Reincarnation Of The Strongest Sword God - Chapter 641

Chapter 641: Battle Demon

 

Chapter 641 – Battle Demon

Black Dragon Empire, Sandstone Town:

Sandstone Town occupied the Black Dragon Empire’s southern border and was the nearest town to the Star-Moon Kingdom. Unfortunately, the forces of darkness occupied this town, so ordinary players could not venture here. Only players who had joined the forces of darkness could enter the town safely.

The forces of darkness controlled very few towns, so many Dark Guilds were based in Sandstone Town. Among them, the most powerful Dark Guild was The Million Ghosts. One could say that The Million Ghosts was Sandstone Town’s absolute overlord.

“Thousand Mile’s team was defeated?”

“Impossible!”

“We sent twelve core members to assist them! With the strength of the independent Caravans that travel between Starfall City and Copper Mountain City, how could they possibly lose?!”

Inside the conference hall of The Million Ghosts, the Dark Guild’s upper echelons were flabbergasted when they received news of Thunder Mile Bear’s defeat.

Dark Guilds were different from ordinary Guilds. Their members relied on strength to raise their positions within the Guild. Meanwhile, every person who became a core member was an expert who had fought hundreds and thousands of Guild members to get to there. There were only slightly more than 100 core members in The Million Ghosts. If these core members were members of any of the ordinary large Guilds, everyone would easily become one of the top few experts within the Guild. Yet, of the twelve core members they dispatched, not a single one managed to return alive. It was simply inconceivable.

“What did the twelve that died have to say?” the middle-aged man, who occupied the Guild Leader’s seat, asked. This middle-aged man had dark eyes, a stalwart body, bronze skin, and a chiseled face.

When this man spoke, the conference hall immediately fell silent. Nobody dared to act presumptuously before this man.

This man was The Million Ghosts’ Guild Leader, Lifestealer. He was also an intimidating character who the various large Guilds in Black Dragon Emperor had nicknamed ‘Battle Demon.’

In an ordinary Guild, the position of Guild Leader was only a symbol of status, not a symbol of strength. This held true for most Guilds in God’s Domain. However, for Dark Guilds, the position of Guild Leader was the symbol of both status and strength. The fact that Lifestealer had become The Million Ghosts’ Guild Leader proved that his strength ranked number one in the entire Guild.

Due to Lifestealer’s presence in The Million Ghosts, the various large Guilds in the several nearby cities avoided provoking The Million Ghosts at all. Even the Guild ruling over Bronze Mountain City, the Holy Church of War, deferred to The Million Ghosts.

The Holy Church of War was a second-rate Guild with control over five cities. It was a top-tier second-rate Guild that had over 300,000 members. The Guild also had two experts who ranked on the God’s Domain Experts List. Yet, such a Guild still allowed The Million Ghosts to manage the trade route to Star-Moon Kingdom freely. This was all due to the Battle Demon Lifestealer.

“Their opponents wore cloaks, so they did not see who they were fighting. However, judging by the enemy’s tone, it seems that they look down on The Million Ghosts. They even warned us not to touch the trade routes.”

“They’re taking us too lightly! Guild Leader, let me lead some men and hunt down those bastards! If we don’t do anything about this, the reputation our Guild has built will be ruined!”

“Guild Leader, I’ll go as well. The nearby large Guilds should have learned of this by now. The Holy Church will also be watching. If we show them what the consequences are for messing with us, the Holy Church won’t dare consider vying for dominance.”

The Elders in the conference hall began stepping up, one after another, all wanting to teach those who dared provoke The Million Ghosts a lesson.

“It seems that our Guild’s reputation isn’t as well known as it should be, to think that even the people from Star-Moon Kingdom dare provoke us. However, there is no need to be anxious. Since they have done such a thing, it shows that they possess certain confidence and background. Have our members stationed in Starfall City investigate this matter. Once we know who we’re dealing with, we’ll give them a taste of hell,” Lifestealer revealed a malicious grin.

Seeing the smile on Lifestealer’s face, everyone involuntarily shuddered.

Back when the third-rate Guild, Divine Flurry, had provoked their Guild, their Guild Leader had revealed this exact smile. Four days after the initial incident, every core member of Divine Flurry died over a dozen times, and the Guild disbanded as a result. Now that Lifestealer wore this smile once more, Starfall City would most likely fall into chaos.

—

Meanwhile, inside the shrine in the Great Forest of Soria…

Watching the Thunder Wolf’s HP rapidly approach 10%, tension grew in the party.

This was the crucial moment to capture the Thunder Wolf, and any mistakes could waste all of their previous efforts.

Suddenly, Shi Feng controlled the Evil Blade Spirit to leave the flooded area. Meanwhile, Fire Dance and the others dashed towards the Thunder Wolf, each holding a Hunting Scroll.

12%…

11%…

10%…

“Start!” Shi Feng immediately lured the Thunder Wolf out of the flooded area, the Lord’s HP stopping at precisely 10%.

Upon reaching her position, Fire Dance chanted the last verse of the incantation and activated the Hunting Scroll.

Xiu!

A pitch-black chain emerged from the Hunting Scroll and bound one of the Thunder Wolf’s hind legs. Meanwhile, Fire Dance affixed the scroll on the ground.

The Hunting Scroll’s purpose was to trap the targeted beast. However, its effect only lasted one short minute.

At the same time, everyone else in the party also activated their Hunting Scrolls, binding all four of the Thunder Wolf’s limbs and preventing the Demonic Beast from moving.

“Awoo!” the Thunder Wolf howled in anger.

Suddenly, dense dark clouds condensed above the fight, releasing blue strikes of lightning towards the affixed Hunting Scrolls.

Reacting quickly, Fire Dance activated Wind Steps, utilizing the Skill’s nearly 1-second invulnerability to block the oncoming lightning strike. However, though she was unscathed from the attack, the Hunting Scroll was obliterated.

“Continue using Hunting Scrolls! Do not let it go no matter what!” Shi Feng also retrieved a 5-star Cage from his bag and charged at the Thunder Wolf.

The second key aspect when capturing a beast was timing. Cages required time to activate. During this period, the target must not escape the Cage’s range. Otherwise, the capture will fail, rendering the Cage useless.

Fire Dance and the others understood what they needed to do. They retrieved more Hunting Scrolls from their bags and activated them. Meanwhile, the Thunder Wolf continuously destroyed the affixed Hunting Scrolls in a fit of rage.

At this moment, Shi Feng found an opportunity as he abruptly leaped into the air, jumping above the Thunder Wolf and activating the Cage.

Fixing the Cage to a specific location required approximately two full seconds. However, the 5-star Cage’s enclosure was not large.

“Awooo!” the Thunder Wolf released an angry howl. Suddenly, more dark clouds collected in the sky, the lightning strikes increasing in number as well.

Immediately, two of the five affixed Hunting Scrolls were destroyed. The Thunder Wolf then made an angled jump, escaping the Cage’s enclosure in the nick of time.

Capture failed!

Following which, Fire Dance and the others hurriedly used more Hunting Scrolls to pin down the Demonic Beast.

However, Shi Feng’s second capture attempt also failed.

Meanwhile, Shi Feng only had two 5-star Cages remaining. In other words, he only had two chances to capture the Thunder Wolf left.

As expected of a 5-star rare Mount. It really is lively. This was the first time Shi Feng had attempted to capture a 5-star Mount in either life. The Thunder Wolf was far more difficult to capture than he had expected.

However, Shi Feng was not someone to be trifled with. For his third attempt, he activated one of the Abyssal Blade’s Skills, Abyssal Curse, preventing all targets within a 30-yard radius from moving for 5 seconds.

Although the Thunder Wolf was a Level 50 Lord, the Skill would still affect it somewhat.

Suddenly, the Thunder Wolf’s movements visibly slowed.

Shi Feng then activated Heavenly Dragon’s Power and used Thunder Flame Explosion on the Demonic Beast.

-8,679.

Although his damage was negligible, Thunder Flame Explosion had a Movement Speed Reduction effect. As a result, the Thunder Wolf’s speed dropped further.

“Use the Hunting Scrolls quickly!” Shi Feng shouted anxiously.

Hearing Shi Feng’s command, Fire Dance and the others activated their Hunting Scrolls. This time, five chains simultaneously bound the Thunder Wolf.

Still not satisfied, Shi Feng activated Abyssal Bind as well. Nine chains suddenly sprouted from the ground, locking the Thunder Wolf in place.

However, despite the many restrictions, the chains began to shatter, one after another.

Shi Feng began setting a Cage into position once more.

For a moment, everyone forgot to breathe.

Just to hold the Thunder Wolf in position, they had used more than 60 Hunting Scrolls. Each person only had a few Hunting Scrolls remaining.

The Cage’s channeling time slowly decreased.

Two seconds…

One second…

“In you go!” Shi Feng roared.

Immediately, a massive steel cage fell from the sky, trapping the Thunder Wolf within.

Chapter 642: Formation of the Dark Gods Legion

 

Chapter 642 – Formation of the Dark Gods Legion

The Thunder Wolf struggled desperately inside the Cage, repeatedly slamming its body against its steel bars. The 5-star prison even began showing signs of strain.

Seeing this scene, Shi Feng hurriedly chanted an incantation.

In the next moment, the magic runes carved into the Cage glowed. The Cage itself then proceeded to shrink, only stopping when it was squeezing the Thunder Wolf. At this point, the Thunder Wolf no longer had space to generate enough momentum for a powerful charge.

“It sure is difficult to capture a Demonic Beast.”

Aqua Rose swept a glance at the numerous little craters around her, the aftermath of the Thunder Wolf’s attacks on the anchors of the chains binding it. Fortunately, the few of them managed to react and evade the Lord’s lightning attacks quickly, allowing them to capture the Thunder Wolf without any fatalities.

“Let’s get ready to leave, then.” Shi Feng took a look at the time. They were cutting things fine; the Golden-winged Lion King would return soon. He then retrieved a bunch of Storage Space Scrolls from his bag.

Although they had already captured the Thunder Wolf, the Demonic Beast’s massive frame was over three meters tall. In addition, there was the massive steel Cage. Transporting the Thunder Wolf out of this place would be extremely troublesome. They would require many players with high Strength just to lift the Cage and the Thunder Wolf. And even if they did manage to lift them, their Movement Speed would be significantly reduced. They would also encounter many dangers while carrying the Demonic Beast. Who knew just how much time they would have to waste conveying the Thunder Wolf back to White River City?

Hence, Storage Space Scrolls were available for purchase in God’s Domain. These scrolls could be used to store large items.

Not only was the Thunder Wolf massive, but it was also a living creature. Shi Feng had to use a total of 20 Storage Space Scrolls in order to fit the Thunder Wolf into his bag space. The Thunder Wolf instantly took up 20 slots there. However, the duration of the Storage Space Scrolls was not indefinite. They could only be used to store items for up to half an hour.

Following which, everyone used Return Scrolls and departed from the shrine.

—

White River City, Zero Wing’s Guild Residence:

After Aqua Rose and the others went to rest, Shi Feng went to the Warehouse inside the Guild Residence by himself. He then placed the Thunder Wolf inside the Warehouse, as well as took out several Magic Crystals from his bag and put them inside the Thunder Wolf’s Cage.

Demonic Beasts were different from wild beasts. Their primary source of food was Magic Crystals. Just a single crystal could sustain a Demonic Beast for a long time.

“Now that I’ve obtained a rare Mount, next up will be constructing a Stable.” When Shi Feng looked at the ferocious Thunder Wolf, he grew eager to construct a Stable as soon as possible.

Only after he had a Stable could he begin taming the Thunder Wolf.

Demonic Beasts were much more difficult to tame than wild beasts. Moreover, the higher the star-ranking of a creature, the longer the time required to gentle it. Complete taming of the Thunder Wolf would need at least 10 to 15 days. If he could finish the Stable even a day sooner, he might be able to have the Thunder Wolf trained by the time the Guild’s core members reached Level 40.

If he could pair every core member with a Thunder Beast, their combat power would soar through the roof.

Only, too many materials were required to construct a Stable. The Stable was different from the other structures inside the Guild Residence, which needed only money to build. Moreover, many of the materials required for a Stable were obtainable only from large-scale Team Dungeons.

“I need to speed things up a little bit.” Shi Feng then thought about forming the Dark Gods Legion.

Whether it was the collection of the materials for the Stable or for the Candlelight Trading Firm’s future development, he needed to form a powerful Dark Gods Legion right away.

Shi Feng had already experienced the development process of God’s Domain before, so he knew full well that as players reached higher levels, battles between players would occur more frequently. Guild wars would also grow increasingly intense.

If a Guild did not possess a formidable legion that could serve as a deterrence, said Guild would get embroiled in many wars in the future.

Following which, Shi Feng instructed Aqua Rose to pick roughly 300 elites to form the Dark Gods Legion. Meanwhile, the equipment provided to the members of the Legion would be inferior only to that of Zero Wing’s main force.

Shortly after Shi Feng began establishing the Dark Gods Legion, news of this matter spread like wildfire throughout the entire White River City. The development immediately attracted the attention of the many Guilds in the city.

However, the ones paying the most attention to this matter were still the independent players.

At this point, Zero Wing was no longer the small Guild it was in the past.

Not only did it have over 100,000 members, but it also had the strength to clear the Hell Mode Ruins of the Crow God. Whether it was grinding monsters or questing out in the fields, not a single Guild dared to do anything to the members of Zero Wing within the region of White River City. This situation had made many independent players envious of the members of Zero Wing.

At this stage of the game, large Guilds already occupied all available high-resource maps. As independent players, even when they were out doing a high-level quest, there was a chance that Guild players would target and kill them. As a result, leveling up and upgrading equipment became extremely difficult for them. Hence, many independent players were considering joining a powerful Guild.

Meanwhile, Zero Wing was currently forming a Dark Gods Legion. Moreover, the members of the Legion received treatment that was inferior only to the Guild’s main force. It should be known that, while every Guild had plenty of ordinary teams in its midst, there would be only one main force. Zero Wing’s formation of a legion was equivalent to establishing a second main force. This situation tempted many independent players to join Zero Wing.

For a time, the number of players trying to enter Zero Wing surged once more.

Shi Feng spent two whole days carefully choosing the members of the Dark Gods Legion. After all, the number of people he could use Light of Darkness on was limited. Even though he could take back the Power of Darkness he bestowed, he still preferred not to flaunt it.

Meanwhile, during this period, Shi Feng produced quite a number of Intermediate Mana Armor Kits, which were all meant for the members of the Dark Gods Legion.

During these two days, many things happened throughout God’s Domain as well.

One of these developments was that many Guilds had succeeded in raiding 50-man Team Dungeons and had moved their competition on to 100-man Team Dungeons.

However, 100-man Dungeons were significantly different from 50-man Dungeons. One could say that 50-man Dungeons were warm-ups for 100-man Dungeons. The number of monsters and the monsters’ strength inside a 100-man Dungeon were both significantly higher than in a 50-man Dungeon. Of course, the loot from a 100-man Dungeon would also make many players drool.

Initially, Level 30 Fine-Gold Equipment was extremely difficult to obtain. However, it much easier to get in a 100-man Hard Mode Dungeon—even the Chieftain ranked monsters inside the Dungeon would drop it. There was also Fine-Gold Set Equipment specifically meant for the various classes.

Nevertheless, the most attractive part about 100-man Dungeons would still have to be the forging designs and various sorts of rare potion recipes that were not obtainable from any other place. Getting even a single design or recipe would mean endless riches.

Meanwhile, Zero Wing was also desperately trying to raid a 100-man Dungeon.

However, despite obtaining the Power of Darkness, the progress of Zero Wing’s main force was only subpar at best. A 100-man Dungeon had a total of six main Bosses. Currently, Zero Wing had managed to defeat only two of them. They had yet to see what the Final Boss looked like.

Aside from competing over 100-man Dungeons, the next thing that excited players the most was the activation of the Colosseum List.

To experts, this was a relatively good benefit. The Colosseum List also served as an incentive for players to improve their Skill Completion Rates and combat power.

The Colosseum List was the combat power rankings of the Divine Colosseum. As long as one managed to rank within the List, they would obtain the corresponding Colosseum Points. Players could use these points to exchange for many items such as equipment, Skills, potions, rare materials, and many more items. Among them, the greatest attraction was the equipment available.

Not only was there Level 30 Dark-Gold Equipment available, but even Level 30 Dark-Gold Set Equipment was also up for exchange.

Due to this reason, Divine Colosseums throughout God’s Domain became extremely popular. Many players fought desperately to raise their rankings on the Colosseum List.

Large Guilds sent their core members one after another to challenge the Divine Colosseum.

For a time, many hidden experts emerged throughout God’s Domain, giving players a great shock. Nobody had thought that there were actually so many experts in God’s Domain.

Meanwhile, Shi Feng was currently seated in a large private room in the Divine Colosseum of White River City.

Chapter 643: Astonishing Financial Resources

 

Chapter 643 – Astonishing Financial Resources

Inside the towering Divine Colosseum…

Dozens of large screens hung inside the main hall of the Divine Colosseum were currently displaying the battle videos of experts who had managed to reach the fourth floor of the Colosseum.

The challenges inside the Divine Colosseum were purely meant to test how much combat power a player could exert. The quality of a player’s equipment was irrelevant in these challenges. Even a player wearing only Bronze Equipment could get past the fourth floor.

However, ordinary players would have a difficult time just getting through the first floor of the Divine Colosseum, not to mention the fourth. In White River City, experts capable of breaking through the fourth floor were as rare as a phoenix’s feather.

As for players who did not have any Magic Crystals to challenge the Divine Colosseum, they could also watch the battle videos of experts at the main hall. Of course, these videos were only released with the consent of the players involved. Players could also use this opportunity to make a name for themselves.

“Look! Heaven’s Burial is here again!”

Everyone in the hall quickly noticed the arrival of a group of players.

These players were uniformly Level 30, and they were members of Heaven’s Burial’s current main force. If not for the fact that they were aiming to obtain the First Clear of a 100-man Dungeon, these players would have long since leveled up.

Even so, their levels were currently far ahead of ordinary players. Besides their levels, the equipment of Heaven’s Burial’s members was also extremely eye-catching. Most of them boasted Level 30 Fine-Gold and Dark-Gold Equipment, with the most inferior being Level 25 Dark-Gold Equipment.

In contrast, the typical equipment of current ordinary players was only Level 25 Mysterious-Iron Equipment. Only elite players possessed several pieces of Level 25 Secret-Silver Equipment.

“Not only does Heaven’s Burial have so many experts, but these experts also come here to train multiple times each day. It makes you wonder just how strong they are.”

“What do you even know? Having more experts in a Guild is better, of course. Moreover, by training here, they can increase their rankings on the Colosseum List and earn points to exchange for Dark-Gold Equipment, aside from improving their combat techniques—that’s killing two birds with one stone. Why wouldn’t they do it?”

“Recently, Heaven’s Burial has been growing increasingly stronger. Initially, they had less than ten members who managed to pass the fourth floor. Now, after only a few days, that number is up to 20. Two members of the Guild even have managed to get to the sixth floor. In the entire White River City, Heaven’s Burial is only slightly inferior to Overwhelming Smile and Zero Wing.”

“Isn’t that only because the Guild is rich? Challenging the Trial Tower costs one Magic Crystal each time. Normally, when we raid Dungeons, we will only get one Magic Crystal after a lot of difficulties. Even then, we still have to split it among several people. After raiding Dungeons all day, our turn to get a crystal might still not come. Meanwhile, the members of Heaven’s Burial’s main force get a daily allowance of five Magic Crystals, so they get to challenge the Trial Tower five times a day. With 100 members in the main force, Heaven’s Burial has to spend 500 Magic Crystals per day. Due to the Divine Colosseum, the current price of Magic Crystals has long since gone up by severalfold. Right now, each crystal is worth 20 Silver, yet there is a shortage. There is still room for prices to rise.”

“That’s right. I knew I should have stocked up on some Magic Crystals. I would have been able to make a small fortune by now.”

“It would be great if I could become a member of Heaven’s Burial’s main force.”

Many players looked on with envy as the members of Heaven’s Burial walked towards the Trial Tower.

Not even the wealthy Overwhelming Smile could afford such extravagance. Currently, 500 Magic Crystals were equivalent to 100 Gold. Of course, a majority of these Magic Crystals came from the Dungeons raided by the Guild. Otherwise, even Heaven’s Burial would find it extremely taxing to fork out 100 Gold every day.

—

Meanwhile, Shi Feng, who had rented a large private room in the Divine Colosseum, was currently standing before 300 people. These people were all players he had selected for the Dark Gods Legion.

Currently, everyone in the Dark Gods Legion was feeling excited. These members had not expected to be able to meet their legendary Guild Leader, Black Flame, in person. Moreover, Black Flame was even going to nurture them himself. This training was a privilege that was not available anywhere else in the entire Star-Moon Kingdom.

Nobody in Star-Moon Kingdom did not know of One-hit Asura, the publicly acknowledged number one expert of Star-Moon Kingdom.

Tuition with the number one expert of Star-Moon Kingdom was a privilege beyond price.

“I’ll put this out first. Although you all official members of the Dark Gods Legion and get to enjoy extremely high benefits, the Dark Gods Legion operates on an elimination system. Waiting behind you are 700 reserve members. If your strength is found wanting, a reserve member will take your place,” Shi Feng said in a somber tone. “From today onwards, each of you will receive ten Magic Crystals daily to challenge the Trial Tower. I will rank you based on your battle record in the Trial Tower. At the end of each week, I will compare the last thirty official members with the top thirty reserve members. The winners will be official members, while the losers will go on the reserve team.”

Everyone could not help but gasp.

The competition was incredibly intense. Up to thirty people might switch out each week. However, everyone was also shocked at Zero Wing’s generosity.

The Dark Gods Legion had 300 members in all. If every member could spend ten Magic Crystals a day, that meant that Zero Wing would expend a total of 3,000 crystals—or 600 Gold—daily. This outlay was simply inconceivable. Even a first-rate Guild did not boast such frightening financial resources.

What no one knew was that, even if Zero Wing had that much money, it was impossible to purchase so many Magic Crystals. Currently, the various large Guilds were treating Magic Crystals like strategic resources. They would not sell any of their Magic Crystals at all. One could only purchase a small amount from independent players.

However, even before the release of the Divine Colosseum, Shi Feng had already tasked Melancholic Smile with purchasing Magic Crystals in bulk. They had spent practically all the Coins they earned stocking up on Magic Crystals. Currently, the Candlelight Trading Firm had several Warehouses full of Magic Crystals.

“Ah, right. I forgot to mention one more thing. The top 30 people will receive an invitation to undergo training together with the Guild’s top-tier experts,” Shi Feng laughed. “I believe that all of you have probably heard how Zero Wing has a special training ground. Whether you will be able to go there and train will depend on your efforts.”

“Guild Leader, you’re not tricking us, right? Can we really go to that place?” many Dark Gods members asked in anticipation.

They had indeed heard that Zero Wing possessed a specialized training facility in the real world. There, one could ramp up their combat techniques. One could also learn the rumored advanced combat techniques and become a true top-tier expert.

Originally, training at that place was a privilege available to only a limited number of core members. Nobody had expected that even official members of the Dark Gods Legion could receive such a treatment.

“As long as you can enter the top 30, you can naturally go.” Shi Feng shook his head and laughed. The Big Dipper Training Center completed the renovation of the Greenwater Villa only recently. The villa was outfitted with all kinds of training apparatuses and could now accommodate more people. Otherwise, he really would not be able to extend its use to the members of the Dark Gods Legion.

When Shi Feng was done speaking, the atmosphere inside the private room instantly changed. Everyone there was flushed with fighting spirit, and they could not help but want to dash to the Trial Tower right this instant to raise their rankings.

After Shi Feng distributed the Magic Crystals and concluded the meeting, everyone promptly rushed out of the private room and ran as fast as they could towards the Trial Tower.

This scene stupefied the players inside the main hall.

Chapter 644: Secret Competition

 

Chapter 644 – Secret Competition

“How rich is Zero Wing? They’re actually sending so many people to the Trial Tower all at once.”

“They should be members of the newly-formed Dark Gods Legion. I heard that the benefits they receive are only beneath what Zero Wing’s main force enjoys.”

“Being a Guild’s core member must be great. They get to enter the Trial Tower every day. On the other hand, independent players like us can only enter once in a long while.”

“I know, right? Magic Crystals’ drop rate is simply too low in Party Dungeons. It’s only higher in Team Dungeons.”

“As expected of the number one Guild of White River City. Even Overwhelming Smile can only send 200 members each day, while Heaven’s Burial only sends 100 members. On the other hand, Zero Wing is sending 300 people in one go. Moreover, they are only members of the Dark Gods Legion.”

Everyone was incredibly jealous. Only the members of large Guilds had access to such a large supply of Magic Crystals each day. Independent players had to struggle just to obtain a single crystal. As for small Guilds, although they could also afford to supply their members with Magic Crystals, they could not afford to offer a large amount every day.

One could gage a Guild’s financial strength in White River City by the number of members that entered the Trial Tower.

“What’s so amazing about Zero Wing? Can its financial strength compare to Overwhelming Smile?” the Level 30 Guardian Knight, Lone Tyrant, sneered as he entered the Divine Colosseum.

Ever since the Dark Star’s disbandment, Lone Tyrant held firm to his hatred of Zero Wing.

If not for Zero Wing, Dark Star would have been White River City’s ruler, and he would have stood as its emperor.

Due to Zero Wing’s constant rise, he was now only one of Overwhelming Smile’s core members. He was not even the Guild’s Chief MT; he was nothing more than cannon fodder.

However, it was also because of this that he was able to experience just how frightening Underworld was.

Particularly, after the third evolution of God’s Domain, Underworld had increased its investment in God’s Domain by several folds, pouring a massive sum of money into the game. Not only did the organization begin recruiting a large number of experts, but it had also collected a large stock of Magic Crystals, which were extremely important to current players. Even a first-rate Guild could not compete with Underworld’s financial resources.

Underworld’s influence covered a vast expanse of God’s Domain. It could purchase Magic Crystals through several avenues. This was an advantage that many first-rate Guilds did not possess. With all these Magic Crystals, Underworld could quickly nurture plenty of experts through the Divine Colosseum.

God’s Domain was not a game that could be dominated by a single player’s strength.

Even if Shi Feng were stronger, he could only defend White River City. However, White River City was not the only city in Star-Moon Kingdom, much less God’s Domain.

As far as Lone Tyrant knew, Underworld had yet to give up on the feast that White River City offered. Hence, the organization had once more invested significant funding and Magic Crystals, enough to even put a first-rate Guild to shame.

On the surface, Overwhelming Smile sent only 200 members to the Trial Tower each day. Moreover, every member could only challenge the Trial Tower three times a day. In reality, however, Overwhelming Smile secretly sent a large number of hidden experts to challenge the Trial Tower as well. This group of experts consisted of nearly 400 people, double that of what the Guild sent openly.

In total, Overwhelming Smile sent nearly 600 people to the Trial Tower every day, affording each member three challenges.

The public was already astounded by Heaven’s Burial’s financial strength. Unfortunately, compared to Overwhelming Smile, Heaven’s Burial was nothing. After including the additional resources that War Wolf and his group of top-tier experts had received, Overwhelming Smile was spending nearly 2,000 Magic Crystals every day. What did Heaven’s Burial’s expenditure of 500 Magic Crystals amount to?

“Lone Tyrant, control your mouth. It is not the time for Overwhelming Smile to display its strength. Let Zero Wing and Heaven’s Burial bask in the limelight.” Watching the Dark Gods Legion enter the Trial Tower, a faint smile appeared on Feng Xuanyang’s face. With pride and arrogance, he said, “Black Flame, your complacency won’t last.”

In truth, Feng Xuanyang had not expected Underworld to continue investing in White River City. He had thought that the organization would just let Overwhelming Smile, the Guild he controlled, fend for itself.

Currently, there were extremely few experts who had managed to pass the fourth floor of the Divine Colosseum.

Among them, Zero Wing had the most with a total of 36 people.

Overwhelming Smile came in second. It had 29 people in total.

Next up was Heaven’s Burial. It had 20 people.

Assassin’s Alliance stood in fourth place. The Guild only had 14 people.

At fifth place, Cloud Nine had 12 people.

At sixth place, Yin Yang Court had 11 people.

However, Overwhelming Smile had hidden a large fraction of its forces. For example, their 29 experts did not include War Wolf and his team. In reality, the Guild had more than 50 people who had passed the fourth floor. Overwhelming Smile had long since surpassed Zero Wing by leaps and bounds. Moreover, as time passed, that number would only increase. Soon, it would be Overwhelming Smile’s turn to rule over White River City.

—

While the various large Guilds in White River City competed over the First Clear of a 100-man Dungeon and compared their progression in the Divine Colosseum, Shi Feng had used the Bible of Darkness to travel to the Evil Ghost Domain.

After his two-day absence, Shi Feng found that District One had developed rapidly. The Shelter had annexed six other Shelters and invested all of the Soul Crystals they obtained into promoting the Lions Bar, upgrading it to a 2-star Bar.

Now, the Hundred Berry Wine’s production had increased to 50 bottles per day.

According to Shi Feng’s arrangements, 20 bottles would be held for District One’s Shelter, while he would take the remaining 30 with him. Shi Feng had been away for two days now, so he had a stockpile of 60 bottles.

Shi Feng had also brought with him a huge stock of Light Stones for Blue Frost and the others.

The nights in the Dark Den were longer than the days. Hence, Light Stones were far more useful to these players.

“Having a Guild is awesome. I never imagined that we would get our hands on an item like this. Even at night, our top ten parties will be able to grind safely.” Blue Frost expressed his shock as he stared at the Light Stone in his hand.

Not a single Shelter in the Dark Den had anything like the Light Stones.

Other than grinding and questing, the Light Stones could also be used during monster attacks to weaken the monsters, making it much easier to defend the Shelter.

“Right, my main goal in coming here this time is to give this to you,” Shi Feng said as he retrieved the Chapter of Shelter from his bag.

The Chapter of Shelter was an item that could promote a Shelter by a single rank, up to a maximum of Large Shelter.

When everyone saw the Chapter of Shelter, they were stupefied.

Up until now, Large Shelters were something that only Guild Forces possessed. Although they had thought of upgrading District One’s Shelter to a Large Shelter countless times before, it was simply too difficult for independent players. They would require at least a month to gather the required manpower and resources. That time might be extended further depending on their progression on the quests involved.

Now, however, with the Chapter of Shelter, they could upgrade District One’s Shelter into a Large Shelter without going through all that trouble. They would then qualify to compete for dominance in the Dark Den.

Zero Wing was astonishing!

Shi Feng’s generosity had engraved this notion on Blue Frost and everyone else’s hearts.

The many Guild Forces in the Dark Den had spent a ridiculous amount of effort to upgrade a Medium Shelter to a Large Shelter. They had gathered all of the resources from the Shelters under their control and had spent significant time to do so. On the other hand, Shi Feng had completed a similar feat by casually revealing a Chapter of Shelter.

If the other Guild Forces discovered this, they would definitely be dumbfounded.

“Lotus, begin the preparations. We’re going to upgrade the Shelter,” Blue Frost proclaimed, grinning at the Chapter of Shelter in Shi Feng’s hand.

Chapter 645: Administrator

 

Chapter 645 – Administrator

The Evil Ghost Domain was vast. It was roughly the one-fifth the size of Star-Moon Kingdom. There were also several Shelters within the Domain. Among these Shelters, some were under the control of large Guilds. However, not a single Shelter within the Evil Ghost Domain had been promoted to a Large Shelter until today. One could just imagine how difficult it was to promote a Medium Shelter to a Large Shelter.

When a Medium Shelter became a Large Shelter, its player capacity increased from 30,000 to 100,000. Not only would this increase the Shelter’s defensive capabilities, but the larger population would also improve collection speed of Soul Crystals by several times.

Most importantly, upon becoming a Large Shelter, a Shelter could have three Specialties, which was two more than a Medium Shelter. Moreover, these Specialties production volumes would increase significantly.

Originally, the 1-star Lions Bar only produced 20 bottles of Hundred Berry Wine per day. After becoming a Large Shelter, the Lions Bar’s production of 50 bottles a day doubled. In other words, the 2-star Lions Bar could produce 100 bottles of Hundred Berry Wine each day.

The Hundred Berry Wine was a rare tool that could increase a player’s compatibility rate with their weapons for a short time, allowing players to grasp the feeling and subtlety of improved compatibility rates. It was the best item for cultivating experts. The Hundred Berry Wine was far more effective than the Trial Tower of the Divine Colosseum.

Otherwise, with no Divine Colosseums inside the Dark Den, these players would stagnate and fall far behind players elsewhere.

Half an hour later, the Heavenly Crystal Pillar inside District One’s Shelter released a dazzling red light that shot into the sky. A faint red barrier then began to form around the Shelter. For a time, aside from Shi Feng and the others who were currently inside the Heavenly Crystal Pillar, every player was teleported out of the Shelter.

In the next moment, the Shelter began to expand. At the same time, new buildings began appearing, one after another.

A short while later, the Medium Shelter’s size had increased by tenfold.

When the Shelter stopped expanding, a system announcement reached out to every player inside the Evil Ghost Domain.

Evil Ghost Domain System Announcement: Congratulations to the Shelter of District One for becoming the first in the Evil Ghost Domain to become a Large Shelter. Rewarding 1,000 Soul Crystals to the Shelter. All players of District One will receive a two-day Protected buff that increases all Attributes by 10%. Production volume of the Shelter’s Specialties will be increased by 100% for seven days.

The system announcement excited District One’s stunned players.

“Our District One is too amazing! We actually became a Large Shelter! We won’t have to worry about getting Mounts once we reach Level 40!” Everyone celebrated the new achievement.

Currently, the Shelter’s players were nearing Level 40. It wouldn’t be long before they reached that milestone.

However, upgrading a Medium Shelter to a Large Shelter was not achievable in a short amount of time. If they wanted to obtain Mounts, they would have no choice but to travel to other Large Shelters and pay an exorbitant fee to purchase one. Moreover, they had to obtain permission from the ruling parties of said Shelters beforehand. Otherwise, they would not be able to purchase a Mount even if they could afford one.

Now, however, they no longer had to worry about such problems.

They could just buy a Mount at cost price from their own Shelter.

—

Meanwhile, the various other Shelters in the Evil Ghost Domain were stupefied.

Normally, to promote a Medium Shelter to a Large Shelter, one had to pool the majority of the resources available within a Domain and invest a lot of time. Although District One was one of the strongest Shelters in the Evil Ghost Domain and had annexed several competitors, it should still require a long time before becoming a Large Shelter.

Yet, after only a few days since District One began annexing other Shelters, it had successfully upgraded to a Large Shelter. It was simply inconceivable.

“Contact the leader of District One’s First Party, Blue Frost, immediately! Tell him that our District Nine is willing to submit.”

“How did they manage this so quickly? Wouldn’t it be more beneficial to join District One, rather than joining a Guild Force, now? We need to head to District One and discuss an alliance.”

…

Shortly after the system announcement, the top ten parties of many Shelters discussed currying favor with District One.

When a Medium Shelter became a Large Shelter, it could hold 70,000 more players than before. It could easily fit the population of two or three Medium Shelters. If they could obtain a slot for themselves, they would not have to worry about obtaining Mounts in the future. They could also enjoy the various benefits only available in a Large Shelter.

—

Meanwhile, inside District One’s Heavenly Crystal Pillar, Blue Frost and the others were similarly surprised.

Although they had expected the Shelter’s promotion, they had never expected their hold over the Shelter to become more powerful.

All along, the Shelter belonged to all of its residents. Meanwhile, they, the Shelter’s top ten parties, only acted as managers; they were not the owners. The managers were determined through Contribution Shares. If another party possessed more Contribution Shares than they did, they would be replaced immediately. Normally, this rule held fast even after a Shelter was upgraded.

Only, after a Shelter’s promotion, the top ten ranking parties would receive a massive amount of Contribution Shares, making it more difficult for other parties to compete for the top ten positions. However, while it might be difficult for a Guild Force to take over a powerful Shelter by force, it was not entirely impossible.

However, after Shi Feng used the Chapter of Shelter, the management system had changed.

Shi Feng had become the Shelter’s Administrator.

An Administrator was far more powerful than the managers. Shi Feng could now arbitrarily delist players from District One, exiling them from the District and the benefits the Shelter offered. No other player possessed this authority.

Of course, this was useless against the Shelter’s top ten parties. Moreover, there was a limit to the number of players an Administrator could delist each day.

Even so, an Administrator’s authority was plenty frightening. Now, they had the ability to remove potential threats easily, preventing other Shelters from scheming against their Shelter.

More importantly, an Administrator had the authority to veto a decision.

For example, if the top ten parties wished to construct something, even if all ten parties agreed, the Administrator could voice their refusal, and the matter would end there.

Moreover, the position of Administrator was unrelated to Contribution Shares. In other words, even if someone else accumulated more Contribution Shares than the Administrator, they could not replace the Administrator. The only way to overthrow an Administrator and take over a Shelter was to assault the entire Shelter and destroy it.

However, it was not easy to assault a Large Shelter. In other words, currently, the Shelter of District One was under Zero Wing’s complete control. Outsiders could not steal it.

“So the Chapter of Shelter has such a function as well.”

Shi Feng also only learned this after using the Chapter of Shelter. However, with this, he would not have to worry about losing the Shelter to other Guilds. He could rule with an iron fist.

With that out of the way, he could invest more resources in District One’s Shelter, transforming it into an iron fortress.

Following which, Shi Feng left the Shelter’s management to Blue Frost. He then purchased all of the available bottles of Hundred Berry Wine from the Lions Bar and took the massive batch of Gemstones Blue Frost had prepared before returning to White River City.

As the Shelter had just upgraded to a Large Shelter, its Specialties’ production had improved. As a result of the 7-day bonus, the Lions Bar could produce up to 200 bottles of Hundred Berry Wine each day. However, as Blue Frost and the others had already purchased 50 bottles, there were only 150 bottles remaining. Even so, Shi Feng was satisfied with this amount.

Even one bottle of Hundred Berry Wine could tempt many experts, not to mention 210 bottles. With this many, he could raise the combat power of Zero Wing’s core members to a whole new level.

Chapter 646: Killing Multiple Birds with One Stone

 

Chapter 646 – Killing Multiple Birds with One Stone

Shortly after Shi Feng used a Return Scroll and returned to White River City, the Shelter of District One hummed with activity.

Now that the Shelter’s population potential had increased so drastically, many players in the Evil Ghost Domain planned to migrate to District One to enjoy the benefits of a Large Shelter.

Hence, reviewing the invitations demanded a considerable amount of work.

In addition, the promotion to a Large Shelter did not mean that players could purchase Mounts immediately. There was a need to construct a Taming Facility first, and the construction of a Taming Facility required a massive amount of Soul Crystals.

Meanwhile, after District One’s Shelter became a Large Shelter, many Guild Forces based in the Evil Ghost Domain began to consider it a target. They all wished to conquer the Large Shelter.

In the past, although District One occupied valuable land, and the Shelter was relatively strong, to Guild Forces, it had been a trivial opponent. After all, independent players ran District One. It was of no threat to Guild Forces. Now, however, things had changed. District One had become the first District to own a Large Shelter in the Evil Ghost Domain. This would greatly affect the situation in the Evil Ghost Domain. The Medium Shelters under their control held no advantage against a Large Shelter.

If they could take control of District One, not only could they extinguish any looming threats, but they could also increase their own strength. They also wouldn’t have to waste effort collecting and pooling their Guild’s resources to obtain a Large Shelter for themselves. Most importantly, District One’s Large Shelter had not been promoted by a Guild Force. As far as they were concerned, District One was like a heap of loose sand; its residents were not united. They could take advantage of this and take the Shelter by storm.

With this, they could kill two birds with one stone. Why wouldn’t they do it?

For a time, the many Guild Forces in the Evil Ghost Domain secretly plotted to insert their own men into District One’s Shelter.

Meanwhile, although Blue Frost and the others had predicted these Guild Forces’ intentions, not only did they not attempt to stop them, but they also actively encouraged it.

After all, they were not afraid of anyone trying to replace them.

They earnestly wished the various Guild Forces would come and offer them more resources.

The matter of District One joining Zero Wing was only known by a few of District One’s upper echelons. In the eyes of outsiders, District One had only obtained a Large Shelter due to its managers being very united, powerful, and lucky.

Moreover, there were only so many Guild Forces in the Evil Ghost Domain. Everyone knew which Shelters belonged to which Guild Forces. Hence, everyone believed that District One’s Shelter had yet to ally themselves with a Guild.

Normally, if players wished to join a Shelter, the Shelter’s managers would welcome them with open arms. After all, more players would strengthen the Shelter itself and increase the number of Soul Crystals the Shelter could obtain. For District One, however, other than those who had been recruited by the Shelter’s upper echelons, any player who wished to join District One was required to pay a fee of one Soul Crystal.

Although the price was high, current players were much higher leveled than before. As a result, the difficulty of obtaining Soul Crystals and the price of Soul Crystals had decreased. Compared to Shi Feng’s initial arrival in the Dark Den, Soul Crystals’ prices had fallen by two to three times. Currently, every elite party had at least one Soul Crystal on hand at all times. If they worked hard for a week or so, they could collect six Soul Crystals. Obviously, Guild Forces’ elite teams had a far easier time of collecting the Crystals.

Even after Blue Frost and the others recruited some players, there should still be 50,000 spots remaining. Charging one Soul Crystal per person, if they managed to fill all 50,000 slots, they would receive an additional 50,000 Soul Crystals. A player’s ownership of 50,000 Soul Crystals was vastly different from a Shelter’s ownership.

Take the Lions Bar’s promotion for example. If Blue Frost and the others funded the promotion themselves, they would only have to spend 500 Soul Crystals to promote the bar to 3-stars. However, if they used the Shelter’s cumulative resources, they would have to spend 10,000 crystals.

With 50,000 Soul Crystals, not only could they easily construct a Taming Facility, but they could also construct two more buildings that supplied Specialities and upgrade both buildings to 2-stars. In addition, they would have enough leftovers to upgrade the Lions Bar to 3-stars, increasing the production volume of the Hundred Berry Wine once more.

—

Meanwhile, Shi Feng had returned with a large stock of Gemstones and Hundred Berry Wine to White River City.

Gemstones were extremely rare. Ordinary players would be reluctant to embed the Gemstones they had obtained into their equipment; if the item were destroyed, the Gemstones would similarly be destroyed. Players would generally only embed Gemstones in top-tier equipment as it was a safer option. When the need arose, they could simply remove the Gemstones and reuse them with other top-tier equipment.

Currently, Tier 1 Gemstones were very cheap in the Evil Ghost Domain. Each crystal only cost 3 Silver. In Star-Moon Kingdom, however, each Tier 1 Gemstone sold for 9 Silver. As for Tier 2 Gemstones, each sold for 30 Silver in the Evil Ghost Domain, while prices in Star-Moon Kingdom fluctuated around 1 Gold. Star-Moon Kingdom’s prices were at least three times higher.

Shi Feng had obtained 30,000 Tier 1 Gemstones from Blue Frost. These Gemstones had either been secretly purchased from the various Shelters in the Evil Ghost Domain or traded for Light Stones. A single stack contained 20 Gemstones. Shi Feng had returned with a total of 1,500 stacks of Tier 1 Gemstones, valued at a total of 900 Gold, which practically filled his entire bag. As for Tier 2 Gemstones, he had not bothered taking any as he had the Philosopher’s Stone. Through Alchemy Synthesis, he could produce Tier 2 Gemstones from Tier 1 Gemstones.

After returning to White River City, Shi Feng first headed towards the Candlelight Trading Firm.

At this point, the Candlelight Trading Firm was the most lively location in White River City. It could be considered the business center of all of Star-Moon Kingdom. The Trading Firm was the organization with the highest number of forgers and other Lifestyle classes in the entire kingdom. There were all sorts of player-made advanced products for sale on its shelves. If it were available in Star-Moon Kingdom, the Candlelight Trading Firm would almost certainly have it. Only certain exclusive items such as the Overwhelming Trading Firm’s Fire Dragon Potion were not available, as not even Zero Wing could obtain the designs and recipes for these items. Even so, the wide variety of products they offered was enough to overwhelm players.

Other than Star-Moon Kingdom, thanks to Phoenix Rain’s help, the Candlelight Trading Firm had also set up Branch Shops in the major cities of neighboring kingdoms and empires. The Trading Firm’s daily profits reached several thousand Gold. However, this placed a heavy burden on the Firm’s manager, Melancholic Smile.

The Candlelight Trading Firm’s ability to earn money far surpassed even first-rate Guilds. Only super-first-rate Guilds and Super Guilds could rival the Trading Firm now. However, as time progressed, super-first-rate Guilds and Super Guilds would definitely surpass the Candlelight Trading Firm due to their massive range of influence in God’s Domain. The resources and contacts they possess far surpassed the Candlelight Trading Firm.

Although the Candlelight Trading Firm could continue to expand, Zero Wing simply did not possess the required strength and manpower to keep up with it.

Fortunately, Shi Feng had long since prepared for this situation. He had not been the Guild Leader of a second-rate Guild in the past for nothing. Since the first day he logged into God’s Domain in this life, he had been thinking of ways to improve his Guild’s background and had come up with a series of plans. At this point, his plans had finally produced some results.

Shi Feng retrieved the Philosopher’s Stone from his Personal Warehouse and arrived at his exclusive Advanced Forging Room in the Candlelight Trading Firm. He then began to synthesize the Tier 2 Gemstones.

If he sought out the aid of NPC Alchemists to synthesize high-tiered Gemstones, not only would he have to foot an exorbitant labor fee, but the success rate was also not particularly high. For Tier 2 Gemstones, NPCs only had a 30% success rate. Synthesizing a Tier 2 Gemstone required four Tier 1 Gemstones. With acceptable luck, he might obtain one Tier 2 Gemstone for every twelve Tier 1 Gemstones. However, the Tier 2 Gemstones was only ten times more valuable than Tier 1 Gemstones. Hence, it was not profitable to synthesize high-tiered Gemstones.

On the other hand, the Philosopher’s Stone in Shi Feng’s possession had a 100% success rate for synthesizing Tier 2 Gemstones. If he synthesized Tier 2 Gemstones using the Philosopher’s Stone, he could easily multiply his profit. Naturally, Shi Feng could not let this opportunity escape him.

Only, Shi Feng’s goal was not to earn money.

Tier 2 Gemstones have already become a mainstream item among large Guilds. If I want Zero Wing’s main force to clear a 100-man Dungeon even a day sooner, I will have to set Tier 3 Gemstones as the standard. Shi Feng took out his Tier 1 Gemstones and began the Alchemy Synthesis.

Chapter 647: Realm of Experts

 

Chapter 647 – Realm of Experts

Currently, the highest-tiered Gemstone one could obtain from monsters in God’s Domain was a Tier 2.

As for Tier 3 Gemstones, they only dropped from Level 30 and above large-scale Dungeons.

Meanwhile, NPC Alchemists only had a 20% success rate to synthesize Tier 3 Gemstones. The cost involved was massive. Currently, Tier 2 Gemstones sold for 1 Gold. Ignoring the labor fees and with average luck, one would require at least 20 Tier 2 Gemstones to synthesize a Tier 3 Gemstone.

The cost alone was 20 Gold. It was simply not realistic for a Guild to supply its main force with Tier 3 Gemstones.

However, the Attributes Tier 3 Gemstones provided were significantly higher than Tier 2 Gemstones.

Tier 1 Gemstones only increased a single Attribute by 3 points.

Tier 2 Gemstones increased a single Attribute by 6 points.

As for Tier 3 Gemstones, they increased a single Attribute by 12 points. If one embedded every piece of equipment they had with Tier 3 Gemstones, it would be the equivalent of wearing an additional piece of top-tier equipment. This would significantly increase a player’s combat power.

To the large Guilds’ main forces, upgrading Attributes was limited because their equipment had already reached a certain level.

If an ordinary player swapped out their full set of Bronze Equipment for a full set of Mysterious-Iron Equipment, their strength would rise by a single level. However, a large Guild’s main force usually wore the highest quality equipment they could get their hands on. If it were not Dark-Gold rank, then, at the very minimum, they would wear Fine-Gold rank. Hence, it was extremely difficult to upgrade their equipment. If they could receive a bonus to their Attributes that had as large of an impact as another piece of Dark-Gold Equipment, it would make a huge difference.

Without rest, Shi Feng spent half the day synthesizing Tier 2 Gemstones. In the end, he transformed the 30,000 Tier 1 Gemstones into 7,500 Tier 2 Gemstones.

“The success rate for synthesizing Tier 3 Gemstones is actually as high as 80%?” Shi Feng could not help but grin when he saw the message that the Philosopher’s Stone displayed.

Initially, Shi Feng would have been satisfied with a 60% success rate. After all, NPC Alchemists’ success rate was only 20%.

Furthermore, Shi Feng’s Luck Attribute was also relatively high. That would most likely lower his expenditure even further.

Four hours later, Shi Feng had a total of 1,674 Tier 3 Gemstones, 174 more than his initial estimation.

“If I sold all these Tier 3 Gemstones, just how many more plots of Land could I buy for the Candlelight Trading Firm?” Shi Feng sighed as he stared at the Tier 3 Gemstones cluttering the table.

It was no wonder why the Philosopher’s Stone was a treasure that could incite war between kingdoms and empires.

Moreover, it was currently incomplete. Shi Feng could not even begin to fathom just how powerful the complete Philosopher’s Stone would be.

In the past, during God’s Domain’s initial stages, a Tier 3 Gemstone could sell for 25 Gold. Its price was more than ten times higher than Tier 2 Gemstones. If Shi Feng sold all 1,674 Tier 3 Gemstones, he could earn over 40,000 Gold. That was enough money to purchase three or four golden Lands. Meanwhile, he had only spent 900 Gold on the Gemstones.

However, Shi Feng had no intentions of selling the Tier 3 Gemstones.

What Zero Wing lacked right now was a large group of experts. With these Tier 3 Gemstones, he could elevate Zero Wing’s strength to a whole new level. That way, the Guild would have the power to support and stabilize the Candlelight Trading Firm’s development.

—

Just as Shi Feng was excitedly contacting Aqua Rose and preparing to replace the main force’s Tier 2 Gemstones with Tier 3 Gemstones, the situation at White River City’s Divine Colosseum had reached a boiling point.

More experts from Heaven’s Burial suddenly broke through the fourth floor of the Trial Tower. Currently, the Guild had a total of 42 members who had reached the fifth floor, double that of their previous record and surpassing Zero Wing’s previous record of 36 people.

“Although three more people from Zero Wing have passed through the fourth floor, Heaven’s Burial is superior. Another 22 of their people have passed the fourth floor within the same timespan. It really makes you wonder just how they have nurtured so many experts.”

“It seems that Heaven’s Burial has a chance of replacing Zero Wing as White River City’s overlord.”

“Overwhelming Smile isn’t doing too bad, either. Today, another eight people have reached the fifth floor, pushing their total to 37. Right now, Overwhelming Smile is only behind Zero Wing by two people. In another one or two days, Overwhelming Smile’s number of experts will probably surpass Zero Wing as well.”

Due to the increase of each Guild’s number of experts in the Divine Colosseum, many players had begun changing their opinions of Heaven’s Burial and Overwhelming Smile.

Although one could not tell much by the number of experts, it could indicate a Guild’s potential.

In the God’s Domain of today, due to Shi Feng repeatedly shattering the concept of strength by numbers, the public no longer evaluated a Guild based on how many members it possessed.

Then, how could one judge a Guild’s strength?

The first method was by examining the Guild’s raid progression of large-scale Team Dungeons. This was the best way to judge the comprehensive strength of a Guild.

The second method was by reviewing the number of experts a Guild possessed. At present, passing the fourth floor was the commonly accepted standard for an expert.

Very quickly, this matter attracted the attention of the various large Guilds in White River City.

Originally, Zero Wing had been White River City’s sole ruler. Now, however, it would seem that three rulers would sit on the city’s throne. Heaven’s Burial, in particular, was very mysterious. The Guild developed as fast as Zero Wing had in the past. Even the famous Ghost Shadow Workshop had joined Heaven’s Burial. One could just imagine how powerful the Guild’s backing was.

Previously, Zero Wing had relied on Shi Feng to shoulder its success. Now, however, Heaven’s Burial’s potential was even greater than Zero Wing’s. Not only did it possess well-known, top-tier experts, but it also had the financial strength to rival Overwhelming Smile. Heaven’s Burial was definitely a powerful competitor.

For a time, many players were tempted to take part in Heaven’s Burial’s entrance examination.

Heaven’s Burial was constantly recruiting Guild members. Moreover, its entry requirements were a lot lower than Zero Wing’s. If they joined Heaven’s Burial now, by the time the Guild grew into its power and became White River City’s overlord, their statuses would rise with the tide. It was just like the Zero Wing of today. Currently, even a normal member of Zero Wing was enviable.

—

Zero Wing’s Guild Residence:

The members of the main force had gathered in the conference hall after receiving Shi Feng’s summons. At this moment, they discussed events among themselves.

“Did Guild Leader summon us because of the Divine Colosseum?”

“Probably. After all, this is a matter concerning the Guild’s reputation. Zero Wing is the number one Guild in White River City, yet right now, we have fewer experts who have passed the fourth floor than the newly established Heaven’s Burial. We have to do something to restore our reputation.”

“How could the Trial Tower’s fourth floor be so easy to break through? I am still stuck in the fourth floor’s middle sector, not to mention the end.”

“Indeed. Based on what I heard from Guild Leader, if one cannot display 50% of their actual combat power, they will not be able to overcome the fourth floor.”

Everyone felt disheartened when they spoke about the Divine Colosseum’s Trial Tower. They all were members of Zero Wing’s main force and were the envy of ordinary players. In reality, however, they knew that, without breaking through the Trial Tower’s fourth floor, they could not be considered as true experts.

Despite Zero Wing providing far better resources than Heaven’s Burial or Overwhelming Smile, for some reason, only a small number of people had managed to reach the realm of experts.

As everyone chatted, Shi Feng entered the conference hall, leading Aqua Rose and Fire Dance.

The conference hall suddenly fell silent, everyone in the room shifting their gazes towards the black-cloaked Shi Feng.

Chapter 648: Rapid Improvement

 

Chapter 648 – Rapid Improvement

As Shi Feng appeared, the atmosphere inside the conference all became extraordinarily heavy.

The benefits that this Zero Wing team enjoyed were far more generous than what Overwhelming Smile and Heaven’s Burial offered. Not only had everyone received their own rooms, allowing them to store up the Double EXP buff easily, but they also had access to an extravagant number of Magic Crystals.

Each of them received ten Magic Crystals each day. This was double what Heaven’s Burial’s main force received. Yet, in the end, Heaven’s Burial had more members reach the fifth floor. If the public learned about the benefits that Zero Wing’s main force enjoyed, they would ridicule the team as a bunch of trash.

Knowing this, everyone had prepared themselves to receive Shi Feng’s scolding.

Shi Feng took his seat on the Guild Leader’s throne. Without saying a word, he took out a cyan wine bottle and placed it on the table.

Everyone shifted their gaze to the bottle curiously.

The wine bottle’s information displayed the name “Hundred Berry Wine.” It was only a bottle of wine.

“Guild Leader, you’re not forcing them to get drunk as a punishment, are you?”

Aqua Rose could not figure out what Shi Feng intended to do. At this moment, rather than admonishing everyone for their arrogance, which had led to their complacency, Shi Feng instead revealed a bottle of fine wine. Just what was he trying to do?

“I am not that extravagant.” Shi Feng shook his head and laughed. “I’ve prepared this bottle of Hundred Berry Wine as a reward.”

As for the matter regarding Zero Wing’s performance falling behind Overwhelming Smile and Heaven’s Burial, it had not surprised Shi Feng whatsoever.

These two Guilds were not as simple as they appeared.

Both Guilds had been recruiting talents from everywhere, not just White River City. In addition, both Guilds possessed powerful backgrounds with long histories. Now that these two Guilds had familiarized themselves with God’s Domain, their advantage began to reveal itself. It would still be a while before a newly-established Guild like Zero Wing would catch up to these two. This was also why first-rate and second-rate Guilds looked down on upstart Guilds like Zero Wing.

Every time a new game came out, many upstart Guilds would appear.

They rose very quickly and fell very quickly.

These newly-recognized Guilds were like the nouveau riche. How could they possibly compare to the wealthy aristocrats who had been tested over time?

Only those capable of withstanding the test of time were able to set foot into this realm.

“Reward?” Everyone curiously stared at the bottle of Hundred Berry Wine on the table.

Every player here was a core member of Zero Wing. They would usually have plenty of excess money to spend, and normally, they would treat themselves at high-class bars and restaurants. After all, the food and wine that these establishments served were far superior to those in the outside world.

It had become a trend for many wealthy prince and princesses to dine at these establishments.

However, despite frequently enjoying those delicacies, none of them had ever heard of a wine named the Hundred Berry Wine.

Moreover, what could they do with only one bottle of wine?

“This Hundred Berry Wine can assist you with improving your combat techniques. I doubt any of you will take my word for it, so I intend to allow each of you to test it. Everyone will receive one bottle. When you have reached your limit inside the Trial Tower, drink the whole bottle. At that time, you’ll see what I mean,” Shi Feng laughed. He then took out another 99 bottles from his bag. “After this, if any of you want the Hundred Berry Wine again, that will depend on your improvement speed and strength. Once every three days, I will reward at least one bottle to the top ten ranking members in the Trial Tower. The first place will receive three bottles, second and third will receive two bottles, and the rest will receive one. The top ten to improve the most during the three days will also be rewarded. At that time, how many bottles you receive will depend on your own ability.

Although Shi Feng wished to supply everyone with a bottle of Hundred Berry Wine, enabling them to search for that feeling, the wine’s production volume was simply too low. He could only offer it to very few of the Guild’s elites.

“Guild Leader, can this item really improve a person’s combat techniques?” Aqua Rose also knew quite a bit about God’s Domain. However, she had never heard of an item capable of improving a player’s combat techniques. If the Hundred Berry Wine was truly capable of such a feat…

The rest of the team similarly doubted Shi Feng’s claim.

Improving combat techniques was not something that could be done overnight. The process involved a lot of learning and practice. The Divine Colosseum’s Trial Tower also offered suggestions on how to improve one’s combat techniques. Although the guidance was minimal, everyone considered it very helpful.

“You’ll find out once you test it.” Shi Feng smiled, not bothering to explain.

—

Inside the Divine Colosseum:

In order to promote their Guilds, Heaven’s Burial and Overwhelming Smile publicized their battle videos through the screens in the Colosseum’s main hall for free. Many players took the time to study these videos.

“Ah, Zero Wing’s members are here.”

“Are they trying to wrestle back their glory?”

“Probably. However, the likelihood of them succeeding is slim. Some time ago, a few more experts from Heaven’s Burial and Overwhelming Smile broke through the fourth floor. Currently, Heaven’s Burial has 49 people who have reached the fifth floor. The Guild even has eight people who have reached the sixth floor. Their position as White River City’s number one Guild is solid now. Meanwhile, Overwhelming Smile is closely following behind, with 45 people who have reached the fifth floor and six who have reached the sixth. Both Guilds are way above Zero Wing, who only has 39 people on the fifth floor and four on the sixth.”

Many players were not optimistic about Zero Wing’s chances. Whether it was the members of the Guild’s main force or the Dark Gods Legion, both had already challenged the Trial Tower today.

“I never thought that there would be a moment when Black Flame would panic. However, his actions only bring him more despair.” Seated in a room on the second floor, Feng Xuanyang quickly noticed Shi Feng enter the Divine Colosseum with the other members of Zero Wing’s main force. With excitement filling his eyes, he said, “Go; notify War Wolf’s team. It’s time to show the public who the true ruler of White River City is.”

Originally, Feng Xuanyang had intended to keep Overwhelming Smile’s strength hidden for a little while longer. However, after seeing Shi Feng personally show up at the Divine Colosseum, he could not suppress the hatred in his heart. Although he could not do anything to Shi Feng directly, it would soothe his heart if he could strike a mental blow to Shi Feng.

As long as War Wolf’s team took action, Overwhelming Smile would immediately have a large group of experts pass through the fourth floor. At that time, Zero Wing’s efforts to make a comeback would be rendered futile. Its reputation would be in tatters.

—

Meanwhile, the members of Zero Wing’s main force, who had just entered the Trial Tower, felt a burden of expectation.

Everyone clearly understood their own combat power. To put it simply, it was extremely difficult for them to break through the fourth floor.

However, since Shi Feng had told them to give it a try, they could only grit their teeth and follow his commands.

Very quickly, the members of Zero Wing’s main force passed through one floor after another. Upon reaching the fourth floor, everyone grew anxious.

The Trial Tower’s tests were set according to the player’s strength. For every test, the system would generate a perfect doppelganger of the challenger. The doppelganger possessed the same combat power as the challenger. However, the doppelganger’s actual combat power varied depending on one’s progression in the Trial Tower. Each floor was also divided into three stages: early, middle, and late. Through the battles with their own doppelgangers, players could learn their own shortcomings. Meanwhile, players who were capable of defeating the doppelganger during the fourth floor’s late stage would basically be able to display 50% of their actual combat power. These players were regarded as experts of God’s Domain.

However, based on the standard of the current players of God’s Domain and the time they had to develop themselves, very few were capable of reaching the standard of an expert.

“Hopefully I can pass through the late stage this time,” Blackie prayed as watched his doppelganger before him. He then took out the Hundred Berry Wine from his bag and emptied the bottle’s contents, swallowing every last drop. Suddenly, his mind felt clear. Moreover, his compatibility rate with his weapon and equipment began to rise rapidly. The items felt like an extension of his own body. “This is amazing!”

The others were similarly shocked.

After drinking a bottle of Hundred Berry Wine, their perception of the world had undergone a complete change.

When everyone casually used a Skill, they immediately discovered their Skill Completion Rates had significantly improved. Even Shadow Sword and the others, who had been stuck at around an 80% Completion Rate, could now easily achieve an 85% Skill Completion Rate, their combat power soaring.

After familiarizing themselves with this new sensation, everyone tackled their respective opponents.

Chapter 649: The Number One Guild’s Background

 

Chapter 649 – The Number One Guild’s Background

Shortly after Zero Wing’s main force entered the Trial Tower, both Overwhelming Smile and Heaven’s Burial simultaneously dispatched a large number of players to challenge the Trial Tower as well.

Due to the competition between these three Guilds, the originally quiet Divine Colosseum suddenly grew lively. Many players who had returned to the city to rest had quickly made their way to the Divine Colosseum, hoping to witness this competition’s outcome and watch the exciting battle videos.

Compared to the battle videos of normal PvP battles, these battle videos were far more valuable as references. It was especially true for the battle videos after the fourth floor.

This was because the system would specifically display the fighting styles of the various classes, making the battle videos much more instructive. Normally, Guilds would not release such instructive battle videos to the public, keeping them for their own members.

Some experts would even earn money with their battle videos. Other players would have to pay these experts a fee to watch. Many players who wished to improve themselves usually went for this option. As for those who did not wish to spend money, they would come to the Divine Colosseum to observe the battle videos for free. However, that which one can obtain for free lacked value. One would not learn the truly powerful techniques from a free battle video. As a result, the gap between paying and non-paying players widen, little by little.

Meanwhile, the three great Guilds of White River City occupied themselves with their competition. Although the battle videos these Guilds publicized was limited to the fourth floor, it was enough to excite many players.

“I wonder which Guild will obtain first place this time.”

“I’m betting on Heaven’s Burial. Of the members of Heaven’s Burial I saw going in to challenge the Trial Tower a moment ago, a few were well-known experts of other virtual reality games.”

“Heaven’s Burial really is amazing. It has actually recruited so many experts. It won’t be long before they try to claim the seat of White River City’s overlord.”

“That’s right. Now that Ghost Shadow Workshop has joined Heaven’s Burial, the Guild’s strength has soared by leaps and bounds. Ghost Shadow himself still maintains the highest record in the Trial Tower.”

“Ghost Shadow indeed deserves to be called one of the virtual gaming world’s top-tier experts. Even now, no one else has reached the seventh floor. Moreover, he even reached the middle stage of the seventh floor. I heard that Star-Moon City’s best record stopped at the sixth floor’s middle stage.”

“This is simply madness. I’m an elite member of the Assassin’s Alliance, but even until now, I am still stuck on the third floor. The fourth floor is still out of my reach. It really makes you wonder just how those experts manage to do it.”

“However, isn’t Black Flame Star-Moon Kingdom’s number one expert? Did Black Flame fail to reach the seventh floor?”

“I’m not sure. However, Black Flame’s name isn’t on the Trial List. Maybe he hasn’t challenged the Trial Tower yet.”

“Hasn’t challenged it yet? He must be afraid of embarrassing himself. If he fails to surpass Ghost Shadow, he will lose his title as Star-Moon Kingdom’s number one expert.”

Everyone grew excited as they examined the Trial Tower’s ranking list.

Normally, it was extremely difficult for ordinary players to meet experts like Ghost Shadow. They lived in two completely different worlds. Now, not only did they have the chance to see these experts in person, but they also got to watch these famous experts compete against the main force of White River City’s number one Guild, Zero Wing. How could they not be excited?

Just as everyone chatted about which Guild was stronger and which expert was more powerful, something changed on the Trial List.

“Quick! Look! Someone just passed the fourth floor and reached the fifth!” A perceptive player quickly discovered the change.

There were two ranking lists posted in the Divine Colosseum. One was the Tournament List, which catered towards PvP battles, while the other was the Trial List. Trial List held the names of the players who managed to clear each floor and the name of the Guild they belonged to. However, only the top 300 players on each floor would be displayed. For those who cleared the same floor, they would be ranked based on their clear time. However, the clear time held no particular meaning, as everyone only paid attention to the players on the highest floors. Nobody would care about how fast a person could clear the first three floors.

Meanwhile, as there had yet to be a total of 300 players in White River City who had reached the fifth floor, it was very easy for players to notice a change to the number of players currently on the fifth floor and identify the person responsible for the change.

“War Wolf? Who is that? Why haven’t I heard of him before? Really though, his clear time sure is short. His clear time for the fourth floor is only longer than Ghost Shadow’s.”

“I never thought that Overwhelming Smile would have such a powerful expert. If he has cleared the fourth floor so quickly, he should be able to reach the sixth floor.”

Suddenly, the crowd fell into a heated discussion.

In White River City, the players who could reach the sixth floor were as rare as a phoenix’s feather. There were less than twenty as of this moment. Moreover, these experts were members of the three great Guilds. Meanwhile, there was only one person who had managed to reach the seventh floor, and that was the famous Ghost Shadow.

“Sixth floor?” Feng Xuanyang was filled with disdain when he heard the players chattering downstairs. “What does the sixth floor amount to? The number one spot on the Trial List will belong to Overwhelming Smile.”

A moment later, War Wolf cleared the fifth floor, his name entering the sixth floor’s list.

The sixth floor’s list housed very few people, so a new addition was bound to attract attention. At the same time, five more players passed through the fourth floor. Among them, two were members of Heaven’s Burial, two were Overwhelming Smile’s members, and the last person was Zero Wing’s Blackie, who had once ranked number one on White River City’s Ranking List.

“It seems Zero Wing really is crap. Three more experts from Overwhelming Smile have reached the fifth floor, and one has even reached the sixth. As for Heaven’s Burial, two of their players have passed through the fourth floor as well. On the other hand, despite sending so many people in, only one person from Zero Wing has managed to reach the fifth floor. It seems that Zero Wing is no match for the two other Guilds when it comes to nurturing experts.”

Everyone made their own judgments upon seeing the obvious differences between the three Guilds.

“Hahaha! Black Flame, do you see now? This is the difference between our Guilds! No matter how amazing you are, do you think a Guild with the support of only one person can surpass a real, large Guild?” Feng Xuanyang celebrated as he looked towards the room Shi Feng resided in.

Time slowly passed.

Suddenly, something inconceivable happened.

The seventh floor’s list, which originally only had one, lonely name on it, suddenly had two.

“Who is War Wolf?! He has actually passed through the sixth floor and entered the seventh floor!”

“This is madness. It would be awesome if he released his battle video.”

The main hall suddenly exploded with activity.

To the majority of current players, the seventh floor was a legend. It was a floor they could never reach.

Meanwhile, sitting in one of the rooms on the second floor, Ghost Shadow frowned when he saw this change.

“So, there’s still such an expert in White River City.” A hint of excitement flashed in Ghost Shadow’s eyes.

It was very lonely being an expert of his caliber. It was extremely difficult to find someone to compete with.

Throughout White River City, there were only two experts who he was interested in. The first was Black Flame, while the second was Flame Blood. Now, one more had caught his interest–War Wolf.

However, while everyone committed War Wolf’s name to memory, another name suddenly joined his on the seventh floor’s list.

Fire Dance!

Everyone knew this name, the Commander of Zero Wing’s main force. Many of Overwhelming Smile’s experts had died at her hands. She had even fought valiantly in the great war with the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion, making a name for herself.

Nobody would have thought that she would once more appear in the limelight.

“Sure enough, Zero Wing will not be replaced so easily.” Ghost Shadow could not help his elation when he saw another person reach the seventh floor.

“How is this possible?” Feng Xuanyang stared at the name on the seventh floor’s list in disbelief.

Fire Dance, Assassin, Affiliated Guild: Zero Wing.

No matter how he looked at it, the name belonged to Fire Dance of Zero Wing.

However, a short moment later, another new name appeared on the seventh floor’s list.

Violet Cloud, Cleric, Affiliated Guild: Zero Wing.