The next morning.
Streams of gentle morning light cascaded into the Grand Cathedral in the eastern plaza of Cloud City, where Lin Zhao and Chen Xue sat side by side on a bench. After a few minutes, a Holy Knight in imposing armor, with the ID "Shao Nian Xu Du" (Youthly Wasted), a young man around 24 years old with a handsome and energetic appearance, hurried over. He sat on the bench in front of Lin Zhao and Chen Xue, clasped his arms, and stared straight ahead, but his voice was exceptionally humble. "Two bosses, I'm here. I apologize for keeping you waiting."
"Mm."
Lin Zhao nodded. "Xu Du, you were personally recommended by Lu Han. I'm sure you won't disappoint Chen Xue and me."
Shao Nian Xu Du gave an awkward smile. "Talking is just talk. But whatever Boss Lin Zhao and Boss Chen Xue arrange, I will do my utmost to complete it, so you won't be disappointed, nor will Lu Han. Please just give me your instructions directly, don't be polite. My role here is as your younger brother, to be ordered around."
"..."
Chen Xue pursed her lips, finding him very perceptive.
Lin Zhao chuckled, polishing the Qinglu Sword in his arms. He smiled without looking away, "Starting today, you'll leave the Youth Squad and create Lu Han's second guild under the banner of the Fiery Blood Youth Squad. This guild will also become our Scarlet Moon Knights' second guild. You can recruit freely in Cloud City. Chen Xue will provide you with continuous funding."
"Great!"
Shao Nian Xu Du nodded. "Guild name?"
Chen Xue said, "White Robe Guild."
"White Robe Guild..."
Shao Nian Xu Du, being a confidant of Lu Han, was naturally in the know. He paused slightly, his expression filled with longing. "The guild of Lin Baiyi from Snow Domain Celestial Pool?"
"Yes."
Chen Xue blinked her beautiful eyes and smiled, "You need to lead this guild well, because later, the formal guild leader will be our Alliance Master himself. Lin Zhao will personally lead this guild, and you can retire with honor then. You can choose to stay as the vice-guild leader of the White Robe Guild, or return to the Youth Squad."
"We can discuss that later."
Shao Nian Xu Du clenched his fist lightly, his eyes fixed on Lin Zhao. "Boss Lin Zhao, I will lead this guild well. I won't boast, but the average combat power will definitely crush the Azure Knights and Flourishing Peonies. You can be assured of this."
"Mm."
Lin Zhao nodded and smiled, "I believe in you. Now, go ahead and do your best!"
"Alright!"
...
Lin Zhao stood up. After adding Shao Nian Xu Du as a friend, he said, "You should add Chen Xue as well. Currently, I need to focus on leveling and getting equipment, so I'll have very little time for guild building. If anything comes up, feel free to contact Chen Xue. She can represent me entirely."
"Oh..."
Shao Nian Xu Du's expression turned serious. "If super beautiful female guild members want to add you as a friend and confess their love, do I still have to go through Boss Chen Xue?"
Lin Zhao thought for a moment. "That... you can private message me. After all, I'm single."
Shao Nian Xu Du laughed heartily. "Understood!"
Chen Xue playfully punched Lin Zhao's shoulder, her beautiful eyes showing a hint of mock annoyance. "Be serious. You're an Alliance Master, after all."
"Got it, got it."
Lin Zhao smiled slightly. "I'm going out of the city to level up. A Xue, let's go our separate ways. That way, people from the Azure Knights and Flourishing Peonies won't be waiting to ambush us."
"Okay, go ahead. I'll discuss specific funding matters with Xu Du and prepare a statement of accounts."
"Alright!"
...
Lin Zhao left the city with his sword. As expected, he encountered no obstacles. Outside the east city gate, only three players from the Azure Knights were sitting on the bridge abutments, chatting. Upon seeing Lin Zhao from afar, they didn't make a move. Even if they did, it would be useless; they couldn't defeat him. Besides, in their eyes, this white-robed figure was now a lone commander. The Scarlet Moon Knights only had this one Alliance Master, so there was no need to target him anymore. However, they would still report Lin Zhao's departure times and directions to Li Canghai. Whether or not to dispatch elites for pursuit was not their concern.
After leaving the city, Lin Zhao sped on. After ducking through a few bushes, he was basically sure he was safe. The Azure Knights couldn't keep up. His level was too high, and he could detect any pursuing players from a great distance. Coupled with his top-tier equipment, the Azure Knights wouldn't be able to do much damage to Lin Zhao unless they mobilized more than 20 people.
As he was speeding along, a pleasant chime sounded. His flying sword, nurtured in the Cloud Sword Lake, had leveled up again.
"Ding!"
System Notification: Congratulations! Your flying sword [Bright Moon] (Immortal Grade) has been upgraded to Level 3 and has successfully awakened the divine ability [Shatter]!
...
Level 3 flying sword!
And it had awakened a new divine ability. Upon opening the flying sword's attributes, the new skill attributes floated out.
[Shatter]: Wield the flying sword to hunt down the opponent's flying sword. There is a certain chance to directly shatter or damage the opponent's flying sword. The higher the rank of your flying sword compared to the opponent's, the greater the chance of shattering.
This effect was somewhat heaven-defying! And this ability was likely inherited from his past life. After all, in the battle at Fusang Great Wall, the flying sword Ming Yue had indeed almost shattered Lin Wanhua's natal flying sword. In this life, Lin Zhao was a player. If Ming Yue could shatter other players' flying swords... it would truly be a great killer. After all, other players' flying swords also needed to be nurtured slowly. If Lin Zhao managed to shatter one, it would be fine if it could be repaired, albeit at a great cost. If it couldn't be repaired, they might be so grief-stricken that they would delete their characters.
"Hoo..."
Lin Zhao looked at the divine ability, his heart confirming that the [Shatter] divine ability was too "forbidden." He absolutely must not use it against anyone who wasn't an archenemy. After all, many players treated this game as a means of livelihood. Ruining someone's path was an act of wickedness. However, against archenemies, it was a different story. Lin Zhao had a gentle personality, so what kind of person would become his archenemy? Anyone who possessed a flying sword should have it smashed to pieces.
He chuckled gleefully. Ming Yue at level 3 had a 45% increase in damage, and it would only get higher!
This flying sword was his sharp weapon for traversing the martial world. At this moment, Lin Zhao couldn't help but yearn for the emergence of a second Cloud Sword Lake. When his teacher's Han Niu Sword had shattered, he had immediately integrated the tip of the Han Niu Sword into Lin Zhao's second Cloud Sword Lake. Once the second Cloud Sword Lake awakened, the awakening of the Han Niu Sword should not be far off. And what kind of existence was the Han Niu Sword? The tip of a Confucian Sage's sword. Its rank and sharpness should definitely surpass Ming Yue, so he had to look forward to it!
...
Not long after, he arrived at the northern territory of Cloud City.
The further north they went, the heavier the wind and snow became, soon making it difficult to keep their eyes open. Amidst the wind and snow, a group of human figures appeared. Most of them were young and middle-aged men, wrapped in animal skins, dressed very simply, their faces weathered. They held bows in their hands and daggers at their waists, clearly a group of hunters.
However, at this moment, the situation of these hunters was quite dire. They were trapped by the wind and snow behind a rock formation, unable to advance. Furthermore, some of them seemed to be injured, and the entire party was stranded here.
A quest.
Lin Zhao's heart skipped a beat. He drew his sword and stepped forward, walking through the deep snow.
"Who's there?"
The group of hunters became vigilant. Some drew their hunting bows, while others unsheathed the short knives at their waists, their expressions wary as they looked up at the approaching sword cultivator.
"Oh, it's a sword cultivator from Cloud City..."
An old hunter, his face full of wrinkles, broke into a smile. "Young man, how did you end up in this godforsaken place?"
"Just traveling."
Lin Zhao looked at the group, a dozen or so people. Among them, a middle-aged man was covered with a beast-skin blanket, lying in the wind and snow. His face was pale, and his shoulder was a bloody mess, clearly injured.
"Who are you?" Lin Zhao asked.
The old hunter frowned. "Don't mention it. We are hunters from a village in northern Cloud City. We traveled dozens of miles to hunt two or three snow bears for winter provisions. The furs can be handed over to the government as this year's tax. But who would have thought that as soon as we arrived, we were attacked by two snow bears? Da Zhuang's father's entire arm was almost torn off by a snow bear. Those snow bears seem to have targeted us and are lingering around. We've been trapped here for three days and three nights. Our rations are almost gone. If we can't leave, we might lose our lives here."
"I see..."
Lin Zhao frowned. On his way through the wind and snow, he had indeed seen a few giant bears in the blizzard, but their numbers were sparse, so he hadn't acted. He hadn't expected those snow bears to be guarding these hunters, waiting to feast.
He took a deep breath. "Old man, I'll help you deal with these snow bears. After dealing with them, you should hurry back, otherwise, this injured person might truly die here."
"Really?!"
The old hunter's face was filled with surprise. "Young man, you're willing to help us?"
"Mm."
Lin Zhao nodded.
Just then, a middle-aged hunter frowned and said, "The Snow Domain Ironback Bears are extremely stout and move with incredible speed. Their claws can pierce the hide of a fierce tiger. Young man, although you are a sword cultivator, you appear to be only a sword cultivator of the Lower Five Realms. Facing snow bears several times your size, you shouldn't be too overconfident."
"I know."
Lin Zhao smiled and nodded. "Don't worry, I don't do things I'm not sure of."
"That's good then."
The next moment, a chime sounded, and a quest was acquired.
"Ding!"
System Notification: You have accepted the quest [Snow Domain Ironback Bear] (Rank A)!
Quest Content: Clear out the Snow Domain Ironback Bears in the vicinity. Kill over 2000 Snow Domain Ironback Bears. These Snow Domain Ironback Bears have a certain chance to drop bear meat. You must collect 200 pieces of bear meat and hand them over to the old hunter. Upon completion, you will receive extremely generous rewards.
...
Lin Zhao raised his eyebrows with a smile. A Rank A quest, not bad at all. Much better than grinding. Besides, helping others brings happiness. This time, he had to do it!