Xiaoyuer's appearance had already stunned everyone.
Everyone there knew who Xiaoyuer was. After all, she was the Goddess's teammate, and she was so pure and pretty that people couldn't help but remember her.
But what was even more unbelievable was that such a stunning beauty would invite a rookie out—and, even more surprising, she wasn't the one doing the inviting. It was the Goddess herself, Bai Qingxue.
Who was Bai Qingxue?
She was widely recognized as the Ice Goddess of the virtual gaming world, a woman countless rich and handsome men wanted to get close to. One trust-fund kid had even declared that he'd give her ten million Credit Points if she would have dinner with him. Her response had been just one word.
Get lost!
The trust-fund kid had, of course, been furious. He'd tried everything he could to get revenge and make Bai Qingxue his. But just a few days later, he'd been dumbfounded when his father, a self-made tycoon, suddenly became penniless. Overnight, every last one of the family's company assets had become someone else's property. When the father found out what his son had done, he nearly beat him to death.
Only then did everyone realize how terrifying Bai Qingxue was. Yet after the incident, she gained even more fans, because she truly seemed like the Goddess of legend—divine and untouchable.
And now the Goddess was personally inviting this rookie to meet her. How could anyone not be shocked?
At that moment, no one felt like mocking him anymore. They were consumed by envy and resentment. What had a mere rookie done to deserve chatting with the Goddess?
"Damn, this noob's really hit the jackpot. I'm so handsome, and the Goddess won't even say a word to me. What's he got that I don't?"
"This young master is handsome and dashing, and I'm a top player in God's Domain. Why doesn't the Goddess ask me to chat about life? Am I too handsome, or does she prefer wilder men?"
"The Goddess must want to hear about the Hell-Grade dungeon. That's why she's looking for him. I can't believe even a noob gets that kind of perk. If I'd known, I would've gone through the Hell-Grade Dead Silence Forest too."
Everyone chattered among themselves, glaring at Shi Feng with disdain and envy, as if they wished they could strangle him on the spot.
"Boss Tian Wang, I didn't hear that wrong, did I? The Goddess actually invited that rookie? I must've misheard." Bu Yu Xia Ye pinched his own thick-skinned cheek and stared blankly.
"I'm sure you heard right. But the Goddess probably has something to ask him. He just got lucky." The haughty Tian Wang Hui Hui was convinced Shi Feng had gotten lucky. Otherwise, how could he explain Shi Feng chatting with the Goddess?
Yi Zhan Dao Di nodded beside him, agreeing with Tian Wang Hui Hui.
Bai Qingxue was someone they could only look up to. They weren't even in the same world as her. Just being in the Dead Silence Forest with her had felt like a stroke of luck, let alone getting to chat with her.
Just as everyone assumed Shi Feng would eagerly agree, his answer took them completely by surprise.
"Not interested. I'm in a hurry." Shi Feng turned and walked away, paying no attention to Xiaoyuer in front of him—or to Bai Qingxue's invitation.
He already had the design. The only thing left was the ore problem. The sooner he got the Guardian Armor on the market, the more money he'd make. If he missed the best opportunity, he'd lose a huge sum. He had no time to waste chatting with people. He had to craft the Guardian Armor as soon as possible and deal with the debt hanging over him.
Heizi had been excited out of his mind at the thought of meeting the Goddess up close. Shi Feng's answer nearly drove him crazy. He couldn't understand what had gotten into Shi Feng's head for him to refuse.
Heizi wasn't the only one left speechless. Even Xiaoyuer was stunned. She'd never met a man who would refuse an invitation from Sister Qingxue. How many men would give anything for such an invitation? Could this man be an idiot?
"Are you coming or not? What are you spacing out for?" Shi Feng noticed no one was following him and turned to ask his teammates, who seemed unable to move.
"Brother Feng, this is an invitation from the Ice Goddess. Aren't you going to think it over?" Heizi was so anxious he was about to lose his mind. He reminded Shi Feng while silently praying that he'd accept. He might never get such a great opportunity again.
"I said I'm short on time." Shi Feng smiled helplessly at Heizi's pleading look. Heizi was great in every way, except that his worship of goddesses never changed.
Bai Qingxue and Zhao Yueru walked over just then. Bai Qingxue, clad in silver-white armor, immediately became the focal point of the Dead Silence Forest. Everyone stared at her perfect figure, practically drooling.
No one had expected Bai Qingxue to come over in person.
Everyone envied Shi Feng even more.
"Don't worry. I won't take up too much of your time. You can have this Bronze Equipment as compensation." Bai Qingxue looked at Shi Feng up close and saw that he really was different from the others. Though plain-looking, he had a calm and composed air about him, along with a faint aura of killing intent—the sort of special presence that could only be forged through countless life-and-death battles.
"Qingxue." Zhao Yueru looked surprised that Bai Qingxue thought so highly of Shi Feng. Her beautiful eyes shifted to the utterly ordinary-looking Shi Feng, and her brows furrowed as she said with a hint of disdain, "I don't think this guy is worth a piece of Bronze Equipment. At most, a Gray, low-quality item would be about right."
Bai Qingxue had already done Shi Feng a huge favor by inviting him over to chat. Yet not only had he failed to appreciate it, he'd refused outright. Anyone else would've rushed over to curry favor with them. This was the first time she'd met such an unremarkable man who acted this way. She was convinced Shi Feng had an ulterior motive and was no good.
"There's no need for the Bronze Equipment. I already have some." Shi Feng waved it off, unconcerned. He'd never thought much of this witch, and now she was saying something like that. But he wasn't broke, either. He didn't need charity.
Zhao Yueru looked Shi Feng up and down, then smiled faintly, a playful glint in her eyes. "You've got some backbone. You clearly want it, but you're too stubborn to admit it. Qingxue, this guy isn't being honest."
"Yueru." Bai Qingxue glared at her, signaling that she shouldn't go too far. They were the ones who had approached him. Looking down on him now wasn't right.
Zhao Yueru pouted and glanced at Shi Feng, then thrust out her impressive chest. There was nothing for it, so she turned away. She didn't believe this poor guy had anything they wanted.
"Sorry. Please accept this equipment as an apology." Bai Qingxue took out a level 0 Swordsman's Bronze belt and offered it to Shi Feng in a trade, hoping to put the matter behind them.
Seeing Bai Qingxue's sincerity, Shi Feng didn't refuse. If he did, it would make him look petty. It might also make Bai Qingxue think he didn't want to make amends. He couldn't exactly reject her kind offer.
Besides, he didn't have a Bronze belt, and it might come in handy.
"Heh, I thought you were something special, but in the end, you still needed it," Zhao Yueru muttered disdainfully from the side. She couldn't help feeling that the Bronze Equipment had gone to waste.
Their team had worked hard to kill a Rare Elite to get that piece of equipment. Now it had gone to Shi Feng for nothing. They'd taken a huge loss.
Shi Feng frowned slightly. Any man would have a hard time putting up with such sarcasm and contempt—especially Shi Feng, a reincarnator.
"Since Miss Bai gave me a piece of Bronze Equipment, I'll return the favor. You can have this little something in return."