After entrusting matters to Melancholic Smile, Shi Feng left Candlelight Trading Firm and headed straight for the library.
The binding of the Soul Lock still coiled around him. Finding that mysterious NPC from Black Wing City felt increasingly impractical — and even if he did find them, he'd probably steer clear. After all, the NPC had been powerful enough that even Xia Lian, the Grand High Priest in Red, couldn't do a thing against them. What could a second-tier Class possibly do?
So the real point of this quest wasn't about hunting down some mysterious NPC. It was about collecting Strange Fire. Mastering Soul Fire, a high-tier flame, was the only way forward.
During the time it would take for Aqua Rose to gather the guild members, he could absorb the third-tier Strange Fire — Starfall Earthfire — obtained from the quest.
Right now in Divine Realm, while second-tier Classes weren't as rare as before, they still made up only a small fraction of the total player base. Gathering a thousand second-tier Shield Warriors and Berserkers from the guild would still take considerable time.
After Melancholic Smile relayed Shi Feng's words to Aqua Rose, she immediately began secretly recruiting second-tier experts from both the Star Moon Kingdom and the Beastman Empire, directing them to the Zero Wing headquarters in White River City.
But no matter how carefully Aqua Rose contacted Zero Wing's second-tier players, word quickly reached the ears of the major powers.
Star Moon Royal City, Starry River Alliance headquarters.
"Guild Master, we just received word — Zero Wing is making a move. They've suddenly assembled a thousand second-tier experts in White River City. We don't know what they're planning yet." Zitong stepped into the guild master's office to report.
Though the number of second-tier players was growing exponentially, the total count was still modest. Even a first-rate guild like the Starry River Alliance had barely three thousand second-tier members. Zero Wing suddenly summoning a thousand was no small matter — it was impossible not to take notice.
"A thousand second-tier experts?" Xinghe Wangxi fell into thought. "Could they be preparing to move against the Starlight Alliance?"
Right now, every major power in the Star Moon Kingdom was restless. There was a growing sense that once Zero Wing fell, a hundred schools would contend for dominance. The biggest reason for this was Zero Wing's sudden withdrawal, which had let the Starlight Alliance gain tremendous momentum.
If things weren't reined in, whether Zero Wing could continue to reign as the Star Moon Kingdom's dominant guild was anyone's guess. After all, Divine Realm wasn't what it used to be. Second-tier Classes were multiplying fast. Zero Wing might have many second-tier players, but compared to all the second-tier players across the entire Star Moon Kingdom, they weren't even in the same league — Zero Wing simply couldn't keep up. Even the great superpowers faced this same problem.
So for quite some time, every kingdom and empire would enter an era of open contention. Securing outright dominance was nearly impossible. The most the superpowers could do was maintain the status quo in each kingdom and empire and stay firmly ahead.
"No way — Zero Wing is going after the current Starlight Alliance?" Zitong was stunned. "Haven't they heard? The top adventurer party, the War Rider Tribe, has secretly allied with the Starlight Alliance. If a fight breaks out, Zero Wing is going to have a very bad time."
The War Rider Tribe was essentially a mercenary-like adventurer party — one of the few to reach ten thousand members. As long as you could pay enough gold and resources, they'd go after anyone, superpowers included.
There had been a time when a guild hired the War Rider Tribe to take on the then-superpower War Wolf Guild. Granted, it was only a branch office, but it was still a War Wolf branch managed by their first vice guild master. The War Rider Tribe couldn't care less.
They attacked without a second word. Though the tribe was later crushed by War Wolf, they'd inflicted considerable damage on the branch, earning themselves a permanent bounty from the War Wolf Guild.
Even now, having entered Divine Realm, things were the same — and their reputation and strength only continued to grow. Many solo experts who liked earning extra cash on the side had joined their ranks. After all, the party recognized only money, not people, with no obligations or commitments. Recently, their membership had swelled to thirty thousand, making them a truly colossal adventurer party whose power made even many first-rate guilds wary.
"I can't say. I still can't see through Black Flame. He probably has something prepared. But with the War Rider Tribe secretly joining in this time, even if Zero Wing has hidden cards, all they can probably do is maintain the status quo. And this gives us a chance to expand our presence across the major cities of the Star Moon Kingdom." Xinghe Wangxi shook his head with a faint smile.
Right now, every major power was busy consolidating their position. This sudden development in the Star Moon Kingdom was a significant headache for Zero Wing — but it was also the perfect opportunity for the Starry River Alliance to seize the title of the Star Moon Kingdom's number one guild.
Beyond the quietly stirring Starry River Alliance, the other major powers across the Star Moon Kingdom had also sprung into action. The moment Zero Wing faltered, they would immediately begin vying for control of the NPC cities — especially White River City, which currently boasted the largest player population among all NPC cities.
While the major powers moved in the shadows, Shi Feng arrived at the White River City library.
Thanks to the city's promotion, the entire library had transformed. It now resembled a grand castle, and a massive number of magic-oriented players had gathered here to take on various quests.
The reason so many magic-class players were running quests was because the upgraded library offered a new function: magic practice drills. Through practice with giant magic water orbs, players could more easily master the technique of dual chanting.
Dual chanting was a skill that many magic-class experts still hadn't managed to grasp. Now that the system offered guided instruction, it naturally drew large numbers of magic-class players eager to learn. However, using the magic water orbs required both library contribution points and magic crystals. Magic crystals weren't a problem, but contribution points could only be earned through quests — which was exactly why the magic-class players were so motivated to take on tasks.
Shi Feng glanced casually around the library's ground-floor hall, then made his way to the top floor. There, Xia Lian was quietly reading an ancient tome, just as always. She only set the book down when Shi Feng arrived, then drew a magic array for him to absorb the Strange Fire.
As the magic array took shape, Shi Feng produced the third-tier Strange Fire — Starfall Earthfire — and began slowly wrapping it around the blazing Soul Fire.
However, fusing Starfall Earthfire proved far more difficult than his first attempt with Thunder Purple Fire. It was like trying to wrap paper around a flame — it demanded extremely precise fire control. One slip in the balance, and the fusion would fail.
After thirty-two consecutive failed attempts, on the thirty-third try, Shi Feng finally managed to have Starfall Earthfire completely envelop the previously fused Soul Fire.
The instant of success — Shi Feng's entire body burst into flame. The searing heat pierced through every inch of his skin, and even his mind roared with a violent surge. Then the system notification chimed in his ear.
System: Congratulations. You have successfully fused Starfall Earthfire and unlocked the advanced abilities of Soul Fire.