Hidden Dragon, Crouching Tiger

Facing the rebuke from the priest Buyu Xiaye, Lonely As Snow offered no rebuttal. He simply lowered his head, turned, and walked away to catch up with Shi Feng.

The Ranger Tianwang Huihui narrowed his eyes. Thinking of Shi Feng and his trash-tier gear, he couldn't fathom what methods Shi Feng had used to make Lonely As Snow follow him, to the point of disregarding the clear-run of the Dead Silence Forest.

"Boss, forget about that idiot Lonely As Snow. We can just recruit someone else; there are plenty of Level 2 players around now," the Shield Warrior Yizhan Daodi said with a sneer as he watched Lonely As Snow depart.

Ranger Tianwang Huihui nodded. Lonely As Snow's departure was no loss to their party. As for a Level 1 Shi Feng wanting to form a group for the Dead Silence Forest, no one would ever join him, let alone clear the dungeon.

In front of the entrance to the Dead Silence Forest, Shi Feng and Heizi were continuously calling out to recruit members.

"Forming a group for Dead Silence Forest. Any veteran player will do, no strict requirements. Need 2 more," Shi Feng shouted.

Upon hearing this, many Level 2 players rushed over. After all, Shi Feng's requirements were very low. Most parties required players to show their gear and possess several pieces of Common equipment just to be considered, but in the early stages, who had that many Common items?

"Group me, group me! I'm a priest, already Level 2."

"Group me, I'm a Level 2 Shield Warrior, and I have a piece of Level 1 Common plate gauntlets."

In no time, Shi Feng had recruited four people.

These four had been quite happy at first, being the only ones chosen out of the dozen or so people present. However, after seeing the level of their party leader, Shi Feng, they were all furious and quit the party.

"Damn, so he's just a noob. Only Level 1 and he dares to come to the Dead Silence Forest? If you want to run the dungeon, go do it yourself. This master isn't playing along."

"No wonder there were no requirements. Trying to get us to carry you? Not a chance."

The four expressed their anger loudly, their voices practically roars that could be heard by every player in the Dead Silence Forest.

"Heh, a mere Level 1 player daring to talk big about running the Dead Silence Forest? He's clearly just looking to leech experience and gear. Good thing I didn't go over."

"The forest is big, and there are all kinds of birds. Who would be stupid enough to party with a Level 1 noob for a dungeon run? That's just asking to be tortured."

Other Level 2 players mocked Shi Feng's overestimation of his own abilities and his stupidity.

"If you don't want to join, then get lost. We didn't beg you to come," Heizi retorted in a rage. He had long been convinced by Shi Feng's skills. These people actually called Shi Feng a noob—could a noob kill a Level 2 Rare Elite at Level 2, or a Level 5 Leader at Level 0? They were simply a bunch of idiots with eyes but no vision.

"Damn, I've seen it all now. A Level 1 noob is so arrogant while recruiting. I'd love to see how you manage to fill your party," the priest who had just left sneered.

Just then, Lonely As Snow ran over. Looking at Shi Feng, he said hurriedly, "Big Brother Expert, add me. I want to run the Dead Silence Forest with you. I have two pieces of Common plate armor, and my defense is 24."

"Sure," Shi Feng said, sending a party invitation immediately.

Heizi hadn't expected Lonely As Snow to leave his original party to join them. He immediately felt a sense of goodwill toward him, patted him on the shoulder, and laughed, "You've got a good eye. Don't worry, sticking with Brother Feng is the right move."

"Not at all, not at all." Lonely As Snow still felt some lingering concern. He didn't understand how the grinding spots Shi Feng had pointed out to him had allowed him to reach Level 2 so quickly, while Shi Feng himself hadn't even leveled up and was wearing such poor gear.

The players watching from the sidelines were stunned. Someone was actually willing to party with a Level 1 noob for a dungeon run, and this person's gear was quite good—the brand-new plate armor and the new boots he wore were definitely Common-grade, not trash.

Although Lonely As Snow had joined the party, Shi Feng spent over ten minutes recruiting, but not a single other player came. It was impossible for just three people to clear the dungeon.

At this moment, Ranger Tianwang Huihui walked over with a group of people.

"Heh, 'Expert' brother, still haven't filled your party? We've already recruited three more powerful teammates, and every one of them has two or three pieces of Level 1 Common gear," the priest Buyu Xiaye said, looking at Shi Feng with a sneer.

Tianwang Huihui merely glanced at Shi Feng before shifting his gaze to Lonely As Snow. "There's no future in sticking with him. You can think it over while we run the dungeon; join us, and I guarantee you won't lose out."

Tianwang Huihui then looked at Heizi. His attention had been entirely on Shi Feng before, causing him to overlook Heizi. Now, looking closely, he noticed Heizi's clothes were brand new and he was carrying a Blackwood Staff. His gear shouldn't be bad, and he was Level 2—his skills should be decent too.

"You're not bad either. Why not join our party? You know we're an elite party, not comparable to ordinary players. It'll be easier for us to level up, kill monsters, and run dungeons together," Tianwang Huihui said to Heizi with a smile.

"Get lost. Your party thinks it's worthy of poaching me?" Heizi pointed his Blackwood Staff at Tianwang Huihui and cursed, simultaneously toggling the glow effect of his Bronze Equipment. "You think having two or three pieces of Common gear is something? I've got three pieces of Bronze Equipment and two pieces of Common gear."

Tianwang Huihui and his group were shocked. They hadn't expected Heizi to be so formidable. In this day and age, having two or three pieces of Common gear made one a high-level player; having even one piece of Bronze Equipment made one an absolute expert that guild teams would fight over. Yet, the person in front of them had three pieces of Bronze Equipment.

The others in Tianwang's party were also stunned, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets when they saw the glow of the Bronze Equipment.

No wonder Shi Feng was so arrogant—he was leaning on an expert's thigh, which was why he was so fearless.

Beside Heizi, Lonely As Snow's mouth hung wide open. He looked at Heizi in disbelief; he had thought Shi Feng was a rare expert, but he hadn't expected Heizi to be the true master.

"Brother, partying with such a noob for a dungeon run is just a burden to you. I'm afraid you won't even clear the dungeon and will end up dying for nothing. Why not come with us? You can have your pick of any magic-class gear that drops," Tianwang Huihui said. Although he was angry at being slapped in the face, successfully recruiting Heizi would significantly increase their chances of clearing the dungeon.

"I agree with your point—running a dungeon with you bunch of noobs would indeed be a drag on me," Heizi said with a grin.

"You..." Tianwang Huihui's face turned red with anger. "Then let's see who clears the Dead Silence Forest first."

With that, Tianwang Huihui turned and left. He didn't believe for a second that a party with a noob could clear the Dead Silence Forest.

"Hmph, just because they have one strong damage dealer, they think they can clear it?" Buyu Xiaye whispered sourly.

"Right, we're all veteran players. We'll definitely be much better than them in the dungeon," the Shield Warrior added with a curl of his lip.

After the Tianwang party left, the number of people signing up for Shi Feng's party suddenly increased.

The main reason for this effect was the gear on Heizi.

At this stage, Bronze Equipment was the absolute proof of an expert. Even with a noob leader, having an expert with three pieces of Bronze Equipment meant one person could do the work of two, giving them a much greater advantage than an ordinary party.

However, Shi Feng was no longer casual about his recruiting this time and set certain requirements, leaving the players who had previously quit full of regret. Why had they been so impulsive? Now that they wanted to join, Shi Feng wouldn't give them the chance.

Just as Shi Feng was busily recruiting members, a sudden commotion erupted to the southwest of the Dead Silence Forest entrance. Many players rushed over, all of them looking incredibly excited.

"No way, we actually ran into them?" Heizi's eyes went wide.

Shi Feng was also taken aback. To encounter such big shots in a small place like Red Leaf Town was unimaginable. Could Red Leaf Town really be a place where hidden dragons and crouching tigers lay, and he simply hadn't noticed until now?