dozens of spears to brush past. He then circled the Ice Walls and approached Blue Phoenix.

Although the Void Realm allowed players to perceive their surroundings clearly, their range was not unlimited. Their maximum range was 20 yards. As long as he was over 20 yards away from Blue Phoenix, the Elementalist could not perceive his movements in such detail. It wouldn't be possible for her to change the trajectory of her Ice Spears in time.

However, Blue Phoenix was no fool. While controlling Ice Madness, she also used the Ice Walls or instant-cast Frost Arrows to hinder Shi Feng's advance.

Just as she was about to force Shi Feng into a corner, she summoned four Ice Walls, surrounding Shi Feng from all sides. The dozens of Ice Spears that had lain in wait descended on Shi Feng.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Frost particles and white mist permeated the area.

"Is he dead?" Blue Phoenix looked at the time. Only three seconds had passed since the battle had begun.

Suddenly, Blue Phoenix felt that something was wrong. It felt as if a ferocious beast had just appeared behind her. Hurriedly, she activated Blink with a thought and appeared 15 yards away from her original position.

Hua!

Numerous blue sword lights blossomed Blue Phoenix's original location, slicing apart the afterimage she left behind. She had only been a thread away from Shi Feng's strikes.

Her senses sure are sharp. Shi Feng sighed disappointedly. If he faced against any other class right now, he would have hit his opponent. Unfortunately, Blink could be cast with a single thought. The Skill took effect instantaneously, allowing the user to appear 15 yards away. No matter how fast his sword was, it could not outmatch Blink.

That was close! With her Void Realm perception, Blue Phoenix had realized what Shi Feng had done. So, he still had such a move. Unfortunately, it is useless! I will end everything with this!

Following which, Blue Phoenix waved her finger and used Ice Dragon's Roar. In the next moment, a powerful gush of cold air blasted towards Shi Feng.

Just as Shi Feng was about to dodge to the left, five Great Fireballs appeared, flying at him.

Double-casting could allow magical class players to launch preemptive strikes, using the first attack to force the enemy to reveal a weak point, then attacking said weak point with the second Spell. If ordinary players did not cope with the twofold attack properly, they would not even know how they died.

Void Realm magical class experts sure are difficult to deal with.

Having no better options, Shi Feng retreated backward, intending to avoid the five Great Fireballs before evading the Ice Dragon's Roar. However, two Ice Walls suddenly appeared behind Shi Feng, sealing his path of retreat.

"Impossible!" Astonishment appeared on Aqua Rose's face. "She can actually triple-cast?!"

Double-casting was already Aqua Rose's limit. Even so, double-casting had increased her combat power tremendously. Yet, Blue Phoenix could triple-cast. She was simply inhuman.

Despite both Ice Wall and Great Fireball being Tier 0 Spells, when triple-casted, they were far more powerful than a Tier 2 Spell.

Everyone finally realized just how frightening Blue Phoenix was. It was no wonder why she had confidently claimed that she could end the battle in one minute. Almost anyone would be helpless against her diverse attack method. A player's only option was to confront the incoming Spells. However, against Blue Phoenix's high magic damage, just how many attacks of her's could one handle?

"Blue is taking this too seriously," Phoenix Rain sighed helplessly as she watched her comrade's performance. "It seems that Blue will be participating in the competition."

In the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion, Blue Phoenix had even suppressed Martial Dragon before he had awakened his Domain. Needless to say, an unknown character from Zero Wing stood no chance against the Elementalist.

Hence, she had told Shi Feng before that he would pass if he could survive a minute against Blue Phoenix.

Now, however, it would seem that even one minute wasn't possible.

With Blue Phoenix's current equipment, lasting ten seconds against her serious efforts was impressive enough.

Just as the Ice Dragon's Roar was about to devour Shi Feng, he lightly swung Killing Ray at the torrent of cold air.

Xiu! Xiu! Xiu! Xiu!

Multiple streaks of blue lightning pierced the Ice Dragon's Roar.

Two streaks of lightning scattered the pure-white Spell. Following which, another two streaks snaked their way towards Blue Phoenix.

When Blue Phoenix saw the incoming lightning bolts, she hurriedly cast Ice Walls and Flame Explosion to defend herself.

Only after breaking the third Ice Wall did the lightning bolts vanish.

Such high Strength! Blue Phoenix could not help her shock as she glanced at the evaporated Ice Wall.

However, before Blue Phoenix recovered from her shock, she saw Shi Feng swing Killing Ray once more.

Hurricane!

Immediately, countless wind blades flew towards Blue Phoenix, leaving no space for the Elementalist to dodge.

Blue Phoenix hurriedly used Blink again, escaping Hurricane's attack range. However, Shi Feng had already circled to her left and was only 20 yards away from her.

Elementalists could cast Blink, at most, twice in a row, with each Blink charge having a Cooldown of 12 seconds. Only a few seconds had passed since she used Blink the first time. Hence, her Blink was on Cooldown and was unavailable.

Do you think you can approach me just because I've used up my Blink? Blue Phoenix smiled disdainfully. Waving her staff, she began casting Ice Walls, one after another, to block Shi Feng's path. At the same time, she used Ice Spheres to both slow and damage Shi Feng.

Slowed by evading the Ice Walls and Ice Spheres, as well as pinned down by her firepower, by the time Shi Feng could close in the Elementalist, Blink would have finished its Cooldown. By the time Shi Feng could approach her, her Blink would already be ready for use.

Just as Blue Phoenix wondered how Shi Feng would evade her attacks, Shi Feng suddenly activated Defensive Blade and swung his sword at the Ice Wall before him.

When one touched an Ice Wall, the Spell would reduce their speed instantly. However, if one attacked an Ice Wall using sword aura, their speed would be unaffected. After activating Defensive Blade, Shi Feng's attack range extended to 15 yards.

Peng!

Suddenly, the blue sword aura shattered the Ice Wall before Shi Feng. He then charged past the broken Ice Wall.

"Don't even think about getting near me!" Blue Phoenix cast more Ice Walls while bombarding Shi Feng with Ice Spears.

However, the instant her Ice Walls appeared, Shi Feng's blue sword aura shattered them. The numerous Ice Spears Blue Phoenix fired shared a similar fate.

When Shi Feng was within 15 yards of Blue Phoenix, he suddenly brandished Killing Ray at the Elementalist and triggered the Lightning effect.

A streak of blue light shot across the dueling ring. Not only did the sword light pierce the blocking Ice Wall, but it also pierced Blue Phoenix's Frost Body. Numerous streaks of blue light then wrapped around Blue Phoenix, devouring her HP, dropping it to zero... 

Chapter 778 - Peak of God's Domain

Although Phoenix Rain had not been loud, her words had stunned Blue Phoenix.

Epic Weapons!

Currently, these items were practically legends. Even the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion only had one Epic item thus far. However, it was not a weapon. Rather, they had a pair of cloth armor gloves.

This Epic ranked gloves had caused a fight between the Phoenix Pavilion and Heavenly Dragon Pavilion. Both Pavilions had tried to claim the gloves for themselves. In the end, however, the Great Pavilion Master had given the gloves to Phoenix Rain.

Due to this, Nine Dragons Emperor of the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion was furious.

However, Nine Dragons Emperor could not do anything about the decision because he wasn't a magical class. On the other hand, Phoenix Rain was an Elementalist. The Epic ranked gloves were also perfectly suited for an Elementalist. To gain the greatest benefit, the gloves went to Phoenix Rain.

When Blue Phoenix saw the gloves' Basic Attributes, she realized that the gloves were significantly stronger than Dark-Gold Equipment. Furthermore, the Epic Equipment increased certain Basic Attributes by a fixed percentage. Although the increase only ranged between 10% and 15%, to a top-tier expert with over 500 points in their main Attribute, a 10% increase was a significant jump. The Epic ranked gloves also had powerful Skills. The gloves alone increased Phoenix Rain's combat power by nearly 30%.

If an Epic item was so effective, how powerful were Epic Weapons?

Just thinking about it made Blue Phoenix shiver in fear.

The fact that Shi Feng had sliced apart her Ice Walls with a single slash spoke volumes of his weapons' strength.

However, this revelation also confused Blue Phoenix. Even the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion had only managed to obtain a single piece of Epic Equipment after a lot of struggling. How did a small Guild like Zero Wing manage to obtain two Epic Weapons?

"It seems Zero Wing isn't as simple as we thought. Neither the Star Alliance or the Flower of Seven Sins lost to Zero Wing without reason. In any case, have more people watch Zero Wing. I keep feeling that Black Flame is shrouded in mystery," Phoenix Rain sternly commanded her subordinate after pondering for some time.

"I understand. I'll have the intelligence department start a new, thorough investigation on Zero Wing." This was the third time Blue Phoenix had seen Phoenix Rain so serious. She believed that Phoenix Rain overestimated Zero Wing.

The Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion was a super-first-rate Guild. Even if Zero Wing rose at a tremendous pace, it was still ten years too early for it to become anything more than a first-rate Guild.

The virtual gaming world had been around for hundreds of years. Throughout its history, many upstart Guilds had become first-rate Guilds through accomplishments in a single game. However, no upstart Guild had ever surpassed first-rate Guilds through just a single game.

Beyond that, Zero Wing had no particular backing.

---

A sea of people filled the Underground Arena's Main Venue.

There were two modes of combat in the Underground Arena. The first was the system-acknowledged ranking matches held in the Basic, Advanced, and Special Areas. The second mode was a zero-restriction match.

For zero-restriction matches, players could fight Special Area experts without requiring combat results in the Underground Arena. However, the size of the venues and rules were different. Even the fees were different.

The Basic Venue for zero-restriction matches could hold far more people than that of the ranking matches. Each venue could hold roughly 500 people. If one wanted to reserve the venue, each day cost 3 Gold. Inside the venue, players could fight however they wished. There were no restrictions to the number of fights that could be held.

As for the Advanced Venue, it could hold 3,000 people. Reserving it for the day cost 10 Gold.

The Special Venue could hold 20,000 people, and reserving it for a day cost 100 Gold. Even large Guild could not afford to reserve the Special Venue.

The Main Venue towered above the Special Venue. The number of people the Main Venue could hold depended on the city's rank. A kingdom's Main Venue could hold roughly 50,000 people. An empire's Main Venue could hold roughly 70,000 to 80,000 people. The Main Venue of the Four Great Empires' Underground Arenas could hold roughly 100,000 people.

Aside from accommodating larger crowds, the greatest difference between zero-restriction matches and ranking matches was the size of the dueling rings.

In Basic Venues, the dueling rings there could support one-on-one matches.

The dueling rings of Advanced Venues could support three-on-three matches at most.

Special Venues could hold ten-on-ten matches.

Lastly, Main Venues could hold 100-on-100 matches.

In the Underground Arena, the spectator stands offered the full view of the dueling ring. One could observe the battlefield from whichever angle they desired.

Battles involving hundreds of players frequently occurred across God's Domain. However, it was difficult to observe these battles without being dragged into the fray. However, that would not happen in the Underground Arena. Players could observe the battles in the dueling rings closely. Hence, players favored the Underground Arena. The various large Guilds would also often rehearse 100-man team battles here.

However, unlike the other venues, each Underground Arena only possessed one Main Venue. Moreover, the rental fee was very expensive. Renting out the Main Venue in White River City cost more than 300 Gold. As for the Four Great Empires, their Main Venues cost 600 Gold to rent each day.

Through Zero Wing and the Candlelight Trading Firm, Shi Feng only raked in roughly 1,000 Gold of profit each day. Yet, it cost 600 Gold to rent the Main Venue. Meanwhile, such competitions occurred in the Four Great Empires' Underground Arenas every day. The wealth of the Dark Arena's organizer was obvious.

Neither the participating players, nor the audience members needed to play an entry fee. Of course, they all required an invitation to enter. No one could enter the Main Venue without one.

However, even without charging an entrance fee, the Dark Arena's organizer still made an immense profit.

The organizer charged a 1% processing fee for all winning bets in the Dark Arena. Although 1% might not seem much to whoever won the bet, only those of extraordinary status were invited to watch the battles. Even 1% was an extraordinary amount of money. Furthermore, there were a lot of people betting on the fights.

The organizer earned far more than just 600 Gold each day.

With so much profit at stake, it was natural that the position of the Dark Arena's organizer was not permanent. Initially, one would secure the position by influence. Later, they secured it with strength.

Why were the various major corporations pushing their battle teams to secure victory with every match?

They pushed because only the top few ranking battle teams could qualify to challenge the Dark Arena's organizer.

Hence, the qualifications to form a Dark Arena battle team were precious.

When Shi Feng learned that Phoenix Rain had qualified to send a battle team to the Dark Arena, he had been shocked.

"There are so many people here!" After Blackie entered the Main Venue, the scene had left him awestruck.

The competition venue, which could accommodate 100,000 players, was about 20% full.

"These people have extraordinary statuses. Most likely, even the most inferior among them are upper echelons of first-rate Guilds," Aqua Rose stated. When she swept a glance over the audience members, she noticed several upper echelons from first-rate Guilds. She even spotted the Guild Leaders of several first-rate Guilds.

"It's not just the upper echelons of the first-rate Guilds in God's Domain. Many famous experts have been invited as well. In addition, the representatives from many major corporations have received invites. However, the Dark Arena is lively today," Shi Feng explained slowly.

He had visited the Dark Arena many times in his previous life. Back then, however, he had been over Level 100. By then, many people had discovered the Dark Arena. Moreover, the battles he had watched had usually been between relatively skilled battle teams. Even then, the venues were only about 30% full. Currently, the Dark Arena was still new, only emerging recently. An occupancy rate of 20% was already considerably high.

As staff members guided Shi Feng and his team into the dueling ring, their appearance had elicited a small cry from a corner of the audience stands.

"Isn't that Ye Feng?!" Zhao Yueru exclaimed as she rubbed her eyes, thinking they had fooled her. However, no matter how she stared, the man was undoubtedly Ye Feng. "Why is he here?!" 

Chapter 779 - Zero Wing's True Appearance

Hearing Zhao Yueru's shriek, Gentle Snow, who sat beside her in silver armor, could not help but turn to look.

"This..." Gentle Snow was slightly surprised as well.

Even in Star-Moon Kingdom, Ye Feng unknown to the public.

However, Gentle Snow knew very well that, if not for Ye Feng's help, it would have been impossible for her to defeat Cao Chenghua.

One could say that Ye Feng was quite strong.

However, being strong and being able to participate in the Dark Arena were entirely different things.

After not encountering Ye Feng for a short time, the man had become one of the Dark Arena's participants. This sudden development was truly shocking.

Just what kind of place was the Dark Arena?

It was a hub for the top powers in God's Domain. Even the Guild Leader of a second-rate Guild was not qualified to receive an invitation. Only first-rate Guilds would have the opportunity to watch the matches here.

Although Zero Wing had risen to prominence in Star-Moon Kingdom, and it was as strong as a first-rate Guild, it was still an unknown existence to the majority of God's Domain. After all, Star-Moon Kingdom was only one of the many kingdoms in God's Domain. Even if the Guild received an invite to the Dark Arena, it shouldn't have happened for another several months.

Yet, Ye Feng had joined a battle team. Joining a battle team required far more than joining the audience.

"Snow, look! It's not just Ye Feng! Zero Wing's upper echelons are here, too!" Zhao Yueru quickly noticed Aqua Rose and the others, who followed Shi Feng closely.

During the war in the Stoneclaw Mountains, Zero Wing's upper echelons had allowed the various large Guilds to gain a new understanding of their strength.

Although their victory against the Flower of Seven Sins mainly attributed to Black Flame's uncontrolled power, the fact that they had lasted so long against the assassins and suffered so few losses was astounding.

It was especially true for Aqua Rose, Fire Dance, and Violet Cloud. These three women had stood against the Flower's party leaders without assistance. They were extraordinarily strong.

After the war, Gentle Snow had even asked for a copy of the battle video.

Although Gentle Snow knew that it was not appropriate to ask for the favor, she was very keen to know the process of that battle.

After all, the battle between the Flower of Seven Sins and Zero Wing's upper echelons had been a crucial turning point in the war. At the same time, that team battle had been the most intense in Star-Moon Kingdom so far. How could anybody resist watching such a battle? For experts wanting to improve on their combat techniques, the recording of that battle was a priceless treasure. Hence, Gentle Snow had specifically asked Shi Feng for a copy.

"Black Flame..." Gentle Snow could not help but smile bitterly as she watched the Asura Battle Team, which consisted only of Zero Wing's members. She could not help the feeling that Black Flame had played her for a fool. She had not viewed Zero Wing as particularly powerful in the past. However, what was the truth?

Gentle Snow even began to suspect if Black Flame had been putting up an act all along and was secretly laughing at everything she did.

The rights to send a battle team into the Dark Arena were not easy to obtain. Without a powerful background, the various international corporations would not bother acknowledging Zero Wing. Yet, Zero Wing was here, with a battle team consisting fully of its own members, in the Dark Arena. This showed that Zero Wing did not lack a background.

Gentle Snow finally realized why Zero Wing dared to pick a fight with Open Source Corporation.

---

While Gentle Snow sighed, depression overwhelmed another corner of the spectator stands.

"Guild Leader, they are..." Purple Eye's eyes nearly fell out of her sockets when she saw Zero Wing's members enter the dueling ring.

It would have been nothing if only one or two Zero Wing members were on the battle team. However, every slot of that battle team belonged to a Zero Wing member.

"That damned Exemplary Willow! And damn the Elders who can think of nothing but profit! Every one of them should go to hell!" Galaxy Past cursed as he paled. At this point, he had no idea what to say. "They've doomed the Star Alliance!"

He had never considered Black Flame to be an irrational man. He had reasons to be confident if he actually dared to provoke Open Source Corporation's Exemplary Willow.

The situation should have stayed between Exemplary Willow and Black Flame. However, due to those Elders, the Star Alliance had gotten mixed up in a fight between these titanic forces. Now, not only had the Star Alliance become cannon fodder, but it had also angered Zero Wing. Furthermore, Exemplary Willow had up-and-left after the Star Alliance's defeat. However, the Star Alliance could not leave...

Purple Eye's hatred towards Exemplary Willow and the Guild Elders also ran deep. The Star Alliance was her home.

Now that the Star Alliance had provoked Zero Wing, it was only a matter of time before the Alliance was annihilated. However, that was not the most crucial issue. The Star Alliance had built its main base of operations in Star-Moon Kingdom. If they moved their main base to another country, it would be extremely difficult to compete with the other Guilds there.

"It's okay. With this information, it's not too late to turn things around. After this competition is over, we will immediately hold a meeting with our highest members." At this moment, Galaxy Past truly regretted letting Exemplary Willow finance the Star Alliance. In return for a little funding, they had provoked a power that they should have left alone.

"Are we going to return right now?" Purple Eye asked curiously.

"Since we're already here, we can't leave empty-handed. Although the Glorious Lions Battle Team has won against two strong battle teams in a row, Zero Wing's upper echelons are capable of taking down the Flower of Seven Sins. With Zero Wing's combat power, there is a 60% chance that they will win," Galaxy Past said, bitterness blooming in his heart. To learn just how powerful Zero Wing was, he had sacrificed 80% of the Guild's elite members. God forbid; if he did not earn back some of his losses today...

"I'll place a bet right away." When Purple Eye heard Galaxy Past's words, she realized something.

Even Super Guilds feared the Flower of Seven Sins. Since Zero Wing could defeat those assassins, they should have no trouble defeating the Glorious Lions Battle Team.

---

At the same time, Gentle Snow's people were also frantically placing bets, wagering every rare material and top-tier equipment they had with them on the Asura Battle Team.

"Snow, I've already bet all of the materials I brought." Although Zhao Yueru somewhat hated Ye Feng, she could not help but acknowledge the man's strength. In Zero Wing, only Black Flame was stronger. Hence, the possibility of the Asura Battle Team obtaining victory was very high. Since they knew that there was an extremely high chance for the Asura Battle Team winning, they could not miss this chance to make a profit. "I even wagered my staff. There really isn't anything else I can bet."

"Notify Old Xu to bring as many rare materials as he can immediately," Gentle Snow said. She could not help but laugh as she watched her money-grubbing friend.

---

While the audience placed their bets, the Glorious Lions and Asura Battle Team had arrived at the center of the battlefield.

"Brother Ye Feng, long time no see," Everlasting War greeted Shi Feng. "I never thought we would meet again under such circumstances."

He had long since acknowledged Ye Feng's strength. Unfortunately, Hua Qiushui had her own considerations.

"I'm surprised as well. What would you like to bet this time?" Shi Feng could see Everlasting War's helplessness and guilt. However, he was quite pleased that he had rejected the Glorious Lions. Otherwise, where would he have found the opportunity to allow Zero Wing's upper echelons to participate in such a competition?

Moreover, he had full authority over the battle team. This was an opportunity he could never have dreamed of in his previous life.

As the battle team's representative, he could propose a bet with their opponent. As for the winnings they earned from the audience's bets, the system was responsible for distributing them.

"We don't really care. What do you wish to bet?" Everlasting War laughed. There was nothing in God's Domain that they did not possess. Hence, they did not particularly care what they gambled. Moreover, Everlasting War was confident that the Glorious Lions would win this match.

"Since you do not care, I won't be courteous." Shi Feng had never thought that Everlasting War was so wealthy to dismiss profit. He relaxed and said, "Let's bet 40 logs of Primal Emerald Wood, 24 Soul Cultivating Stones, 30,000 Magic Crystals, and 1,000 pieces of Level 30 and above Dark-Gold Equipment. How about it?" 

Chapter 780 - Wager

Before the match began, the audience began to place their bets.

Everyone came to the Dark Arena for two reasons. The first was to earn rare materials and top-tier equipment. The second was to watch an exciting battle.

As soon as the two battle teams stepped into the dueling ring, everyone began searching for information regarding the team members and placing their bets based on what they found.

The audience was shocked by what they found.

"Why does this Asura Battle Team consist of members from a small Guild?"

"Just who established the Asura Battle Team? Have they lost their mind? Aside from Aqua Rose, who has some fame, the other members are nobodies! So what if they're somewhat famous in Star-Moon Kingdom; do they think they can win the competition with such low standards? Are they taking the Dark Arena seriously? Or can the Asura Battle Team not afford to hire even a few famous experts?"

"With such a battle team, the Glorious Lions would find it hard to lose even if they wanted to. It seems the Glorious Lions will win their third match in a row."

Once the audience members read what information had been collected on Zero Wing, they couldn't believe their own eyes.

Although Zero Wing was not weak, it was not particularly strong, either. Black Flame was the only notable figure in the Guild. However, there was no sign of Black Flame. Moreover, none of the members had even set foot into the Realms of Refinement.

Their equipment might rank at the top in their kingdom, but what did that matter in the Dark Arena?

The Dark Arena was the hub for God's Domain's top powers. Top-tier equipment in a kingdom was nothing in this place. One could see this much just by looking at Glorious Lions' leader, Everlasting War.

Everlasting War wore a complete Level 35 Fine-Gold Set Equipment, the current-best Set Equipment in God's Domain. It was significantly stronger than a Level 30 Dark-Gold Set Equipment. Everything else the man wore was Level 35 Dark-Gold Equipment as well. He was also fully equipped with Tier 3 Gemstones.

As for Zero Wing's members, they had not replaced their equipment since Level 30. They were no match for Everlasting War.

"They dare call themselves Asura with such members? This is a joke. If Black Flame made an appearance, the show might be interesting, but it seems that Black Flame has allowed his Guild members to venture off on their own. Bet on the Glorious Lions. Although many will bet on them as well, a small profit is still profit."

Many among the audience could not help but sigh with disappointment at the lost chance to make a fortune. However, Gentle Snow's excitement grew as she watched this development.

"Hehe! Sure enough, none of them know about that incident!" Zhao Yueru giggled as she watched the other audience members place their bets on the Glorious Lions.

"Alright, stop laughing. We only discovered it by coincidence," Gentle Snow strictly reprimanded her companion.

Although plenty of information about the war in the Stoneclaw Mountains had leaked, most of this information came from independent players who had watched from afar. At such a great distance, nobody had been able to get a clear recording of the apex battle between Zero Wing and the Flower of Seven Sins. Moreover, only a few of the Star Alliance's upper echelons knew about the Flower of Seven Sins striking out against Zero Wing. The other Guilds had no idea about the assassination attempts. They only knew that the Star Alliance had hired experts to deal with Zero Wing's upper echelons.

As for the Secret Pavilion, they would not be so foolish as to share a great secret.

What the Secret Pavilion chose to reveal confirmed that Zero Wing's upper echelons had powerful Basic Attributes. However, they did not reveal any information about the experts they had faced.

Although Fire Dance, Violet Cloud, and Aqua Rose had yet to become Refinement Realm experts, they could exert enough combat power to face down Flowing Water Realm experts. Furthermore, the Asura Battle Team had Ye Feng.

Overall, the Asura Battle Team had four experts who could rival Flowing Water Realm experts. The other members were strong enough to contend with Refinement Realm experts. To put it simply, it would not be difficult for the Asura Battle Team to secure victory against the Glorious Lions. It was a pity that Black Flame was not here. Otherwise, the Asura Battle Team might have won this competition without question.

---

"Aunty Hua, you must avenge me!" Exemplary Willow immediately burst with anger when she saw that every member of the Asura Battle Team was from Zero Wing. She had lost quite a bit of money in the last war. To make matters worse, she had failed to annihilate Zero Wing. She had never imagined the despicable Guild would appear before her once more.

"Hm? Did this battle team provoke you somehow?" Hua Qiushui asked, laughing.

"Yes! They caused me to lose a lot of money. Aunty Hua, since the Glorious Lions Battle Team is yours, do you think you can raise the wager and make them suffer?" Exemplary Willow gnashed her teeth as she glared at the Asura Battle Team.

"Alright. However, both sides have to accept the wager first. If the other side refuses, I can't do anything about it. But rest assured, your Aunty Hua will definitely make them pay." Hua Qiushui nodded.

She had nothing against the Asura Battle Team. However, she was not fond of the man known as Ye Feng. Not only had he refused to participate in her audition, but he had also appeared before her as the leader of the Asura Battle Team.

Society's inner circle was only so big. If Ye Feng won this competition and others learned of their history, she would be a laughingstock.

Now that even Liu Shishi asked her to avenge the loss the girl had suffered, she could use this opportunity to teach Ye Feng a lesson.

---

In the dueling ring:

"What did you say?" Everlasting War asked again.

The other Glorious Lions members were similarly stunned by Shi Feng's offer, thinking that they had heard wrong.

Both Primal Emerald Wood and Soul Cultivating Stones were necessary materials to construct a Stable. The various large Guilds in God's Domain were keeping a tight hold on their stocks, causing the prices to skyrocket.

For example, the Primal Emerald Wood had cost 40 Gold per log not too long ago. Each log was already worth as much as a piece of Dark-Gold Equipment. Now, however, each log cost 60 Gold.

As for the Soul Cultivating Stone, each stone originally sold for 30 Gold. Now, no one would part with theirs even for 50 Gold.

These two materials had become strategic resources for Guilds. Even in the Dark Arena, not many were willing to wager these items.

After all, a Stable was simply too important to a Guild. It was far more valuable than any of the current Dark-Gold Weapons and Equipment.

Yet, Shi Feng wanted to gamble 40 logs of Primal Emerald Wood and 24 Soul Cultivating Stones. Even Everlasting War did not have the authority to approve of such a large bet.

Furthermore, the Swordsman also wanted 30,000 Magic Crystals and 1,000 pieces of Level 30 and above Dark-Gold Equipment.

Even their total profits from the previous two matches were not worth so much.

"Forty logs of Primal Emerald Wood, 24 Soul Cultivating Stones, 30,000 Magic Crystals, and 1,000 pieces of Level 30 and above Dark-Gold Equipment. What do you think, Brother Everlasting? If you think the wager is too low, we can increase it further," Shi Feng repeated.

Zero Wing's recent expansion had been massive. While the Guild did not lack Mysterious-Iron and Secret-Silver Equipment, there was a shortage of top-tier equipment.

Lately, Zero Wing's main force had been busy dealing with other matters and had not raided any Dungeons. In addition to the recent expansion, Zero Wing needed Level 30 Dark-Gold Equipment.

If he could obtain 1,000 pieces of Level 30 Dark-Gold Equipment from this match, it would make up for the Guild's shortage.

Everlasting War was rendered speechless.

Previously, he had boasted that he did not care what they bet. He had never dreamed that Shi Feng would offer such an expensive wager.

There was no doubt that Shi Feng could afford this gamble. After all, if either side did not have the ability to pay up, the system would not allow the battle to begin. Hence, Shi Feng had no reason to lie. Moreover, he was not that kind of person.

"Brother Ye Feng, please wait a moment. I don't have the authority to agree to such a large wager. I need to ask my superior." For now, Everlasting War could only offer an excuse. Following which, he contacted Hua Qiushui and reported the situation honestly. "Director Hua, the Asura Battle Team has offered the wager. Please take a look. If this is not enough, they are willing to increase the bet."

When Hua Qiushui saw Shi Feng's wager, her complexion darkened.

"Aunty Hua, are you not feeling well?" Exemplary Willow asked curiously when she saw Hua Qiushui's expression.