Chapter 163
Chapter 163
Ding!
[System Notification: Congratulations! You have completed the second phase of the main quest [Defend Snowflake City] (Difficulty: SS) and received the following rewards: Level +3, Free Attribute Points +50, the War Soul-grade equipment [Snow Cloak], and the Rare SS-Rank skill [Rider and Mount as One]!]
Flash, flash, flash!
Three golden lights descended, bringing Zhou Ming to Level 93. Once he deactivated Flame Soul Art, however, he lost five levels and dropped back to Level 88.
Still, his current level was no longer the point.
With a Sacred Weapon in hand, he was about to enter a period of explosive leveling. Grinding monsters fifty or sixty levels above himself was entirely possible.
“Cough, cough!”
After ending his peak state, Cangxuan fell into a Weakened state. Pale-faced, he walked up to Zhou Ming and returned the Sacred Weapon. “I have fulfilled my duty!”
“You worked hard!”
With no time to inspect his rewards, Zhou Ming said seriously, “Using your trump cards cost you dearly. I’ll make sure to compensate you afterward!”
“No need to be so formal with me!” Cangxuan shook his head. “In fact, the opposite is true. Pushing against my personal limits brought me enormous benefits. At that moment, I felt myself touch the realm beyond the god tier!”
Two enhancement-type forbidden spells, combined with the Sacred Beast’s Blessing, had raised his power to a terrifying level. He could not maintain it for long, but even a glimpse of the realm beyond the god tier had benefited him immensely.
“You deserve the greatest credit for this battle. If you receive no reward, who will willingly step forward and make sacrifices in the future?” Zhou Ming knew exactly what he was doing. Now that his group was growing, he could not run it without rules.
“Well…”
Cangxuan hesitated for a moment, then cupped his fists. “All right. Then you have my thanks in advance!”
He did not doubt that Zhouyou Shijie could produce something worthwhile.
With the man’s potential, he was destined to soar as long as the gods did not snuff him out first.
Afterward, Zhou Ming turned to Rob, chieftain of the Dwarves, and spoke with equal solemnity. “My thanks to the Dwarves for coming to our aid as well. I, Zhou Ming, will remember this kindness!”
“I knew forging a Sacred Weapon would draw others here to seize it. All of this was simply the price that had to be paid for the forging. Besides, I didn’t lose anything.” Rob waved dismissively, looking completely unconcerned.
Harrison reminded him from the side, “Chieftain, we may be about to suffer a loss.”
“Uh…”
At Harrison’s reminder, Rob rubbed his nose and said awkwardly, “Like I said, forging a divine weapon and leaving our mark on the history of the Dwarves was worth it!”
Zhou Ming immediately understood. “By ‘loss,’ does the elder of the Dwarves mean the agreement you signed with the Dragon Domain Guardian?”
“Exactly!”
Harrison nodded. “The Dwarves deliberately violated the agreement this time. We’ll probably have to pay compensation!”
Trade with the Dragon Domain was the foundation of the Dwarves’ livelihood. If they lost such a major customer, they could never sustain a craft that consumed so many resources.
Therefore, even if Yun An demanded compensation under the agreement, the Dwarves would have no choice but to accept it.
Fortunately, the Dragon Domain Guardian knew where to draw the line. He would certainly keep the compensation within a range they could bear.
“If that’s the problem, I can teach you how to bargain with the Dragon Domain Guardian for a larger share of the profits from now on,” Zhou Ming said after some thought.
“Oh?”
Rob and Harrison exchanged glances, each seeing the surprise in the other’s eyes.
Bargaining with the Dragon Domain Guardian for more benefits sounded like an ongoing arrangement. Was… was that really possible?
“Forge me a fine set of equipment, and I’ll help you deal with Yun An. How does that sound?” Zhou Ming proposed.
“Deal!”
Rob agreed without a second thought.
…
After taking care of the remaining odds and ends, Zhou Ming took the Snow Cloak and Rider and Mount as One out of his inventory and handed them to Qianying and Xuanniao for enhancement.
[Rider and Mount as One] (Rare SSS-Rank)
Description: Even the finest riding technique cannot eliminate a mount’s inherent weaknesses.
Effect: Merge with your mount and gain all of its riding bonuses.
Additional Effect: While [Rider and Mount as One] is active, you can use your mount’s skills, and Movement Speed increases by an additional 80%.
Duration: 1 hour
Cooldown: 1 hour
[Snow Cloak] (Celestial Spirit Grade)
Defense: 4,500-5,000
HP: 80,000
Trait: Defense +40%, HP +80%
Trait: Easy Mastery, Required Equip Level -20
Effect: Snow Treading, Movement Speed +50%, Ice Resistance +8%
Special Skill: [Snowflake’s Protection]
Required Level: 110
Required Fame: 3,000
Description: A cloak woven from snow-spirit silk. It not only protects the wearer from attacks, but also provides exceptional resistance to the cold.
…
[Snowflake’s Protection] (S-Rank): Reduces all damage received by 40% for the next 5 seconds.
…
“Good stuff!”
Zhou Ming beamed with delight.
The system had been extremely generous with the rewards for completing the main quest!
Rider and Mount as One needed no explanation. It allowed him to move freely while fully utilizing his mount’s abilities. It was nothing short of a divine skill!
The cloak also provided excellent stats, giving Zhou Ming an enormous boost to both Defense and HP.
Ding!
[System Notification: Would you like to learn [Rider and Mount as One] (Rare SSS-Rank)?]
“Yes!”
Zhou Ming successfully learned Rider and Mount as One and equipped the Snow Cloak. Then he asked, “Does anyone have any ideas about an item that can teleport us across domains?”
If someone from Qianying’s homeland had contacted her, the matter might be urgent. They could not afford to delay.
Now that the Sacred Weapon was complete, he decided to resolve Qianying’s problem first. At the same time, he would give himself a short period to increase his strength rapidly before establishing a base for the Hope Faction.
“If the Divine Ember Queen’s homeland is truly so far from the Destiny Continent that not even a god-tier powerhouse can cross the void to reach it, then you would need an SSS-Rank item at minimum!” Yun Wuyou analyzed. “I’ve stolen countless treasures in my life, but I’ve never even heard of such an item!”
Qianying added, “I tried using the Heavenly Secrets Compass to search for one, adding as many words related to cross-domain teleportation to the name as possible. No such item exists on the Destiny Continent.”
The others also admitted that they had no ideas.
“It’s fine. I still have a secret backup power source!” Zhou Ming reassured Qianying.
God-tier powerhouses were certainly knowledgeable, but someone else surpassed them all when it came to breadth of knowledge.
It was getting late.
After several nonstop days of work, Zhou Ming had finally achieved his goal. He spent a long while admiring the Sacred Weapon in his hands before giving it a name.
Ding!
[System Notification: Would you like to name the Sacred Weapon [Ask the Heavens]?]
“Yes!”
After a long period of thought, Zhou Ming made his decision.
There were two reasons he chose the name Ask the Heavens.
First, he wanted to know what the Destiny Continent was, what it represented, and why its power could be brought into reality. Finding those answers would be extraordinarily difficult, no different from seeking answers from heaven itself.
Second, Heavenrend and Heavenbinder were both ultimate techniques in his heaven-themed series. Since he had committed to the theme, Zhou Ming decided his weapon might as well be named after heaven too.
“Heavenrend, Heavenbinder, Ask the Heavens…”
Zhou Ming gazed at the Ask the Heavens sword, with the God-Demon Orb embedded in it, and murmured, “If I become a mighty figure who shakes the world someday and leave behind a legacy, how will those who follow my footsteps regard the heaven-themed skills and treasures?”
Setting aside that slightly strange fantasy, he opened the system panel.
Log out!
…
Zhou Ming removed his gaming helmet and finally relaxed completely.
With the Sacred Weapon in hand, his next steps were to level like mad and hatch the Crimsonflame Sacred Dragon Egg.
After taking a moment to clear his head and pull his thoughts free from Destiny, Zhou Ming tried calling Ning Wushen.
Ring… ring…
“Hello?”
A familiar voice answered. “Why are you calling me? I’m busy… four twos!”
“Pass!”
“Can’t beat that!”
Zhou Ming could vaguely hear a card game in the background.
“Is there an item on the Destiny Continent that can teleport someone across domains?” Zhou Ming came straight to the point. “I’m planning to visit Qianying’s homeland. If there is, can you tell me its name?”
“No item exists that can cross the Destiny Continent’s borders,” Ning Wushen answered bluntly.
“Is there any other way?”
“…Do you truly have to go?” Ning Wushen asked.
“Yes!”
“Three-four-five-six-seven, the strongest straight there is. Can you beat that?”
“…”
“If you’re determined to go, I can send you there,” Ning Wushen said frankly. “However…”
“However what?” Zhou Ming asked, pleasantly surprised.
The means of cross-domain teleportation had truly been close at hand all along.
“Cross-domain teleportation means breaking through the borders of the Destiny Continent. Both your body and soul must be strong enough to withstand it. At the very least, you’ll first need a divine artifact capable of fully protecting both.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, which divine artifact has that effect?”
“The Sakura Region’s Yasakani no Magatama and the Great Britain Region’s Spear of Longinus both offer that kind of protection.”
“All right. Thank you, Brother Ning!”
“No need for thanks between us. By the way, have you eaten dinner yet?”
“Let’s go get hot pot!”
…