"Great!" Looking at the displayed data, Shi Feng let out a sigh of relief.
Philosopher's Stone (36% Complete) Epic-Grade Special Item (Guaranteed drop upon death) An alchemy holy relic capable of turning base metal into gold, resurrecting the dead, and performing many other miraculous feats. However, it was destroyed by Sword Emperor Shunita and shattered into five pieces. Nevertheless, the Philosopher's Stone possesses immense power — as long as all five pieces are gathered, its full power can be restored.
Usable Effects: Due to the damage, it currently possesses less than one-seventh of its original power and can only perform Alchemy Transformation, Elemental Refining, Alchemy Synthesis, and Elemental Enhancement.
Now that Alchemy Synthesis was available, obtaining Magic Crystals should no longer be a problem.
Just as Shi Feng was about to begin Alchemy Synthesis, the system notification chimed — and it sounded three times.
Star Moon Kingdom Regional System Announcement: Congratulations to Graceful Smile for becoming the first team to clear Hard Mode White Bone Ruins! Guild Honor +10,000 points, Guild Fame +10,000 points. All team members receive +10 Star Moon Kingdom Reputation and +100 Maple Leaf City Reputation.
Star Moon Kingdom Regional System Announcement: Congratulations to Graceful Smile for becoming the first team to clear Hard Mode White Bone Ruins! Guild Honor +10,000 points, Guild Fame +10,000 points. All team members receive +10 Star Moon Kingdom Reputation and +100 Maple Leaf City Reputation.
...
"No way. White Bone Ruins is a 50-man team Dungeon — and some guild has already cleared it?" Shi Feng thought he had misheard. He pulled up the system message and confirmed it — someone had indeed cleared White Bone Ruins.
"Graceful Smile? Isn't that the second-rate guild secretly controlled by the Underworld, the one that dominates Maple Leaf City?" Shi Feng looked more carefully at the clearing team's name. He couldn't help but be surprised. "How could they be the first to clear it?"
The entire Star Moon Kingdom had well over a hundred cities. Countless expert guilds operated within it, and first-rate guilds were hardly rare. The team most likely to be the first to take down a 50-man team Dungeon would undoubtedly be the one led by Bai Qingxue in White River City — Shi Feng was certain of that.
After arriving in White River City, Shi Feng had created a comprehensive guide for the city, and Bai Qingxue had spent a considerable sum purchasing the most detailed White River City guide available, giving her a massive head start from the very beginning. To secure the First Clear of the three major Dungeons, Bai Qingxue had even mobilized numerous experts from Snake of the Body and purchased the Gold-grade Arc Shield and a large quantity of Basic Magic Armor Plates from him. In terms of both personnel and equipment, even the main raid teams of the top first-rate guilds in Star Moon City couldn't compare.
Yet such a team had been beaten to the punch by a second-rate guild like Graceful Smile. Although Graceful Smile was secretly controlled by the Underworld and had undoubtedly been supplied with significant funding and expert players, the First Clear of a 50-man team Dungeon wasn't something that could be easily seized with just money and a handful of powerful players.
If it were that simple, Bai Qingxue would have already claimed the First Clear of the Land of Eternal Slumber long ago — there would have been no need to wait for a guild controlled by the Underworld.
Moreover, in Shi Feng's memories, Graceful Smile had always been an utterly unremarkable guild. It was eventually defeated by the Assassin Alliance and vanished into the tides of the Divine Realm.
"What secrets is this Graceful Smile hiding?" From the intelligence Shi Feng had obtained from Jue Tian, there was nothing particularly special about Graceful Smile. Even with the Underworld's full backing and fifty Death Guards dispatched to clear the Dungeon, he couldn't believe Graceful Smile would be the first to claim the 50-man team Dungeon's First Clear.
But Graceful Smile had done it. That was proof enough that this team possessed extraordinary capabilities — capabilities that even the team led by Bai Qingxue couldn't match.
If a Graceful Smile like this were allowed to develop freely in an environment without competing guilds, with the Underworld's covert assistance on top of that — just how powerful would Graceful Smile become? Even Shi Feng couldn't estimate.
With these three system announcements, the entire Star Moon Kingdom erupted in an uproar. Everyone had been speculating about which first-rate guild would claim the First Clear of the 50-man team Dungeon. The result had far exceeded everyone's expectations.
What countless first-rate guilds had failed to achieve, a second-rate guild had accomplished first...
In an instant, Graceful Smile became the focal point of every player's attention across the entire Star Moon Kingdom.
"I need to speed things up too."
Shi Feng picked up the Philosopher's Stone and began Alchemy Synthesis.
No matter how powerful the enemy might become, his own strength was what mattered most.