Chapter 525

Chapter 525: Instant Kill

Every member of War Wolf’s elite team was stunned when they saw two Shi Fengs in front of them.

“What’s going on here?”

One Shi Feng had already given them plenty of trouble, and they even required War Wolf’s help if they wanted any hope of defeating him. Now that there were two, what were they supposed to do?

“A doppelganger, huh?” War Wolf remained calm despite the sudden appearance of another Shi Feng, and he immediately thought of a possibility.

In God’s Domain, aside from the Skills of the various classes, there was also a large variety of General Skills. A Skill capable of producing a doppelganger was not entirely impossible. It was just like how Summoners could summon powerful monsters.

When the others on the team heard War Wolf’s statement, they realized that this was actually quite possible. Otherwise, how would they explain the situation before them? Everyone instantly released a sigh of relief.

Although a doppelganger possessed some lethality, at the end of the day, a doppelganger was still a doppelganger.

However, they quickly realized that they were sorely mistaken.

They were outrageously wrong.

The instant Shi Feng’s doppelganger showed itself, it dashed towards the Tier 1 Swordsman. Although the speed of the doppelganger’s sword was not as frightening as the real Shi Feng’s, every one of the doppelganger’s attacks forced the Tier 1 Swordsman to take three to five steps back before he could stabilize himself. The Tier 1 Swordsman was even forced to activate Defensive Blade to hold off the doppelganger’s assault.

“I’ll help you!” the black-armored Berserker rushed towards Shi Feng’s doppelganger, brandishing his battle axe.

However, even with the aid of a top-tier Berserker, the Tier 1 Swordsman’s HP rapidly decreased. The team’s Tier 1 Cleric had no choice but to heal the Tier 1 Swordsman constantly to stabilize the latter’s HP.

The doppelganger’s combat power flustered every one of its enemies.

“Leave the doppelganger to me. Since it is a Skill, there is definitely a duration. Once the duration ends, we will deal with the person himself,” War Wolf snarled. He then used Charge and arrived before the doppelganger.

Shi Feng had to admit that War Wolf was indeed an expert who had already set foot into the Refinement Realm. Both his attacks and evasion were extremely accurate and meticulous. He always achieved the greatest of effects using the smallest of actions. In addition, that massive shield of his allowed him to guard the majority of his body from the doppelganger’s attacks easily. Despite being forced into a constant retreat by the doppelganger’s every move, his body remained as steady as a mountain.

Amazing. If Cola was as skilled as War Wolf right now, we could definitely try to raid a 50-man Hell Mode Team Dungeon. Shi Feng pitied his situation while he watched War Wolf.

With War Wolf pinning down the doppelganger, the remaining six experts kept Shi Feng in check while they bided their time.

However, before anyone could catch a breather, twelve swords suddenly appeared hovering around Shi Feng. Just looking at the gleaming edges of the blades made one’s scalp tingle.

“Since you guys see nothing wrong with ganging up on others, there’s nothing wrong with me using my doppelganger and these twelve swords to deal with the seven of you, right? Don’t call me a bully, alright?” Shi Feng smiled faintly. He then controlled the twelve Abyssal Blade phantoms to attack the six experts.

Suddenly, the silver-armored Berserker and the other experts paled, their words sticking in their throats.

Although the twelve Abyssal Blade phantoms did not contain much power, their damage was still significant; they could cause up to 45% of Shi Feng’s damage. In addition, the phantoms were small, fast, and nimble, making it extremely difficult to avoid their strikes. While the melee classes could cope, but barely, with the phantoms, the same did not hold true for the ranged classes. It was especially true for the Cleric. Preserving his own life had become an arduous task, much less doing so and healing his team.

After fighting for only a short moment, War Wolf and the other top-tier experts were miserable.

The Overwhelming Smile members watching from outside the barrier were utterly dumbfounded.

Even if everyone present was a fool, they could tell just how powerful Shi Feng was.

By now, it was obvious that Shi Feng had merely been toying with the six experts during their previous exchange.

At this moment, Shi Feng stood on the sidelines and watched the battle. By relying on the doppelganger and twelve swords, he had already beaten Overwhelming Smile’s prided peak combat force into submission. If he joined the battle, couldn’t he wipe them out anytime he wanted?

“Just who are you?” War Wolf demanded, his confusion evident on his face.

Such a powerful expert would not just coincidentally ambush them. He must have a purpose for doing so.

However, instead of replying to War Wolf’s question, Shi Feng silently pointed the Abyssal Blade towards the sky.

Suddenly, countless swords of light appeared above the silver-armored Berserker and the others, completely enveloping the seven people. Then, like raindrops, the swords of light descended.

This Skill was none other than the Tier 1 Skill Shi Feng had learned when he became a Blade Saint—Skywheel Sword.

[Skywheel Sword]

Inflicts 1,000 base damage plus 200% weapon damage to all enemies within a radius of 20 yards. Also seals all enemies within range, preventing them from leaving the area for 4 seconds.

Previously, Nine Dragons Slash had forced everyone to use up almost all of their Lifesaving Skills. Among the experts, the Elementalist and Cleric had both exhausted theirs.

Faced with the rain of swords, the two ranged players could only quietly go to their deaths…

Meanwhile, the remaining two Tier 1 Berserkers, the Tier 1 Swordsman, and the Tier 1 Ranger had less than a third of their HPs remaining after the Skywheel Sword’s descent. They were also trapped in a 20-yard radius area.

Using Silent Steps, Shi Feng appeared behind the Tier 1 Ranger. Although Rangers possessed melee combat capabilities, Shi Feng had caught him completely off-guard. A sword of light flashed across the Ranger’s body, and without offering the slightest resistance, the Ranger, too, fell lifelessly to the ground, his equipment scattering around his body.

“Damn it!” War Wolf’s eyes turned bloodshot with rage. Although he wanted to save his companions, he already had his hands full dealing with the doppelganger before him.

At this moment, he was overwhelmed with regret. Just why had he used a barrier to trap his own men with this kind of monster? Moreover, the barrier lasted 15 long minutes…

“Everyone outside, hurry up and escape!” War Wolf was helpless as he shouted this command.

“Boss Wolf!”

The Overwhelming Smile team members outside the barrier nodded and scattered. As they ran, they began to contact the other members of Overwhelming Smile, asking for reinforcements. However, they knew that no one could save War Wolf and the others; there was not enough time.

Inside the barrier, though the silver-armored Berserker and the other two experts tried to attack Shi Feng as a group, the gap between their Strength and speed and their enemy’s was simply too massive. Without needing any Skills, Shi Feng easily finished off the three of players after brandishing his swords a dozen times or so.

As for War Wolf…

Shi Feng was done playing around. He immediately instructed his doppelganger to activate Blade Liberation.

Blade Liberation was a Skill that he had learned himself, not a Skill that he acquired with his equipment. Since the doppelganger could utilize all of the Skills he had learned, it was naturally capable of using the Tier 1 Berserker Skill, Blade Liberation, as well.

Instantly, both the doppelganger’s Strength and Agility increased by 80%. At this moment, the doppelganger’s Strength and Agility had even surpassed Shi Feng himself.

In the next moment, countless swords of light clashed with War Wolf’s massive red shield, producing a continuous stream of rings. The barrage of powerful attacks sent War Wolf flying. As he tried to stabilize his body in midair, he suddenly discovered Shi Feng’s doppelganger before him. Hurriedly, War Wolf raised his shield in an attempt to protect his body. Shockingly, however, the doppelganger’s sword passed through his shield and struck his body, dealing over -1,000 damage.

This move was none other than the Skill specifically meant for targeting MTs, Illusory Shadow. Once this Skill was used, the doppelganger’s attacks could only be dodged, and not blocked. At this moment, War Wolf’s towering shield was practically non-existent. Moreover, he could not control his body while he flew through the air, making it impossible to dodge the doppelganger’s attacks.

Attack after attack assaulted War Wolf. The doppelganger attacked the Shield Warrior six times in a row, and of them, three had triggered a critical hit, dealing close to -3,000 damage.

In the blink of an eye, War Wolf’s body fell to the ground, his nearly 7,000 HP reaching zero.

Meanwhile, Shi Feng had activated Space Movement and instantly appeared before the twelve escaping Overwhelming Smile members. He then finished off each player with a single hit, letting none escape the Dragonmen’s Nest.

Chapter 526: Deterring Force

After annihilating everyone at the Dragonmen’s Nest, Shi Feng began to collect the items his victims had dropped.

Due to Haunted’s effect, War Wolf and the others’ drop-rates had multiplied. Moreover, due to Shi Feng’s Luck Attribute, some of Overwhelming Smile’s elites had even dropped up to three pieces of equipment. Shi Feng had obtained more than 200 pieces of equipment, with the most inferior being Level 20 Secret-Silver Equipment, just by killing this team of 100 players. In total, Shi Feng had earned more than 1,000 Gold in equipment.

“No wonder so many players join the forces of darkness.” An indescribable joy filled Shi Feng’s heart when he looked at the assortment of advanced equipment in his bag. If Zero Wing had only itself to rely on to obtain all this equipment, a lot of time would be required. Meanwhile, Shi Feng had only needed five minutes.

However, equipment was not his greatest concern this time.

The key point had been killing War Wolf and the others.

After absorbing their Immortal Souls, War Wolf and the others could forget about logging into the game for at least two or three days. In addition to their lost equipment, they would have to waste at least four or five days to recover from this serious setback. With this one fight, Shi Feng had stomped Overwhelming Smile’s trump card to the ground, severely slowing the Guild’s development progress.

“If I put my back into it, I should be able to collect the 300 points of Life Force required before logging off.” Shi Feng took a look at the Icarus’s Heart’s Attributes, licking his lips. He then departed from the Dragonmen’s Nest in search of other Overwhelming Smile members.

Previously, when he had attacked War Wolf and the others, the latter had contacted the other nearby Overwhelming Smile members, hoping to attract a crowd. After all, Overwhelming Smile was the overlord of Maple City. Now that someone had dared to provoke the Guild, they wanted to openly display what the consequences were for such actions.

As this concerned the Guild’s reputation, Overwhelming Smile would take action to serve as a deterrence for others.

Hence, this was the perfect time for Shi Feng to hunt Overwhelming Smile members.

Time gradually passed.

Just as Shi Feng had predicted, while he had killed War Wolf’s team, the Overwhelming Smile members in Dragon Ridge began to rush towards his location.

There was actually someone who dared kill their allies while in their territory. Before this, nobody had dared to kill any members of Overwhelming Smile. Now that someone had emerged, naturally, they needed to retaliate. Filled with rage, the members of Overwhelming Smile rushed over to the Dragonmen’s Nest where War Wolf’s team had fought, hoping to teach Shi Feng a lesson.

Unfortunately, only an endless abyss awaited them.

The majority of the reinforcements that arrived consisted of 20-man teams, and very rarely would a 100-man team appear. Although all of these teams consisted of elite players, compared to War Wolf’s team, they were significantly inferior.

Whenever Shi Feng discovered one of these teams, he would immediately use Firestorm. As for those that were fortunate enough to be outside the Skill’s effective radius, Shi Feng would rush over and finish them off quickly. Each battle usually lasted around five or six seconds. These Overwhelming Smile members did not even have the time to contact the other teams. They could only watch as Shi Feng devoured them, one after another, becoming Life Force for the Icarus’s Heart.

After slightly over half an hour, Shi Feng had collected a total of 300 points of Life Force, evolving the Icarus’s Heart to Secret-Silver rank. The Luck Attribute the necklace provided increased from the original 7 points to 9 points. Although it was a minor increase, it had significantly increased items’ drop-rates. Meanwhile, if Shi Feng wanted to upgrade the Icarus’s Heart to Fine-Gold rank, he needed double the previous requirement, 600 points of Life Force.

Originally, Shi Feng had wanted to log out of the game to rest. However, thinking that this was a rare opportunity, he continued to massacre the endless stream of Overwhelming Smile members that stormed over to help their companions.

Currently, Overwhelming Smile’s members still had no idea of what was occurring at the Dragonmen’s Nest. They also did not know that many of their companions had already died. After all, players who had lost their Immortal Souls could not log into the game even if they wanted to, so it was not possible for them to notify their allies.

Even if there were a way to make contact, that would only happen after the upper managers of Overwhelming Smile discovered that the dead could not log back into the game. Who knew how long that would take?

If Shi Feng waited until everyone from Overwhelming Smile reacted to the situation, searching for Overwhelming Smile members would become far more difficult.

Since news of his slaughter would get out sooner or later, Shi Feng intended to go all-out and kill as many as he could.

Ignorantly, the members of Overwhelming Smile who wanted to teach Shi Feng a lesson continued to run to their deaths. Every team that came to the Dragonmen’s Nest died; the 100-man teams were no exception.

—

Meanwhile, inside Overwhelming Smile’s Guild Residence in Maple City…

“Miss Youlan, what’s going on with you? Why are you in such a hurry to see me?” a handsome middle-aged man seated on the Guild Leader’s throne asked, laughing.

This middle-aged man was none other than Overwhelming Smile’s true Guild Leader, Laughing Heaven. Laughing Heaven had tanned skin and a pair of deep black eyes. His entire person radiated a sense of majesty and gave others the impression that he was one who had experienced the vicissitudes of life.

Although Overwhelming Smile was only a second-rate Guild, it had only been established a short time ago. Meanwhile, Laughing Heaven was the person responsible for nurturing Overwhelming Smile from the ground up. During the initial stages of God’s Domain, he had accurately chosen to develop Overwhelming Smile in Maple City, leading the Guild to become the city’s overlord. Soon after, Underworld came with the offer of acquisition. Not only had Underworld supplied the Guild with significant funds, but it also supplied many experts, allowing Overwhelming Smile to become a Guild capable of rivaling first-rate Guilds.

However, what shocked Laughing Heaven the most were the experts Underworld had sent. Because of those few experts, Overwhelming Smile had managed to raid Team Dungeons smoothly and unimpeded, shocking Maple City. Overwhelming Smile had become a well-known Guild in Star-Moon Kingdom, and even showed signs of becoming the kingdom’s number one Guild.

“Guild Leader Laughing Heaven, now is not the time for jokes. Recall all of our members from Dragon Ridge immediately. If they can’t return, instruct them to keep their Guild Emblems hidden,” Youlan said with a stern expression, her tone sounding like an absolute command rather than a request.

“Miss Youlan, did something big happen in Dragon Ridge?” Laughing Heaven was no fool. Hearing the sudden change in Youlan’s tone, he could tell that the situation was not as simple as it seemed. However, he could not casually withdraw all those players who were out grinding without a good reason. Such an action would negatively impact the Guild’s development.

“Are you really clueless about what is happening in Dragon Ridge?” Youlan asked quietly.

“Are you talking about the person who is attacking our teams?” When Laughing Heaven realized the reason for Youlan’s distress, he could not help but laugh and said, “Miss Youlan, aren’t you making a big fuss over nothing? Isn’t it just someone ambushing us? Is there really a need to withdraw our members from Dragon Ridge? Many Guild members have already gone to deal with that arrogant bastard. I doubt it will be long before that player is found and killed.”

“Making a big fuss over nothing? Found and killed?” Youlan could not help but laugh upon hearing Laughing Heaven’s words, a hint of mockery flashing in her eyes. “To actually speak such ridiculous words, do you even know what exactly is happening in Dragon Ridge right now?”

“Miss Youlan, there is one thing that you have to understand. While you might be Overwhelming Smile’s Guild Leader in White River City, in Maple City, I, Laughing Heaven, am the true Guild Leader.” Laughing Heaven was not impressed by Youlan’s behavior. If not for the woman having the support of Underworld, he couldn’t care less what the woman said.

“Since you don’t know, I’ll tell you! Zero Wing’s Guild Leader, Black Flame, is currently in Dragon Ridge! The majority of the subordinates you’ve sent there to level up are most likely dead already! If you don’t recall them right this instant, it won’t be long before he wipes out every member we have there!” Youlan said sternly. “That is all I have to say. Guild Leader Laughing Heaven, whether you wish to act upon my advice or not is up to you.”

Finished, Youlan turned and left the Guild Leader’s Office. Her task in Maple City was only to develop Overwhelming Smile’s trade. She was not allowed to intervene on any other matters relating to the Guild, not could she. Otherwise, she would not have run all the way here to meet with Laughing Heaven.

Meanwhile, Laughing Heaven was stunned into silence when he heard the name Black Flame…

Chapter 527: Commotion at Maple City

Inside Overwhelming Smile’s Guild Leader’s Office…

Some time after Youlan’s departure, Laughing Heaven still struggled with accepting the situation.

He could not understand why Black Flame, the Guild Leader of Zero Wing, would go all the way to Dragon Ridge to ambush Overwhelming Smile’s members.

Who was Black Flame?

He was Star-Moon Kingdom’s publicly acknowledged number one expert. He was someone capable of coming and going as he wished even when surrounded by tens of thousands of enemies. Laughing Heaven had even heard tell that two of Underworld’s prided Seven Ghosts had died at the hands of Black Flame, leaving Underworld helpless against Zero Wing. In the end, even Underworld could do nothing but forbear from dealing with Zero Wing. This alone spoke of Black Flame’s power.

“Shit!” Laughing Heaven suddenly recalled a situation.

There was a rumor going around saying that Black Flame was capable of preventing the players he killed from logging into God’s Domain for a long period. However, Laughing Heaven knew that this rumor was true, as after Black Flame killed Underworld’s Fifth Ghost and Sixth Ghost, the two were unable to log into the game for two full days. Laughing Heaven also knew that, back in the Watch Cemetery in the White River City Region, Black Flame had single-handedly forced Underworld to withdraw from that land of treasures.

If what Youlan said was true, then the Overwhelming Smile members in Dragon Ridge vying for revenge were no different than sheep to the slaughter. Moreover, it was currently night in God’s Domain. Every Guild member capable of leveling up at night was an elite player. If these people were annihilated and barred from entering the game for two days…

Laughing Heaven immediately tried to contact War Wolf, hoping his team of experts could pin down Black Flame. With their strength, they should be able to deal with this matter without much difficulty. Afterward, he only needed to withdraw his Guild members from Dragon Ridge.

“Did he log off?” When Laughing Heaven opened his friends list, he suddenly discovered that War Wolf and the other experts were offline. “That shouldn’t be right. I heard that War Wolf was planning to raid a Dragonmen’s Nest today; why would they log off so soon?

“It can’t be?!” Laughing Heaven abruptly thought of an extremely unlikely possibility. “How could this be? Did Black Flame kill all eight of those top-tier experts?!”

However, when he recalled Youlan’s sudden appearance in his office, it was highly possible that War Wolf had contacted Youlan after he died.

“This won’t do. I need to call back everyone immediately!” When Laughing Heaven thought about the massacre of Overwhelming Smile’s members, rage and frustration filled his heart. However, who else could possibly win against this one-man army?

Shortly after, Laughing Heaven sent a command to all Overwhelming Smile members in Dragon Ridge, ordering them to either head to other locations to level up or return to the city to rest. In any case, the monsters at night were not easy to deal with. They could also accumulate Double EXP buff if they rested in the Guild Residence.

“What’s going on? Why are we being told to leave Dragon Ridge? I’m only a short distance from the treasure chest!”

“That’s right! Our team is still looking for that little thief that dared ambush us! If we withdraw like this, won’t we let that bastard get away?”

“Who knows? However, this is a command from the Guild Leader, so we have no choice.”

The members of Overwhelming Smile were somewhat dissatisfied with Laughing Heaven’s command. However, as it was a command from the Guild Leader himself, they could not disobey.

—

While Overwhelming Smile gradually withdrew from Dragon Ridge, a commotion occurred in Maple City.

Many players resting in the city passionately discussed these ambushes and Overwhelming Smile’s withdraw. Bars were particularly lively with such conversations. After all, Overwhelming Smile was Maple City’s overlord, and it constantly received attention from the city’s players. Now that such a huge incident had occurred, how could it not attract attention?

“Did you hear? Overwhelming Smile suddenly withdrew all of its members from Dragon Ridge.”

“Of course, I heard about it! It really makes you wonder what is going through their leaders’ minds.”

“Hehe! I have some insider information! I heard that someone is killing Overwhelming Smile players in Dragon Ridge. With no way to deal with this assailant, Overwhelming Smile was forced to withdraw from Dragon Ridge.”

“Oh, blow it out your ass! Overwhelming Smile is our Maple City’s absolute overlord! Whoever dares attack them is just looking to die!”

“Hey, don’t deny it so quickly. That player that ambushed Overwhelming Smile is no simple character.”

Suddenly, the players in the bar grew curious. Aside from the fact that Overwhelming Smile was the city’s overlord, the Guild also had more than its fair share of experts. Otherwise, they would not have successfully raided Level 20, 20-man Hell Mode Team Dungeons one after another. Even until now, aside from Overwhelming Smile, no other Guild in Maple City had accomplished such a feat.

With these experts, what player had even a chance of challenging the Guild?

“I don’t believe it. Who could possibly be so powerful?”

“That’s right! Unless a first-rate Guild is trying to wage an all-out war against Overwhelming Smile in Maple City, who else would possess such strength?”

The bar’s crowd expressed their doubts. They did not believe this any of this information. Moreover, they always had a sense of pride regarding the Guild known as Overwhelming Smile. After all, they were all players of the same city.

Moreover, Overwhelming Smile was indeed very powerful. Throughout the entire Star-Moon Kingdom, only a few Guilds could raid Level 20 Hell Mode Team Dungeons. Even if a first-rate Guild wished to take strike out at Overwhelming Smile, they would be beaten to death if they set foot in Maple City.

“Hehe! I knew none of you would believe me. However, once I say this name, you will definitely believe me!” the male Druid giggled.

“Continue boasting!”

“Who doesn’t know how to boast?”

Suddenly, everyone inside the bar sent contemptuous looks at the independent player.

“Hahaha! Let me tell you guys, then! The player attacking Overwhelming Smile is Black Flame, Zero Wing’s Guild Leader and Star-Moon Kingdom’s number one expert!” the male Druid said very confidently.

When the Druid finished speaking, the entire bar fell silent.

Everyone felt that Black Flame was the only person capable of such a feat.

This was because such an incident had once occurred in White River City. Back then, hadn’t Overwhelming Smile’s many experts been forced to withdraw from the Watch Cemetery precisely because of Black Flame?

It could be said that practically everyone in Star-Moon Kingdom knew about Black Flame. One hit to deter the Guilds in White River City, one battle to be crowned as God…

Many players had tried to learn from Black Flame. If they could learn even a fraction of his skills, they could become experts.

Meanwhile, Black Flame’s title as the One-hit Asura was something that excited countless players.

“He’s the Leader of a Guild. Moreover, he is the overlord of White River City. Why would he come all the way to Maple City to cause trouble for Overwhelming Smile?” someone suddenly asked.

“How should I know? Maybe Black Flame plans to lay his hands on Maple City as well?” the male Druid joked.

Silence overtook the entire bar once more.

When they thought about it, there was indeed a small possibility of such a situation. After all, Zero Wing was already White River City’s overlord. Why would such a powerful Guild be satisfied with ruling just a single city? It had to expand sooner or later.

Thinking up to this point, everyone could not help but grow excited.

Meanwhile, seated in a corner of the bar, a middle-aged man in his late thirties was greatly shocked when he heard this news. This man was none other than Liang Chen, the person who bought Land on behalf of Shi Feng.

“Sure enough, the winds of Maple City are going to change.” Liang Chen sighed.

In all of Star-Moon Kingdom, most likely, only an expert like Black Flame was capable of deterring the overlord of an entire city by himself.

Chapter 528: Characteristic Skill

The news regarding Black Flame quickly spread throughout Maple City.

Overwhelming Smile and Zero Wing had been waging an all-out war against each other. No one was surprised that Black Flame had taken his killing all the way to Maple City, considering it perfectly reasonable. Regarding this situation, everyone’s opinion of Zero Wing was still quite optimistic.

Normally, Overwhelming Smile occupied all the high-resource areas located within the Maple City Region, and many players were not happy about that. However, these players would not dare voice their anger as Overwhelming Smile was Maple City’s overlord. Now that someone capable of taking out Overwhelming Smile members had emerged, these players would cheer and support them.

However, as news of Shi Feng’s hunt spread, another event had occurred that excited players in Maple City.

Another player-owned Shop had emerged in their city, and this Shop was the Candlelight Trading Firm.

The Candlelight Trading Firm sold a wide variety of goods, with the most precious item being the Basic Strengthened Armor Kit. Many players had never even seen the Basic Strengthened Armor Kits before. Hence, the moment Maple City’s players laid their eyes on the kits, they rushed to purchase their own. As a result, business at the Candlelight Trading Firm was far better than what the Overwhelming Trading Firm enjoyed.

Naturally, while there were some who celebrated the Candlelight Trading Firm’s new establishment in Maple City, there were others who grew worried.

Although the city’s players were overjoyed by this situation, Youlan, who was currently inside the Overwhelming Trading Firm, was incensed.

“Candlelight Trading Firm!” Youlan ground her teeth.

She had truly not expected that the Candlelight Trading Firm had been preparing to set up a Shop in Maple City. Furthermore, Candlelight had managed to obtain a plot of Land in the central district of the city. However, this was still not the most infuriating aspect. The most detestable thing was that the Candlelight Trading Firm had actually set up its Shop relatively close to the Overwhelming Trading Firm.

Due to the Candlelight Trading Firm having the advantage regarding available products, many of the Overwhelming Trading Firm’s original customers had shifted their attention towards the Candlelight Trading Firm.

“Boss, what are we supposed to do now? If this continues, Candlelight will snatch all of our remaining customers,” a Shop manager asked, concern filling his voice.

“We don’t have a choice. Our only option is to start a price war. Reduce the prices of all goods,” Youlan said, sighing helplessly. She did not have any good ideas about how to deal with this situation. Unless they could get their hands on some exclusive items, there was simply no way to compete with the Candlelight Trading Firm. Fortunately, unlike in White River City, the Overwhelming Trading Firm possessed some capital in Maple City, and their two Trading Firms had started with the same benefits around the same time. In addition, Maple City was their home ground. The cost of harvesting materials was significantly lower here, resulting in a lower production cost. They definitely had a fighting chance against the Candlelight Trading Firm.

In God’s Domain, Shops in different cities, but owned by the same player, shared products. However, while there was no city tax for consigning products to Shops in the player’s home city, there was a small 8% city tax charged for items consigned to sell at Shops in other cities. This was a protection mechanism of sorts implemented to protect the player-owned Shops of each respective city.

In other words, since the Candlelight Trading Firm’s main headquarters was in White River City, there was an invisible cost added to the items they sold in Maple City. To the Overwhelming Trading Firm, this was an advantage.

Sure enough, after the Overwhelming Trading Firm reduced its prices, other than players wanting to purchase products unique to the Candlelight Trading Firm, players quickly returned to shopping at the Overwhelming Trading Firm.

—

Meanwhile, in the Dragon Ridge, Shi Feng was currently having the time of his life.

With wave after wave of Overwhelming Smile players marching towards their deaths, Shi Feng had finally managed to upgrade the Icarus’s Heart to Dark-Gold rank. He was only a short distance away from upgrading the necklace to Epic rank now.

[Icarus’s Heart] (Necklace, Dark-Gold Rank [Can be evolved])

Equipment Requirement: All Attributes 120

Level 20 – Level 80 (Currently Level 30)

All Attributes +27

Luck +14

Additional Characteristic Skill –

Divine Providence: Temporarily increases player’s Luck by 32 points for 30 seconds.

Cooldown: 40 minutes

Luck, Duration, and Cooldown can be increased, prolonged, and reduced by sacrificing Life Force. Maximum of 100 points of Life Force per sacrifice.

Evolution Condition: Absorb the Life Force of 5,000 players to evolve to Epic Rank. (748/5,000)

The base Luck alone provided 14 points. That was significantly higher than the initial 5 points. However, that was not the improvement that excited Shi Feng the most. Rather, it was the change that had occurred to the Divine Providence Skill.

Divine Providence had evolved from an ordinary Skill to a Characteristic Skill.

Characteristic Skills were different from normal Skills in which the Skill’s effects would undergo a transformation when certain conditions were met.

The Skill now allowed the sacrifice of Life Force to enhance its effects. Meanwhile, depending on the number of Life Force points sacrificed, the effects would also vary, with a maximum sacrifice of 100 Life Force points.

Currently, Shi Feng had 748 Life Force points stored in the Icarus’s Heart. In other words, Shi Feng could enhance the Icarus’s Heart’s effects to its maximum seven times.

“Since the Cooldown has already completed, this is a good chance to test its effects.” Shi Feng could not contain his excitement when he looked at the bright gemstone around his neck.

He could receive 46 points of Luck before he had even sacrificed any Life Force points. This was the highest amount of Luck Shi Feng had ever seen in either life.

If he sacrificed Life Force points as well, his Luck would reach frightening heights.

Soon, Shi Feng retrieved over a dozen Twilight Treasure Chests from his bag, laying the chests out neatly in front of him. He then activated Divine Providence and chose to sacrifice 100 Life Force points.

Instantly, his Luck rose to 66 points, with the duration of Divine Providence increasing to 40 seconds and Cooldown decreasing to 30 minutes.

Hurriedly, Shi Feng began opening the Twilight Treasure Chests.

With each chest requiring three seconds to open, Shi Feng just barely managed to open twelve treasure chests in 40 seconds. Losing a few seconds when switching to the next treasure chest was inevitable.

Although Shi Feng felt slightly disappointed about the time he had lost, when he thought about the additional effects gained from sacrificing Life Force, his mood instantly brightened again.

If he applied that 66 points of Luck when killing monsters, the drop-rate would be astounding. The rarely seen Jackpot might even occur, multiplying the number as well as increasing the quality of the items dropped.

Unfortunately, such a powerful effect came at the cost of 100 Life Force points.

He had only managed to kill so many players today due to catching Overwhelming Smile unprepared. However, after they set up certain precautions, it would not be as easy to harvest 100 Life Force points anymore. Of course, Shi Feng absolutely refused to commit random murder.

Although there were many people in this world who did not have a bottom line, and even more so inside a game, Shi Feng was not one of them. This was a fundamental principle of being a human being. If he crossed this line, he would be no different than an animal.

Shi Feng then began collecting the items inside the Twilight Treasure Chests.

“Awesome!” Shi Feng could not help but laugh. “Sure enough, the effects of 66 points of Luck are truly amazing!”

Among the twelve Twilight Treasure Chests, he had obtained four pieces of Tier 1 Set Equipment, one for Shield Warrior, Guardian Knight, Assassin, and Cleric. Among them, the Tier 1 Set Equipment for Shield Warriors and Guardian Knights were the most difficult to obtain, yet, Shi Feng had actually obtained one piece for both classes.

Up until now, Shi Feng had collected four of the five set pieces of the Yin-Yang Walker Set Equipment for Guardian Knights; he only lacked the boots now.

Currently, he had three pieces of the Mana Storm Set Equipment for Tier 1 Elementalists.

As for the Dark Melody Set Equipment for Tier 1 Assassins, like the Yin-Yang Walker, Shi Feng now had four pieces; he was only missing the head slot.

He had three set pieces of the Forest Guard Set Equipment for Tier 1 Rangers.

He now had three set pieces of the Brave Heart Set Equipment for Tier 1 Shield Warriors.

He had two set pieces of the Ghost Set Equipment for Tier 1 Cursemancers.

He also had three set pieces of the Angel Wings Set Equipment for Tier 1 Clerics.

By now, Shi Feng was close to completing the Tier 1 Set Equipment for the majority of the available classes. It would not be long before he completed them. At that time, if he led a team of players geared in Tier 1 Set Equipment into a large-scale Team Dungeon, who could possibly compete with Zero Wing to obtain First Clears?

Just the thought excited Shi Feng. With such equipment, they could steamroll through even a 100-man Team Dungeon, let alone a 50-man Team Dungeon.

Just as Shi Feng was arranging his new items, he suddenly discovered a glowing purple tablet inside his bag, his chest constricting upon this discovery.

Chapter 529: Shop Promotion

Shi Feng quickly took the purple tablet from his bag.

The tablet displayed a single word:

Promotion!

However, this Promotion Order was not a Guild Residence Promotion Order.

In God’s Domain, all Promotion Orders were extraordinarily valuable, and among them were Guild Residence Promotion Orders and Promotion Orders for other specific establishments. However, of these Promotion Orders, the rarest was the Shop Promotion Order.

The tablet in Shi Feng’s hands right now was none other than the Shop Promotion Order.

All Shops set up by players in NPC cities began as 1-star Shops without exception, regardless of whether it was a 300 Gold Shop or a 1,000 Gold Shop. Only, a 1,000-Gold Shop was far more luxurious, and it had a few more available functions.

However, after a Shop was promoted to 2-star status, it would undergo a qualitative change. In particular, the benefits a Lifestyle player received would be significantly enhanced.

It was extremely difficult to obtain a Shop Promotion Order. Unlike a Guild Residence Promotion Order that could be obtained from Dungeons, a Shop Promotion Order could only be obtained through certain special quests. The only other option was to gain one from treasure chests. However, not just any ordinary treasure chest would drop the Promotion Order.

The treasure chest could not be below Level 40, and it must be Fine-Gold rank or above.

There was also a certain probability to obtain one from rank-less treasure chests such as the Twilight Treasure Chest.

However, the chances of obtaining a Shop Promotion Order were simply too minuscule. Normally, players would obtain it through a Challenge Quest. However, since it was a Challenge Quest relating to a Shop’s promotion, it was not so easy to receive or complete it. Such Challenge Quests were no less difficult than Epic Quests. Hence, there were extremely few Shops capable of completing them.

Because of this, the Promotion Orders obtained through treasure chests were extremely valuable, and countless businessmen would offer astronomical prices for one.

Shi Feng had only obtained this item due to a stroke of luck.

“With this item, I can finally monopolize White River City’s trade with the Candlelight Trading Firm.” Shi Feng returned the Shop Promotion Order to his bag and took out a Return Scroll.

Since it was no longer easy to locate Overwhelming Smile players, he had no reason to remain here.

Meanwhile, now that he had obtained a Shop Promotion Order, he needed to go and promote his Shop.

In God’s Domain’s settings, unlike in other virtual reality games where using one Shop Promotion Order would promote every Shop that player owned, players in God’s Domain required one Promotion Order for every Shop they owned should they wish to upgrade them all.

However, Shi Feng had long since made up his mind.

Zero Wing’s roots lay in White River City, so the Shop Promotion Order must be used on one of the Shops there. As for the Shops in Star-Moon City and Maple City, unless he had excess, he would not waste any Promotion Orders on these two cities.

After using the Return Scroll, Shi Feng returned to Maple City.

However, Shi Feng was in no hurry to return to White River City. Instead, he first went to investigate the Overwhelming Trading Firm.

Now, he had already heavily damaged Overwhelming Smile’s hidden trump card, which would severely impact its Dungeon-raiding process. He had also killed plenty of Overwhelming Smile’s elite members, causing significant damages to the Guild. Not to mention, due to a lack of resources, the development of Overwhelming Smile’s branch in White River City had also been wounded. If this situation continued, the gap between Overwhelming Smile and Zero Wing would only grow as more time went by.

The only fighting chance Overwhelming Smile had right now was the Overwhelming Trading Firm.

If the Overwhelming Trading Firm developed successfully, Overwhelming Smile would have the Coins required to fight a war of attrition against Zero Wing. In addition to its ample funds and enormous background, the Guild’s development speed would soar. After all, a massive organization such as Underworld possessed the mechanisms required to nurture experts. Only, everyone had yet to adapt to God’s Domain fully. Once they did, however, with sufficient Coins and funds, in addition to experts giving out pointers, it would be very easy for Overwhelming Smile to nurture a large number of experts.

Although Zero Wing seemed to prosper right now, in reality, it was still significantly inferior to other major Guilds, particularly in terms of training mechanics for experts.

God’s Domain was mankind’s second world. It was not a game with a short lifespan. A Guild’s strength was not determined by wins and losses. Instead, it was determined by how long the Guild in question could remain in power.

In the past, there had been many Guilds that had prospered greatly for a period. However, after some time had passed, they still crumbled and eventually faded out of existence entirely. Based on this, one could easily tell the gap between Guilds. This was why Shadow had remained a second-rate Guild in the past. It was because the Guild had only been recently established and did not possess the necessary mechanisms to nurture experts. Although the Guild had succeeded in establishing such mechanisms during the middle stages of God’s Domain, said mechanisms were far inferior to that of first-rate Guilds. In the end, the gap between Shadow and the first-rate Guilds of God’s Domain only grew wider as time went on.

Hence, Shi Feng wanted to establish such training mechanisms as soon as possible and produce an endless stream of experts for Zero Wing. Only then could Zero Wing become a true powerhouse.

This was also one of the reasons why first-rate Guilds looked down on Zero Wing.

They all shared the same thought: “You are only strong right now. What about in a few months? Let’s see how you fare in one or two years.”

All Guilds that had achieved the status of a first-rate Guild possessed a history over a decade long; some had even survived several decades.

When Shi Feng arrived before the Overwhelming Trading Firm, he could see a constant stream of players enter and exit the Shop. As for the Candlelight Trading Firm, which was only a short distance away, although the Shop also had plenty of customers, there were significantly less than the Overwhelming Trading Firm.

“Overwhelming Trading Firm’s items sure are cheap. I can buy another stack of Advanced Whetstones with the money I saved!”

“That’s right. Not only are the items cheap, but I never expected that it would also push out a new product. Unfortunately, the Shop didn’t have many for sale, and I didn’t have the chance to buy one.”

“Are you talking about the Magic Damage Potion?”

“Yeah, that’s right; it’s that item. I’m an Elementalist. If I drink that potion, it can increase my magic damage by 5% for half an hour. It would help significantly when I’m grinding monsters or raiding Dungeons.”

Shi Feng had initially planned to enter the Shop to investigate. However, upon hearing the conversation of a few players who had just left the Overwhelming Trading Firm, he could not help but stop and listen.

Magic Damage Potion? Shi Feng was not a stranger to this item. The recipe for the potion only had a chance of dropping from Level 20 Hell Mode Team Dungeons. However, its production difficulty was very high. At the very least, one needed to be a Basic Alchemist. Even then, the success rate of crafting one hovered around 20% to 30%.

Sure enough, I cannot underestimate Underworld. I just established a Shop at Maple City, and already, there is someone capable of producing such a potion. Shi Feng was not particularly surprised at discovering this information. Overwhelming Smile was a massive Guild. Its members didn’t consist of purely Combat players. The Guild nurtured a large number of Lifestyle players as well, so it was only natural for someone to be capable of producing the Magic Damage Potion.

However, this was not good news for the Candlelight Trading Firm.

The Magic Damage Potion was not unique to the Overwhelming Trading Firm. Zero Wing had also obtained a few Magic Damage Potion Recipes. However, even now, the Candlelight Trading Firm had yet to successfully nurture a single Basic Alchemist, so they could not produce it.

Shi Feng decided not to linger. Immediately, he headed to the Teleportation Hall and returned to White River City.

Upon arriving at White River City, the first thing Shi Feng did was head towards the City Hall and upgrade the Candlelight Trading Firm next to the Auction House to a 2-star Shop.

When a Shop was promoted to 2-star status, the building itself could also undergo an upgrade. However, a significant sum was required for the reconstruction.

Without hesitation, Shi Feng spent 1,000 Gold to reconstruct the Shop. The reconstruction did not take much time at all; it was done in just a dozen minutes or so. Suddenly, the three-story-tall Candlelight Trading Firm rose to five-stories. It became an extraordinarily eye-catching display beside the Auction House, attracting the attention and discussion of many players.

It was common knowledge that Shops could only possess a maximum of three floors. Throughout the entire God’s Domain, there had yet to be a single player-owned Shop that had more than that. Yet, now, the Candlelight Trading Firm’s Shop had five.

“Guild Leader, what did you do?

“Why has the Shop suddenly gone from being three-stories to five-stories tall?”

After the reconstruction of the Shop completed, Melancholic Smile contacted Shi Feng immediately, unable to help her curiosity.

Chapter 530: Special Space

The Candlelight Trading Firm developed very quickly, and it constantly recruited Lifestyle players.

Despite the Candlelight Trading Firm having two high-end Shops in White River City, they simply did not have enough space to house over a thousand Lifestyle players. For each of the three-story-tall Shops, the first floors were used exclusively for selling products, the second floor housed the various workshops, and the third floor housed the warehouse, offices, and lounges. Hence, not many workshops in each Shop were available for the Firm’s Lifestyle players’ use.

As a result, Melancholic Smile had no choice but to send the Lifestyle players to the various Lifestyle Associations to produce items.

Although the matter of space could be resolved this way, it significantly increased the Firm’s expenditures.

Renting the workshops in the Lifestyle Associations required money. A Basic Workshop’s impact on a player’s success rate was insignificant, so, Melancholic Smile mostly rented Intermediate Workshops for the Firm’s Lifestyle players. Meanwhile, renting an Intermediate Workshop cost 1 Silver per hour. If she rented workshops for 100 people, that was 1 Gold per hour. If she rented enough workshops for 1,000 people, that was 10 Gold per hour.

Ten Gold Coins…that was almost a small Guild’s total liquid funds.

Melancholic Smile even considered suggesting that Shi Feng purchase a few more plots of Land and establish more Shops. Unfortunately, in order to satisfy the current number of Lifestyle players they had in the Firm, they would require two or three plots of Land.

However, the situation had changed.

Now, the Candlelight Trading Firm next to the Auction House had been promoted to a five-story building. Although it seemed that it had only gained two more floors, it was equivalent to having two more Shops’ worth of workshops. In fact, the space inside the Shop had also grown; it was now roughly a little more than twice the original size.

With so much space, the Candlelight Trading Firm could save a lot on rental fees.

Melancholic Smile only wished that Shi Feng would upgrade all of the Candlelight Trading Firm’s Shops. That way, the Firm would not have to spend any money on renting workshops.

Shi Feng could not help but laugh at Melancholic Smile’s reaction.

In the past, even after God’s Domain had operated for over a year, countless players were unable to promote their 1-star Shops to 2-stars. It was purely due to luck that the Candlelight Trading Firm had obtained the Promotion Order so quickly.

It was practically impossible to obtain another Shop Promotion Order from the Twilight Treasure Chests.

Though, if he could upgrade the Icarus’s Heart to Epic rank, there might be a small chance for Shi Feng to obtain a second one.

Shi Feng then had Melancholic Smile meet him in the meeting room on the fifth floor of the Firm with Cream Cocoa and Roasted Ironheart.

The benefits a 2-star Shop offered were not limited to an increase in space. Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been so many players desperately trying to upgrade their 1-star Shops to 2-star Shops in the past, willingly spending tens of thousands of Gold to obtain a Shop Promotion Order.

—

Meanwhile, the news of the Candlelight Trading Firm owning a 2-star Shop spread quickly. After all, all of White River City knew of the Candlelight Trading Firm. A majority of the players residing in the city had shopped at the Trading Firm at least once before. Now that one of the Shops had mysteriously grown, it would definitely attract a lot of attention.

“Young Master Feng, there is some movement over at the Candlelight Trading Firm. They have actually managed to establish a five-story Shop. When I went over to investigate, I found that the first floor has doubled in size. The number of items they can put on display has also significantly increased,” a player specifically tasked to investigate the Candlelight Trading Firm reported.

“Five-stories? Larger than before?” Feng Xuanyang could not help but sneer. “The Candlelight Trading Firm is certainly ambitious. While producing Light Stones, they also expanded their Shop to prepare for the new sales. What a pity. Truly a pity. So what if they have a larger space? Now that I have stolen the three of the Advanced Forging Apprentices capable of producing the Light Stones, that Shop will only have empty shelves to show off.”

He still felt the sting from the large amount of money he had spent to poach those three Advanced Forging Apprentices. However, the thought of how the Candlelight Trading Firm could no longer produce the Light Stones soothed the pain in his heart.

“Right, how are we developing in Maple City?” Feng Xuanyang asked the somewhat chubby man beside him. “I heard that the Candlelight Trading Firm has set up a Shop close to the Overwhelming Trading Firm. This should have significantly impacted the Overwhelming Trading Firm’s business.”

“Young Master Feng, please rest assured. Although the Candlelight Trading Firm is impressive, Maple City is our home ground. Moreover, Miss Youlan has succeeded in inviting that great personage to help us. The Magic Damage Potions they have produced have singlehandedly driven the Overwhelming Trading Firm’s business. Candlelight has no chance against us. It won’t be long before the Overwhelming Trading Firm stabilizes its status as Maple City’s number one Trading Firm. Also, when that great personage’s Alchemy Proficiency advances or when we obtain an item that increases success rate, he will be able to produce that item. At that time, not even the Candlelight Trading Firm in White River City will be a challenge,” the chubby man said, giggling.

“Good. It’s as expected of the woman who the higher-ups favor. As long as the Overwhelming Trading Firm conquers White River City, my status will rise along the tides. At that time, my succession of the household will be set in stone.” Feng Xuanyang’s eyes suddenly glowed.

He truly never expected that Youlan would successfully recruit that great personage from Underworld.

That great personage was only a Lifestyle player. However, by relying on his superb talents, he had profited Underworld in many virtual reality games, and gradually throughout the years, he had become a force to be reckoned with in the organization. Even Underworld’s upper managers tread carefully when around him. Although Feng Xuanyang had thought of trying to invite that great personage before, he simply did not qualify to do so. Meanwhile, the fact that Youlan had recruited that great personage’s help showed just how capable she was.

It seems that I’ll have to rope that woman in in the future. Feng Xuanyang licked his lips as he pondered. Although he had only been interested in Gentle Snow in the past, Youlan’s temperament, figure, and appearance were not one bit inferior to Gentle Snow’s. In certain aspects, Youlan was even superior to the Snow Goddess. If he could make Youlan his woman, it would benefit him greatly in the future. His chances of becoming the master of his household would increase.

—

In the meeting room on the fifth floor of the Candlelight Trading Firm, Shi Feng noticed Melancholic Smile and the others stand to greet him the moment he entered.

“Guild Leader, seeing as you were in such a hurry to look for us, do you have some sort of surprise for us?” Cream Cocoa revealed her anticipation as she gazed at Shi Feng with her large eyes. She knew that Shi Feng would never call for a meeting with them for no reason, and in every meeting, Shi Feng always had something prepared for the three of them. Hence, she very much loved meetings.

“You really are perceptive,” Shi Feng laughed faintly. He then said, “Follow me, then. I’ll show you guys something.”

Shi Feng then led the three forgers out of the meeting room, arriving before a room a short distance away.

The Candlelight Trading Firm’s reconstruction had only completed a short while ago. There were still many areas inside the Shop that Melancholic Smile and the others were unfamiliar with. In particular, there were some rooms that Shi Feng had locked; not even Melancholic Smile was allowed to enter.

The room he led the forgers to was one such location.

“Guild Leader, isn’t this a workshop?” Cream Cocoa asked curiously.

“You’ll understand once you enter,” Shi Feng laughed as he slowly opened the door.

Once the door opened, the trio behind Shi Feng was stunned by what they saw.

A completely different world awaited them beyond the door. When the door opened, a fragrant smell and beautiful scenery greeted each of them. The room even contained a small creek. The most incredible part of the room was the ball of water floating in the middle of the room.

“That’s a Simulation Device!” Melancholic Smile was immediately surprised when she saw that floating ball of water.

Originally, Simulation Devices could only be found in the Library of White River City. It was a tool that allowed players to learn or craft their own spells. Melancholic Smile had never imagined that this workshop would also contain one.

“Simulation Device?” Cream Cocoa asked, confused.

“White River City’s Library also has a waterball. The Simulation Device there allows players to learn or create spells. However, the Simulation Device here is slightly different. It is meant to assist Lifestyle players with producing items. Through the simulation, you guys can discover the flaws you have when producing an item. At the same time, it can also aid you in creating a completely new item. With this, you won’t have to waste a lot of materials and can freely try producing as many items as you want. This is a function that only Special Workshops possess,” Shi Feng explained.

Chapter 531: Frightening Talent

“I’ve already set this place as a Special Forging Room. You will have a higher success rate than even in the Advanced Forging Rooms with any items you forge in here. The effects are especially obvious when you forge complicated and high-quality items.”

Hearing Shi Feng’s explanation, Melancholic Smile and the others were so excited that they were speechless.

This surprise was simply too huge.

Players who had never produced a high-quality item before had no idea how difficult it was to produce one. It was an extremely delicate job. Not only was the success rate very low, but the slightest mistake would also result in the item’s destruction.

Naturally, practicing the forging process for a long time would help significantly. However, high-quality materials were extremely rare. They had no opportunity to experiment and familiarize themselves with the forging procedures. They could rely on their experience and hope that, after repeatedly producing the item, they would become proficient with the design and reduce the amount of wasted materials.

With this Simulation Device, however, they could practice as much as they wanted to, constantly modifying and upgrading their techniques. This would be of immeasurable help to them.

Moreover, after players became Forgers in God’s Domain, if they wished to become a Master Forger, they had to create their own items. Otherwise, it would not be possible for one to become a Master Forger at all. Hence, players normally began to accumulate experience of creating items when they became Basic Forgers. By the time they became Advanced Forgers, they would attempt to create new items constantly.

However, with this Simulation Device, they could save a significant amount of time and effort.

Of course, this did not come without a price. The Simulation Device needed energy to run, and Magic Crystals supplied that energy. Fortunately, it was relatively easy to obtain Magic Crystals. After all, they had a certain drop-rate from Dungeons.

“Guild Leader, you’re too awesome!” Indescribable joy filled Cream Cocoa when she stepped into the room.

Although Melancholic Smile and Roasted Ironheart were not as simple-minded and pure as Cream Cocoa, not revealing their thoughts so easily, they still could not help but approach the magic waterball when they entered the room. They loved all of the tools in this room so much that they simply could not bear to part with them. They would not trade this forging room away even if someone offered them a luxury car.

The value of this Special Forging Room far surpassed those luxury cars. Moreover, one could not buy a Special Forging Room so easily.

In the Forging Association, the Advanced Forging Room was the best one could rent. Special Forging Rooms were only available in 2-star Shops or above.

This was also why so many players in the past had dreamed of upgrading their Shops to 2-star status.

The fragrant aroma inside the Special Forging Room relaxed anyone who came into contact with it. The environment inside the room could also be adjusted to suit the user. Just the impact the forging room provided to one’s mental state was significant. Using this room was practically a luxury. Not to mention, the Flame and tools in an Advanced Forging Room could not compare to those in this room.

Although the Flame in the Special Forging Room could not match a Tier 2 Mysterious Flame, it was very close. However, Shi Feng had already switched the Flame here to the Ice-Blue Devil Flame, further increasing the forging success rate.

“The Special Forging Rooms are extremely limited in number. A 2-star Shop only has five rooms. Among them, I have reserved three for you guys. I’ve already given you the authority over these rooms, so you will only be able to enter your respective Special Forging Room. As for the remaining two, I’ve set one as an Alchemy Room and the other as a Forging Room. Melancholic, if you find anyone talented in alchemy or forging, you can let them use these two rooms. However, you must first have them sign another contract. The effects that Special Workshops provide are extraordinary. It improves a player’s techniques; it is far more valuable than any mere forging design,” Shi Feng said sternly.

“Guild Leader, you can rest assured; I won’t allow any of those traitorous bastards near these Special Forging Rooms,” Melancholic Smile assured.

While it was difficult to obtain forging designs in God’s Domain, it was many times more difficult to train a highly skilled Lifestyle player.

This was precisely the function of these Special Training Rooms, so they would not use them to nurture traitors.

Afterward, Shi Feng let Melancholic Smile handle the remaining matters regarding the Candlelight Trading Firm and logged out of the game.

—

It was already daytime in the real world, with the sun shining brightly in the sky.

I played for so long and never noticed. Shi Feng smiled bitterly when he looked at the time, discovering that it was already nearing 1 pm.

However, there was nothing Shi Feng could do about that. Not only had he come across such a priceless opportunity to evolve the Icarus’s Heart, but he had also obtained a Shop Promotion Order. He could not log out of the game even if he wanted to.

After Shi Feng ate and was about to rest, his quantum watch rang.

“Hello, Master Shi Feng. I have completed the task you requested yesterday. You can have people visit the training area at any time,” the female assistant, Liang Jing, reported respectfully through the video call.

Ever since the fight at Big Dipper, he had become popular in Jin Hai City. Many of Jin Hai City’s powerful figures hoped to meet with Shi Feng. Unfortunately, Shi Feng had rejected all of these requests. He had not been trying to be arrogant by doing so; he just did not have the time to spare.

His future development was not aimed towards the world of fighting, but towards God’s Domain. Naturally, he could not waste too much time and effort on physical competition.

Besides, these interpersonal relationships mattered little to Shi Feng.

If not for his victory over a top-tier master like Lei Bao, these people would not attempt to befriend him. If he had not defeated Lei Bao, these people would not even care if he existed.

In other words, a person’s strength was the key to success.

As long as he continued to grow stronger, many more high-profile figures would seek his company.

Hence, Shi Feng had instructed Liang Jing to handle these affairs for him, and he had to admit that this female assistant was quite capable. Not only had she managed to dismiss all those who wanted to meet him, but she had also done it in a way that satisfied everyone.

However, all these were only small matters. What truly amazed Shi Feng was her integration of Big Dipper’s inner training area and the training system’s improvement.

Even Shi Feng admired Liang Jing’s capabilities. She had actually accomplished all of this in such a short time.

No wonder Chairman Xiao had her as his Head Assistant. Shi Feng read through the information Liang Jing had sent, shocked by what he saw. This was the first time Shi Feng had seen such management abilities. She was leaps and bounds above a manager like Blackie.

Management talent?

Shi Feng suddenly thought of another matter.

The Guild’s daily affairs have hampered Aqua’s progress of her combat techniques lately. Moreover, I will also need someone to help integrate the Candlelight Trading Firm and Zero Wing. Melancholic Smile has been busy dealing with this so far, not giving her much time to improve her own forging techniques either. At this rate, the two of them will soon be buried in management work. What if I have Liang Jing handle these affairs? Shi Feng pondered as he gazed at Liang Jing’s image on the screen.

If he had someone who could liberate Aqua Rose and Melancholic Smile from their management duties, allowing them to display their original talent fully, it would benefit both Zero Wing and the Candlelight Trading Firm’s development. Liang Jing was a very good option for this position.

However, Liang Jing was Xiao Yu’s subordinate. Meanwhile, both Zero Wing and the Candlelight Trading Firm possessed many secrets. It was an extreme risk to hand their management over to an outsider. There was also the fact that Shi Feng had little to no knowledge of this female assistant.

While Shi Feng focused on Liang Jing, the latter also noticed Shi Feng’s odd gaze, and she could not help her discomfort.

He couldn’t be…

Chapter 532: The Most Powerful Newbie

Shi Feng’s current status in society was worlds apart from what it had been.

Although he did not exude any sort of aura, from Liang Jing’s point of view, this silence weighed down on her.

Previously, she had belittled Shi Feng. Although she had not said anything, she had struggled to accept Xiao Yu’s instruction to escort a youthful little brat like Shi Feng to the assembly hall. Hence, she had purposefully treated Shi Feng with a little disrespect.

Now, however, Liang Jing regretted her actions.

She really shouldn’t have treated Shi Feng impertinently back then. After all, someone who could earn Chairman Xiao’s respect wouldn’t be an ordinary character, even if it were only a young man in his early twenties.

He can’t be thinking of replacing me, right? Liang Jing worried.

There were countless people out there who dreamed of becoming the assistant to a character like Shi Feng. In the VIP room that day, many of Jin Hai City’s influential figures had hoped to send Shi Feng assistants, taking the chance to deepen their relationship with the popular young man. Meanwhile, she had only received this job due to her advantage of being Xiao Yu’s most valued assistant. If Shi Feng dismissed her, only tragedy would await her…

She had seen countless wealthy and well-stated princelings who were immeasurably arrogant. These people got rid of anything or anyone that irked them. Meanwhile, a successful young man such as Shi Feng, whose status in society was far superior to even Xiao Yu’s, was even more likely to behave in such a way.

Watching Shi Feng’s solemn gaze, Liang Jing’s heartbeat accelerated.

Am I going to be fired, just like that? Liang Jing inwardly despaired.

Suddenly, Shi Feng spoke, “Miss Liang Jing, thank you for your trouble. I’ll leave to inspect the training grounds you’ve arranged in a moment.”

Although Shi Feng might appear to gaze at Liang Jing solemnly, in reality, he was simply pondering how he should go about making Liang Jing one of his people, liberating both Aqua Rose and Melancholic Smile’s potentials. He had not paid any attention to Liang Jing herself. However, after considering the matter for some time, he had not come up with a proper solution. Hence, he could only set the matter aside for now.

After all, Liang Jing was someone Xiao Yu had sent.

If Liang Jing became the manager of Zero Wing and the Candlelight Trading Firm, she would wield the core secrets of both organizations. Hence, Shi Feng needed to be careful with his decision.

Although Liang Jing’s management capabilities were extraordinary, he first needed to familiarize himself with her personality. He had time to make the decision after he got to know her a bit.

“Ah?” Liang Jing was surprised. Inadvertently, she breathed a sigh of relief. She had fully expected Shi Feng to dismiss her when he opened his mouth to speak. Hurriedly, she said, “Master Shi Feng, I’ll have a car sent to receive you immediately.”

—

Meanwhile, at the Big Dipper Training Center, the situation had undergone a massive transformation.

The training center’s employees were all in an extraordinarily good mood. Even the guests who frequented the training center were in a fiery mood.

The training center had regained its past popularity.

By now, everyone had heard the news that the Big Dipper Training Center had finally recruited a top-tier master to serve as an instructor.

In this age, where mankind focused on personal fitness, everyone placed great importance on their own physical condition. Only through proper training and the assistance of medicine could one significantly improve their lifespan.

In the past, people who had survived past the age of 100 were extremely rare. In today’s society, however, many were easily capable of living past 120 years old. In addition, they could retain their youth for a long period. In the past, one would practically lose all semblance of youth past the age of 50. Now, however, even after reaching 70 years old, some still possessed their youthful vigor and appearances as if they were in their forties. However, they were mostly martial arts masters. Ordinary people had yet to reach that level of health.

In the past, Taichi Grandmasters had lifespans surpassing 150 years. In the ancient world, that had practically been a miracle.

Nowadays, with the support of technology, it was not impossible for humans to live that long.

Hence, many people wished to strengthen their own bodies.

“Master Shi Feng, this is the training ground the company has prepared for you. What do you think?” Liang Jing pointed towards an exotic and elegant three-story villa.

Originally, the company had planned to turn this into a resort Gold status members or above. However, when Shi Feng requested a training ground that was free of disturbances, the only place they could think of that fit Shi Feng’s requirements was this villa. This villa was equipped with state-of-the-art training equipment, and the building’s surroundings were the best Big Dipper Training Center had to offer. There was even a gravity training room in the villa that could fit up to several hundred people at a single time.

When Liang Jing heard that the company had assigned this area to Shi Feng, she was greatly shocked.

This Greenwater Villa was Big Dipper’s treasure. Now, the company had actually given Shi Feng full authority over this place.

Liang Jing had only realized how important Shi Feng was to the company after this decision had been made.

“Not bad. This is an impressive location.” Shi Feng nodded his head with satisfaction. In reality, he had both visited and lived in the Greenwater Villa before. It was certainly a valuable area.

Shi Feng had even considered moving the Guild’s core members here, particularly the upper managers of the Workshop. Although the Workshop he had bought was quite good, the facilities available there were nothing compared to the Greenwater Villa.

“Miss Liang Jing, can I trouble you to ask Chairman Xiao to move all ten virtual gaming cabins we previously agreed upon here?” Shi Feng asked after giving it some thought.

Nurturing experts was easier said than done. Naturally, the more advanced the training and recovery facilities were, the more progress those experts could make. In particular, the gravity training room was immensely helpful to players. Hence, Shi Feng planned to move a portion of Zero Wing’s core members to the Greenwater Villa. He also intended to move here.

By doing so, he could give pointers to others at any time.

He could also scour for talents at the Big Dipper Training Center.

God’s Domain was unlike any other virtual reality game as it placed heavy emphasis on actual combat. The further one progressed in the game, the more realistic and difficult the battles would become. Producing experts would become much easier if he chose to nurture players who were already somewhat skilled in combat.

“Master Shi Feng, please rest assured. I will have the ten virtual gaming cabins installed in the Greenwater Villa by today. I will have the S-rank Nutrient Fluids sent over as well,” Liang Jing said slowly.

The Big Dipper Training Center had already gone all out this time. Both the virtual gaming cabins and the S-rank Nutrient Fluids were extremely difficult to obtain. However, in order to rope in Shi Feng, they spared no expense or effort.

Following which, Shi Feng notified Blackie and the other upper managers, having them come to Big Dipper’s Greenwater Villa.

“Brother Feng, am I dreaming? We can really live here?” Blackie asked with disbelief when he arrived before the Greenwater Villa.

For commoners like himself, the Big Dipper Training Center was a place he could not visit even if he wanted to. Only members were allowed here. As for the villa before him, normal members were probably not even allowed here. Yet, now, people like them had the chance to live in this villa.

They were merely professional gamers. To a massive existence like the Big Dipper Training Center, they were negligible.

Even Fire Dance, Violet Cloud, and the Five Demon Generals standing beside Blackie were stunned into silence. They were just commoners in real life. They did not dare consider entering such a high-class location. Even the Zero Wing Workshop Shi Feng had established had surprised them. They had never known that a gaming workshop could be so luxurious. Now, they were even more surprised. They were actually going to live in such a high-class villa.

Everyone had yet to learn about Shi Feng being a martial arts master, much less about the fight that made him famous overnight.

“Big Brother Shi Feng, I heard that the daily rental here is very expensive,” Violet Cloud worriedly commented.

“That’s right. Normally, each person has to pay several thousand Credits per day to stay here. However, from today onwards, this will be Zero Wing’s training base!” Shi Feng nodded. “It is not as easy to mingle in God’s Domain as you think it is. Hence, from today onwards, I will work with all of you frequently. However, I will only instruct you on your combat techniques in God’s Domain. I’ll leave your training in the real world to someone else.”

“Someone else?” everyone was surprised.

“That’s right. This is Master Lei Bao. He has only recently joined Zero Wing, and from today onwards, he will handle your daily training. This is a rare opportunity that many will never have no matter how much they wish for it, so you must cherish it,” Shi Feng introduced the martial arts master.

Although he was skilled in God’s Domain combat, he did not know how to train people in the real world. On the other hand, Lei Bao was a bona fide top-tier master, someone who was only a short distance away from reaching the realm of grandmaster. When it came to training people in the real world, Lei Bao was far more qualified than he was.