"Done,"
Lin Zhao picked up the copper coin from the ground. With a full set of equipment, two gold-tier items, and one silver-tier item, it wasn't surprising that he could easily kill monsters of roughly the same level.
"Let's reorganize our strategy,"
Ding Chi frowned. "Since Ah Zhao can one-shot monsters, he should solo. Da Jun and I should be able to double-team and handle our own. This way, we'll maximize our leveling efficiency. We'll stay in the same map and keep the party status, so we can still get the 3% experience bonus from grouping. We can also get some experience from Ah Zhao, keeping our overall levels on par."
"Agreed."
Lin Zhao nodded. "Then I'll head right, and you guys go left?"
"Be careful."
Zhang Jun frowned. "When we came here earlier, we saw quite a few other leveling parties. Be cautious when soloing, don't get ambushed and killed. All the Sword Masters, Berserkers, and Templar Knights have learned their level 20 charge skills by now, so hiding in the woods and ambushing people is very effective."
"Got it."
Lin Zhao chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm not that easy to kill."
"Okay!"
...
Splitting into two groups, Lin Zhao began to solo.
With a remarkably sharp fang, it only took three strikes to kill a level 23 Fire Snake. Lin Zhao's leveling speed was exceptionally fast. However, he wasn't just mindlessly grinding. He was simultaneously killing monsters and familiarizing himself with the game's combat system. For instance, when attacking a Fire Snake, the first thrust would cause it to recoil and freeze momentarily. Then, a sweeping second strike, hitting a weak point, would make the Fire Snake arch its back again. Finally, a direct downward slash would finish it off, usually before the Fire Snake could even launch an attack. This allowed him to farm monsters without taking any damage. Da Feng Fiction Network.
But Lin Zhao wasn't solely focused on farming without taking damage. He was after the promise of "infinite combos" advertised by "Tian Xia." This was what Lin Zhao valued most. What is a combo? Consecutive attacks that leave the opponent no chance to retaliate, or even escape. That's a combo, and the situation before him showed the beginnings of it.
However, he couldn't quite grasp it yet and could only slowly experience it, believing that practice makes perfect.
Moving step by step, after defeating over a hundred Fire Snakes, Lin Zhao also reached level 22. The moment the Fire Snake before him fell to the ground, a "clatter" sound was heard, and a longsword, shimmering with a dim gray light, dropped. An item drop!
Lin Zhao was excited. He stepped forward and picked up the longsword. It was a Black Iron-tier item—
[Fire Snake Sword] (Black Iron-tier)
Attack: 40-65
Strength: +10
Required Level: 20
...
Although its attributes were far from comparable to the gold-tier Fang, its attack power of 40-65 was absolutely top-tier for this stage. After all, most players were still using weapons bought from shops to kill monsters. Weapons with these attributes were essentially non-existent on the market, impossible to buy even if you had the money. Well, this sword could be given to Ding Chi or Zhang Jun!
Just as Lin Zhao was about to put the Fire Snake Sword away, a person suddenly appeared in the distance. Clad in armor and wielding a sword, they smiled and said, "Friend, I'd like to discuss something with you."
"Oh?"
Lin Zhao looked up. The newcomer was a level 20 Templar Knight named "Huang Xiao Xie," followed by a level 20 Sharpshooter named "Wo Zai Neng She." Both of them looked like ruffians.
"Discuss what?" Lin Zhao asked.
"That sword you just dropped, it's Black Iron-tier, right?"
Huang Xiao Xie smirked and took out a bow from his inventory. "My bow is a level 12 Bronze-tier item, and its attributes are decent. I'd like to trade it for that sword, can I?"
"No trade."
Lin Zhao shook his head. "My friend needs it."
"Oh?"
Huang Xiao Xie took a step forward, standing on a rock, and sneered. "So you're saying you won't accept a generous offer?"
Lin Zhao raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Want to fight? Then hurry up, I'm in a hurry."
"Tsk tsk!"
Huang Xiao Xie said mockingly. "It seems you really don't know what's good for you. Do you know who I am? How dare you talk to me like this. Believe it or not, I can make it impossible for you to play in Yunshang County? You won't even be able to leave the safe zone!"
"Who are you?"
Lin Zhao smiled. "Do I know you?"
"Damn it!"
The Sharpshooter directly drew his bow. "Brother Xiao Xie, why are we wasting our breath with him? Let's just take him down, what's the big deal besides his slightly higher level!"
"Attack!"
Huang Xiao Xie, wielding a low-tier Bronze-tier longsword, lunged forward. At sufficient range, with a "swish," he activated his charge skill, turning into a streak of light that rushed straight at Lin Zhao. Lin Zhao saw clearly that he had no intention of killing Huang Xiao Xie first. After all, he was a tough Templar Knight. Even a set of white armor would be enough to take some hits. Therefore, Lin Zhao's target was the Sharpshooter!
"Swish!"
The moment Huang Xiao Xie charged, Lin Zhao had already unleashed a sword glow that enveloped the Sharpshooter. This was the prelude to a sword qi lock-on. As the opponent staggered, the second segment of the sword qi collision landed. Lin Zhao instantly moved from his original position, knocking the Sharpshooter out and stunning him in place. Above the afterimage behind him, a large "miss" floated. This was a two-birds-one-stone move. Not only did he stun the Sharpshooter, but he also dodged Huang Xiao Xie's charge.
"You..."
A trace of horror flashed in the Sharpshooter's eyes. The next moment, Lin Zhao's attack arrived. Normal attack + heavy slash + normal attack, he instantly completed an extremely fluid three-hit combo, and three consecutive damage numbers popped up above the opponent's head—
"398!"
"502!"
"376!"
The attack power was too high. This level 20 Sharpshooter had at most 1500 health. Before he could even cast a single skill, he was already heavily wounded. With a look of despair, he shouted, "Brother Xiao Xie, this person has hidden his strength! His attack is outrageously high..."
Before he could finish, Lin Zhao's sword fell, directly killing the Sharpshooter.
Behind him, Huang Xiao Xie also charged forward, a heavy slash cutting through the air!
Lin Zhao listened to the sound and identified the direction. He suddenly shifted his body. The 20% agility bonus per level had paid off. He actually dodged Huang Xiao Xie's heavy slash. Then, he activated his swift wind effect and swung his sword at Huang Xiao Xie's face. He brushed past him and went straight behind him, blocking his vision, and continued with several more swords. The Templar Knight was indeed tanky. It wasn't until Lin Zhao's sixth sword that Huang Xiao Xie's health finally bottomed out.
"Very good!"
Already heavily wounded, Huang Xiao Xie ferociously swung his sword at Lin Zhao's chest plate, but only a pathetic 71 damage number popped up. This was the first time he had dealt damage to Lin Zhao. At that moment, Huang Xiao Xie's expression changed drastically, but he still angrily roared, "If you have the guts, stay here and don't leave!"
"Alrighty~" Da Feng Novel.
Lin Zhao's sword fell, and Huang Xiao Xie directly fell to his knees, dying in utter frustration.
...
With Huang Xiao Xie dead, Lin Zhao immediately left the forest. Wasting his precious leveling time by arguing with such people? That would be foolish. It was unnecessary.
He found Ding Chi, handed him the Fire Snake Sword, and then Lin Zhao headed north. It was still the Fire Snake Forest, but far from the location of his PK with Huang Xiao Xie. He continued to diligently farm monsters, aiming to reach level 27-28 by the second day of the game. That would be sufficient.
In the northern part of the Fire Snake Forest, the Fire Snakes were already level 28. However, Lin Zhao's strength was sufficient to handle them. It was just that the level 28 Fire Snakes now had a level suppression effect on him, adding significant damage reduction. Thus, he could no longer one-shot them. For each Fire Snake he killed, Lin Zhao himself would lose 300-500 health. But it didn't matter, he had enough health potions, and it was fine to drink potions as he leveled. After all, this was a necessary investment in the early game.
He continued farming until around 10:30 AM when, with a "clatter," accompanying the demise of a Fire Snake, another piece of equipment dropped. This time, it was a round, fiery red helmet. He picked it up and saw that it was usable!
[Fire Snake Battle Helm] (Black Iron-tier)
Type: Armor
Defense: 32
Strength: +12
Required Level: 22
...
Nothing more to say, he equipped it directly! With an additional 32 defense, fighting Fire Snakes became noticeably less painful.
Just then, a "ding" sound came from Ding Chi's private message—
"Ah Zhao, two people passed by, asking about you. One is called Huang Xiao Xie, and the other is Wo Zai Neng She. They look like two idiots. I'm Yu Jin, and Da Jun is Lin Feng. They asked if we were looking for someone named Bai Yi, and they didn't suspect for a moment that we were together, hahahaha~~~ By the way, did you offend them?"
"Yes."
Lin Zhao smiled. "They tried to snatch my equipment earlier and I killed them. Don't tell them where I am. I don't want to waste time on them."
"I told them you went to the western forest to level up."
"Hahaha, that's perfect, that's perfect~~~"
...
He continued killing until noon when Lin Zhao reached level 23. By now, countless Fire Snakes had fallen to his sword. His armor was even covered in a faint bloody sheen, a result of the "Slaying Gods and Drinking Blood" talent. Although the paper statistics hadn't changed, in reality, Lin Zhao had a certain buff when killing monsters and in PK. Earlier, killing a Fire Snake would cost him around 400 health. By noon, he was losing less than 200 health at most. He could clearly feel the change.
However, lunch was still necessary. He couldn't stay online continuously to harm his health for the sake of the "Slaying Gods and Drinking Blood" buff. That wouldn't be worth it.
At noon, right after finishing lunch, Lin Zhao's personal communicator rang, and it was a communication request from his elder sister, Murong Feiyue.
He immediately returned to his room and answered the call. The communicator then projected a holographic image of Murong Feiyue, dressed in a high-ranking female officer's uniform. She smiled and said, "Awake?"
"Yeah, sis!"
Lin Zhao smiled. "Awake, I woke up a long time ago!"
"Have you logged into 'Tian Xia' yet? How do you feel about it?"
"I feel great."
"That's good." Murong Feiyue said softly. "Do you think... you can support yourself in the game?"
"I think it shouldn't be a problem. I might even do very well, sis, don't worry."
"Then I can rest assured and continue to focus on my career. You take good care of my Scarlet Moon Knights... "
"Don't worry."
Lin Zhao stood up resolutely and smiled. "Not long from now, I will make everyone in the world hear the name of the Scarlet Moon Knights."