"The Azure Knights have entered the fifth floor."
Five minutes later, Chen Xue's brow furrowed in the party channel. "Someone in their guild is a game streamer. They reached the fifth floor during their live broadcast. Majestic Peony should reach the fifth floor soon as well."
"Mm."
Lin Zhao knitted his brows. "Hurry up. Quickly find the entrance to the seventh floor!"
"Found it!"
Mo Yin's scouting ability was still the strongest. He said, "The seventh floor entrance is on the left side of the map. If the entire map is divided into 100 squares, its coordinates are approximately (11,91), in the upper left corner."
"Got it."
Lin Zhao said in a deep voice, "Everyone, head to the seventh floor."
"Okay~~~"
...
Five minutes later, under the cover of Lin Zhao and Chen Xue, ten members of the Scarlet Moon Knights stepped into the seventh floor. This was already considered the upper echelon. The moment Lin Zhao stepped onto the seventh floor, a chime rang in his ears. As expected, the rewards on the seventh floor were clearly much greater than on the sixth floor.
"Beep!"
System Notification: You have entered the map [Chaos Divine Hall - Seventh Floor]. This map currently has 2 bosses (Dark Gold grade), 5 skill books of [Gambling Throw], 5 skill books of [Mass Healing], 5 skill books of [Reinforced Meteor], and 5 skill books of [Eight Gates Lock Array]. They are carried by random monsters. Kill them to get drops!
...
"What is [Eight Gates Lock Array]?"
Ding Chi asked in surprise, "I don't think I've ever heard of it before..."
"It's a formation skill book."
Chen Xue, with her extensive knowledge, said, "It's one of the signature skills of the Formation Master, a niche class. I heard that someone in Hai Xi County sold one before, and its effect was quite strong. I remember it was... Enemy targets within the range of the [Eight Gates Lock Array] have a 30% chance to be stunned every 3 seconds, lasting for 1 second. It's quite a troublesome formation."
"Ah?"
Zhang Jun exclaimed, "Doesn't that mean players inside the formation will be stunned from time to time? How can anyone else play?"
"Yes."
Chen Xue said, "It can seriously disrupt the combat rhythm. Therefore, Formation Masters who have learned [Eight Gates Lock Array] are quite tricky. Once we encounter such a team, we prioritize killing the Formation Master. There's no choice."
Lin Zhao asked, "Which guild has the [Eight Gates Lock Array] from Hai Xi County?"
"Star River."
Chen Xue replied, "It's the guild renowned as the strongest alliance in the national server. Its leader is Su Xinghe, and the vice-leader is Shen Xingchen. They are highly popular in the national server. Many people predict that Star River will be the ultimate victor in 'Tian Xia' with little to no suspense."
"Oh..."
Lin Zhao knitted his brows and didn't say much. He had met these two people in Tian Chi Town. Su Xinghe was handsome and outstanding, but a bit petty. Shen Xingchen, he didn't have a strong impression of, but she seemed to have a good relationship with Leng Yan and they were often together. Thinking of this, Lin Zhao couldn't help but smile slightly. He wondered how Miss Leng was doing now. Was her Sheng Tian guild's progression going smoothly?
"What are you doing?"
Chen Xue watched him smile and knew he must be thinking of some girl. She immediately felt annoyed. "Get to work! You, the guild leader, go solo, while we'll group farm and look for the bosses. There are two Dark Gold bosses on the seventh floor. It's not too much for us to kill one."
"Mm, got it."
Lin Zhao nodded, turned, and left with his sword.
Chen Xue, however, furrowed her brows. Didn't this guy notice her slight displeasure? He really was an idiot...
...
On the seventh floor, Lin Zhao began to solo farm.
The monster difficulty on the seventh floor had increased significantly. On the sixth floor, they were level 56 Gold grade monsters, but on the seventh floor, they were already level 57 Dark Gold grade monsters. This was a whole tier higher, confirming Lin Zhao's thoughts that the upper three floors would definitely differ from the middle three. However, Dark Gold monsters were also good, as they had a chance to drop Dark Gold equipment. It was like a lottery, with every monster kill filled with anticipation. One wrong move and you could afford a house and marry a wife. Who could resist that!
Ahead, warriors wielding broken swords and clad in dark armor patrolled the seventh-floor hall. As Lin Zhao approached, their stats instantly appeared before his eyes.
[Broken Sword Warrior] (Dark Gold Grade Monster)
Level: 57
Attack: 800-1050
Defense: 350
HP: 4000
Skills: [Heavy Slash] [Blade Storm] [Sword Qi Guard]
Description: Broken Sword Warriors were once sword soldiers who followed the Chaos Divine Sword Jian Chen. In life, these soldiers already possessed considerable swordsmanship cultivation. Before their deaths, they all came to the Chaos Divine Hall, willing to guard the hall with their residual bodies after death, showing their final loyalty to the Sword God.
...
Lin Zhao knitted his brows. An attack power of 1050 was already quite high. It would probably hurt him quite a bit. Moreover, these Broken Sword Warriors possessed two offensive skills, [Heavy Slash] and [Blade Storm], as well as [Sword Qi Guard] for survivability. They were well-rounded monsters. He decided to pull 20 of them to test the waters. If he could handle them, he would pull more.
Thus, he weaved through the monster pack, his feet tracing Z-shaped paths. In a blink of an eye, he had aggroed a group of Broken Sword Warriors and turned to face them. He followed his usual rule: no [Sword Qi Guard], just tanking with his flesh and blood. If he could survive, it meant he could just "AFK" level up. If not, they would discuss it.
Instantly, a group of Broken Sword Warriors roared and swung their swords, and Lin Zhao responded with wild slashes, fighting to sustain himself. Numbers of dense damage kept stacking above his head, which was quite terrifying. Fortunately, his attack output was equally impressive, coupled with AoE splash effects, so the lifesteal numbers also kept jumping. For a while, his health bar fluctuated between 60% and 80%, never dropping below 50%. This reassured Lin Zhao; he could farm them freely!
Not long after, with the death of a Broken Sword Warrior, there was a "clatter." Less than five minutes after Lin Zhao started farming on the seventh floor, he got a drop. A golden skill book fell to the ground. That golden luster indicated it was at least an S-grade skill!
He excitedly picked it up, glanced at its attributes, and his heart began to race. He then shared the skill book's attributes in the Scarlet Moon Knights' party channel.
[Eight Gates Lock Array] (S-Grade Skill Book): Enemy targets within the formation range have a 30% chance to be stunned every 3 seconds, lasting for 1 second. Requires level 40 to learn. Requires class: Formation Master.
...
"Damn, it dropped so quickly?!"
Ding Chi tutted. "Good luck, keep it up!"
Rong Xing chuckled. "Indeed, the luck is good. At this stage, a skill book like this is a priceless treasure!"
Lin Zhao smiled and remained silent.
"Beep!"
A message from Chen Xue: "How do you plan to deal with this skill book?"
"How do you think it should be dealt with?" Lin Zhao retorted.
Chen Xue pondered. "There are two ways. First, use it to attract talent. With this [Eight Gates Lock Array], I can recruit a mid-to-upper-tier Formation Master for the Scarlet Moon Knights. Of course, it's hard to guarantee that such talent won't leave. Once our late-game funds are insufficient or the guild's momentum declines, talent loss is almost inevitable. Second, sell it directly for money and use the Sea God Rock to hone your flying sword. This method is the simplest."
"Got it."
Lin Zhao knitted his brows. "Then let's go with the first option. I'll give you the skill book later, and you can go recruit a powerful Formation Master for our Scarlet Moon Knights. Without the Formation Master's buffs, everyone's leveling progress is at a disadvantage, right?"
"That's indeed the case."
Chen Xue smiled. "Then I'll start contacting my Formation Master friends in the game world and see who is willing to join our Scarlet Moon Knights for an [Eight Gates Lock Array]."
"Mm, alright!"
...
Continued farming.
Next, Lin Zhao entered a more frenzied farming mode, pulling over 150+ Broken Sword Warriors to surround him. He then began to slash wildly with his sword, and streaks of sword energy shuttled around him. By the time the monsters on the periphery approached Lin Zhao, they had already lost a significant amount of HP. This method of maximizing leveling efficiency was relatively extreme. Few Sword Heroes in the national server dared to do this.
"Clatter!"
A few minutes later, another skill book dropped. After picking it up, Lin Zhao shared it in the party channel.
[Reinforced Meteor] (S-Grade Skill Book): Summons a powerful meteor to attack a single target, dealing 400% magic damage. Cooldown: 7 seconds. Requires level 40 to learn. Requires class: Starfall Mage, Nomad, Formation Master.
...
"Wow~~~"
Lu Li immediately smiled sweetly. "Thank you, Boss!"
Lin Zhao laughed. "You contribute to the team, it's what you should do."
"Huh?"
Ding Chi exclaimed, "This [Reinforced Meteor] is quite powerful. Not only can Starfall Mages learn it, but Nomads and Formation Masters can also learn it?"
"Yes."
Chen Xue smiled slightly. "You can understand it this way, [Reinforced Meteor] is an 'unconventional' skill, so like [Gambling Throw], Heavy Armor classes can learn it. [Reinforced Meteor] enhances several cloth-wearing classes. Previously, Nomads and Formation Masters could only follow others. Now, their opportunity has arrived. It's also a form of enhancement for support classes."
Ding Chi laughed. "I'm just afraid Nomads and Formation Masters won't have enough spirit to deal damage~~~"
Qing Ning chuckled, full of longing. The next [Reinforced Meteor] should be hers!
...
In the afternoon, while the members of the Scarlet Moon Knights were leveling, Lin Zhao received a message from a not-so-unfamiliar stranger, Li Canghai, the leader of the Azure Knights.
"Beep!"
Li Canghai: "White Robe Guild Leader, this is no fun, is it? Our Azure Knights fought fiercely with Majestic Peony on the lower floors, losing over 600 players in just three hours. Yet, your Scarlet Moon Knights went to the upper floors to feast. Is this how allies are utilized? Aren't you afraid of getting stuffed with the resources of the upper floors?"
Lin Zhao knitted his brows. "Then, Guild Leader Li Canghai, what does he want the Scarlet Moon Knights to do?"
"I will organize a high-level raid team to go directly to the seventh floor and above."
Li Canghai said calmly, "I hope your Scarlet Moon Knights don't touch any bosses on the seventh floor and above. Those resources belong to our Azure Knights. They are what we deserve for fighting Majestic Peony."
"..."
Lin Zhao fell silent instantly, suddenly feeling disinclined to speak.