Chapter 7
Chapter 7
After a flash of intense light, Zhou Ming opened his eyes in the heart of a bustling town.
He stood in a broad plaza paved with smooth flagstones. Rows of buildings and crowded shops stretched into the distance, while pedestrians flowed endlessly through the streets.
Compared with the dilapidated tutorial village, the town was better by far more than a single measure.
“Ding!”
[System: You have entered the Tier 3 settlement [Qingshui Town]!]
A Tier 3 settlement!
That was one level of civilization above a village.
According to official information, settlements in *Destiny* were divided into five tiers, from lowest to highest: Tier 4 villages, Tier 3 towns, Tier 2 cities, Tier 1 capitals, and super capitals.
Upon leaving a Tier 4 village, Zhou Ming had been automatically assigned to a nearby Tier 3 town.
He stepped out of the teleportation array and turned toward Qianying, about to speak, when something struck him from behind.
Clack!
A stone bounced off Zhou Ming’s back and fell to the ground.
He turned. A handsome, slender young man in blue stood behind him.
“Sorry. I’ve been behind you for quite a while, but you never noticed me. I had to find some way to get your attention.” Amusement colored the young man’s eyes, and his tone was thoroughly arrogant.
Instead of replying, Zhou Ming cast Inspect on him.
[Waterlight Blade ยท Lin Tao] (Silver Boss)
[Level: 20]
[HP: 10,000]
[Attack: 320-340]
[Defense: 150-165]
[Skills: ???]
[Description: An exceptionally talented young prodigy. Born with command over a unique water element, he caught the attention of the Hero of Water and inherited that hero’s legacy.]
…
A Silver Boss?
Fine. Zhou Ming could tolerate him for now!
Keeping his face perfectly calm, Zhou Ming asked, “Can I help you, my grabby-handed friend?”
“I’m curious why you gained her approval, so I would like to spar with you.” Lin Tao looked Zhou Ming up and down without the slightest courtesy, speaking with blunt arrogance.
Zhou Ming turned toward Qianying. Her beautiful face had become cold as ice.
“You arrived far sooner than I expected,” she said.
“Is that surprising?”
Space rippled. An old man in blue robes appeared beside Lin Tao.
The elder had white hair, a hunched frame, and a cane. He looked ancient and frail, yet the presence radiating from him brought suffocating pressure.
[???]
“You escaped Taoyuan Village. Once we received the news, how could we possibly ignore it?” The old man was on full alert.
Qianying remained silent for a moment. “You should know that you alone cannot stop me.”
“I did not particularly wish to come.”
The elder turned his cold gaze on Zhou Ming as if looking at an ant. “My disciple once asked you for guidance, but you ignored him. Now that you have chosen someone else, he refuses to accept it and wishes to test himself against your choice.”
“Please.” Lin Tao cupped his fists, hostility in his eyes.
He wanted to see what qualified this unknown adventurer to earn the Divine Ember Queen’s approval.
“Ding!”
[System: Congratulations! You have triggered the sudden quest [Bestow Guidance] (Difficulty: S). Accept?]
The tension between the two sides sharpened to a breaking point.
Before Zhou Ming could decide, Qianying stepped in front of him protectively.
“He has not even completed his class advancement!”
“That poses no problem,” the old man said leisurely. “I can prevent both sides from using skills and equalize their power. They can settle the matter in a fair contest.”
“Fair?”
A cold gleam filled Qianying’s eyes as killing intent began to rise. “You come to bully him before he has laid a foundation or had time to grow, and you think I cannot see what you are planning?”
“Before he has laid a foundation or had time to grow?” The old man narrowed his eyes, his words carrying a deeper implication. “Do you believe you still have enough time to guide him?”
He was hardly the only one who had learned that the Divine Ember Queen had escaped the restriction in Taoyuan Village.
Powerful figures would soon converge from every direction. She would have no time to proceed at her leisure.
“What I do is none of your concern!”
Qianying had no desire to argue. She seized Zhou Ming by the shoulder, transformed into a streak of white light, and shot beyond the town.
The old man did not pursue them.
“Master, are we really letting him leave?” Lin Tao asked, unwilling to accept it.
“There is no rush.”
Watching the direction in which they had vanished, the old man curled his lips into a cold smile. “That opportunity is too great. The boy cannot keep it.”
…
High in the sky, icy wind tore at them as a streak of white light raced onward. It changed direction from time to time to shake off any pursuit.
After an unknown length of flight, the two descended to the ground.
“Ding!”
[System: You have entered [Gloom Gorge]!]
Mist filled the damp, frigid gorge, where sunlight never reached. Under the crushing aura of a god-tier expert, none of the surrounding beasts dared approach.
Qianying surveyed the terrain, then spoke solemnly. “They will not find this place easily. Here, I will help you develop a custom-created class!”
“Thank you!”
The unpleasant interruption had done nothing to dampen Zhou Ming’s enthusiasm.
“Before that, I need to tell you a few things.” Qianying hesitated, then decided to speak openly.
In truth, she had hoped Zhouyou Shijie could learn all this later.
But time was running out. She no longer had a choice.
“I’m listening.”
Zhou Ming focused intently.
He had a feeling that Qianying’s hidden past was closely tied to the main storyline of the game.
“There was originally no grudge between us,” Qianying said, keeping her explanation as brief as urgency allowed. “But I possess a special power that can raise the rank of equipment without regard for any conditions. The power was too great. Others coveted it, and that created many enemies.”
Zhou Ming did not know how to respond.
Raise the rank of equipment without regard for any conditions!
That ability was absurdly powerful. It was practically a cheat.
Even ordinary Bronze equipment could rise two full ranks the instant Qianying touched it. If she strengthened divine equipment, the result would be unimaginable.
That power alone was enough to make her a prize everyone wanted to seize.
After giving Zhou Ming time to absorb the revelation, Qianying took a pitch-black orb from her clothes.
“There is one more thing they covet: this orb, which can help its owner develop a custom-created class!”
This was…
Zhou Ming’s heart jumped. Overcome with curiosity, he cast Inspect.
[God-Demon Orb] (???)
[Description: A mysterious orb from beyond the Destiny Continent, containing boundless divine and demonic thoughts.]
[Effect: Hold fast to your true self, temper your being, and let the orb help its owner forge a path of their own.]
…
“The God-Demon Orb?”
Zhou Ming swallowed hard. Claiming he felt no desire for it would have been a lie.
Qianying held the God-Demon Orb out to him, her expression grave. “Here. Try to grasp it.”
“…All right.”
His heart raced, and he could barely contain his excitement as he reached toward the orb.
There was still so much he did not understand. He could not even explain why Qianying had chosen him.
But how could he fail to recognize it? How could he dare not recognize it?
This orb was something that could change his destiny!
…