Hearing that Lin Feilong wanted to recruit him and noticing the man's respectful attitude, Shi Feng couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west — fortune truly does change!
Fate had a twisted sense of humor, that much was certain.
From Lin Feilong's tone, Shi Feng could hear the man's desperate desire to cling to someone powerful.
"So you want me to join. Tell me, what kind of compensation are you offering?" Shi Feng asked flatly.
"Senior, I guarantee you'll be satisfied. The moment you join, you'll be an honorary elder of Shadow Guild. Besides, we have a major corporation backing us with plenty of funds. Your preliminary annual salary is set at one million, plus 10% of Shadow Guild's shares. You surely understand what guild shares represent — once Shadow rises in the future, that 10% will be worth far more than ten million. No other guild could ever offer terms like this." Lin Feilong explained with barely contained excitement, sounding almost as if he were convincing himself.
Ten percent of the shares!
Which guild right now would hand over equity just to recruit a player? They all offered salaries instead, because shares appreciated as the guild grew. Given Divine Realm's potential, if Shadow developed well, that 10% could represent billions of credit points or more. No major guild lightly promised equity — they all quoted clear monetary figures instead.
"Who made this promise?" Shi Feng asked, mildly surprised. He hadn't expected Shadow to go to such serious lengths to poach him.
In his previous life, he had been Shadow's guild master, but he'd held no shares. Back then, when he became guild master, he hadn't thought about such things. The end result was being cast out. Shares were the true symbol of power within a guild — if he'd held 10% back then, Lan Hailong wouldn't have been able to kick him out so cleanly and leave him with nothing.
"It was our guild master himself. And with your strength, the position of guild master will surely be yours in the future." Lin Feilong shamelessly kissed up to him without even batting an eye.
"Hmm. Very well." Shi Feng gave a faint smile. His ice-cold demeanor suddenly shifted, as though he were some peerless swordsman looking down on all the world. "Go back and tell your guild master this: I'm willing to join Shadow — but I want 60% of the guild's shares, and the guild master position. Take it or leave it."
With that, Shi Feng ended the call.
Of course, he'd only been joking, toying with Lin Feilong. Even if Shadow offered him 100%, he wouldn't associate with that name he so despised.
The real reason he said it was to let Lin Feilong, Zhang Luowei, and Lan Hailong know exactly who they were dealing with. They'd never actually agree to those terms anyway — 60% of shares would make him Shadow's undisputed boss, with absolute authority. Neither Zhang Luowei nor Lan Hailong would tolerate someone like that.
"So domineering! No wonder he managed to humiliate even the Martial Alliance, which is stronger than Shadow. What a shame he's nothing more than a brute. If only he knew how to be patient — with his strength, becoming Shadow's true leader would be effortless." Lin Feilong admired him but still wore a look of contempt. He figured Shi Feng was just a hothead who wanted to climb too fast and had already hit a ceiling. After all, Zhang Luowei trusted Zhou Yuhu more and only treated Lin Feilong as an elite member. He needed to find a patron, and someone like Shi Feng — blunt and straightforward — was perfect. The 60% demand looked outrageous, but with enough effort, it might not be impossible to work toward. "I suppose I need to reorganize my talking points and report to Brother Zhang and Brother Lan again."
Meanwhile, Shi Feng had no idea that his offhand joke — meant only to annoy Lan Hailong and Zhang Luowei — had planted a seed in Lin Feilong's mind, turning it into an obsessive goal he would pursue relentlessly, all to cling to Shi Feng's coattails.
Inside the Flame God Cavern, Shi Feng took out the Scorching Sun Sacred Tome and opened it, reading aloud the words within.
Instantly, the tome burst into flames, wreathed in resplendent golden fire. Countless fire elements throughout the cavern seemed to transform into soldiers, bowing before that golden inferno like subjects before an emperor of flame.
It wasn't just the fire elements — even Shi Feng's Ice Blue Demonic Flame stirred restlessly, sending out a palpable wave of submission.
"What kind of flame is this?" Shi Feng stared at the golden fire, curiosity burning within him.
He had no idea what tier this golden flame was, but if it could force a Tier 2 Ice Blue Demonic Flame to submit, it had to be at least Tier 3 — possibly even Tier 4. If he could subdue and absorb this flame, his strength might reach an entirely new level.
Unfortunately, it wasn't a Strange Fire, so absorption was out of the question.
After about a minute, the golden flame finished absorbing fire elements from the surrounding air and dove straight into Shi Feng's body. In an instant, a new buff appeared on his status bar.
Blessing of the Scorching Sun — Fire resistance increased by 100 points. Fire-based damage reduced by 90%. When taking fire damage, there is a 20% chance to recover HP equal to the damage dealt. Damage against fire-type creatures increased by 100%. Duration: two hours. Only effective inside the Flame God Cavern.
The Scorching Sun Sacred Tome was originally designed to help players grind and fight monsters comfortably in scorching environments. But here in the Flame God Cavern, where fire elements were extremely dense, its effect had multiplied several times over. That was how players could farm elites and leader bosses in this place.
Shi Feng had already possessed 20 points of fire resistance. Now, with an additional 100, ordinary fire attacks were about as threatening as a light tickle — not to mention the 90% fire damage reduction. He had to admit, the boost felt incredible.
With the Blessing of the Scorching Sun active, Shi Feng boldly ventured deeper into the Flame God Cavern.
The cavern was vast and labyrinthine, but for a reborn Shi Feng, navigating it was second nature. Before long, he spotted a level-25 Magma Hound resting in a pool of white-hot lava.
Magma Hound — Common monster, Level 25, HP 5,400.
The Magma Hound was several sizes larger than a lion, its entire body wreathed in red flame. Its skin was a dark, sickly yellow, and its round eyes glowed with a crimson bloodshot hue. It rose from the scorching lava, fixed its gaze on Shi Feng, and let out a furious growl. Its hard claws shattered the blackened rock beneath its paws with ease.
The moment Shi Feng drew the Abyssal and Silvermoon, the Magma Hound spat a torrent of searing flame at him.
Shi Feng didn't hold back. He activated the Ice Blue Demonic Flame, deep blue fire engulfing his entire body, and charged straight through the inferno.
The same attack that could shred nearly half a tank's HP in a single hit barely scratched Shi Feng for a little over a dozen points of damage. That was far less than a level-10 common monster could manage.
"With 120 points of fire resistance, my durability is truly impressive," Shi Feng mused, satisfied with the test. He closed the distance to the Magma Hound in an instant, delivering a slash to the back of its neck. A spray of scorching blood erupted from the wound, and a damage number of 345 popped up — acceptable, if barely.
What's more, because the monster was 11 levels above him, his skill proficiency skyrocketed with every hit, gaining 3 points per strike.
The Magma Hound was formidable, but Shi Feng's real concern had always been its AoE abilities — Flame Breath and Flame Burst. Without those catastrophic group attacks threatening him, dealing with the creature's claws was child's play, thanks to his extraordinary evasion skills and high agility.
In under a minute, Shi Feng dispatched the level-25 Magma Hound, which dropped a Fire Crystal and a few copper coins.
System: Leveled monster by 11 levels and killed Mafka Hound. Bonus experience increased by 1,100%. Experience gained: 16,500.
(To be continued...)
PS: I was planning to save up some drafts, but after thinking about it, I decided to go ahead and post the third update. Please vote and recommend!