As far as the eye could see, the ground was littered with spoils. Xiao Wen first put the few pieces of equipment dropped by Yang Lu into his backpack.
Lost Bow Required Level: 5 Grade: Green Attack: 40–50 Attack Speed: 5% Description: A bow once used by early-generation elves. Lost for unknown reasons, it was a decent bow for practice. Exquisite Iron Armor Required Level: 5 Quality: Green Defense: 30–40 Physique: 10 Description: A failed piece casually crafted by a legendary Dwarf race artisan. It possessed fairly good defensive power. Ice Magic Staff Required Level: 5 Quality: Green Magic Attack: 35–40 Ice Attribute Strength: 1% Description: A mystic crystal staff forged from ten-thousand-year ice crystals, capable of increasing affinity with ice and snow elements.
While Xiao Wen was taking stock of his spoils, the outside world had already erupted.
"What? Someone actually killed a Level 7 Lord BOSS?"
"Holy shit! Isn't that a freaking bug? Our boss, the Flame Emperor, has only killed a Level 5 Lord BOSS!"
"Exactly! Even an emperor-level team like the Three Gods of Ice and Snow only killed a Level 5 Lord BOSS. Just who the hell is this Halfway Through the Mortal World?"
"Why haven't I heard of anyone like that among the emperor-level and king-level experts? Could this be some newly risen expert from the Nine Provinces region?"
"Daydreaming in broad daylight? Do you think king-level experts grow like cabbages by the roadside? Get lost, I'm going back to report this!"
A group of people chattered at once, each throwing in a word or two, arguing endlessly.
On a hill in the Red Rock region of another Novice Village, a red-haired man carrying a broadsword over his shoulder strolled forward, followed by seven players of different classes.
He was one of the Four Emperors publicly recognized across the Nine Provinces—the Flame Emperor! Tianyan Jiulong!
Below the hill, Crimson Flame Pangolins covered in crimson scales lay entrenched one after another.
"Flame Emperor, this is the place. If the strategist's deduction is correct, a Level 7 Lord BOSS—the Crimson Flame King Armor Beast—must be lurking here!" one of the underlings behind him said.
Tianyan Jiulong nodded. "Get ready. Clear out the mobs and lure out the BOSS. This time, my Flame Dragon Guild will claim every first-kill BOSS reward!"
Ding! Nine Provinces Server Announcement: Congratulations to player Halfway Through the Mortal World for killing a Level 7 Lord BOSS. Reward: one purple-grade accessory.
"..." Tianyan Jiulong's mouth twitched.
A slap in the face!
This was a naked slap in the face.
He had only just made that declaration when the Level 7 Lord BOSS was killed.
His temper had always been fiery, and his face now darkened to the extreme.
"Halfway Through the Mortal World—who is this brat? Where is he from? Go investigate. See if one of my old friends changed his name," Tianyan Jiulong said coldly.
Among the people following him, Yan Feng, the thief specifically responsible for intelligence, hurriedly nodded. A faint sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead.
"Rest assured, Flame Emperor. I'll look into it right away."
After tossing out those words, Yan Feng turned and raced away. He moved incredibly fast, leaping several times over the exposed sharp rocks before disappearing from sight.
Faintly, a sigh of relief could still be heard drifting through the air.
"What are you standing around for? Why aren't you moving? If this second BOSS gets stolen too, I—"
Ding! Nine Provinces Server Announcement: Congratulations to player Feng Luoqing for killing a Level 7 Lord BOSS. Reward: one purple-grade weapon.
Tianyan Jiulong's expression froze. Instead of becoming angry, he laughed and said coldly, "Feng Luoqing, that brat is finally putting in some effort. After hiding for so long, was he planning to get ahead of me and snatch first place? Yet someone beat him to it too. His title as the number one man in the Nine Provinces isn't all that impressive after all! Hahaha..."
"You lot, what are you still standing around for? Get to work!"
"Yes..."
At another Novice Village, snowstorms still raged. Beside a gorge of ice and snow, a giant icy serpent lay on the ground. Beside its corpse stood a person gripping a longsword and wearing a black cloak.
He was Feng Luoqing, one of the Four Emperors—the Wind Emperor—who had left behind countless legends across the Nine Provinces!
"Halfway Through the Mortal World? A name I've never heard before. When did someone like this emerge in the Nine Provinces? No... Mortal World... Mortal World... Could it be him?"
Suddenly, a petite figure surfaced in Feng Luoqing's mind.
"Five years have passed. He should have been unsealed by now. That former legend of the Nine Provinces, the only man capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with gods... Could it really be that he has returned?"
Feng Luoqing murmured as he gathered the spoils from the ground, then turned and headed toward the Novice Village.
At the same time, Xiao Wen placed the last piece of equipment from the battlefield into his backpack. A look of delight could not help appearing on his face.
Killing the Rhino Lord had dropped one green-grade item and three white-grade items. On top of that, it had dropped over a hundred gold coins. Including all the Medicine Bottles of various sizes, this haul was nearly several times what he had earned yesterday.
Moreover, although the green-grade item dropped by the Rhino Lord was green-grade, it was an extremely rare enhancement accessory.
Ring of Mountain's Might Required Level: 5 Grade: Green Strength Increase: 10% Description: A ring tainted with the aura of the Titan God Clan, with an effect that enhanced strength.
More importantly, unlike ordinary equipment, accessories could be worn by Xiao Wen.
As a result, his already terrifying attack power became even more absurd, bringing him another step closer to the path of a brute-force summoner.
After putting on the Ring of Mountain's Might, Xiao Wen turned his gaze toward a ball of light in his backpack.
That was the purple-grade accessory reward bestowed by the system.
When he opened the reward and the light faded, it revealed a jade pendant that was emerald green all over. Engraved upon it was a bird-headed, human-bodied monster—the ancestral witch divine beast from Nine Provinces mythology, Dijiang!
Phantom Spirit Jade Pendant Required Level: 5 Grade: Purple Effect: Spatial Jump (within ten meters). Cooldown: 12 hours. Description: A mysterious jade pendant containing the power of space, capable of performing Spatial Jump. Legend had it that the pendant contained a trace of the divine power of the ancestral witch Dijiang.
"Good heavens, has my luck really exploded lately? I got two accessories this valuable right away?"
Xiao Wen blinked, staring at the jade pendant and ring with a face full of shock. The turmoil in his heart refused to settle for a long time.
Either of these two accessories, if taken outside, would be enough to fetch a sky-high price. As long as Xiao Wen wanted to, he could transform into a multimillionaire at any time!
This was the charm of "Phantom God."
Still, money only needed to be enough.
Equipment that was useful to him had to be kept. After all, this game had only just begun.
"Let's keep leveling."
After equipping both accessories and putting all the attribute points gained from leveling into Strength, Xiao Wen held his head high and walked farther ahead.
Level 7 Ironback Rhinos could no longer satisfy Xiao Wen. He needed to find stronger monsters.
Ding! Warning: You are about to enter Nightmare Forest. You will be actively attacked by monsters Level 10 and above!
"Level 10? They should be able to take a beating, right?"
Before you continue