In the early morning, Tianchi Mountain was shrouded in mist. After logging in, Lin Zhao felt refreshed. He rode his horse down from the mountain villa and saw the young martial artist Chen Ben practicing his punches on a rock in front of the camp. Chen Ben was already at the peak of the Ninth Realm, only one step away from the Sea-Treading Realm. His expression was extremely solemn as he held his stance, and the boxing intent around him was so condensed it almost felt like it would sink. This momentum of his boxing technique was indeed rare.
"Brother Lin Zhao!"
Chen Ben didn't stop his stance, but simply called out with a smile, "You're heading down the mountain..."
"Mhm!"
Lin Zhao chuckled from his horseback, "Have you eaten breakfast yet?"
"Not yet."
"Martial artists consume a lot of stamina when practicing punches. Remember to eat breakfast before practicing next time. Eat more meat for breakfast. I'll have to have a good word with your master, Mu Ya, next time."
Chen Ben scratched his head and smiled, "Brother Lin Zhao doesn't need to blame Master. The meat soup for breakfast is still simmering. I just couldn't resist wanting to practice a bit first."
"Alright."
Lin Zhao nodded, "I'm going to get busy. You continue practicing your punches."
"Okay!"
Chen Ben continued to assume the next stance, and immediately his entire body was suffused with a martial aura. His mastery of the art was already quite profound. Lin Zhao watched him, a faint smile playing on his lips. Chen Ben's talent for practicing martial arts was actually only average, but he had the favor of heaven. Born an Eighth Realm martial artist with a strong martial aura, there was nothing that could be done. As long as he was willing to work hard, he would eventually surpass Mu Ya in cultivation. By then... the strongest martial artist in Snow Domain Tianchi would be in the Rebirth Realm. The thought of having a Twelfth Realm expert under his command filled Lin Zhao with anticipation. If he had a Rebirth Realm expert guarding the area, his plans and tactics could be much bolder and unrestrained!
...
North Mountain, banners fluttering.
The Vermilion Bird cavalry had established a camp halfway up North Mountain. Squads of ten scouts patrolled down the mountain, and there were many players in the camp. Among them were Yi Shi Cang Liang and Fu You Du Hai. However, Fu You Du Hai had been a Guild Leader yesterday, and today he was wearing the Deputy Alliance Leader badge.
Lin Zhao was slightly taken aback. It seemed Cang Long was also short on management personnel. After Chen Xue joined the Scarlet Moon Knights, Yi Shi Cang Liang, an older player, had indeed shouldered a significant burden for such a large organization. If they didn't accelerate the promotion of young key members, Cang Long's scale would not be able to expand. Currently, all the major guilds in the Chinese server were accelerating their expansion. After all, "Tian Xia" was a game of unprecedented scale. The integration of hundreds of millions of players from the China region into the White Emperor City was in a state of initial chaos. The entire realm was waiting for that one true king who could rally everyone. Su Xinghe, Yi Shi Cang Liang, Xian Bai, and others undoubtedly wanted to be that person.
Yi Shi Cang Liang was chatting with the female Centurion, exchanging tasks.
"Young hero, you have indeed not disappointed me. Come, this honor belongs to you. Thank you for your contributions to the human race!" the female Centurion said in a procedural tone.
"Oh my..."
Yi Shi Cang Liang scratched his head, his old face slightly flushed, "This is only natural. As a knight from another realm, killing demons is our duty. You don't need to be so polite, Big Sister."
The female Centurion smiled and said, "Given your outstanding performance, I have another task. Are you willing to accept it?"
Yi Shi Cang Liang nodded repeatedly, like a pecking chick.
The next moment, Yi Shi Cang Liang obtained another A-rank quest. In fact, if one could consistently complete A-rank quests in Snow Domain Tianchi, they would be well-fed and well-clothed. According to conversations within the Scarlet Moon Knights guild, Ding Chi, Lu Li, and Shen Lan Zhi Ren had all received Flowing Gold tier equipment as rewards from A-rank quests. Therefore, top players at this stage were just as eager for A-rank quests.
"Alliance Leader Cang Liang, good morning."
Lin Zhao rode his horse over.
Yi Shi Cang Liang, having just accepted the quest, nodded and smiled, "Lin Zhao, heading down the mountain?"
"Mhm."
Lin Zhao chuckled, "I've been going through the plot in the mountain villa all day, my hands are getting a bit stiff. So I'm coming down to take on some quests, kill some monsters, and practice my controls. After all, the enemies in this game are not just the four northern races."
"That's right."
Yi Shi Cang Liang smiled meaningfully, "Some people, some guilds, have never considered the long and arduous journey of the martial world, nor the vastness of mountains and rivers. They only think of dominance and plundering all resources. Your Scarlet Moon Knights are growing stronger by the day, and clashes with those top guilds are only a matter of time. It is indeed necessary to consider this early on. Foresight is not a bad thing."
"Mhm."
Lin Zhao said, "I'll go see if I can get a quest."
"Difficult..."
Yi Shi Cang Liang smiled, "You are the Lord of Snow Domain Tianchi. By rights, your level is much higher than a Centurion at Shanhaiguan. Taking on quests at a lower level like this... it's hard to say."
"We'll know if we try."
Lin Zhao strode to the front of the female Centurion and said, "I have some free time in Snow Domain Tianchi, so I wanted to come and help. Is there anything I can do for you here?"
"Ah?!"
The female Centurion was slightly astonished, then smiled, "My Lord, you've personally come down the mountain..."
"Mhm."
Lin Zhao nodded with a smile, "It's fine. If you need any help, just say the word. I'm idle anyway."
"Good!"
The female Centurion nodded heavily and said, "In that case, I'll be straightforward. The demon cultivators in the mountains below have been increasing in number these past two days. Our cavalry patrols are often ambushed, and we've already lost over ten men. The greatest threat to us comes from those Fifth Realm demon cultivators. Therefore, I request you to go down the mountain and kill 100 Fifth Realm demon cultivators, and bring their heads to me. The Great Shang Dynasty will reward you handsomely!"
"Ding!"
System prompt: You have accepted the main quest [Fifth Realm Demon Cultivators] (S-rank)!
Quest content: Go down the mountain, find and kill 100 Fifth Realm demon cultivators, and deliver their heads to Ya Ning, the Centurion of Shanhaiguan. You will receive a very generous reward!
...
"..."
On the side, Yi Shi Cang Liang's expression was horrified. He found it somewhat difficult to accept. "Why is it that the moment you arrive, you get an S-rank main quest... We brothers have been toiling away here, staying up all night to complete quests and level up. All we get are C-rank to A-rank quests, and we haven't even seen a shadow of a main quest..."
Fu You Du Hai also nodded, agreeing.
Lin Zhao rubbed his nose, "I don't know either. Could it be related to reputation points? Because your reputation is too low, you can only get relatively simple quests, while my reputation is higher."
"Is that so?"
Yi Shi Cang Liang frowned, "I have over 39,000 reputation points..."
Fu You Du Hai said, "I have over 36,000 reputation points. By rights, that's not low either. It's considered quite high even in White Emperor City."
Lin Zhao said, "I have over 81,000 reputation points. My apologies."
"..."
Yi Shi Cang Liang and Fu You Du Hai were about to spit blood.
"I'm leaving!"
Lin Zhao mounted his horse. Suddenly, he remembered something and turned back to ask, "Alliance Leader Cang Liang, the Phantom Beast system is open now. Have you tackled it? Aren't you going to find a Phantom Beast to capture?"
"Forget it."
Yi Shi Cang Liang said, "Currently, the Phantom Beasts in the large map have low growth potential, so capturing them doesn't mean much. Moreover, it's said that the auxiliary combat performance of Phantom Beasts in 'Tian Xia' is quite low. The higher value of most Phantom Beasts lies in the legendary 'Phantom Armor,' which greatly enhances the owner's combat power. That's the true value of Phantom Beasts."
"Phantom Armor?"
Lin Zhao was stunned. He was too engrossed in the plot quests to understand the Phantom Beast system at all.
"Mhm."
Yi Shi Cang Liang mounted his horse and rode alongside Lin Zhao down the mountain, explaining, "Phantom Armor refers to illusory armor. When a Phantom Beast grows to a certain level, it awakens the ability to transform. It can transform into a piece of armor and attach itself to the owner, greatly increasing the owner's attack power, survivability, and so on. Additionally, when the owner kills monsters, the Phantom Beast in its Phantom Armor form can absorb experience points to grow significantly. In short, it's a means to enhance combat power, not like something that truly follows behind the owner and attacks wherever directed. It's said that the combat power of Phantom Beasts in 'Tian Xia' is quite ordinary, unless they are top-tier pets like Spirit Beasts, Sacred Beasts, or Divine Beasts. Otherwise, the Phantom Armor form provides the highest benefit."
"Got it."
Lin Zhao nodded, "What are the settings for capturing Phantom Beasts?"
"Simple."
Yi Shi Cang Liang said, "All monsters that spawn on the large map have a low chance of being Level 1. All Level 1 monsters can be captured using Seal Cards. Seal Cards are sold in the mall. The higher the level of the Seal Card, the greater the chance of successful capture. Each Level 1 wild monster can be captured ten times. If all ten attempts fail, it will self-destruct."
"Understood."
Lin Zhao nodded, "Thanks for the explanation!"
He tugged on the reins and parted ways with Yi Shi Cang Liang. "I'm going to the west to farm monsters. Alliance Leader Cang Liang, take care. Don't get spotted by a Fifth Realm Great Demon and get slapped to death."
Yi Shi Cang Liang couldn't help but chuckle, "I'm not afraid. You should be careful. If Shi Jun Gang realizes you've come down the mountain, he might really send a Fifth Realm Great Demon to kill you."
"It's fine, I'm not afraid."
Lin Zhao smiled, knowing in his heart that even if a Fifth Realm Great Demon came, what of it? If it were an Eleventh Realm, the thick stack of Mirror Sword Talismans he carried could suppress it. And once he suppressed it, the ten demon soul swords that were being nurtured by 杦栀 deep within the northern land could strike at any time to kill the enemy. Thus, an Eleventh Realm expert would practically be walking to their death. As for a Twelfth Realm expert, the demon army's encampment wouldn't easily deploy one. Even if one came, he could return to the city invincibly. He wasn't worried at all.
...
The Snow Rock warhorse snorted hot breath, carrying Lin Zhao towards the northwest. Soon, a large number of scattered demon cultivators appeared in the forest. Their levels ranged from 100 to 110, all of them being in the Lower Five Realms, which was not suitable for Lin Zhao's leveling needs. He therefore rode around the monster group and continued north. Shortly after, a middle-aged demon sword cultivator was spotted dozing on a tree in the snowy forest.
[Grizzly Demon] (Flowing Gold Tier Quasi-Boss)
Level: 115
Attack: 4250-6000
Defense: 2500
HP: 500,000
Skills: [Wild Slash] [Sword Qi Cage] [Departing Sword Style] [Demonic Aura Permeation]
Description: Grizzly Demon, a Sixth Realm sword cultivator of the demon race, one of the leaders of the demon forces marching south.
...
Lin Zhao took a deep breath. This one was quite suitable.