Qingshi Forest.
Upon a steep mountainside, the human race had constructed a guard post with stones and timber. The post occupied a small area, housing several warhorses and storing provisions and equipment. It featured two arrow towers in the east and west, each manned by three cavalrymen who continuously fired arrows outwards. At the main gate, two cavalrymen acted as infantry, wielding shields and long spears, thrusting them through the gate's gaps to attack the enemies outside.
The entire guard post was besieged by over a dozen stone golems, each nearly three meters tall. They were covered in thick, solid stone skin, with long arms wielding either a piece of deadwood or fist-sized stones, relentlessly attacking the post in an attempt to breach its defenses and flatten it.
"Aim for their eyes!"
A cavalry captain roared, "Regular arrows cannot penetrate their stone skin. You must aim for the eyes. Quickly, we cannot let them continue their assault; the outer wall of the camp is about to collapse!"
"Yes, sir!"
The moment the cavalry captain gave his order, a stone flew through the air, directly smashing a cavalry archer from the arrow tower. He fell to the ground within the camp, spitting blood, his fate uncertain.
"Damn it!"
A guard at the gate roared, "Open the gates, let's fight them head-on! We men of Yun Prefecture would rather die fighting than live in shame!"
Everyone nodded in unison, preparing to charge out of the guard post.
Just then, a figure descended from the mountain. With a sudden clash of sword energy, a stone golem that had just lifted a giant rock was stunned. The figure then wielded their sword, unleashing a set of sword techniques that brutally cleaved the golem. They swiftly moved to the left, their sword light flaring with the roar of a dragon, instantly flinging another stone golem into the air. Another flurry of strikes followed, defeating it!
"We're saved!"
The cavalry captain was overjoyed. "It's a young swordswoman from Yunshang Prefecture! Wonderful!"
"Loose arrows, loose arrows! Aid that esteemed swordswoman!"
"Yes!"
From atop the city walls, several cavalrymen loosed their arrows. Below, Lin Zhao, protected by sword aura, continued to slay. In less than two minutes, all the stone golems were eliminated. While these stone golems were powerful and could suppress the NPC cavalry, they were no match for a top-tier player like Lin Zhao; they were merely walking experience points.
...
"Young hero!"
Inside the guard post, a cavalryman with a weathered face opened the gate and welcomed Lin Zhao in. He looked at Lin Zhao with excitement, marveling at his young age and robust physique.
The cavalry captain, equally invigorated, stepped forward and cupped his fist in greeting. "I am Xu Yin, captain of the 12th squad, 5th battalion of the Yunshang Prefecture Patrol Legion. Thank you, young hero! Without your timely intervention, our entire camp would likely have been overrun by these detestable spirits, and the consequences would have been dire!"
"You are most welcome."
Lin Zhao returned the salute with a martial arts fist-and-palm gesture. "Lord Xu Yin, what exactly has happened here? Why are so many stone golems appearing?"
"It's a long story."
Captain Xu Yin gestured for Lin Zhao to sit on a simple bamboo chair in the camp and said with a heavy frown, "In recent times, news of battles has been constantly coming from the direction of the Great Wall of Fusu in the north. It seems the Four Northern Tribes are indeed preparing for their descent south. With no human garrisons remaining at the Snow Region Heavenly Pond, the descent of the Four Northern Tribes will be unimpeded. Before their main armies arrive, they have already dispatched advance parties to quietly cross the Great Wall of Fusu and Shanhaiguan Pass to the south. These include demon cultivators, demon cavalry, and even some spirit monsters. Currently, in this Qingshi Forest..."
His expression turned grim. "There lies a stone spirit that has absorbed the essence of heaven and earth, becoming a spirit. It reigns supreme here, constantly evolving the rules of heaven and earth within the stone forest, transforming stones that have gained a modicum of spiritual energy into stone golems. These golems are increasing in number. Initially, they coexisted peacefully with us. Now, they have become increasingly erratic and have begun to constantly attack human soldiers. If this continues, the Prefect will likely have to dispatch a cavalry army of over a thousand men to encircle and eliminate them."
"I see..."
Lin Zhao frowned. "I am a traveling swordswoman passing through. Since I've encountered this, I cannot stand idly by. Please tell me how I can help, Lord. We all have a part to play in the human realm, and I am duty-bound!"
"Your words are most reassuring, young hero!"
Captain Xu Yin suddenly stood up, cupped his fist towards Lin Zhao, and said, "I implore your assistance, young hero, to travel north of the guard post and eliminate the newly formed stone golems. Round them all up. Afterward, I will apply to the court for a generous reward for you!"
"Oh..."
The next moment, the quest was acquired.
"Ding!"
System prompt: You have obtained the main quest [Clear the Stone Golems] (S-rank)!
Quest objective: Stone golem spirits are rampant in Qingshi Forest, posing a severe threat to humans. Proceed immediately to the north of the cavalry guard post and clear out the stone golems. Upon defeating 10,000 stone golems, return to Cavalry Captain Xu Yin to report. You will receive an incredibly generous reward!
...
"Ouch~~~"
Lin Zhao couldn't help but chuckle. What a physical exertion! Defeating 10,000 enemies. It's not something an average person could do. No wonder this low-level monster clearing quest was evaluated as an S-rank main quest; it implies hard work without necessarily being glorious. However, while 10,000 stone golems might be a daunting task for others, it's not impossible for Lin Zhao, especially since he had learned Sword Qi Traceless, which provided passive area-of-effect damage. Coupled with his Qinglu Sword's 45% splash damage and his own 24% lifesteal, luring in large groups of monsters to farm was not difficult.
Let's go, time to work!
He cupped his fist to the cavalry captain and then, sword in hand, exited the guard post and descended the mountain to the north. Soon, he reached a deeper valley in Qingshi Forest. Upon opening his minimap, he was startled to see countless blood-red dots covering the map ahead. Each dot represented a stone golem, and their levels were 48-49, perfect for Lin Zhao's leveling.
The map was filled with red dots, yet at a glance, only a few stone golems were seen wandering among the trees. It seemed most monsters were dormant and needed to be triggered. Lin Zhao lowered his blade and began running along the direction of the red dots on the map. Suddenly, stone pillars rooted to the ground spread their arms and opened their eyes, glaring at the young swordswoman. Rocks lying on the ground abruptly stood up and pursued her. Even stone golems embedded in the rock face left their dwellings and frantically chased the intruder. In an instant, over a hundred stone golems were following Lin Zhao, shouting threats, their veins bulging and their killing intent palpable.
"Let's begin!"
Lin Zhao abruptly turned around, activating his sword aura for protection, and charged into the monster horde. While enduring the pounding of the stone golems' stone arms, he swung his sword wildly. The sword qi from Sword Qi Traceless whistled through the monster group, and his health dropped rapidly, losing 600-1000 HP per second. However, his lifesteal kept pace, allowing him to sustain himself as he wielded the Qinglu Sword to attack and kill amidst the large group of monsters with ease.
In about five minutes, over 150 stone monsters lay defeated. Lin Zhao quickly scavenged the battlefield. There were no particularly good drops. White gear, bronze, and profound iron items were no longer valuable; they were common goods that might not even sell on the auction house. Perhaps the only option was to sell them for gold.
The leveling speed, however, was quite good. Luring, farming, and clearing drops—150+ stone monsters took Lin Zhao about 8-9 minutes. Calculating this, 10,000 stone golems would take approximately ten hours. That was acceptable. It was currently nine in the morning, and by seven or eight in the evening, he should be done. Completing an S-rank main quest in half a day was remarkable and beyond the reach of most.
Thus, Lin Zhao continued to farm monsters. Around ten in the morning, he had already lost his red name. Afterward, he focused even more on farming. His only concern was the rapid wear and tear on his equipment in combat mode. By the time he finished this quest, his equipment durability would likely drop to around 35%. Any lower and it might affect the equipment's attributes. Therefore, he would have to return to the city tonight. If Shengshi Mudan was still blocking the gates, a battle to break out would be inevitable.
...
Around eleven o'clock at noon.
"Beep!"
A message arrived from Chen Xue: "Lin Zhao, how's your progress today?"
"Doing a quest."
Lin Zhao directly shared his quest interface with Chen Xue.
"Not bad, an S-rank quest!"
Chen Xue's pretty face was filled with envy. She smiled, "Good, good. Farming and questing, both progressing well. At this rate, you should have a chance to reach level 44 today, and if there are follow-up quests, you might even reach level 45. That would be incredible. Our Scarlet Moon Knights should also have the next phase of our grand plan ready."
"Next phase?"
Lin Zhao paused slightly. "What plan?"
"A plan to tackle the level 50 dark gold boss."
Chen Xue's delicate brows furrowed. "Yesterday, the official announced the drop rates for early-stage bosses. The drop of the Alliance Token begins at level 50 dark gold bosses. This means no matter how many level 49 bosses you defeat, you won't get an Alliance Token. You must be level 50 or higher. It's rumored that Shengshi Mudan and Cangzhi Knights are already planning to tackle level 50 dark gold bosses. The earliest they might act is tomorrow. Without a doubt, whoever drops the first Alliance Token in the Huaxia server and establishes the first alliance will cause an explosive sensation, greatly benefiting the guild's future development."
"Got it."
Lin Zhao frowned. "I've witnessed level 48 dark gold bosses; they are incredibly fierce. Level 50 is a watershed, and they'll likely be even more ruthless. Our Scarlet Moon Knights are ultimately too few in number. You continue to work hard, and I'll keep working hard here to acquire more equipment. We'll try to earn more money and recruit more people before we make our move."
"Mm!"
Chen Xue smiled sweetly. "Keep it up. You handle the money, and I'll arrange everything else."
"Alright~~"