Chapter 1401 - Advanced Garrison Order
To current players, Epic items were already godlike existences that were unobtainable, what more Fragmented Legendary items?
Even until now, there had been no news of any Guild or player that had managed to get their hands on a Fragmented Legendary item. Although there was the possibility that the ones who had done so were keeping it a secret like Zero Wing, the odds of it happening were very low. After all, in addition to Fragmented Legendary items being extremely rare, the difficulty of acquiring one was also exceedingly high.
In the past, Shadow, which had been a second-rate Guild, had never obtained a single Fragmented Legendary item. From this, one could imagine just how rare Fragmented Legendary items were.
Meanwhile, the fact that the Frost King had dropped a Fragmented Legendary staff could definitely be considered exceptional luck.
Compared to equipment and accessories, weapons were the foundations for improving a player's combat power.
As expected of a Fragmented Legendary Weapon, its Attributes really are terrifyingly strong.
-
[Frostflame Wrath] (Two-handed Staff, Fragmented Legendary Rank)
Equipment Requirement: Strength 600, Intelligence 1,500
Attack Power (220% of Intelligence)
All Attributes (Increases according to user's level)
When equipped:
Strength increased by 30%, Agility increased by 50%, Intelligence increased by 60%, Endurance increased by 50%, Vitality increased by 50%;
Casting speed increased by 30%;
Cast range +20;
Magic damage increased by 30%;
All Spell effectiveness increased by 30%;
Spell critical rate increased by 30%; Spell cost decreased by 10%;
Completion Rate of all ice- and fire-type Spells and Skills increased by 5%;
Ignore Levels +20
Additional Passive Skill 1-
Frostflame Origin: Increases the power of ice- and fire-type Spells cast by user by 1 tier. (Can be increased up to Tier 5)
Additional Passive Skill 2-
Elemental Shield: Reduces all magic damage received by 50% and physical damage by 30%.
Additional Active Skill 1-
Frostflame Hell: Deals ice- and fire-type damage to all enemies within a 50-yard radius for 10 seconds. Spell effectiveness will be one tier higher than user's current tier. (Can be increased up to Tier 5)
Cooldown: 10 minutes
Additional Active Skill 2-
Frostflame Space: With the user as the center, decreases the Attributes of all enemies within a 100-yard radius by 30%. Increases user's Attributes by 80% and physique by 50%. Also creates an ice-type doppelganger and a fire-type doppelganger. Doppelgangers will have 100% of user's Basic Attributes but can use only their corresponding type of Spells. While inside Frostflame Space, as long as either user or one doppelganger survives, user will not die. When Frostflame Space's duration ends, user will recover back to peak condition.
Duration: 1 minute
Cooldown: 3 hours
Additional Active Skill 3-
Summon Mount: Summons a Frostflame Cheetah that has 300% Movement Speed and is one tier higher than user. (Mount's tier cannot exceed Tier 5)
Duration: 3 hours
Cooldown: 3 hours
This staff was once owned by Irene Jacques. However, the core runes have been damaged. The staff needs to absorb ten God Crystals to recover. Current number of absorbed God Crystals (0/10).
-
To Elementalists, the Frostflame Wrath was simply a divine weapon. Moreover, obtaining this staff was equivalent to obtaining a Dark-Gold Mount as well. The Mount summoned could also serve as an MT, making up for the disadvantages of an Elementalist. Only, the staff's equipment requirements were somewhat high.
Normally, magical-class players rarely ever invested their Free Attribute Points into Strength. Moreover, magical-class equipment rarely ever provided Strength bonuses. A Level 45 magical-class player would be fortunate to have even 300 Strength.
The 1,500 Intelligence required was similarly a hard target to achieve for current players. At this stage of the game, magical-class players that had 1,000 Intelligence could already rank near the top among their class.
However, as long as he could arm one of the Guild's Elementalist experts with the Frostflame Wrath, they would immediately soar to become a peak expert.
Following which, Shi Feng stored the Frostflame Wrath and began going through the other items dropped.
Huh? This is... Very quickly, Shi Feng discovered a crystal token inside his bag. Meanwhile, there was the word "City" carved on the token. His eyes immediately glowed at the sight. What?! An Advanced Garrison Order!?
The reason why the NPCs of Evernight City had mentioned that Guilds could garrison Evernight City if they killed the Frost King was the Garrison Order the Frost King would drop.
With the Garrison Order, a Guild could garrison a city and enjoy various benefits.
Every NPC city possessed different levels of authority. Meanwhile, an Advanced Garrison Order allowed a Guild to have advanced authority right off the bat.
Could the Basic Garrison Order have transformed into an Advanced one due to the Frost King turning into a Mutant? Based on Shi Feng's memories, the Guild that killed the Frost King in the past had obtained only a Basic Garrison Order.
-
[Advanced Garrison Order]
Owner of this token may allow one Guild to permanently garrison Evernight City and enjoy advanced authority in the city.
-
The Basic Garrison Order of a Dark City allowed the connection of a Guild town to said Dark City. As the amount of Reputation a Guild possessed in a Dark City increased, the amount of authority it had within the city would increase as well. Greater authority allowed a Guild to connect multiple towns with the city. Meanwhile, if a Guild possessed advanced authority in a Dark City, not only could it connect multiple Guild towns to the city, but it could also purchase Land in the central area of the city.
In God's Domain, Dark Cities were much more popular among players compared to ordinary NPC cities. However, players needed to complete certain quests before they could enter a Dark City. Either that, or become a Red or Dark Player. Despite the various weapons and equipment available for exchange inside Dark Cities being limited to Red and Dark Players, that did not stop normal players seeking items suitable for themselves from exchanging for these items. Normal players just needed to commission a Red or Dark Player to act as a proxy for them in exchange for compensation.
Hence, trade within Dark Cities was very active. Particularly, after players reached Level 50 and high-quality weapons and equipment became increasingly rarer, such Dark City exchanges would become even more popular in God's Domain. In the past, the population of Dark Cities had, at one point, even exceeded that of capital cities of kingdoms. One could just imagine how many players were conducting trades in Dark Cities.
Of course, Red and Dark Players could not freely exchange for high-quality weapons and equipment in Dark Cities. Not only did they need a sufficient amount of Reputation, but they also needed to spend Contribution Points of the corresponding Dark City when exchanging for items. Without sufficient Contribution Points, Red and Dark Players could not exchange for items, either.
Meanwhile, upon inspecting the Advanced Garrison Order, the sound of a system notification entered Shi Feng's ears.
-
System: Do you wish to bind the token?
-
Without hesitation, Shi Feng chose to bind the token to himself. After all, one of his goals in coming to the Frozen Scar this time was the Garrison Order.
-
System: You have bound the token to yourself. Please visit Magistrate Magrence at Evernight City's City Hall.
-
After binding the Advanced Garrison Order, Shi Feng continued looking through the remaining loot. These were Level 50 Dark-Gold Weapons and Equipment. If sold, each one of them could easily fetch over 1,000 Gold. Overall, more than 10,000 Gold's worth of Level 50 Dark-Gold Weapons and Equipment had dropped.
Once he had organized the loot, he did not share any details with the team. He merely gave all participants the GCPs they deserved so that they could exchange for the weapons and equipment they wanted once they returned to the Guild.
After all, a 1,000-man team was different from a 100-man team. There just wasn't enough equipment to share with everyone. If a team auction were held, it would definitely consume a lot of time. Hence, he might as well place all the dropped Dark-Gold Weapons and Equipment in the Guild Warehouse and let everyone make their choices.
As for the Epic items and above, they were the Guild's secrets and should not be displayed or put up for exchange casually.
I should make a trip to Evernight City and open up the transfer path.
Shi Feng then removed the Guild War Order and took out a Return Scroll to leave the Frozen Scar.
Meanwhile, news of Zero Wing successfully raiding the Frost King had spread throughout the entire Star-Moon Kingdom.
Chapter 1402 - Popular Battle Arena
The news of the Frost King's defeat immediately caught the attention of many adventurer teams and independent players.
"This is a lie, right? I heard that many people got annihilated by the Frost King. Even the allied forces of the various large Guilds, consisting of over 100,000 elite players, were helpless against the Frost King. Just how did Zero Wing succeed?"
"Zero Wing's killing the Frost King means that it can now directly garrison Evernight City. With this, Stone Forest Town will also be connected with Evernight City."
"Previously, I avoided going to Stone Forest Town since I felt it was too much of a hassle. However, if there's a teleportation array connecting the town to Evernight City, it might not be a bad idea to pay the town a visit."
"Now that Stone Forest Town has a link to Evernight City, it will definitely remain the number one town of Star-Moon Kingdom even in the future. I wonder what kind of actions Heaven's Burial will take?"
The various adventurer teams and independent players were overjoyed over the fact that they could travel directly to Evernight City via Stone Forest Town.
Previously, Stone Forest Town was already very popular for the many rare items being sold there as well as having a training location like the Battle Arena. Only, due to the inconvenience of traveling to Stone Forest Town, many players in Star-Moon Kingdom had given up on the endeavor. Now that Stone Forest Town was connected to Evernight City, visiting the town became much more convenient.
...
Star-Moon City, Heaven's Burial's Residence:
"Damn it! Zero Wing actually succeeded!" Broken Flow's complexion darkened after watching the video showing Zero Wing's raid of the Frost King. "Guild Leader, what should we do next?"
Heaven's Burial had suffered tremendous losses this time. Not only did over 10,000 elite members die, but they even lost the kill of the Frost King. Now, Zero Wing's prestige in Star-Moon Kingdom was as dazzling as the midday sun.
Meanwhile, as soon as the various adventurer teams and independent players received news of Zero Wing's success, they all started thinking about teleporting from Evernight City to Stone Forest Town and taking a look around. One could just imagine how bustling Stone Forest Town would become once it was actually linked with Evernight City.
"We'll let Zero Wing enjoy its success for now. It has merely opened a teleportation channel between Stone Forest Town and Evernight City right now. In God's Domain, levels and resources are the truly important things. What we truly need to focus on this time is the Empire's Rise expansion pack. Moreover, Beast Emperor has just sent a message for our side to start preparing soon," Singular Burial said, sneering. "However, we can't let Zero Wing off too easily, either. Notify the personnel at the Auction House. Tell them to increase the number of rare items we're putting up for sale as well as lower the processing fees a little. I want to see just how many merchant players and adventurer teams are really willing to go to Stone Forest Town."
"Guild Leader, if we do that, Red Iron Town's income will dwindle to nothing," Daybreak Fog said worriedly.
With the current income of Red Iron Town's Auction House, not only were they able to support the town's development, but they also had funds to spare for Heaven's Burial's own development. However, if they lowered the processing fees they collected, they would only be able to sustain the town's development. To Heaven's Burial, which was currently in dire need of funds, this was not a beneficial situation.
"It's fine. As long as Beast Emperor and we can deal with the matter over at the neutral map, Red Iron Town and Stone Forest Town will be meaningless to us," Singular Burial said, laughing. "Alright, just go and get the necessary arrangements done."
He and Beast Emperor were fully aware of how powerful Zero Wing was. Since the very beginning, they never intended to rely on Red Iron Town to compete with Zero Wing. They simply wanted to use the town to hinder Zero Wing's development somewhat.
"Understood." After giving the matter some thought, Daybreak Fog found Singular Burial's decision reasonable. She then made her way to Red Iron Town.
...
The first-floor hall of Stone Forest Town's Battle Arena:
Currently, there was a long line of players waiting in the hall to get into the combat rooms.
Although duels held in the combat rooms had minimal effect for top-tier experts, they were very effective for the general masses. After all, players could maintain a calm state of mind while in a high Mana density environment. For ordinary players, the effectiveness of fighting inside a combat room for one hour was equivalent to fighting PvP battles in the outside world for ten hours or more.
"Huh?! What's up with those two people?! How many times have they entered the advanced combat rooms already?! Do they have too much money to waste?!"
A few players could not help their surprise at seeing Remnant Cloud and Graceful Moon trying to rent the advanced combat rooms for the ninth time.
Initially, Remnant Cloud and Graceful Moon were already quite eye-catching as they stood inside the first-floor hall due to their levels and equipment. Adding on the fact that they would return to the first floor once every half an hour to rent the advanced combat rooms, they naturally would garner attention.
Renting two combat rooms each time meant spending four Magic Crystals. Doing so eight times meant spending 32 Magic Crystals. On the market, 32 Magic Crystals could easily fetch eight Gold or more. Many expert players did not even earn one Gold a day. Although adventurer teams were generally wealthier than individual expert players, no matter how the waiting players looked at it, spending eight Gold in such a short time was simply extravagant.
Yet, now, both Remnant Cloud and Graceful Moon were actually planning on renting the advanced combat rooms again. That was simply ludicrous.
"Sir, I'm very sorry, but as per our Battle Arena's rules, non-members are allowed to rent the advanced combat rooms only eight times per day. If you wish to increase your number of entries, you'll have to become a member of the Battle Arena. In that case, you get 16 entries per day. If you become an advanced member, you can rent the advanced combat rooms without limit," the female NPC receptionist said, smiling as she looked at Remnant Cloud.
"I get to use the advanced combat rooms 16 times a day if I become a member?" Remnant Cloud fell into deep thought.
"That is correct." The female receptionist nodded. "If you wish to become a member of our Battle Arena, you'll have to deposit 1,200 Magic Crystals into your individual account."
Having just arrived at Stone Forest Town recently, the players lining up at the counter next to Remnant Cloud's were startled when they heard the prices quoted by the NPC receptionist.
"Has Zero Wing gone mad?! There's someone willing to rent the expensive advanced combat rooms, yet Zero Wing has actually gone and limited the number of entries? Do they hate getting Magic Crystals that much?"
"That's right! Only adventurer teams on Firecloud Fox's level would be willing to pay such a high price. If it were me, I would rather spend my Magic Crystals at the Trial Tower."
...
Just as everyone was ridiculing the Battle Arena's regulations, Remnant Cloud suddenly opened his mouth and asked, "What are the conditions to become an advanced member here?"
He dumbfounded everyone.
"What's going on?"
"Is Firecloud Fox that wealthy?"
Everyone could not help but be shocked by Remnant Cloud's question. Although this was their first time hearing about the advanced membership, needless to say, the advanced membership fee would definitely be much higher than the basic membership fee.
"If you wish to become an advanced member directly, you have to deposit 3,000 Magic Crystals into your personal account. If you become an advanced member, not only will you be able to rent the advanced combat room without limit, but you'll also receive a 20% discount when using the normal combat rooms," the NPC receptionist explained.
"How fraudulent! If I had that many Magic Crystals, I would rather stay cooped up inside the Trial Tower than come here."
"Zero Wing is insane. Is there really someone who would be so foolish?"
A commotion broke out when the onlookers heard the NPC receptionist's explanation. Previously, the price of the Battle Arena's basic membership was already pretty fraudulent. However, the price of the advanced membership appeared utterly ridiculous.
"Three thousand crystals?" A tight frown formed on Remnant Cloud's face. After a moment of deliberation, he said, "I just need to have a total of 3,000 Magic Crystals stored inside my personal account, right?"
"That's right." The receptionist nodded.
"If that's the case, carry out the basic membership procedures for the two of us for now," Remnant Cloud said, gritting his teeth as he paid 2,400 Magic Crystals to the NPC receptionist. This amount was already close to one-third of Firecloud Fox's stockpile of Magic Crystals.
Of course, if it was possible, Remnant Cloud very much preferred to become an advanced member, instead. That way, he could keep improving himself inside the advanced combat room. However, he had brought less than 3,000 Magic Crystals this time. Hence, he could only settle for basic membership for now.
"Understood." The NPC receptionist received the 2,400 Magic Crystals and started the membership procedures of the Battle Arena with Remnant Cloud and Graceful Moon.
After completing the procedures, Remnant Cloud and Graceful Moon immediately turned around and dashed towards the staircase, apparently planning on entering the advanced combat rooms again.
"Is this a joke?"
"Is he some actor hired by Zero Wing?"
The surrounding players wore a look of confusion on their faces as they watched Remnant Cloud and Graceful Moon leaving hurriedly for the seventh floor of the Battle Arena. They simply could not believe this situation. The two players were actually willing to become members of the Battle Arena just so that they could have more chances to enter the advanced combat rooms.
"Just what kind of magic does this advanced combat room possess?"
"Wait a minute! I'm not renting a normal combat room anymore! I want to rent an advanced combat room, instead!"
Quite a few expert players that were about to pay their rental fees suddenly changed their minds. They were intensely curious about what was so special about the advanced combat room that it could mesmerize experts like Remnant Cloud and Graceful Moon to such a degree.
Chapter 1403 - Sacred Training Ground
Due to Remnant Cloud and Graceful Moon's actions, many expert players inside the first-floor hall of the Battle Arena grew interested in the advanced combat rooms. They immediately began applying to rent a room for themselves one after another, curious to find out just what was so special about the advanced combat rooms.
"I want to rent an advanced combat room! Here are two Magic Crystals!"
"Just what is so special about the advanced combat room? I want to give it a try."
...
Just a short moment after Remnant Cloud and Graceful Moon left, over a dozen players expressed their intentions to try the advanced combat rooms. However, as there were only nine advanced combat rooms available, the others had no choice but to wait for their turn.
The expert players that got to use the advanced combat rooms entered their respective rooms while filled with skepticism. However, as soon as they entered their rooms, they immediately received a surprise as an Illusory Creature that looked like their doppelganger appeared before them.
Upon fighting with these Illusory Creatures, the players found out that not only were the Illusory Creatures capable of using the exact same Skills they themselves did, but the Illusory Creatures even executed the Skills perfectly, like second nature. There was no sense of awkwardness in their movements whatsoever. Moreover, the might of the Skills the Illusory Creatures executed were much more powerful than the players' own.
After just a short clash, the players found themselves completely suppressed by the Illusory Creatures. Their defeat took less than 30 seconds. If not for the weapons and equipment they wore possessing powerful Skills, they might not even have lasted 10 seconds.
"So strong!"
"Is this for real? Can I really exhibit that kind of combat power?"
"Why is there such a huge gap between the Skill he used and the Skill I used?"
Upon reviving, the players looked at their respective Illusory Creatures in shock. Originally, they could already exhibit greater combat power in the Battle Arena due to the high Mana density here. However, they never imagined that they had the potential to elevate their combat power to such a degree. The Illusory Creature's grasp on timing and Skill Completion Rates, in particular, captivated them completely. Before they knew it, their respective Illusory Creatures had already killed them.
Following which, the expert players inside the advanced combat rooms fully indulged in the wonders of the room. Even after 30 minutes had passed and they were ejected from their respective rooms, they still wore a dazed look on their faces.
"What?! Didn't I just enter recently?!"
"It's over already? Why do I feel like only a few minutes passed?"
The expert players looked at the advanced combat rooms they were just kicked out from with great reluctance. However, as their time limit was up, they could only accept their fate and dash downstairs to get in line and rent the advanced combat room once more.
"Huh? What's going on with these people?"
The next batch of players queued up to use the advanced combat rooms stared in confusion at the last batch of players coming out from the rooms. They could not understand why these players were in such a hurry to go downstairs after leaving the advanced combat rooms.
"Commander, it seems that more and more people have found out about the secret of the advanced combat room. Should we continue queuing up for the rooms, or should we head to the Divine Colosseum instead?" Graceful Moon frowned when she saw another batch of experts coming up to the seventh floor.
She and Remnant Cloud had intended to keep the functionalities of the advanced combat rooms to themselves and monopolize the rooms for as long as possible. After all, only nine advanced combat rooms were available. If other players found out about the wonders of the rooms, the advanced combat rooms would definitely be heavily contested. The spars held inside the advanced combat rooms had inspired her greatly, so much so that it was much more effective to train inside the advanced combat rooms than spar against an opponent of equal or superior standards.
After just nine training sessions, she had already managed to improve the Completion Rate of one of her Tier 1 Skills by 3%. Although 3% did not seem like much, since the Completion Rate of this Skill had increased from 82% to 85%, both the might and effect of the Skill had undergone a qualitative transformation. Moreover, by fighting against the Illusory Creature, she had managed to get a grasp on when would be a good time to use her Skills.
The advanced combat room was so beneficial that she and Remnant Cloud had even delayed their plans to train at the Divine Colosseum in preparation for tomorrow's ranking competition.
"Not many people have discovered it yet, so the wait should not be that long. Let's continue queuing up for now. We'll return to the Black Dragon Empire only after the queue gets too long," Remnant Cloud said after giving the matter some thought.
Previously, he had planned on heading to the Divine Colosseum to train after testing the advanced combat room once. However, just one try had gotten him addicted.
Compared to the Divine Colosseum's Trial Tower, the advanced combat room could provide him with much greater aid—especially when it came to the improvement of Skill Completion Rates.
Meanwhile, details regarding the advanced combat rooms quickly spread, causing a huge commotion on Star-Moon Kingdom's official forums.
Amazing advanced combat rooms appear in Stone Forest Town!
Shortly after this post appeared, it was already upvoted to the top ten positions on the forums. This allowed everyone to find out about the advanced combat rooms.
"Is this a scam? Is the advanced combat room really that miraculous?"
"Why would I need to lie to you? Right now, the advanced combat rooms are already in great demand. Just the number of players currently queued up for the rooms is already close to 300. Many people are regretting the fact that they did not rent a room for themselves before, when nobody was using them."
"I heard that due to the high demand, the Battle Arena amended the regulations for the advanced combat rooms. Now, non-members get only one entry per day, while basic members get four entries. Only advanced members have no limit. Moreover, the rental price has also increased from the previous two Magic Crystals to four now."
"Zero Wing is so fraudulent! They actually dare to charge four Magic Crystals?!"
"This is insane! Who would be willing to rent something so expensive?!"
"Expensive? You can't rent one right now even if you want to. Moreover, it is precisely because of this price hike that there are currently only around 300 people lined up. If Zero Wing kept the previous price, you might not get a room even after waiting ten days."
"Forget four Magic Crystals! If I can get into a room right away, I'm even willing to pay ten Magic Crystals!"
...
For a time, everyone was filled with anticipation towards the advanced combat rooms of Stone Forest Town. This was especially true for expert players. Previously, the only attraction for them in the Battle Arena was the monthly tournament held there. At most, they would use the normal combat rooms to spar with friends. They had no particular need for the Battle Arena. However, with the appearance of the advanced combat rooms, these experts became entranced with the Battle Arena.
...
Meanwhile, inside Evernight City...
Shi Feng had arrived before the City Hall.
The City Hall of a Dark City was much stricter than White River City's City Hall. Moreover, just standing before the building itself, Shi Feng could already feel a dense power of darkness coming from it; he could even see the power of darkness in the form of dark fog encircling the building.
Even Dark Players would feel uncomfortable when subjected to such a dense power of darkness.
However, to Shi Feng, who wielded the Bible of Darkness, this power of darkness was practically nonexistent. As a result, he arrived inside the courtyard of the City Hall with relative ease. However, the farther he got into the City Hall, the denser the power of darkness present in the atmosphere. The pressure he felt grew increasingly heavier as well.
"This is a restricted area of the city. Non-related personnel are forbidden entry!"
As soon as Shi Feng arrived before the City Hall's main entrance, four Level 200, Tier 3 Dark Knights blocked his path, exuding a threatening aura. If Shi Feng made any sudden movements, they would promptly take action. They were much crueler when compared to the guards in ordinary NPC cities.
"I have come to meet with Lord Magrence," Shi Feng said as he revealed the Advanced Garrison Order.
"An Advanced Garrison Order?" The Four Dark Knights were momentarily stunned when they looked at the crystal token in Shi Feng's hand. Their attitude instantly became much more respectful as one of them said, "Please wait here for a moment. I'll notify the Lord Magistrate immediately."
The Advanced Garrison Order was like the proof of one's status. Wielders of this token were equivalent to the major nobles of Evernight City. Let alone guards like themselves, even the Magistrate of Evernight City had to treat the owners of Advanced Garrison Orders with respect.
Very quickly, the Dark Knight that went to report Shi Feng's arrival returned. The NPC then stopped before Shi Feng and said respectfully, "The Lord Magistrate has already been notified of your presence. Please follow me."
After saying so, the Dark Knight led Shi Feng into the City Hall.
"Crap! Who's that?! He's actually able to enter the City Hall!"
"That's not possible, right? I heard that one needs to reach at least Baron rank in order to enter the City Hall. How can someone have reached that rank already?"
"Could that person be Zero Wing's Guild Leader, Black Flame? I heard that Zero Wing has killed the Frost King and can directly garrison Evernight City."
"Black Flame?"
"The rumor is actually true?"
"If it's true, we're in luck this time. If we want to go to Stone Forest Town in the future, we can simply teleport there."
Several players got goosebumps when they saw Shi Feng entering the City Hall. Meanwhile, news of this situation also spread rapidly throughout Evernight City.
Chapter 1404 - Advanced Auction House Appears
After entering the City Hall, the Dark Knight led Shi Feng to an office on the fifth floor. Even before Shi Feng entered the office, though, he could already feel an aura of death leaking out of the room and shuddered involuntarily at the aura's intensity.
As the doors to the office opened, an aura several times stronger than even that of a Tier 4 Mythic monster washed over him. For a moment, it felt as if the space around him froze.
"Come in." A deep and chilling voice came from within the room.
Upon entering the room, Shi Feng was immediately greeted by the sight of the deep voice's owner sitting behind an office table. The owner of the voice was a hunched middle-aged man with skin as pale as snow. The man wore a set of dark robes and held a stack of parchment in his hands. If not for the faint tinge of life in the aura the man exuded, one would even think that they had come across the God of Death.
Meanwhile, this man was none other than Magrence, Evernight City's Magistrate!
Magrence was the overlord of Evernight City. At the same time, he was also a Tier 5 Dark Magus, an existence that even Star-Moon Kingdom feared. Magrence was the reason why the kingdom's army did not dare take action against Evernight City.
Facing an NPC of such caliber, Shi Feng did not dare waste time playing around with words. He immediately took out the Advanced Garrison Order and placed it on the table.
"Lord Magistrate, I wish to have my Guild garrison this city. I hope that you can permit it," Shi Feng said respectfully.
"This is indeed my city's Advanced Garrison Order. Alright, I permit your Guild to garrison Evernight City." Magrence nodded after glancing at the crystal token on the table. He then took out a piece of parchment and a map of Evernight City and said, "Write down your Guild's name on this parchment. You may then pick one of the empty spots on the map to site your Guild's Residence."
After receiving the parchment and map, Shi Feng wrote the words "Zero Wing" on the parchment without hesitation. He then started browsing through the available locations for a Guild Residence.
Is this the privilege of having an Advanced Garrison Order? Shi Feng grew ecstatic when he saw the available locations on the map.
Evernight City was different from ordinary NPC cities. There was a huge difference between its normal, inner, and central areas. The privileges that a Guild got to enjoy within the city was dependent on the location of its garrison. The members of a Guild garrisoned in Evernight City's normal area were allowed entry into Evernight City even without doing the city's entry quest.
Those of Guilds that garrisoned the city's inner area were also qualified to take part in the Dark Auction, which was held once a week at the city's Auction House. Usually, players would need to have a certain amount of local Reputation and complete a series of quests in order to participate in the weekly Dark Auctions.
Lastly, the central area was where all Guilds within Star-Moon Kingdom wished to garrison. As long as a Guild managed to set up a Residence in the central area, its Guild members could exchange for weapons and equipment in Evernight City without having to become a Red or Dark Player; the quality of the weapons and equipment its members could exchange for would depend on the Guild's Reputation within the city. The only downside to this was that, unlike the items exchanged by Dark Players, the items exchanged by Guild members who were not Red or Dark Players were bound to themselves.
However, the number of spots available in the central area of Evernight City was extremely limited. In addition, as there was no fee for garrisoning Evernight City, the ten available spots would be distributed via an elimination system. Guilds would be ranked according to the number of City Contribution Points they accumulated each month, and those qualified to garrison the central area could compete for the ten spots each month.
With the Advanced Garrison Order, Zero Wing could directly garrison the central area. On the other hand, Heaven's Burial only managed to garrison the inner area.
"Lord Magistrate, I have already made my decision." After Shi Feng made his selection, he returned the parchment and map to Magrence.
"Excellent. From now on, Zero Wing will be one of the Guilds garrisoned in Evernight City. You may go and take a look at your Guild Residence now," Magrence said, nodding after he took a look at the contents of the parchment. He then waved his hand, signaling permission for Shi Feng to leave.
At the same time, the sound of a system notification entered Shi Feng's ears.
-
Evernight City Region System Announcement: Congratulations to Zero Wing for becoming the first Guild to garrison Evernight City's central area! Rewarding 1,000 Evernight City Guild Reputation and 3,000 Evernight City Guild Popularity.
-
The system announcement repeated three times, notifying every player within Evernight City of its contents.
Many large Guilds reacted enviously to this situation.
Setting aside the Guild Reputation awarded, just the Guild Popularity awarded was already enough to make the various large Guilds go crazy. After all, the quality and quantity of Guild Quests a garrisoned Guild could receive in Evernight City varied depending on the amount of Popularity it had. This would also have a significant impact on the amount of Contribution Points the Guild members accumulated.
"Crap, Zero Wing is amazing! I heard that, even until now, Heaven's Burial has only managed to get into the inner area, after going through many difficulties. With this, Zero Wing's members are going to have an awesome time. As long as they collect enough Contribution Points, they can exchange for weapons and equipment suitable for themselves at any time."
"I heard that the benefits a Guild receives for garrisoning the central area aren't limited to just that. It seems that Guild members also receive a 30% discount when using the teleportation arrays of Evernight City."
"If that's the case, then I must join Zero Wing! I can save money and exchange for suitable weapons and equipment without having to rely on Dark Players!"
...
For a while, practically every player in Evernight City was discussing Zero Wing. This situation also frustrated the various Dark Players and Dark Guilds of Evernight City, who lost their opportunity to make a fortune.
Generally, normal players paid at least double the original price of an item when getting Dark Players to act as proxies for them. Now, however, normal players could just join Zero Wing and gather a sufficient amount of Evernight City Contribution Points to exchange for items themselves.
With such an option available, only a fool would continue purchasing Evernight City's products from them.
...
Back in Evernight City's City Hall, Shi Feng spent 1,000 Gold to establish a teleportation channel between Evernight City and Stone Forest Town. This matter immediately attracted the attention of many players.
"Guys, look! The teleportation array has two available destinations now!"
"This is great! We can actually teleport directly to Stone Forest Town now! With this, I won't have to waste hours traveling to the town anymore!"
"I previously did not bother visiting Stone Forest Town, due to the long distance. This is a good opportunity to visit it."
"I heard that Stone Forest Town opened a new kind of combat room. We can go there and give it a try now."
...
In just a few short minutes, thousands of players had transferred to Stone Forest Town via teleportation array. Although it cost 80 Copper to teleport to Stone Forest Town, it was much more convenient than traveling there from the nearest NPC town.
As a result, many independent experts and adventurer teams began feeling that garrisoning Stone Forest Town was not a bad idea. After all, with Evernight City serving as a transfer point, they could save up on plenty of time.
Meanwhile, the activation of the teleportation channel also caused the player population of Red Iron Town to decrease drastically.
...
"Black Flame, I'll let you have your fun for now. However, you'll soon know that all your efforts are in vain," Singular Burial sneered as he read the report he just received. He then looked at Daybreak Fog on the screen before him and said, "You all can begin operations now."
"Guild Leader, leave it to us." Daybreak Fog smiled, her eyes filled with confidence.
...
Meanwhile, Shi Feng, who was surveying Zero Wing's Residence in Evernight City, got a sudden call from Melancholic Smile.
"Guild Leader, the Advanced Auction House has been constructed. Should we open it to the public now?" Melancholic Smile asked, her face tinged with excitement.
Chapter 1405 - Zero Wing Auction House
Hearing Melancholic Smile's report, Shi Feng could not help but grow joyful.
He had been waiting for this moment for a long time now.
"Good! Send a few advanced NPCs from the Battle Arena to manage the Auction House's affairs right away. Afterwards, announce to the public that we are only collecting a 1% processing fee. If one becomes a member of the Zero Wing Auction House, they can have the processing fee for the first five items they consign each day waived. Meanwhile, those wishing to become a member only need to pay a one-time fee of ten Magic Crystals," Shi Feng said. "It's about time we kick Red Iron Town out of the competition."
"Guild Leader, isn't this going a little too far?" Melancholic Smile was somewhat astonished by Shi Feng's declaration.
The Auction Houses of NPC cities generally charged a minimum processing fee of 15%; those in capital cities charged at least 20%. On the other hand, Red Iron Town's Auction House charged a 10% processing fee. Although a 5% difference seemed small, that was far from being the case. For example, if one were to sell an item that was worth one Gold, they would end up earning an additional five Silver Coins if they sold their items in Red Iron Town rather than an NPC city. Moreover, items that were put up for sale in Auction Houses were generally of high value. A 5% reduction in processing fees could allow the seller to save a large sum of money.
Meanwhile, if Zero Wing's Auction House were to collect only a 1% processing fee, it would be lucky to earn enough to maintain its operations. After all, there were only so many players in a town; thus, there was a limit to the number of items that would be put up for sale each day. Besides which, the Advanced Auction House itself was a very large building requiring hundreds of NPCs to manage.
Although they could oppress Red Iron Town by doing so, Zero Wing wouldn't be able to earn any money, either.
"Don't worry about it. Just get it done," Shi Feng said, chuckling, not bothering with explanations. He then took out a Guild Transfer Scroll and teleported to Stone Forest Town's Guild Residence.
In God's Domain, the building that brought a Guild town or city the most profits would always be the Auction House. Even the income of a Battle Arena could not compete with that of an Auction House.
This was also the reason why the various major powers and many independent players believed that Heaven's Burial would one day surpass Zero Wing. After all, financial strength and resources were a Guild's foundations. Without those, a Guild would not be able to develop whatsoever.
While collecting only a 1% processing fee might seem very little, and with Stone Forest Town's player population, Zero Wing would indeed be very fortunate to break even, it did not possess only Stone Forest Town. The Guild still had a Small City that was soon to be completed. Luring more players to Stone Forest Town would also help attract more players towards Zero Wing's new city. At that time, Zero Wing's overall income would naturally increase. Not to mention, as more Guild towns started obtaining their own Auction Houses, their Guilds would also lower the processing fees charged in order to be more competitive. What Shi Feng was doing was simply accelerating the inevitable.
Unfortunately for Heaven's Burial, while he could afford to take such an action, the latter could not. It would definitely deal a fatal blow to Red Iron Town's Auction House. Hence, making this move was equivalent to killing two birds with one stone.
"Understood." Melancholic Smile could only reveal a bitter smile as she disconnected the call. If Heaven's Burial were to find out about this, the upper echelon of the Guild would most likely faint from anger.
...
Meanwhile, inside Red Iron Town's Auction House, Daybreak Fog announced the new regulation of the Heaven's Burial Auction House. The original 10% processing fee was lowered to just 5% now. This change immediately caused a commotion among the players inside the Auction House.
"Heaven's Burial is so generous! They actually halved the processing fee they're charging! It seems Heaven's Burial is trying to put pressure on Zero Wing."
"Hahaha! My timing is simply impeccable! With this, I get to save a few more Silver Coins!"
"Isn't this processing fee a little too cheap? Even if I import items from cities other than Star-Moon City, as long as I sell them at a sufficiently high price, I can still make quite a profit."
"Red Iron Town's rise is definitely unstoppable now."
...
Many players inside the Heaven's Burial Auction House were surprised at Heaven's Burial's crazy move.
Meanwhile, news of the change also quickly entered the ears of the various powers of Star-Moon Kingdom.
"Have the higher-ups of Heaven's Burial lost their minds? Are they not afraid of not making money by pulling such a stunt?"
"It seems Zero Wing has truly angered Heaven's Burial this time. Although Heaven's Burial will lower their profits by doing so, the number of players visiting Red Iron Town will definitely reach scary heights in the future. The town's player population might even exceed Stone Forest Town's. With this, Stone Forest Town's position as the number one town will no doubt get stolen very quickly."
"Hahaha! This will most likely put Zero Wing in a predicament. Heaven's Burial has actually played such a move right before the start of the Candlelight Auction. The number of players willing to purchase Stone Forest Town's private houses and Shops will surely decrease significantly. Zero Wing must be fuming right about now."
The various major powers within Star-Moon Kingdom were greatly shocked by Heaven's Burial's crazy actions. However, they also felt joyous about this development.
Currently, the players selling items at Red Iron Town mainly consisted of Star-Moon City residents; very few players from other NPC cities were willing to visit Red Iron Town just to utilize its Auction House. The main reason for this situation was the expensive teleportation fees. With the processing fees charged by the Heaven's Burial Auction House halved, the money saved could be used to cover the teleportation fees. This change would definitely attract large groups of players from other NPC cities. Hence, it was only a matter of time before Red Iron Town surpassed Stone Forest Town.
Once the independent players and adventurer teams based in the various NPC cities of Star-Moon Kingdom received this information, they started organizing their items, prepared to make a trip to Star-Moon City.
In less than half an hour since the announcement was made, Red Iron Town's player population increased by over 50,000. Now, the town's total population was only a little over 100,000 away from catching up with Stone Forest Town's.
...
"Big Sis Fog, the rare items the Guild Leader had us send over have arrived. Moreover, based on the reports we've received, many merchant players in Stone Forest Town have already begun leaving the town. By the looks of it, they are planning on going to Red Iron Town," a Level 30-plus female Assassin reported.
"Good. Put the items up for sale in batches. After this, I want to see if there are still people willing to purchase the private houses and Shops of Stone Forest Town," Daybreak Fog said, nodding.
Although Heaven's Burial would not earn much by lowering the processing fees to such a level, being able to lure away the merchant players of Stone Forest Town was already more than enough, as doing so would decrease Stone Forest Town's popularity in turn.
...
Meanwhile, in front of Stone Forest Town's Advanced Auction House, the massive size of the building had attracted the attention of many players.
"What a huge building! It's practically as large as the Battle Arena. Could Zero Wing be planning on setting up another Battle Arena?"
"That shouldn't be the case. Towns and cities are limited to only one Battle Arena each."
"Quick, look! The magic barrier hiding the building is starting to disappear!"
Just as the passersby were discussing the newly constructed building in Stone Forest Town, the gigantic barrier shrouding the entire Advanced Auction House began shattering.
A moment later, a building that could rival Stone Forest Town's Battle Arena in grandeur appeared before everyone's eyes.
Meanwhile, at the entrance of this majestic building, the words "Zero Wing Auction House" were carved in large letters.
Chapter 1406 - Dominating Star-Moon Kingdom
"An Auction House?!"
"What?! Zero Wing built an Auction House as well?! Isn't the design for it supposedly very rare?!"
"What a big Auction House! I recall that the Heaven's Burial Auction House only has three floors. This one should have at least five!"
"Come on! Let's go in and take a look!"
"Nice timing. I was originally planning on a trip to Red Iron Town to sell my items. Now, I can save myself the effort."
...
The passersby were momentarily stupefied by the appearance of the Advanced Auction House. For a time, they all thought that their eyes were playing tricks on them.
As for the Guild spies stationed in Stone Forest Town, they were utterly dumbfounded when they saw the Zero Wing Auction House.
Ever since Heaven's Burial constructed an Auction House, the various large Guilds and superpowers had gone nuts searching for an Auction House Design of their own. Unfortunately, the design was simply too rare. Even now, there was no news of any Super Guild, or any Guild for that matter, successfully constructing another Auction House.
Shortly after the appearance of the Zero Wing Auction House, the nearby players rushed into the building.
As soon as everyone entered the Auction House, they were stupefied.
The reason for their reaction was the space inside the building being much larger than what they had seen from the outside. The size of the first-floor hall alone could already rival that of a sports arena. The various decorations adorning the hall also made them feel like they had just entered a palace. The Zero Wing Auction House was much more luxurious than even the Auction Houses in most NPC cities and was only slightly inferior when compared to the Auction House in Star-Moon City.
Moreover, the Zero Wing Auction House had a total of seven floors. The first floor was meant for consigning items, the second floor for purchasing items, the third floor for bartering, the fourth floor for NPC Basic Auctions, the fifth floor for NPC Intermediate Auctions, the sixth floor for NPC Advanced Auctions, and the seventh floor for large-scale private auctions.
"Isn't the Zero Wing Auction House a little too amazing?! There's actually a bartering function available as well!"
"That's nothing! There are even NPC-hosted auctions here! The Basic Auctions are held once every three days, the Intermediate Auctions are weekly, and the Advanced Auctions are every fifteen days! This is simply insane!"
"I've been to the Heaven's Burial Auction House before—and it is far inferior to the Zero Wing Auction House."
"The requirements for participation in the NPC auctions are very stringent, though. Just the Basic Auction alone requires a minimum transaction amount of 150 Gold at the Zero Wing Auction House every week. Even expert players like ourselves would have difficulty meeting this requirement, let alone the 800-Gold per fifteen days and 5,000-Gold per month requirements for the Intermediate and Advanced Auctions. Zero Wing is simply too ruthless."
"I don't think that these requirements are high at all. Powerful adventurer teams should have no problem trading that much. If an entire adventurer team puts in the effort, it should be possible to sell 5,000 Gold's worth of items within a month. These requirements are impossible only for individual players. In any case, it is pointless for individual players to participate in the Advanced Auction since they're too poor to afford anything there, to begin with."
...
After entering the Zero Wing Auction House, everyone could not help but discuss the establishment with gusto. To independent players, bartering was undoubtedly their preferred method of carrying out transactions. The same was true for players belonging to the various adventurer teams.
Very quickly, news regarding the Zero Wing Auction House spread throughout the entire Star-Moon Kingdom.
"What? Zero Wing actually has such an amazing Auction House?"
"This is wonderful! I have a few items I wish to barter. With this, I won't have to worry about getting taken advantage of by the various large Guilds."
"The Heaven's Burial Auction House simply isn't on the same level as the Zero Wing Auction House!"
"Hopefully, the Zero Wing Auction House's processing fees aren't too expensive. For the bartering function, I'm willing to pay as high as 15%."
...
Posts about the Zero Wing Auction House went viral on Star-Moon Kingdom's official forums, completely overshadowing the news of the Heaven's Burial Auction House lowering its processing fees. Or to put it in another way, nobody was talking about the Heaven's Burial Auction House anymore.
...
"How is this possible?" Daybreak Fog had a complicated expression as she read the latest report sent to her by her subordinates. At this moment, she was filled with shock, rage, and a little bit of helplessness.
The Heaven's Burial Auction House was Red Iron Town's foundation.
Originally, they had been prepared to use the Heaven's Burial Auction House to put pressure on Zero Wing. Now, however, the tables were turned. With the appearance of the Zero Wing Auction House, all their previous efforts had instantly gone to waste.
Shortly after news of the Zero Wing Auction House started spreading, Red Iron Town's player population quickly decreased by 20%. Moreover, this number was still climbing steadily.
One could not help but admit that the bartering function was simply too attractive to the majority of players.
...
Meanwhile, after the Zero Wing Auction House's existence became public, Melancholic Smile followed Shi Feng's request, releasing an announcement that the Zero Wing Auction House would charge only a 1% processing fee on all transactions. In addition, players who became a member of the Auction House would have the processing fee for their first five items sold each day waived. Soon after, this announcement triggered another uproar on the official forums.
"Has Zero Wing lost its mind? It's only charging such a small processing fee despite having such a great Auction House? Is Zero Wing not afraid of making a loss?"
"Such ruthlessness! Originally, I thought that Heaven's Burial was already plenty ruthless. Turns out, Zero Wing is even more ruthless! With this, the Heaven's Burial Auction House is definitely a goner!"
"Is Zero Wing planning on dominating Star-Moon Kingdom's Auction Houses?"
...
At this moment, whether it was the independent players, adventurer teams, or large Guilds, they all could not help but gasp when they saw Zero Wing's announcement.
Now, not only did Stone Forest Town have a teleport channel with Evernight City, but it also boasted an Auction House with a built-in bartering function. Moreover, the Auction House was charging only a 1% processing fee on all transactions. To players who frequently sold their items at Auction Houses, the Zero Wing Auction House was practically heaven. With such benefits available, players from the various NPC cities of Star-Moon Kingdom would definitely surge to Stone Forest Town.
At this rate, Zero Wing would truly dominate Star-Moon Kingdom.
...
"Big Sis Fog, what should we do now?" one of the players managing the Heaven's Burial Auction House could not help but ask as she looked at Daybreak Fog.
Shortly after Zero Wing's announcement, the number of players visiting the Heaven's Burial Auction House had more than halved. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before the establishment lost all its customers.
"Zero Wing!" Daybreak Fog practically shouted every syllable at the top of her lungs when she saw Zero Wing's announcement.
With this, not to mention relying on the Heaven's Burial Auction House to sustain Red Iron Town's development, they would already be fortunate to get back their investment in the Auction House.
Aside from Heaven's Burial's upper echelon, the adventurer teams garrisoned in Red Iron Town were also filled with regret when they heard about the Zero Wing Auction House. So long as they remained garrisoned in Red Iron Town, they would not be able to set foot into Stone Forest Town. Like many other adventurer teams, they possessed plenty of rare items. Meanwhile, it would be a colossal waste to simply convert these rare items into Coins. However, they also did not normally have an opportunity to barter for other items, unless they were prepared to get taken advantage of.
Yet, now, despite such a good opportunity having presented itself to them, they had crushed it with their own two hands.
...
Meanwhile, due to the appearance of the Zero Wing Auction House, Stone Forest Town's player population had suddenly increased by over 50%. Currently, the streets were packed with players. Among them, the visiting merchant players inundated Melancholic Smile with offers stating their willingness to sign all sorts of unbalanced agreements. Right now, she was already having trouble keeping up with the incoming calls and messages, much less do anything else.
"Guild Leader, I've just received the latest statistics! Currently, over 3,000 players have become a member of the Zero Wing Auction House! Moreover, this number is still rising rapidly! The transactions made at the Auction House have also far exceeded our initial expectations! Just the processing fees we've collected thus far have already exceeded 200 Gold!" A big smile appeared on Melancholic Smile's face as she read through the report. Despite the Zero Wing Auction House opening for business just recently, the results were already so overwhelming. At this point, it was already safe to say that the Zero Wing Auction House would definitely surpass the Candlelight Trading Firm and Battle Arena in future income generation. "Guild Leader, it's about time. Can we hold the auction now?"
Chapter 1407 - Manatite Mine
Upon hearing Melancholic Smile's reminder, Shi Feng nodded in agreement. He, too, felt that now was a good time to hold the auction for Stone Forest Town's private houses and Shops.
Although the Zero Wing Auction House was currently raking in money at a frightening pace, it would not be enough money to cover the various maintenance and construction costs of Zero Wing's future city. Moreover, Zero Wing's Guild Branch over at the Black Dragon Empire and Immortal Light over at the Apocalypse Empire both required considerable funds.
As the era of Mounts had already arrived, they needed to equip Guild members with Mounts as soon as possible to improve their leveling speeds.
Fortunately, Zero Wing had a Stable, allowing it to save plenty of money on Mounts. Only, with Zero Wing's current funds, the number of Mounts it could afford was like a drop in the ocean when compared to the number of members in the Guild.
Following which, Shi Feng left the matter regarding the auction to Melancholic Smile to manage, while he returned to White River City to make preparations for claiming the Manatite Mine in the Sea of Death.
Currently, although Zero Wing was capable of earning a lot of Coins, its supply of Magic Crystals was grossly inadequate. Now, Shi Feng also needed to supply Magic Crystals to the Ring of Gospel, in addition to the three Magic Towers in Stone Forest Town. The number of Magic Crystals that the Battle Arena was currently raking in was just not enough to sustain such enormous expenditures. Not to mention, once Zero Wing's city was completed, the Guild's Magic Crystal consumption would definitely become even more frightening.
In God's Domain, the various large Guilds all wished to construct as many cities as possible. After all, a city represented the generation of a massive amount of wealth, both Coins and Credits.
However, constructing a Guild city was easier said than done. To put it simply, while constructing a city was easy, maintaining it was quite difficult. The reason for this was a Guild city's consumption of extraordinarily frightening quantities of Magic Crystals. Hence, in Shi Feng's previous life, even first-rate Guilds could construct only a very limited number of cities.
Only the various superpowers that had occupied ore veins capable of producing Magic Crystals could easily maintain multiple Guild cities. Ordinary large Guilds would already be fortunate to be able to maintain a Small City.
Now that Zero Wing's city was nearing completion, Shi Feng naturally had to make some preparations ahead of time.
...
White River City, Candlelight Trading Firm:
When Shi Feng arrived before the Candlelight Trading Firm's entrance, he noticed that the situation at the trading firm had changed quite remarkably. Currently, there was a long line of Lifestyle players queued up outside the trading firm, many of whom had reached Intermediate or Advanced rank. Meanwhile, of the various Lifestyle classes present, alchemists numbered the most.
"The Candlelight Trading Firm's test is simply too terrifying! Even an Intermediate Alchemist was disqualified!" a Level 10 player lining up to apply for Candlelight's test exclaimed in surprise when he saw an Intermediate Alchemist walking out of the trading firm wearing a disappointed expression.
Although Intermediate Alchemists were not as popular as Advanced Alchemists among the various large Guilds, if they wished to join a Guild, the various large Guilds would still welcome them with open arms. After all, nurturing an Intermediate Alchemist was neither easy nor cheap.
Nevertheless, the Candlelight Trading Firm had actually rejected an Intermediate Alchemist without hesitation.
"Based on your level, you must've just recently entered White River City, right?" a Level 28 Basic Alchemist standing behind the Level 10 newcomer said. Chuckling, he continued, "There is nothing surprising about an Intermediate Alchemist getting disqualified. Previously, there were even Advanced Alchemists that got disqualified."
"This can't be true, right? Those are Advanced Alchemists we are talking about." The Level 10 newcomer revealed a dubious expression when he heard the Basic Alchemist's words.
"You better believe it. Ever since the Candlelight Trading Firm revealed the new benefits it is offering to alchemists, it has become a sacred land for alchemist players. For your info, if you manage to become the tenth most-skilled alchemist in Candlelight, you will get to use Secret-Silver ranked alchemy tools. These are tools that very few Guilds in Star-Moon Kingdom possess. Moreover, this is the benefit provided to just the tenth ranking alchemist.
"If you manage to reach fourth place, you will get to use an entire set of Secret-Silver alchemy tools. Meanwhile, the first ranking alchemist gets to use an entire set of Dark-Gold alchemy tools.
"Due to these benefits, alchemists from all over Star-Moon Kingdom as well as from several neighboring kingdoms have come to join Candlelight. As a result, Candlelight's criteria for alchemists have also increased significantly. You should feel fortunate that you are not an alchemist. Otherwise, as an Apprentice, I'm afraid you won't even get through the first test."
When the Level 28 Basic Alchemist spoke about the Candlelight Trading Firm, his eyes were filled with yearning. Inwardly, however, he also felt a sense of helplessness.
While the alchemists of the Candlelight Trading Firm received excellent benefits, the requirements to join Candlelight were proportionately difficult.
It seems that those alchemy tools are working quite well as promotional tools. Shi Feng could not help but smile when he overheard the conversation between the two Lifestyle players. I should find an opportunity to obtain high-ranking forging tools and engineering tools as well.
While the importance of Lifestyle players had grown during recent times, it had not reached a point where Lifestyle players were indispensable in the game. However, once mainstream players reached Level 50, the need for Lifestyle players would thoroughly reveal itself. At that time, the Guilds that controlled the most top-tier Lifestyle players would be able to dominate the trade market of God's Domain.
Following which, Shi Feng entered the Candlelight Trading Firm and went straight to his personal Special Forging Room. He then took out the Titan Device Design from his bag and started examining it.
The Manatite Mine located on the island in the Sea of Death was very special. Originally, Shi Feng planned on capturing it only after Zero Wing's entire main force had obtained their Tier 2 classes.
However, there was no need to do so now.
The Manatite Mine was located on an island called Karna Island, which had powerful monsters and an unusual environment. Not only was the island covered in the corrosive power of shadows, but the Mana density was also abysmally low. Due to this reason, initially, no Guild had attempted to capture Karna Island in the past.
Nobody could've imagined that such a low Mana density environment actually housed a Manatite Mine, something the various large Guilds had dreamed of obtaining.
An environment with extremely low Mana density would have a drastic impact on players' combat powers. On Karna Island, players would be fortunate to be able to exert even 20% or 30% of their combat powers.
The monsters on Karna Island were already terrifyingly strong, to begin with. With the low Mana density environment factored in, even a team of Tier 2 experts would have minimal odds of capturing the island, much less a team of Tier 1 experts.
However, the Titan Device could be used to counter the problem of low Mana density, making it possible for Tier 1 experts to capture the island.
An Advanced Forging Design really is complex. No wonder even Master Forgers did not dare to casually attempt to produce the items recorded on one. Shi Feng could not help but take a deep breath after examining the contents of the design.
Originally, the success rate of producing an item recorded on an Advanced Forging Design was already very low. Meanwhile, the complexity of the Titan Device's production method was above average even among Advanced Forging Designs, which would depress the production success rate further.
Based on Shi Feng's initial estimates, if he tried producing the Titan Device as an Advanced Forger, his success rate would be only around 10%; he would be lucky to succeed once out of twenty tries.
Fortunately, he had upgraded Icarus's Heart to Epic rank, so he could temporarily promote himself into a Master Forger.
Following which, Shi Feng used God's Blessing and sacrificed 500 Life Force to extend God's Blessing's duration from one hour to two hours.
After activating God's Blessing, Shi Feng did not waste time, taking out the Book of Forging and the necessary materials, which he had tasked others with preparing for him beforehand. He then began carefully forging the Titan Device.
...
Meanwhile, the auction over at Stone Forest Town had officially commenced.
Chapter 1408 - Horrific Auction
Inside the seventh-floor auction hall of the Zero Wing Auction House:
Previously, everyone had thought that very few people would attend the auction this time since only Stone Forest Town's private houses and Shops were up for sale. Yet, now, the hall, which could accommodate up to 30,000 people, was actually at capacity.
Moreover, this was despite Zero Wing having limited entry into the auction to only members of the Zero Wing Auction House and those that carried more than 2 Gold on their persons. Usually, only expert players would have such a large sum in their pockets.
"Commander, look! There are so many adventurer teams participating in the auction this time, not only from the Black Dragon Empire but also from other kingdoms." Graceful Moon was slightly shocked when she looked at the familiar figures around her. She had never thought that the Zero Wing Auction would hold such a huge influence.
However, after further consideration, she found it reasonable. After all, the current Stone Forest Town was simply too excellent.
The town had a Battle Arena with advanced combat rooms, which allowed experts of her caliber to improve rapidly, as well as a high-class Auction House, which had a system-operated bartering function. After finding out about these facilities, adventurer teams would be crazy not to want to develop here.
"Let them be. I've already had Flying Fox prepare quite a lot of funds. We don't need to fear being outbidden by them," Remnant Cloud said, chuckling as he glanced at several well-known adventurer teams he was familiar with. These adventurer teams all ranked within the top 50 in the Black Dragon Empire.
His original plan was to compete for the adventurer houses that were going up for auction at the Candlelight Trading Firm in a few days' time. However, after taking into account the current state of Stone Forest Town, he concluded that Firecloud Fox's financial strength was no match for that of top adventurer teams. Not to mention, Zero Wing was planning to sell only five adventurer houses.
Hence, he had decided to settle for buying two or three private houses in Stone Forest Town instead, enough to accommodate their adventurer team's main forces.
Meanwhile, in order to surely obtain those private houses, he had mobilized the entirety of Firecloud Fox's forces and raised a total of 5,000 Gold. With that kind of money, he could already purchase a relatively large private house in the Black Dragon Empire's capital.
Just as everyone in the auction hall was discussing the Zero Wing Auction, Melancholic Smile came out from behind the main stage and announced the start of the auction.
Since only the private houses and Shops of Stone Forest Town were being sold this time, Melancholic Smile did not bother with providing much of an introduction. Instead, she directly displayed the locations of the private houses and stated that the minimum price was 800 Gold. She then allowed everyone to start bidding.
"Eight hundred and fifty Gold!"
"Nine hundred Gold!"
"One thousand Gold!"
...
In the blink of an eye, the price of the first private house shot up to 1,200 Gold, stupefying the various independent players present. Meanwhile, the adventurer teams that had only several dozen members fell into despair. At this price, one could already purchase a relatively good private house in an ordinary NPC city, yet this amount of money still wasn't enough for a private house in a player town.
"One thousand six hundred Gold!" Remnant Cloud shouted, gritting his teeth.
However, as soon as Remnant Cloud made his bid, a Level 45 female Elementalist clad in aquamarine mage robes, who sat a short distance away from him, shouted, "Two thousand four hundred Gold! The FFF adventurer team will be taking this house!"
The female Elementalist's bid immediately attracted everyone's attention, the people inside the hall turning to look at her one after another.
"What?! Even a top adventurer team from the Black Dragon Empire has come to join the competition?!"
"Isn't she Princess Ilo, FFF's vice commander?!"
The female Elementalist's declaration immediately dispelled many adventurer teams' notions of competing against her.
An adventurer team capable of rising to the status of a top adventurer team in the Black Dragon Empire naturally possessed extraordinary strength and wealth. Most likely, even third-rate Guilds were no rival for the empire's top adventurer teams. In terms of financial strength, a top adventurer team of the empire could even compete with an ordinary second-rate Guild. Not to mention, FFF was one of the Black Dragon Empire's top five adventurer teams.
It was simply impossible for ordinary Guilds and well-known adventurer teams to vie with an existence like that.
"Two thousand six hundred Gold!" At this time, a handsome man wearing silver armor raised the price once more. "This first house belongs to the Lonely Drinkers adventurer team!"
When everyone heard the adventurer team mentioned by this man, they received another shock.
Lonely Drinkers was a top adventurer team in the Dark Night Empire. Although its influence was not comparable to the FFF adventurer team's, in terms of strength, it was not far from rivaling FFF.
"Three thousand Gold!" Princess Ilo frowned as she placed a higher bid.
"Three thousand two hundred Gold!" The handsome man did not give up, either.
For a time, the auction became a competition between these two top adventurer teams, leaving no room for the other adventurer teams present to intervene.
In the end, the first private house went to Princess Ilo for 4,500 Gold. Among the private houses on sale this time, it was the closest to both the Zero Wing Auction House and the Adventurer's Association. However, this outcome still made the players present gasp involuntarily.
Nobody had thought that two top adventurer teams from two different empires would actually come to contest for Stone Forest Town's private houses. If they were to relate this incident to others, most likely nobody would believe them.
"Now that even the top adventurer teams of empires are coming to compete for Stone Forest Town's private houses, the adventurer teams that previously garrisoned Red Iron Town are most likely dying with regret right now."
"These top adventurer teams are simply too rich. If I had that kind of money, I would definitely use it to purchase a Shop in a major NPC city, instead."
"What do you know? In the future, Stone Forest Town will become even more amazing than major NPC cities. There is no loss in buying the town's private houses now. In the future, the houses will most likely go for even higher prices."
No one had ever thought that the private houses of Stone Forest Town would be so popular. The Guild members of the various large Guilds present were stupefied by this scene.
In such a way, a total of twenty private houses were sold in the Zero Wing Auction with the most expensive for 4,500 Gold and the cheapest for 1,500 Gold. Throughout the auction, many more top adventurer teams and well-known adventurer teams had revealed themselves, driving home to everyone present just how frightening Stone Forest Town actually was.
Meanwhile, the Shops were even more hotly contested. Of the ten Shops sold, even the cheapest one had gone for 3,500 Gold, while the most expensive one, which was located between the Zero Wing Auction House and the Battle Arena, had gone for 9,000 Gold. Meanwhile, the majority of the merchant players competing for these Shops possessed either the support of a large Guild or a top adventurer team. Ordinary merchant players had no chance of getting a Shop for themselves at all.
When the auction concluded, Zero Wing had earned a total of 113,000 Gold.
Now, Zero Wing possessed enough funds to cover not only the follow-up construction costs of its city but also the establishment of a Guild town by Zero Wing's Branch Guild over at the Black Dragon Empire.
After the auction ended, word about what happened during the auction also spread like wildfire. Upon receiving this news, the various adventurer teams and merchant players that were still undecided were rendered utterly speechless. They also regretted the fact that they did not try to compete for the private houses and Shops.
Meanwhile, throughout all this, Shi Feng had been fully focused on forging the Titan Device in White River City's Candlelight Trading Firm.
After actually attempting to make the Titan Device, he had to admit that the difficulty of doing so was exceedingly high. Despite him having been promoted to a Master Forger, his success rate was only around 25%, though he was fortunate to succeed two out of ten tries during the actual production. Meanwhile, the cost of each attempt was roughly 2 Gold. Overall, each Titan Device cost 12 Gold to produce. Without sufficient funds, even a large Guild would not dare to spend so much.
After all, the Titan Device simply improved the combat state of a player. It did nothing for a player's Basic Attributes.
While Shi Feng was forging a Titan Device, the system notified him of an incoming call. When he turned his head to glance at the caller ID, he could not help but be stunned to discover that the person calling him was actually the vice commander of the Midnight Tea Party, Endless Scars.
Chapter 1409 - Promotion to Master
"Why is she calling me all of a sudden?" Shi Feng was somewhat confused as he looked at Endless Scars's ID.
Endless Scars had been a legendary existence in the past. In addition, Midnight Tea Party, the adventurer team she was currently in, had been an existence that even Super Guilds feared. However, neither Endless Scars nor the Midnight Tea Party had shown any interest in Guilds. Hence, Shi Feng didn't bother keeping in touch with Endless Scars and the Midnight Tea Party.
He never imagined that Endless Scars would take the initiative to contact him now.
However, Shi Feng did not put too much thought into the matter. He immediately put down his work and accepted the call.
"Guild Leader Black Flame, congratulations. I heard that even the various superpowers are feeling envious over the current Stone Forest Town," Endless Scars said sincerely, a faint smile on her face.
"That's nothing to brag about. Vice Commander Endless is the one who's amazing. You've managed to obtain such a powerful weapon and equipment since I last saw you," Shi Feng said as he looked at the dark purple mage robes Endless Scars was wearing in the screen. Currently, although Shi Feng could not see Endless Scars's level, the Mana surrounding her was actually visible to the naked eye, flickering in and out of existence—which was definitely not an effect that ordinary Epic items could create. One could just imagine how powerful the weapon and equipment Endless Scars carried on her body were. "To what do I owe this sudden call?"
"It's nothing important, really. I just wish to invite Guild Leader Black Flame to join me on a quest," Endless Scars said, giggling. "As long as you help me complete this quest, I am willing to compensate you with a Secret Technique Tablet. Even if we fail to complete the quest, I'll still compensate you with 5,000 Magic Crystals."
"A Secret Technique Tablet?" Shi Feng was shocked.
Secret Technique Tablets were extremely rare items that the various superpowers in God's Domain desperately competed for, as these allowed players to grasp all sorts of powerful combat techniques. Under normal circumstances, nobody would trade away their Secret Technique Tablet.
Shi Feng found it very hard to imagine that Endless Scars would be willing to use such a rare item as remuneration. Even a Bronze Secret Technique Tablet was still quite shocking. If she used it to employ the help of a Super Guild's peak experts, said Super Guild would no doubt agree to the request without hesitation.
"That's right. However, unless you agree to help me, I cannot tell you the exact information of the Secret Technique Tablet." Smiling, Endless Scars prompted, "How about it? Are you willing to help me with this small problem, Guild Leader Black Flame?"
After giving the matter some thought, Shi Feng asked, "Right now?"
"No." When Shi Feng did not agree to her offer right away, Endless Scars could not help but grow confused. Most likely, even Super Guilds would immediately agree to her request if they were offered a Secret Technique Tablet, yet he was actually hesitating. "A lot more preparations need to be done before we embark on the quest. It won't be possible to do so within a short period of time."
"Alright, then." Shi Feng currently had many tasks he still needed to deal with. In addition, there was the ranking competition tomorrow over at the Black Dragon Empire. Gentle Snow had already requested his presence at the event. If he went to help out with Endless Scars's quest now, he was almost guaranteed not to make it back in time for the competition. After all, a quest that forced someone like Endless Scars to ask for help, in addition to using a Secret Technique Tablet as payment, would surely not be a simple one. It would no doubt be impossible to complete quickly.
"Good. We have an agreement, then. I'll contact you once my side is ready." At Shi Feng's reply, a hint of joy appeared in Endless Scars's eyes, her lips curling up slightly. "Oh, right, as a bonus, I'll let you in on something. The ranking competition being held in the Black Dragon Empire this time is slightly different. I've heard that the top three Guilds will receive an invitation to the Secret Pavilion's main headquarters to take part in the Secret Pavilion's internal auction."
"The Secret Pavilion's internal auction?" Shi Feng could not help but grow a little excited upon hearing this.
As a transcendental existence in the virtual gaming world, the Secret Pavilion possessed countless rare in-game items. However, this was still only the tip of the iceberg. What was truly amazing about the Secret Pavilion was its ability to procure items in the real world that were of great help to a Guild's development, such as training slots, data of expert players that could be used in a simulation system, S-rank Nutrient Fluids, Harmony Tea, virtual gaming cabins, and other products.
Even first-rate Guilds would have a very difficult time procuring these things in large quantities, what more other large Guilds?
However, the Secret Pavilion only sold these items in its internal auction. Moreover, the auction was not held in the virtual world of God's Domain, but in the Secret Pavilion's main headquarters in the real world.
In the past, those qualified to participate in the Secret Pavilion's internal auction were first-rate Guilds at the very minimum. Guilds of lower status had had no chance of participating in the event whatsoever.
Of course, in order to obtain these items, the various large Guilds would also have to pay a significant price. The currency used during these internal auctions was not Credits but top-tier weapons and equipment as well as precious in-game items that were generally not sold to the public—either that or Magic Crystals at the bare minimum. Even Coins were not accepted. The internal auction was equivalent to using real-world resources to exchange for resources in God's Domain.
To Zero Wing, this was indeed an excellent opportunity. S-rank Nutrient Fluids and virtual gaming cabins were generally not things that could be purchased even if one had the money to do so. Yet, these items were paramount to a Guild's development. Even if one was reluctant to part with their resources in God's Domain, they would still be willing to part with a considerable portion if it meant obtaining these items.
To Shi Feng, however, this was wonderful news. Currently, he had plenty of resources in God's Domain, such as the Advanced Mana Armor Kits, Magic Devices, and various Exotic Potions—and now the Titan Devices. He also possessed advanced speedboats, which were important to the various superpowers at this stage of the game. If push came to shove, he could even use the Miniature Ballistas, Soul Water, and Soul Crystals, items that a superpower like the Secret Pavilion would definitely want, to trade. Not to mention, he could also produce all of these items without limit so long as he had the materials. He was more than willing to convert these items into real-world resources[1].
"I heard that the Secret Pavilion has put in quite a lot of effort into its internal auction this time. Participation in it offers plenty of benefits for an up-and-coming Guild like Zero Wing. It's best if you make some preparations for the auction." Endless Scars gave a reminder before disconnecting the call.
"There is indeed a need to make some preparations." Shi Feng nodded in agreement.
The items sold at the Secret Pavilion's internal auction were not cheap. Based on what he had heard, a bottle of S-rank Nutrient Fluid could go for three to four million Credits' worth of rare items, which really wasn't a price that ordinary Guilds could afford. If he did not stockpile some resources ahead of time, he might end up being a spectator at the auction.
After his call with Endless Scars ended, Shi Feng resumed forging Titan Devices. In order to increase his success rate, he had even taken out his precious Magical Gold as well as 100-plus Magisteel Ingots, which the Guild had collected, raising his success rate to roughly 35%.
As Shi Feng continued forging Titan Devices, he became increasingly proficient at it. Moreover, when he recalled the scene where Seliora remolded and repaired Thousand Transformations, particularly how she utilized magic arrays to condense materials together, he could not help trying to condense materials using magic arrays himself, especially since he had the Seven Luminaries Ring to increase the ambient Mana density.
After all, as long as he learned to condense materials using magic arrays, not only would his production speed increase, but his success rate would also increase significantly.
The first attempt failed...
The second attempt failed...
After experiencing numerous failures, Shi Feng started recalling and experimenting with the various magic arrays he had produced before. Suddenly, the Celestial Magic Array came to mind. Out of curiosity, he tried using a foundational Celestial Magic Array to condense the materials.
As the materials took shape, the amount of Mana gathered in the magic array became increasingly terrifying.
Five minutes later, a Titan Device appeared before his eyes. However, unlike the previous Titan Devices he made, the color of this Titan Device was silver instead of a dull gray.
"Did it succeed?" Shi Feng carefully inspected the Titan Device's Attribute Panel.
Suddenly, the sound of a system notification entered Shi Feng's ears.
...
System: Congratulations! You have created a new Advanced Item.
System: Congratulations! You have been promoted into a Master Forger.
Chapter 1410 - All-rounded Device
"I got promoted into a Master?" Shi Feng could not help his confusion as he looked at the system notification.
He had long since maxed out his Forging Proficiency. However, he had not created any new item since becoming an Advanced Forger, so he had remained stuck at the rank all this time.
It never occurred to him that creating a new Advanced Item would directly promote him into a Master Forger. With this, he would save a lot of time.
Now that Shi Feng had truly been promoted into a Master Forger, he could retrieve the Master Forger's Insignia and further improve his production success rate. He could also start learning Foundational Forging Skills, which were reserved for Master Forgers.
These Foundational Forging Skills were of great help to Master Forgers in creating new items.
For example, there was Material Analysis, which allowed Master Forgers to analyze material to get a better idea of what materials would complement it.
Aside from that, there was also Attribute Analysis, which allowed Master Forgers to produce weapons and equipment tailored to a particular player, allowing the said player to exert more of their actual strength.
Due to the existence of these Skills, Master Forgers enjoyed a much higher status than Advanced Forgers.
There's no reward notification for becoming a Master Forger? Could someone else have become a Master Forger already? Shi Feng felt slightly surprised as he took a look at the system notification once more.
Reaching the Master rank was not easy for Lifestyle players—especially in the top three most popular Lifestyle classes. A lot of effort was needed to do so. Even Cream Cocoa and the others, people supplied with all sorts of precious resources, had yet to become Master Forgers. Meanwhile, he had only managed to become a Master Forger so quickly due to his luck. He never imagined that there would actually be someone who had become a Master Forger even sooner than he did.
However, Shi Feng did not dwell on the matter. There were plenty of talents in God's Domain. There was nothing strange about someone becoming a Master Forger ahead of him.
After his joy from becoming a Master Forger faded, Shi Feng shifted his gaze to the silver device sitting atop his workbench.
Before, due to his excitement, he had completely neglected to inspect his creation.
What amazing Attributes! Shi Feng's eyes glowed as he looked at the Attribute Panel displayed before him.
Not only did the silver device increase the user's surrounding Mana density by an additional 20% when compared to the Titan Device, but it also amplified Basic Attributes. Although it only increased the user's Basic Attributes by 5%, this was still a rare bonus. After all, the Titan Device was originally a tool specifically meant to counter low Mana density environments. Now that it also increased all of its user's Basic Attributes by 5%, using it was equivalent to equipping an additional Advanced Mana Armor Kit.
-
System: Please give the Advanced Item a name. You may also leave your personal mark on this item.
-
Since it increases both Attributes and the environmental Mana, let's call it the All-rounded Device. After giving the matter some thought, Shi Feng wrote down the new name for his creation. With this, he could make as many copies of the forging design as he wished. However, he would allow only those who had become Master Forgers to attempt forging the All-rounded Device. After all, the difficulty of forging his creation was slightly higher than that of the Titan Device. It would be a miracle if an Advanced Forger could attain even a 10% success rate.
After becoming a Master Forger, Shi Feng did not immediately continue forging All-rounded Devices. Instead, he made a trip to the Forging Association to collect his Master Forger's Insignia. While he was at it, he also spent 20 Gold to learn Material Analysis and Attribute Analysis.
-
[Master Forger's Insignia] (Dark-Gold Rank Item)
Increases production speed by 20% and production success rate by 3%.
User restriction: Ye Feng
Cannot be dropped.
-
With the Master Forger's Insignia, not only did he take less time to forge the All-rounded Device, but his forging success rate also increased considerably. In addition, due to him being the creator, he also received a slight bonus to his production success rate. Now, even without the support from materials like the Magical Gold, he still achieved a 40% success rate. On average, he could produce two All-rounded Devices out of five attempts. With this, the cost of the All-rounded Device was directly halved to only six Gold.
Moreover, the EXP awarded for successfully forging an All-rounded Device was much higher than that for the Titan Device. Each success awarded EXP equivalent to a Chieftain of the same level. Meanwhile, Shi Feng took roughly 15 minutes to successfully produce one All-rounded Device, essentially spending 15 minutes to kill a Chieftain of the same level. Although the efficiency was slightly poor, he could keep producing the All-rounded Device as long as he had sufficient materials. This would be equivalent to him continuously killing Chieftains of the same level, something rarely possible out in the fields.
Overall, Shi Feng's experience bar skyrocketed.
Following which, Shi Feng forged one All-rounded Device after another, passing more than half a day unawares. Meanwhile, he also reached 76% of Level 57. As long as he continued forging the All-rounded Device for another day, he would reach Level 58. In the eyes of other players, this would definitely be an astonishingly fast leveling speed.
Just as Shi Feng was about to start forging another All-rounded Device, Gentle Snow suddenly contacted him.
"Guild Leader! The ranking competition is about to start soon! Why aren't you here yet? Don't tell me you've forgotten about it?" Gentle Snow asked, a frown on her face.
"It's starting already?" Shi Feng automatically checked the time and discovered that he had actually unknowingly spent close to an entire day cooped up inside his Special Forging Room. "Alright, I'll head over immediately."
His harvest today was considerably good. Due to his increasing proficiency with the forging process, he managed to forge a total of 131 All-rounded Devices and over 100 Titan Devices. Not only did he have enough for his trip to Karna Island, but he also had some leftovers he could sell or use as a Guild benefit.
Although the Titan Device only improved the Mana density around its user, if it was used appropriately—such as in the exploration of low Mana environments—its value would increase severalfold.
In reality, there were quite a few low Mana environments in God's Domain, many of them locations that Guilds and adventurer teams wished to explore. Only, due to the environments severely affecting one's combat power, players were generally forced to give up on ranging through these areas.
Take the Dragon's Graveyard, a well-known forbidden land in the Black Dragon Empire, for example. Due to a certain incident, many Dragons had died in that location in the past. Now, it was a forbidden land for the living—a Level 50 to Level 100 super-large-scale leveling map that had practically no Mana present, such that players could not use Tier 1 Skills and Spells there. If players entered the map, their combat power would be reduced to less than 10%. As luck would have it, the Bosses located at the inner and core areas of the Dragon's Graveyard had quite a significant chance of dropping the Stable Design and all sorts of Advanced Designs and Recipes.
However, this was still just the tip of the iceberg. If one managed to get the First Kill on the Dragon's Graveyard's Final Boss, they would be awarded their choice of weapon at Black Dragon City. Moreover, this weapon would be a Fragmented Legendary Weapon.
Hence, in the past, the various large Guilds in the Black Dragon Empire had put in a lot of effort into searching for tools that could help raise one's ambient Mana density. Only after gathering sufficient tools did they succeed in raiding the Dragon's Graveyard. Meanwhile, back then, the Titan Device had been one of the best tools available for the purpose.
In the past, a single Titan Device had easily sold for 50 Gold. One could just imagine how desperate the various large Guilds were back then. Of course, compared to the value of a Fragmented Legendary Weapon, this price was not worth mentioning whatsoever.
...
Black Dragon Empire, Black Dragon City:
As soon as Shi Feng appeared inside Black Dragon City's Teleportation Hall, he was greeted by the sight of a massive crowd of players. After he exited the Teleportation Hall, the players were still packed like sardines. Normally, one could see such a street scene only in small but popular places like Stone Forest Town. Even the imperial capitals of the Four Great Empires were far from comparable to Black Dragon City right now.
The streets teemed with not only Level 40-plus players but even the rarely seen expert players. Players riding Mounts were also a dime a dozen at the moment. It was as if every expert player in the Black Dragon Empire had gathered at Black Dragon City. One could just imagine how lively the ranking competition this time was going to be.
Following which, Shi Feng summoned the evolved Demonic Flame Tiger and made his way towards Black Dragon City's Underground Arena.
Chapter 1411 - Initial Appearance in Empire
Black Dragon City, Underground Arena:
Currently, the street outside the arena was crowded with players. However, the players that could actually enter the facility numbered extremely few.
Players who wished to enter the Underground Arena needed an invitation from the Secret Pavilion or to have passed the qualifiers for the official competition. Everyone else could only stand outside the arena.
Of course, catering to the general public's interest, the Secret Pavilion would also livestream the competition on the large screens outside the Underground Arena, allowing people on the streets to watch the matches. This was a privilege available only to players that had rented the entire Underground Arena.
However, it cost around 15,000 Gold to rent the Underground Arena of an imperial capital for an entire day. Most likely, only the Secret Pavilion was capable of carrying out such a feat. Other superpowers would balk at spending so much money just to host a competition.
Aside from playing on the screens outside the Underground Arena, the livestream of the competition would also be uploaded to the official forums, allowing all players in the Black Dragon Empire to watch it as well. Hence, a player who achieved a good battle record in the competition could definitely become famous throughout the empire.
Meanwhile, the members of Guilds that received an invitation from the Secret Pavilion were currently entering the Underground Arena one after another.
"Quick, look! Those players in that group seem to be from the first-rate Guild Undefeated Dynasty! Their levels are so high! They're all actually above Level 45."
"Look! Those people seem to be Fantasy Shrine's members! The equipment they're using is so good! Every one of them is actually geared with one or two pieces of Epic Equipment!"
...
The bystanders were stunned by the five first-rate Guilds that were entering the Underground Arena. The weapons and equipment worn by the expert players they normally saw were already plenty amazing. However, now they were looking at the representatives of the five first-rate Guilds whose levels and items surpassed those of expert players by leaps and bounds.
Meanwhile, each of the five first-rate Guilds attending the competition this time had sent between eight and twelve representatives. Even the most inferior piece of equipment these representatives wore was Level 40 Dark-Gold Equipment. As for Epic Weapons and Equipment, although not everybody was equipped with one, each first-rate Guild boasted at least seven or eight. Let alone the ordinary players on the street, even the second-rate Guilds attending the competition were shocked at the robust foundations these first-rate Guilds displayed.
"Snow, is the Guild Leader not here yet?" Zhao Yueru asked as she walked out of the Underground Arena. Currently, she was dressed in a set of dazzling crimson robes and held a blue crystal staff in her hand.
Meanwhile, the instant Zhao Yueru appeared, she immediately attracted the attention of many players on the street. However, while part of the reason why so many players had their attention stolen by her was the contrast between her devilish body and angelic countenance, the greater reason was her personal fame.
Just recently, Zhao Yueru had annihilated the expert team of Corpse Soul all by herself. Meanwhile, Corpse Soul was an infamous Dark Guild in the Black Dragon Empire. The top-tier experts of the Dark Guild were existences that gave the various large Guilds headaches. Many second-rate Guilds, and even first-rate Guilds, had to treat the Dark Guild cautiously.
Yet, due to one of Corpse Soul's experts provoking Zhao Yueru, the latter had annihilated the entire 20-man team said expert belonged to. Enraged by this situation, Corpse Soul had dispatched several of its top-tier experts to assassinate Zhao Yueru. However, not only did those top-tier experts fail to accomplish their mission, but a few of them had even fallen at her hands.
After news of this matter spread, Zhao Yueru's nickname of Flame Witch became famous across the entire Black Dragon Empire.
"He should be here soon," Gentle Snow said as she looked at the time. Grinning, she said, "Why are you in such a hurry? Could it be that you can't wait to show Ye Feng the results of your latest training?"
The Guild's core upper echelon knew that Ye Feng and Black Flame were the same person. Back when Gentle Snow found out, she had been stunned. She had never imagined that Ye Feng could create such a powerful Guild, one capable of rivaling even veteran first-rate Guilds, all by himself.
"Hehe! Of course! I want to see what kind of reaction he'll make when he finds out that I've already reached the Refinement Realm!" Zhao Yueru giggled.
Ever since joining Zero Wing, she realized that there would always be someone better than herself. Previously, she had been one of Ouroboros's top-ranking top-tier experts. Yet, after entering Zero Wing, she had failed to rank even within the top 10 of the Guild. However, now that she had become a Refinement Realm expert, she was confident of entering the top 10 of Zero Wing and instantly reaching the level of peak experts like Fire Dance, Violet Cloud, and Aqua Rose.
While Gentle Snow and Zhao Yueru were chatting, another team of players walked out of the entrance of the Underground Arena. These players all sported a crimson flame emblem, the symbol of the Crimson Castle Guild, one of the Guilds that frequently clashed with Zero Wing's Branch Guild, which Gentle Snow managed.
Although Crimson Castle was only a second-rate Guild, Nine Dragons Emperor secretly supported it. Crimson Castle had also allied with a few other second-rate Guilds; hence, the Guild's strength was not one bit inferior to that of first-rate Guilds.
"Guild Leader Snow, long time no see. I never thought that you would be interested in the ranking competition as well. It seems the competition this time is going to be interesting," Crimson Fox, the Guild Leader of Crimson Castle, said, smiling as he walked up to Gentle Snow.
"Aren't you here as well, Guild Leader Crimson?" Gentle Snow said. She could not help but feel a little surprised as she looked at Crimson Fox and his entourage.
Currently, Crimson Fox had already reached Level 45, and the majority of his equipment were Dark-Gold rank. As for the weapon he carried and the top he wore, Gentle Snow could not determine their quality due to their glow effects having been hidden. However, she could tell that they were either Epic rank or Epic Growth-type Weapons and Equipment.
Meanwhile, similar to Crimson Fox, the other members of Crimson Castle were all Level 45. The weapons and equipment they possessed nearly rivaled Crimson Fox's. Aside from these players, Gentle Snow had also spotted two cloaked players among Crimson Castle's team. Although she could not see the levels and equipment of these players, the pressure she picked up from them was much greater than even the pressure Crimson Fox exuded.
"Guild Leader Snow, neither of our Guilds were able to achieve a clear victory in our previous war with each other. Are you interested in settling our dispute through the ranking competition this time?" Crimson Fox said, a sly smile on his face.
"How do you want to compete?" Gentle Snow asked.
"We'll compete using our Guild rankings in the competition this time. Whoever places higher will be the winner. Meanwhile, whoever loses will give up on Hidden Fog Town. How about it?" Crimson Fox suggested.
As Crimson Fox had deliberately spoken in a very loud voice, everyone on the street heard his words.
"What's going on? Is Crimson Castle planning on competing with Zero Wing?"
"As expected of large Guilds, they're actually using a town as a wager."
"I wonder if Zero Wing will dare to accept the challenge?"
"If Zero Wing is afraid of accepting even such a small challenge, what qualifications does it have to participate in the ranking competition?"
At this moment, everyone could not help but turn to look at Gentle Snow and Crimson Fox.
In regard to this situation, Gentle Snow also hesitated to decide.
Hidden Fog Town, a Dark Town located in the vicinity of Lake Heart City, had a Mithril vein. Conquering Hidden Fog Town was equivalent to obtaining the Mithril vein, which would greatly help in a Guild's production of weapons and equipment. Only, due to Zero Wing and Crimson Castle's inconclusive war over this Dark Town, neither Guild had managed to capture it thus far.
While Gentle Snow was hesitating, a deep voice resounded throughout the entire street before the Underground Arena.
"Okay, Zero Wing agrees to your conditions!"
Immediately, every player on the street shifted their gaze to the source of the voice.
In the next moment, a majestic monster with its paws covered in flames and lightning stalked into the crowd, radiating an indescribably heavy pressure.
This monster was none other than the evolved Demonic Flame Tiger. In terms of strength, it surpassed even a Lord of the same level. Not to mention elite players, even expert players would have to run for their lives if they encountered the Demonic Flame Tiger as an opponent.
Meanwhile, upon seeing the Demonic Flame Tiger, the players standing in its path moved to the side automatically, wearing dumbfounded expressions.
"What kind of Mount is that? How is it giving off such intense pressure?"
"Who is that person?"
Chapter 1412 - All Parties Alarmed
"And you are?" Crimson Fox could not help but grow confused as he watched Shi Feng approach his location.
Currently, Shi Feng was wearing a Black Cloak, so Crimson Fox could not see his appearance and level at all. However, based on the deadly threat Crimson Fox sensed from the Demonic Flame Tiger, he could tell that Shi Feng was definitely not your run-of-the-mill expert.
Everyone present similarly shifted their gazes to Shi Feng, curious to find out Shi Feng's identity.
In the next moment, Shi Feng removed his Black Cloak, displaying his disguise as Black Flame. Currently, he was fully garbed in black, light armor sporting dark-blue magical patterns. At his waist hung two exquisite longswords. The Mana enveloping his body was also much denser than the ambient Mana.
Meanwhile, those within range of Shi Feng's aura felt as if they were standing before a humanoid beast right now.
"He's Black Flame!"
"You mean the Black Flame with the nickname of Sword King?"
"Yes! I am absolutely sure of it! I've watched his battle videos before. I never imagined he would actually come to spectate this competition."
"Crap! Just what kind of equipment is he wearing?! The Mana surrounding his body feels so dense!"
A few players familiar with Black Flame immediately recognized Shi Feng's identity. A huge commotion promptly broke out on the street as everyone started discussing Black Flame.
In Star-Moon Kingdom, everyone was familiar with Black Flame's name. However, aside from merchant players, most players rarely paid attention to matters relating to other kingdoms and empires. If not for the God's Domain Experts List having recorded Black Flame's name, ordinary players would most likely have no idea who Black Flame was.
"Guild Leader!"
At this moment, Gentle Snow's eyes were filled with surprise as she looked at Shi Feng.
Although she had long since known that Shi Feng improved rapidly, she never imagined that it would be this fast. It had only been a short time since the last siege war at Stone Forest Town ended. Yet, compared to the pressure she felt from Shi Feng back then, the pressure he gave off now was superior by leaps and bound.
Meanwhile, the upper echelons of the various large Guilds present on the street were likewise shocked by the pressure from Shi Feng.
"So this is Zero Wing's Guild Leader?"
"It seems the rumors about him are true after all! He really is a monstrous existence!"
"Fortunately, the ranking competition forbids Guild Leader and Vice Guild Leader characters from participating. Otherwise, Zero Wing would definitely be the dark horse of this competition."
The upper echelons of the various large Guilds inwardly celebrated as they looked at Shi Feng. If the Secret Pavilion allowed someone like Black Flame to participate in the ranking competition, Zero Wing would be unstoppable. In the entire Black Dragon Empire, most likely only the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion possessed experts capable of contending against Black Flame.
As Shi Feng approached the members of Crimson Castle on the Demonic Flame Tiger, the aura he exuded also grew increasingly powerful. Even the space around him started to stagnate. Meanwhile, those subjected to his aura felt an indescribable pressure bearing down on them, discomfort overwhelming their bodies.
Sword King Black Flame? Initially, Crimson Fox also revealed a shocked expression at his taste of Shi Feng's presence. Very quickly, however, he calmed down and smiled, saying, "Since Guild Leader Black Flame has already said so, whichever one of our two Guilds ranks lower in this competition will have to give up on Hidden Fog Town."
"Naturally." Shi Feng nodded.
"With Guild Leader Black Flame's word, I can rest assured now. I still have other matters to attend to, so I will not take up your time, Guild Leader Black Flame."
Upon hearing Shi Feng's answer, Crimson Fox revealed a delighted smile. He immediately turned around and walked back into the Underground Arena.
Meanwhile, the two cloaked players in Crimson Fox's entourage could not help but send a few additional glances at Shi Feng before reentering the arena.
"Boss, that person is Black Flame. He might have prepared some trump cards for the competition. Is it really all right to proceed with our original plan to compete with Zero Wing?" a Level 45 Shield Warrior standing beside Crimson Fox asked worriedly.
"What's there to worry about? The Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion has long since investigated everything there is to know about Zero Wing. While the top-ranking experts of Zero Wing are indeed scary, none of those experts are among the representatives Zero Wing has dispatched for the competition this time. Zero Wing's representatives consist solely of the experts that originally belonged to Ouroboros. There is no need to be fearful of them," Crimson Fox sneered. "Even if Black Flame does have some kind of backup plan, do you think our side doesn't possess one as well?"
"Boss, what do you mean?" the Shield Warrior asked in confusion.
"The Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion has always found Zero Wing to be an eyesore. Do you think they would secretly send only two experts to help Crimson Castle?" Crimson Fox whispered. "Rest assured. Zero Wing has no chance of winning against us. Most likely, even getting into the top 10 will be a problem for them. After all, among the participants in the competition this time, many are newcomers nurtured by superpowers."
After the Shield Warrior gave the matter some thought, he found his Guild Leader's words reasonable. In order to ensure its conquest of Hidden Fog Town, Crimson Castle had made plenty of preparations. The Shield Warrior then unconsciously turned to look at the two cloaked men some distance behind him. His body shuddered involuntarily when he felt the killing intent the two were radiating.
He had personally witnessed the strength of these two players before.
Even when these two players went up against five of Crimson Castle's top ten experts all by themselves, they had easily emerged victorious, not even losing one-tenth of their HPs. Moreover, this was while the two players were keeping many of their trump cards hidden. If those two players went all out, they could trounce all ten of Crimson Castle's strongest experts, even if the latter teamed up.
...
"Guild Leader, you shouldn't have agreed to their bet so hastily," Gentle Snow said helplessly as she looked at Shi Feng. "It is obvious that Crimson Castle has come prepared this time. The two cloaked experts following behind Crimson Fox have never appeared in our investigations of Crimson Castle before. It is highly possible that they are Crimson Castle's trump cards this time."
Although those two experts had hidden their levels and equipment, the killing intent they radiated was no laughing matter. They must've experienced countless battles to have gained that kind of killing intent. Moreover, she could tell that those two experts were already actively restraining their killing intent. Only, as the killing intent they cultivated ran bone-deep, they couldn't conceal it completely. She had no doubt that those two experts were frighteningly powerful. Otherwise, Crimson Fox would not have so willingly agreed to such a risky bet.
"That's right! Guild Leader, the pressure I felt from them is much stronger than even what the top-tier experts of Corpse Soul gave off. There is a high chance that those two players are Refinement Realm experts. Otherwise, I wouldn't have felt such intense pressure from them," Zhao Yueru said, nodding in agreement with Gentle Snow's words.
"Far from just Refinement Realm experts, those two people have already reached the Flowing Water Realm. They are capable of making the best response through observing their opponents," Shi Feng said, shaking his head.
When he was walking towards Crimson Castle's group, he could clearly feel how powerful those two cloaked players were. Or to put it in another way, their presence was right in his face. Hence, he had deliberately released his aura in order to test the two cloaked players' reactions.
And indeed, just like he had guessed, both of them were definitely experts!
The instant he directed killing intent towards Crimson Castle's group, only these two players had prepared to retaliate straight away. It was obvious that they had perceived and reacted to the subtle actions he made. As for Crimson Fox and the others, they had not shown a single reaction whatsoever.
"Guild Leader, why did you agree to the bet, then?!" Gentle Snow could not help but grow anxious.
Going up against two Flowing Water Realm experts was no joke. In a situation where both sides possessed similar levels and Attributes, either one of these Flowing Water Realm experts could easily annihilate all five members that Zero Wing had dispatched. With these two players taking the field, Crimson Castle had a sporting chance of contesting for the top three positions. If the first-rate Guilds taking part in this competition did not dispatch any powerful experts, it might even be possible for Crimson Castle to win the championship. As for the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion, a super-first-rate Guild like itself would not take such a ranking competition seriously. At most, it would only field some of the newcomers it nurtured to let them gain some experience.
"Won't it be interesting that way?" Shi Feng retorted, laughing. "Not to mention, if even Crimson Castle has some trump cards, do you think Zero Wing doesn't?"
Chapter 1413 - Shi Feng's Trump Cards
"Trump cards?" Gentle Snow stared at Shi Feng in confusion.
Zero Wing had already decided the five members who would be participating in the ranking competition; changing representatives at the last minute was impossible. She had also geared them with the best weapons and equipment available to her. Currently, even the most inferior piece of equipment these five players wore was Level 45 Dark-Gold Equipment. Zhao Yueru was even equipped with the Tier 1 Set Equipment for Elementalists, in addition to a piece of Epic Growth-type Equipment. The weapon Zhao Yueru wielded was even an Epic staff. In terms of equipment, Zhao Yueru could definitely rank near the top among those participating in this ranking competition.
Hence, it would be very difficult to further upgrade the weapons and equipment of Zero Wing's representatives.
As for their techniques, those were not something that could be improved within a short period.
"This isn't the place to talk about them. Let's go to our Guild's designated room first," Shi Feng said as he sent a glance at their surroundings. Currently, members of various large Guilds were focused on them. It was obvious that these Guilds were starting to grow cautious of Zero Wing in this competition.
Gentle Snow nodded in agreement with Shi Feng's words.
Shi Feng was currently too eye-catching. He also didn't have his aura concealed. Although it was impossible to make out his level and the quality of his weapons and equipment, judging by the increased Mana density around Shi Feng, an expert could readily tell that Shi Feng was incredibly powerful.
After Shi Feng and the others entered the Underground Arena, the members of the various large Guilds stationed outside the arena to keep an eye out for noteworthy opponents immediately reported back to their superiors.
...
Meanwhile, over a dozen people were currently seated inside one of the Underground Arena's luxurious VIP rooms. Even the lowest leveled player among these people was Level 45, while the highest even reached Level 46. The Dark-Gold Equipment they wore were also of a style; these were obviously set equipment. At this stage of the game, even first-rate Guilds had trouble collecting one set of Level 45 Dark-Gold Set Equipment, yet there were actually six sets here.
Seated in the front of this group of players were a man and a woman. These two people were none other than Nine Dragons Emperor and Phoenix Rain.
Although both of them were representatives of the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion, they sat on different sides of the room, each of them leading a group of newcomers they'd cultivated on their own. The newcomers of each side also faced their counterparts as if they were mortal enemies. They looked nothing like members of the same Guild.
To the various large Guilds, the ranking competitions hosted by the Secret Pavilion were a good opportunity for them to raise their fame. To the various superpowers, however, these competitions were merely amusements. After all, even without doing any publicity, everyone was already familiar with their Guilds.
Hence, during every ranking competition, the various superpowers in God's Domain would field their internally nurtured newcomers instead of their mainstays. One of the reasons for doing so was to allow the newcomers to gain some combat experience. The second reason was to let the public know just how powerful the newcomers they nurtured were.
"Interesting. Zero Wing's Black Flame has come as well?" Nine Dragons Emperor's lips curled up slightly when he read the report that just came in. "He actually agreed to Crimson Castle's wager? It seems he's pretty confident in his own Guild members."
"Pavilion Master, should we supply a few more Epic items to Crimson Castle?" Martial Dragon whispered.
"No need. The helpers and items we've provided Crimson Castle are already enough to defeat Zero Wing," Nine Dragons Emperor said, shaking his head. Sneering, he continued, "However, tell the others to go all out against Zero Wing's members. Make sure to give them a beating. Let the players of the Black Dragon Empire know just what kind of Guild Zero Wing is."
He hated Zero Wing down to the bone. If not for Phoenix Rain's partnership being known by all in the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion, which prevented him from publicly mobilizing the Pavilion's forces against Zero Wing a second time, he would've long since trampled Zero Wing's Branch Guild. He wouldn't have let the Branch Guild survive until now.
However, as long as Crimson Castle won its bet and secured Hidden Fog Town, Zero Wing's Branch Guild's days would be numbered.
Hidden Fog Town did not only possess a small Mithril vein but was also located in Sky Fog Valley, a resource-rich map as well as the most important Level 50 to Level 70 map in the Lake Heart City region. As long as Crimson Castle obtained Hidden Fog Town, it would have absolute control over Sky Fog Valley. Moreover, the several second-rate Guilds Crimson Castle was allied with could easily gather at the Guild town.
Then, as long as Zero Wing's members dared to set foot into Sky Fog Valley, they would not get out alive. Furthermore, without the resources of Sky Fog Valley, Zero Wing's development at Lake Heart City would definitely slow down. Sooner or later, Crimson Castle would surpass Zero Wing and chase it out of Lake Heart City.
Meanwhile, even if the upper echelon of the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion were to find out about this matter, they would not say anything about it. After all, Nine Dragons Emperor did not personally take action.
"Understood." Martial Dragon nodded. He then proceeded to make the necessary arrangements.
...
Inside one of the rooms that the Secret Pavilion prepared for the various invited Guilds:
"Guild Leader, the competition is about to start soon. Just what do you want to show us?" Zhao Yueru asked curiously.
At this point, it was already impossible for them to further increase their combat power—unless they took the equipment of Aqua Rose and the Guild's other peak experts. However, that was obviously out of the question. Aside from that, Zhao Yueru could not think of anything else that could possibly increase their strength within such a short time.
"First, eat these," Shi Feng said as he took out one Moonlight Fruit after another from his bag.
The Moonlight Fruit was a treasure he had harvested from the Dark Canyon. When consumed, it would permanently improve the user's physique by 2%. A player could consume a maximum of five Moonlight Fruits, permanently improving their physique by 10%. He had only obtained a little over 100 Moonlight Fruits from the Dark Canyon. After distributing some to Aqua Rose and the others who had reached Level 50, he had only 83 left.
"Guild Leader! How did you manage to get your hands on these things?!" Shock filled Gentle Snow's eyes when she read the Moonlight Fruit's introductory text.
She had never even heard about a fruit capable of permanently increasing a player's physique, much less seen one. Such a fruit could easily sell for thousands of Gold. Nevertheless, Shi Feng took out 30 Moonlight Fruits—including a portion for her.
"I got them from the secret land my Promotion Quest transported me to. Make sure not to tell anyone about them." Shi Feng did not hide the origin of the Moonlight Fruit, as everyone present was a trusted aide of Gentle Snow. Moreover, he was also familiar with their personalities.
In the past, these top-tier experts of Ouroboros were all very famous in Star-Moon Kingdom.
Besides Zhao Yueru, the others participating in the ranking competition this time were Fierce Snake, Wind Mill, Wild Bone, and Negative Life. Fierce Snake was a Level 45 Berserker while Wind Mill was a Level 45 Summoner, both of them former members of Ouroboros's Twelve Apostles. As for Wild Bone, he was a Level 45 Shield Warrior and was previously Ouroboros's third-ranking Shield Warrior.
Lastly, Negative Life was a Level 46 Ranger. In terms of talent, he was inferior only to Soaring Snake, the leader of the Twelve Apostles. Only, as he had entered the virtual gaming world a lot later than Soaring Snake, his combat standards had been inferior to Soaring Snake's. However, after receiving various resources from Zero Wing, his combat standards had improved rapidly. Right now, he was already close to rivaling Minor Wind in terms of combat standards.
These people had stayed by Gentle Snow's side all this time, so Shi Feng was not afraid word of the Moonlight Fruit would leak out.
"These Moonlight Fruits are amazing! I can already feel my combat power increasing by at least 10%," Zhao Yueru exclaimed in surprise after consuming five Moonlight Fruits and carefully sensing the changes to her body.
As for everyone else, due to their deficient standards, their combat power had only increased by 5% or so.
"Alright, don't get too excited yet. Just a 10% increase to your physique won't be enough to make up for the gap in techniques. Next up, wear these," Shi Feng said as he began taking out Epic items from his bag one after another, placing a total of six on the table.
A portion of these Epic items was loot from Heaven's Burial, while the rest came from Boss drops and quests.
"Guild Leader, did you rob a kingdom's treasury?" Zhao Yueru's eyes widened when she saw the Epic items on the table.
The others were likewise stupefied by this scene. While they all knew that Zero Wing's foundations were extraordinary, they had never thought that the Guild could still bring out so many Epic items for them to use.
"Right, Yueru, how much Intelligence and Strength do you currently have?" Shi Feng asked.
"My Intelligence is at 1,370. As for my Strength, it's at 400," Zhao Yueru stated proudly. These Attributes were considerably high for an Elementalist of her level.
"That should be barely enough," Shi Feng muttered after some mental calculations. He then started taking out Attribute Gemstones and a Skill Book for a Tier 1 Passive Skill that increased the user's Strength Attribute. "First, equip these Tier 3 Gemstones. After you're done, wear the Magic Devouring Charm and Eye of Arnos."
Zhao Yueru was rendered speechless when she heard Shi Feng's comment that her Attributes were barely enough. However, she still obediently equipped the Attribute Gemstones and the two pieces of Epic Equipment and learned the Tier 1 Skill.
"How are your Intelligence and Strength now?" Shi Feng asked.
"My Intelligence is at 1,590, and my Strength is at 614," Zhao Yueru replied, feeling greatly elated.
"Good! Then temporarily set aside that staff of yours and use this one for the competition," Shi Feng said as he handed Frostflame's Wrath to Zhao Yueru.
Chapter 1414 - Competition Starts
"This is..."
As Zhao Yueru gazed at the staff with a red-and-white glow, its beauty captivated her.
As a Fragmented Legendary Weapon, Frostflame's Wrath radiated an intense powerful the moment it appeared, making ordinary players feel quite uncomfortable. The surrounding Mana inadvertently flowed towards Frostflame's Wrath, and it instantly became the focal point of the room.
At this moment, Zhao Yueru wasn't the only one to notice how unique Frostflame's Wrath was. Even Gentle Snow and the others had noticed the weapon's extraordinary features.
Could that be... Gentle Snow had deja vu when she saw Frostflame's Wrath. A possibility surfaced in her mind, but she quickly shook the thought away, refusing to believe it was feasible.
When Zhao Yueru accepted Frostflame's Wrath and checked its Attribute Panel, she was stunned.
How is this possible?! This is...a Fragmented Legendary Weapon?! Zhao Yueru couldn't believe her eyes.
To obtain a single Epic item, a large Guild would have to invest countless resources and manpower. At this stage of the game, a first-rate Guild would be fortunate to have seven or eight Epic items. Even the various superpowers had very few Epic items.
However, even now, no one had heard of any of the superpowers obtaining a Fragmented Legendary item. First-rate Guilds and below could only fantasize of wielding such items.
Yet, Shi Feng had just handed her a Fragmented Legendary staff...
She even began to wonder if Shi Feng had a few hidden backers.
"You need to keep this staff a secret. You should be aware of the consequences should others discover this matter," Shi Feng whispered a warning.
Although he had revealed Frostflame's Wrath, not just any player could inspect it. Only the wielder could check its Attribute Panel. Hence, aside from Zhao Yueru and himself, nobody knew that Frostflame's Wrath was a Fragmented Legendary Weapon. However, since Gentle Snow had her own Fragmented Legendary item, could likely guess the staff's identity. Other players would, at most, assume it was a top-tier Epic Weapon.
After all, Fragmented Legendary items were truly too rare. Even after ten years in God's Domain, Shadow had never obtained a single Fragmented Legendary item.
"Mhm." Zhao Yueru nodded seriously. She had never expected Shi Feng to let her use such a precious weapon. She wouldn't expose the Guild's secrets.
"Alright, before you enter the competition field, use these All-rounded Devices. How far you go in the competition will depend on you." Shi Feng then took out ten All-rounded Devices and handed them to Zero Wing's five representatives. Each All-rounded Device lasted four hours, one hour more than the Titan Device's duration. Two All-rounded Devices should be more than enough to last until the end of the ranking competition.
Although players weren't allowed to use Magic Scrolls and items such as Berserk Potions and Frost Grenades in the Secret Pavilion's ranking competitions, they could use anything else.
...
The Underground Arena's large-scale arena in the Black Dragon Empire could accommodate 100,000 people. Currently, players filled the space. The venue was even livelier than the competitions in the Dark Arena due to the ranking competition's lower restrictions. This time, the Secret Pavilion had invited all of the local second-rate Guilds and above. The local well-known players and adventurer teams had received an invite as well. It wasn't hard to fill the Underground Arena's largest venue.
"So many players are participating in the competition this time!"
"I know, right? The last one only included the players from the Black Dragon Empire, but I've heard that quite a few superpowers have sent their newcomers to gain some experience in this competition. In addition, famous experts from the neighboring kingdoms have come to join the fun. The Secret Pavilion has doubled the number of official slots in the competition. Now, a total of 6,400 people can take part. Many of the top 100 players from the previous competition will likely lose their spots."
"Hahaha! Our Hundred Beast adventurer team's commander and vice commander will definitely rank among the top 200! We'll be able to rank among the top 30 adventurer teams in the Black Dragon Empire!"
"Top 200? Your commander only ranked 40th during the last competition. He'll be lucky to make it into the top 500 this time. I heard that even the FFF adventurer team is only aiming to get two people into the top 100. After all, the newcomers from the various superpowers are terrifying. Furthermore, several hundred top and well-known adventurer teams from the neighboring kingdoms have also sent participants."
"That's right. Don't forget; this competition isn't just a contest between adventurer teams. The Black Dragon Empire's various large Guilds are also participating. Those Guilds' foundations are far more powerful than adventurer teams. One top-tier expert from a second-rate Guild could easily trample an expert from a well-known adventurer team. Only representatives from top adventurer teams have a chance of securing a top position in this competition."
The crowd in the spectator stands engaged in heated discussions regarding the competition.
Generally, they only got to watch such a large-scale competition once a month. It was the highest standard competition ordinary players had access to. Most ordinary players envied those who got to watch the competition in person.
However, these players were even more jealous of the players in the 30 VIP rooms. From these rooms, players could see the ten stages as if they stood next to them. The difference between the experience of sitting in a VIP room versus sitting in the spectator stands was like the difference between heaven and earth.
Unfortunately, there was a limited number of VIP rooms available. After prioritizing the superpowers, the Secret Pavilion handed these rooms to the first- and second-rate Guilds before dividing the rest among the top five adventurer teams in the Black Dragon Empire. Everyone else could only look upon these rooms in envy.
While players chatted, Yuan Tiexin, the host of this ranking competition, appeared on the main stage. Immediately, cheers erupted throughout the venue.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you to watch the Black Dragon Empire's monthly ranking competition. As there are a lot more participants this time, we've modified the competition slots and rules slightly. First, there are 6,400 official participants this month. These participants will be categorized into ten stages. Each participant will fight in 30 matches. The system will randomly determine these matches competitors. Each victory will grant one point. In the end, the top 100 participants of each stage will move on to the competition's main phase.
"During the main phase, Guilds and adventurer teams that rank within the top three of their respective categories in terms of average strength will receive an invitation to the Secret Pavilion's internal auction. I won't continue to waste everyone's time; so let the competition begin!"
The moment Yuan Tiexin announced the start of the competition, the audience cheered once more. At the same time, the various participants felt a heavy pressure weigh them down. They hadn't realized that the first phase alone would eliminate 5,400 players.
Every one of the 6,400 participants was an expert, yet so many people would be eliminated so quickly. This competition would be far crueler than the previous events, which had only included 3,200 players.
After Yuan Tiexin finished speaking, the system began to distribute the 6,400 participants randomly into ten groups. Each group had 640 participants. However, only 100 players would proceed to the final phase. The various Guilds and adventurer teams' ranks would be determined based on their average results during this final phase.
"Hahaha! Zero Wing is pretty lucky! All five of its representatives have been selected for the competition's two death groups! Ranking among the top 50 won't be a problem, not to mention ranking among the top 10 Guilds in the Black Dragon Empire!" Crimson Fox could not help but laugh when he saw the system generated lists, sneering as he glanced at the VIP rooms above him.
Chapter 1415 - Who has Bad Luck?
The screens above the ten stages displayed the participants' numbers in each group. Of course, the various major powers had already investigated the noteworthy participants. The moment the system finished forming each group, they located the noteworthy participants' stages.
"The participants for the third and fifth group are amazing!"
"Isn't No. 29 Falling Flowers, the 10th ranked Swordsman in the Purple Thorns Empire?"
"Crap! Thorny Language, one of the experts that ranked within the top 100 in the previous competition, is No. 1,514!"
...
The spectators talked among themselves when they saw the name lists on the screens. Group Three and Five received the most attention. These two groups contained one-third of the players who had been predicted to rank among the top 100 this time. The battles in these two groups would be very intense.
When Gentle Snow saw the lists from her VIP room, her expression darkened.
Among Zero Wing's five representatives, two had been assigned to Group Three, and three were in Group Five.
It wouldn't have been a problem if these groups had slightly more experts than the others, but that clearly wasn't the case. Among the superpowers' newcomers, 13 were in Group Three, and 19 had been assigned Group Five. These two groups alone included more than half of the noobies from the various superpowers.
In addition, each of these two groups had over a dozen representatives from first-rate Guilds. They also consisted of many players from the various top adventurer teams. Overall, these people had taken roughly 90 slots among the two groups. There were also the various independent experts from the Black Dragon Empire and the neighboring kingdoms. Who knew if dark horses hid among these independent experts?
Group Three and Five were death groups.
Aside from Zhao Yueru, Zero Wing's representatives would have a difficult time qualifying for the competition's final phase. If they encountered one of the seeded participants or one of the superpowers' newcomers, they would have to endure an arduous battle.
Points would be awarded to Guild representatives who made it into the final phase. These points would be used to calculate each Guild's rank. Aside from superpowers, which wouldn't be included in the Guild rankings, each Guild had five representatives. Naturally, the more qualified representatives a Guild possessed, the greater its advantage would be.
Unless three or more of Zero Wing's representatives made it to the final phase, it would be at a disadvantage against Crimson Castle. Furthermore, Crimson Castle had two Flowing Water Realm experts. Those two experts were almost guaranteed to rank quite high during the final phase.
"Relax. None of them should have any problem qualifying for the next phase," Shi Feng reassured, chuckling when he noticed Gentle Snow's worried look.
While there were many experts in Group Three and Five, Zhao Yueru and the others were no weaklings. Their weapons and equipment ranked among the best in this competition. In addition, they had equipped the All-rounded Device. They had no reason to fear anything less than a Refinement Realm expert.
Shi Feng's confidence rendered Gentle Snow speechless.
If this were an ordinary competition, she wouldn't mind losing. In fact, this was a good opportunity for Zhao Yueru and the others to gain combat experience. However, the development of Zero Wing's Branch Guild was on the line.
If they succeeded, it would further the Branch Guild's progress in the Black Dragon Empire, enabling it to contend with the five first-rate Guilds in the empire. If they failed, however, the consequences would force her into an awkward position. After all, she was the Branch Guild's manager. She had no wish to see it fail.
As Shi Feng spoke, the competition began. Following which, the system randomly selected participants for the first fight. In the blink of an eye, the list of match-ups appeared on the screen above their respective stages. These participants simply needed to enter their respective stages to begin the match.
Group One - No. 4,187 VS No. 712!
Group Two - No. 1,714 VS No. 6,024!
Group Three - No.584 VS No. 5513!
...
Matches occurred simultaneously on the ten stages. While the audience could watch all ten stages at the same time, the large screens outside the Underground Arena would only stream the most noteworthy match.
"That Shield Warrior with the crimson shield is so amazing! He actually killed that Level 43 Berserker after losing less than one-tenth of his HP!"
"He is pretty powerful. He either blocked or dodged every one of the Berserker's attacks. The Shield Warrior's defense is impeccable. By my guess, he should rank among the top 100 Shield Warriors."
...
The players crowding the open-air bars outside the Underground Arena heatedly discussed the players as they watched the live-streamed matches.
Most of the matches ended quickly. Generally, each match lasted less than one minute. Even in a stalemate, the match would end after a certain amount of time as this was the competition's initial phase. The victors of these matches would be determined by how much remaining HP each participant possessed.
As one match after another came to an end, Fierce Snake, who was in Group Three, was called to the stage. His first opponent was a Level 45 Guardian Knight.
"That Berserker, Fierce Snake, really is unlucky. He has to face Flaming Arm, the 37th ranking Guardian Knight in the empire, in his first match."
"He can only blame himself for such poor luck. After ranking 37th in the class rankings during the previous competition, Dragon's Abyss, one of the top five top adventurer teams in the empire, recruited Flaming Arm immediately. With the Guild's nurturing, Flaming Arm must have improved quite a lot. He shouldn't have any issues ranking among the top 30 in his class rankings."
When Flaming Arm appeared on Group Three's stage, many among the audience shifted their attention to his stage. After all, he was an expert capable of ranking 37th among the Black Dragon Empire's Guardian Knights. In a first-rate Guild, he could become one of the Guild's core MTs.
Moreover, when comparing classes, Guardian Knights had an advantage over Berserkers. The match's outcome was obvious.
"Hahaha! Zero Wing is actually going to lose its very first match!" Crimson Fox laughed as he glanced at Fierce Snake.
During the initial phase, each participant had to fight 30 matches. Among the 640 participants in each group, only the top 100 would qualify for the final phase. Based on previous ranking competitions and the intensity of this competition, player's likelihood of qualifying for the final phase was quite low, even if the won 26 of their 30 fights. Only those who win 27 matches were guaranteed to qualify. If Fierce Snake lost his very first match, he would have to win 27 of his 29 remaining matches. Such a feat would be ridiculously difficult.
Crimson Fox was also quite familiar with Fierce Snake's strength since he was one of the top-tier experts in Zero Wing's Branch Guild; Crimson Castle had investigated the Berserker thoroughly. Based on the reports, Fierce Snake would only rank among the top 70 Berserkers in the empire. Normally, he wouldn't have any trouble qualifying for the final phase. Unfortunately, too many experts were participating in the competition this time. Fierce Snake had also been assigned to one of the two death groups. Now, he had to face Flaming Arm in his very first match. As a result, his chances of qualifying for the final phase had dropped.
...
On Group Three's stage, Fierce Snake and Flaming Arm stared each other down.
"You must have crap luck to encounter me in your first match! Well? Are you going to leave the stage willingly? Or do you want me to throw you out?" Flaming Arm snickered at the stern-looking Fierce Snake.
Any ordinary expert would normally forfeit a match against him to save their strength for the following matches. If they fought him and revealed their trump cards, only to suffer defeat in the end, they'd pay for it in the following matches.
"Our luck hasn't yet been determined," Fierce Snake said, chuckling.
"You overestimate yourself!" Flaming Arm's gaze sharpened when he heard the bell signal the start of the match. Without hesitation, he activated his Berserk Skill, growing significantly larger. Raising his shield, he charged at Fierce Snake.
Chapter 1416 - Initial Appearance
When Flaming Arm was less than 10 yards away from Fierce Snake, he shouted abruptly.
Suddenly, his body released a golden glow. Divine swords began to appear around him, rotating as he moved.
Tier 1 Skill, Divine Storm!
When activated, the Skill would deal divine damage to all enemies within an 8-yard radius three times. Each attack contained 130% of player's Strength and dealt 200% weapon damage.
"Flaming Arm is merciless! He's using his signature move right off the bat."
"Signature move?"
"While it looks like he's trying to finish his opponent off with Divine Storm, in reality, he's only using it to trick his opponent into defending themselves or dodging his attack. When his opponent has lost the power to resist, he'll finish them off with Divine Adjudication. Divine Adjudication is an unavoidable Skill, and Flaming Arm has relied on it to pass the initial phase during previous competitions."
A few participants who were familiar with Flaming Arm could not help but pity Fierce Snake.
Although Flaming Arm was a Guardian Knight, he had dumped the majority of his Free Attribute Points into his Strength. Moreover, his Gemstones were all Strength-based. He operated more like a DPS player than an MT.
Flaming Arm's Strength could even rival top-tier Berserkers of the same level. Even his Berserk Skill was Strength-based, increasing his Strength by 100%. Not even a top-tier Berserker of the same level could compete with Flaming Arm once the Guardian Knight activated his Berserk Skill.
Seeing the enemy Guardian Knight charge towards him fearlessly, Fierce Snake activated Power of Darkness, and faint layers of dark fog swirled around his body. He then rotated as he swung his greatsword horizontally.
Whirlwind Slash!
Immediately, a black tornado dominated Group Three's stage.
What a fool! Flaming Arm sneered as he put even more power into his charge.
When the black tornado and the golden tornado clashed, a powerful shockwave tore through the stage.
When the tornados scattered, everyone watching was stupefied.
"Impossible! He blocked Flaming Arm's attack?!"
"How high is Fierce Snake's Strength?!"
Flaming Arm was a Guardian Knight famed for his Strength. Very few players had ever blocked his signature move, but if an opponent could block the first assault and retain their stance, Flaming Arm would lose his opportunity to follow up with Divine Adjudication.
Flaming Arm's expression hardened as he glared at his opponent.
During the previous collision, Fierce Snake had only been forced to retreat by one step. On the other hand, he had taken three steps back. He had also lost over 500 HP. The difference between their Strengths was obvious.
How is his Strength so high?
Flaming Arm refused to accept this. To help him score well in the competition, his adventurer team had lent him a set of Epic bracers, which boosted his Strength considerably. With these bracers equipped, he was even confident of securing one of the top 100 positions.
Yet, he had lost to an unknown Berserker's Strength.
This All-rounded Device the Guild Leader had me equip is amazing! Fierce Snake couldn't help his shock when he saw his Skill Completion Rate.
In truth, his Strength Attribute was only slightly higher than Flaming Arm's. The main reason behind the outcome of that clash was his Whirlwind Slash's Completion Rate.
He had achieved a 90% Completion rate with his counterattack. This was the first time he had executed Whirlwind Slash so smoothly. As long as a Skill's Completion Rate rose past 85%, every 1% increase would boost the attack's power. Upon reaching 90%, the Skill would undergo a qualitative transformation.
It was only natural that Flaming Arm had difficulty blocking his attack.
Since I can't overcome his Strength, let's see who lasts until the end! Flaming Arm calmed very quickly. Immediately, he activated Protection Blessing. Then, while disregarding his defense, he attacked Fierce Snake ruthlessly, intent on exchanging blow for blow.
Protection Blessing halved the damage he received. Even if there was a difference in Strength, he had the advantage in an exchange of blows since Berserkers didn't have any Skills that reduced incoming damage.
As everyone assumed that Fierce Snake would dodge Flaming Arm's attacks, the man rushed forward to meet the Guardian Knight in battle rather than retreating.
"Is his brain broken?! He clearly has the advantage in this fight. He could easily win if he just waited out Flaming Arm's Protection Blessing, yet he's charging towards his death."
Fierce Snake's behavior confused the spectators.
Fierce Snake and Flaming Arm engaged in a vicious battle, attacking and defending. However, a Guardian Knight had a much easier time defending against attacks than a Berserker. With a slight adjustment of his shield, Flaming Arm could easily guard a large portion of his body. In contrast, Fierce Snake could only protect a limited space even with large swings of his greatsword.
The difference between their damages was also clear. Even when Fierce Snake's greatsword struck his opponent, his normal attacks only dealt around -3,000 damage. On the other hand, Flaming Arm's normal attacks dealt over -6,000 damage. Meanwhile, Flaming Arm had over 80,000 HP, while Fierce Snake only had around 70,000 HP.
When Fierce Snake's HP fell to 50%, Flaming Arm still had over two-thirds of his HP left.
However, the more Flaming Arm fought Fierce Snake, the more afraid he became. As the battle dragged on, he could sense his opponent's combat standards improving. Moreover, the more Fierce Snake fought, the more natural the Berserker's actions became. As a result, it became increasingly difficult to land an attack. On the other hand, Fierce Snake had an easier time hitting him.
After another five seconds, Fierce Snake had only one-third of his HP remaining. However, Flaming Arm had the same.
"What?! Flaming Arm is losing?!"
No one could believe their eyes as they watched Flaming Arm's HP Fall below Fierce Snake's, the gap between them growing wider as the seconds ticked by.
How is his combat standard so high?! Has he been toying with me all this time?! When Flaming Arm saw his HP drop to a critical level, he knew that he had lost his chance of winning. Not only was the difference between their combat standards so great, but his Protection Blessing's duration was running out.
What Flaming Arm didn't know was that due to the sudden increase of Mana density around Fierce Snake, he couldn't fight at his peak, but as the match progressed, Fierce Snake adapted to the increase brought about by the All-rounded Device.
Honestly, Fierce Snake could've ended the battle already. However, fighting a top-tier expert like Flaming Arm was inspiring. Hence, he hadn't bothered to use any of his Skills, toying with the enemy Guardian Knight.
When Fierce Snake eventually eliminated the final strand of Flaming Arm's HP, gasps of amazement echoed from the crowd.
"Zero Wing's Fierce Snake is so amazing!"
"I never thought that, aside from the several well-known peak experts, Zero Wing had someone like this. I've underestimated Zero Wing."
"It seems we'll have to be more careful of this Berserker later on. His melee combat abilities are too strong."
After the match, the various major powers' representatives were a little afraid of this Berserker, Fierce Snake. After all, Fierce Snake had relied on normal attacks to defeat the Black Dragon Empire's 37th ranking Guardian Knight. If he had used his Skills, he would've wiped the floor with Flaming Arm.
After Fierce Snake's match, Wind Mill, Wild Bone, and Negative Life completed their matches. Without suspense, they won their respective battles. Moreover, they also won their matches without any Skills. No one had seen the true depth of their prowess.
As the ranking competition grew more intense, Zhao Yueru's turn eventually came.
Group Five - No. 918 VS No. 29!
"What?! The Flame Witch is going up against Falling Flowers?!"
"Both are experts capable of qualifying for the final phase. To think the system would pit them against each other..."
"This is going to be interesting. Falling Flowers is one of the top ten Swordsman experts in the Purple Thorns Kingdom. I've heard that some time ago, she even defeated Whistling Sword, the 394th ranked player on the God's Domain Experts List. On the other hand, even the Dark Guild, Corpse Soul, is helpless against the Flame Witch. This will be an intense fight."
Everyone grew excited as they watched the two women approach Group Five's stage.
As soon as the match began, both sides activated their Berserk Skills.
Upon doing so, Zhao Yueru executed triple-casting. Although she had only cast two Tier 1 Spells and a Tier 0 Spell, both her spellcasting speed and her Spell's power shocked the audience.
Fireballs, Flame Spears, and Flaming Chains shot towards Falling Flowers in rapid succession. Despite being a Refinement Realm expert, Falling Flowers couldn't keep up with the attacks. After exhausting of her Lifesaving Skills, the dozens of Fireballs and Flame Spears killed her instantly...
Chapter 1417 - Shocking the Empire
From the moment the bell signaling the start of the match rang until the moment the system displayed its end, less than five seconds had passed. The match was so overwhelmingly one-sided that Falling Flowers hadn't even had time to scream before she transformed into particles of light and disappeared from the stage.
At this point, Group Five's stage had become a smoldering mess...
"Huh?"
Looking at the stage, Zhao Yueru was momentarily dazed. She struggled to believe that it had been her doing.
"What just happened?"
The audience watching Group Five's battle wore dumbfounded expressions, their minds unable to process the unexpected outcome.
Originally, everyone had assumed that the fight was between two players of equal strength; they had never expected this outcome.
...
"Triple-casting! Just who is she?!" Blue Phoenix stared at Zhao Yueru in shock.
Current peak magical-class experts were just barely learning to triple-cast, and Zhao Yueru could already triple-speed-cast. Even Blue Phoenix had yet to grasp that level of the technique. Even after entering the legacy space of Zero Wing's Secret Spellcasting Technique, she had only grasped double speed-casting.
Moreover, based on the power of Zhao Yueru's Spells, it was obvious that her Skill Completion Rates were very high.
"How many secrets is Zero Wing hiding?" Phoenix Rain couldn't help but glance at Zero Wing's room from her seat next to Blue Phoenix.
Zero Wing had previously revealed that it had powerful magical-class experts such as Violet Cloud, Aqua Rose, and Alluring Summer. Now, the Guild had revealed Zhao Yueru.
...
Due to Zhao Yueru's astonishing performance, the audience began to pay more attention to Zero Wing.
"How strong is Zero Wing?! It even has such a powerful Elementalist expert!"
"I had thought that Zero Wing's only capable expert was the Sword King, Black Flame. Now, it turns out that the Guild has such a magical-class expert."
...
After this match, the Black Dragon Empire's players began to look into the Guild known as Zero Wing.
The moment they did, however, they flabbergasted.
They had never thought that Zero Wing would be Star-Moon Kingdom's number one Guild.
"The this ranking competition is going to be interesting!"
"So, Zero Wing is pretty strong. We'll likely see a change to the Black Dragon Empire's top-ten Guild list."
"Zero Wing should have no problems ranking among the top ten. However, getting into the top five will probably be a challenge. After all, the five first-rate Guilds in our empire have many powerful experts. Why would it be easy to surpass them?"
While everyone discussed Zero Wing, the various large Guilds turned their attention towards the Guild as well. They began to search for a method to deal with Zhao Yueru.
Although Zhao Yueru's ability to triple-speed-cast was powerful, she wasn't undefeatable.
Following which, the spectators' astonishment grew as they watched one match after another, Zero Wing's five representatives improving their battle records.
Fifteen consecutive victories... Twenty consecutive victories... Thirty consecutive victories...
It seemed as if no one could stop Zero Wing's representatives. Not even top adventurer reams and first-rate Guilds' top-tier experts were a match for them. In the end, all five qualified for the final phase. Zhao Yueru, in particular, had displayed overwhelming power from start to finish.
On the other hand, some of the representatives from first-rate Guilds and top adventurer teams, who had been expected to make it to the final phase, were disqualified...
"Zero Wing is too awesome. All five of its representatives made it. Even the five first-rate Guilds couldn't accomplish the feat."
"I've heard that the Zero Wing Guild developing in the Black Dragon Empire is only a Branch Guild. If even the Branch Guild is this powerful, how much stronger is the main branch?"
"I think I heard that Zero Wing's Branch Guild in Lake Heart City has been recruiting members. Once the competition is over, I must go and apply to join the Guild!"
Before anyone had realized it, Zero Wing had become a rival for the Black Dragon Empire's top five first-rate Guilds. Its fame in the empire skyrocketed.
...
"Guild Leader, are you sure about giving them so many All-rounded Devices?"
The outcome of the competition had shocked Gentle Snow. She was very familiar with the standards of Zero Wing's five representatives. Although their combat power had increased thanks to the weapons and equipment Shi Feng had provided, the improvement was limited. I wasn't possible for them to achieve such exaggerated results.
She might have understood if only Zhao Yueru had been victorious, yet despite their assignment to the death groups, the other four representatives had won their matches as well. This was unbelievable.
Fierce Snake and Negative Life's performances were particularly shocking. They had contended with Refinement Realm experts. In the end, they had relied on superior Basic Attributes and high Skill Completion Rates, barely defeating their opponents.
Gentle Snow had found this outcome incredible. After all, she was fully aware of just how powerful a Refinement Realm expert was. Such experts should have no issues defeating non-Refinement Realm experts, even with 30% higher Basic Attributes. Furthermore, Fierce Snake and Negative Life's Basic Attributes weren't much higher than their Refinement Realm opponents.
The only explanation for their unexpected performances was the All-rounded Device.
Gentle Snow hadn't expected such amazing results from the All-rounded Devices. They were so effective that they allowed Fierce Snake, someone who wasn't even a Half-step Refinement Realm expert yet, defeat a Refinement Realm expert.
"Relax. While the All-rounded Device's production is somewhat costly, we can make as many of it as we want." Shi Feng hadn't expected the item to be so effective either.
After fighting so many matches, Fierce Snake and the others had obviously improved. If they could continue fighting different Refinement Realm experts, it wouldn't be long before then entered the Refinement Realm as well, becoming cornerstones for Zero Wing.
"As many as we want?" Gentle Snow was at a loss for words as she stared at Shi Feng's calm expression. She felt as if this was the first time she had met the man.
If it were possible to mass-produce the All-rounded Device, then with Zero Wing's current foundations, they could nurture a batch of Refinement Realm experts in a short time.
She would never have dared to dream of such a thing in the past.
...
After the competition's initial phase ended, the true ranking competition that everyone had looked forward to began.
Unlike the initial qualifiers, participants that lost a match during the final phase would be eliminated, while those that won would proceed to the next round.
Meanwhile, to prevent the various large Guilds and adventurer teams' representatives face off against their own, the system would try to assign them to different matches as often as possible. This assured that the various large Guilds and adventurer teams could collect the maximum number of points possible.
Aside from Zhao Yueru, Fierce Snake and the others were strong enough to rival Refinement Realm experts. In the end, they easy passed the first three rounds and ranked among the top 150 in the competition. However, three had lost the fourth round due to Refinement Realm expert opponents with Epic items. In the end, only Zhao Yueru and Negative Life had won their fourth matches in the final phase.
During the fifth round, a Refinement Realm expert with more than one Epic item had eliminated Negative Life. He had lost with little resistance.
"Guild Leader, Zero Wing is far more powerful than we had expected. What should we do now?" the Shield Warrior named Lonely Castle asked Crimson Fox worriedly in Crimson Castle's VIP room.
Although the two experts Nine Dragons Emperor had sent had made it to the fifth round, the other three representatives had been eliminated in the second match.
"What's there to worry about? Didn't you see Zhao Yueru's next opponent?" Crimson Fox asked unhurriedly as he pointed to the virtual screen above the center stage.
"What?!" Lonely Castle was stupefied when he saw the names on the screen. He was instantly elated.
Zhao Yueru's opponent for the fifth round was Yi Luofei, the FFF adventurer team's vice commander. She had the nickname Frost Empress and was one of the Black Dragon Empire's Four Great Elementalists. The Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion had even offered her the position of vice commander over its main force to recruit her.
Chapter 1418 - You Still Aren't Qualified
As the current match on the main stage was about to end, everyone shifted their gaze to the screen hovering above the stage, excitement and joy sparkling in their eyes.
"The next match is going to be awesome!"
"The Frost Empress and Flame Witch? How unfortunate. Both clearly have the strength to rank in the top 30, yet they have to face each other in the fifth round."
"I wonder who's strongest?"
"Do you even need to ask? It's definitely Yi Luofei. After all, she is the third-ranked Elementalist in the Black Dragon Empire. She even ended in the top 20 during the previous competition."
...
In the Black Dragon Empire, practically everybody knew about FFF's Frost Empress. She had soared to fame during the previous ranking competition. Her beautiful face and graceful body had made it into everyone's hearts. Although she hadn't left many battle records in the Black Dragon Empire after the competition, the battle records she had left were terrifying.
In one instance, she had annihilated a Dark Guild by herself. In another instance, she had fought the fifth-ranked player on the Black Dragon Empire's Red List, the Assassin Hell Prison. To be more specific, Hell Prison had ambushed Yi Luofei. In the end, however, she had defeated the Assassin, and he had been forced to retreat.
Hell Prison had killed sever second-rate Guild Leaders. Although he had never killed a first-rate Guild's Leader, he had come very close to succeeding several times. This had earned the various large Guilds' hatred. However, they were powerless against the Assassin expert, yet after a single failed attempt, Hell Prison had declared that he had given up targeting Yi Luofei.
No one knew why he had done so, but the fact that Yi Luofei had forced an Assassin like Hell Prison to give up showed how powerful she was.
The assassination attempt had been a while ago; Yi Luofei had certainly grown stronger since then.
"Big Sis Rain, it seems that Zero Wing may be in trouble. Yi Luofei is highly talented. The Secret Pavilion has even labeled her as a monster-level genius. Based on the information we currently have, she has grasped at least two combat techniques. Moreover, one of them is an advanced combat technique. The Secret Pavilion has tried to recruit her, but she rejected their offer. Based on our reports, it seems that the Flower of Seven Sins has contacted her as well," Blue Phoenix whispered when she saw the combatants for the next round. "If Zero Wing is defeated here and loses its bet with Crimson Castle, Nine Dragons Emperor will use the opportunity to crush Zero Wing's Branch Guild."
"The Flower of Seven Sins didn't just contact her in secret," Phoenix Rain said, smiling bitterly. "The Great Pavilion Master informed us to give up on recruiting Yi Luofei and to avoid provoking her. She's already become one of the Flower of Seven Sins' reserve upper echelons. The Flower of Seven Sins values her."
"What?! She's already a reserve upper echelon?!" Blue Phoenix was shocked, staring at Yi Luofei below the main stage.
Although the Flower of Seven Sins was a mysterious organization, the various superpowers had a certain amount of information on it. Like the Secret Pavilion, it was considered a transcendental power; none of the superpowers would dare underestimate it.
The requirements to become one of the Flower of Seven Sins's upper echelons were even stricter than those to become a Super Guild's upper echelon. As the Flower of Seven Sins was an organization of assassins, strength meant everything. If one wished to become one of the organization's upper echelons, they needed to have the strength to back up the ambition. Every one of the Flower of Seven Sins' upper echelons was an absolute monster.
Now that Yi Luofei was a reserve upper echelon, this proved that the Flower of Seven Sins had acknowledged her strength. The organization had clearly deemed that she could become a monster-level expert as well.
...
When the waiting participants saw the next pairing, a commotion rippled through the crowd.
"Luofei, it seems you've encountered a proper opponent this time," a slim Assassin in dark-gray leather armor said from beside the woman, smiling.
"A proper opponent?" Yi Luofei glanced at Zhao Yueru, who sat a short distance away. She responded indifferently, "Commander, please stop joking. She's still not worthy of being my opponent. Someone on Phoenix Rain's level might be, but not her."
"Well, in any case, don't take the match too seriously. Just defeat her casually. Save some cards for the rest of your opponents. Otherwise, you'll have trouble fulfilling your agreement with the Flower of Seven Sins," Yan Tianxing, the FFF adventurer team's commander, said as he glanced at the several cloaked players beside the stage.
"Commander, rest assured; I'll claim the championship and leave those upper echelons speechless," Yi Luofei confidently declared before walking towards the stage.
When the Flower of Seven Sins had tried to recruit her, she had given the organization a condition. She required that they turn FFF into one of the top adventurer teams in God's Domain, not just the Black Dragon Empire. However, a large amount of resources would be required to do so.
Although the Flower of Seven Sins had agreed to her condition, the organization had offered one of its own. She must secure the championship in this ranking competition.
Yi Luofei didn't think too much about the condition. After all, not only had the Flower of Seven Sins given her a top-tier Epic staff upon her joining, but it had also sent her into two legacy spaces, allowing her to improve tremendously. She had even broken through to the Void Realm, pushing her five senses to their very limits.
When Yi Luofei and Zhao Yueru stepped onto the stage, cheers erupted throughout the venue. Not only were they gorgeous, but they were also highly venerated experts.
"I've always heard that Zero Wing is a one-man Guild. I never thought that it would have an expert such as you. I had planned to challenge your Guild Leader during my previous trip to Stone Forest Town, but I never actually met him. After this match, please convey my request to Guild Leader Black Flame. Tell him that I'd like to challenge him. The time and location are up to him," Yi Luofei spoke to Zhao Yueru softly.
The Flower of Seven Sins had actually given her two conditions. If she completed one of them, the organization would agree to her condition, pushing FFF to the heights of God's Domain. Obtaining the championship was the first condition. The second was to kill Zero Wing's Guild Leader, Black Flame. Moreover, the second condition was available long-term.
She had watched Black Flame's battle videos. While he was a monster, she was confident of defeating him.
The moment Yi Luofei finished speaking, an uproar shook the arena.
"What's this?! Yi Luofei just publicly challenged Zero Wing's Guild Leader?!"
"This is interesting! I wonder if Black Flame will accept the challenge? If he does, I have to watch it!"
"As expected of the Frost Empress! She dares to challenge the Sword King!"
Everyone here was quite familiar with the name 'Black Flame.' After all, he ranked among the top 100 on the God's Domain Experts List. The Secret Pavilion had even given him the nickname Sword King. When he had received it, it had caused quite a stir throughout God's Domain.
However, while the crowd cheered over the matter, Zero Wing's members wore ugly expressions. Fierce Snake and the others, who sat below the main stage, were furious.
A measly vice commander of an adventurer team had dared to issue their Guild Leader a challenge!
Zero Wing was Star-Moon Kingdom's number one Guild. Luo Yifei's blatant challenge was no different than spitting on Zero Wing's reputation; she simply wasn't taking Zero Wing seriously in the least.
...
"Hahaha! Nicely done! As expected of someone the Flower of Seven Sins has acknowledged!" Nine Dragons Emperor laughed in his VIP room.
"Black Flame really is famous everywhere," Phoenix Rain muttered, sighing as she looked at Zero Wing's room.
Although she did not believe that Yi Luofei could defeat Black Flame, this challenge humiliated Zero Wing, Star-Moon Kingdom's overlord. If Yi Luofei defeated Zhao Yueru, the challenge would deal an even greater blow to the Guild's reputation.
"You wish to challenge our Guild Leader?" Zhao Yueru's gaze chilled as she glared at Yi Luofei. "Unfortunately, you still aren't qualified!"
Chapter 1419 - Difference in Equipment
As soon as Zhao Yueru finished speaking, she released Frostflame's Wrath's aura.
As a Fragmented Legendary Weapon, Frostflame's Wrath could exude a frightening pressure. Once a player equipped it, they could actively suppress this aura, making the staff look like an ordinary item.
At the same time, this aura could strengthen the player's aura.
With the liberation of Frostflame's Wrath's aura, Zhao Yueru's aura underwent a sudden transformation. Fire- and ice-type Mana surged towards her in a frenzy, causing the surrounding space to tremble.
"How can a player have such a powerful aura? Is she really the Flame Witch I've heard about?"
"Why does it seem like the space around her is darker?"
The participants below stage felt a powerful pressure weigh them down when Zhao Yueru released Frostflame's Wrath's aura. Some participants had even taken an unconscious step back.
The waiting participants weren't the only ones surprised. The various large Guilds' upper echelons in the VIP rooms were shocked as well. If a player's aura could be so powerful, ordinary players would find it taxing to endure, not to mention fighting while under the aura's pressure.
"Guild Leader, the staff you gave to Yueru... Could it be?" Although Gentle Snow suspected that Frostflame's Wrath might be a Fragmented Legendary Weapon, she wasn't certain. After all, Fragmented Legendary items were simply too rare in God's Domain. Even now, no one had heard of any of the superpowers obtaining one. Hence, the likelihood of Shi Feng possessing a second Fragmented Legendary item should be abysmally low.
"That's right. It is indeed a Fragmented Legendary Weapon. Moreover, it is a top-tier Fragmented Legendary staff suitable for Elementalists," Shi Feng confirmed, nodding.
Gentle Snow was speechless as she processed Shi Feng's nonchalant explanation, overwhelmed by shock.
Very few people likely had a better idea of how powerful a Fragmented Legendary item was than her. After all, her current armor was Fragmented Legendary Equipment. It was due to the Seven Luminaries Battle Armor that she could contend with peak experts.
At the moment, she was only a Refinement Realm expert. She was worlds apart from Super Guilds' peak experts, yet with the power of Fragmented Legendary Equipment, she compensated for the difference in their combat standards.
Meanwhile, the Fragmented Legendary item Zhao Yueru wielded was a weapon—the item that provided the largest boost to a player's combat power.
Only now did Gentle Snow understand why Shi Feng had agreed to Crimson Fox's bet without hesitation and why he had remained so calm throughout the competition.
If peak experts from Super Guilds participated in this ranking competition, it'd be no different than adults bullying children. Thus, the various superpowers only sent in their noobies that they had nurtured internally. Otherwise, all the players from the various large Guilds and adventurer teams would be able to do little more than watch from the sidelines.
...
Meanwhile, although the match had begun on the main stage, neither side hurried to attack. Rather than the expected indifference, surprise colored Yi Luofei's face.
She had never expected to feel such an intense pressure from a Refinement Realm expert like Zhao Yueru. This was the first time something like this had ever happened.
"I've really underestimated Zero Wing...to think the Guild had hidden an expert like you," Yi Luofei commented seriously as she watched her opponent. After getting a good look, however, Yi Luofei smirked as she continued, "However, you can only rely on this empty aura. It might be effective against ordinary experts, but it is useless against me!"
Saying so, Yi Luofei activated her Berserk Skill. She then began to chant incantations as she wrote runes in the air.
Yi Luofei's chanting speed was extremely quick. She wasn't slower than Zhao Yueru in the least. Moreover, compared to Zhao Yueru's chants, Yi Luofei's pronunciation was more accurate. Furthermore, not only did she draw her runes as easily as a graffiti artist, but she also had no inconsistencies.
...
"What precise triple-speed-casting!" Blue Phoenix was shocked as she watched the terrifying amount of Mana gather around Yi Luofei.
Unlike Skills, Spells had additional variables known as incantations and runes. Meanwhile, due to these two aspects' special characteristics, one could determine the Spell's Completion Rate based on the amount of Mana that gathered around the caster even before the spell fully activated.
The fact that more Mana gathered around Yi Luofei despite both combatants' triple-speed-casting proved that her Skill Completion Rate was higher. Naturally, her Spells would be more powerful.
...
Not one to be outdone, Zhao Yueru had activated Power of Darkness at almost the same time as Yi Luofei activated her Berserk Skill, increasing all her Basic Attributes by 100%. Similarly, Zhao Yueru followed-up with triple-speed-casting.
A moment later, both Elementalists completed their Spells. Waving their staffs simultaneously, they gestured to their opponents.
Three magic arrays suddenly formed behind both Elementalists.
Normally, Zhao Yueru was limited to double-speed-casting; she could only triple-speed-cast due to Frostflame's Wrath. However, she was limited to the most basic Tier 0 Spells for her third cast. This time, she had chosen Flame Barrage. As for her other two Spells, she went with the Tier 1 Flame Spear and Tier 1 Flame Chains; the former possessed extreme destructive power, while the latter had a certain degree of destructive power while allowing her to restrict her enemy.
On the other hand, Yi Luofei, who had relied on her own abilities to triple-speed-cast, had chosen Tier 1 Spells for all three casts: Frozen Web, Frost Prison, and Ice Blast.
Despite both being Elementalists, one woman controlled fire, and the other manipulated ice, creating a dazzling scene on the stage.
"Although you're very strong, it's a pity that your Skill Completion Rates are too low. Your triple-speed-casting is a mere facade compared to the real deal." Yi Luofei smiled calmly as she watched Zhao Yueru's flames. She then controlled her ice-type Spells to meet Zhao Yueru's Spells.
Unlike melee players, a clash between magical class players did not rely on one's control of their body. Rather, it relied on one's control over an external object. Many of God's Domain's Spells were ranged. If a magical class player lacked control of their Spell, it would be very difficult to hit a moving target.
When fire and ice collided, a series of explosions erupted across the stage. Half of the stage transformed into a flaming hell, while the other half had become an icy nightmare. The results were extraordinarily spectacular.
However, when their Spells clashed, Yi Luofei, who had been confident of her victory, revealed a grim expression.
She currently wore two pieces of Epic Equipment: a shirt and a pair of shoes. Her staff was also Epic rank, increasing her Completion Rate with ice-type Spells to a certain degree. She could almost achieve an 80% Completion Rate with all three of her Spells.
No matter how she looked at it, Zhao Yueru's Completion Rates shouldn't exceed 70%, yet when she pitted her Spells against her opponent's, her Spells were crushed, and Zhao Yueru's Spells maintained a significant amount of their power as they continued towards her. This outcome was simply inconceivable.
What Yi Luofei didn't know was that Frostflame's Wrath improved ice- and fire-type Spells by one Tier. Although Zhao Yueru had used Tier 1 and Tier 0 Spells, they instantly became Tier 2 and Tier 1 spells with Frostflame's Wrath's buff. Even if her Skill Completion Rates were no more than 70%, Tier 2 Spells far surpassed Tier 1 Spells with 80% Completion Rates.
Facing the incoming flames, Yi Luofei had no choice but to dodge them with Blink. After all, magical-class players weren't like melee players; their Attribute Point allocation was different. Dodging multiple attacks at once was very difficult for magical-class players.
Following which, Yi Luofei ran around the stage, becoming a more difficult target for her opponent. Unfortunately, this meant that she couldn't triple-speed-cast. She could only rely on double-speed-casting.
In contrast, Zhao Yueru could stand still and attack Yi Luofei freely. Occasionally, she was forced to dodge an unavoidable Spell with Blink, but otherwise, she could easily triple-speed-cast.
Very quickly, Yi Luofei found herself running on fumes, finding fewer opportunities to retaliate. At the same time, Zhao Yueru shaved away her HP with her Spells' residual damage.
After 15 seconds, Yi Luofei's HP fell to 50%. On the other hand, Zhao Yueru, who had only occasionally failed to dodge an attack, still had over 90% of her HP. The difference between these fighters was obviously at a glance.
"I'll admit that your combat standards are higher than mine. Unfortunately, if you can't defeat me despite that advantage, how are you qualified to fight my Guild Leader?" Zhao Yueru quipped as she stopped her attacks suddenly. Seeing Yi Luofei's sorry state, she smiled as she continued, "I've grown bored of exchanging Spells with you, and I believe that my Guild Leader has grown impatient with our fight. How about we end this match now?"
Saying so, Zhao Yueru lightly tapped the butt of Frostflame's Wrath on the ground.
Immediately, a blue and red dual-colored magic array formed on the ground as an astonishing amount of Mana surged towards it. Following which, a four-meter-tall cheetah emerged from the magic array. Crimson fire covered the cheetah's head, paws, and tail, while a frosty mist radiated from its body.
This cheetah was none other than the Frostflame Cheetah summoned by Frostflame's Wrath's third Activatable Skill!
Chapter 1420 - Overwhelming Power
The tall and mighty Frostflame Cheetah's appearance stupefied everyone in the arena.
"What? Aren't Magic Scrolls banned? How did she summon such a powerful monster?"
"That's not right. The system should've imposed the correct restrictions on the stage. She must have summoned the monster with an item's Skill."
"Crap! Even an Elementalist can summon such a powerful monster?! How is this supposed to be a fair fight?!"
...
The Mount Frostflame's Wrath summoned was one tier higher than the player that summoned it. Since Zhao Yueru was a Tier 1 player, the Frostflame Cheetah she had summoned was a Tier 2 Lord.
Normally, soloing a Lord ranked monster of the same level wasn't a problem for peak experts like Yi Luofei, but if one summoned a Lord ranked monster during a one-on-one, PvP battle, their opponent would be at an overwhelming disadvantage if they couldn't do the same.
Furthermore, Zhao Yueru had already proven that she had an advantage over Yi Luofei. Now that she had gone a step further and summoned the Frostflame Cheetah, Yi Luofei's chances of winning were nonexistent.
However, Yi Luofei had no intentions of giving up just yet. She immediately responded by casting the Tier 1 Curse, Extreme Frost Waterfall and the tier 1 Spell, Frost Barrier.
Walls of solid ice began to form around Zhao Yueru, trapping her within. Meanwhile, a massive, blue magic array appeared above her, gusts of cold air blasting down from the array.
Zhao Yueru didn't attempt to dodge the incoming cold air. Instead, she waved Frostflame's Wrath and used the Tier 1 Spell, Flame Dragon's Dance.
Immediately, a crimson magic array formed beneath Zhao Yueru's feet. Two serpentine dragons of fire then emerged, intertwining as they flew to meet the frost gusts of air.
Boom... Boom... Boom...
When ice and fire tangled, white mist filled the space above Zhao Yueru. Not only did Flame Dragon's Dance crushed Yi Luofei's Extreme Frost Waterfall, but the high temperature also melted the ice walls trapping Zhao Yueru. In the end, Yi Luofei's Spells failed to deal even a single point of damage.
Even a Tier 1 Curse is useless? Yi Luofei was dazed for a brief moment after watching her Extreme Frost Waterfall fail.
A Tier 1 Curse rivaled Tier 2 Spells. Such a Spell could even injure Lord ranked monsters, yet such a powerful attack had been utterly useless against Zhao Yueru's Tier 1 Spell...
...
The various Guilds' upper echelons in their VIP rooms were stunned.
"A Tier 1 Spell crushed a Tier 1 Curse? Just how wide is the Attribute gap between these two?" Blue Phoenix stared at Zhao Yueru incredulously.
There was only one possible explanation; the gap between the women's Attributes was just massive, enough to make up for the difference in tiers.
Yet, based on the reports, Yi Luofei should have at least three Epic items on her. With her high level, the woman's Basic Attributes should be near the peak of God's Domain. Even if some players had higher Attributes, there should be a limit to how high those Attributes could go. After all, Epic items were not cabbages that could be purchased at the local market.
...
Sure enough, weapons provide a higher buff than a piece of equipment. Gentle Snow could not help but sigh as she watched her friend's incredible performance.
If it were up to her, she'd have a difficult time defeating Yi Luofei without activating Twofold Berserk, yet Zhao Yueru easily triumphed despite having a single Berserk Skill. Of course, the fact that both women were Elementalists was part of the reason.
When both combatants were of the same class, the difference between their strength depended on the individuals' combat standards, Attributes, and Skills.
However, the main reason for such a gap was the massive difference between their equipment quality.
Moreover, Zhao Yueru currently had three Epic items on her. Among the players in this ranking competition, one could count the number who had three Epic items on one hand.
Hence, Yi Luofei's defeat was natural.
...
As everyone recovered from their shock of seeing Zhao Yueru's attack, the Zero Wing representative commanded her Frostflame Cheetah to pounce on Yi Luofei.
Although the Frostflame Cheetah was only a Lord ranked monster, it still posed a significant threat to Tier 1 experts. This was especially true for magical classes, who were not fond of speed-type monsters.
Yi Luofei was forced to turn her spells against the Frostflame Cheetah while keeping an eye on Zhao Yueru's movements.
Seeing the cheetah distract Yi Luofei, Zhao Yueru revealed a smile and waved Frostflame's Wrath before pointing it to the sky. A large magic array then covered over half of the stage as it manifested above the fighters.
The waiting participants gasped.
Despite being below the stage and knowing that they were safe from the current battle, the participants felt the threat of death loom over them.
Even a fool could tell that Zhao Yueru had cast a large-scale destruction Spell.
"Die!" Zhao Yueru abruptly swung down her staff.
Immediately, the entire stage trembled as the area's ice- and fire-type Mana went berserk.
This move was none other than Frostflame Hell, one of Frostflame's Wrath's Activatable Skills. When activated, it dealt a combination of ice- and fire-type damage to all enemies within a 50-yard radius every second for 10 seconds.
With the Frostflame Cheetah keeping her busy, Yi Luofei had no hope of escaping the AOE in time.
Noticing the wave of fire and cold air surge towards her, Yi Luofei activated Frost Barrier, becoming invulnerable to all attacks for a short time.
However, despite having upgraded the Spell to Tier 1, it would only last for eight seconds.
She was simply delaying the inevitable.
The seconds ticked by quickly. When the eight seconds were finally up, the Frost Barrier shattered, and the rampaging ice- and fire-type Mana killed Yi Luofei instantly.
As Frostflame Hell dissipated, the spectators could see how miserable a large portion of the stage looked. Silence filled the waiting area below the stage.
Although the system had announced the victor, none of the waiting participants cheered.
Watching this match had inspired a deep despair in every one of them.
They all thought that Zhao Yueru had simply been too cruel.
First, Zhao Yueru had summoned a Tier 2 Lord to distract her opponent. Then she used a large-scale destruction Spell to end the match. Even with a Skill that provided invulnerability, Zhao Yueru's Spell would eliminate any opponent unless their Lifesaving Skill lasted for more than 10 seconds.
As for closing in on Zhao Yueru and facing her in close quarters, such a strategy would be suicidal with the woman's ability to triple-speed-cast.
The closer one was to the spellcaster, the harder Spells were to dodge. Players would also have to deal with a Lord ranked monster harassing them.
Who could possibly beat Zhao Yueru in a one-on-one?
Her power was overwhelming!
To deal with someone like Zhao Yueru, one would need an ally or the ability to summon a powerful monster with their weapons or equipment. Otherwise, the woman was nearly invincible.
"She lost?" Yan Tianxing could not help his bitter smile as he watched Zhao Yueru on the stage.
He had never imagined that a monster like Zhao Yueru occupied the Black Dragon Empire. When she got serious, she could even render a peak expert like Yi Luofei utterly powerless.
When Yi Luofei resurrected below the stage, her gaze shifted to her previous opponent.
Her declaration to challenge Black Flame was nothing more than a joke now. She still found it hard to believe that she had been defeated so easily.
Now, she more or less understood why the Flower of Seven Sins' second condition was long-term. She had assumed that the second condition would be easier to fulfill than the first, but looking at it now, it was obvious that the second condition was, by far, the more challenging.
In the Flower of Seven Sins' opinion, she wouldn't be capable of defeating Black Flame for some time. Hence, the organization had set this condition.