"They're finally here." Kuang Zhan gazed at the approaching Red Dragon Airship and the several flying mounts, a faint smile on his face. "That's quite the procession. Too bad they have no idea how overwhelming the trials inside the Ancient Secret Realm are for players who've unlocked their Mana Bodies. In the end, they'll have done all that work for nothing."
"What a shame about our Hero Rank challenge qualification." Silent Crimson Star couldn't help but sigh.
Even though their guild, Violet Sword, had leveraged Miao Wuyin's alchemy techniques to complete those special items ahead of schedule—keeping pace with Phantom Myth's speed—they had sacrificed the opportunity to compete head-to-head with Phantom Myth in the process.
Based on their understanding, the Elite Rank trials could absolutely be cleared with another ten days or so. But the city privileges granted by the Elite Rank trials were far inferior to those of the Hero Rank.
Even in ordinary NPC cities, the gap between common citizens and nobility was enormous—let alone in an Ancient City.
"This doesn't matter anymore," Torre said coldly, glancing at the airship slowly descending from the sky. "Sure, it's a Hero Rank challenge, but there's no guarantee Phantom Myth will succeed either. In the end, both our guilds will be in the same boat. Meanwhile, if Zero Wing fails this challenge, the trouble they'll face afterward will be far worse."
"Exactly. This might be the worst decision Zero Wing has ever made." Kuang Zhan nodded.
The tallest tree catches the most wind!
Zero Wing had sent a hundred experts who had unlocked their Mana Bodies to challenge the Ancient Secret Realm—a display of formidable power, certainly. But flexing like that also invited enormous hidden dangers, especially for a guild on the verge of rivaling the superpowers.
With resources in the Divine Realm growing scarcer by the day, the major superpowers were clashing more fiercely than ever. Now, with the sudden emergence of a Zero Wing that could pose a serious threat to all of them, the outcome was obvious.
Before long, numerous superpowers would likely join forces to eliminate this rising threat.
Every new superpower's ascent meant fewer resources for the rest. If the rising power was mediocre, that was one thing—even if the others wanted to seize its territory, their limited strength meant the spoils would be meager, and everyone would simply look the other way.
But a truly fearsome superpower? The resources it would claim would be enormous, and that was something the established powers would absolutely not tolerate.
Of course, if Zero Wing truly managed to clear the Hero Rank trial, the problems ahead would become far more manageable. But if they couldn't, what awaited them would be nothing short of a nightmare.
"From what I've heard, Zero Wing seems to have struck some kind of deal with Azure Commerce," Silent Crimson Star said slowly. "Apparently, they're going to leverage Azure Commerce's strength. In exchange, they'll help train some of Azure Commerce's newcomers. If you factor in Azure Commerce's resources—and if Zero Wing asks us to send a large number of top-tier experts to help—they might actually stand a chance against the trial boss. The question is whether Zero Wing will even ask."
"This Azure Commerce has completely lost its mind!" Kuang Zhan said with undisguised frustration. "Sure, Zero Wing's top echelon of experts is impressive, but when it comes to training newcomers, how could they possibly compare to us, Violet Sword? Over this very matter, the higher-ups in our guild are furious with Azure Commerce. They've already received so many of our training resources, and yet they turn around and send people to Zero Wing? The guild master personally ordered a halt to all further cultivation of Azure Commerce's newcomers. Azure Commerce has just thrown away the futures of Gu Han and Yan Xiaoqian—utterly, incomprehensibly foolish!"
Torre's expression was equally grim at the mention.
Even Silent Crimson Star couldn't help but shake her head at the thought of Gu Han and Yan Xiaoqian.
Other members of Azure Commerce were one thing, but Gu Han and Yan Xiaoqian had been personally favored by Coach Torre. The possibility of them becoming legendary figures in the guild was not far-fetched—just like their former raid leader, who was now a living legend of Violet Sword, her strength comparable to the veteran legends of the five great superpowers.
A powerhouse of that caliber could elevate an entire guild. And given their youth, their presence could guarantee that Azure Commerce wouldn't decline for the next twenty or thirty years. Yet Azure Commerce had thrown it all away with their own hands…
As Kuang Zhan and the others were talking, the Red Dragon Airship and the flying mounts touched down gently at the gates of Purple Light City.
Before long, players clad in black cloaks began disembarking from the airship and the mounts. Though they wore dark cloaks, they only concealed basic stats—their appearances and guild emblems were fully visible, making it easy to identify who they were.
"Zero Wing's pull is really something," Silent Crimson Star remarked, unable to hide her surprise as she watched Zui Yan leap down from one of the flying mounts. "Even a powerhouse like Zui Yan came along. It seems Azure Commerce is taking this very seriously."