Fire Dragon Empire, Fire Dragon City.
In the teleportation hall, the teleportation magic circle suddenly erupted with over twenty brilliant streaks of light. Players clad in standardized equipment stepped out one by one, immediately drawing the attention of the crowd. Awe and envy filled every face that turned their way.
The lowest-level player among them was 99, and they all wore Level 95 standardized Dark-Gold sets. While standardized gear couldn't compare to custom equipment of the same level, a standardized Dark-Gold set was in no way inferior in base stats to a player outfitted with a hodgepodge of individual Dark-Gold pieces.
In this era where most top players hadn't even reached Level 96, simply owning a full set of Level 95 Mithril equipment would be cause for celebration. Even the core experts of major guilds considered themselves fortunate to get their hands on a few pieces of Level 95 Gold-grade equipment. A full set of Level 95 Dark-Gold equipment was something no one would have dared imagine.
Among them, the leading young man had reached Level 100. Not only did he have five pieces of Epic-grade equipment, but the blood-red giant axe strapped to his back was of an unidentifiable grade — its eerie aura sent chills down the spine. The rest of his equipment was at least Level 95 Dark-Gold, making him exceptionally conspicuous in the crowd.
Just as everyone was quietly murmuring about who these people might be, two Level 99 players brimming with a rich life force walked over from within the hall.
They were none other than Yi Han and Nan Cheng Jiumeng, both of whom Shi Feng had met before.
"Fen Xiao, you actually made the trip. When the old man back home finds out, he's bound to give you an earful," Nan Cheng Jiumeng said, staring at the Level 100 Berserker at the head of the group with a budding headache.
The young man before him was a childhood friend, as well as the vice president of Azure Commerce. Achieving so much at such a young age was due not only to strong family backing but also to his own exceptional ability and talent.
"Of course. Today is the day the winner is decided — how could I miss it?" Fen Xiao grinned at Nan Cheng Jiumeng and Yi Han. "By the way, how are things with my second sister?"
"We tried, but Wuyin still plans to stay with Zero Wing. In the end, we had no choice but to ask Ling Yue to join the Alliance of Darkness," Yi Han said, spreading her hands helplessly. "Though Zero Wing's president did promise to give Wuyin his full support."
"Zero Wing? Full support for my second sister?" Fen Xiao furrowed his brow slightly. "Zero Wing certainly knows how to work an angle. Seeing that my second sister is the heir to one of the two great families of Azure Commerce, I'd wager they plan to leverage her identity for their own benefit. Second sister is far too naive."
Azure Commerce spanned two continents of the Divine Realm. Even the great superpowers vied for their partnership. His second sister, Miao Wuyin, had always lived freely, paying no attention to family affairs, but he was different — he managed a great deal of the commerce's operations and knew all too well how many factions tried to build connections with Azure Commerce.
"Still, Zero Wing does have quite the system for training Life Profession players. They should put up a decent showing in the alchemy competition," Nan Cheng Jiumeng said.
"Let's hope so. But if that Zero Wing president dares to take advantage of my second sister, I'll make sure he learns exactly what the Sky Piercer squad is capable of." Fen Xiao nodded, a trace of coldness flickering in his eyes.
Yi Han and Nan Cheng Jiumeng said nothing in response.
The Sky Piercer squad under Fen Xiao's command did indeed possess that capability. While the squad's numbers were small — fewer than fifty — every member was among the cream of Azure Commerce's experts. The weakest among them could rival a peak-tier expert. If they acted independently to target a guild, even if Shi Feng was a Tier 3 class, he would have his hands full.
Meanwhile, in a vast forest completely shrouded in black fog not far from the Fire Dragon Empire's border, Shi Feng and his two companions rode their mounts to the forest's entrance.
The entire forest was enveloped by an enormous magic circle. Faint spatial rifts could be seen in the sky above, as though the whole forest existed in a gap between dimensions. The only way in or out was through a massive gate forged entirely of steel.
This forest was the renowned Border Space known as the Dark Hills — and it served as the famous trading market for the surrounding empires and kingdoms.
Though it was a trading market, it was not open to individual players. Only the major factions of the surrounding empires and kingdoms were permitted entry. Ordinary players were forbidden from setting foot inside, and whenever any faction in the surrounding territories obtained precious materials, they would make their way here to trade.
The reasons were manifold. First, all transactions in the market were conducted through barter. Second, large-scale auctions were held from time to time, featuring items of extraordinary rarity and value. Most importantly, the market was controlled by Azure Commerce, which regularly offered special items and rare materials available only on the Western Continent — items that proved irresistibly attractive to major factions.
Over time, the Dark Hills had become a renowned trading market.