Chapter 2695: 2695

After the leading Infant Dragon spoke up, the three quickly reached a consensus . They then flapped their black wings, their hearts brimming with anger at Shi Feng as they fled the bottomless abyss . Simultaneously, they also gloated over the misfortune awaiting him .

…

Meanwhile, on the other side of the space-time vortex, Shi Feng was wholly unaware of the discussion that had just taken place among the Infant Black Dragons . After experiencing a momentary blackout, like before, he found himself back inside the secret room of Zero Wing’s Residence in Silverwing City .

“I did it!

“Tier 4! I became a real Tier 4!”

An indescribable sense of joy and excitement welled up within Shi Feng as he observed the Liquid Mana surging toward his body from all around . The dense Mana continuously replenished his body’s depleted Mana and mended his haggard spirit .

He had finally accomplished the goal that had eluded him in his previous life .

Moreover, he had even reached Tier 4 with the hidden class Blade Saint . In terms of Basic Attributes and Skills, what the Blade Saint class offered was leaps and bounds stronger than ordinary Tier 4 classes .

Now, he was a true powerhouse in God’s Domain, and even the various NPC kingdoms would have to respect him .

As Shi Feng reveled in his success, the system’s cold, monotonous voice suddenly entered his ears .

…

System Announcement: God’s Domain will undergo a major update . Simultaneously, the new expansion pack “Hero’s Return” will be activated . All players will be logged out in 30 minutes . The update’s estimated duration is one natural day .

…

The system announcement appeared three times consecutively . Inevitably, everyone in God’s Domain was shocked . Shi Feng was no exception .

A major update?! How is this possible?!

Shi Feng looked at the system announcement displayed before him in confusion . Even after he reread it several times, incomprehension and doubt still filled his eyes .

There were plenty of system updates in God’s Domain . However, even in his previous life, the game had undergone only two major updates throughout his ten years of gaming .

The first major update occurred three years after God’s Domain’s official launch .

There had already been plenty of Tier 4 players in the game at that time, and Tier 3 players were everywhere . Some players had even started attempting their Tier 5 promotions .

Yet, now, how long had it been since God’s Domain launched?

2

God’s Domain’s first major update was also the most memorable event for Shi Feng . The update had shaken the entire world, transforming God’s Domain into the world’s only game and entertainment .

After the first major update, God’s Domain had become a completely different world from before, no longer the virtual reality game everyone thought it was . God’s Domain had become an existence beyond everyone’s imagination .

Players were no longer players but a group of special entities in God’s Domain .

Be it God’s Domain’s NPCs or monsters, both had existed as real people after the update, with their own lives and personalities . They had existed for the sake of survival .

These changes had made God’s Domain a completely different world, no longer just a virtual reality game, but an existence that could instead affect the real world .

…

At this moment, Shi Feng wasn’t the only person puzzled by the sudden arrival of this major update . Many players and the upper echelons of major powers were similarly surprised and confused by this situation .

“A major update? And it’s even going to take one natural day? What is going on?”

“Crap! I haven’t even reached Tier 3, yet the system’s going through an upgrade?! Is the system trying to take my life?!”

…

For a while, players in God’s Domain voiced their complaints about and exasperation over the sudden system update .

The update duration of one natural day caught everyone off guard, and they didn’t know what to do with this unexpected free time . After all, at this point, God’s Domain had long since become a part of their lives . Logging into God’s Domain every day had already become an instinct .

The previous system updates had lasted only a few to a dozen real-world hours . This 24-hour system update was simply maddening .

Anyone who entered God’s Domain as part of the first batch of players knew that the difficulty of leveling up and killing monsters would increase substantially after a system update . The requirements for players’ techniques would also increase .

Hence, the major update would undoubtedly be a nightmare for players who had yet to reach Tier 3 .

The arrival of this update would also bring a massive change for the various powers in God’s Domain . After all, this update would reduce the number of players capable of reaching Tier 3 . The difficulty and resources required to nurture their Guilds’ internal experts would also increase . This, in turn, would cripple their current development plans, and they would have to restart their planning from scratch .

However, while some powers felt dissatisfied and angry over this major update, others were overjoyed—especially the new powers and corporations that had joined the game just recently .

The increase in the difficulty of leveling up and obtaining resources would undoubtedly destabilize the status quo in God’s Domain . If the newcomers properly grasped this opportunity, they could replace God’s Domain’s veteran powers .

The atmosphere among God’s Domain’s various powers became extraordinarily tense . While frantically poaching talents and purchasing resources, many of these powers also drastically reduced the resources for ordinary and low-potential members . In turn, this prompted many Guild players to leave their respective Guilds for greener pastures .

…

While God’s Domain’s various powers were taking action, Liang Jing hurriedly contacted Shi Feng .

“Guild Leader, all major powers are currently purchasing Coins and resources on a large scale . Shall we start buying as well?” Liang Jing asked anxiously .

“That won’t be necessary . ” Shi Feng couldn’t help chuckling when he heard Liang Jing’s words . “Haven’t those superpowers been constantly preventing us from acquiring funds? We’ll now dispose of all the Coins we earned through Silverwing City during this period . Let them buy as much as they want . ”

“Guild Leader?” Shi Feng’s words took Liang Jing aback, her mind unable to comprehend his intentions .

The various powers were currently doing all they could to purchase Coins and resources, yet Shi Feng wanted to sell Zero Wing’s Coins in bulk . Once the system update ended, Zero Wing would end up in a pinch .

“Just do it . ” Shi Feng smiled but didn’t offer any additional explanation .

1

According to past system updates, purchasing Coins and resources in bulk was indeed the correct move . However, the system update this time would be different from previous ones . After the major update, not only would resources not be scarce, but obtaining them would become easier instead . Even leveling up would become less taxing .

However, the major update wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, either .

After the major update, whether external or internal, the requirements for players’ promotion would become more stringent . Notably, the changes made toward Mana would require a greater understanding and control of Mana to manipulate it properly . Hence, all peak experts in his previous life had also been Master Magicians .

“Right . Once everyone goes offline, have Melancholic and the others meet me in the conference room . I have something to discuss with them,” Shi Feng said .

He hadn’t gained only a newfound understanding of Mana during his Tier 4 Promotion Quest but also a strange metal that repelled Mana .

This was his first time seeing such a metal . So long as this item wasn’t damaged beyond repair, they could refine it into a weapon or equipment .

The Mana repulsion effect was beneficial to players . After all, Mana was everything in God’s Domain . There would be no life without Mana . Naturally, monsters couldn’t survive without Mana .

If he could successfully recast the metal, he would have the capital to contend against the various superpowers . Such an item would be helpful when he explored dangerous forbidden lands to acquire resources necessary for conquering the Tier 4 Promotion Quest .

In God’s Domain, high-level forbidden lands contained most of the resources capable of helping players reach Tier 4 . Although Shi Feng had already reached Tier 4, if he visited these places by himself, the best he could do was survive . He wouldn’t be able to conduct a proper exploration of these locations . During his previous life, the various superpowers typically sent teams of Tier 4 players to explore these places . Going alone would be suicide .

“Okay . I’ll contact them now . ” Liang Jing then disconnected the call .

…

Frozen World, Frost Heaven City, Frost Heaven’s headquarters:

Due to God’s Domain’s sudden system update, Frost Heaven had also hurriedly convened a meeting to discuss the changes that would occur to the game . Currently, over a dozen people sat in the magnificent conference room .

Every one of these people was an existence capable of shaking the real world with their every step . At this moment, however, these people had nervous expressions as they looked at the middle-aged man seated at the front of the room .

This middle-aged man looked very amiable . Although he had an unyielding appearance, the aura he gave off felt like a spring breeze . However, none of the people present could relax in his presence .

“That’s it for the meeting,” the middle-aged man said, adjourning the meeting . He then shifted his gaze to Muxin and the petite girl beside her, saying, “Muxin, Kerui, both of you stay behind . ”

“Yes, sir!”

As if they had received an amnesty, everyone unrelated promptly rushed off, leaving the middle-aged man, Muxin, and the petite Kerui sitting quietly inside the large conference room .

“Uncle Hong, do you have good news to share?” Muxin asked fawningly as she looked at the stern, middle-aged man .

“Little girl, you’re still pretending? Do you honestly think you can hide the fact that you’ve invited Zero Wing from everyone?” Nonchalantly, the middle-aged man added, “You should know how rare this opportunity is . This will be a gathering of titans . Even those so-called superpowers can only dream of joining . This is also an opportunity for Frost Heaven to become a true titan, yet you invited some unknown outsiders to participate . ”

Upon hearing this, Muxin automatically turned to Kerui beside her . In response, Kerui stuck out her tongue playfully and smiled, expressing, “So what if I told on you?”

Muxin sighed and shook her head in helplessness toward this little sister of hers .

“Uncle Hong, while they are indeed outsiders, you shouldn’t underestimate their strength, either . This goes especially for Black Flame,” Muxin said unhurriedly .

“How strong can he be? He’s merely a peerless expert in the eyes of ordinary people . ” The middle-aged man referred to as Uncle Hong shook his head . “You should know what kind of people we are dealing with . Those people are the truly talented, possessing frightening potential and special bloodlines . They even have the full support of those major corporations . The peak experts on the Secret Pavilion’s Experts List and the various superpowers’ peerless experts are but the tip of the iceberg . ”

“Uncle Hong is right . Being just stronger than average is nothing to those people,” Kerui said as she nodded with a smile .

“However, Black Flame is really strong . He can single-handedly contend against Tier 4 Faux Saint Devourers . Although he can’t be a part of the main force this time, he can still provide support from the sidelines,” Muxin explained .

“He can hold his ground against a Devourer?” Uncle Hong was slightly surprised by this information . “It seems this person is indeed strong . ”

“Hmph . What’s so amazing about contending against a Devourer using brute force? Plenty of my subordinates can, too,” Kerui said disapprovingly .

Upon hearing Kerui’s words, Muxin had to resist the urge to pinch the girl’s cheeks . She just explained, “Uncle Hong, that person has a Mana Domain, as well . He will be of significant help with our plans . ”

“He has a Mana Domain?” This revelation piqued Uncle Hong’s interest . “This will indeed be of help to us .

“However, I’m afraid these things still aren’t enough . You should know, as well, that an individual’s strength is very limited in this upcoming operation . Moreover, the location we’re visiting this time is extraordinary . So, I will have to personally inspect whether Zero Wing’s members can join this operation . ”

“You’ll inspect in person?” Muxin exclaimed in surprise .

Uncle Hong’s identity was preeminent . The Guild Leaders of Super Guilds and even those at the helm of major corporations had to treat him with respect . If he visited Zero Wing’s headquarters and news of it got out, it would cause a sensation among the various major corporations .

“Of course . ” In a severe tone, Uncle Hong said, “The operation this time is of utmost importance . We cannot afford carelessness . ”

“But the time is almost up . This system update is also going to take one whole day . We’ll be tight for time if we proceed with the inspection,” Muxin objected .

“Don’t worry . We’ll just pay Zero Wing’s headquarters a short visit . It won’t take much time,” Uncle Hong said, smiling .

“Since you’ve made up your mind, leave Zero Wing’s inspection to me, Uncle Hong,” Kerui suddenly suggested . “Zero Wing is a local tyrant . If they join in the operation this time, they will behave arrogantly . Also, seeing how much Big Sis admires that person’s strength, I’m thinking of bringing Tian Cheng of Frost Heaven’s Ten Swords along .

“One, we can test whether Black Flame is as strong as Big Sis says . Two, we can show Zero Wing that not just anybody can join Frost Heaven’s secret operation . Even if Zero Wing passes the inspection, they’ll know how to behave during the operation . ”

Muxin fell speechless upon hearing her little sister’s words .

The Ten Swords were geniuses the Boulder Corporation had nurtured using all their technology and resources . Every one of them was a monster among monsters . They were also among the core combatants for the upcoming operation .

It would be overkill to test Zero Wing using one of the Ten Swords .

“Muxin, what do you think?” Uncle Hong asked .

“I don’t have any objections . ” Muxin agreed after giving the matter some thought .

In her opinion, Shi Feng shouldn’t have any problems going up against Tian Cheng with his strength .

“Good . Then if Zero Wing’s strength is no good, you’ll have to modify your agreement with them,” Uncle Hong said, nodding .

“I understand . ” Muxin nodded obediently .

Although she was the Boulder Corporation’s heir, she couldn’t go against her Uncle Hong’s decisions .

“Big Sis, I have great expectations for you!”

Kerui revealed a cute smile before logging off .

Hopefully, his performance won’t disappoint Uncle Hong too much, Muxin prayed inwardly after seeing Kerui leave . She had incurred a considerable expenditure to invite Zero Wing this time . If she annulled their contract, she would have to provide a lot of compensation .

…

Meanwhile, in the top-floor conference room of Zero Wing’s headquarters, Shi Feng, who had just logged off, was sorting through the unknown metal’s information when he heard a knock on the door . Subsequently, the door to the conference room opened slowly, and a clear and pleasant voice came from outside .

“Guild Leader, they’re here . ”