Chapter 260: Being Despised

Fang Qi casually gathered up the remaining scattered items of gear, then held out the skill books to Xiaoyue and Su Yao, saying, "One for each of you."

"I want the Sacred Armor Spell!" Jiang Xiaoyue happily snatched one up, thinking the name alone sounded grand and sophisticated.

Su Yao, appearing rather timid, blushed and hesitated for a long while before accepting the Mass Healing Spell Fang Qi offered, murmuring, "Thank you."

"There is also a Temptation Light book left, who wants it?"

"Give it to Sister Xiyue," Ruan Ning suggested, noting that she and Su Zhi already possessed Fire Wall and Bursting Fire respectively, so this rarer skill should go to Xi Yue first.

Once Jiang Xiaoyue mastered the Sacred Armor Spell, she waved her petite hand and cast forth a talisman paper; upon burning, the flames unraveled from the parchment like living creatures, tracing a massive ancient script character in the air.

It was common knowledge that the talismans of ancient alchemists possessed mysterious, divine powers, and indeed, as this conjured talisman manifested in midair, everyone present felt enveloped in a faint, ethereal orange-red aura, simultaneously sensing a peculiar energy clinging to them.

With this strength bound to their bodies, it felt as though they no longer feared the attacks of the monsters.

"Incredible!" the crowd exclaimed in awe, feeling the unique power.

"Huh?" Fang Qi stared at the grand, ancient script, utterly bewildered. "Shouldn't it just be a massive, simplified character for 'Defense'?"

Of course, Shopkeeper Fang was merely joking; it could never truly be a simplified character.

It was clearly a sacred talisman which, once transcribed, represented a profound spell.

However, the Mass Healing Spell could not yet be learned, which proved rather awkward.

"But... what exactly does Temptation Light do?" Xi Yue murmured after reading the book, casting the spell toward a distant monster.

A strange streak of lightning crackled down upon the far-off creature.

Evidently, it had absolutely no effect.

The beast did not even bother to acknowledge it, refusing to cast a single glance in their direction.

Xi Yue felt instantly disheartened; everyone else's skills were so magnificent, yet when it came to hers...

Why did it have no effect whatsoever?

She hastily unleashed another Temptation Light.

Still, there was no reaction.

Stamping her foot, she fired over a dozen bolts of Temptation Light in succession.

Gritting her teeth, she finally gave up; seeing the other girls stifling their laughter, she furiously slammed her Crescent Moon blade onto the ground, snapping, "This skill is absolute rubbish!"

"Is there a description for this skill?" Jiang Xiaoyue asked curiously. "Even if it is weak, it shouldn't be completely powerless."

"It claims it can summon powerful monsters to serve as one's minions," Xi Yue complained. "It sounded so impressive, yet I cannot even tame a single piece of trash monster!"

...

Meanwhile, just as Fang Qi was clearing out the Zombie King, within the Abandoned Bichon Mine.

The Royal Pioneer Team, having ground relentlessly for three whole days, had now reached over level twenty, with the highest among them nearing level twenty-five.

Even the gold-farming groups were rapidly approaching level twenty by this time.

"Commander Yu, has there been any word from the people over at the Morning Star Sea?" Before Ji Wu stood a gaunt, weathered middle-aged martial artist.

"Reporting to Your Majesty," the middle-aged military officer replied. "Those people are currently slaughtering their way through the Skeleton Cave and the Wooma Forest with great delight. Word has it that this is the only game available over there, so they have nothing else to play!"

"A bunch of narrow-minded fools!" Ji Wu snorted coldly. "Have they discovered anything on their end?"

"Not as of yet."

Ji Wu narrowed his eyes, falling into deep contemplation.

Spells like Lightning, Fire Talisman, and Slaying Swordsmanship had been dropped in decent quantities as they hunted zombies over the past few days, but higher-tier skills—such as Fire Wall and Bursting Fire for those above level twenty—remained exceedingly rare.

For the moment, he saw nothing in this world that made it truly worth staying.

Granted, for Princess Ji Yu and the others, it was quite excellent; after all, their cultivation bases were not particularly high, so the boost to their strength was palpable.

But for Ji Wu, no matter how fast his cultivation grew, it could hardly elevate his realm within a month or even a year; furthermore, a rising cultivation base still required a breakthrough in comprehension.

Take Old Fu, for instance; his cultivation had surged ahead, but his realm lacked depth, leaving him a mere pseudo-Emperor.

"It is still not enough," Ji Wu said, shaking his head. "This game does not seem up to par."

An Huwei had also brought a large contingent of the Jiuhua Army, training them up to level twenty in the Orc Tombs before leading his men to the Centipede Cave in the Death Valley of Mongchon.

The interior of Death Valley was immense; currently, high-level disciples from major factions like the Cloud Ocean Sect, the Flowing Cloud Daoist Palace, and the Blue Flame Sect were gathered here.

An Huwei directed the Jiuhua Army to clear the surrounding monsters while reaching for a box of spicy sticks; at this hour, the leaders of the various factions were mostly lounging together.

Slumping back into his computer chair, An Huwei muttered, "Come, come, have a spicy stick! This training is exhausting!"

With that, he picked up a spicy stick and popped it into his mouth.

"You have spicy sticks?!" an elder from the Cloud Ocean Sect immediately leaned over, snatching one. "City Master An, have you found any rare gear?"

"Don't even mention it," An Huwei replied, chewing his snack while watching the other Jiuhua soldiers hack away frantically at the monsters on the screen. "This game seems decent enough for training these young rascals, but for me to fool around in here constantly feels rather pointless."

"Indeed!" An elder from the Flowing Cloud Daoist Palace stepped over to grab a spicy stick, taking a brief respite. Although this idle watching did not instantly raise their cultivation, many had discovered that upon re-entering the virtual mode, the accumulated power would flow back into their bodies, as though stored within the character for the time being.

Thus, An Huwei reclined in his seat, watching the crowd slay monsters on screen with a fair amount of satisfaction. He ate another spicy stick and remarked, "Mainly, this game isn't as striking as Legend of the Sword and Fairy. Tell me, what use is this Fireball spell? And Repulsion Fire Ring... it can only push back those with lower cultivation than oneself. In the real world, do we even need to push back weaker martial artists?"

"Precisely. With my protective dharma treasures active, I don't even need to heed the attacks of such martial artists; a single spell would obliterate them!" The elder seemed well-experienced, adding, "There have been no new spells yet. Are we meant to use this Fireball spell for the rest of our lives?"

"Even a spell superior to Fireball would be useless!" An Huwei shook his head. "Have we learned few spells in our time? What do we need these for?"

The men lounged in their chairs, chatting away while enjoying their spicy sticks.