Getting Ready

They were only dealing with ordinary monsters. Though their levels were higher, Ye Luo and Yan Hua Yi Leng had astonishing defense and attack power, so the pressure was not too great. There was no need to use precious Mutated Pills. Working together and repeatedly unleashing their upgraded skills, they killed the wild bulls without much difficulty, taking only five or six seconds each.

During that time, Ye Luo was hit twice and lost around 100 HP. However, with the combined healing from bread, his Soul Crystal, and the Wolf King Ring, he easily recovered to full health.

It was worth mentioning that after Ye Luo reached level 12, his Constitution had reached 25 points. Each point of Constitution restored 0.1 HP per second, meaning 25 points restored 2.5 HP per second. Combined with the Soul Crystal's original 1 HP per second, the bread's 5 HP per second, and the Wolf King Ring's 5 HP per second, his health regeneration had reached 13.5 per second—an utterly outrageous recovery rate.

As such, he could practically tank attacks without using potions.

"Level 18 monsters are much stronger than the monsters in a level 10 difficult instance, after all, they are five or six levels higher," Yan Hua Yi Leng said in her usual cold voice. "This means we can kill monsters faster and more easily. If we also equip Mutated Pills, things will be even better. By my estimate, each of us can withstand two to three monsters. Together, we can fight five at once, perhaps more if we coordinate well. The pressure will be immense, so we need to adapt as soon as possible. Let's lure three wild bulls at once."

As she spoke, Yan Hua Yi Leng began moving, and Ye Luo's expression turned solemn as well.

Just as Yan Hua Yi Leng had analyzed, facing three wild bulls at once did not yet put their lives in danger. They were only somewhat flustered at first, but gradually adapted, and their monster-killing efficiency improved.

Time passed quickly as they killed monsters, and before they knew it, an hour had gone by.

After such a long period of coordination, the two worked together even more seamlessly. They found it easier to deal with wild bulls and could even withstand the attacks of four at once.

By then, the task Ye Luo had accepted from Aunt Li had long been completed, and he had earned quite a bit of money. The only two things that displeased him were that he had not obtained any equipment and that his experience bar was locked, preventing him from leveling up.

Seeing that they were under little pressure even against so many wild bulls, Yan Hua Yi Leng gave Ye Luo a look before withdrawing from battle. "The two of us already coordinate quite well. Once we enter the instance, we should be able to get into rhythm quickly. We should have a chance at competing for the Instance First Kill."

Ye Luo nodded, then seemed to remember something and gave a bitter smile. "It's a pity neither of us has an area-of-effect skill. Otherwise, our efficiency would improve greatly. If two mages entered the instance..."

"Under the current circumstances, two mages entering an instance would not dare provoke several monsters at once. Mages do not have defense, attack power, or supplies as strong as ours, unless one mage is accompanied by a player who can tank," Yan Hua Yi Leng said calmly. "But that would reduce efficiency somewhat. And do not forget, those who can tank usually have low attack power and cannot hold aggro."

Ye Luo nodded. After Yan Hua Yi Leng's guidance and training, he understood how serious it was when aggro became chaotic. It often marked the beginning of a team wipe.

"Of course, if the two of us had area-of-effect skills, our monster-killing efficiency would improve significantly, and we would not need to worry much about failing to hold aggro," Yan Hua Yi Leng added.

Ye Luo nodded, looking forward to it somewhat. "I wonder whether the swordsman class has area-of-effect skills early in the game. It would be great if one dropped."

"Yes." Yan Hua Yi Leng sounded certain. Seeing Ye Luo's puzzled expression, she continued, "Long Teng Tian Xia's Blazing Swordsman has an area-of-effect skill. That is why he reached level 16 so quickly."

Hearing that, Ye Luo frowned slightly, concern faintly appearing in his expression.

As though she knew what Ye Luo was worried about, Yan Hua Yi Leng rarely let a smile curl across her lips. "Relax. He poses no threat to us. Not only would he not choose a two-person instance, but even if he did, he would not have our advantage, because he is level 16 while we are only level 12."

"Besides the Blazing Sword, Long Teng Tian Xia has only one bronze-grade item. His equipment cannot compare with ours. Do not forget, each of us has two bronze-grade items, as well as a rank-two Jade Poison Bead that is no weaker than bronze-grade equipment," Yan Hua Yi Leng said, her voice carrying faint confidence. "We also have Mutated Pills, another advantage they do not possess."

Knowing that Yan Hua Yi Leng spoke the truth, Ye Luo became full of confidence as well. He then looked at her. "Yan Hua, what do we do next?"

"Go kill Demonized Scorpions," Yan Hua Yi Leng said without hesitation. Without waiting for Ye Luo to ask why, she explained, "Since we cannot level up, we should improve our equipment as much as possible. Demonized Scorpions can drop Jade Poison Bead fragments and level 10 equipment. If we are lucky, we might gain something."

With that, Yan Hua Yi Leng took the lead toward the area where the Demonized Scorpions were found.

Upgrading a Jade Poison Bead to rank three requires three rank-two Jade Poison Beads. Each of us needs to carry at least one rank-two bead, so we need 600 Jade Poison Bead fragments to drop. There are only four hours until twelve, and we still need to repair our equipment and eat. There is even less time than that. It is probably unrealistic. Ye Luo thought, but he did not say it aloud.

After finding the Demonized Scorpions, Ye Luo and Yan Hua Yi Leng wasted no words and immediately launched their attack.

Time quietly passed, and in the blink of an eye, three hours had gone by. It was already eleven o'clock.

Over that time, Ye Luo and his group had obtained 200 Jade Poison Bead fragments, still far from the 600 they needed. However, they had decent luck and obtained two pieces of level 10 equipment: a pair of shoes and a ring, both with respectable defense or attack bonuses.

Ye Luo's shoes and ring were already good, so both pieces of equipment went to Yan Hua Yi Leng. Her attack and defense rose by another small amount, giving them even greater confidence in this instance run.

It was already eleven, so Yan Hua Yi Leng could collect her custom-made cloak from Tailor Zhang. Ye Luo also needed to return to hand in his task, hoping Aunt Li would reward him with another piece of equipment he could use.

Next, the two returned to Novice Village and went their separate ways.

Ye Luo quickly handed in his task. Since his experience bar was locked, the experience was wasted. He did not care about the silver coins or Novice Village favorability either. To his disappointment, he did not receive any equipment, though he accepted another task, which was at least some consolation.

Afterward, Ye Luo found Yan Hua Yi Leng as agreed and saw the attributes of her cloak:

Wolf King Cloak (Cloak—Bronze)

Physical Defense: 45-45

Magic Defense: 45-45

Agility: +10

Additional Effect: Increases the wearer's attack power by 10% and adds 5 points of ice damage

Equipment Durability: 150/150

Required Level: 10

The Wolf King Cloak was much stronger than Ye Luo's King's Cloak. Its defense was 5 points higher, but more importantly, its additional effect was far superior—perhaps even comparable to the Flying Snow Robe. Most importantly, these attributes were precisely what Yan Hua Yi Leng needed.

"Not bad. Equipment made from Toad King Skin really cannot compare to this. It is much better," Ye Luo praised. Then, thinking of something, he said, "That Wolf King seemed to have an Ice Attribute, right? That is why this cloak adds ice damage. It suits your Ice Spirit Archer class perfectly."

"Mm. With this cloak, our chances are even better." Yan Hua Yi Leng nodded, then checked the time through the system. "It is 11:20 now. After repairing our equipment, we will log off to eat. Then we will meet at the North Gate of Novice Village at 11:50 sharp. Any problem with that?"

"Of course not." Ye Luo nodded. Without further nonsense, they headed together to the blacksmith shop to repair their equipment.

After logging off, Zhi Yue also happened to log off. This showed that the other members of Misty Pavilion followed the same daily schedule as Yan Hua Yi Leng. Seeing Zhi Yue's pretty face filled with excitement and joy, Ye Luo's mood improved considerably.

It seems Yue Er is very happy with Sister Feng and the others. That is a good thing. Ye Luo thought. He then went to the door to collect the takeout they had ordered, and the two began eating heartily.

"Hehe, Brother Ye, let me tell you some good news! Sister Feng has agreed to let me join Misty Pavilion. She even invited me to their studio!" Zhi Yue said excitedly while eating.

"Mm, that is good news." Ye Luo already knew this from Yan Hua Yi Leng, so his expression remained quite calm.

"Sister Feng and the others said they also agreed to let you join Misty Pavilion. That is quite rare, since Misty Pavilion seldom recruits male players." Zhi Yue's pretty face filled with anticipation. "Brother Ye, Sister Yan Hua must have invited you, right? So, did you agree?"

"No." His tone remained calm. Seeing Zhi Yue pout in disappointment, he changed his tone. "But I promised her I would consider it. Let's talk about it after I complete that Heavenly Tribulation Trial Mission."

"Brother Ye, I believe you can definitely complete that task. Then we can play in the same guild." Zhi Yue had blind faith in Ye Luo. Then, remembering something, she changed the subject. "Brother Ye, from Sister Shi and Sister Xue's tone, they would even agree to let you go to their studio. You know, they are all beauties. If you went, you would definitely..."

"Cough, cough..." Zhi Yue's words made Ye Luo choke into a violent coughing fit. After finally calming down, he said, "You little brat, what are you talking about? How could I possibly go to a studio full of girls?"

"Oh, right. It would be so inconvenient, with so many beautiful women..." Zhi Yue muttered, faint disappointment in her voice. "Then I will not go either. I do not want to be separated from Brother Ye. My sister told you to protect me."

Ye Luo's expression dimmed slightly, but he forced himself to steady his emotions. He nodded and said, "Do not leave my side for now. We can discuss it later. At worst, after you go to Misty Pavilion's studio, I can rent a place nearby to protect you."

"Really? That is wonderful!" Zhi Yue was overjoyed.

Clearly, she was very interested in going to Misty Pavilion's studio.