Chapter 383

Chapter 383: Blade Demon

“So, this is it, huh.”

Reading the item’s information, Shi Feng got a general understanding of the situation.

Even if he ran to the mountain and reached its peak, that wouldn’t mean he passed the trial. He needed to collect all 50 Legacy Chapters to pass.

However, now that he knew what he needed to do, this trial would be much easier to defeat.

He just had to search for Skeleton Warriors and kill Skeleton Giants to obtain Legacy Chapters.

So, Shi Feng began hunting around the fields for Skeleton Warriors.

Although the swords in the sky were a nuisance, Shi Feng gradually understood their attack patterns and could dodge them more efficiently. Soon, they were no longer much of an issue. Even when dealing with a large group of Skeleton Warriors, these swords would nick him a few times at most, dealing negligible damage.

After killing 12 Skeleton Giants in a row, Shi Feng discovered a problem.

Not every Skeleton Giant would drop a Legacy Chapter. In fact, the drop rate was very low. After killing 12 Skeleton Giants, he only obtained two Legacy Chapters. None of the monsters Shi Feng killed gave him any EXP, either. He also needed to dodge the swords from above constantly. Hunting these Skeleton Giants was truly exhausting, both physically and mentally. If not for the fact that one of the Ten Great Saint Legacies beckoned him, Shi Feng would never tolerate such a strenuous and unrewarding task.

—

While Shi Feng searched for Skeleton Warriors all around the mountain, an incident occurred in White River City.

Dark Star, a Guild that White River City had already forgotten, suddenly declared its dissolution. This news came as a great shock to everyone. Some of the Guilds who had previously allied themselves with Dark Star simultaneously announced their dissolution as well.

Originally, everyone had thought that White River City was on the path of becoming the overlord of Star-Moon Kingdom.

However, no one could have expected the following development.

Half a day after the dissolution of these Guilds, a Branch Guild of Overwhelming Smile suddenly appeared in White River City. More shockingly, Lone Tyrant, who was originally the Guild Leader of Dark Star, had become the Vice-Leader that led Overwhelming Smile’s Branch Guild. Furthermore, the benefits that Overwhelming Smile offered were impressive, at least twice as valuable as what Dark Star had previously offered. It was a blatant display of wealth.

The members of the dissolved Guilds promptly joined Overwhelming Smile’s White River City Branch.

Within half a day since Overwhelming Smile’s Branch Guild’s establishment, its member count had already reached 30,000. Moreover, that number was still increasing. It continuously recruited new members, thinking of ways to steal players from Zero Wing.

“Big Sis Aqua, Overwhelming Smile thinks too little of us. Instead of recruiting in their hometown of Maple City, they ran all the way here to fight us over members. The Guild Leader also suddenly disappeared and cannot be contacted. If we allow Overwhelming Smile to continue, by the time we start our recruitment tomorrow, they will have stolen all the good saplings. Big Sis Aqua, why don’t we start recruiting right now?” Snow Goose asked anxiously.

It had been Zero Wing’s fame that had attracted players from other cities. Yet, now, Overwhelming Smile had come to steal the fruit of victory. It was truly despicable.

“Overwhelming Smile is truly ambitious. They’ve only obtained the First Clear of a large-scale Team Dungeon, yet, already, they’re hungering after White River City.” Aqua Rose’s eyes flashed with rage. Although she was not afraid of losing potential Guild Members, she could not stand Overwhelming Smile’s arrogant attitude. They were clearly trying to provoke Zero Wing. “Does Overwhelming Smile think it is so easy to weave a web in White River City? Let’s start advertising our recruitment right now! I want to see how a second-rate Guild without a Guild Residence plans to compete with Zero Wing in terms of benefits!”

Once Zero Wing began to prepare for its recruitment fervently as well, White River City exploded with activity.

On one side, there was Overwhelming Smile, a Guild that had claimed the First Clear of a large-scale Team Dungeon and annexed Dark Star, one of the top six Guilds of White River City. On the other side stood Zero Wing, a Guild that possessed a Guild Residence and was led by Star-Moon Kingdom’s number one expert.

Many players on the forums were also discussing which Guild they should join.

“Big Brother Shadow Sword, White River City is truly interesting. Despite only being the fifth-ranking city of Star-Moon Kingdom, it is now contested over by the two most popular Guilds in the kingdom. Which Guild do you think these independent players will join?” the female Guardian Knight, Turtledove, asked the Berserker beside her, Shadow Sword, with an amused smile on her face.

“I don’t know what others will choose, but my goal from the very beginning has been to join Zero Wing,” Shadow Sword wasn’t interested in the competition between the two Guilds. His only thoughts right now were of passing Zero Wing’s assessment and polishing his strength by learning from the experts in Zero Wing. He also hoped to learn from Zero Wing’s Guild Leader, Black Flame. He had no interest in anything beyond that.

—

Meanwhile, after spending an entire day at the Origin Sword Domain, Shi Feng had collected 21 Legacy Chapters.

“Oh? What’s that monster?” At this moment, Shi Feng, who stood at the foot of Sword Peak Mountain, discovered a monster of steel slowly descended the mountain. This steel monster seemed to be patrolling its territory.

Although this monster was not large, only twice as tall as Shi Feng, all four of its limbs were blades. The rest of its body was made of pitch-black steel, decorated with spikes. It looked like a machine of slaughter.

Although Shi Feng wanted to know this monster’s information, he only received an “Unknown” when he attempted to identify it. Even Observing Eyes failed to yield any results. Hence, Shi Feng had no choice but to use Omniscient Eyes.

[Blade Demon] (Demonic Creature, Chieftain Rank)

Level 30

HP 300,000/300,000

Shi Feng’s interest suddenly grew upon discovering that the Blade Demon was a Chieftain ranked monster.

Since the Chieftain ranked Skeleton Giant had a chance to drop Legacy Chapters, the Chieftain ranked Blade Demon before him might drop the item as well. Fortunately, dealing with a single Blade Demon was much easier than destroying hundreds of Skeleton Warriors in addition to a Skeleton Giant.

Moreover, the Blade Demon only had 300,000 HP. At most, it would only be slightly stronger than the Skeleton Giants. If so, Shi Feng could defeat it easily.

Of course, Shi Feng would not rashly charge to his death. The only reason he had defeated the Skeleton Giants so easily was due to the monster’s dull reactions and the aid of the swords in the sky. On the other hand, not only was the Blade Demon a stronger monster, but it also wasn’t that large. Shi Feng didn’t expect its reaction time to be as slow.

If Shi Feng confronted the Blade Demon directly, he would only seek his own death. Hence, he needed to identify the monster’s weakness.

If it’s a Demonic Creature, then the Demon Hunter title will suppress its strength. Let’s use the doppelganger to test things out first, then. Thinking so, Shi Feng switched out his Might of a Thousand title for the Demon Hunter title.

The Demon Hunter title reduced the Attributes of all darkness-type monsters within a 100-yard radius by 10% and increased Shi Feng’s damage towards darkness-type monsters by 10%. Demonic Creatures were considered darkness-type monsters.

Following which, Shi Feng used Phantom Kill and sent his doppelganger charging forward.

When the doppelganger was 40 yards away from the Blade Demon, it threw the Blazing Meteor at the monster. A red glow instantly crossed the distance between the doppelganger and the Blade Demon. Just as the Blazing Meteor was about to hit the Blade Demon’s back a black streak of light flashed over, striking the Blazing Meteor out of its path.

“What? Is it that amazing? Does it not have any blind spots?” Shi Feng muttered in shock.

Shi Feng’s doppelganger had clearly launched its attack, yet, as if the Blade Demon had eyes in the back of its head, it deflected the flying projectile. Moreover, the Blade Demon’s reaction was astonishingly quick; the Skeleton Giants paled in comparison.

However, Shi Feng did not believe that the Blade Demon had no blind spots.

The doppelganger activated Windwalk and circled to the other side of the Blade Demon. Once again, it threw the Blazing Meteor, launching a series of attacks in quick succession.

The Blazing Meteor shot at the Blade Demon again and again. However, no matter which angle it approached, the Blade Demon easily deflected it. Moreover, the monster moved extremely fast, leaving afterimages wherever it passed. In just a moment, the Blade Demon stood in front of Shi Feng’s doppelganger.

Shua! Shua! Shua!

In the blink of an eye, the Blade Demon had launched dozens of attacks. Despite the doppelganger having already activated Defensive Blade, the Demon broke through the skill almost instantly. The doppelganger only managed to block a few attacks before losing its life…

Shi Feng’s eyes widened as he watched his doppelganger’s death.

However, after a brief moment of shock, Shi Feng suddenly discovered that the Blade Demon had not returned to its wandering after killing the doppelganger. Instead, it turned around and charged directly at him.

Chapter 384: Unique Set Equipment

Despite also being a Level 30 Chieftain, the Blade Demon was far more powerful than the Skeleton Giant.

Realizing that he could not face the Blade Demon directly, Shi Feng immediately activated Windwalk and ran. He wanted to break away from the combat area as quickly as possible.

However, after running for over a hundred yards, the Blade Demon was still on his tail.

Although Shi Feng’s Movement Speed was much higher than the Blade Demon’s, with the countless blades in the sky restraining him, Shi Feng was not actually much faster than the Blade Demon. The distance between the two hovered around 30 yards.

The Blade Demon was determined to chase Shi Feng to the ends of the world. As long as the Blade Demon caught up to Shi Feng, he would have to deal with the attacks from both the Blade Demon and the swords descending from the sky. At that time, his fate would be sealed.

I need to find a way to deal with it. I’ll be in trouble if it catches up.

Shi Feng examined the surrounding terrain. The area around him was the very definition of “flatlands.” The fields were endless, and there was nothing that he could use to his advantage.

However, as Shi Feng moved further away from Sword Peak Mountain, the number of swords that descended from above increased. It was as if they were reminding Shi Feng that he was not allowed to move away from the mountain.

However, Shi Feng couldn’t care less right now. If he stopped, only death awaited him. Hence, he continued running at full speed while enduring the countless swords raining down on him. After running for a certain distance, Shi Feng suddenly noticed that, whenever the Blade Demon behind him touched the densely packed swords that had fallen to the ground, damages of -100 would appear above its head. Due to the hindrances in its path, the Blade Demon’s speed also slightly decreased.

Shi Feng’s troubled expression transformed into a wicked smile. Just before the effect of Windwalk was about to disappear, Shi Feng took out a Speed Scroll from his bag and used it. He then continued running away from Sword Peak Mountain. This time, however, Shi Feng purposefully zigzagged. This way, if the Blade Demon wished to approach him, it would definitely collide with the swords on the ground.

As a result, not only would the Blade Demon’s speed decrease, but it would also receive a continuous stream of damage.

The Blade Demon had a total of 300,000 HP. With its battle recovery, it could regain 3,000 HP every five seconds. Shi Feng could not kill the Blade Demon by relying only on the scattered swords. Hence, Shi Feng occasionally threw the Blazing Meteor at the monster. However, the Blade Demon’s defensive capabilities were simply too powerful. Out of all of Shi Feng’s attacks, only 10% struck the Blade Demon.

Shi Feng also used skills such as Thundering Flash and Earth Splitter, dealing over -1,000 damage with each hit. Overall, the damage the Blade Demon received barely surpassed its battle recovery. If Shi Feng wanted to kill the Blade Demon, he would need to spend a very long time to do so.

It seems that I can only drag things out. Shi Feng had no other options. The only fortunate thing about this situation was that the Blade Demon could eventually die.

—

Time passed, bit by bit.

While Shi Feng played his game of cat and mouse with the Blade Demon, White River City had become extraordinarily lively. Zero Wing had finally started its recruitment.

The independent players who had waited eagerly for this moment were incomparably excited.

As everyone arrived at Zero Wing’s recruitment location, anticipation overwhelmed them.

The Purple Sun Mansion, the real estate that occupied the largest lot and best location in White River City, was actually Zero Wing’s Guild Residence.

“I’m not seeing things, right? Isn’t this the Purple Sun Mansion? Zero Wing isn’t even giving the other Guilds a chance!”

“Damn! Zero Wing’s Guild Hall is huge! It won’t have any problems holding several thousand players at a single time!”

“That’s nothing. I have a brother in Zero Wing. I hear that it’s even more amazing inside. Aside from having a high-class bar, many NPCs appear every day to issue Guild Quests. The number and variety of Guild Quests they get far surpass those available at the Adventurer’s Association. Not only can members of Zero Wing obtain a lot more EXP, but the item rewards they can get from the quests are also much more abundant. Some quests even reward Secret-Silver items. Also, if members rest inside the Guild Hall, they can accumulate a Double EXP buff. There are private rooms available for rent, too.”

For a time, everyone began forming a long queue outside Zero Wing’s Guild Residence, enthusiastically applying to Zero Wing. From a glance, the number of players in line had already exceeded 30,000.

The many benefits such as high-level quests, Double EXP buff, private rooms and more had sent all the independent players into a frenzy.

Meanwhile, when news of Zero Wing’s Guild Residence spread, the various Guilds throughout Star-Moon Kingdom tumbled into turmoil.

Originally, these Guilds didn’t think much of a Guild Residence.

However, they never expected a Guild Residence to provide such significant benefits. All this time, they regarded a Guild Residence as only a symbol of a Guild’s establishment, a place where Guild members could gather and chat. Now that they realized what a Guild Residence could do, the upper echelons of these Guilds felt a chill crawl down their spines.

A Guild Residence was simply too terrifying. Not only could it increase the leveling speed of Guild members, but it could also provide a source of Coins for the Guild. Now that Zero Wing possessed its own Guild Residence, the Guild would no longer have to purchase Coins using Credits or form teams to specifically farm Coins. The Guild Residence also had other aspects that could allow a Guild to develop quickly. How could Guilds like theirs that did not possess a Guild Residence compete with Zero Wing now?

At this time, the first-rate Guilds who were not originally concerned with Zero Wing had to reevaluate their opinions.

“Young Master Feng, now that Zero Wing has revealed their Guild Residence, everyone in Star-Moon Kingdom has shifted their attention back to them. Overwhelming Smile’s achievement can no longer hamper Zero Wing’s recruitment. Should we focus on solidifying the Branch Guild in White River City?”

“I have really underestimated Black Flame. However, don’t think that I am out of options,” Feng Xuanyang sneered. “Since you dare challenge me, you will only have one ending. Tell Overwhelming Smile this: don’t worry about spending money; just steal as many players from Zero Wing as possible. I want to see just how a Guild without many members can develop.”

Shortly after Feng Xuanyang gave his command, Overwhelming Smile took action.

Overwhelming Smile shocked the various Guilds in White River City.

“Overwhelming Smile has gone insane!” Snow Goose shouted when she read the latest information on Overwhelming Smile.

In order to attract independent players, Overwhelming Smile had increased the benefits it offered once again. At this moment, it offered four times what Dark Star had in the past. Normal members alone would be treated far better than even elite players of other Guilds. The benefits offered to Overwhelming Smile’s elite members was beyond comparison.

Overwhelming Smile even began to publicly poach Zero Wing’s normal members, promising them threefold what the other Guild members received if they joined the Guild.

Originally, Overwhelming Smile’s increase in the benefits was already shocking. Now, that they took it a step further and offered another threefold raise, how could the members of Zero Wing not be tempted? In fact, some members already considered withdrawing from Zero Wing and defecting to Overwhelming Smile.

“Is Overwhelming Smile planning to destroy us with money?” Aqua Rose smiled bitterly, her expression turning grim.

This move was truly vicious.

Zero Wing had only established recently. Its funding had never been abundant. They had no chance against the large funding Overwhelming Smile possessed.

—

While Overwhelming Smile was in the midst of waging a poaching war against Zero Wing, Shi Feng had finally reduced the Blade Demon’s HP to its last vestiges.

“Die!”

Abruptly spinning around, Shi Feng dashed towards the low HP Blade Demon.

Abyssal Bind!

Flame Burst!

Abyssal Bind immediately tethered the Blade Demon in place. Following which, the scorching Abyssal Blade slashed at the demonic creature’s body twelve times in a row. Every slash dealt over -2,000 damage to the Blade Demon, devouring the monster’s remaining 20,000 HP.

As the Blade Demon died, Shi Feng noticed a piece of paper falling beside the monster’s body. He originally thought that it was a Legacy Chapter. However, upon picking it up, Shi Feng froze. At that moment, he even thought he might be hallucinating.

[Broken Steel Forging Design Fragment]

Epic Rank Unique Set Equipment. Set consists of a total of six pieces.

Current fragment count (1/18)

Chapter 385: Professional Level

“No way!”

Shi Feng struggled to calm himself even after staring at the forging design in his hand for a long time.

Previously, when he obtained the Fine-Gold ranked Dragonscale Set Equipment back in the God’s Grave, he had believed it to be the top Set Equipment currently available, second to none.

However, with Shi Feng’s current forging standards, he could not forge the Dragonscale Set Equipment. He needed to become an Advanced Forger before he could attempt it. However, a lot of time was required to advance to an Advanced Forger, time that Shi Feng did not have.

Yet, now, the forging design for an Epic Set Equipment had fallen into his hands.

If he could equip an Epic Set Equipment, killing players would be as easy as slicing vegetables. He would truly be invincible among fellow players.

Originally, Shi Feng’s head had ached thinking about ways to deal with the five cities controlled by Underworld. Now, however, this fragment swept those concerns away. As long as he could don the complete Broken Steel Set Equipment, he alone could become enough of a nuisance to disturb those Guilds.

Now that Shi Feng knew the Blade Demons dropped the forging design for the Broken Steel Set Equipment, even if he had to exhaust himself for a few days, he would obtain all the forging design fragments.

Shi Feng was suddenly brimming with enthusiasm. Turning around, he charged towards Sword Peak Mountain in search of another Blade Demon.

Unknowingly, another day had passed in God’s Domain.

Before Shi Feng logged out of the game, he had killed several dozens more Skeleton Giants and Blade Demons. In the two days he had spent in the Origin Sword Domain, Shi Feng had obtained a total of 33 Legacy Chapters and 8 Broken Steel Forging Design Fragments. He was not far from completing both the Legacy Book and the Broken Steel Set Equipment Forging Design.

Shi Feng had lingered in God’s Domain for two natural days without logging out to rest. As his body had been in the virtual gaming cabin all this time, the moment he stepped out of the cabin, his stomach growled a hungry complaint. However, his body did not feel any discomfort after laying motionless for two days. On the contrary, he felt extremely relaxed.

It’s a s expected of a virtual gaming cabin. It even assisted my body’s absorption of the S-rank Nutrient Fluids. Shi Feng clenched his fists and stretched. Revealing a faint smile, he thought, My punching power should be around 320 kg now.

Originally, Shi Feng had needed five days to absorb a bottle of S-rank Nutrient Fluids, allowing the liquid to restore his body’s vitality and repair broken cells.

Now, however, only two days had passed, and Shi Feng had already absorbed the S-rank Nutrient Fluids.

Shi Feng judged that, based on his body’s current condition, he should barely meet the standard of a professional fighter. His current body had already far surpassed his body in his previous life.

At the very least, his physical fitness was no longer inferior to the apex experts of God’s Domain.

Being young really is great. If I started training my body only after I turned 25, it wouldn’t really make a difference.Shi Feng was satisfied with his current physical fitness. As long as he continued his training, his physical fitness would continue to improve. At that time, he could exert more of his brain’s potential, allowing him to break through the boundaries he had never been able to cross.

Although Shi Feng was hungry, he did not immediately look for something to eat. Instead, after leaving the virtual gaming cabin, he walked towards his fridge and retrieved a bottle of A-rank Nutrient Fluids. He then filled his empty stomach with the cold liquid.

After having not eaten for 48 hours, although he had the protection of the virtual gaming cabin during this period, filling his stomach with solid food would negatively impact his body. It was best to drink Nutrient Fluids first and let his stomach gradually adapt. After a few hours, he could have a proper meal.

Looking at the bottle of A-rank Nutrient Fluids in his hand, Shi Feng felt like he was dreaming.

Over ten days ago, he had lamented spending ten Credits on a meal. Now, however, despite drinking a bottle of Nutrient Fluids that cost 10,000 Credits, he felt nothing at all. Although his reincarnation was part of the reason, it was more due to his change in mentality brought about by strength.

Suddenly, his doorbell rang.

Accessing the doorway monitor through his quantum watch, Shi Feng discovered Blackie standing outside his door. For some reason, Blackie looked panicked. It looked like he had some very urgent news. Shi Feng promptly disabled the lock to his front door using his quantum watch.

“Brother Feng, where have you been these past two days? I haven’t been able to contact you all this time. I even wondered if you were in some kind of accident!” As Blackie burst into the apartment and saw that Shi Feng drinking a bottle of Nutrient Fluids, he unconsciously heaved a sigh of relief.

“What could possibly happen to me?” Shi Feng chuckled. “Did something happen while I was gone?”

“Of course, something happened! Overwhelming Smile had been poaching our members. Although our Guild’s member count has increased steadily, the benefits Overwhelming Smile is offering are too enticing, and many have started considering defecting to Overwhelming Smile.

“I initially thought of increasing the benefits Zero Wing provides as well. However, Sister Aqua said no. Although Sister Fire Dance only focuses on the Guild’s core team, she, agreed with Aqua Rose’s opinion. However, at this rate, more members will leave the Guild. If we allow this situation to continue, it will negatively impact Zero Wing as a whole. We need to think of a solution for this quickly.

“I have been trying to contact you all this time, but you haven’t answered any of my calls or messages. I had no choice but to visit you personally.”

Blackie then explained the general situation to Shi Feng.

“Overwhelming Smile sure is intent on destroying us with money.” Shi Feng smiled bitterly.

“Brother Feng, you too? Sister Aqua said something similar.” Blackie was somewhat astonished.

“I understand the situation. However, I am still tied up with my quest. Go back and tell Aqua to continue recruiting members. The benefits we offer will stay the same, but loosen the entry requirements a little.” Shi Feng also showed his support for Aqua Rose’s decision. “Let’s see just how many players you can steal from us. How much money do you plan to burn?”

Taking Blackie’s advice and increasing the benefits that Zero Wing offered was not a long-term solution. Moreover, Overwhelming Smile could simply counter by increasing the benefits it offered again. If this trend continued, the situation would soon snowball out of control and grow into an all-out economic war. At that time, the side with the most funds would be the final victor.

Meanwhile, Feng Xuanyang, who quietly supported Overwhelming Smile, aimed for just that. If he had to increase the benefits Overwhelming Smile offered dozens of times, he would. He was confident he could destroy Zero Wing this way.

Meanwhile, although Zero Wing could cause Overwhelming Smile to suffer greater losses by raising the benefits it offered, they would still lose.

Zero Wing did not have the support of a large corporation. It also did not have the funds to contend with Overwhelming Smile. If Zero Wing increased its offer, it would dig its own grave.

Shi Feng had seen many of such situations in his past life, and he had considered his options long ago. The best thing was to bide their time and stay on course.

However invincible the opponents might seem, he would forever remain true to himself.

Moreover, when Shi Feng had established Zero Wing, he had intended to establish a Guild that was pure, rather than one where its members would leave because of a little enticement. Zero Wing did not need such shallow people.

At this moment, instead of cursing, Shi Feng wanted to thank Overwhelming Smile for ridding the scum from his Guild.

Shi Feng’s reply left Blackie speechless. However, since Shi Feng had already decided, he would fully support his Guild Leader. In truth, Blackie knew that increasing the benefits the Guild provided would only increase the burden of Zero Wing. However, he still could not help his panic. Now that he had obtained Shi Feng’s reply, his anxiety began to fade.

Chapter 386: Tier 1 Skill

After receiving Shi Feng’s confirmation, Blackie gave his report regarding Zero Wing’s recent recruitment.

Despite their plans, Overwhelming Smile’s appearance did not negatively affect Zero Wing’s recruitment. Instead, Overwhelming Smile had made Zero Wing even more popular than before, driving more players to apply to Zero Wing. Some players from other Guilds even withdrew from their respective Guilds to join Zero Wing.

As a result, the entrance of Zero Wing’s Guild Residence was crowded with a sea of players.

Those who did not fully understand the situation even thought that Zero Wing had already become White River City’s overlord. Though, those who knew the situation silently ridiculed the players rushing to join Zero Wing.

After two days of chaotic recruitment, Zero Wing had grown from around 5,000 members to having over 10,000. If not for Overwhelming Smile’s interruption, Zero Wing would have no problems surpassing the 30,000 member threshold.

Unfortunately, many of the players who had been accepted into Zero Wing then defected to Overwhelming Smile almost immediately. By doing so, they could enjoy triple the benefits of the ordinary members of Overwhelming Smile, which was 12 times the treatment normally offered by other Guilds. How could anyone resist such a tempting offer?

Zero Wing will only suffer if this continues. I need to think of a plan quickly. Shi Feng frowned as he listened to Blackie’s report.

If the situation continued to evolve like this, Overwhelming Smile would have to waste astronomical sums of money. However, Overwhelming Smile’s poaching of Zero Wing’s members would also increase its prestige, increasing the Guild’s strength in White River City.

Others might not know that Overwhelming Smile had Underworld support from the shadows, but Shi Feng knew. In addition to Maple City, Underworld had also taken control of four more cities surrounding White River City. If Zero Wing and Overwhelming Smile went to war in the future, Zero Wing would be surrounded by enemies.

After Blackie finished his report, he hurried back to Zero Wing’s Workshop, whereas Shi Feng started working out.

Now that Shi Feng’s body had finished absorbing the S-rank Nutrient Fluids, it was the perfect time to improve his physical fitness further.

However, instead of focusing on strength training like before, Shi Feng now focused more on control over his own body. When noon arrived, Shi Feng called for a take-out. After finishing his meal, he dove back into the world of God’s Domain.

Shi Feng had not come up with any good ideas to counter Overwhelming Smile’s suppression through wealth. The only thing he could think of right now was increasing his strength.

After logging into the game, Shi Feng continued his hunting operation.

Through his previous two-day search, Shi Feng had grasped the general respawn time for the monsters surrounding the Sword Peak Mountain. As for the location with the highest spawn rate, that would be on the Sword Peak Mountain itself.

However, Shi Feng had not climbed the mountain throughout this period. He doubted that the Legacy Trial of one of the Ten Great Saint Legacies would be so easy to clear. Although the Skeleton Giants and Blade Demons were indeed challenging, a Legacy Trial that was supposed to be as difficult as a Legendary Quest should not be so simple.

In Shi Feng’s opinion, the true danger of the Origin Sword Domain waited for him on the Sword Peak Mountain.

Hence, Shi Feng had yet to set foot on the mountain. Instead, he had searched for monsters around the foot of the mountain all this time, silently increasing his strength.

In the Origin Sword Domain, Shi Feng did not obtain any EXP from the monsters he killed. The drops he obtained were also limited to the Legacy Chapters and Broken Steel Forging Design Fragments. However, there was one other immediate benefit to killing these monsters.

Skill Proficiency!

The monsters here were all Elites above Level 25. Shi Feng’s main targets, the Skeleton Giants and Blade Demons, were even Level 30 Chieftains. These Chieftains exceeded Shi Feng by 8 Levels. Whenever Shi Feng used a skill on these two monsters, he would receive bonus Skill Proficiency points, receiving around five or six with each use.

In the outside world, there was a limit to high-leveled Chieftains available for players to kill. Hence, Shi Feng was able to raise his skill levels quickly here. In the Origin Sword Domain, Shi Feng had upgraded the skills that he normally needed a lot of time to upgrade in just two days. At this point, all of his attack-type skills had risen to Level 10 or above, with some reaching Level 11.

When he upgraded a skill beyond Level 12, it would become a Tier 1 skill.

Although players had weapons and equipment that could increase their skill levels, that particular increase would not allow a skill to undergo a qualitative change; only the skill’s level would change. For a skill to reach Tier 1, players needed to raise the skill past Level 12 personally.

Meanwhile, as long as Shi Feng could grasp a Tier 1 skill, his combat power would explode. This was why Shi Feng diligently killed the monsters outside the Sword Peak Mountain.

With this goal in mind, Shi Feng continuously searched for monsters and used his skills repeatedly, allowing his Skill Proficiency to soar.

However, as Shi Feng killed more monsters, he discovered something odd.

The drop rate of Legacy Chapters and Design Fragments plummeted.

In the beginning, Shi Feng could claim a drop in every four or five kills. Now, he would only get a single drop after killing over a dozen Chieftains. The more Legacy Chapters and Design Fragments Shi Feng obtained, the harder it became to collect them.

If Shi Feng did not increase his killing speed, it would be impossible for him to gather the required items within five days.

On the bright side, where players in the outside world normally needed over a week of effort, Shi Feng only needed a few hours to upgrade a skill from Level 11 to Level 12. His efficiency was staggering. After just half a day’s worth of effort in God’s Domain, Shi Feng had already promoted Chop to a Tier 1 skill.

Chop

Requires: Sword

Tier 1, Level 1 (Proficiency 0/30,000)

Additional 600 base damage. Deals up to three consecutive hits in one second. If attacks land in the same location, damage increases by 50%.

Attack range: 6 yards

Cooldown: 3 seconds

Compared to the Tier 0, Level 12 Chop, the base damage had not increased much. However, when using the Tier 1, Level 1 Chop, Shi Feng could swing his sword three times in one second. Moreover, if his attacks struck the same location, his damage would increase by 50%.

Not only did Tier 1 skills increase a player’s power, but they also increased a player’s freedom of attack.

In other words, the more skilled a player was, the more damage they could deal.

This was why, despite being the same Level, Tier 1 players were far more powerful than Tier 0 players. Tier 1 players also possessed much higher Attributes and a larger variety of skills. Tier 0 players had no chance of contending with Tier 1 players of the same level.

“It’s been awhile since I’ve used the Tier 1 Chop. Let’s use you as a warm-up.”

Shi Feng dashed towards the Skeleton Giant’s side before him and used the Tier 1 Chop. A sharp aura covered the Abyssal Blade. In the blink of an eye, Shi Feng brandished the weapon three times, sending three sword auras slashing at the Skeleton Giant.

The three sword auras combined, forming an even sharper and more powerful sword aura that slashed at the Skeleton Giant’s joint.

-1,376, -2,048, -2,062.

Aside from these three high damages, the Skeleton Giant, which had remained unperturbed by Shi Feng’s attacks, had suddenly fallen to the ground. The power of the Tier 1 skill was clear.

After the Skeleton Giant fell, Shi Feng had a much easier time attacking it.

Following which, Shi Feng used one skill after another on the undead creature.

If the Skeleton Giant stood up, Shi Feng would use Chop to attack its joints, knocking it to the ground once more.

A short moment later, Shi Feng had slaughtered the Skeleton Giant effortlessly.

Due to the Tier 1 Chop, Shi Feng’s battles between the Skeleton Giants and Blade Demons had become much easier and took less time than before. Moreover, as Shi Feng efficiency grew, he used his skill more frequently.

After spending another two days, Shi Feng finally upgraded Thunder Flame Explosion to Tier 1 as well.

Now, Shi Feng’s attack-type skills that required Skill Proficiency were all Tier 1 skills. Compared to when Shi Feng had just entered the Origin Sword Domain, his combat power was far more frightening.

“It should be about time to climb the Sword Peak Mountain.”

Chapter 387: Magic Knight

Shi Feng had already stayed in the Origin Sword Domain for three days now.

After killing a large number of Chieftain ranked Skeleton Giants and Blade Demons, the number of Legacy Chapters and Broken Steel Forging Design Fragments he could obtain from these two monsters had also reached its limit. No matter how many of these monsters Shi Feng killed, they no longer dropped any items.

If not for the fact that Shi Feng wanted to upgrade all his attack-type skills to Tier 1 skills and raise his current combat power to its utmost, he would have long since charged up Sword Peak Mountain.

Although he could still continue trying to upgrade the tier of his skills, the amount of Skill Proficiency required to raise a skill from Tier 1 to Tier 2 was simply too much. This was a feat that could not be accomplished within a short amount of time. In addition, Shi Feng did not have much time left.

Shi Feng had promised to help Gentle Snow in five days’ time. Hence, he had no choice but to proceed with the Legacy Trial.

Moreover, during this period of time, another major incident had occurred in White River City.

After taking the First Clear of the large-scale Team Dungeon in Maple City, Overwhelming Smile had gone on to claim the First Clear of the Land of Death, the large-scale Team Dungeon in White River City. Meanwhile, Ouroboros’s team, which was led by Gentle Snow, was a step behind, becoming only the second team to clear the Land of Death.

Although Gentle Snow was only a step behind, it was a world of difference.

The reason being, only the first team to clear a large-scale Team Dungeon would have its achievement announced. There was nothing waiting for second place. If Gentle Snow wished to have an announcement of her own, then she would have to clear the Hell Mode Land of Death. However, the Hell Mode of the Land of Death was much more difficult than Hard Mode. She would require a large amount of time to raid the Hell Mode Land of Death, making it not worth her effort at all.

It was much better for Gentle Snow to place her focus on raiding Level 20 large-scale Team Dungeons, especially 100-man Team Dungeons.

Compared to going from Level 10 to 20, the timespan between Level 20 and 30 was much wider. Leveling in God’s Domain took much longer the further one went. After reaching Level 20, players would find themselves taking far longer to level up. Hence, Guilds would have much more time to challenge Dungeons than before.

On Sword Peak Mountain, Shi Feng had not met with any danger throughout his entire journey. He also did not meet a single monster on the mountain.

However, the closer he got to the light at the summit, the faster the swords in the sky descended. Moreover, the number of swords that shot at Shi Feng also greatly increased, raising the difficulty of the ascent.

Is the difficulty only this much? Shi Feng felt very surprised.

Although these dropping swords were indeed giving him some trouble, he would have no problems reaching the top of the mountain through dodging and blocking.

After spending four days in this place, Shi Feng had collected a total of 49 Legacy Chapters and 17 Design Fragments. He was only one piece away from completing both items.

As the only exit of the Origin Sword Domain, the peak of the mountain definitely held the final Legacy Chapter and Design Fragment.

“What’s that?”

Shi Feng suddenly discovered a majestic-looking armored knight standing at the mountaintop, the knight’s hands gripping a greatsword.

This armored knight was different from the Skeleton Giants and Blade Demons.

The reason being, this greatsword-wielding knight was not a monster but an NPC, instead.

[Doren Paley] (Tier 1 Magic Knight)

Level 30

HP 300,000/300,000

Level 30 Tier 1 NPCs were much harder to deal with compared to Level 30 Chieftains.

Meanwhile, the Tier 1 NPC in front of Shi Feng was clearly not an ordinary existence. Although Doren Paley only possessed 300,000 HP—the same amount as the Level 30 Chieftain ranked Blade Demon—the skills and intelligence he possessed would definitely be far stronger and higher than the Blade Demon’s. To players, Doren Paley was a nightmare.

However, Shi Feng no longer had a path of retreat right now; he could only advance. After making his preparations to confront the Magic Knight, Shi Feng charged forward while dealing with the swords raining down on him.

Yet, the moment Shi Feng stepped onto the stone platform Doren Paley stood on, the swords in the sky also stopped attacking him, as if declaring that Shi Feng had completed the game of cat-and-mouse.

“Challenger, since you have managed to arrive at this place, it shows that you indeed possess some strength and are qualified to fight me. As long as you can defeat me, you will be allowed to continue advancing.” When Doren Paley noticed Shi Feng, instead of entering battle immediately, he revealed an excited expression and explained, “Starting now, you have five minutes to prepare. Five minutes later, I will start attacking. Of course, you are also allowed to initiate an attack ahead of time. I hope that you do not disappoint me.”

“A one-on-one duel?” Shi Feng looked at his surroundings but failed to discover any other traps or monsters.

However, after giving it some thought, Shi Feng found nothing strange about this situation. The NPC before him was a Tier 1 class. Doren Paley was definitely not an opponent ordinary players could contend against.

Since Shi Feng was given five minutes to rest, he would certainly not waste it. He promptly sat down on the stage and took out a Delicious Steak to eat. Not only would he recover Stamina and HP this way, he would also receive some bonus Attributes.

Although running and dodging for long periods of time did not greatly affect a player’s body, it was a massive drain on their mental power. Meanwhile, five minutes was plenty of time for Shi Feng to restore himself to peak condition.

However, Shi Feng did not just spend his five-minute rest drinking and eating. He also carefully observed the surrounding environment, as well as studied the NPC named Doren Paley.

Shi Feng had seen the class known as Magic Knight before in his previous life. It was considered a rare hidden class.

An Advanced Legacy.

Magic Knights and Astromancers were classes notorious for being unorthodox.

Attacks of Astromancers were known for being strange.

Attacks of Magic Knights were known for being violent.

Compared to a Tier 1 Swordsman, a Tier 1 Magic Knight had more variety in their attacks. The reason being, they incorporated various sorts of magic. In other words, their attacks inflicted a combination of physical and magic damage. Not even Tier 1 Shield Warriors could endure the attacks of a Magic Knight.

However, this hidden class also suffered from a very glaring weakness. In order to increase their Attack Power, Magic Knights had discarded their lifesaving skills. Hence, they were very poor in terms of survivability.

The seconds and minutes quickly passed by. Of course, Shi Feng would not wait until the five minutes were up to attack Doren Paley.

In this kind of battle, the first person to strike held the greatest advantage. Hence, Shi Feng took the initiative to start the battle.

When Shi Feng was only 40 yards away from Doren Paley, he suddenly took out the Blazing Meteor and threw it at the Magic Knight’s vital point.

Doren Paley simply scoffed at Shi Feng’s attack. He retrieved the silver greatsword from his back and lightly swung it. Immediately, blades of flame shot out from Doren Paley’s greatsword. These blades of flame collided with the Blazing Meteor, striking it down, before proceeding towards Shi Feng.

However, when these blades of flame were only about halfway to their target, Shi Feng suddenly appeared behind Doren Paley and initiated a Tier 1 Chop at the Magic Knight’s back.

Doren Paley suddenly smiled. He spun around abruptly, the flames covering his greatsword growing even more prominent. With a swing of his greatsword, he sent a Flame Tornado clashing against Shi Feng’s Abyssal Blade.

When the two swords collided, sparks splattered the surroundings.

After clashing swords for dozens of times in a row, Shi Feng concluded that, in terms of Strength, he was no match for the Magic Knight. On the other hand, his speed was superior to Doren Paley’s. Despite having to retreat before the Magic Knight’s every blow, Shi Feng managed to avoid receiving any fatal damage. However, under the circumstances, the battle would eventually end in his defeat.

After all, Doren Paley possessed 300,000 HP, whereas Shi Feng had just slightly more than 3,000 HP.

In a situation where both parties were equally skilled, the side with more HP would naturally emerge the victor.

To begin with, Shi Feng’s combat power was inferior to Doren Paley’s.

“As a Tier 0, you indeed deserve praise for being able to fight against me. However, what do you think of this move?” Doren Paley revealed a faint smile. Suddenly, the flames surrounding his greatsword disappeared. In the next moment, cold air wrapped around the silver greatsword.

With a light swing…

The area 40 yards around Doren Paley turned into a land of extreme frost. Inside this domain of frost, both Shi Feng’s Movement Speed and Attack Speed declined greatly. In the blink of an eye, Shi Feng lost his speed advantage…

Chapter 388: Flame Dragon’s Dance

Shi Feng hurriedly retreated upon seeing this scene, wanting to escape Doren Paley’s Frost Domain.

He had not expected Doren Paley’s intelligence to be high enough to actually grasp a player’s weakness.

This sort of NPC was an extremely rare sight in the current God’s Domain. Only in the later stages of God’s Domain would players be able to frequently see such NPCs. Moreover, these NPCs were usually Tier 3 NPCs and above. Meanwhile, Doren Paley was only a Tier 1 NPC.

Higher intelligence. I won’t stand a chance with the status quo.

Shi Feng’s expression turned solemn when he saw Doren Paley’s figure charging at him.

If Doren Paley were only an ordinary Tier 1 NPC, even if he had 300,000 HP, Shi Feng would have been confident of defeating him.

Before leaving White River City, Shi Feng had armed himself with over a hundred Tier 2 Magic Scrolls from the Guild Warehouse. Meanwhile, most of these Tier 2 Magic Scrolls came from the Blood Hand Association’s stronghold with the rest from the Dungeon raids carried out by Guild members.

The Origin Sword Domain was different from the Twelve Trials Shi Feng had previously undergone. In the Twelve Trials, Shi Feng had not been allowed to use any tools to assist him. However, the Origin Sword Domain did not impose such a restriction. He could use as many Magic Scrolls as he liked here.

If he had over a hundred Tier 2 Magic Scrolls, it would be an easy task to deal with an ordinary Level 30 Tier 1 NPC.

Even if Doren Paley had 300,000 HP, he would still die under the might of so many Tier 2 Magic Scrolls.

However, the situation was different now.

In the past, Shi Feng had crossed swords with many high-tiered NPCs, so he knew very clearly that NPCs who possessed higher intelligence were extremely sensitive towards Magic Scrolls. Players required some casting time, however short, when using Magic Scrolls. Meanwhile, when higher-intelligence NPCs noticed this, they would either hurriedly withdraw to escape the effective range of the Magic Scroll, or they would decisively charge up to interrupt the casting process, not giving the player any chance to attack using the Magic Scroll.

Seeing Doren Paley charging at him, Shi Feng immediately brandished the Abyssal Blade and cast Abyssal Bind at the Magic Knight.

Nine pitch-black chains suddenly emerged from the stone floor. In response, Doren Paley simply snorted and stabbed his greatsword into the platform. In the next moment, a golden magic array rose up from underfoot and quickly enveloped his entire body. The magic array released a faint golden glow, and when the pitch-black chains touched this golden glow, they instantly turned into smoke and vanished.

Shi Feng immediately recognized the golden glow covering Doren Paley’s body.

This skill was called Free Will. Upon activation, the skill made the user immune to all control effects, rendering a control skill like Abyssal Bind completely useless.

Shi Feng gritted his teeth and activated Wind Rider, increasing his Movement Speed by 150% as well as gaining the ability to fly temporarily. He escaped out of Doren Paley’s Frost Domain right after.

However, when the battle began, a magic barrier had formed around the combat platform, enclosing it completely. Hence, although Shi Feng could fly now, he could not get too far. When the 20-second duration of Wind Rider ended, Doren Paley would still catch up to him.

At this rate, Shi Feng would still die sooner or later.

The seconds passed by quickly, and from beginning to end, Doren Paley fervently chased Shi Feng. As a Magic Knight, Doren Paley might possess great destructive power and an absolute advantage in a direct confrontation, but he was sorely lacking in lifesaving skills and control skills. Hence, Doren Paley was utterly helpless against Shi Feng’s extreme speed, and he grew furious at this situation.

Within his Frost Domain, Doren Paley could clearly finish Shi Feng off with just a few hits. Yet, as if Shi Feng was a lively rabbit, not only was he very agile, his ability to escape was also first-rate.

“I want to see just how long you can stay in the air! The moment you descend will be the moment I end your life!” Doren Paley lightly snorted, glaring at Shi Feng who was hovering in the sky.

Meanwhile, Shi Feng was also silently observing Doren Paley from midair.

When in a desperate situation, the most important thing to do was to remain calm. That was one of the basics of surviving in God’s Domain.

No matter how one looked at the situation, a Tier 0 player simply had no chance to defeat a Level 30 Tier 1 higher-intelligence NPC. Not to mention, said NPC was even a Magic Knight that possessed 300,000 HP. If it were anyone else standing in Shi Feng’s place right now, they would have long since lost their lives.

Despite his dire situation, Shi Feng remained very calm. The reason being, he knew very clearly that Legacy Trials would not mercilessly toy around with players. Shi Feng firmly believed that the trial should have given him a lifeline.

However, where was this lifeline?

The entire stone platform was currently enveloped by a magic barrier. Moreover, the platform was completely flat, with a range of activity of only 100*100 yards available. The entire platform was paved with black stone slabs with strange patterns engraved all over them. Meanwhile, the patterns on these dozens of stone slabs came together to form magic patterns that Shi Feng had never seen before. Other than those, there was nothing else on the stone platform.

Is my lifeline these magic patterns?

Shi Feng had a certain amount of understanding in regard to magic patterns. However, he only grew confused when he looked at the magic patterns engraved into the stone slabs. Just what function did these magic patterns have?

Soon, Wind Rider’s duration ended and Shi Feng descended back to the stage. Doren Paley immediately charged at him.

Shi Feng hurriedly activated Purgatory Power and abruptly jumped. As he raised the Abyssal Blade up high, raging flames and golden lightning emerged around the blade of the silvery-gray weapon. Shi Feng then swung the Abyssal Blade down at Doren Paley’s head. Suddenly, as if the space surrounding Doren Paley solidified, the Magic Knight’s movements turned sluggish.

Not only did the Tier 1 Thunder Flame Explosion possess a wider effective range, the duration of the Fainted effect had also increased to six seconds. In addition, upon activation of the skill, enemies within a 10-yard radius would also receive a slowness effect. Enemies affected by this effect would have their speed reduced to only a sixth of their original, only recovering one-sixth of their speed with each passing second.

Doren Paley snorted and activated Free Will once more, immediately shaking off the slowness effect. He then sent a Flame Cross Slash to counter Shi Feng’s Thunder Flame Explosion.

When the two skills collided, countless sparks flew to the surroundings. Cracks also appeared on the stone platform.

Meanwhile, the impact sent Shi Feng flying backward, his body slamming heavily onto the ground. Shi Feng’s entire body went numb, and his HP started madly decreasing as well. In the blink of an eye, his HP had fallen below 1,000, and it still showed no signs of slowing down.

Panicking, Shi Feng hurriedly retrieved an Intermediate Recovery Potion from his bag and emptied its contents. His HP soon stopped decreasing, barely staying above the 800-point threshold before slowly rising. In the end, his HP recovered to over 1,100.

Thunder Flame Explosion was a skill that possessed frightening destructive power. Yet, despite both being Tier 1 skills, just the impact between Doren Paley’s Flame Cross Slash and his Thunder Flame Explosion had caused him to lose over half of his HP. If he went through another clash like that, he would definitely die.

Currently, Shi Feng felt numb all over; even moving his arm was a challenge. He would not be able to defend against Doren Paley’s next volley of attacks for a short period of time.

However, something strange happened. Instead of immediately initiating another offensive at Shi Feng, Doren Paley actually stood there motionless.

“What’s going on?” Shi Feng was surprised.

At this moment, Doren Paley was glaring at him with eyes filled with killing intent. It did not seem as if the Magic Knight wanted to give him a breather. Yet, Doren Paley just kept looking at him.

_Wait. His armor.

_

Shi Feng discovered cracks on Doren Paley’s black armor. However, these cracks were in the midst of slowly mending themselves right now.

Is it because my attack has damaged his armor?

Shi Feng’s heart was filled with uncertainty, and he thought of trying it once again.

Currently, Shi Feng had difficulty moving about. Seeing that Doren Paley gave no indication of taking action, Shi Feng took out a Tier 2 Magic Scroll, Flame Dragon’s Dance, from his bag.

Chapter 389: Legacy Book

Shi Feng needed some time to activate a Tier 2 Magic Scroll. If he were dealing with an ordinary player or Boss, this short time he needed wouldn’t be an issue.

However, against higher intelligence NPCs and expert players, this small amount of time was enough for the opponent to either dodge the Magic Scroll or take his life.

As Shi Feng unrolled the Magic Scroll, Doren Paley’s armor finished repairing itself. At this moment, the Magic Knight gazed at Shi Feng with mockery.

Lifting his silver greatsword, Doren’s legs abruptly pushed against the ground, launching himself at Shi Feng with frightening speed.

However, Shi Feng, who was in the midst of activating the Magic Scroll that contained the Flame Dragon’s Dance, could not afford to move. Otherwise, his efforts would go to waste.

“Faster!”

“Hurry up!”

At this moment, Shi Feng’s heart pounded with anxiety as he watched the slow progression of the Flame Dragon’s Dance’s activation bar.

When Doren was only a few yards from Shi Feng, he abruptly jumped into the air. Raising his greatsword above his head, he swung it down towards Shi Feng. As the weapon of mass destruction descended, deep-red flames resembling snakes emerged and coiled around the blade, the moisture in the air evaporating upon the emergence of these flames.

At the moment of Shi Feng’s imminent peril, the activation bar of the Flame Dragon’s Dance finally completed.

Suddenly, raging flames emerged from the crimson Magic Scroll, transforming into a serpentine dragon that shot towards the sky.

Doren Paley smiled disdainfully at the sight of the flame dragon baring its fangs at him. Surprisingly, the Magic Knight made no effort to dodge the incoming dragon. Instead, he tightened his grip on his greatsword and added more power into his slash.

The snake and dragon collided.

The Flame Dragon’s Dance was a Tier 2 spell, and in terms of power, it was far superior to Doren Paley’s attack. In the next moment, the flame dragon devoured the fire snake. The dragon then threw Doren, a damage surpassing -10,000 points appearing above his head.

However, 10,000 damage was merely a scratch to Doren, an NPC with 300,000 HP.

After Doren Paley struck the ground, he stood and charged at Shi Feng once again without the slightest pause. His current performance had completely changed. Moreover, Doren’s armor wasn’t even scratched.

“What is going on?” Shi Feng frowned at the Magic Knight, confused.

The Flame Dragon’s Dance was clearly far more powerful than his Tier 1 Thunder Flame Explosion. The spell had even inflicted over 10,000 damage. Yet, not only was the NPC’s armor intact, but Doren also brimmed with fighting spirit.

Considering the situation, Shi Feng quickly came to a realization.

The cracks in Doren Paley’s armor had not been due to damage.

Watching the Magic Knight charge at him once again, Shi Feng suddenly thought of a possibility.

“Let’s hope this works.”

Shi Feng’s body was still slightly numb. Even if Doren did not activate his Frost Domain, Shi Feng could never outrun him. Shi Feng had also exhausted his arsenal of escape skills. Shi Feng then raised the Abyssal Blade and activated Earth Splitter.

When the skill had fully charged, Shi Feng swung down his viciously sharp blade.

However, Shi Feng’s target was not Doren Paley this time. It was the black stone slab beneath him.

Upon witnessing this attack, Doren’s eyes widened with shock, and his expression became extremely ugly. He suddenly increased his speed again.

However, no matter how much faster Doren became, he was not fast enough to counter Shi Feng’s attack on the stone slab.

Like a hot knife through butter, the silvery-gray Abyssal Blade sliced apart the black stone slab beneath Shi Feng’s feet. The slash also split several other stone slabs, creating a deep, long fissure.

Following which, a crack also appeared on Doren Paley’s armor.

“Bingo!”

Shi Feng inwardly rejoiced. If he attacked and damaged the black stone slabs under his feet, he could force Doren Paley to halt his assault momentarily. He could then activate Tier 2 Magic Scrolls without worry.

“Despicable challenger!” Doren Paley was no longer as carefree as before. With bloodshot eyes, he glared at Shi Feng and bellowed, “Your corpse will decorate this ground for eternity!”

Although larger cracks began to appear on Doren Paley’s armor, the Magic Knight showed no signs of stopping. Instead, he charged up to Shi Feng and swung down his greatsword.

Flame Cross Slash!

Before Shi Feng could grasp the situation, he instinctively used Parry to defend himself.

Peng!

Shi Feng retreated four steps before he managed to stabilize his body.

Although Shi Feng had been forced back and had to use his lifesaving skill, Parry, he revealed a joyous smile on his face.

Originally, even if he negated the damage from Doren’s attack, the impact would have sent him flying back over a dozen yards. Now, although his hands were slightly numb, he had only been forced to take four steps backward.

This showed that Doren Paley’s strength had greatly weakened.

Indeed, just as Shi Feng had guessed, damaging the black stone slabs would weaken his adversary. Previously, Doren had not immediately dashed forward and attacked Shi Feng because he was worried that Shi Feng would discover this secret. Hence, he decided to hold back and allow his armor to repair itself.

However, the display of his armor’s recovery had been another facade. In reality, Doren had tried to hide the black stone slabs’ recovery. Previously, Doren’s position had just so happened to block Shi Feng’s vision, preventing Shi Feng from seeing the damaged stone slabs behind him.

As to why Doren had launched himself up to attack Shi Feng the second time, it was to prevent the Flame Dragon’s Dance from damaging the black stone slabs once more.

Unfortunately, Doren’s attempt at repeatedly disguising this fact could not escape Shi Feng’s beast-like insight.

Naturally, after Doren Paley realized that his secret had been exposed, he no longer attempted to hide it. Instead, he began a vicious assault on Shi Feng, hoping to annihilate his opponent sooner.

However, a known secret was no longer a secret. Now that Shi Feng knew Doren Paley’s weakness, he activated Defensive Blade and used Thundering Flash on the stone beneath them.

Streaks of blue lightning shot out from the Abyssal Blade. In the next moment, the lightning transformed into hungry wolves that dove into the black stone slabs, charring them.

“Die!”

Doren Paley’s rage flared as he swung his greatsword at Shi Feng desperately. However, Defensive Blade deflected every slash. Most importantly, with each consecutive slash, Doren’s attacks grew weaker.

When Defensive Blade was almost exhausted, Shi Feng switched out the Aura of Wind on the Seven Luminaries Ring for the Aura of Water.

[Aura of Water]

Received healing increased by 60%.

Cast Consumption reduced by 30%.

Activatable Skill-

Life Bloom: Heals selected target for 20% HP every second for 40 seconds.

Cooldown: 1 minute 30 seconds

Currently, Shi Feng had less than 1,100 HP. Even if Doren Paley had grown weaker, Shi Feng would still not survive more than a few hits from the Magic Knight. Hence, he cast Life Bloom on himself.

In the blink of an eye, Shi Feng recovered more than 1,000 HP. For the next 40 seconds, he would also receive over 1,000 HP every second.

Following which, Shi Feng began to confront Doren head-on.

While defending against Doren Paley’s attacks, Shi Feng also made sure to attack the black stone under his feet.

Shi Feng could not help but admit that Doren Paley was indeed very powerful. Despite losing so much of his strength, the NPC could still inflict over -1,500 with Flame Cross Slash. Fortunately, Flame Cross Slash had a long Cooldown. By the time Doren could use the skill again, Shi Feng’s HP would have long since fully recovered.

During Life Bloom’s 40 second duration, Shi Feng had destroyed over half of the stone slabs of the platform.

Meanwhile, not only had Doren Paley’s Strength sharply decreased, but his speed had also fallen by quite a bit. Shi Feng now had a much easier time facing the NPC.

Occasionally, Shi Feng also used Phantom Kill, allowing his doppelganger to pin down Doren while he used a Tier 2 Magic Scroll from the side to destroy the black stone slabs. Unfortunately, although this infuriated Doren Paley, he could do nothing to stop Shi Feng.

As soon as Shi Feng had shattered all of the stone slabs on the combat platform and was about to focus his attacks on Doren Paley…

Suddenly, Doren Paley’s armor shattered, the metal shards scattering across the ground. Doren Paley then gripped his head with both his hands and let out an agonized scream that echoed throughout the Sword Peak Mountain.

In the next moment, Doren Paley’s full HP bar emptied, his body transforming into particles of light and vanishing.

Four items dropped to the ground in place of Doren’s body. There was a pitch-black key with a faint blue glow, a silver stone tablet, and the final Legacy Chapter and Broken Steel Forging Design Fragment.

Before Shi Feng could pick up the drops, all of the Legacy Chapters he possessed flew from his bag and combined with the Legacy Chapter Doren had dropped, forming a thick and heavy ancient book. Golden divine runes decorated its cover. If translated to the language of players, these divine runes would read as “Legacy Book.”

Chapter 390: Secret Sword Technique

Shi Feng sighed in relief when he saw the dazzling golden Book of Legacies.

“With this, the trial should be over, right?” Shi Feng picked up the drops before walking towards the hovering golden book before him.

He then clicked on the Book of Legacies, checking its information.

System: Completion Rate 70%. Do you wish to open the Book of Legacies and accept the Legacy within?

“What? Only 70%?” Shi Feng was surprised. Taking another look, he was sure his eyes were not playing tricks on him.

After defeating a Tier 1 Magic Knight like Doren Paley, which was no easy feat, he had only completed 70% of the trial…

Legacies in God’s Domain were categorized into different ranks. Similarly, there were differences within each rank, and these differences were based on the Completion Rate of the Legacy Trial.

Completion Rates between 51%~60% would be given a C-rank evaluation. At C-rank, players would obtain the basic skills of the Legacy.

Completion Rates between 61%~70% would be given a B-rank evaluation. At B-rank, players would obtain the basic skills of the Legacy in addition to 1~3 Legacy Skill Points.

Completion Rates between 71%~80% would be given an A-rank evaluation. At A-rank, players would obtain the basic skills of the Legacy in addition to 5~9 Legacy Skill Points.

Completion Rates between 81%~90% would be given an S-rank evaluation. At S-rank, players would obtain the basic skills of the Legacy in addition to 10~18 Legacy Skill Points.

Completion Rates between 91%~100% would be given an SS-rank evaluation. At SS-rank, players would obtain the basic skills of the Legacy in addition to 20~36 Legacy Skill Points.

Legacy Skill Points would unlock the Class Skills in the Legacy Book. Moreover, the more powerful a Class Skill was, the more Legacy Skill Points would be required to unlock it.

The number of powerful skills a player possessed was important in determining their combat power. It was especially true for powerful Class Skills.

Hence, Legacy Skill Points were extremely important.

However, it was not easy to obtain Legacy Skill Points. After obtaining the Legacy Book, aside from receiving 1 Legacy Skill Point every three levels, players could only obtain more points by completing special quests and challenges. In general, Legacy Skill Points were an extremely rare commodity.

Right now, Shi Feng’s Completion Rate would only give him a B-rank evaluation, and he would, at most, receive 3 Legacy Skill Points. This was unacceptable.

He had only obtained one of the Ten Great Saint Legacies after much difficulty, so why would he be satisfied with just 3 Legacy Skill Points? Moreover, he only needed 1% more to boost his evaluation up to A-rank and receive a minimum of 5 Legacy Skill Points. He would need to level up six times to bridge this small gap.

“Is it because I killed Doren Paley by exploiting his weakness?” Shi Feng silently pondered his situation as he rejected the offer to open the Legacy Book.

Based on Shi Feng’s recollection, one needed to complete certain tasks in order to increase the Legacy Trial’s Completion Rate. However, since arriving at the Origin Sword Domain four days ago, Shi Feng had constantly observed and searched for anything special in the realm. He had done so precisely because he wanted to avoid missing anything, resulting in a low Completion Rate.

Yet, after four days of careful observation, Shi Feng had not discovered anything special. He had the same results after he explored the entire mountain.

“Just what did I miss?”

Shi Feng thought that he had performed perfectly in this Legacy Trial, and he should not have missed anything suspicious. He had even completed the Broken Steel Forging Design. As for the Skeleton Warriors, Skeleton Giants, and Blade Demons below the mountain, they would respawn indefinitely. It was not possible to eradicate them.

“Does it have something to do with these items?”

Shi Feng stored the Legacy Book before retrieving the pitch-black, sword-shaped key and the silver tablet.

[Doren’s Key]

This is a strange key. It exudes a faint trace of ancient magic.

[Secret Sword Technique]

The pattern engraved on this tablet is too vague and incomplete, and no information can be deciphered. However, some kind of divine power hides within this pattern. If one gathers all of the stone tablets, this vague and incomplete pattern can be restored.

Current tablet count (1/6)

This was the first time Shi Feng had seen or heard of an item like this Secret Sword Technique. However, judging from its description, it should not be related to the Legacy Trial. After all, six tablets were required to restore it, and no matter how he thought about it, there should not be any more enemies as strong as Doren Paley.

Hence, Doren’s Key was the only possibility.

As the final Boss of Sword Peak Mountain, his key would have something to do with the Sword Peak Mountain itself.

“Since there’s a key, there must be a lock here somewhere.”

Shi Feng put away the key and tablet and began to explore every inch of the mountain carefully.

—

While Shi Feng was in the Origin Sword Domain, Star-Moon Kingdom had undergone many changes.

The large-scale Dungeons of the various cities in Star-Moon Kingdom had been conquered, one after another, generating one system announcement after another.

Moreover, due to Zero Wing’s incitement, the various Guilds throughout Star-Moon Kingdom had also rushed to earn Reputation, hoping to obtain their own Guild Residence.

When Zero Wing had publicized its Guild Residence, Overwhelming Smile spent an astronomical sum of money to poach Zero Wing’s members. However, despite this being a significant blow, Zero Wing had not stopped developing. On the contrary, they grew stronger with each passing day. Now, Zero Wing’s member count approached 20,000.

Moreover, Zero Wing’s members sported high levels.

Currently, most average players in White River City were only Level 18 or 19, while elite players of Guilds were around Level 21. Meanwhile, Zero Wing’s ordinary members were Level 20, while its elite members were all Level 22 or above.

Although there was only a difference of one level between the elite members of Zero Wing and the other Guilds, the necessary EXP to surmount this gap was intimidating.

The majority of the NPC-commissioned Guild Quests found inside the Guild Residence were high-level quests. Not only did these quests reward a ton of EXP, but the item rewards were also impressive. Most importantly, the monetary rewards of these Guild Quests were much higher than the Guild Quests available at the Adventurer’s Association. As a result, the income of Zero Wing’s members was at least twice as much as players of other Guilds.

This was also why Overwhelming Smile’s high-priced poaching could not defeat Zero Wing.

“Snow, are you really planning to do this?” the Flame Witch, Zhao Yueru, asked worriedly.

“This isn’t what I want, either. However, I have to take this risk. Otherwise, you, too, know how things will end,” Gentle Snow said, frowning as she quietly read the report she had just received.

“But…” Zhao Yueru wanted to persuade her friend but soon shut her mouth, holding back her protests. She knew that, no matter what happened, there would be a battle in the end. Only, this final battle had arrived too early, catching them unprepared. “Snow, you’ve read the latest report. With our strength, we are no match for them.”

“Rest assured; I would not take such a risk if I were not certain.” Gentle Snow smiled faintly as she recalled Ye Feng’s figure.

Zhao Yueru was surprised by Gentle Snow’s expression. Facing such a desperate situation, she never thought Gentle Snow could still smile with such confidence.

—

Meanwhile, back on Sword Peak Mountain, after spending most of the day searching, Shi Feng finally discovered a pool on the mountainside.

This place is somewhat suspicious.

Slowly, Shi Feng walked towards the pool of water. Dipping his hand into the pool, Shi Feng immediately realized that ice had formed over his hand, freezing it solid. The water inside this pool was icy. If he dove into this water, he would freeze to death.