The library in Red Leaf Town was dangerous. If an ordinary player went there, there was a thirty percent chance they'd die once, and a seventy percent chance they'd die many times over.
So before heading to the library, Shi Feng first deposited the Sturdy Stone and the Philosopher's Stone in his bank vault. These items were guaranteed to drop on death, and if he died even once on the way to the library, the loss would be enormous.
Next, Shi Feng took out the four Skill Books he had just purchased and clicked to learn them.
Eye of Observation: reveals unknown and hidden targets, with a chance to discover a target's weaknesses. Cooldown: 40 seconds.
Wind Walk: wraps the body in wind, increasing movement speed by 30%, with a 50% chance to evade ranged damage. Duration: 10 seconds. Cooldown: 2 minutes.
Earth Splitting Slash: requires a sword. Deals 30 points of base damage to the target. Depending on charge time from 0.2 to 3 seconds, increases weapon damage by up to 300%. Attack range: 8 yards. Cooldown: 1 minute.
Sword Control Return to Heaven: requires a sword. Increases normal attack range by 10 yards. Can block up to 6 ranged attacks or 3 melee attacks. Duration: 25 seconds. Cooldown: 3 minutes.
With these skills, both his survivability and offensive capability had improved dramatically. Going to the library would no longer be a problem.
The library in Red Leaf Town was far from the Trade District, situated deep within the town's Slum.
The Slum was the second most bustling area after the Trade District—a chaotic melting pot where all sorts of people gathered. At night, it became a favorite haunt for certain players, because the Slum had another name.
The fallen Peach Blossom Land!
The moment Shi Feng stepped into this "Peach Blossom Land," he felt greedy eyes bearing down on him from the streets. These rats lurking in the darkness were rejected by the light, skirting the very edge of hell.
In the Divine Realm, there had always been a segment of players who were different from the rest. They had no interest in conquering Dungeons or embarking on thrilling adventures. The only thing they cared about was taking—killing players and seizing their equipment, then selling it off at high prices to earn vast sums of money.
During the day, they would level up and hunt for well-equipped players to rob. At night, they came here to fence their loot. Once they had money, they would drink and revel, loudly boasting about their hauls and showing off their strength to climb the social ladder here. Normal players never set foot in this place. If you lacked the strength, the result was death and a forced respawn—because the guards did not protect this area.
Shi Feng casually glanced at the players hidden in the corners and noticed that their markers were all red—clearly, they had killed and robbed their fair share.
In the Divine Realm, red-named players couldn't enter player-safe zones. Upon death, their equipment drop rate increased, and the death penalty could be amplified by up to 300%. If they entered a safe zone, the guards would arrest them and sentence them to prison based on their sin value. Even so, plenty of players still chose this path—the rewards came quickly, after all. Besides, red-named players had places they could stay in town, like the Slum. And to pick up good quests in the Slum, you needed to be yellow-named or even red-named.
Shi Feng couldn't have cared less about these players who lived on the blade's edge. He walked straight through the Slum's main street. Along both sides, scantily clad women in revealing outfits caught his eye the moment they spotted his decent gear, winking and flirting, hoping to spend a pleasant night with him and earn a little spending money.
"Hey there, little brother—you here to have some fun? Come to big sis, and I guarantee you'll have a wonderful night." An alluring woman in a bright red leather skirt stepped into Shi Feng's path.
Shi Feng immediately activated Eye of Observation.
Xia Lian, Elite, Level 8, HP 1200/1200.
"Hahaha, Xia Lian, you're trying to sneak a snack again? How could you leave us out of such a nice deal?" A group of menacing brutes walked over, each wearing a cold sneer.
"Is this a mugging?" Shi Feng asked flatly, scanning his surroundings. He realized he had been surrounded by NPCs. In the corner of a rundown building, a few red-named players watched with cold smiles on their faces.