In the grand hall, as soon as Fang Shihan finished speaking, Liang Jing—who stood behind Shi Feng—turned pale with fury.
Setting aside the matter of mastering the Sublime Art within the Divine Realm, the mere act of trading away Stone Forest City would be enough to destroy Zero Wing as it stood today.
More than half of Zero Wing's current income came from Stone Forest City, and it was precisely thanks to the city that so many independent expert players wanted to join Zero Wing. Stone Forest City had already become an indispensable pillar of the guild—without it, no one dared imagine what Zero Wing would become.
But if they refused to hand it over, Zero Wing's situation would be no less dire.
Sure, there might not be any problems within the Divine Realm itself, but making moves behind the scenes in Fenglin City would be trivially easy.
"Guild Master Black Flame, I know this isn't an easy choice," Fang Shihan said with a faint smile, looking directly at Shi Feng. "But if Zero Wing doesn't acquire a sufficient supply of S-rank nutrient solutions and life potions, it will be very difficult to make any further progress, won't it? As a Grandmaster, you should understand this better than anyone."
The Divine Realm was unlike any other virtual reality game—it stimulated the human brain to an extraordinary degree. As a player's tier increased, so did their brain activity. This discovery had excited everyone, but at the same time, the energy required to sustain that level of brain activity grew ever greater.
In the beginning, none of the major superpowers had noticed this. However, as their top experts began progressing at remarkable speed, the sheer energy expenditure alone became a headache for many superpowers—far beyond what an ordinary organization could sustain, let alone the current Zero Wing.
On the market, both S-rank nutrient solutions and life potions were extremely rare. If the demand was small, one could spend extra Credit Points to obtain them. But if the quantity needed was large, no amount of Credit Points would be enough.
"You're right," Shi Feng nodded, not denying a word of it. "S-rank nutrient solutions and life potions are indeed what Zero Wing needs most right now—more critical than external harassment or underhanded sabotage."
Just maintaining peak physical and mental condition as a Grandmaster required more than ordinary S-rank nutrient solutions; only life potions would suffice.
For himself alone, that might be manageable. But for any Zero Wing member who wished to advance further and reach higher tiers, the energy supplementation from S-rank nutrient solutions was absolutely essential.
In other words, if Zero Wing couldn't secure a large supply of S-rank nutrient solutions or life potions, then even without the major superpowers targeting them in the shadows, Zero Wing would inevitably be surpassed head-on sooner or later—let alone the fact that the superpowers would never sit idle, each one itching to tear Zero Wing apart and grow their own power.
"Guild Master?" Liang Jing's expression changed drastically upon hearing his words.
If Stone Forest City really was traded away, Zero Wing would suffer a massive loss within the Divine Realm. Stone Forest City was currently one of the few guild towns in the Divine Realm situated on a Level 100 neutral territory map. Without that foothold, the progression speed of Zero Wing's members would slow dramatically.
At this, both Matt and Yubai couldn't help but smile.
"At least the kid knows what's good for him," Matt murmured to Yubai. "Stone Forest City and the method of mastering the Sublime Art are still valuable enough to fetch a good price right now. If he waits until the major superpowers all find out about it, he won't be able to sell them even if he wants to."
An Internal Force Grandmaster was indeed a regional powerhouse in Fenglin City—a figure of considerable influence.
But such an expert only held deterrent value against ordinary organizations. For the major financial groups, a Grandmaster didn't carry nearly the same weight. Moreover, without sufficient S-rank nutrient solutions or life potions, Zero Wing's top experts would find it extremely difficult to advance further. Maintaining that level of brain activity required enormous energy consumption—far beyond what A-rank nutrient solutions could compensate for.
This very issue had driven the major superpowers to compete fiercely for S-rank nutrient solutions and life potions, making them virtually impossible to obtain on the market.
"If you've made your decision, Guild Master Black Flame, we can draw up the contract right now," Fang Shihan said with a smile.
"No need for a contract," Shi Feng shook his head. "I will not be selling Stone Forest City or the method of mastering the Sublime Art."
The moment the words left his mouth, the entire hall fell silent. Matt and Yubai stared at Shi Feng in utter disbelief.
They thought he had gone completely mad!
Did he have any idea how dire Zero Wing's situation really was?
"Guild Master Black Flame, you should think carefully," Fang Shihan said, visibly surprised. "If you let this opportunity pass, even if you decide to sell Stone Forest City and the Sublime Art method later, we certainly won't offer this price again. The trouble Zero Wing will face at that point will be far beyond what you can imagine!"