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Chapter 880 - Slaying a Dragon

"Boss, the Dragon’s Defense and reaction speed have improved quite a
bit. With our remaining numbers, I’m afraid that we can’t survive
another round of chain attacks," a green-robed, Level 40 male Summoner
anxiously reported.

Once the Mutated Dragon went Berserk, a single round of whipping its
tail had annihilated all of his summoned creatures.

Even their attacks were becoming less effective.

Previously, they had been able to, more or less, hit the Dragon, each of
their attacks dealing around -1,000 damage. Now, however, the Mutant
blocked over half of their attacks with its tail. Even when their
attacks struck the Dragon, they only dealt around -600 damage.

After factoring in the members they had lost and the healers, their
overall damage could not overcome the Mutated Dragon’s regeneration. It
was only a matter of time before they team-wiped.

"This is the final push! Throw everything you have at it!" White Night
had been watching the battle from the rear. Excluding Shi Feng’s hidden
statistics, he had run through various simulations in his mind based on
his team’s statistics and calculated their probability of taking down
the Mutated Dragon.

However, no matter how many simulations he ran through, they were no
match for the Mutated Dragon.

The difference between them was simply too massive.

He had never expected the Mutated Dragon to be so terrifying after going
Berserk. Ordinary Bosses generally gained around a 30% increase to their
combat power after going Berserk. However, the Mutated Dragon’s overall
combat power had increased by 50% at the very least. White Night even
suspected that the Mutated Dragon had doubled its strength after going
Berserk.

Even after Shi Feng had joined, they had barely stood against the
Dragon. Now that the Dragon’s strength had grown, they had no hope of
victory.

Hearing White Night’s orders, every player began to use their most
powerful moves against the Mutated Dragon. Some even activated Berserk
Skills.

Although not every Owl member possessed a Berserk Skill, the remaining
forty or so members were all experts with the highest strength among the
team. Over a dozen had learned Berserk Skills.

Immediately, these dozen or so players’ Attributes soared. White Night
and Frozen Dream experienced the greatest improvements, their main
Attributes increasing by 100%.

"Buy me some time!" Frozen Dream shouted. Immediately, she began to
chant an incantation, the surrounding Mana gathering rapidly around her.

"Okay! Everyone, aim for the Dragon’s joints!" White Night shouted.

Their survival now depended on this very moment.

Either the Mutated Dragon would wipe them out while it was still
Berserk, or they would finish off the Mutated Dragon’s 8,000,000 HP
while they were Berserk.

Spells and arrows flew at the Mutant. Seeing this, the Dragon swiped its
claws.

Peng... Peng... Peng...

The Dragon’s massive forefoot blocked over half of the attacks easily.
Only extremely accurate attacks like those from White Night had struck
the Dragon.

-3,348.

-1,448.

-1,279.

-1,354.

...

Although numerous attacks had landed, only White Night’s attacks broke
past the 3,000-threshold. Everyone else only dealt around -1,000 damage.
Their overall damage barely made a dent in the Dragon’s remaining HP.

Before White Night and the others could launch another volley of
attacks, the Mutated Dragon rose its tail once more.

"Watch out for its tail attacks! Fall back!" White Night instructed and
began to retreat while attacking the Mutated Dragon’s massive tail.

However, the tail’s Attack Speed and range were too much for them. Even
Shi Feng had not been able to dodge the attack in time and had been
forced to rely on a Lifesaving Skill. Although everyone had retreated
quite a distance from the Mutated Dragon, they were still within range
of the shockwave that would follow the tail swipe. The resulting
shockwaves alone were enough to end White Night and his companions.

Boom!

A sonic boom ripped through the air as the Dragon’s tail swiped at Owl’s
players, the tail’s attack range reaching over half of the team.

Suddenly, however, a streak of blue light hacked at the swinging tail.

Boom...

The Mutated Dragon’s attack halted abruptly. At the same time, a figure
sank to the ground, a large crater forming around the player.

"He blocked it?!" White Night’s jaw dropped as he stared at the figure
in disbelief.

Although he had not seen it clearly, he had caught a glimpse of Shi Feng
swinging his sword at the Mutated Dragon’s tail. The instant his sword
collided with the tail, however, Shi Feng vanished.

The Mutant’s tail already contained far more power than its forefeet.
The Dragon had also gone Berserk, yet Shi Feng had blocked the attack.

Shortly after, Shi Feng climbed out of the pit. Although he appeared
somewhat miserable, his HP bar revealed that he had only suffered
negligible damage.

The improved Heavenly Dragon’s Power really is amazing. With this, I can
take the Mutated Dragon’s attacks without any problems. Shi Feng flexed
his muscles a little. Due to the impact, he was sore everywhere.
Overall, however, his combat power had not been affected overmuch.

Not only had Heavenly Dragon’s Power increased his HP by 500%, but the
Skill also increased his Strength by 150%, Agility by 50%, and Defense
by 300%. Currently, he had over 260,000 HP. With his enhanced Defense,
he had only received around -3,000 damage after receiving the direct
hit.

Even without the healers’ assistance, he could easily withstand several
hundred such attacks. He didn’t need to fear the Berserk Mutated Dragon
at all.

Following which, Shi Feng activated Silent Steps and appeared behind the
Mutated Dragon.

He then used Phantom Kill and Nine Dragons Slash.

Flame Burst!

In the next moment, the twin swords Shi Feng wielded and those of his
doppelganger transformed into dazzling, miniature suns.

Scorching, white rays of light then slammed brutally into the back of
the Mutated Dragon’s neck, one after another.

-62,487.

-43,718.

-127,496.

-43,587.

...

Thirty consecutive scorching blades bit into the Mutated Dragon’s neck,
all thirty strikes hitting the same location. In addition, a dozen
Abyssal Blade phantoms continuously assaulted the Mutant, each dealing
up to -6,000 damage.

The Mutated Dragon released an agonized cry as it slammed into the
ground.

The Mutated Dragon’s HP had instantly fallen from 8,000,000 to
5,640,000.

Immediately after, Shi Feng used Firestorm and Dragon Breath.

The Mutated Dragon’s HP fell below the 5,000,000-threshold.

"This is insane!" The witnessing players were nearly speechless as they
stared at the fallen Dragon.

White Night was just as shocked. He could not figure out how many cards
Shi Feng had kept hidden. Shi Feng alone was savagely beating a Boss
that his entire team had been helpless against...

At this time, Frozen Dream finally completed her chanting as she waved
her staff.

A deep-blue magic array suddenly appeared above the Mutated Dragon. A
gigantic ice spear then emerged from the array and descended on the
Mutant.

Tier 1 Curse, Frozen Earth.

When the ice spear struck, not only did it inflict over -7,000 damage,
but it also encased the Dragon’s four limbs in a layer of frost,
restricting it. Despite the Mutated Dragon breaking free from the layer
of ice, the ice reformed instantly. Moreover, each time the Dragon
struggled free, it wasted a lot of time to do so. As a result, the
Mutated Dragon’s reactions were somewhat delayed.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Shi Feng launched one attack after
another.

With an absolute MT like Shi Feng pinning down the Mutated Dragon, the
other team members began to launch a fierce assault.

As a result, the Mutated Dragon’s HP fell rapidly.

4,500,000...

4,000,000...

3,000,000...

1,000,000...

When the Mutated Dragon had less than 500,000 HP remaining, Shi Feng
activated Divine Providence and used the Tier 2 Taboo Skill Instant
Strike. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before the Mutated Dragon.

Over a dozen consecutive slashes bloomed over the Mutated Dragon’s
heart.

The Mutated Dragon’s HP hit rock bottom instantly, falling to the ground
with a loud boom. Over a dozen shining items dropped around its
humongous body.

Suddenly, a golden glow surrounded Shi Feng’s body as he reached Level
42.

-   Prev Chapter
-   Next Chapter

Chapter 881 - 3-star Promotion Order

As the golden glow engulfed Shi Feng’s body, the rest of the team
experienced the glow as well. Some even experienced the phenomenon
twice, their Levels launching from 40 to 42.

The bountiful EXP that the Mutated Dragon had provided stunned them all.

Even at their Level, the Mutated Dragon had awarded them enough EXP to
level up at least once. They had just saved several days of effort.

"Success!"

"We won!"

Everyone cheered as they looked at the motionless Mutated Dragon.

The Mutant had been far stronger than any monster they had faced before.
They shouldn’t have survived it at their level, yet they had defeated
it. Although they had relied on Shi Feng’s strength, they were excited.

Some of their excitement was also due to the system notification they
received after the Dragon had died.

System: Congratulations! You have received the "Dragon Slayer" title.
Wielder of this title will gain a 10% increase to their Humanity
Reputation.

Although this title did not affect their combat power, many players
dreamed of the buff it provided.

In God’s Domain, Humanity Reputation was crucial.

Aside from the fact that one needed a certain amount of Reputation to
purchase Land and housing, higher Reputation allowed players to enjoy
discounts when repairing or purchasing items in NPC cities. After
reaching the highest achievable Reputation, one could even enjoy a 40%
discount.

Although players were discovering more methods of earning Coins, players
still needed more.

Aside from purchasing Consumables and some luxury items, such as
delicious food, most of a player’s money went to repair fees. Moreover,
as players equipped higher quality and leveled equipment, the repair
fees increased.

With a 40% discount in cities, a player could save a large sum of money.

Moreover, as players gained more Levels, raising one’s Reputation in a
single city would not be enough. Many high-resource leveling spots were
quite far from starting cities; traveling back and forth was
inconvenient. If a player wanted to level up quickly, they needed to
have high Reputation in multiple cities.

However, Reputation was not easy to obtain. Even until now, players
still had headaches over gaining Reputation in their respective cities.

Now that these players had the Dragon Slayer title, they wouldn’t have
to put in as much effort. It was especially true for independent
players.

However, the team was more interested in the Mutated Dragon’s loot.

The Mutated Dragon had dropped over ten items!

Needless to say, such a powerful monster’s loot would be astounding. It
would not surprise any of them if it even dropped an Epic item.

Watching Shi Feng collect the items, one after another, they nearly
drooled.

However, White Night had promised Shi Feng that he could claim all of
the drops. Hence, they could only watch enviously.

"Look; is that an Epic Weapon?"

"Crap! Look at that Magic Scroll! It can concentrate Mana naturally. It
should be a Tier 3 scroll at the very least, right?"

"That design is huge!"

Although these players realized that the items belonged to Shi Feng,
they still wanted to know what they were.

As Shi Feng picked up the scattered Coins and items, he noticed a
purple-gold, diamond-shaped token. A single word had been engraved on
this token.

Promotion!

As expected of a Dragon, its loot is awesome. Shi Feng tried to calm his
excited heart as he looked at the token. If not for White Night and the
others’ presence, he would have laughed like a maniac.

This Promotion Order was no ordinary Promotion Order; it was a Shop
Promotion Order. Moreover, it wasn’t a 2-star Shop Promotion Order, but
a 3-star Shop Promotion Order.

In God’s Domain, even 2-star Shop Promotion Orders were extremely
difficult to obtain.

Throughout Star-Moon Kingdom and its neighboring kingdoms, no other
trading firm, aside from the Candlelight Trading Firm, possessed a
2-star Shop. Only the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion in the Black Dragon Empire
had a 2-star Shop. Moreover, the super-first-rate Guild had only
obtained it a few days ago.

Current players had no hopes of getting their hands on a 3-star Shop. To
obtain one, players would need to kill a relatively high-leveled,
high-tiered Field Boss, open a high-rank Treasure Chest, or complete the
Challenge Quest.

Obtaining a 3-star Shop Promotion Order from a Field Boss was
unrealistic, as only Level 50 or higher Tier 4 Field Bosses had a chance
of dropping them.

As for Treasure Chests, the Promotion Order would only appear in
Dark-Gold Treasure Chests found in Level 50 or above maps.

As for the Challenge Quest, its difficulty approached that of a
Legendary Quest. The money required just to accept the quest would send
cold shivers down the spine of any large Guild in God’s Domain.

Take the 2-star Shop in the Black Dragon Empire for example. The
Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion had accepted the Challenge Quest to promote that
Shop. However, the super-first-rate Guild had challenged the quest three
times before it succeeded, and each challenge had cost 6,000 Gold.
Ordinary Guilds could not afford that right now. Only super-first-rate
Guilds and Super Guilds might have enough to take on the Challenge
Quest.

Although promoting a shop to 3-star status was exceedingly difficult,
any Guild that could afford the fee would make an attempt.

After all, there was a qualitative difference between a 3-star Shop and
a 2-star Shop.

The greatest difference was that, when a Shop reached 3-star status, its
1-star Shops could be promoted to 2-star status. This one aspect was
more than enough to throw the various large Guilds into a frenzy.

Aside from this, a 3-star Shop offered far more functions than a 2-star
Shop.

After reaching 2-star status, a Shop would gain access to the Special
Workshops. At 3-star status, a Shop would gain access to the Basic
Meditation Room.

As the name suggested, the Meditation Room was a space that allowed
players to process their thoughts. Moreover, due to the dense Mana
inside the Meditation Room, players could maintain a clear state of
mind, allowing them to better-exert their abilities. The Special
Workshop, on the other hand, only altered the environment to adjust
one’s mood.

Of course, the Meditation Room also offered every function a Special
Workshop possessed, allowing a player to alter the room’s environment.

This was the main reason why the various Lifestyle Masters in the past
had surged towards high star-ranking Shops. A positive work environment
was crucial to Lifestyle players.

However, there were two downsides to the Basic Meditation Room in 3-star
Shops.

The first was the cost. To maintain the Mana density inside the room,
one needed to spend a lot of Magic Crystals. Maintaining the Mana
density for a day cost a total of 300 Magic Crystals. The price of a
single Magic Crystal had already reached 25 Silver. A total of three
hundred crystals was the equivalent of 75 Gold Coins. Hence, Meditation
Rooms were only used to produce high-valued items.

The second drawback was its scarcity. At 3-star status, a Shop could
only offer three Basic Meditation Rooms. For an establishment like the
Candlelight Trading Firm, that was far from enough to satisfy its
Advanced Lifestyle players.

Forget it. It’s better to not have one at all. Melancholic can worry
about it later. Shi Feng chuckled. He then stored the Promotion Order.
Currently, he was eager to return to White River City and promote the
Candlelight Trading Firm there to 3-star status.

Among the many items that had dropped, there were also two Tier 3 Magic
Scrolls, four bottles of Exotic Potions, and three Forging Designs. The
rest were weapons and equipment. Among these items, the most valuable,
outside of the Promotion Order, were the two Epic items. One was a
scale-covered shield, engraved with divine runes, while the other was an
aqua robe.

-   Prev Chapter
-   Next Chapter

Chapter 882 - Uncrowned Sword King

The Guild’s MTs are quite lucky this time. Shi Feng smiled at the scaled
shield covered in divine runes.

A shield was an integral part of an MT’s equipment. A good shield could
elevate an MT’s strength significantly.

On the market, MTs’ shields were always the most expensive equipment.
They were worth at least double that of a weapon of the same rank and
Level.

[Dragonscale Shield] (Shield, Epic Rank)

Level 40 - Level 100

Equipment Requirement: Strength 600

Attributes adjust according to user’s level.

Defense +4,020 (Level 40)

Block Rate: 39%

Strength +84, Endurance +107

Magic Resistance +20

Defend Skill +2 Levels

When equipped:

Strength and Endurance increased by 10%.

All Skills +1 Level

Ignore Levels +10

Additional Skill-

Dragonscale Body: Forms an energy shield around the user’s body,
increasing Defense by 200%, HP by 300%, and recovery ability by 500% for
30 seconds.

Cooldown: 30 minutes

Additional Passive Skill 1-

Sturdy: Halves received impact and reduced damage received from the
front by 15%.

Additional Passive Skill 2-

Light Weight: Increases shield movement by 20%.

The Epic ranked Purification Robes also had high Attributes. However, it
was far less valuable than the Dragonscale Shield. As for the other
pieces of equipment he had obtained, they were either Level 50 Dark-Gold
Equipment or Fine-Gold Equipment. It was still too soon for current
players to equip them.

This should be White Night’s quest item. After Shi Feng tidied up the
dropped equipment, he discovered a glass bottle.

The bottle contained a black liquid; it was none other than the Mutated
Dragon’s original form.

Although the bottle did not have a label, its introduction stated that
it was a "Specimen of a Mutated Life." Other than that, there was no
information.

After considering the matter, Shi Feng handed the bottle to White Night.

"This is..." After White Night saw the glass bottle, surprise colored
his expression.

"Take it. Even if I keep it, I can’t use it." Shi Feng laughed.

The Mutant Specimen was useless to him. On the contrary, if he gave it
to White Night, he could earn a favor from the Ranger. If he came across
any trouble in the future, he could even ask for White Night’s help.

"Thank you. If you encounter any issues in the future, just say the
word. I’ll help out to the best of my abilities." White Night accepted
the glass bottle without hesitation. The item was simply too important.
Without it, he would fail his quest. If that happened, his account would
be crippled. He would have to spend a long time to regain his strength.
"Would it be convenient for you to reveal your name, sir? We can add
each other as friends so that we can contact each other easily in the
future."

Hearing White Night’s logic, the other Owl members’ jaws dropped.

Since he had joined God’s Domain, White Night had never added anyone as
a friend. Various bigshots from Super Guilds were no exception.

"Ah, right. I haven’t introduced myself." Shi Feng took off his Black
Cloak and revealed his Black Flame appearance. "My name is Black Flame."

After Shi Feng revealed himself, every witness fell silent.

They stared at Shi Feng’s face.

Shi Feng looked to be in his thirties. He had a firm face with faint
stars flashing in his eyes. His aura felt so profound that those around
him felt oddly drawn to him.

"You are Zero Wing’s Sword King, Black Flame?" Frozen Dream’s delicate
face revealed her disbelief.

God’s Domain’s players often discussed the God’s Domain Experts List.

Practically everyone was familiar with the great deeds of the list’s
various experts.

The name "Black Flame" was a particularly hot topic.

Black Flame’s rise had been intensely fast. The Secret Pavilion had even
given him the title "Sword King." How high had his evaluation been to
become the king among Swordsmen? When the Secret Pavilion had updated
their Experts List, many Swordsmen experts had complained about the
Pavilion’s decision. Even Owl’s many Swordsmen had been dissatisfied,
declaring that they would challenge Black Flame to teach him a lesson.

Now, however, it would seem that the title of "Sword King" had not been
an exaggeration. They even wondered if Black Flame’s rank on the God’s
Domain Experts List was a little too low...

The strength Black Flame had just displayed had far surpassed the Secret
Pavilion’s evaluation.

Even some of the Swordsmen, who had previously intended to challenge
Black Flame, were dumbfounded.

"Strong Slash, didn’t you say that you wanted to challenge Black Flame?
This is your chance!" A few of the Owl members teased their companion,
grinning at a youth in silver light armor.

In terms of strength, Strong Slash ranked 15th among their adventurer
team. Although his battle records weren’t necessarily stunning, he was
undefeated in their home city’s Underground Arena. He had already won 99
battles with a perfect winning streak. His defeated opponents even
included large Guilds’ well-known experts.

Back when Strong Slash had declared that he would challenge Black Flame
and defeat him, nobody had doubted the youth’s words.

After all, Strong Slash’s combat standards had reached the second stage
of the Realms of Refinement, the Flowing Water Realm. With his Skills
and equipment, it was not impossible to contend with a Void Realm
expert.

"I said ’in the future,’ not now!" Strong Slash rolled his eyes at his
laughing companions. If he challenged Black Flame, someone who had just
stood against the Mutated Dragon and won, it would not even be a fight.
It would be a miracle if he survived even one of the Sword King’s
attacks.

The players laughed when they heard Strong Slash’s response.

"My name is White Night, the leader of an adventurer team. Guild Leader
Black Flame, if you need help with anything in the future, just call
me." White Night had also begun to size up Shi Feng, shock filling his
heart.

Only now did he understand why Zero Wing had risen to power so quickly
and had grown strong enough to challenge God’s Domain’s major powers.
With such a powerful leader, what did Zero Wing need to fear?

Following which, White Night and Shi Feng added each other as friends.

"Since Team Leader White has said as much, I happen to have something
that I need your help with in one or two days." After giving it some
thought, Shi Feng continued, "Recently, our Guild has tried to raid a
certain area, and we urgently need experts. We need roughly 30 players."

Favors should not go to waste. It was wise to use them frequently to
increase a bond between two parties.

Moreover, he required the help of a group of experts to raid the Holy
City of Titan’s entrance trial. His strength alone was not enough to
pass the trial.

"Alright. When the time comes, just say the word. I’ll lead a team
over." White Night did not hesitate to agree. On the contrary, Shi Feng
could see anticipation in his eyes.

A place that even Black Flame had trouble raiding... It must be
immensely difficult. Moreover, he really wished to experience Black
Flame’s world.

After both sides agreed, White Night led his team, departing from the
valley. Shi Feng, on the other hand, approached the Silver Dragon that
had stood by the side all this time.

"Young hero, thank you for accomplishing my long-cherished dream." At
this moment, the Silver Dragon appeared extremely weak. Even speaking
seemed laborious.

"I only did what needed to be done," Shi Feng politely replied.

The Silver Dragon then took out a flashing, golden Magic Scroll and said
to Shi Feng, "This Magic Scroll will take you to the shrine where the
stone tablet sleeps. However, the shrine is very dangerous. With just
your current strength, you will not survive. It is best if you go there
only after you have achieved your Tier 2 class. At that time, you will
have somewhat higher chances of obtaining the stone tablet."

Saying so, the Silver Dragon handed Shi Feng the Magic Scroll. It then
flapped its wings and left the valley.

Before Shi Feng could examine the golden Magic Scroll, a system
announcement reached his ears.

System Announcement: System upgrading. Please prepare to log out. The
estimated duration is 40 hours.

System: You have ten minutes remaining to log out. Please prepare to log
out.

-   Prev Chapter
-   Next Chapter

Chapter 883 - New System

Shi Feng was momentarily stunned when he heard the system announcement.

Isn’t the fourth evolution happening a little too soon?! Shi Feng
frowned deeply.

This was not good news for God’s Domain’s players. Every evolution the
Main God System underwent increased the realism and difficulty of the
fights against monsters.

Moreover, this was the first time Shi Feng had seen a system upgrade
require 40 hours.

Generally, system upgrades only lasted from 12 to 24 hours. Even in the
past, none of the upgrades had needed more than 24 hours to complete.

However, Shi Feng did not have time to consider the situation. He only
had ten minutes left to log out of the game. He needed to find a safe
location quickly.

After the Mutated Dragon’s death, the Dark Sanctuary over the valley had
begun to dissipate.

Either due to the Silver Dragon’s absence or some other reason, many
monsters began to appear in the previously scarcely populated valley.
Moreover, these were not low-leveled monsters. The lowest among them was
Level 30, while some were even Level 45. Among them, there was no lack
of Elite monsters. To current players, monsters of this Level were still
dangerous opponents.

Finally, after finding a stream without nearby monsters, Shi Feng logged
off.

...

The morning sun shone brightly. Suddenly, the virtual gaming cabin in
the room opened, and Shi Feng climbed out.

Compared to when Shi Feng had first entered God’s Domain in this life,
he was much stronger and more muscular. He had also grown slightly
taller. In addition, his aura had changed tremendously. He gave off a
calm and comfortable aura, which attracted others.

"Since this system upgrade will be so long, God’s Domain must be chaotic
right now." Shi Feng smiled. He then instructed the AI housekeeper turn
on the television.

Just as Shi Feng had predicted...

Many television programs were already covering God’s Domain’s system
upgrade.

After a period of development, God’s Domain’s influence on the real
world had gradually expanded. In addition, the mass-production of God’s
Domain’s virtual reality helmets had begun, which resulted in the
helmet’s continuous price drop. Now, more and more people could enjoy
God’s Domain. Gradually, God’s Domain had become a big part of most
people’s lives.

Moreover, the game’s advertising had grown, with the game’s biggest
selling point being the various lifestyles and entertainment it offered,
in addition to its ability to extend one’s lifespan.

Although technology constantly improved, there was still a limit to how
much it could extend a human life.

Meanwhile, God’s Domain could indirectly extend the human lifespan,
allowing everyone to enjoy nearly double their natural life expectancy.
This alone attracted many people. Furthermore, the game played a
medicinal role.

The current technology in the field of medicine had reached a very high
level, and most diseases could be cured. Unfortunately, even now,
disabilities remained unconquered. However, upon entering God’s Domain,
blindness, deafness, or amputation did not matter; these people could
live an ordinary life.

As Shi Feng understood it, after widespread promotion, many ill people
had joined God’s Domain. Many of them even refused to leave the game
world.

"The following report regards God’s Domain’s latest change. The game’s
official developers have expressed their sincerest apologies regarding
players’ dissatisfaction with the latest system upgrade. They have also
explained why this upgrade requires so much time. There are two main
reasons for this.

"The first reason is that the Main God System has collected sufficient
data and can undergo another system upgrade.

"The inclusion of the Mind Space system is the second reason. This
system will attract even more people to this virtual reality game in the
future, turning it into a true second world!"

When the reporter mentioned this, Shi Feng was taken aback. He couldn’t
believe what he had just heard.

Didn’t this new system only launch two years after God’s Domain’s
release? Shi Feng glared at the holographic screen’s message.

The Mind Space System was also known as the Realm of God.

In the past, during God’s Domain’s first year, the game had been very
popular. However, its influence on the real world had been limited. The
most the game had achieved was the expansion of the virtual gaming
industry’s influence on the real world, growing from a niche industry to
a household concept.

However, the Realm of God’s appearance had pushed God’s Domain to its
peak as an industry.

Due to the Realm of God, any God’s Domain player could create their own
virtual space. If players did not want to play the game, they could
enter their virtual spaces for some rest and entertainment. While in a
private space, they could adjust the environment to their liking.
However, the more realistic the environment and the larger the space
was, the more resources one needed to pay. One could even go as far as
adjusting the flow of time inside their personal space.

As far as Shi Feng knew, one could adjust the flow up to ten times that
of natural time.

In other words, ten days in one’s personal space was the equivalent of a
single day in the real world. Hence, theoretically, it was possible to
extend one’s lifespan by up to ten times. Meanwhile, while in one’s
personal space, a player’s body would remain at its peak health. Age
would not limit their enjoyment.

Due to this reason, God’s Domain had become irreplaceable in the real
world. Countless people had gone crazy over this new system. To enjoy
longer lifespans, some wealthy tycoons had even paid an exorbitant price
to construct their own space. God’s Domain had truly raked in the money
once it released the Realm of God.

In Shi Feng’s previous life, he, too, had set up his own space and often
invited his friends for get-togethers.

However, Shi Feng’s space had been quite average. He had only increased
the time flow by four, and the space had only been roughly as large as a
football field. Even so, he had earned the envy of many ordinary
experts.

Constructing a personal space was not as simple as establishing a Guild
Residence, where one only needed to purchase a plot of Land and invest
some Coins. To construct a personal virtual space, one needed memory!

Players could not simply construct a personal space because they desired
it.

Sustaining a personal space placed a heavy burden on the system. The
more luxurious and spacious the space was, the more memory its support
required.

In God’s Domain, memory had a different, well-known name.

Mana!

Constructing a personal space required Mana. However, it required more
than just a little. Players could not use the low-quality Mana from
Magic Crystals. Rather, one needed Seven Luminaries Crystals!

However, Seven Luminaries Crystals were insanely rare in God’s Domain.
This was clear just by looking at Star-Moon Kingdom. Throughout
Star-Moon Kingdom, one could only find Seven Luminaries Crystal in the
capital.

Furthermore, Seven Luminaries Crystals were astonishingly expensive. An
ordinary expert could only look on, powerless, with their measly
finances. If an ordinary player got their hands on a few, selling them,
they could live the rest of their lives without any concern for money.

This was why Shi Feng had been so excited when he had reached the
Forgotten Lands and encountered the Seven Luminaries Mountain in the
God’s Grave. Unfortunately, his strength had been limited. He hadn’t
been able to leave that area with a single, small chunk.

...

After the news report regarding God’s Domain ended, Shi Feng ate a
casual meal. He intended to check on the newcomers Lei Bao had been
training during this time.

Zero Wing could not compare to Super Guilds, where the latter had a
perfect expert nurturing system and no shortage of talents.

Fortunately, Zero Wing now had the Big Dipper Training Center to support
it, providing an excellent training environment.

Shi Feng had a few of Zero Wing’s newcomers sign a series of agreements
and directed them here to undergo special training. They were the
experts that Zero Wing nurtured internally. Unfortunately, Zero Wing’s
funds were limited. It could not afford to train enough newcomers. To a
large Guild like Zero Wing, these few were like a drop in the bucket.

Shi Feng’s female assistant, Liang Jing, suddenly called him and
reported, "Master Shi Feng, a gentleman named Yuan Tiexin has arrived,
looking for you. He claims to be an acquaintance of yours. Do you wish
to meet him?"

He sure moves quickly. Shi Feng smiled faintly. "Have him wait for me in
the main hall’s reception room. I’ll head over right away."

-   Prev Chapter
-   Next Chapter

Chapter 884 - Empress Purple Jade

The Mind Space System’s sudden launch in God’s Domain had massively
impacted the real world.

Shi Feng could clearly remember that, when this system had launched in
his previous life, the world had gone crazy over it.

Before the new system had been revealed, very few major corporations and
financial groups had been willing to invest into God’s Domain. Most only
wanted to observe. Take the Big Dipper Training Center for example.
Although the corporation’s higher-ups had known about God’s Domain, none
of them had paid particular attention to the game. Instead, they had
focused on developing the training center itself. The other corporations
within the city shared similar thoughts. After all, without any clear
signs of profit, who would recklessly invest in the game?

However, when the new system had been implemented, these individuals
could no longer resist. Every one of these corporations had invested
into God’s Domain, hoping to get a share of the pie.

Due to these people, the cost of Coins had undergone massive inflation.
Shi Feng had even earned a small fortune by taking advantage of the
price increases.

Considering the situation, Shi Feng immediately called Melancholic Smile
and Aqua Rose, instructing them to start purchasing large sums of Coins
as soon as they could log back into God’s Domain. The more Coins they
amassed now, the more profit they could earn in the future.

---

Inside Big Dipper Training Center’s reception room, a middle-aged man
lounged on a sofa made of soft, white tiger leather. On either side of
him stood a man and a woman. Both this man and woman only looked to be
around 18 or 19 years old. However, they both carried a martial artist’s
aura.

"Uncle Yuan, this Shi Feng fellow is too arrogant. He has made us wait
for so long. Even Big Dipper’s Director wouldn’t dare to neglect us like
this," the young man wearing blue, martial arts robes said impatiently,
frowning deeply.

Although the Secret Pavilion was different from Super Guilds, it still
had significant influence in the real world. Moreover, the Pavilion had
recently agreed to collaborate with a few international corporations,
elevating its status. Every single corporation within this city would be
more than eager to gain the Pavilion’s favor.

Yet, even after venturing this far for a personal visit, not only had
Shi Feng not welcomed them himself, but even after over ten minutes, Shi
Feng was nowhere to be seen. He wasn’t taking them seriously.

"We’re not in a rush. In any case, he hasn’t refused to meet us," Yuan
Tiexin said, chuckling. "Moreover, we are the ones who want to
collaborate with Zero Wing. A small wait doesn’t matter. You are still
too brash. This is why the Guild Leader told you to temper yourself. You
should learn from Wen Hua."

At Yuan Tiexin’s words, the male youth turned to the beautiful woman
standing on the other side of Yuan Tiexin, falling silent.

He wasn’t qualified to respond.

There were three great geniuses among the experts the Secret Pavilion
nurtured internally. The most popular among the three was Cold Autumn as
he had broken through the Half-step Refinement Realm at such a young age
and had officially entered the Refinement Realm. Wen Hua, who had joined
a little before Cold Autumn, followed closely behind.

Even the Secret Pavilion’s old monsters repeated praised Wen Hua’s
combat talents. They all concluded that her chances of reaching the
Domain Ream were quite high.

People like them constantly pursued the Domain Realm. However, entering
the Refinement Realm was already extremely difficult, not to mention
reaching the Domain Realm. Those who did so were incredibly rare, even
in Super Guilds.

The fact that these old monsters’ evaluation had been so high spoke
volumes about their high opinions of Wen Hua.

If the young man attempted to compare himself to Wen Hua, the difference
between them was like the difference between heaven and earth. He simply
could not hold a candle to her.

As Yuan Tiexin finished speaking, Shi Feng walked into the reception
room with Liang Jing.

"I apologize that I’ve made you wait," Shi Feng said as he sat across
from Yuan Tiexin. When he glanced at the man and woman beside Yuan
Tiexin, he was momentarily surprised, though he did not reveal it.

Shi Feng recognized the great beauty beside Yuan Tiexin.

Empress Purple Jade!

Although her appearance was slightly different from her game avatar, the
difference was minor. However, she still looked very young and immature.
The arrogant aura that she had possessed in the past was also absent.

Shi Feng was familiar with Purple Jade because he had learned Void Steps
from her. He had lost count just how many times he had watched her
battle videos. Even if her physical appearance was slightly different,
he still recognized her with a glance.

Why is she here? Shi Feng wondered.

As Shi Feng understood it, Purple Jade was one of the Secret Pavilion’s
Three Great Geniuses. The Pavilion’s upper echelons had favored her, and
her status within the Pavilion had been on par with the Guild Elders. To
put it bluntly, her position was not any lower than Yuan Tiexin’s. Why
did the Secret Pavilion allow such a gem to come here? Moreover, she
stood by the side as if she were a bodyguard.

Although Shi Feng had hidden his observation, it had not escaped the
notice of an old fox like Yuan Tiexin. Noticing Shi Feng’s reaction to
Wen Hua, Yuan Tiexin’s mouth hooked up into a smile.

Their Guild Leader had sent Wen Hua for the sole purpose of shocking
Zero Wing.

Recently, Zero Wing had gained too much momentum. Not only was the Guild
rapidly developing, but the Guild’s performance in the Dark Arena had
also been stunning. Zero Wing did not appear to fear any Guild. If the
Secret Pavilion wished to collaborate with Zero Wing, they had to slow
Zero Wing’s progress, teaching the upstart Guild that entities such as
themselves were not as simple as they appeared. By doing so, they would
have an easier time negotiating.

However, Shi Feng’s perception had surprised Yuan Tiexin somewhat. He
had not expected the youth to notice Wen Hua’s strength so quickly.

"May I know what business you wish to discuss with me?" Shi Feng asked
after recovering from his surprise.

"Didn’t I tell you that the Secret Pavilion views Zero Wing favorably?
To put it simply, I’ve come here seeking cooperation. Hence, I’d like to
ask you to introduce us to Guild Leader Black Flame, or one of the
Guild’s upper echelons who has the authority to approve such decisions,"
Yuan Tiexin slowly explained.

"Seeking cooperation?" Shi Feng continued, asking, "Excellent. What kind
of cooperation does the Secret Pavilion have in mind?"

"We are interested in cooperating with Zero Wing in secret. Can you make
a decision like this? If not, don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t
belong," the male youth snapped.

Yuan Tiexin made no attempt to rebuke the youth’s words, only watching
the situation play out. It was no doubt that he, agreed with the youth’s
words, thinking that Shi Feng was just a busybody. Although Yuan Tiexin
felt that Shi Feng had great potential, qualifying to preside over the
affairs of Zero Wing’s Workshop at such a young age, in the end, he was
only a part of Zero Wing’s middle management. He did not qualify to join
discussions of cooperation between Guilds.

Fortunately, Shi Feng did not allow the young man’s tone to rile him.
After all, to outsiders, he only appeared to be a member of the Guild’s
management team.

"I understand your concerns. However, I do possess the authority to make
a decision on any matter of cooperation you wish to discuss. If you
don’t believe me, you can contact our Guild Leader in God’s Domain." Shi
Feng shook his head and laughed.

Yuan Tiexin was slightly stunned by Shi Feng’s response. For a time, he
was at a loss for words.

Either Zero Wing was daring enough to use a new talent, or the Guild had
no one else for the job...

Just how much faith must one possess to allow someone so new to God’s
Domain to make such important Guild decisions?

The fact that Zero Wing had developed into its current state showed that
the Guild possessed a powerful background. Anyone that claimed otherwise
was either lying or a blind fool. Generally, the various upper echelons
of such a powerful organization would be, at least, in their thirties.
Any exception was either a frightening talent or someone with a very
powerful background. However, Yuan Tiexin had investigated Shi Feng
thoroughly, and no matter how he looked at the results, Shi Feng was
neither.

"May I know your game ID?" Yuan Tiexin asked softly.

-   Prev Chapter
-   Next Chapter

Chapter 885 - Guild Secret

When Yuan Tiexin had met Shi Feng for the first time, he had
investigated the youth thoroughly.

The results had surprised the old man.

Shi Feng was just an ordinary person. Even when he joined God’s Domain,
he had used a trial helmet.

Yet, somehow, after entering God’s Domain, Shi Feng had risen to become
one of Zero Wing Workshop’s managers.

Although Yuan Tiexin admitted that Shi Feng possessed some skill and
fighting strength, he was too young.

Hence, Shi Feng’s claim had surprised him.

He is a core member of Zero Wing, huh? Wen Hua, who had remained cold
and indifferent, shifted her gaze towards Shi Feng. She had never
imagined that the currently flourishing Zero Wing would allow someone
who was only a few years older than her to join the Guild’s top
management.

Initially, she had not wanted to take part in the negotiations. However,
upon hearing that she might meet Zero Wing’s Guild Leader, Black Flame,
she had agreed. She wanted to see just what the legendary Sword King
Black Flame looked like. If possible, she might even find an opportunity
to spar with the man. Now, however, she was disappointed.

"My game ID?" Shi Feng laughed. He then said, "I am Ye Feng in God’s
Domain."

"You’re Ye Feng?" Yuan Tiexin’s expression immediately grew hard. He
simply could not believe this. Hurriedly, he asked, "Are you really Zero
Wing’s Ye Feng? The Ye Feng that led the Asura Battle Team?"

"Impossible! You’re so young! How could you possibly be Ye Feng?!"

Yuan Tiexin wasn’t the only one surprised. The male youth and Wen Hua’s
eyes both went wide with shock as they stared at the ordinary-looking
man before them.

The name "Ye Feng" might not mean much to ordinary experts. They might
not even know this name at all.

However, among God’s Domain’s major powers, almost everyone knew the
name. This was particularly true for the Secret Pavilion, which was
known for its information network. The Secret Pavilion had even created
an exclusive database that collected information on Ye Feng.

Based on what they knew so far, although Ye Feng looked young, no one
believed it.

No youth in his early twenties could reach the Void Realm. He should be
at least 24 or 25.

Even so, he was considered an extremely talented individual.

God’s Domain’s various major powers also suspected that Ye Feng had been
secretly nurtured by whatever major power stood behind Zero Wing.
Otherwise, he never would have defeated the Battle Wolves’ Wolf King
Sirius. Meanwhile, even now, Ye Feng’s identity was shrouded in mystery.

They would never have dreamed that...

The Shi Feng before them was actually the Ye Feng who had caused such a
commotion among God’s Domain’s major powers.

"I’m young?" Shi Feng scratched his head awkwardly as he glanced towards
Wen Hua. Wen Hua was only 19 years old, while he approached 22 years
old. Yet, she had called him "young."

"I didn’t mean it that way. I just don’t believe that you are Ye Feng,"
Wen Hua replied seriously, shaking her head.

She was most proud of her age and strength. Within her age group, no one
could stand, shoulder-to-shoulder, with her. She did not even take the
Pavilion’s number one genius seriously.

However, if Shi Feng had truly defeated Sirius at such a young age, his
talent was truly terrifying.

Even she could not afford to take him lightly.

Hearing Wen Hua’s honesty, Shi Feng was momentarily at a loss for words.

It had never crossed his mind that they would refuse to believe him even
when he revealed the truth. If he told them that he was also Black
Flame, they would, most likely, deem him a con artist...

"I’m truly sorry for Wen Hua’s rude behavior," Yuan Tiexin apologized as
he tugged Wen Hua’s sleeve and sent the girl a glance. He then returned
his gaze to Shi Feng, smiling as he said, "I have come here representing
our Guild Leader, and we would like to keep the subjects of our talks
absolutely secret; hence, Wen Hua has spoken out of hand. Since we’ve
confirmed that there are no issues, let’s discuss business."

Although Wen Hua had fallen quiet, her interest in Shi Feng grew. A
passion fighting spirit filled her eyes when they landed on Shi Feng. He
felt as if she would challenge him to a duel at any moment.

If Wen Hua’s past admirers could see this, they’d probably tear Shi Feng
apart.

Understanding Yuan Tiexin’s intentions, Shi Feng looked towards Liang
Jing and said, "Liang Jing, head down for now."

Liang Jing sighed helplessly as she left the room. Truth be told, she
was very curious about who Yuan Tiexin and his companions were.

Rather than fear or awe over Shi Feng’s identity as a martial arts
master, the two youths had been shocked by his game ID.

After watching Liang Jing leave the room, Yuan Tiexin adopted a serious
tone as he said, "You are aware that the various Super Guilds and
super-first rate Guilds in God’s Domain have their own expert training
programs, correct?"

"Mhm, I know a little about it. After selecting a few talented youths,
these Guilds have them sign an agreement and put them through a training
regimen, helping them become peerless experts." Shi Feng nodded.

These powerful Guilds’ internal nurturing programs were no secret.
However, the majority of virtual gaming Guilds could not establish their
own programs.

"You are correct. But, that is only on the surface. Regarding cost, many
first-rate Guilds could easily do the same," Yuan Tiexin said, smiling.

"You’re saying that it is not a matter of funding?" Shi Feng was
slightly surprised.

As he understood it, one needed a specialized training venue and expert
instructors to nurture expert players. In addition, one needed a large
supply of advanced Nutrient Fluids. All of these aspects required money.
Without sufficient capital, it was simply impossible to nurture a large
number of experts.

"That’s right; it’s not an issue of capital. A simulated training system
is far more important. This is a system that the various Super Guilds
and super-first-rate Guilds have developed on their own. They have
collected information on countless experts with this system, and with
it, can allow their newcomers to spar with the simulations at any time.

"Think about it. Which has not had to experience countless
life-threatening battles to reach their current status: a real martial
artist or a virtual gaming expert?

"The main reason behind the Secret Pavilion’s transcendental status in
the virtual gaming world is our dabbling in the sales of information on
various gaming experts, a practice that other Guilds rarely implement.
With this information, one can realistically reproduce these experts in
their simulation training system.

"You understand now, right?

"No matter how much capital those first-rate Guilds manage to obtain, as
long as they do not possess the simulation training system, they can’t
progress, and they will never become true powerhouses in the virtual
gaming world.

"I believe that you are aware that there are multiple first-rate Guilds
in the virtual gaming world that are even stronger than a few
super-first-rate Guilds, yet they have failed to be recognized as
super-first-rate Guilds themselves. The reason for this is their lack of
a simulation training system."

Yuan Tiexin’s explanation had shocked Shi Feng once more. At the same
time, Shi Feng now had answers to many of the issues he had faced
before.

"Meanwhile, there is a defining difference between a Super Guild and a
super-first-rate Guild."

-   Prev Chapter
-   Next Chapter

Chapter 886 - Guild Legacy

"Uncle Yuan, this is our Guild’s biggest secret. If you just reveal it
... there will be consequences, right?" Wen Hua warned, shocked by Yuan
Tiexin’s decision.

To ordinary Guilds and independent players, the simulation training
system was a major secret.

However, first-rate Guilds who wished to further themselves already knew
this.

As for the difference between super-first-rate Guilds and Super Guilds,
only Super Guilds and several transcendental powers knew the truth. Even
super-first-rate Guilds had no clue as these Guilds assumed that the
difference lay in overall strength accumulated over the years.

"Don’t worry about it. In any case, it impacts our cooperation." Yuan
Tiexin waved his hand, signaling that there was nothing wrong with
revealing the truth.

Shi Feng was at a loss for words.

This was the first he had ever heard of such things.

He had never thought that there was actually such a defining difference
between first-rate Guilds and super-first-rate Guilds. Moreover, there
was an unknown difference between super-first-rate Guilds and Super
Guilds. It would seem that these colossal organizations had not remained
standing over so many years for no reason.

All this time, Shi Feng had assumed that the difference between Guilds
only lie in their member and expert count. Now, however, it would seem
that there was more to the story.

"The main reason why super-first-rate Guilds fail to gain recognition as
Super Guilds is insufficient Guild Legacy[1] completion rate," Yuan
Tiexin said, a hint of envy flashing in his eyes as he mentioned "Guild
Legacy completion rate."

"Guild Legacy?" Shi Feng drew a blank. This was the first time he had
heard this term.

"It’s expected that you do not know of it." Yuan Tiexin then explained
slowly, saying, "I previously mentioned the simulation training system.
However, there are also differences between each Guilds’ simulation
training system. Although the information super-first-rate Guilds’
training systems collect is nearly the same that Super Guilds collect,
Super Guilds’ training systems possess complete legacies that can help
players reach the Domain Realm. Super-first-rate Guilds’ legacies, on
the other hand, are incomplete and can only help one reach the Void
Realm. This makes it extremely difficult for the top-tier experts in
super-first-rate Guilds to cross that final threshold."

"That is why there are so few experts capable of reaching the Domain
Realm in super-first-rate Guilds." Shi Feng suddenly came to a
realization.

The gap between a Void Realm expert and a Domain Realm expert was
massive.

Moreover, as players’ Levels increased, combat techniques became
extremely important. It was especially true if one wanted to obtain
top-tier equipment. The Main God System would provide all sorts of
trials, and these trials tested a player’s strength.

"That’s right. This is the biggest difference between super-first-rate
Guilds and Super Guilds." Yuan Tiexin nodded. He then added softly,
"After many years of gathering information and working to improve
ourselves, the Secret Pavilion has finally completed our Guild Legacy.
As an upstart Guild, Zero Wing’s background is too shallow. It lacks the
resources to nurture experts efficiently. Zero Wing doesn’t have a
chance of competing with super-first-rate Guilds, much less Super
Guilds.

"Moreover, even if Zero Wing successfully established its own simulation
training system, its operation is very costly. It requires the latest
High-level Energy. I believe that you understand just how difficult it
is to collect High-level Energy. Like the S-rank Nutrient Fluid, one
cannot purchase it with money alone.

"The Secret Pavilion is trying to expand and requires a large number of
talented players. We believe that Zero Wing has great potential, and we
have decided to invest in Zero Wing. In exchange for 50% of Zero Wing’s
shares, not only will we supply significant funding, but we will also
offer various support using the Secret Pavilion’s connections. This will
allow Zero Wing to rise instantly and significantly. Furthermore, we
will provide twenty slots for our training system. Your Guild wouldn’t
need to create its own system," Yuan Tiexin explained temptingly. "You
might not think that twenty slots are a lot, but the Secret Pavilion has
also invested in other large Guilds. Even for first-rate Guilds, we only
provide ten."

The male youth beside Yuan Tiexin was shocked when he heard the offer
include twenty slots.

His performance in the Secret Pavilion was already quite impressive.
Even so, he had barely earned a slot for himself.

Currently, the Secret Pavilion only had 300 or so slots for its
simulation training system. It did not have enough resources to sustain
any more than that, yet, they were actually offering 20 slots to Zero
Wing. This proved that the Pavilion’s upper echelons were highly
optimistic about Zero Wing’s potential.

The Secret Pavilion is really going all-out. It’s actually willing to
offer so many generous benefits. Although Shi Feng did not fully
understand the significance of these twenty slots, seeing Wen Hua’s and
the male youth’s reactions, it was obvious that these slots were
extremely valuable. However, he had his own plans. "I apologize, but
Zero Wing rejects your offer."

"Rejects? Why?" Yuan Tiexin unconsciously rose from his seat. "Even
first-rate Guilds hunger for an offer like this. Moreover, the Secret
Pavilion is only asking for 50% of Zero Wing’s shares. We will not
involve ourselves in Zero Wing’s management or development. As long as
Zero Wing obtains these twenty slots, with the potential the experts in
your Guild, it should not be long before they reach the Refinement
Realm. At that time, you will have the foundation to expand to other
countries. Zero Wing might even become a super-first-rate Guild in the
future."

"Fifty percent of Zero Wing’s shares is simply too high," Shi Feng
responded as he shook his head. "However, I am very interested in your
simulation training system. I would like to buy a few slots. Is that
possible?"

The Secret Pavilion’s price was indeed tempting. However, Shi Feng was
very familiar with just how frightening major powers like the Secret
Pavilion could be. With even 30%, the Secret Pavilion could take control
of Zero Wing in the future.

The only way Shi Feng could accept this offer was if the Secret Pavilion
offered a portion of its own shares in exchange. However, this was
clearly not possible. Hence, Shi Feng did not bother asking.

"You want to buy a few slots?" Yuan Tiexin shook his head, laughing.
"Kid, you’re taking the training slots too lightly. Do you know how
intense the competition for the training slots is within the Secret
Pavilion? We don’t even have enough slots to satiate our own members,
much less sell them to other Guilds. How can we possibly sell any slots
to Zero Wing?"

"What if I offer a high price?" Shi Feng laughed.

"A high price? Are you talking about Epic items?" Yuan Tiexin’s smile
grew even brighter when he heard Shi Feng’s comment. "Shi Feng, you know
that, at the end of the day, weapons and equipment are external
components. Even if Epic items are quite rare, they are not nearly as
important as training slots to the Secret Pavilion."

"What if I offer a large stock of Strengthening Devices and Bronze
Mounts?" Confidently, Shi Feng said, "I believe that you have already
heard about the Mind Space System on the news. I suspect that you know
the value of this system. This system is one of the driving forces
behind major corporations investment into God’s Domain.

"If the Secret Pavilion obtains a large stock of Strengthening Devices
and Bronze Mounts, it will surely gain an advantage over the various
Super Guilds."

-   Prev Chapter
-   Next Chapter

Chapter 887 - Black Card

"Are you serious?" Yuan Tiexin was visibly moved.

The Strengthening Device had only appeared on the market recently, and
there were still very few available. Not only could it extend a player’s
time in combat, but it could also help players save meaningless travel
time and some repair fees.

Various large Guilds were also hungering after Bronze Mounts.

Unfortunately, obtaining a Bronze Mount was immensely difficult; even
the Secret Pavilion only had a few thus far. By the time the Guild
members reached Level 40, most of the Guild’s experts would only have
Common Mounts. One should not underestimate the difference between a
Bronze and a Common Mount. Although a Bronze Mount was only slightly
faster than a Common Mount, the former could assist players in battle.
It could significantly impact a player’s combat capabilities in the
field.

As for Guild Mounts...

Various Super Guilds already had a massive headache over obtaining the
Stable Design, much less taming a Mount.

Meanwhile, Zero Wing’s Guild Mount was one of the major reasons for the
Secret Pavilion’s optimistic view of the Guild.

Zero Wing’s advantage would surface as God’s Domain’s players reached
Level 40. With the Secret Pavilion’s resources, Zero Wing could quickly
expand into the several surrounding countries and stand to rival
super-first-rate Guilds. Without its potential, the Secret Pavilion
would not have approached an upstart Guild with no background with such
a generous offer.

"Of course. I’m just not sure if the Secret Pavilion is interested," Shi
Feng said, laughing.

"It seems I have underestimated Zero Wing once again. I had not imagined
you had such a card." Yuan Tiexin scratched his head awkwardly. If Shi
Feng had offered anything else, the Secret Pavilion would’ve undoubtedly
rejected the offer. There would be no rooms for negotiation whatsoever.
However, the Pavilion was interested in the Strengthening Devices and
Bronze Mounts. "I’ll need to consult with our Guild Leader."

"Sure." Shi Feng understood that Yuan Tiexin did not yet qualify to make
such important decisions.

Yuan Tiexin the left the reception room alone, returning after fifteen
minutes or so. His gaze, which had been hesitant, was now firm.

"I’ve contacted our Guild Leader about this. We will provide five
training slots. However, you need to give us 100 Bronze Mounts and
10,000 Strengthening Devices in return. There is no room for
negotiations on this," Yuan Tiexin said in determination.

"You guys sure are asking for a lot. It’s not a guarantee that we will
be able to nurture five Domain Realm experts." Shi Feng frowned
slightly. Although the simulation training system was valuable, it was
not that valuable.

Based on the current market price, a Bronze Mount was worth roughly 300
Gold. However, while there was a demand for Bronze Mounts, their supply
was practically nonexistent. Nobody would truly sell a Bronze Mount.
Even if one offered 500 Gold, one might not find a seller. After all,
they were simply too rare, even rivaling Epic items.

Yet, the Secret Pavilion wanted 100 Bronze Mounts. Even with a
conservative calculation, the total value would be at least 50,000 Gold!

As for the Strengthening Devices, based on current market value, 10,000
devices was worth roughly 100,000 Gold. All in all, the Secret Pavilion
was asking for 150,000 Gold!

Even to first-rate Guilds, 150,000 Gold was astronomical. Even if the
Secret Pavilion were a transcendental power, this sum was massive. It
would take the Pavilion several days to gather so much money.

Moreover, even if one had 150,000 Gold, purchasing so many Mounts and
Strengthening Devices was impossible, yet the Secret Pavilion had asked
for exactly that in exchange for only five training slots.

They were essentially asking Zero Wing to foot the bill for their
members’ training.

"There are only so many training slots available each year. The few we
have aren’t even enough for our own use. Even I am surprised that our
Guild Leader has agreed to sell any." Yuan Tiexin spread his hands in a
helpless gesture, showing that this was not his will, either.

"It’s not that Zero Wing doesn’t have these resources; I just want ten
slots. Uncle Yuan, you understand that, now that the Mind Space System
has launched, this is the best opportunity to gather as many advantages
as possible. If you don’t take the opportunity to do so now, it will be
far more difficult in the future." Yuan Tiexin’s response had not
angered Shi Feng. Chuckling, he continued, "Moreover, these ten slots
don’t really matter to the Secret Pavilion. Even with the ten slots, you
aren’t guaranteed to nurture more Refinement Realm experts. It is even
more unlikely that you will successfully nurture a monster with a
Domain. On the other hand, by losing these ten slots, the Secret
Pavilion will have a headstart over the other major powers. It will also
be easier in the future to attract major corporations’ investments.
Isn’t that so?"

When she heard Shi Feng’s logic, Wen Hua shot him a contemptuous look.

The man was speaking as if the training slots were worth nothing at all
when, in fact, countless first-rate Guilds yearned for an opportunity
like this. How could anyone compare them to cabbages that one could buy
on the street? Limited High-level Energy sold annually. The money the
Secret Pavilion spent to obtain what they needed each year was
astronomical.

However, Shi Feng paid no mind to Wen Hua’s gaze.

He understood how much influence the Mind Space System had on the
world’s major corporations. As long as the Secret Pavilion obtained a
high-ranking personal space, it would not have to worry about attracting
investors. If the chance to gain a headstart presented itself, God’s
Domain’s major powers would fight over it like wolves.

Yuan Tiexin was shocked when he heard Shi Feng’s words. He had never
dreamed that Zero Wing had hidden its strength so deeply. Despite the
Secret Pavilion having exhausted all of its resources to collect Bronze
Mounts, they currently had less than 30. Yet, Zero Wing could offer 100
without hesitation, not to mention the highly sought-after Strengthening
Devices.

"This is..." Originally, Yuan Tiexin had intended to refuse, attempting
to force Shi Feng into lowering his price. However, as he watched Shi
Feng get up from his seat and prepare to send them off, he quickly
changed his words and continued, "I’ll need to discuss this further with
my Guild Leader."

Yuan Tiexin had to admit that Shi Feng had caught on to the Secret
Pavilion’s Achilles’ heel.

Yuan Tiexin finally understood why Zero Wing had left its Workshop’s
management to a youth like Shi Feng. The boy was as cunning as an old
fox.

With no better choice, Yuan Tiexin left the room to contact his Guild
Leader once more.

After a lengthy period, Yuan Tiexin reentered the room. Sighing, he
looked at Shi Feng and said, "Our Guild Leader has agreed to your
demands. However, there is a condition. You need to give us the items
within five days."

"Impossible. Bronze Mounts and Strengthening Devices aren’t cabbage. I
can only guarantee ten Bronze Mounts and 2,000 Strengthening Devices
within the first five days. You will receive the remaining items within
twelve days." Shi Feng shook his head.

Currently, he did not even have one Bronze Mount. Manufacturing the
Bronze Mounts required time. It was simply impossible to produce all 100
Mounts in five days.

However, after completing Titan City’s entrance trial, in addition to
the Meditation Rooms and Special Workshops, it should be possible to
achieve that number within twelve days.

"You..." Yuan Tiexin felt cheated by Shi Feng. However, regret was
pointless now. The Bronze Mounts and Strengthening Devices were simply
too important. "Fine, then. Let’s establish a contract now."

After both parties signed the contract, Yuan Tiexin placed ten of the
twenty black cards he had prepared beforehand on the table.

"These ten login cards are proof of identification needed to login to
the simulation training system. They are effective for one year. Take
care of them. If you lose them, we cannot replace them. You can access
the Secret Pavilion’s latest training space through the virtual gaming
cabin," Yuan Tiexin reminded. "However, take note of one thing. It is
best to prepare a few bottles of S-rank Nutrient Fluids. The burden the
various high-level battles in the training space have on the human body
is no laughing matter."

After saying so, Yuan Tiexin’s party left the reception room, leaving
only Shi Feng and the ten black cards in the room.

As Shi Feng stared at the black cards on the table, excitement welled up
within him. After suppressing his emotions as much as he could, he
called out for Liang Jing, who stood just outside the room, saying
"Liang Jing, call Fire Dance and the others here."

-   Prev Chapter
-   Next Chapter

Chapter 888 - Simulation Training System

Outside the Greenwater Villa, a long, black hovercar was quietly parked
at the entrance.

"Isn’t this a limited-edition Pioneer?"

"It is so cool! I’ve heard that there are only 1,000 of these luxury
sedans around the world. I never thought we would see one in our
third-tier city."

"This is amazing. The Pioneer’s fuel alone is extraordinary. It can’t
use any kind of normal fuel."

Passersby began to gawk and chat as they noticed the car in front of the
villa.

As they wondered what kind of powerful individual had arrived, Yuan
Tiexin’s group emerged from the automated door. Suddenly, a robust man,
standing over two meters tall, rose out from the Pioneer; he was so
naturally intimidating that everyone trembled involuntarily when they
saw him. The robust man wore a black suit with a silver shield logo
embroidered on his left lapel. The silver shield bore three stars.

Everyone at the training center understood the fighting world. They
immediately knew that the man before them was a fighting expert.

"A silver shield logo? Isn’t that a bodyguard from the Guardian Group?"

"Guardian Group? That’s an international, first-rate security agency,
isn’t it?"

"He seems to be a 3-star bodyguard. Even people from the city’s top
corporations can’t hire one of them. Who are those people?"

As the passersby watched in shock, the bodyguard respectfully opened the
Pioneer’s door for Yuan Tiexin and his young companions. After Yuan
Tiexin’s group took their seats, the bodyguard returned to the front
passenger seat.

Following which, the roar of the Pioneer’s engine echoed throughout the
area, stunning everyone present.

Who are they? Why would such important individuals seek out Shi Feng?
Liang Jing was confused and surprised as she watched Yuan Tiexin and his
people depart. I’ll have to let Director Xiao know about this.

Not just anyone could hire the Guardian Group’s bodyguards. Even the Big
Dipper Corporation did not qualify to hire a 2-star bodyguard, only
allowed to employ a 1-star bodyguard. Only major international
corporations could afford 3-star bodyguards.

---

"Uncle Yuan, why did Guild Leader agree to give away ten slots?" Wen Hua
asked. "The price the Star Alliance offered us was only worth ten slots.
On the other hand, we gave Zero Wing the same without obtaining a sliver
of its shares..."

"This is the Guild Leader’s will. As for the Guild Leader’s thoughts,
even I don’t know. However, the items Shi Feng offered are extremely
important to the Secret Pavilion." Yuan Tiexin then shook his head and
continued, "Fortunately, we didn’t lose too much If we help nurture Zero
Wing’s experts, we’ll see even more interesting matches in the Dark
Arena in the future."

"Interesting?" Wen Hua chuckled. "I recall that the Asura Battle Team’s
next opponent is the Evil Dragon Battle Team. Although there are a few
experts in that team, overall, they are significantly weaker than the
Glorious Lions Battle Team. Even if Shi Feng doesn’t participate
himself, the Asura Battle Team can win easily."

"Hahaha! Wen Hua, you’re not seeing the big picture. If the latest
system upgrade had not happened, the Evil Dragons would lose without a
doubt. However, after the Mind Space System’s launch, the various large
Guilds are rushing to gather money and resources. Naturally, they will
not ignore the opportunity to make a fortune in the Dark Arena," Yuan
Tiexin said meaningfully.

"But the Evil Dragons don’t have backing from any Super Guilds. It will
be difficult for them to present fighters on the same level as Zero
Wing’s experts." Wen Hua was very interested in the Asura Battle Team.
Hence, she had investigated their next opponent, hoping for another
exciting match. However, the outcome had disappointed her.

"I don’t expect you to know. The corporation backing the Evil Dragons
has hidden itself quite well. Even we only discovered it a few days ago,
but it turns out that said corporation had invested in the Miracle Guild
in secret. When it comes time for the Dark Arena match, the Miracle
Guild will make its move. Winning will not be easy for the Asura Battle
Team," Yuan Tiexin said, a hint of anticipation flashing in his eyes.
"If the Asura Battle Team can force Miracle to display its true
strength, the Secret Pavilion will benefit."

"The Miracle Guild? That Miracle Guild actually agreed to give away a
portion of its shares?" Wen Hua exclaimed in surprise.

Although the Miracle Guild was not a Super Guild, it was in no way
inferior. However, its Guild Legacy was incomplete. Hence, it had failed
to become a Super Guild. However, it was still stronger than the
Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion, who could not yet rival Super Guilds.

"Haven’t you wanted to witness Ye Feng’s battles personally? This is a
good opportunity to do so." Yuan Tiexin then handed Wen Hua a list of
names. "Mad Sword Miracle Dragon, who you’ve wanted to defeat, might
even make a move."

---

Shortly after Yuan Tiexin’s group left, Shi Feng handed the black cards
to Fire Dance and the others.

"Guild Leader, what’s this for?" Fire Dance, who wore short-sleeved
sportswear with her long hair draped over her shoulders, asked
curiously.

Fire Dance wasn’t the only one curious about the black cards. Cola,
Violet Cloud, Flying Shadow, Ye Wumian, Rampant Blade, and Blackie were
also confused.

"This? This is a treasure," Shi Feng laughed. "Haven’t you all wanted to
strengthen your combat techniques? This can help you do so quickly.
However, how much you actually learn will depend on you."

Following which, Shi Feng explained how to use the black cards and sent
them to their rooms to try.

The purpose behind the cards surprised them all. However, Shi Feng’s
procurement of them surprised them more. Excitement overtook them as
they looked at the black cards in their hands. They had yearned to
improve their combat techniques. It was especially true after watching
Fire Dance break through into the Refinement Realm.

After everyone left, Shi Feng quietly returned to his own room.

To the Secret Pavilion, the ten training slots might not be significant,
but to Zero Wing, they were a timely blessing.

Although the Secret Technique tablet could enable players to grasp
profound combat techniques, which players could then utilize to improve
their other combat techniques, the tablet’s flaws were obvious. Players
needed to learn to make Intermediate Magic Arrays. This was achievable
within a short time. Moreover, the tablet could only be used once a
month. It was not nearly as efficient as the simulation training system.

It was especially true for Fire Dance, Violet Cloud, and Aqua Rose, who
possessed vast potential. They only lacked combat experience. If they
could enter the simulation training system, even Shi Feng could not
imagine how much these girls would improve.

Moreover, the simulation training system was useful to him personally.

He was currently stuck at the Void Realm. He had no idea whatsoever how
to take the next step. Fortunately, the simulation training system could
guide one to the Domain Realm. Shi Feng was satisfied with the cost he
had paid due to this fact alone.

On the surface, although it seemed as if he had paid a massive price for
the black cards, that was limited to market price. Of course, the
production cost for the Bronze Mounts and Strengthening Devices wasn’t
one-tenth of their market price.

Throughout this time, he had also been training frantically in the real
world. He had already pushed his body to its very limits and could not
improve any further. Even Lei Bao had been surprised by his progress,
looking at him as if he were a monster.

Shi Feng understood that his body was no longer a limiting factor. Only,
he did not know what was. After all, he had never truly interacted with
any of those old monsters and relied on himself to fumble and improve.

After refilling the virtual gaming cabin’s Nutrition Solution, Shi Feng
inserted the black card into the machine’s card slot. He then lay in the
cabin and launched the system connection, accessing the simulation
training system.

-   Prev Chapter
-   Next Chapter

Chapter 889 - Battle Points

After Shi Feng closed his eyes, the system’s mechanical notification
sound rang by his ears.

Password confirmed. Mental link is stable. All systems operational. Do
you wish to login?

Login.

Once Shi Feng silently agreed to the connection, darkness engulfed his
surroundings, and he felt as if his body had fallen into a bottomless
pit.

In the next moment, however, Shi Feng felt a weight on his body. The
sound of galloping horses and carriages moving reached him. He also
heard voices.

"This is... God’s Domain?" Shi Feng was surprised when he opened his
eyes.

Western-style buildings rose up around him. Traffic covered the
surrounding streets, and he could see many pedestrians wandering about
wearing armor and carrying weapons. It felt as if he was in God’s
Domain.

The only difference Shi Feng noticed was his current appearance. Rather
than his usual armor, he wore commoner’s linen clothing. He did not
possess a single weapon. Physically, he appeared exactly as he did in
reality.

His system interface was also different. Although the method to call up
the interface was the same, he only had options to log out, adjust the
pain settings, and a clock that displayed real time. There was nothing
else. Neither his HP bar nor name was displayed.

Moreover, he felt very weak. In terms of the Basic Attributes of God’s
Domain, Shi Feng felt as if they were all set at roughly 100 points.

These were the only differences from God’s Domain that he noticed.

"Look, another newbie has arrived."

"There sure are a lot of newbies these past few days."

"I heard that our Secret Pavilion has been implementing some major plan
and has recently been annexing other Guilds. The upper echelons must’ve
promised training slots to those Guilds in return."

"Hah... What a waste. We fight tooth and nail every day just for one
slot. Aside from eating and sleeping, we spend all of our time training.
These people, on the other hand, obtain a slot without any effort. They
sure have it good."

"I know, right? The training system isn’t easy to mingle in. These
people are wasting their time and our resources by coming here."

Several people sitting beneath a gazebo outside of a bar began chatted
merrily as they watched Shi Feng. These people looked relatively young,
only around 20 years old. However, they wore lavish clothing. Rather
than linen, they donned exquisite silk clothing.

As if they wanted Shi Feng to hear their conversation, these people did
not bother to control their voices as they considered. Their tones were
contemptuous when they spoke of players from other Guilds such as Shi
Feng.

I wonder where Fire Dance and the others are? I should find them before
we start researching this simulation training system. Shi Feng paid no
attention to these people’s belittling comments. However, he did feel a
headache begin when he noticed that the training system lacked a
communication function.

Although this place seemed like a city in God’s Domain, it was much
smaller. This place was roughly the size of a town. Shi Feng also
noticed a massive fortress looming in the city’s heart. He could
probably see the very edges of the city from the top of that fortress.

Just as Shi Feng was about to head to the fortress to investigate, a
deep, heavy voice came from behind him.

"You have just arrived today, right?"

Shi Feng turned at this question, noticing three people, similarly
dressed in linen clothing, approaching. The two men and one woman looked
to be around 20 as well. Meanwhile, the person that had called out to
him was a tall, powerful looking man. The man smiled and gave off a
friendly aura.

"That’s right. Do you have some business with me?" Shi Feng nodded.

"Hello; my name’s Kong Haoran, and these two are my friends, Huo
Zhengyang and Du Xin," the man named Kong Haoran introduced, smiling.
"Like yourself, we belong to other Guilds and have recently arrived. We
aren’t like the people from the Secret Pavilion, who have been in here
for over a month. As a newcomer, if you aren’t careful, you might
suffer."

"Suffer?" Shi Feng grew curious. He then asked, "Isn’t this place meant
to gain combat experience and nurture techniques?"

"In the beginning, we thought the same," Kong Haoran said, shaking his
head. "However, after being here for some time, you’ll learn that things
aren’t as simple as the people from the Secret Pavilion made it out to
be. You can’t just spar with top-tier experts as you wish.

"The training system mimics God’s Domain. The more powerful a simulation
expert you choose to fight, the more energy the system consumes. The
Secret Pavilion can only get its hands on a limited amount of High-level
Energy. There is simply not enough to go around. Not to mention, the
Secret Pavilion has expanded its influence recently and has increased
the number of available training slots for its system, straining the
system’s energy consumption. Hence, the Pavilion introduced a Battle
Point system to cope. With these Battle Points, one can choose their
opponent. Of course, the more powerful an opponent is, the more Battle
Points you have to spend.

"A lot of newcomers don’t know about this yet, so the Secret Pavilion’s
veterans scam them. If one loses the starting Battle Points they
receive, it becomes harder to earn Battle Points in the future."

Hearing Kong Haoran’s explanation, Shi Feng came to a realization.

It’s no wonder why Yuan Tiexin was so willing to hand over those ten
slots. So, the Pavilion still had such a card to play. Shi Feng inwardly
cursed the Secret Pavilion’s Guild Leader for being a sly, old fox.

However, after giving it some thought, Shi Feng realized that it was
actually quite reasonable.

He had been a fool to think that he could fight monster-level experts
stored in the system’s database without limit and gain a wealth of
combat experience. Such a generous opportunity wouldn’t exist.

"Thank you for your warning," Shi Feng said as he looked towards Kong
Haoran. He then introduced himself, "My name is Shi Feng."

"No need for thanks. Those of us from other Guilds need to look out for
each other. Otherwise, the Pavilion’s people will just bully us all."
Kong Haoran waved his hand. "The Secret Pavilion’s bunch came here over
a month before we arrived. Moreover, they enjoyed the Secret Pavilion’s
nurturing before this. Their combat standards are much higher than ours.

"Newcomers are given 100 Battle Points initially. You can use these
points to purchase a starter pack at the fortress. This starter pack
lets you spar against ten different, extraordinary experts for three
days. You can use them to familiarize yourself with the battles here.
Otherwise, you can practice against the free opponents in the fortress.
However, you probably won’t learn anything from the freebies.

"There are two methods to obtain Battle Points. The first is to
participate in the ranking matches; you can also place bets with other
players before a duel. Some of the veterans trick many of the clueless
newcomers. As a result, they lose their 100 starting points, just like
that."

After Kong Haoran finished explaining the simulation training system, he
led Shi Feng to the Battle Fortress.

However, as Shi Feng’s group was about to enter the fortress, they heard
a loud commotion from the fortress’s main hall.

"Quick, come and take a look! Another newbie is challenging a veteran!"

"Damn! These guys sure are quick! Why can’t I ever find these newbies?!"

-   Prev Chapter
-   Next Chapter

Chapter 890 - Deep Foundation

Inside the splendid hall, over a hundred people crowded around a large
screen suspended in the air.

"This newbie sure is unlucky."

"He actually challenged a veteran without undergoing the beginner’s
training."

"All newbies are like that. They think that they can defeat Violent Bear
just because they are strong in their own Guilds. Does he really think
the Battle Points are that easy to earn?"

Everyone began to chat merrily as they watched the screen. Such fights
had become entertainment to flavor their lives.

As for a newcomer’s chances of defeating these veterans?

Their only answer was a meaningful "Hehe."

"Sure enough, Violent Bear is bullying another newbie. He only recently
finished conning the last one, and he’s already at it again," Kong
Haoran sighed ruefully when he noticed another battle brewing.

"Didn’t they say that it was the newcomer who challenged that Violent
Bear fellow? Why would you say that he’s conning the newcomer?" Shi Feng
asked curiously.

"It’s like this: while newcomers only have 100 Battle Points, Violent
Bear will gamble 500 Battle Points. Almost everyone who has come here is
a top-class expert in their own Guild. Either that, or they are people
with vast potential. Such people are typically quite confident of their
strength," Kong Haoran explained. "However, they have forgotten that the
Secret Pavilion’s experts aren’t ordinary either. Only the Pavilion’s
leading fighters can earn a slot in this training system."

"There is a huge possibility that these people will become members of
the Secret Pavilion’s middle management in the future. Moreover, even
before they entered this training system, they were all strong enough to
be top-class experts in any first-rate Guild. After training in here for
over a month, their combat standards have grown significantly.

"Violent Bear is quite strong. Among the 350 training members, he ranks
141th. Newcomers shouldn’t try to provoke him."

Shi Feng agreed with Kong Haoran.

In God’s Domain, first-rate Guilds and Super Guilds lived in two,
completely different worlds. A player known as a genius in a first-rate
Guild might just be an extra in a Super Guild. In fact, the majority of
the most outstanding newcomers each year were either from Super Guilds
or super-first-rate Guilds.

Even if an outstanding newcomer emerged in a first-rate Guild, it would
be due to their innate frightening talent alone. Gentle Snow would be
one such example.

"This is interesting," Shi Feng muttered, smiling as he watched at the
image on the screen.

On the large screen, a man taller and more robust than even Cola stood
to one side. The man wielded a battle axe and had chosen the Berserker
class. Meanwhile, Shi Feng recognized the man standing across from the
Berserker; it was the Elementalist Red Feather from the Star Alliance.
Red Feather looked exactly as he did in God’s Domain. It was clear that
he had not modified his appearance when he had joined God’s Domain,
unlike Shi Feng, who looked quite different in God’s Domain.

In the recent update of the God’s Domain Experts List, Red Feather had
been ranked 934th. Although his rank had fallen slightly due to the
emergence of new experts, he should not be underestimated.

The simulation training system mimicked God’s Domain’s classes to
near-perfection. However, in the training system, everyone’s Basic
Attributes were normalized and their Levels set to 30. Their equipment
did not provide any additional Attributes either, and the Skills they
possessed were limited to their class’s Basic Skills. There were no
special Skills in this system. The fights here relied on one’s
techniques.

As soon as the battle began, Red Feather launched a fierce assault on
Violent Bear, using Frost Arrows to attack and Ice Walls or Ice Spheres
to hinder the Berserker’s movements. Ordinary experts would not be able
to cope with such a two-pronged approach.

However, Violent Bear remained unperturbed. Not only could he easily
evade the Frost Arrows, but he had also utilized his evasive maneuvers
to shorten the distance between himself and the enemy Elementalist. This
situation forced Red Feather to retreat repeatedly.

In just ten seconds, Red Feather had lost half his HP. In contrast,
Violent Bear had only lost around 10% from blocking a few Frost Arrows
and Fireballs with his axe. Moreover, Red Feather had exhausted his
Blink charges and was now at the Berserker’s mercy.

In Shi Feng’s opinion, Red Feather had performed quite well. If he had
faced an ordinary expert, he would have long since emerged victorious
due to his unending assault and Ice Walls. Unfortunately, Violent Bear
was no ordinary expert.

Ordinary experts lacked sufficient physical control. Against Red
Feather’s attacks, they would busy themselves with dodging and blocking.
Violent Bear, on the other hand, had excellent control over his body. He
could make the necessary movements during crucial moments, easily
avoiding Red Feather’s accurate attacks while closing in on his enemy,
slowly, but surely, forcing the Elementalist into a corner.

Even before the battle had begun, the outcome had been determined.

Red Feather currently had yet to reach the Half-step Refinement Realm.
He simply stood no chance against Violent Bear, someone who had reached
the Refinement Realm. The difference between their combat techniques was
like the difference between heaven and earth. With both sides having
equal Attributes and no special Skills or tools, Red Feather had no
chance of winning.

Sure enough, in less than half a minute, Violent Bear approached Red
Feather with a Charge and claimed the Elementalist’s life with a
Whirlwind Slash.

"Hahaha! Little noob, consider the 100 points you’ve lost as a tuition
fee. When you have points again, I welcome a rematch." The man known as
Violent Bear smirked at the angry Red Feather disdainfully after
teleporting back to the main hall. He then turned around and exclaimed,
"Ah, this feels great! With these 100 points, I can face a decent
opponent again."

"You..."

Red Feather wanted to charge at the Berserker. However, Purple Eye held
him back.

"Red, you’re no match for him right now. He has already reached that
realm," Purple Eye advised sternly, her voice containing both
helplessness and excitement.

Although she was slightly stronger than Red Feather, her strength was
limited. There was still a massive gap between herself and Violent Bear.

In the past few years, she had followed Galaxy Past around and had
defeated many well-known experts. She acknowledged that she had improved
significantly since leaving her Super Guild. However, she had never
imagined that she would still suffer defeat against the internal experts
that God’s Domain’s major powers nurtured.

Refinement Realm experts, which were extremely rare in God’s Domain,
were abundant here...

Yet, even a Refinement Realm expert like Violent Bear only ranked 141th
here. Purple Eye finally understood just how terrifying the virtual
gaming world’s giants were. What she had seen in the past had only been
the tip of the iceberg.

As Violent Bear approached the exchange counter, his gaze landed on Shi
Feng. He immediately walked up to the Swordsman, smiling brightly as he
said, "Oh? I’ve never seen you before. You must be new to the training
system, right? Interested in a match against me? If I win, I want your
100 points. If you win, I’ll give you 500. What do you think?

"I’ll teach you how precious the Battle Points here are. Those ranked
beyond 300th place only get 20 points each day; 50 points if you rank
between 201st and 300th, 100 points if you rank between 151st and 200th,
200 points if you rank between 101st and 150th, and 300 points if you
rank between 51st and 100th. And don’t even dream of reaching the top 50
ranks.

"How about it? With 500 points, you can spar against top-tier experts
for an entire day."

Kong Haoran stepped forward and growled, "Violent Bear, that’s enough of
you."

-   Prev Chapter
-   Next Chapter

Chapter 891 - Newcomer’s Nightmare

Violent Bear’s explanation of the daily Battle Point allotment was
correct.

However, it had been a petty move from the Secret Pavilion.

It was true that there were a total of 350 slots for the simulation
training system this time. It was also true that the training system was
a holy ground for rapid improvement. However, to face a decent opponent
for a day, one needed at least 100 points. Even so, that was only enough
to afford a Half-step Refinement Realm opponent. To obtain 100 points or
more each day, one needed to rank within the top 200.

Among the 350 people participating in the training system this time, 200
happened to be the Secret Pavilion’s members.

These elites, whom the Secret Pavilion had nurtured, had already
displayed relatively high combat standards. Now, they had received over
a month’s head start in this training system. To put it simply, the
members from other Guilds had no chance of claiming any of the top 200
positions.

Meanwhile, those who ranked between 200th and 300th place could only
afford to practice every other day.

To newcomers, this was a nightmare.

When they first joined the training system, they ranked below 300.
Receiving only 20 points each day, newcomers had to wait for five days
to fight a decent opponent. If they did not purchase the 100-point
starter pack, they would have to waste even more time to familiarize
themselves with the training system’s battles.

Individuals could only purchase the starter pack once, and among the ten
experts within the starter pack, eight were Half-step Refinement Realm
experts, and two were Refinement Realm experts. If newcomers trained
with these experts for three days, they could improve their techniques
significantly. This way, they could qualify to fight for one of the top
300 rankings. Although joining the top 200 would be difficult, it wasn’t
entirely impossible.

While the Secret Pavilion’s members could face Half-step Refinement
Realm experts once a day at the very minimum, members from other Guilds
could only face one every other day at best.

As for challenging Refinement Realm experts, that required 200 points.
Those in the top 200 only needed to wait two days, while they needed
four. As time passed, the difference between both sides would only grow.

"Shi Feng, don’t let him trick you! Your starting 100 points are
crucial!" the elegantly beautiful Du Xin advised.

Newcomers like them could not contend with Violent Bear. Even those in
the Refinement Realm had difficulty defeating the Berserker. After all,
Violent Bear had reached the Refinement Realm a long time ago. Experts
who had just reached the Refinement Realm could not compare to his
physical control.

Although Du Xin did not know which Guild Shi Feng originated from, she
knew that even first-rate Guilds’ top-tier experts were no match for
Violent Bear.

"Kong Haoran, I’m not talking to you right now. I’m offering a sincere
invitation to this little brother. I’m sure he isn’t a scaredy cat like
you are, afraid of challenging me even once. In the end, you can only
boast your strength in your little Guild," Violent Bear sneered.
Although the man scolded Kong Haoran for his incompetence, his words
were meant for Shi Feng. "Little brother, you agree with me, right?

"Even if he does lose, it’s just 100 points. As long as he ranks among
the top 300, he’ll earn those points back in two days. Although he won’t
be able to face a decent expert during that time, at least he can still
challenge the ranking competition once a day and practice against the
normal simulated experts. Kong Haoran, you’re just exaggerating to scare
him.

"Since you don’t want the newcomer to fight me, why don’t you try your
luck instead? You’ve already been here for five days, after all.

"I’ll even handicap my Attributes by 10%. If you win, I’ll give you 800
points. If you lose, you just need to give me 100. How about it? Do you
dare to accept my challenge? If not, get lost. Letting a coward like you
in here was a waste of a precious training slot."

Kong Haoran turned ashen as he glared at Violent Bear.

However, he hadn’t been able to utter a single word. It’s not that he
feared a fight, it’s just that he had other uses for his points.
Yesterday, one of his companions had joined the system and fell for a
veteran’s provocation. In the end, that companion of his had lost their
points. Today, he had finally accumulated 100 points and planned to buy
a starter pack for that companion. If he lost a match to Violent Bear
now, his companion would have to wait several more days before getting
their starter pack.

"Tch. You’re a coward till the end," Violent Bear cast a disdainful look
towards Kong Haoran when the man turned to leave.

"Fellow brother, aren’t you being insincere? You’re willing to lower
your Attributes and raise your bet to 800 points, yet against me, not
only did you not offer to use a handicap, but your bet was also only 500
points," Shi Feng said softly as he glanced at Violent Bear.

"Oh? You want a match?" Violent Bear’s gaze shifted back to Shi Feng,
and he began to size up the Swordsman. Laughing, he continued, "Sure. If
you want to fight me, I’ll offer you the same terms."

Following which, Violent Bear led Shi Feng to the battlefield.

"Why is he so impulsive? Didn’t he see how miserably Violent Bear beat
his previous opponent?" Du Xin asked, slightly frustrated.

"He might’ve done it because he didn’t want Violent Bear to continue
humiliating me," Kong Haoran responded, feeling somewhat guilty as he
watched Shi Feng depart.

After interacting with Shi Feng for some, he could tell that Shi Feng
was not impulsive. Moreover, he had not seen any anger or pride within
Shi Feng’s gaze. On the contrary, he had appeared extraordinarily calm
as he challenged the Berserker. This showed that he was aware of Violent
Bear’s strength and had only challenged the man after considering it
calmly.

...

"Violent Bear is so lucky. He’s going to haul in 200 points in one day.
With this, he can take on a Refinement Realm expert for an entire day."

"However, that newcomer is pretty smart. He got Violent Bear to lower
his Attributes by 10%."

"Violent Bear has already set foot into the Refinement Realm. Against a
newcomer, a 20% handicap wouldn’t change anything, much less 10%.
Without also having reached the Refinement Realm, that newcomer doesn’t
stand a chance."

Everyone in the main hall had their gazes glued to the massive screen,
envy flashing in their eyes as they watched Violent Bear.

"Red, don’t you think that newcomer looks kind of familiar?" Purple Eye
asked. As she watched Shi Feng on the screen, she felt as if she had
seen him somewhere.

"Familiar?" Red Feather’s loss vexed him, so he was in no mood to pay
attention to the new duel. However, after Purple Eye’s comment, he
shifted his gaze towards the screen. Immediately, he fell into deep
thought as he muttered, "Indeed. He does feel familiar, but I can’t
recall where or when I’ve met him before."

As Purple Eye and Red Feather watched Shi Feng, Shi Feng’s duel with
Violent Bear began.

The battlefield was set in a desert. It was a standard, open battle with
no terrain to benefit either player.

Shi Feng had chosen the Swordsman class for this match, while Violent
Bear stuck with the Berserker. However, Violent Bear had reduced his
overall Attributes by 10%. In terms of Strength, he was roughly on par
with a Swordsman of the same Level.

As the battle began, Violent Bear used Charge at Shi Feng.

"Brat, I’ll show you just how powerful I am!" Violent Bear tightened his
grip on his battle axe and swung the weapon at Shi Feng violently.
Although the axe did not seem to move quickly, it vanished halfway to
Shi Feng.

Second Acceleration!

Violent Bear was quite confident of his melee combat capabilities. Even
with reduced Attributes, with his Second Acceleration technique, he
could defeat a Swordsman of the same Level easily. Even a melee expert
who had also reached the Refinement Realm would find it immensely
difficult to block his attacks, not to mention a newcomer like Shi Feng.

-   Prev Chapter
-   Next Chapter

Chapter 892 - Breaking the Norm

"So fast!"

"His attack disappeared!"

"What technique is that?"

Many of the spectating newcomers were shocked when Violent Bear’s battle
axe suddenly disappeared before their eyes.

However, when Red Feather witnessed this, wrathful flames flared in his
eyes.

"That bastard! He held back against me!" Red Feather clenched his fists
as he glared at Violent Bear on the screen.

If Violent Bear had used this move against him, the match wouldn’t have
even lasted 30 seconds.

Although the newcomers in the hall were surprised, the Secret Pavilion’s
veterans were indifferent. They were used to seeing this move.

"Does he really need to be so serious against this newcomer?"

"He might want to end the battle quickly. But this newcomer sure is
unlucky. He’s forced to realize the disparity between us so soon after
entering the training system. I’m guessing his confidence has shattered
by now."

As the various fighters discussed the fight, Violent Bear’s battle axe
struck Shi Feng, again and again, leaving the Swordsman with no
opportunity to catch his breath.

Dang! Dang! Dang!

After a series of over a dozen strikes, Violent Bear’s expression
darkened. He then retreated, glaring at the unharmed Shi Feng.

Just who is he? Violent Bear suddenly felt an immense, heavy pressure
weigh down on him.

Second Acceleration was an attack technique that utilized afterimages to
trick the enemy. Even an expert of the same standard would struggle to
defend against his attacks, yet Shi Feng had blocked every slash and
hack. However, this was not why Violent Bear had retreated.

As he had swung his axe, Shi Feng’s sword had met his blade as it began
to accelerate, preventing him from gathering enough momentum in his
weapon. As a result, Shi Feng’s sword easily deflected his axe, forcing
the Berserker into a passive state.

However, Shi Feng had no intentions of giving Violent Bear any time to
rest.

Dashing forward, he directly sent a Chop towards Violent Bear, his body
void of excess movement. In the next moment, his sword vanished. The
spectators only saw a flash of white light leave Shi Feng’s hand.

Violent Bear panicked. He could not even see any afterimage of Shi
Feng’s sword. However, he instinctively used Whirlwind Slash.

Unfortunately, Violent Bear had been too late.

Before he could begin to execute Whirlwind Slash, Violent Bear saw a
flower of blood bloom on his chest. His Whirlwind Slash only began after
the blood had blossomed. However, before his spinning axe could strike
Shi Feng, the weapon stopped as if it had struck a wall, scattering
sparks. The sudden halt forced the Berserker back a step.

Before Violent Bear could catch his breath, however, more blood began to
bloom across his chest, one after another. His HP drained away like
flowing water.

In the end, as the seventh flower of blood scattered across the sandy
ground, Violent Bear fell motionless...

As the battle ended, Shi Feng obtained 800 Battle Points, pushing his
total points to 900.

"What did he do?!" Many of the Pavilion’s elites shouted in their
confusion. "Why is Violent Bear dead?!"

Today, Shi Feng broke the norm of newcomers’ helplessness against
veteran bullying...

Violent Bear had clearly been on the offensive throughout the match, yet
he had retreated, and Shi Feng had given chase, spilling the Berserker’s
blood.

Seeing the gashes decorating Violent Bear’s body, it was obvious that
the Berserker had been cut. However, none of them had seen even an
afterimage of a sword leave Shi Feng’s hand, striking Violent Bear.

A deathly silence overtook the main hall. Everyone stared at Shi Feng,
who was just returned from the battlefield, with dumbfounded
expressions.

"Ye Feng! That’s right; he is Ye Feng!" After seeing Shi Feng’s attack,
Red Feather realized where he had seen that familiar face. Moreover,
while there were some differences between Shi Feng’s and Ye Feng’s
appearances, there were also some faint similarities.

Purple Eye also recognized Shi Feng.

The invisible attack had also been familiar... Purple Eye couldn’t think
of anyone, aside from Ye Feng, who used that technique.

"Why is he here?" Purple Eye was astounded. She couldn’t believe her
eyes.

Ye Feng might not be very famous among God’s Domain’s general populace,
but to first-rate Guilds and the game’s major powers, the young man’s
name reverberated like thunder.

Purple Eye had already been stunned when she had watched the battle
video from the Dark Arena. Now that she had seen Shi Feng fight
personally, even her soul trembled.

In the Dark Arena battle, Shi Feng’s fast attacks had been
understandable as he possessed Attributes that could even overwhelm an
old monster like Sirius. Currently, however, he had the Basic Attributes
of a Level 30 player and lacked any bonuses from weapons or equipment.
Even so, his attacks were still too fast to see with the naked eye. Who
could possibly defend against those attacks?

Purple Eye finally understood that Shi Feng had not won against Sirius
because of excellent equipment. His personal strength was, in fact, on
par with those old monsters.

...

When Shi Feng returned to the main hall, the Secret Pavilion’s members
no longer looked down on him. Only fear filled these elites’ eyes. On
the other hand, the newcomers originating from various Guilds cheered.

The Secret Pavilion’s members had constantly bullied and suppressed
them. Now that the Pavilion’s Violent Bear had been beaten with just a
few moves, why wouldn’t they feel liberated and excited?

"Shi Feng, you... how are you so powerful?" Kong Haoran asked,
stuttering nervously as he watched Shi Feng walk over.

Huo Zhengyang and Du Xin, who stood beside Kong Haoran, also stiffened
as the Swordsman approached.

An expert!

He was an absolute expert!

Even if Shi Feng were a member of a transcendental existence like the
Secret Pavilion, he would still be considered a top-class expert.

They had always looked up to such monstrous experts. They had never
dreamed that they would, one day, meet such an existence.

When they thought back to how they had conversed and laughed merrily
with the man, treating Shi Feng as if he were their junior, they were
incredibly embarrassed.

"You never asked." Shi Feng laughed.

"You let us make fools of ourselves. If others learned that we met you
like this, they would split their sides with laughter." In the end, Kong
Haoran was not ordinary. He quickly adjusted his mood. Moreover, in his
opinion, Shi Feng was actually quite friendly. He wasn’t like those
aloof, arrogant apex experts.

Huo Zhengyang and Du Xin also relaxed after a moment and resumed their
conversation with Shi Feng.

When the others inside the hall saw this, they envied Kong Haoran and
his friends.

They all dreamed of a friendship with a powerful expert like Shi Feng.
If they could gain some pointers from an expert of his caliber, they
could push themselves to the next level.

"Ah, right. What’s up with the ranking competition? Don’t tell me we
have to face everyone here every single day?" Shi Feng had heard all he
needed to about Battle Points. However, he didn’t have a clue about the
method of earning them. If he had to duel so many people each day, he
would waste too much time. Moreover, he didn’t have that much time to
spend in the simulated training system.

-   Prev Chapter
-   Next Chapter

Chapter 893 - Battle Tower

Kong Haoran and his companions laughed when they heard Shi Feng’s
question.

There were a total of 350 people in the simulation training system. If
they had to fight so many people every day, they would die from
exhaustion. Not to mention, no one had that much time to waste.

After all, every person here was a professional gamer. They spent most
of their energy in God’s Domain. A players’ strength did not only rely
on combat standards and techniques. Weapons, equipment, and tools also
factored into a player’s combat power. Otherwise, players wouldn’t
pursue better weapons or equipment.

"The simulation training system’s ranking competition isn’t a
competition between players. Rather, it depends on your results in the
Battle Tower. The Battle Tower is somewhat like the Divine Colosseum’s
Trial Tower," Kong Haoran explained. He then pointed towards the large
portal in the middle of the hall, saying, "That’s the Trial Tower that
decides our ranks.

"The Battle Tower has a total of seven floors. The higher the floor you
reach, the more Combat Points you will earn. In the end, the system uses
the Battle Value to determine our ranks. Inside the Battle Tower,
everyone’s Attributes are normalized. However, you can only enter the
tower once per day, and the ranks are determined every midnight.
Generally, you must be prepared before challenging the tower. Otherwise,
you’ll likely be eliminated and waste your chance."

"So, that’s how it works." Shi Feng could not help his growing interest
in the Battle Tower. He shifted his gaze back to Kong Haoran and asked,
"Which floor have you guys reached so far?"

"This..." Kong Haoran scratched his head. Awkwardly, he replied, "We’re
still on the first floor."

"Is it that difficult?" Shi Feng asked in surprise.

He could tell that Kong Haoran’s combat standard was quite high.
Although the man was no match for Red Feather, he was not far off. In a
first-rate Guild, he would be considered a top-class expert there.

In terms of the Divine Colosseum’s Trial Tower, Kong Haoran would be a
sixth-floor expert at the very least, yet such an expert was stuck on
the Battle Tower’s first floor. How difficult was this tower?

"In truth, all of the newcomers are stuck on the first floor. Only the
Pavilion’s group have reached the second floor. Violent Bear, for
example, is on the second floor. However, he ranks among the top of
those on that floor," Kong Haoran explained. "The experts who have
reached the third-floor rank within the top 100. Their ranks practically
never change. The most we can do is fight for the top 200 spots. The top
100 are monsters.

"The Battle Tower’s difficulty has been set incredibly high. I really
don’t know why the Secret Pavilion made seven floors. I’ve heard that,
even so many years after the Pavilion created this training system,
nobody has the seventh floor. The highest record is the sixth floor."

When they spoke of the tower’s difficulty, both Huo Zhengyang’s and Du
Xin’s expressions twisted into something ugly.

They were their Guild’s prided geniuses in God’s Domain. Countless
players looked up to them, yet upon joining this simulation training
system, they had been stuck at the bottom of the food chain. Although
Kong Haoran had entered the top 300 ranks, it was beyond these two, and
they were limited to a pitiful 20 points each day.

"The record-holder has only reached the sixth floor?" Shi Feng was even
more surprised.

A transcendental power like the Secret Pavilion should have a few old
monsters who had, at the very least, reached the Domain Realm, yet even
they had only managed to reach the sixth floor. It was hard to imagine
just how difficult the seventh floor must be.

As he learned more, Shi Feng’s curiosity about the Battle Tower grew.

Since Shi Feng currently had 900 points, he had no interest in the
starter pack. At the very least, he needed a Void Realm Expert as a
decent opponent. However, simulating Void Realm experts required 1,000
points. As for Domain Realm experts, facing them cost 2,000 points.

Following which, under Kong Haoran’s guidance, Shi Feng entered the
Battle Tower.

As Shi Feng entered the Battle Tower, news of his overwhelming victory
over Violent Bear spread like wildfire.

After all, this was the first time a newcomer from another Guild had
defeated a Secret Pavilion elite. Furthermore, Violent Bear was an
expert that ranked among the top 150.

Many people, curious about how well Shi Feng would fare in the Battle
Tower, rushed to the Battle Fortress to watch.

"Since this brat had easily defeated Violent Bear, he shouldn’t have any
problems reaching the third floor. If he does, someone’s going to get
kicked out of the top 100.

"How can that be? The third floor isn’t easy to reach. Moreover, Violent
Bear had handicapped 10% of his Attributes in that battle."

"Damn, which Guild did that guy come from? He’s so strong. If he reaches
the third floor, he’ll place a new record."

"Mhm. I recall that the best record an expert from a different Guild had
set on their first try was the second floor. However, that person is a
true genius. Even the Pavilion is trying to recruit them."

The Battle Fortress’s main hall exploded with commotion as everyone
focused on the ranking lists before the Battle Tower. Even now, people
streamed into the main hall, all talking about Shi Feng.

For a time, Shi Feng was the fortress’s focal point.

"Quick, look! Isn’t that Wen Hua?!"

"Why is she here?"

"Are you kidding me? Is she here to watch Shi Feng? Who is this guy?"

As everyone discussed Shi Feng, a beautiful woman in purple-red martial
artist robes appeared in the hall. Instantly, the focus shifted towards
her.

Everyone’s, including Kong Haoran’s group and Purple eye, who rested in
a corner, jaws dropped.

Most people in God’s Domain might not recognize the woman, but in this
simulation training system, Wen Hua was a celebrity. Everyone knew about
her.

Why is she here? Did she discover Shi Feng’s identity as well? Watching
Wen Hua slowly walk into the hall, becoming the center of attention, an
indescribable sense of jealousy and admiration welled up in Purple Eye’s
heart.

In terms of appearance, Wen Hua could even stand shoulder-to-shoulder
with the Snow Goddess of Ouroboros, Gentle Snow. In terms of talent,
however, Wen Hua surpassed Gentle Snow by leaps and bounds.

Wen Hua was very young, much younger than Gentle Snow.

To experts, age was a form of capital. Some people could reach the
Refinement Realm at the young age of 18, while others only did so after
turning 20. Although there was only an age difference of two years, this
time gap could determine how far a player would go.

Although both were considered geniuses, the difference in talent was
massive.

If one reached the Refinement Realm at the age of 18, there was a high
chance for them to reach the peak of the virtual gaming world during
their lifetime. They would likely become an old monster, becoming a
Domain Realm expert in the future. However, those who managed to enter
the Refinement Realm at the age of 20, without any special
opportunities, would, at most, become an ordinary upper echelon in some
Super Guild.

Meanwhile, at the young age of 17, Wen Hua had reached the Refinement
Realm. Currently, at 19, she had reached the peak of the Flowing Water
Realm. The Pavilion’s old monsters commented that Wen Hua was lacked
inspiration and could break through to the Void Realm at any moment.

A 19-year-old Void Realm expert would have endless opportunities in
their future. The Secret Pavilion had treated Wen Hua like a rare,
precious seedling and spared no expense to nurture her. The Pavilion’s
old monsters often offered her pointers. She was likely to become the
Secret Pavilion’s future heir.

Meanwhile, such an amazing woman had actually shown up to watch a
newcomer. Why wouldn’t this be shocking?

-   Prev Chapter
-   Next Chapter

Chapter 894 - Sword Meister

Ignoring all the stares directed at her, Wen Hua took a seat near the
Battle Tower’s portal and selected to spectate Shi Feng’s progress
inside the tower. Being a spectator allowed her to see everything
happening inside the tower clearly; however, this spectator mode cost
Battle Points.

Moreover, the number of points required by the system was not low: a
total of 300 points to spectate a person; the system would automatically
give 200 of these points to the fighter. For the newcomers and the
members of the Secret Pavilion, this was a price that none of them was
willing to pay.

Paying 300 points to spectate anyone—aside from the experts ranked
within the top 50—would just be a big waste of their points, especially
for a newcomer that barely anyone knew about.

Shortly after Wen Hua sat down, a young man exited from the training
field’s portal. When this young man spotted Wen Hua, he hurriedly made
his way over to her.

"Eh? Isn’t that Cold Autumn? Why is he here?"

"I heard that he’s been training like a madman ever since his trip to
Star-Moon Kingdom. He must’ve received some kind of stimulation there.
Now, he spends nearly all of his spare time fighting inside the training
field."

The members of the Secret Pavilion were shocked when they saw Cold
Autumn, who had appeared out of the blue, walking over to Wen Hua.

The Three Great Geniuses of the Secret Pavilion were individuals that
were usually very hard to meet, yet two of them had actually shown up in
the Battle Fortress. It was truly a rare sight to behold.

"Sister Wen Hua, why do you suddenly have time to come here?" Cold
Autumn asked when he reached Wen Hua. After taking a seat, he continued,
"Didn’t Uncle Yuan say that you are going to challenge Sanctuary’s Gale
Sword Meister, Ruthless Sky? Aren’t you going to rest and prepare for
that battle? No matter what, he is one of Sanctuary’s eight Sword
Meisters.

"I’ve heard that Ruthless Sky has made significant advances recently,
and his rank on the Experts List has already gone up from 131st to
117th. Moreover, he even replaced one of his weapons yesterday, and the
higher-ups suspect that it could be an Epic Weapon. This will increase
his combat power even more."

Sending a glance at Cold Autumn, Wen Hua said in a casual tone, "I know
all that. Even so, I will still defeat him."

Compared to her upcoming battle, she was more interested in this battle
of Shi Feng’s.

Previously, she had viewed Shi Feng’s battle with Sirius many times.
However, at the end of the day, a video recording was still a video
recording. The experience was far from comparable to watching in person.

Originally, she had intended to come here only for a little training.
She never thought that after arriving, she would hear news of a newcomer
defeating Violent Bear. Moreover, the name of that newcomer was even
"Shi Feng." As a result, this situation greatly piqued her interest.

Just like Shi Feng, she was a Swordsman player. If she wanted to
increase her combat experience, it was naturally best for her to learn
from a fellow Swordsman.

Only, there were not many Swordsmen in the Secret Pavilion and even
fewer that she could seek guidance from. At this moment, these people
could no longer help her improve any further. Hence, she had opted to
challenge the famous Swordsmen in God’s Domain. Now that a Swordsman who
had managed to defeat Sirius had appeared, she obviously could not let
the opportunity to observe him fight slip by.

If it was possible, she even wanted to have a match against Shi Feng.

Following which, Wen Hua returned to observing Shi Feng’s battle
quietly.

Just who is this person? He is actually able to rouse Sister Wen Hua’s
interest! Cold Autumn was baffled. If he were to spread the word of this
matter, it would most likely shock the entire Secret Pavilion.

Thinking so, Cold Autumn suddenly selected the spectator mode as well.
Moreover, the person he chose to spectate was the newcomer Shi Feng.

Three hundred points might be a lot to an ordinary expert of the Secret
Pavilion, but to him, it was still barely acceptable.

"Damn, this is just insane! Two of the Great Geniuses are actually
spectating Shi Feng’s battle!"

"This can’t be real, right? Isn’t he just a powerful newcomer? Even
reaching the third floor is a problem. Is it really worth spending 300
points to watch him?"

The mouths of the players in the main hall hung wide open as they
watched Wen Hua and Cold Autumn quietly sitting beside the Battle
Tower’s portal.

"Damn it!" Purple Eye clenched her fists as she looked at Wen Hua and
Cold Autumn. "It would be great if we had come here a few days earlier.
It’s just impossible to gather 300 points right now."

She knew who exactly Shi Feng was. If she missed this opportunity to
witness his battle, who knew when she would get another chance?

"Why don’t I go borrow some points? I heard that aside from duels, the
members of the Secret Pavilion will also loan Battle Points. However,
we’ll need to pay an additional 30% interest when paying back the
points," Red Feather said, gritting his teeth.

Purple Eye promptly nodded in response. Compared to paying an interest
rate of 30%, being able to watch this battle was much more important.

This scene bewildered the members of the Secret Pavilion. They could not
understand just what kind of attraction Shi Feng held to rouse the
interest of not only the Pavilion’s geniuses but also the newcomers.

---

Inside the Battle Tower, Shi Feng was currently standing in the middle
of an endless plain with a total of 49 Prairie Lions and one Prairie
Lion King surrounding him.

[Prairie Lion] (Elite Rank)

Level 30

HP 60,000/60,000

[Prairie Lion King] (Special Elite)

Level 30

HP 200,000/200,000

System: Defeat all monsters to progress to the next floor. Every Prairie
Lion killed will reward you with 1 Combat Point, and killing the Prairie
Lion King will reward you with 10 Combat Points.

No wonder Kong Haoran’s group weren’t able to clear the first floor, Shi
Feng thought as he swept a glance at the lions besieging him. He then
took a look at his own Attributes. Currently, his Attributes were
roughly equal to those of a Level 30 Swordsman geared in Bronze Weapons
and Equipment. Right now, he was the very definition of an ordinary
player.

The difficulty of defeating this pride of lions would be extremely high.

Moreover, this place was an endless grassland, offering no terrain
whatsoever that players could take advantage of, which further increased
the difficulty.

"Roar!" the Prairie Lion King bellowed angrily and advanced.

Simultaneously, the Prairie Lions surrounding Shi Feng pounced at him as
well.

An ordinary player would usually panic if faced with attacks coming from
all sides. They would instinctively attempt to rush out of the
encirclement. As for expert players, they would choose to fight while
retreating, slowly but surely killing these monsters.

However, Shi Feng did neither of these things. With an ordinary Level 30
player’s Attributes, he simply had no chance of outrunning the Prairie
Lion King. On the contrary, attempting to do so would place himself in a
disadvantageous situation.

Facing the incoming pride of lions, Shi Feng began brandishing the twin
swords in his hands.

In the next moment, countless streaks of sword light flashed around Shi
Feng, forming a barrier of sorts around him. Any lion that came at him
would have their joints struck by Shi Feng’s swords. Although Shi Feng’s
Strength was insufficient to repel the Prairie Lions, he still managed
to deflect their attack trajectories slightly.

Seen from afar, the half-dozen Prairie Lions attacking Shi Feng appeared
to be intentionally circling the Swordsman, their attacks all landing on
thin air.

As these Prairie Lions moved past Shi Feng, a streak of sword light
would strike at their bodies, causing over -1,500 damage to the Elite
monsters.

As the battle continued, the Prairie Lions died one after another.

This person is clearing out the Prairie Lions so quickly! Cold Autumn
was filled with shock as he observed this scene. Just who is this
person?!

He knew full well just how hard it was to deal with these Prairie Lions.
Simply dodging their attacks was very exhausting, yet Shi Feng was
actually toying with these Elite monsters like they were kittens right
now. Despite Shi Feng having the same Attributes as he did when he
challenged the first floor, Shi Feng’s clearing speed was at least
double his.

These Prairie Lions posed no threat to Shi Feng at all. Only the Prairie
Lion King, whose speed was much faster and Strength was much greater
than the Prairie Lions’, presented a challenge for Shi Feng. However,
utilizing his positioning to guide the Prairie Lions, Shi Feng turned
the Prairie Lions into shields for him, having the Elite monsters
receive all the attacks of the Prairie Lion King, instead. After each
successful block, Shi Feng would also follow up with a counterattack,
each of his blows dealing over -1,200 damage to the Special Elite.

The Prairie Lion King’s HP fell at a rate visible to the naked eye.

In the end, the Special Elite died without even managing to land a paw
on Shi Feng, its body lying motionless on the ground.

Meanwhile, the players present in the main hall of the Battle Fortress
suddenly fell silent, every one of them staring at the Record Board of
the Battle Tower’s first floor with a dumbfounded expression.

At this moment, the first floor’s original fastest clear record of 47
minutes 27 seconds had actually been broken.

-   Prev Chapter
-   Next Chapter

Chapter 895 - Unstoppable Record

"How is he so fast?!"

An uproar broke out in the main hall the instant the players saw the
record broken. None of them dared to believe it was true.

The clear record for the Battle Tower’s first floor had stood for a very
long time now.

Most people required nearly two hours to deal with the monsters on the
first floor, taking at least double the record time. Even the personal
bests of the Three Great Geniuses of the Secret Pavilion were relatively
far away from the record clear time. Yet, Shi Feng had broken it easily.

37 minutes 24 seconds!

Everyone grew extremely curious as to what had happened inside the
Battle Tower when they saw this new record. Just what did Shi Feng do to
clear the floor so quickly?

"Sister Wen Hua, just who is this person?" Cold Autumn could not help
but ask when he saw this new record.

The Battle Tower’s record had remained unchanged for many years now.
Even if someone could surpass it, the person capable of doing so
definitely should not be a young man like Shi Feng. Nevertheless, a
newcomer originating from another Guild had beaten the best record by
over ten minutes.

"You’ve also seen this person before," Wen Hua replied, chuckling.

"I’ve seen him before?" Cold Autumn grew curious at these words.
However, he could not figure out where he had seen Shi Feng before.

"He is Ye Feng, the apex Swordsman who defeated one of the Wolf Kings of
the Battle Wolves," Wen Hua added, her words invested with strong
fighting spirit. When she had only seen Shi Feng’s battle videos before,
she merely thought of having a match with him. Now, however, what she
wanted to do was surpass the man. However, what she had to do first was
defeat Sanctuary’s Gale Sword Meister.

"He is Ye Feng?" Cold Autumn gaped as he took in Shi Feng’s youthful
appearance.

Even though Shi Feng looked relatively young in God’s Domain, Cold
Autumn had thought that Shi Feng’s true age should be around 25 or 26.
Now, however, it would seem that the man was only 21 or 22 years old. He
was not that much older than Wen Hua, yet he had already managed to
defeat the legendary Sirius. Although he had relied mainly on his
equipment advantage and Skill advantage, a win was still a win.

"Sister Wen Hua, aren’t you being a little too mean? Since you already
knew he was that Ye Feng, why didn’t you tell me? I nearly missed out on
a big opportunity to spectate one of his battles," Cold Autumn grumbled.
Inwardly, however, he felt thrilled. At the cost of just 300 Battle
Points, he got to spectate the battle of an expert like Shi Feng. This
was an opportunity that could not be bought even with money.

"Everyone has their own opportunities. If you miss it, then you can only
consider yourself unlucky. Just like the time when the Glorious Lions
went up against the Asura Battle Team. Who knew that the battle at that
time would become one of the most memorable battles in the Dark Arena?"
Wen Hua sighed as she shook her head. "Alright, enough talking. Focus on
watching. We won’t get another chance like this as easily later on."

While Wen Hua and Cold Autumn were chatting, many of the Secret
Pavilion’s members had also gritted their teeth and chosen to spend 300
points to spectate Shi Feng’s battle.

A person capable of breaking the record of the first floor definitely
possessed extraordinary abilities.

After just a short moment, the number of people spectating Shi Feng’s
battle grew to a total of 13, instantly increasing Shi Feng’s Battle
Points to 3,500.

...

Inside the Battle Tower, when Shi Feng progressed to the second floor,
he was transported into a dark nest. Visibility was very low, and his
vision only extended to 10 yards at most. He could also hear rustling
coming from all around him, the sounds being hair-raisingly creepy.

Although there aren’t a lot of monsters on the second floor, roughly
only 20, this dark environment makes it much more difficult to evade the
attacks of these monsters. I also had to attempt and train on this floor
many times before I got used to this environment. Cold Autumn revealed a
smile when he saw Shi Feng standing still after arriving on the second
floor.

Although he was not present on the battlefield, his viewing angle was
not that far from Shi Feng. Moreover, as a spectator, he had a much
clearer view of the battlefield than Shi Feng, and his field of vision
was nearly three times that of Shi Feng’s.

At this moment, 19 Elite ranked Nightwalker Tarantulas and one Special
Elite ranked Ghost Tarantula had Shi Feng completely surrounded.

[Nightwalker Tarantula] (Elite Rank)

Level 30

HP 70,000/70,000

[Ghost Tarantula] (Special Elite)

Level 30

HP 240,000/240,000

Shi Feng could get two Combat Points for every Nightwalker Tarantula he
killed, while the Ghost Tarantula would give him a total of 40 points if
killed. The points these monsters gave were much more than those for the
monsters on the first floor.

With a visual range of 10 yards, players would have an exceedingly short
time to react to any attacks from the Tarantulas. Here, even taking a
breath at a wrong time could result in one’s death.

Even if players were just going up against monsters of the same Level,
the difficulty of the second floor was significantly higher than the
first floor’s. Hence, the number of experts that had managed to clear
the second floor among the participants of the training system this time
around was extremely low. Even a Refinement Realm expert like Violent
Bear had failed to clear it.

To Shi Feng, however, this floor was child’s play.

After reaching the Void Realm, even having his sense of sight weakened
would hardly affect his combat power. Although Shi Feng could not
visually perceive the situation beyond ten yards, the vibrations and
sounds passing through the air allowed him to pinpoint the positions of
all the monsters within the nest. Before the monsters even got to ten
yards of him, Shi Feng had already started taking appropriate
countermeasures.

Compared to the lions on the first floor, the massive tarantulas on the
second floor were much easier to handle. Although the tarantulas were
slightly faster than the lions, their Strength was weaker.

Up to the moment the battle ended, none of these tarantulas had landed a
direct hit on Shi Feng even once. Only the Ghost Tarantula’s high Attack
Speed managed to force Shi Feng to block its attacks a few times,
inflicting a small amount of damage as a result.

Shi Feng’s evasive maneuvers and attacks completely mesmerized the
spectators of the battle. Shi Feng had fought the monsters as if he was
just taking a leisurely walk through the park.

Aside from these feats...

Shi Feng had also broken the clear record of the second floor. The
original record time was 32 minutes 54 seconds whereas Shi Feng’s clear
time was 27 minutes 35 seconds.

Following which, the number of people spectating Shi Feng’s battle
increased by 15, boosting Shi Feng’s Battle Points further by 3,000.

The third floor was a fiery hell. The majority of the ground on this
floor was scorching red. Stepping on a patch of red immediately imposed
burn damage. Only the areas scorched black were safe. However, there
were very few of such areas in this fiery valley. Players would have
their movement greatly restricted while fighting on this floor.

Meanwhile, Shi Feng’s opponents for this floor were drastically
different from his previous ones. Although there were only ten monsters
on this floor, all ten of them were hovering around in the air.

[Flame Falcon] (Elite Rank)

Level 30

HP 60,000/60,000

[Flame Eagle] (Chieftain Rank)

Level 30

HP 900,000/900,000

---

"They say that the third floor is a major threshold, and until now, only
a few experts have managed to clear the third floor. Just how far will
he be able to go?" Looking at Shi Feng remaining motionless, many people
began wondering how he would avoid the attacks of the Flame Eagle.

A Chieftain was much stronger than a Special Elite. Dodging attacks from
such a monster was already extremely difficult, to begin with, not to
mention the various constraints the environment placed on Shi Feng’s
movements. Without a proper method to cope with the Flame Eagle, Shi
Feng would very quickly lose his life on the third floor.

---

This is rather interesting. It’s no wonder they say that the Battle
Tower plays a crucial role in guiding one through the various combat
realms. As Shi Feng took in his surroundings and the Flame Eagle
hovering above him, he suddenly understood what was going on in the
Battle Tower.

-   Prev Chapter
-   Next Chapter

Chapter 896 - Skyrocketing Points

The Secret Pavilion had another name for the Battle Tower: the Tower of
Guidance.

From what Kong Haoran shared, the Battle Tower could help a player
grow—all the way up to grasping a Domain.

Previously, Shi Feng only partly believed these words. Now, however, he
no longer doubted them.

In order to be considered as having reached the Refinement Realm, one
needed to have excellent control over their own body and be able to
flexibly and naturally vary the amount of strength their body exerted.

The Flowing Water Realm required one to perceive and observe the
opponents. One had to be able to distinguish their opponent’s thoughts
and carry out appropriate responses in advance by observing the
opponent’s minute movements. To put it simply, one needed to be able to
react before their opponents even acted.

The Void Realm demanded a certain amount of control over one’s
surroundings. Instead of merely judging the environment through vision
alone, one needed to push their five senses to the very limits and rely
on these enhanced senses to determine all movements occurring in the
background.

The goal of the Battle Tower’s first floor was to have players learn how
to control themselves, using the pressure of facing a large number of
lions to learn how to adapt nimbly to sudden changes.

The second floor was meant to improve a player’s instantaneous
observation powers and snap judgment.

The third floor served to improve a player’s perception and judgment of
distance. Accurately judging distance was a challenging task. However,
as long as one managed to achieve this, they would be considered to have
officially entered the Flowing Water Realm.

Shi Feng had to admit that the guidance provided by the Battle Tower was
very on point. It was no wonder that Super Guilds could nurture such a
large number of top-tier experts.

The Flame Falcons and Flame Eagle hovering in the sky had no intention
of giving Shi Feng too much time. Letting out screeches that echoed
throughout the entire valley, the fiery birds spat out scorching flames
in Shi Feng’s direction in unison.

---

"It will be difficult for him to clear the third floor."

Among those present inside the Battle Fortress were quite a few people
whose progress stalled on the third floor. Hence, they were very clear
on how difficult this floor was.

Not only would one receive flame attacks from all directions, but the
valley floor would also change at random. Places that were originally
safe zones could turn into a danger zone in the next second. One
constantly needed to pay attention to their footing while on this floor.

Moreover, there were no objects in the area that could serve to block
the flame attacks of the monsters.

One could just imagine the difficulty of the third floor. Not to mention
attacking the flying monsters, the majority of the players who reached
this floor would generally fail to cope properly, and ultimately died to
either the scorching ground or the flame attacks.

"What is he trying to do?"

Everyone suddenly noticed that, despite seeing the ten streaks of flames
coming at him, Shi Feng actually chose to remain standing still.

Just as the flames were about to devour Shi Feng, the Swordsman suddenly
strode forward, his body leaving behind numerous afterimages as he moved
about the small platform he was on. In the next moment, one streak of
flames engulfed the afterimages Shi Feng left behind. After all ten were
gone, Shi Feng was standing back in his original position completely
unscathed.

"How is this possible?!" Cold Autumn was momentarily stupefied.

Although he had yet to reach the third floor himself, it was obvious to
him that were he the one going up against these flame attacks, aside
from running and dodging, he would have no other method to retain his
life. The distance the flame attacks were launched from was simply too
short. He would have absolutely no way to avoid that many attacks in the
limited maneuvering space available. As for blocking the flame attacks
with his weapon, that would be utterly impossible. He would need a
complete set of Mysterious-Iron Equipment—at the very least—to avoid
taking any damage from blocking the attacks of the Flame Falcons.
Blocking the attacks of the Flame Eagle would require him to be fully
geared in Secret-Silver Equipment at the minimum.

However, the system armed them with only a set of Bronze Equipment in
the Battle Tower. Trying to defend against the flame attacks would be
suicidal.

Now, even while standing in that small area, Shi Feng had actually
managed to avoid all the flame attacks. It was as if these flames were
intentionally circling his body.

"This is impossible! There must be something wrong with the system! How
can he dodge all those attacks in time at such a close distance?!" The
players spectating Shi Feng had long since gone into an uproar. Almost
all of them had shouted the same thing.

No matter how they wrapped their minds around it, dodging so many
attacks from such a close distance was not feasible. The only
possibility was that an error had occurred with the system. Otherwise,
how were they supposed to explain the earlier scene?

Wen Hua, however, did not feel any surprise at the outcome of that
onslaught.

Everyone was basing their judgments only on the distance the flames were
coming from. However, they had forgotten that they were living in a
three-dimensional world. Aside from horizontal and vertical distance,
one also should not forget depth. On the screen, it might seem as if all
ten flame attacks came over similar distances. But in reality, the
distance each attack needed to travel was different. As all ten attacks
were launched simultaneously, the times at which the attacks reached Shi
Feng would differ slightly. Meanwhile, Shi Feng had utilized the small
time difference in the arrival of the attacks to systematically evade
them one after another.

The one part about this scene that annoyed Wen Hua, however, was that
she had not noticed the slightest bit of haste or anxiety in Shi Feng’s
movements. The man had casually dodged the attacks as if he was just
taking a leisurely stroll, his actions containing no excess movement
whatsoever. Wen Hua even felt a shiver go down her back when she looked
at how smooth and natural his movements were.

The numerous surprised gasps coming from the spectators immediately
attracted the attention of those resting in the main hall, every one of
them looking at these several spectators in confusion.

"What’s up with them? Aren’t they just spectating a battle? Is there a
need to go so crazy over it?"

This curiosity now tempted many more people who were reluctant to part
with their points. Such a commotion had never occurred before, even when
the upper echelons of their Guilds fought in the Battle Tower.

What exactly was going on inside the Battle Tower?

Just as everyone was hesitating over whether or not to spectate Shi
Feng’s battle, a middle-aged man dressed in luxurious red-black martial
arts robes entered the hall. With quick steps, this middle-aged man
walked up to the portal of the Battle Tower. After finding a quiet place
to sit in, the man then chose to spectate Shi Feng’s battle.

"Damn! This is madness! This is simply madness!"

"Why has Elder Yuan come over as well? Isn’t this a training system
meant to nurture youths with potential?"

"He couldn’t be here to..."

All the bystanders suddenly thought of a possibility when they looked at
Yuan Tiexin quietly sitting down and calling out his system interface.
However, none of them could accept this shocking thought of theirs.

Those who had still been hesitating immediately looked for seats and
chose to spectate Shi Feng’s battle.

Instantly, the number of people spectating Shi Feng increased to 63.

Those who lacked the points to spectate were all stupefied by this
scene. Even when the upper echelon of the Secret Pavilion came to
challenge the Battle Tower, the number of spectators would be around
this number, at most. Moreover, today was a day when many people were
busy with their own matters and had not come to participate in the
training system. Otherwise, the number of spectators right now would
definitely rise even higher.

"Just who is Brother Shi Feng?" The shock Kong Haoran was feeling right
now at this sight was many times more intense than what he felt when he
had faced off against an army of over 100,000 elite players.

"I would be set for life if I could have this many people spectating my
battle." Huo Zhengyang could not close his mouth as he saw this scene.

Just how many Battle Points could he earn if he had this many people
spectating his battle as well?

Even if he fought against a Refinement Realm expert every day, those
points could last him for two whole months.

---

On the third floor of the Battle Tower, Shi Feng repeatedly dodged the
flame attacks sent at him. Even when the terrain changed, he managed to
reach a safe zone immediately. Occasionally, he would also attack with a
flying dart. Although the damage he caused was low, only -500 points or
so, none of the monsters in the Battle Tower had the battle recovery
ability. Hence, he could slowly but surely wear down these monsters.

Following which, one Flame Falcon’s HP continuously decreased. The
battle had already fallen under Shi Feng’s complete control.

That’s enough experimentation. It’s about time things ended. He then
threw out the last dart that took away the final strand of HP of a Flame
Falcon.

As a result of one Flame Falcon dying, the number of attacks Shi Feng
had to face at a single time decreased from ten to nine, making dodging
the attacks much easier for him.

With no suspense whatsoever, he whittled down the remaining Flame
Falcons and Flame Eagle, once again easily clearing a floor.

Only, as Shi Feng was not playing a ranged class, his attacks were a lot
less effective compared those of ranged classes. Hence, he had not
managed to break the record clear time for the third floor. Even so, he
still stupefied all his spectators.

The reason for everyone’s shock was because Shi Feng’s clear time for
the third floor was only marginally slower than the current record
holder’s. If his ranged weapon had been slightly better and he had
learned a few more good Skills, he could’ve easily broken the record.

Following which, Shi Feng entered the fourth floor of the Battle Tower.
This was also the highest floor the current batch of trainees had
reached.

-   Prev Chapter
-   Next Chapter

Chapter 897 - Silent Hell

"This person is strong! It was worth spending all those points to
spectate him!"

"This is my first time seeing someone clear the third floor so easily!
This shows that he has still not reached his limits! At this rate, he
might even be able to clear the fourth floor and become the first person
among this batch of trainees to reach the fifth floor!"

"That’s impossible. This is the fourth floor we are talking about. Even
the top experts of our Guild are still stuck there. Even if Shi Feng is
amazing, it is simply impossible for him to match up to the top experts
of our Guild."

"I guess you’re right. Our Guild’s top experts all stand at the peak of
God’s Domain. There are probably only a handful of youths who can
surpass them."

Just as the spectators were discussing Shi Feng’s battle, Shi Feng
himself set foot onto the fourth floor.

Unlike the second and third floors, which had vile environments, the
fourth floor was elegant and serene. Trees and shrubberies surrounded
Shi Feng. There was also a pristine lake nearby.

"This is..." Shi Feng observed his surroundings, his expression turning
slightly serious.

Although his surroundings looked very peaceful, Shi Feng could not
ignore a sense of crisis in his mind. The worst part about this hunch
was that he did not know what triggered it.

Even though he was standing still and doing nothing, this sense of
crisis was looming closer and closer.

Could they be stealthed monsters? Shi Feng thought of a possibility.

Or to put it in another way, it was the only possibility.

This sensation he was feeling right now was as if numerous top-tier
Assassin experts were staring at him. However, no matter how skilled and
silent the Assassin might be, as long as they were a player, Shi Feng
would more or less be able to find traces of them through sight and
hearing, yet neither of these two senses of his had picked up anything.

He discovered them so quickly! Wen Hua was somewhat surprised to see Shi
Feng’s expression turning a little guarded.

The fourth floor of the Battle Tower had another name to it—Silent Hell.

It had a total of eight Elite ranked Void Assassins and one Chieftain
ranked Null Assassin.

[Void Assassin] (Elite Rank)

Level 30

HP 50,000/50,000

[Null Assassin] (Chieftain Rank)

Level 30

HP 200,000/200,000

Although their HPs were very low, these monsters had a special
characteristic: they remained in a permanent state of nothingness. Their
bodies existed in a completely different space, so one’s senses of
sight, hearing, and smell could not detect these monsters no matter
what.

Only when these monsters launched an attack would their real bodies
manifest. However, they would appear for only a very short time, around
one second at most. Aside from this brief period, attacks directed at
these monsters would be completely ineffective.

The difficulty of the fourth floor had left everyone who had managed to
reach the fourth floor in this batch of trainees utterly helpless.

Setting aside the fact that the attacks of the Assassins were lightning
fast, just the fact that the attacks were launched at such a close
distance made dodging them nearly impossible. Or to put it in another
way, it was simply impossible for someone with the Attributes of an
ordinary Level 30 player to evade those attacks.

Even if one managed to dodge those kinds of attacks, failing to
counterattack in time would eventually lead to death from
overexhaustion.

Back when Wen Hua herself had reached the fourth floor for the first
time, she had died completely unaware of what had happened. And even
now, she was still stuck on this floor. Only the monster-like existences
of the Secret Pavilion were able to contend against the Assassins on
this floor. So far, just a few people throughout the entire Guild had
managed to clear the fourth floor.

I wonder just how far you will be able to go? A bright smile appeared on
Wen Hua’s face as she quietly observed the Swordsman.

She had a feeling that, if she could observe Shi Feng clearing this
floor, she might be able to break through that barrier that was
preventing her from improving.

Under Wen Hua’s gaze, Shi Feng started moving. Without hesitation, he
dashed up to a nearby tree and placed his back against the large tree.
This way, he no longer needed to pay attention to attacks coming from
behind. He just needed to keep an eye out for attacks coming from 180
degrees in front of him.

"Damn, so you can do something like that as well?!" Everyone spectating
this scene was stupefied.

They had never thought to utilize the terrain in such a way.

The effort an expert needed to expend to defend against attacks coming
from just 180 degrees was many times less than attacks coming from all
360 degrees. With the energy saved, one could better perceive and
concentrate as well. Moreover, dodging attacks would become much easier.

However, as soon as Shi Feng stood in front of the large tree, a
silvery-white dagger suddenly appeared before him, directly slashing at
his neck.

So fast! Surprised, Shi Feng instinctively sidestepped.

With the speed of the attack as well as the short distance it was
launched from, if Shi Feng had not responded instantly, he would have
gotten struck without a doubt. Fortunately, he had already reached the
Void Realm, so he could feel the movements in his surroundings.

Although the appearance of the dagger was very sudden, the moment the
weapon materialized, it would more or less generate some fluctuations in
the air, which gave him sufficient warning and allowed him to carry out
preventive measures.

In the next moment, the snowy-white dagger brushed past his neck and
left a deep scar on the tree behind him.

Close on the heels of that first attack, fluctuations appeared from two
more places. Meanwhile, the position of these fluctuations came from the
direction he had sidestepped to.

Shi Feng tightened his grip on his twin swords and hurriedly slashed at
the locations the two fluctuations originated from.

Peng! Peng!

Two crisp sounds echoed throughout the entire forest. The sparks
generated were also extraordinarily eye-catching.

"Crap, isn’t he too amazing? How did he manage to detect those attacks?"

The spectators’ mouths all fell wide open when they saw the sparks
flashing before Shi Feng. As bystanders, they had a much clearer view of
the situation than Shi Feng. However, even after looking for a long
time, they failed to detect anything peculiar about the locations he had
attacked; there was just empty space there. Nevertheless, Shi Feng
succeeded in very accurately blocking two strikes. They all felt that
Shi Feng was not human but a monster in human guise, instead.

How are his attacks so fast?

Wen Hua was inwardly shocked when she saw this scene, her mind
constantly replaying Shi Feng’s previous actions.

Setting aside how Shi Feng had managed to detect the location of the
attacks, just being able to execute such quick counters from such a
short distance was simply unbelievable. This was definitely not a feat
an ordinary human being could accomplish.

Her dynamic vision was among the best in the entire Guild. Even if it
were a baseball moving at 160 kilometers per hour, she would be able to
clearly see and count the number of rotations the ball was making.

For attacks that no one else could see even the afterimages of, she
could make out some afterimages. Although they would be extremely vague,
she would still manage to see a small portion of the attack.

However, Shi Feng’s slashes were completely different. Normally, when an
attack was launched, the speed of the attack would start from zero and
slowly accelerate up to maximum speed. However, through some unknown
technique, Shi Feng’s swords had gone from a standstill to moving at
maximum speed instantly. There was no acceleration process in between
whatsoever.

Following which, Shi Feng brandished his swords dozens of times,
blocking every attack sent at him. Not a single scratch could be found
on his body. Instead, the constant clangor of metal surrounded him.

Seen from afar, Shi Feng appeared to be training his swordsmanship all
by himself.

As more time passed, Shi Feng grew accustomed to blocking the attacks of
the Assassins.

Time to end this! Shi Feng swept a glance at his surroundings, his lips
curling up in a smile.

At this moment, he no longer bothered to block the dagger striking at
him. Instead, as if he had already anticipated this attack, his body
smoothly sidestepped while his right arm swung at the location the
dagger appeared from.

Soon after, a streak of greenish blood stained the grassy ground.

-   Prev Chapter
-   Next Chapter

Chapter 898 - Unseen Improvement

-1,327.

The instant this damage emerged, a blurry figure also appeared, the
dark-green HP bar above the figure’s head shortening slightly.

A moment after the HP bar showed up, however, the figure disappeared
once more. Even when Shi Feng tried launching another attack at the same
position, the only thing his sword hit was air.

There’s only a 1.3-second period for a counterattack. That really is
short. No wonder so many people have failed to clear this floor. Shi
Feng was slightly surprised. He had never expected these monsters to
have such a characteristic as well.

Originally, it was already very difficult to grasp the attack
trajectories of these monsters. Moreover, there wasn’t just one monster
attacking him. Based on Shi Feng’s perception, at least five monsters
were attacking him. Yet, not only did he have to dodge the attacks of
these monsters, but he also needed to launch a counterattack within such
a short timeframe. This greatly increased the difficulty of clearing the
floor.

Having no better choice, Shi Feng could only continue silently blocking
the attacks while searching for opportunities to counterattack.

He often had to block over a dozen attacks before he got the opportunity
to launch a counterattack. If he failed to grab this opportunity, he
would have to block another dozen, or even two or three dozen, attacks.

If an ordinary person were standing in Shi Feng’s place right now, they
would surely feel bored at the moment. Shi Feng, however, was actually
joyous.

He could not help but admit that the guidance provided by the Battle
Tower was indeed excellent.

All unawares, Shi Feng had focused his full concentration on detecting
the spatial fluctuations. As a result, the sensitivity of his five
senses heightened while his grasp of his surroundings constantly
deepened.

It was normally impossible for one to encounter situations where subtle
spatial fluctuations appeared around oneself.

Hence, being able to hone his perception to such a fine degree right now
was like a dream for Shi Feng.

Time passed quickly. Even when Shi Feng had an opportunity to
counterattack and deal damage to the Void Assassins, he did not take
action. After all, this here was the best place for him to train right
now.

As his perception improved, Shi Feng became increasingly sensitive to
the subtle fluctuations caused by the Void Assassins.

Initially, these weak fluctuations felt no different from tiny raindrops
hitting his skin. Although he could feel them, his perception of them
was not that clear. As a result, even when his body felt these
fluctuations, his brain dismissed them as negligible. However, after
sensing the fluctuations for thousands of times, his awareness of them
intensified. Now, these fluctuations felt more like little pebbles
hitting his body, instead, the pain more than sufficient to grab his
attention. Even without his brain making any conscious decisions, he
would instinctively react and turn towards the direction the
fluctuations came from.

It’s no wonder super-first-rate Guilds and Super Guilds can nurture so
many apex experts and even monsters that grasp a Domain. Sure enough,
they are not existences that even well-funded first-rate Guilds can
threaten, Shi Feng inwardly sighed emotionally.

He had profited massively from the trade with the Secret Pavilion this
time.

If not for this trade, he most likely would have remained unaware of
just how frightening the major powers of God’s Domain were.

Although he currently had a Secret Technique tablet and even an Epic
Guild Quest that could send him to the Ancient Battlefield, the Holy
Land for Experts, neither of those things could even compare with the
Battle Tower.

The value of the Secret Technique tablet lay in the fact that it allowed
players to learn advanced combat techniques, which would, in turn,
greatly increase their combat powers. The improvement in combat
standards was only a bonus. Whether players could actually gain
inspiration from learning the combat technique was a different matter
altogether.

As for the Holy Land, although Shi Feng had never been there before,
based on what he had heard about the place, the improvements one could
gain there should be roughly equal to, or even inferior to, those from
the Battle Tower. However, as the number of people the training system
could accommodate was limited, the Holy Land seemed very valuable.
Otherwise, the major powers of God’s Domain might not even bother to
compete over entry to the Holy Land.

---

"What a pity. I thought he would clear the fourth floor as well. Now, it
seems that it isn’t possible. At the rate at which he is
counterattacking, his Stamina and Concentration will run out before the
battle is over."

"Didn’t I say so already? That place is the Silent Hell. If even so many
of our Guild’s top experts can’t clear it, how could a newcomer like him
possibly clear it?"

"But the fact that he has lasted for so long is already plenty amazing.
This is my first time seeing someone survive this long against those
monsters."

"Indeed. The attacks of those monsters are simply impossible to predict.
If it were up to me, I’d probably be dead in less than five seconds.
Moreover, among our batch of trainees, not a single person has managed
to last as long as Shi Feng on the fourth floor. With this, he can be
considered the number one player among us."

Without anyone noticing, Shi Feng had risen to become the first ranking
player in everyone’s hearts. At this moment, the members of the Secret
Pavilion no longer looked at him arrogantly, all of them feeling only
admiration for the Swordsman.

---

Just as everyone had thought that Shi Feng’s limit was the fourth
floor...

Two streaks of green blood suddenly appeared before Shi Feng, the Void
Assassin that had its body exposed losing close to a total of 2,700 HP.

That should be enough practice. There’s no point in continuing this
training. Let’s go to the fifth floor to take a look, then. After
deciding so, Shi Feng adjusted his breathing and finally launched his
counterattack.

After a long period of tempering himself with the Void Assassins, Shi
Feng could already react to the fluctuations they caused without paying
deliberate attention to them. He could now place more of his
concentration on dodging and attacking, instead. Although he could still
improve slightly if he continued tempering himself, his remaining
Stamina did not permit him to do so.

Moreover, compared to tempering his perception of the surrounding space,
he was currently more interested in finding out what sort of trial
awaited him on the fifth floor.

---

"What’s going on? Shouldn’t his Stamina and Concentration have declined
significantly? Theoretically, his counterattack rate should gradually
drop. So, why is it now increasing?" The spectators were all shocked to
see Shi Feng behaving as if he had just taken a dose of stimulants.

However, what no one knew was that, after undergoing that period of
tempering, Shi Feng’s combat standards had received significant
improvements.

If before he had to focus three-fourths of his concentration on sensing
the spatial fluctuations, he now needed to use only one-third of it to
do so. This change allowed Shi Feng’s attack rate to increase over
threefold.

---

In less than ten minutes, Shi Feng had defeated all eight Void
Assassins, leaving only the Chieftain ranked Null Assassin, which had
not moved at all since the start of the battle.

The instant the eighth Void Assassin died, the Null Assassin finally
took action.

The instant the Null Assassin struck, Shi Feng nearly lost his life.

The Null Assassin’s attack was exceedingly fast, and its Strength was
extremely powerful. It was simply impossible for Shi Feng to evade the
Chieftain’s strike even though he had managed to sense it coming.
Reacting quickly, Shi Feng launched an attack of his own at the Null
Assassin’s dagger, using the force of the impact to deflect the dagger’s
attack trajectory slightly so that it struck air, instead.

So strong. Shi Feng inwardly felt fortunate as he looked at his
still-trembling arm.

If not for him requiring less concentration now to detect the spatial
fluctuations and being able to invest more attention into attacking and
evading, he would’ve most likely fallen to the Null Assassin already.

---

He dodged it? Yuan Tiexin was astounded as he looked at the unmarked Shi
Feng.

He had expected Shi Feng to suffer miserably when the Null Assassin took
action.

The reason for this assumption of his was because he understood just how
powerful the Null Assassin was. Although he, too, was a Void Realm
expert, he had suffered hundreds of defeats at the hands of the Null
Assassin. Only after a long period of arduous training did he manage to
defeat the Null Assassin. Moreover, even until now, his win-rate against
the Null Assassin was still not 100%. Hence, he never imagined that Shi
Feng would actually manage to deflect the Null Assassin’s attack on his
first try.

The scariest part about the Null Assassin was its first attack. If one
could avoid its first attack, the subsequent battle would become much
simpler.

Sure enough, after a short adjustment period, Shi Feng launched his
counterattack on the Null Assassin, continuously dealing damage to the
Chieftain. In the end, after a dozen minutes or so of strenuous battle,
he depleted the Null Assassin’s 200,000 HP.

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Chapter 899 - Ranking Competition’s Number One

"What?!"

"He cleared it, just like that?!"

All of the spectators were stupefied as the Null Assassin’s corpse
appeared on the ground.

Until now, not a single person among their trainees had conquered the
Silent Hell.

Although they knew that some of them would eventually clear the fourth
floor, they never expected a newcomer from another Guild to do so.

Meanwhile, Shi Feng’s success caused an uproar among the other players
in the main hall.

Many people began to regret their decision to not watch Shi Feng’s
battle. If they had done so, they might’ve learned something, allowing
for minor breakthroughs. After all, every expert had their own strengths
and weaknesses. If the other party’s strength made up for what they
lacked, they would gain some insight from watching the battle.

"Hahaha! You guys have seen it now, right? I’m not weak. It’s that Shi
Feng is too strong! Among our batch, he ranks at the very top. With my
abilities, how could I possibly be a match for him?" When Violent Bear
saw Shi Feng clear the fourth floor, excitement replaced his previously
defeated expression. He then turned to the fighters who had laughed at
him and proudly proclaimed, "If you guys think I’m weak, why don’t you
challenge him, rather than spout bullshit from the sidelines?!"

Suddenly, the players who had previously mocked Violent Bear fell
silent.

Thinking back to the Berserker’s battle against Shi Feng, although
Violent Bear had lost quite a few points, he had actually profited from
the fight against an expert like Shi Feng.

Usually, for those with lower standards, it was impossible to find an
opportunity to fight trainees who had reached the fourth floor. The
latter despised fighting them. Violent Bear, on the other hand, had,
unintentionally, scored a fight against an expert like Shi Feng. If
Violent Bear gained even a fragment of inspiration from that fight, the
800 points he had lost would’ve been worth it.

If possible, they were willing to spend five or six hundred points,
eight hundred points, for a match against Shi Feng. However, this
opportunity had obviously passed.

The fact that Shi Feng had secured first place in the ranking
competition meant that he no longer lacked Battle Points. Furthermore,
why would Shi Feng need to fight them?

---

On the Battle Tower’s fifth floor...

As soon as Shi Feng arrived, he felt a massive mental suppression weigh
on him. This mental suppression was many times stronger than the Abyssal
Blade had exuded when he executed a Skill. He felt as if he stood before
a Tier 5 monster, suffocating. His body’s reaction speed and mobility
were also heavily restricted.

Aside from this oppressive pressure, he noticed that he stood in a dimly
lit cave. Steam filled the cave, feeling like a massive sauna. The steam
also hindered Shi Feng’s vision.

Aside from Shi Feng, five giant snakes with dark gray bodies and three
heads each slithered in the steamy cavern. The snakes amber eyes glared
at Shi Feng.

[Three-headed Snake] (Special Elite)

Level 30

HP 150,000/150,000

Before Shi Feng could adapt to the environment here, the five
Three-headed Snakes moved.

Inside the rubble-filled cave, Shi Feng’s mobility was restricted. The
Three-headed Snakes, on the other hand, treated these obstacles as if
they didn’t exist. They moved through the cave like flowing water,
easily overcoming the various obstacles in their path with unaffected
speed. In the blink of an eye, all five snakes arrived before Shi Feng.

After the five Three-headed Snakes surrounded Shi Feng, they began to
spit needles of corrosive venom at the Swordsman. The venomous needles
rained down on Shi Feng like thin rain. In this steamy environment, it
was simply impossible to detect them with the naked eye. Shi Feng could
only determine the attacks’ trajectories by the fluctuations in the air.

However, there were simply too many needles.

A single Three-headed Snake had spat over a dozen needles. With five
Three-headed Snakes surrounding Shi Feng, he faced was over 70 attacks.

An ordinary person would have their hands full with just five of these
attacks. Now, there were over 70. Moreover, even one of these attacks
was more than enough to injure Shi Feng heavily. The fifth floor’s
difficulty was clear to see.

Even if Shi Feng were at his peak, he could never defend against so many
attacks. He needed to rely on quick movements to reduce the number of
attacks he received. Only by doing so would he have any chance of
survival. Moreover, not only were his reactions slowed right now, but he
was also surrounded by a vial environment. With so many obstacles, it
would be very easy to trip and fall if he moved too quickly, which would
then open holes in his defense.

However, even knowing this, Shi Feng chose to run. If he simply stood
there, the numerous attacks would claim his life.

As expected of the Battle Tower’s fifth floor. This isn’t any place for
ordinary human beings. Shi Feng brandished his twin swords to deflect
the venomous needles as he ran.

Although these needles did not contain much force, there were many of
them. Even after Shi Feng ran, he had to face nearly forty needles. With
his blurred perception, a single mistake would result in the venomous
needles finding their mark.

Although each needle only dealt around -500 damage, Shi Feng only had
several thousand HP.

Following which, as Shi Feng ran through the cave and evaded the
needles, his HP rapidly decreased.

In the blink of an eye, Shi Feng’s HP reached zero, his body falling to
the ground. In the end, he was teleported out of the Battle Tower.

Even after Shi Feng returned to the main hall, the spectators around the
Battle Tower’s portal were still in a daze.

The fifth floor was absurdly difficult. Just watching the rain of
venomous needles pelt Shi Feng made a chill run down their spines. There
was also that massive mental suppression to contend with. If they had to
fight in such an environment, they wouldn’t even last two seconds before
becoming porcupines. However, Shi Feng had managed to last over ten
seconds before succumbing to the near-invisible needles. If not for
those attacks being so hard to detect, Shi Feng could’ve survived for
much longer. He might’ve even put up a good fight against those
Three-headed Snakes.

Is this his current strength? After Cold Autumn exited spectator mode,
he looked around him, a faint chill crawling down his back.

Fortunately, he had experienced that battle as a spectator. Had he been
fighting, against that oppressive pressure, he would have been
paralyzed; all he could have done was wait for death to take him.

As for Wen Hua, after seeing the difference between herself and Shi
Feng, she wasn’t afraid in the least. On the contrary, she brimmed with
fighting spirit, the corners of her lips lifting into a bright smile.

Although she could clearly feel just how massive the gap was between
them, she had obtained tremendous insight from watching Shi Feng’s
fight.

Previously, she had concentrated on a singular question: why were Shi
Feng’s attacks so fast?

However, after a long period of observation, she more or less gained
some inspiration.

Every time Shi Feng attacked, his body began to move even before his
sword did. By relying on his body’s movements and energy transfer, his
sword had already been accelerating for a brief period by the time he
moved his arm. Hence, when Shi Feng actually swung his sword, the sword
seemed as if it instantly transitioned from a standstill to maximum
speed.

Although the theory sounded simple, one needed a degree of physical
control that was beyond the scope of ordinary humans to accomplish this
feat.

Of course, Wen Hua had a lot of confidence in herself. She believed
that, if Shi Feng could do it, there was no reason that she could not.

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