Ten minutes later.
Under Lin Zhao's rapid monster grinding, Chen Xue's 99% experience points began to waver, tottering on the verge of breaking through the limit and leveling up to level 60.
At this moment, Chen Xue pursed her red lips, secretly making a vow.
If I can truly awaken the Sacred Sword this time, I, Chen Xue, am willing to dedicate the rest of my life to the Crimson Moon Knights, never to betray, never to abandon, and to accompany the Crimson Moon Knights and Lin Zhao until the very end.
She wasn't superstitious, but she liked to make such crazy self-declarations.
...
"Swish~~~"
Just as Lin Zhao's sword once again felled a deer demon, causing it to emit a long wail, a shower of golden light rained down from the sky, enveloping Chen Xue's head. She had leveled up first. At the moment of leveling up, with a "buzz," it seemed as if some celestial phenomenon was triggered. Golden lightning crackled in the sky and descended in an instant, striking Chen Xue's body!
"Ding!"
System Announcement: Congratulations to player [Ren Jian Xiao Ku Gua] for successfully awakening [Sacred Sword ★] (Heaven Grade)!
...
"Damn!"
Ding Chi's eyes widened: "It really awakened? And a Heaven Grade Sacred Sword..."
"Hahahaha~~~~"
If Chen Xue hadn't been concerned about her ladylike image, she would have burst into laughter at that moment. She suddenly raised her spear, and "zizizi" golden energy swirled around it, conjuring a phantom image of a Sacred Sword around her spear.
"How is it?"
Lin Zhao asked, "What kind of mechanism is the Sacred Sword system?"
"It's basically a buff."
Chen Xue said, "When summoning the Sacred Sword, there are two modes: one is attack, and the other is defense. You can only choose one. I've chosen the attack mode now. As a Heaven Grade one-star Sacred Sword, it can amplify attack damage by 65%. If I were to choose the defense mode, at the current level, it would increase damage reduction by 35%."
"..."
Lin Zhao frowned.
Ding Chi said, "This isn't very friendly to Sword Masters..."
"Indeed."
Lin Zhao nodded, "For Paladins of the same level and combat power, if they summon their Sacred Sword for defense, Sword Masters will find it very difficult to damage them. As the Sacred Sword levels up, this damage reduction effect will quickly increase to 50%. Combined with equipment bonuses, it will essentially become an unwinnable situation, unless later high-level equipment provides true damage effects."
"Mhm."
Chen Xue smiled, "Different classes are inherently balanced against each other; it's normal."
"Continue!"
Lin Zhao swung his sword to kill monsters, "Let's see if Zhang Jun can also awaken a Sword Concealment Lake!"
"Mhm, let's go!"
The group began to fight with even more vigor. With the attack bonus from the Sacred Sword, Chen Xue's overall output had undergone a transformation, increasing by a staggering 65%. Her output in the team now surpassed both Ding Chi and Zhang Jun, two Sword Masters, making them feel quite embarrassed. As for nurturing the Sacred Sword, purchasing Spirit Stones from the system store was sufficient, not too expensive, costing only a few dozen universal coins daily, much cheaper than Sword Cultivators nurturing their flying swords.
In summary, the Paladin's approach is to use the Sacred Sword's attack mode to boost leveling efficiency, and then use its defense mode to enhance survivability. In team fights, Paladins are positioned as tanky front-liners who control the battlefield, responsible for engaging enemy Sword Masters, Berserkers, and so on. They can also disrupt the enemy's backline output with charge tactics, acting as a team's nuisance.
The Sword Master's positioning is vastly different. The Sword Master class is essentially a money pit. A Sword Master cultivated with significant investment is an absolute front-line armor-piercing, speed-battle ace. As long as the flying sword is sharp enough and close-combat skills are strong, killing a Paladin is not a dream. However, Sword Masters have almost no crowd control skills; Lin Zhao is an exception, having obtained the Ascending Dragon Slash, which other Sword Masters do not have. Furthermore, the prowess of Sword Masters lies in the divine abilities of their flying swords. These abilities are diverse, encompassing offense, status effects, and crowd control, all available. As long as the flying sword is powerful enough, one can defy the heavens.
Otherwise, why would the ultimate title for a Sword Master be Sword Immortal, daring to touch upon the word "Immortal," while other professions dare not? Their arrogance naturally has its capital.
...
On the Crimson Moon Knights' side, monster grinding was in full swing.
On the west side of the map, the Azure Knights had already set up their formation, deploying over a thousand players to surround nearly one-third of the Titan's Secret Realm map. A group of heavy infantry maintained the perimeter, preventing any players who were not from the Azure Knights from entering. Consequently, numerous small and medium-sized teams at the map's edge were unable to enter, leading to widespread anger. Some had even resorted to fighting, and the Azure Knights found themselves embroiled in conflict shortly after entering the map.
In the center of the map, the Flourishing Peony guild forcefully established its presence. Ghost King, adhering to the principle of peaceful coexistence, occupied only about 40% of the central map, leaving the rest to other players. However, the sheer number of players was overwhelming, and constant infiltration continued. Soon, other players poured into the area occupied by Flourishing Peony, and it was on the verge of chaos.
"This is not good..."
As Fei Long Zai Tian slew a deer demon with a sword strike, he frowned, "Alliance Leader, if this continues, our leveling areas will be squeezed until they disappear. Flourishing Peony is a guild of over 2000 people; land seizure is inevitable."
"Mhm."
Ghost King, riding a golden, tall horse, nodded cautiously. "Before, I was just worried about causing unrest, so I didn't seize land, giving these free players some room to breathe. Now it seems one shouldn't be too soft-hearted. Otherwise, these people will surely take advantage. Come, issue a Peony Imperial Decree for me, and begin land seizure immediately. Enclose the areas we have already occupied. Expel any non-Flourishing Peony players who enter. If they refuse to leave, drive them out by force. There's no need to show mercy."
"Yes, my King!"
A group of retainers hurried off to execute the order.
In contrast, the Hot-Blooded Youth group was much more relaxed. Lu Han had begun seizing land from the moment they entered. The area seized was not large, occupying only 10% of the entire secret realm map. They weren't greedy. With millions of players in Yunshang Commandery, the Youth Group and the White Clothes Group occupying 10% was already quite excessive. Furthermore, to avoid conflict, Lu Han and Xu Du specifically selected over 30 eloquent individuals from their teams. These people stood outside the defensive perimeter, one every 100 meters, bowing repeatedly to the players from smaller teams outside and constantly apologizing with flowery language—
"Hello, everyone! The Youth Group is leveling here. Please show some respect and go around. I apologize on behalf of everyone. Happy New Year!"
"The Youth Group is leveling, please avoid this area. I'll kowtow to you!"
"Hey, this young lady is as beautiful as a celestial being. I doubt Shen Xingchen from 'Bu Jian Xing Kong' is any more beautiful than you. Hey, miss, don't go further. A bunch of brothers from the Youth Group are defecating inside, and it might stink you."
"Oh my, this brother has sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and is incredibly handsome. I've traveled the martial world for decades and never seen such a masculine man. Where do you serve, brother? Do you have a virtuous younger sister at home?"
"Wow, little friend, don't go any further. The Youth Group is leveling here. You have a determined look, and you'll surely achieve great things in the future. If you give the Youth Group some face today, the Youth Group will give you ten times the face tomorrow. The most beautiful girl in the Youth Group might be your future wife!"
"Happy New Year, elder brothers and sisters! There's road construction ahead, so passage is blocked. We won't be inviting you for dinner!"
...
The people of the Youth Group knew how to behave, and Lu Han had many tricks. Not a single conflict occurred. Those small and medium-sized teams, who were fighting fiercely in the forest for leveling spots, were unwilling to charge the Youth Group's position. After all, one doesn't hit a smiling face. How could they attack someone who was so courteous?
More importantly, while the Youth Group conducted themselves with dignity, they were also ruthless when it came to fighting. If anyone dared to offend the Youth Group, they would face utter annihilation, like a wildfire passing through. The Youth Group had even camped the corpses of guild leaders for a week; there was nothing they wouldn't do.
Therefore, since the Youth Group showed such consideration, others naturally reciprocated.
Lin Zhao watched from a distance, wanting to cover his face. That kid Lu Han was truly talented!
...
Around nine o'clock.
Zhang Jun leveled up, but he did not trigger the legendary Sword Concealment Lake awakening. The Sword Concealment Lake awakening was a great opportunity for Sword Master players, and the probability itself was extremely low. Even with a fivefold increase, it wouldn't be too high. As for Chen Xue's one-shot awakening, there was simply no explanation for it. Perhaps it was just good luck, or perhaps it could only be attributed to her beautiful appearance.
They continued grinding until past eleven o'clock. The entire secret realm map was saturated. The detailed map clearly showed that over 300,000 players were present in the Titan's Secret Realm, making it extremely crowded. Flourishing Peony and the Azure Knights were already engaged in battle with others. Additionally, many small guilds of around 100 people had formed alliances to counter the land-seizing large guilds. The situation developed in ways that Lin Zhao, Chen Xue, Lu Han, and others had not predicted, ultimately devolving into a massive free-for-all. The three major guilds did not achieve their goal of dominating the map.
The Youth Group and the White Clothes Group, relying on their unique diplomacy, managed to narrowly avoid direct conflict and did not engage with other factions.
...
By midnight, nearly 75% of the Azure Knights' map resources had been taken by others. They could only occupy 25% of the map to grind monsters. The rest was taken by other small and medium-sized teams. Flourishing Peony's map resources were also over 60% taken. Those players charged fiercely, their expressions menacing. Some even shouted the slogan "The common folk cannot be bullied" as they charged. In the end, hundreds of thousands of people shouted "The common folk cannot be bullied," leaving the Azure Knights and Flourishing Peony in dire straits.
"Will they attack our Crimson Moon Knights too!?"
In the management chat group, Lu Han frowned, "Alliance Leader, if they do come, what should we do?"
"Fight back!"
Lin Zhao took a deep breath, "The Crimson Moon Knights, cannot be bullied either!"
"Mhm!"