The nearly 19-minute raid took its toll. The boss of the secret realm had been buffed, its health and defense far exceeding that of an ordinary Flowing Gold tier boss. It took Lin Zhao's hundred-man team a full nineteen minutes to finally defeat it. The moment the beast collapsed, its massive body disintegrated, showering the area with a cascade of loot. Among the glittering treasures was a golden, radiant gem.
Awakening Divine Stone, it could awaken a player's class talent ability, but only for the first awakening. This meant a Sword Hero could not awaken multiple Sword Lakes through this stone; one was the maximum.
"Lu Han!"
Lin Zhao raised his hand and tossed the precious Awakening Divine Stone to Lu Han.
"Thanks, boss!"
Lu Han immediately used it, awakening a Sword Lake. He felt an ethereal sense of elation. As for flying swords, their acquisition had several avenues. One was through the rare Flying Sword Embryos dropped by bosses, a prospect so unlikely that even Lin Zhao had never seen one. The second method involved collecting various rare materials and having a craftsman in the main city forge a flying sword. These could potentially be of higher quality. The third option was purchasing directly from the system mall, but the best flying swords there were only Earth tier, essentially low-end trash that top-tier players wouldn't even consider.
"Chen Xue, go check the boss's drops," Lin Zhao said, turning and sheathing his sword. "I'm off to fight the Azure Knights!"
"Seriously..."
Chen Xue couldn't help but chuckle, "You hold such a grudge against the Azure Knights?"
"What do you think?"
"Hahahaha~~~" Laughter erupted from the group.
Most of the players turned and followed Lin Zhao to engage in player-kill combat. Chen Xue, meanwhile, gathered the spoils. Indeed, there were some good items: a Dark Gold tier war bow was claimed by a sharpshooter from the hundred-man team, and a pair of Flowing Gold tier leather bracers were won by a Thunderstorm Gunner through a roll. The rest were Gold and Silver tier items, distributed amongst the members. Lin Zhao didn't even glance at them. As their leader, he had to maintain a broad perspective!
...
The battlefield, the frontline.
Lin Zhao charged in on his horse, executing a rapid advance and launching a Dragon Rising Slash, lifting five heavy players from the Azure Knights into the air. He then unleashed the Sword Qi Hail special ability onto the most densely packed area. A barrage of icy sword qi rained down, striking the crowd with crackling sounds.
"Ouch~~~ Boss is amazing!"
A high-level mage from the Youth Team immediately followed up with area-of-effect spells, cooperating with Lin Zhao and helping him mitigate some of the accumulated aggression.
"Swish!"
Lin Zhao executed a Sword Draw Slash, moving horizontally across the frontline.
"Our leader is wise!"
A group of people responded weakly.
...
The fierce battle continued until four o'clock. By this time, more than half of the players in the Scarlet Moon Knights had turned red-named, while only a scattered few from the Azure Knights bore that mark.
At this point, the Azure Knights finally showed signs of retreat. They ceased sending reinforcements forward, and even Li Canghai turned his horse and, along with Xi He Da Guo Kui and others, withdrew from the battlefield. To continue fighting would only provide entertainment for the smaller guilds, needlessly depleting the core strength of the two major guilds. There was no longer any need.
"Ceasefire."
Lin Zhao flicked his wrist, shaking off the blood staining his blade. He raised his hand, sheathed his sword, and said, "Let's tally up our losses."
"They're quite significant."
Chen Xue frowned. "The Youth Team lost 247 people, and the White Robe Team lost 301. If we continue fighting, we'll lose all the levels we gained yesterday."
"Mm."
Lin Zhao looked at Lu Han. "Tell the brothers who are willing to stay up late to grind off their red names tonight and then log off. Tomorrow, when we come online, everyone should prioritize clearing their red names. We can still enter the secret realm maps after we're white-named. Also, tell everyone to be vigilant against sneak attacks from Flourishing Peony. Their members log off early, so they'll likely be online before us tomorrow. Everyone who is online must be extra careful and avoid direct confrontation. It's okay to even retreat from the map if necessary."
"Alright, got it."
Lu Han smiled slightly. "Regardless, the brothers had a great time killing today. Hahaha~"
"That's true."
Lin Zhao also laughed heartily. "Let's log off and rest."
"Mm!"
...
Everyone in the studio logged off. This was the first time they had stayed up all night together. Stepping out of the game pods, Lin Zhao glanced at Chen Xue and chuckled, "Got panda eyes already..."
"Huh?!"
Chen Xue immediately pulled out a mirror and looked. She pouted, "It's all for the studio. You owe me compensation..."
"Alright, fine. I'll ask Sister Ju Zi to add an extra chicken drumstick to your portion tomorrow."
"~~~"
Chen Xue rolled her eyes, not wanting to bother with him.
Luo Man pursed her red lips and gently hooked her arm around Lin Zhao's. "Brother, today I killed a total of 17 bandits and took over 1.3 million damage. So many strong men from the Azure Knights chased me, wanting to ravage me, but I killed them all! Brother, if I'm this capable, can I also ask for an extra chicken drumstick? Look, my chest has almost shrunk from hunger lately..."
Lin Zhao glanced at Luo Man's chest. It was indeed quite flat. He nodded, "Mm, tell Sister Ju Zi yourself about the extra chicken drumstick."
"Brother is so kind."
She smiled, her dimples showing, her large eyes filled with little stars.
Lin Zhao ignored her and slung an arm around Ding Chi. "Want to cook up some noodles? I'm a bit hungry."
"Killed well today."
Ding Chi replied, "Let's take some time this afternoon to get a foot massage. I'll make an appointment with Technician Number 8."
"Huh?!"
Lin Zhao paused. "Last time I went with you, you said Technician Number 8 was young and pretty. Why was it an old aunt when I went... at least fifty years old... Ding Chi, you have to be honest and trustworthy. Ever since that time, I've felt like your words can no longer be trusted."
"Sigh..."
Ding Chi rubbed his temples. "Maybe I got the wrong place. You went to the legitimate one."
"Damn it!"
Chen Xue quickly walked over, kicked off her high heels, and stomped on the backsides of the two men in front of her.