The next day, morning, breakfast time.
Lin Zhao slurped down the spicy soup and a few small meat buns that Sister Ju had bought back. This kind of life made him feel exceptionally satisfied. Beside him, Ding Chi was quietly reporting the previous day's studio performance: "All the equipment was sold. The Iron Blood Battle Axe finally went for 50,000 Universal Coins, and the Blazing Flame Staff went for a bit cheaper, at 42,000 Universal Coins. Including other miscellaneous income, the studio's total income yesterday exceeded 100,000 Universal Coins."
"Damn..."
Zhang Jun's eyes gleamed: "We need to PK more!"
"Hmph~~~"
Ding Chi rolled his eyes at him: "That's because Lin Zhao won yesterday. What if he had lost? Not only would he have lost a level, but his equipment might have dropped. The entire studio would have followed suit. So, yesterday's income was actually full of uncertainties. Once or twice is fine, but trying to get rich this way every day is essentially destined for bankruptcy."
"Mhm."
Lin Zhao nodded: "Getting rich through PK is indeed too risky, and it makes too many enemies. My idea is that we should still keep a low profile, go to deeper maps to level up and fight bosses, and don't let Sheng Shi Mu Dan dictate our pace. That's not good. Also, our levels must keep up. Ding Chi, Zhang Jun, you two have fallen out of the top ten in Yunshang County. You need to work harder. I'm also about to fall out of the top three."
"Can't be helped."
Ding Chi frowned: "The initial pioneering phase is almost over. The advantages of output professions like mages, divine archers, and lightning gunners will become increasingly apparent. Most of our swordmaster skills are single-target damage. It's normal for our leveling speed to fall behind."
"Let's set a goal for today: you two level 34, and I'll be level 36."
"Okay!"
...
Logging in in the morning, after quickly resupplying at the east gate of Yunshang County, the three headed east. They walked for nearly half an hour and were almost at the boundary of the county map. At this point, the surrounding monsters were mostly level 40 and above. The possibility of Sheng Shi Mu Dan's group catching up here was slim, so they could level up with peace of mind.
Ding Chi and Zhang Jun started fighting level 40 monsters, while Lin Zhao headed south to look for more suitable monsters to level up.
In the jungle, flowers bloomed everywhere, and colorful butterflies fluttered. The air was filled with a refreshing floral fragrance. Lin Zhao, carrying the Dragon Slaying Sword and wielding the Fang, walked south for about five minutes when he heard the sound of horses' hooves from ahead. In the distance, four Great Merchant Cavalry soldiers, clad in armor and riding imposing warhorses, were heading towards a hill. Flags fluttered on the hill, which was a temporary camp for Yunshang County's iron cavalry.
To the east of the camp, the map was slightly reddish, indicating a dangerous leveling area.
Lin Zhao took a deep breath and walked over to check for quests at the camp.
A few minutes later, as he stepped onto the hill, he realized the camp was quite rudimentary, with only two tents and about ten cavalry soldiers. One of the cavalry captains was roasting a pheasant by the fire. Beside the tents sat two wounded soldiers, their arms and legs stained red with blood, already injured. A medical officer was treating them.
Lin Zhao stepped forward and spoke to the cavalry captain: "Excuse me... what happened here?"
"Oh?"
The cavalry captain looked up at him and smiled, "You're an adventurer from Yunshang County... You don't know? Something has happened in the east of Yunshang County. Not long ago, a ghost shaman occupied an entire forest, turning it into a haunt for ghost puppets. The county governor didn't know the background of this forest, so he dispatched this scout cavalry to gather intelligence. We just failed our first reconnaissance and injured a few brothers. We're resting now..."
"Oh, I see..."
Lin Zhao nodded slightly: "Is that shaman very powerful?"
"He's not overwhelmingly powerful, just a cultivator in the fifth realm, the Divine Treasure realm. But he's a bit more powerful than us cavalry who only have brute strength. I'm about to send a brother to the county governor to ask for reinforcements, hoping they can send a mid-tier cultivator to hunt down this shaman. If successful... it would be a great contribution."
Lin Zhao's heart stirred: "Sir, do you think I could try?"
"You?"
The cavalry captain looked at Lin Zhao's appearance and couldn't help but laugh, "The image of Lin Baiyi from Xueyu Tianchi is indeed deeply ingrained. Many young people in Yunshang County are now following the example of Marshal Lin from a hundred years ago, carrying an ancient sword..."
He picked up a campaign wine flask and took a drink, laughing, "Young man, you should think clearly. Although that shaman is only in the lower five realms, he is quite powerful. If you really want to go... I can't dispatch any cavalry to accompany you. You'll have to fight alone."
"Don't worry."
Lin Zhao raised his eyebrows: "I will bring back the shaman's head to you."
"Really?"
The cavalry captain laughed heartily: "If you can truly do that, I will definitely apply for a very generous reward for you! In that case, young man, this mission is yours!"
"Mhm!"
The next moment, the mission was acquired:
"Ding!"
System prompt: You have obtained the main quest [Slay the Ghost Shaman] (S-rank)!
Quest objective: Enter the eastern forest and you will find a large tomb, which is a fortress built by a ghost shaman. Infiltrate the tomb, slay 1000 ghost puppets, and then enter the depths of the tomb to find the ghost shaman. Slay him and bring his head back to the cavalry captain for a very generous reward! However, young man, be careful, this journey will not be easy for your level and combat power.
...
"S-rank? Main quest?"
Lin Zhao frowned. This was truly an unexpected surprise. This was his second time accepting a quest in "Tianxia," and it was a legendary S-rank. The official promotion materials had clearly stated that main quests were rare and hard to come by; some people couldn't get one even if they tried their hardest. Clearly, his luck today was exceptional.
Happily descending the hill, he headed east!
Before long, he arrived at a misty forest, filled with a ghostly aura. It was somewhat similar to the scene when he encountered the Yin soldiers borrowing the road near Mengshan. However, as a game player now, Lin Zhao no longer felt any fear. It was more about simply leveling up, killing monsters, and charging forward. There was no need to consider so much.
Not far away, a ghoul was rummaging through the ground, pulling a badly rotten human arm out of the soil.
"Beast."
Lin Zhao drew his sword and went forward. He wondered whose ancestral grave this creature was digging up!
The next second, the ghoul's attributes appeared before his eyes:
[Ghoul] (Gold-tier Monster)
Level: 40
Attack: 375-600
Defense: 150
HP: 2000
Skills: [Claw Attack] [Bite] [Devour]
Description: Low-level puppets of the ghost race. These ghouls are refined by ghost shamans and are filled with death energy. Their sharp claws and teeth are incredibly keen, capable of piercing human shields. They are one of the main forces of the ghost army. Be careful if you are scratched or bitten by a ghoul, as the corpse poison is quite terrifying. It must be treated with hot compresses of glutinous rice or baths in glutinous rice soup, otherwise, you may turn into a walking corpse.
...
Ghouls, classic monsters.
Lin Zhao smiled slightly. At level 40, it was just right for his level 34 character to fight. Moreover, ghouls were gold-tier monsters, with a small chance of dropping gold-tier equipment. Plus, their defense was very low. 150 defense would certainly not withstand his 700+ attack power, so it would be like chopping vegetables. As for his own defense, 350+, he could still withstand a ghoul's attack.
Let's go!
The clash of sword energy and close-quarters combat. The damage from the two sword energy impacts alone dealt over 1200 HP to the ghoul. A follow-up normal attack instantly killed it. He immediately drew his sword and lunged towards another ghoul three yards away. Again, a normal attack followed by a "Qiankun Yizhi" (a skill, lit. Heaven and Earth Throw) instantly finished it off. Ordinary monsters were very easy to kill.
However, the experience gained from killing two level 40 gold-tier monsters made Lin Zhao slightly surprised. Just killing two monsters made the experience bar jump. Perhaps after completing the quest, he could achieve his leveling goal for the day.
Thus, he continued to kill his way towards the depths of this corrupted forest, ghouls falling one after another under the Fang sword.
By ten in the morning, Lin Zhao had killed over 400 ghouls. As he swung his sword to cut down a ghoul, there was a "clink," and an item dropped. A pair of bracers with a silver sheen fell to the ground. Judging by the luster, it was clearly a silver-tier item. Picking it up, he saw it was slightly better than his current ones.
[Berserker Bracers] (Silver-tier)
Type: Armor
Defense: 75
Strength: +24
Agility: +22
Effect: Physical Dodge +2%
Additional: Increases user's defense by 3%
Required Level: 35
...
The stats were decent, slightly better than his current Hornet Bracers. One effect and one addition were things the Hornet Bracers lacked. However, he still needed to reach level 35, so no rush, he continued leveling.
At 10:30, accompanied by a ray of golden light, he leveled up to 35. He immediately equipped the Berserker Bracers, and his combat power increased significantly.
Just then, a patch of blood-red appeared on the large map ahead. Looking from a distance, he saw a mage holding a staff and a long sword standing silently on an altar shrouded in deathly aura. His expression was grim, his hair had fallen out, leaving only his skull. His eyes, dark and sinister, gazed at Lin Zhao from afar, but he had not yet reached the aggro range, so he would not attack actively.
Here he comes, the ghost shaman he was required to kill for the quest.
Lin Zhao frowned, not rushing to challenge the boss, as he had inadvertently glimpsed the boss's rank.
Dark Gold tier!
Lin Zhao couldn't help but gasp. No wonder this quest was evaluated as S-rank. Was the final boss that outrageous?
One tier higher than a gold-tier boss, and although level 42, he was definitely not easy to deal with for Lin Zhao. He quietly calculated, deciding to take it slow. He would first complete the required monster kill count for the quest and see if he could reach level 36 before challenging the boss. This way, the level disadvantage would be smaller, and the success rate would be higher.