Chapter 74: Chapter 74: We Need a Tactical Master! (Four more)
Xu Nian and his team naturally had no reason to deal with the corpses inside Fengxiang Prefecture City. This kind of work should be handled by people from the Government Office, but since the prefect had been killed by the Blood Demon Sect, subsequent matters could only be dealt with by the Brocade Guard. If Zhou Yuntong knew what had happened inside Fengxiang Prefecture, he would rush back as soon as possible. Therefore, there was no need for Xu Nian to get involved.
On the contrary, the matter of the Nine Dragon Key needed to be expedited. The arrival of the Second Test Players meant there were more chives to harvest, and Xu Nian was just waiting for this wave of chives to come. The more players there were, the faster his power would increase.
Reaching the Grandmaster Realm needed a certain mood. To obtain a mood, one needed some luck. Opportunity was the threshold to becoming a Grandmaster.
Xu Nian?
As long as the System’s rewards were high enough, he was sure to receive rewards in the form of mood. That’s why Xu Nian wanted to gamble on Task Rewards. Only by stepping into the Grandmaster Realm would he truly be qualified to wander the Jianghu.
As for the matter of the Nine Dragons Secret Treasure... The difficulty was too high, and for now, they could only take things one step at a time.
Junlin and his team followed Xu Nian out of Fengxiang Prefecture City, heading straight towards Celestial Origin Mansion. With the Blood Demoness watching over the Sect, Xu Nian was not too worried about anything. After getting the Red Dragon Sword, Xu Nian planned to have a talk with the Blood Demoness. The Blood Demon Sect’s matter was ultimately a thorn in his heart.
"Junlin, have you looked at the forum? The Second Test Players seem to be getting restless," Xu Nian remarked.
One of the players with Junlin replied, "Exactly, it seems they are all attracted to this game."
"After they arrive, they’ll still be ordinary people. It’ll be a long time before they can catch up to our Realm; don’t forget that we’ve been through several large Tasks," another added.
"I wonder if the newcomers will band together after the Second Test starts," a third mused. "Hopefully, they’re not all snapped up by Flourishing Flowers."
Junlin and his team rode on horseback, following behind Xu Nian, discussing matters of the Second Test. The Second Test revolved mainly around the Nine Dragons Secret Treasure. That is to say, this Second Test was actually initiated by them. After all, the Task of the Nine Dragons Secret Treasure was in their hands, and the Task Rewards were outrageously high. Compared to other players, Junlin and his team already had the most Contribution Points among all the players.
Their Talents were targeted towards the entire Hall, not like those of Flourishing Flowers, which focused on the individual. As long as the Contribution Points were handed over to the Hall, they just needed to wait. It was akin to a compound interest strategy. The more Contribution Points they had, the more they would earn, and they would not have to worry about insufficient Contribution Points in the future.
Poisonous Panda suddenly spoke, "Do you guys still remember the player named Chaotic Dance Steps?"
Several of them nodded. In this Task, Chaotic Dance Steps was one of the few players who stood out. Previously unknown, he had suddenly risen to prominence. It showed this person had some skills.
"Do we need a Military Advisor or something?" Poisonous Panda pondered aloud. "Each of us has our duties, our own paths to walk, but we still need someone with command abilities, preferably a high-level player who is skilled in various tactics."
Indeed, their Hall had the fewest members. For close combat, there was Junlin, and for ranged attacks, there was Under the Phoenix Tree. Poisonous Panda was the support. The meat shield was Evil Queen Morgana. The jungler was Abbess, Don’t Love Me. The team already seemed very complete but still lacked an exceptional commander capable of devising tactics, preferably a tactical master with experience in commanding various game team battles.
Junlin laughed and said, "I’ve already contacted someone, and I’m offering a salary to bring him over. We’re just waiting for the Second Test to start."
"Oh? That fast? You’re pretty good."
Abbess, Don’t Love Me asked with a smile, "You’re even offering a salary? He must be quite something."
"The former overall commander in EVE. I offered him a salary of 10,000 RMB to come play this game, and I’ve promised him quite a few other benefits," Junlin said with confidence, "With his addition, our Lingxiao Hall can let loose and won’t need to cooperate with Flourishing Flowers anymore."
Having cooperated twice, the feeling of being commanded by an opponent was simply awful. For Junlin, it was something he never wanted to experience again in his life. His power was not inferior to Flourishing Flowers, but he was just not as good at commanding as Flourishing Flowers was; that was his weakness. Now that this weakness could be remedied, Lingxiao Hall wouldn’t have to worry about other things.
"But... can he get a Second Test Quota?" Morgana suddenly asked.
Her question plunged the group into silence.
Thousands of people were competing for 300 Quotas. Was Junlin’s friend guaranteed to get a Quota? The Second Test hadn’t even started yet, and there were plenty of people waiting for the Internal Testing quotas; even streamers had entered the fray. What if he couldn’t snag one?
While everyone was silent, Xu Nian, walking in front, suddenly said, "There’s a tea stall up ahead. Let’s rest there before continuing our journey."
Right now, their location could be described as being in the middle of nowhere, with neither a village ahead nor a shop behind. A tea stall appearing in such a wilderness was a bit strange, to say the least.
But Junlin and his team didn’t care about that. After all, they were players, not afraid of death, and they had plenty of Contribution Points. What was there to be afraid of?
Xu Nian was extra cautious, tying his horse to the trunk of a tree before sitting down at a table. The owner of the tea stall was an elderly man in hemp clothes with white hair. Seeing the guests arriving, he hurriedly poured and brought over several cups of tea.
"You’re all travelers, aren’t you? Have some tea and take a rest."
The old man had a kind face as he placed the tea on the table and then turned around to bring over a whole kettle. After doing all this, the old man walked behind the stall’s curtain and began to chop bones with a cleaver. The sound of a dog barking could also be heard, as if food was being prepared for it.
Xu Nian glanced at the tea in his hand, then at the sword cuts and dried, dark red bloodstains on the table. This tea stall is indeed not so simple. Although it’s an Official Road, few travelers pass by. It seems that Jianghu people who come here often end up either fighting or being directly slaughtered. A black shop?
While Xu Nian was hesitating whether to waste a Top-Grade Detoxification Pill, the old man’s voice came from behind the curtain. "The guests can drink in peace; the tea I’ve given you has no issues. I am not yet so senile as to be unable to tell friends from foes."
The old man continued chopping bones as he spoke, "The bloodstains on the table are from members of the Blood Demon Sect. Wherever I go, I open a tea stall, and I’ve been chasing the Blood Demon Sect for decades. You all have an extraordinary air, and your energy signatures don’t align with the Blood Demon Sect’s Internal Energy. I have no reason to harm you."
Upon hearing these words, Junlin and his team all froze as they looked at the teacups in front of them.
Could this old man be some special character? Could it trigger a Hidden Task?
Xu Nian smiled inexplicably, picked up his teacup, gulped it down, and then asked with a smile, "Senior, how may we address you?"
"This old one is just a corpse not yet buried under the yellow earth; I’ve long forgotten my own name," the old man said softly with a smile. "I was hoping to kill members of the Blood Demon Sect, but it seems the Blood Demon Sect was scared out of their wits in Fengxiang Prefecture. What a pity..."