Chapter 26
Chapter 26
Once the Demon God had left, Zhou Ming breathed a sigh of relief.
For now, at least, the Demon Gods of the Dark Faction had yet to formally descend. He still had room to breathe.
Qianying, who had remained silent until now, looked at the young man beside her with complicated eyes.
“I’ve dragged you into this.”
“How have you dragged me into anything?”
Zhou Ming chuckled. “Without you, how could I have gained so many advantages? No one should forget the person who dug the well after drinking its water. I’m not the kind of man who repays kindness with betrayal!”
Only by relying on the many advantages Qianying brought him had Zhou Ming reached this point so early in the game.
He understood that better than anyone.
“Offending both factions will make your road extremely difficult…” Qianying warned frankly.
“I don’t choose easy roads. Easy doesn’t mean good.” Zhou Ming shook his head. “I only walk the path I believe is right!”
The path he believed was right?
A ripple passed through Qianying’s eyes.
“Ding!”
[System: [Divine Ember Queen · Qianying]’s affinity toward you has increased by 3. Current: 68, Friendly!]
Zhou Ming was rather surprised. “Qianying!”
“Hm?”
“Your affinity is really hard to grind!”
…
Qianying did not know whether to laugh or cry. “Why do you want my affinity?”
Grind!
Something about that word felt strange to her.
“No reason. Higher is always better.” Zhou Ming gave an awkward laugh.
“Is that so?”
Qianying did not quite understand.
“Ding!”
[System: [Divine Ember Queen · Qianying]’s affinity toward you has increased by 2. Current: 70, Close!]
That worked too?
Zhou Ming felt he still understood far too little about a game with this much freedom.
Clearly, he would have to explore it more deeply when he had the opportunity.
Forget it!
He could not afford to think about that now!
Quickly discarding his stray thoughts, Zhou Ming looked at his skill list.
Enhanced by both the Limitless Scroll and Flame Demon Lord, Fallen Sword had transformed into a far stronger Rare S-Rank skill. Its power might well become his foundation for overcoming the Trial of the Seven Sins.
[Blazing Heaven Sword] (Rare S-Rank Skill)
[Description: A chilling sword intent surges with blazing truth.]
[Skill Effect: Conjures a greatsword of flame in midair and drops it on a locked target within an 80 x 80 meter area, dealing damage equal to 600% of the user’s Attack. Has a moderate chance to inflict Suppression. Reduces the target’s Movement Speed by 50% for 5 seconds.]
[Additional Effect: A wave of fire spreads outward from the struck target, dealing damage equal to 80% of the user’s Attack to units within a 20 x 20 meter area. This attack has a moderate chance to inflict Burn and a small chance to inflict Knockback. Exact probabilities depend on the difference between both sides.]
[Cooldown: 20 seconds]
…
“Good, good, good…”
The corners of Zhou Ming’s mouth rose involuntarily as delight flooded through him.
After advancing into the Rare S-Rank Blazing Heaven Sword, the skill had improved by far more than a single level. Its burst damage had not merely increased, it had also gained area damage.
Whether he was grinding monsters or killing players, that would enormously improve his efficiency.
Without hesitation, Zhou Ming found a nearby Gobi Venom Scorpion to test Blazing Heaven Sword’s power.
“Krrk!”
Sensing an intruder enter its aggro range, the scorpion rasped and charged.
Zhou Ming calmly extended his left hand. Intense fire elements rapidly gathered without scorching him in the slightest.
Blazing Heaven Sword!
Clang!
The next instant, a magnificent greatsword wreathed in roaring flames appeared in midair, its edge gleaming coldly. Then it crashed down on the scorpion with thunderous force.
BOOM!
The blade pierced through the scorpion’s body, leaving it twitching and immobilized. When the greatsword struck the sand, surging fire elements swept outward in every direction and struck the other scorpions nearby.
-4,056! (Critical Hit)
-278!
-275!
-283!
…
Enormous damage numbers appeared. The scorpion at the center of the attack instantly lost two-thirds of its HP.
Terrifying!
Excitement surged through Zhou Ming.
The only reasons the attack had failed to kill instantly were the full sixteen-level gap between him and the scorpion and the missing pieces in his equipment set. Otherwise, the creature would have died without any chance to resist.
When several scorpions charged him afterward, Zhou Ming advanced by retreating. He gathered Greater Fireball in his hand and attacked from range. By the time the monsters truly reached him, they were already at critically low HP and took only a few quick strikes to finish.
“Ding!”
[System: Congratulations! You have killed a [Gobi Venom Scorpion]. Current Level EXP +55.4%!]
“Ding!”
[System: Congratulations! You have killed a [Gobi Venom Scorpion]. Current Level EXP +33.4%!]
…
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two successive showers of golden light descended.
After killing only five scorpions, Zhou Ming reached Level 21 and began racing toward Level 22. As his attributes continued to grow, his grinding efficiency steadily increased as well.
“Keep going!”
Zhou Ming was brimming with energy.
For the next eight hours, he devoted himself entirely to grinding, logging out only once to eat lunch.
By five in the afternoon, his level had rocketed to 27. He had also found a decent piece of equipment, and after Qianying enhanced it, its stats rose dramatically.
[Yellow Sand Plate Armor] (Gold)
[Defense: 80-90]
[Traits: Defense +15%; HP +15%]
[Effect: Sturdy. Defense +10.]
[Required Level: 28]
[Description: Exceptionally durable armor that will resist decay even after years in storage.]
…
Beep! Beep!
At one point, a message arrived through his friends list.
Zhou Ming opened it and saw that it came from Tingfeng Xiyu.
“Bro, you’re insane! I look away for a moment and you’re already Level 27!”
“I found a map with pretty good EXP,” Zhou Ming replied, glancing at Tingfeng Xiyu’s level while he was there.
[Tingfeng Xiyu] (Windshadow Rogue)
[Level: 10]
…
The same level as when they had first met!
In fact, killing the Blackwind Panther King had raised Tingfeng Xiyu to Level 11 at the time.
Clearly, breaking through layer after layer of high-level monsters to locate a Silver boss around Level 60 had been no easy task.
“About that boss you wanted, I found it for you.” A moment later, Tingfeng Xiyu sent another screenshot.
The image showed an enormous stone golem more than five meters tall. Its entire body was built from brownish-yellow rock, giving it an immensely heavy, solid appearance.
“Coordinates are 1557, 6694, 2656!”
“Great!” Zhou Ming immediately typed back. “Thanks, buddy. I promise I’ll help you level afterward!”
“Wouldn’t that be far too much trouble for you…”
“If you really don’t want me to, then forget it.”
“Bro, I was joking.”
“Ding!”
[System: The other party has recalled a message. Recalled content: Wouldn’t that be far too much trouble for you…]
“Hahaha, I was joking too. All right, wait until I’ve dealt with this Silver boss.”
“OK!”
…
After closing the chat window, Zhou Ming resumed grinding.
Around six-thirty in the evening, streams of golden light finally carried him to Level 28.
He equipped the Yellow Sand Plate Armor, and his Defense immediately soared.
The time was about right!
Zhou Ming took out the God-Demon Orb. “Qianying, I need your help!”
As if his words carried the force of law, Qianying appeared beside him.
The young woman’s beauty was peerless. Her skin shone like flawless ice, her robes were whiter than snow, and her silver hair drifted around her. Even the dim moonlight could not conceal her radiance.
“Do you need me to do something?” Qianying asked.
“Yes.”
Zhou Ming explained bluntly. “First, I need you to do this… then this… after that, this… and finally, this. Understand?”
“I understand.”
Qianying nodded.
Zhouyou Shijie’s plan was not complicated. A few sentences were enough to explain it clearly.
Qianying promptly departed to carry out the task he had entrusted to her.
Since it was getting late, Zhou Ming began returning to Qingshui Town.
Ding-dong, ding-dong…
His phone rang along the way.
While continuing toward town inside the game, Zhou Ming glanced at the caller ID from the corner of his eye. Seeing that it was his mother, he hurriedly accepted the call.
“Mom, what made you call?”
“Because I’m worried about you!” his mother’s voice came through the phone. “Do you still need money urgently?”
“Not anymore!” Zhou Ming explained. “I was only short because I couldn’t move my funds around at the time. The emergency’s over now, and I’ve got over a hundred thousand extra in my account!”
“Really?”
“Would your son lie to you? I’ll transfer twenty thousand to you and Dad right now!”
“There’s no need for that!”
Reassured, his mother changed the subject. “Actually, I called because I want to introduce you to someone.”
“Mom, I’m still young!” Zhou Ming jumped in fright.
“Not that young!” she patiently advised. “A good friend of mine has a daughter around your age. Meet her first. Who knows, you might be perfect for each other.”
“No need!”
“But…”
“I really don’t need one!”
His head aching, Zhou Ming gritted his teeth. “Actually, I already have a girlfriend!”
The other end of the call fell silent. Then his mother asked in delight, “Someone you dated in university?”
“We met through work,” Zhou Ming bluffed with all his might. “Don’t interrogate me.”
“Then Mom will ask just one last question. What’s her name?”
“Her name is…”
…