Whether it was a Tier 3 Illusionist or a Tier 4 Dark Arcanist, they were both NPCs who stood at the very pinnacle of White River City.
Now two such important figures had made a personal visit.
It was clear just how much the Adventurer's Guild valued Anna.
"Which one received the SSS-grade evaluation?" the Dark Arcanist, Green, asked.
"Guild Master, it's this young lady, Anna," the examiner hastily replied.
The Dark Arcanist Green's eyes, flickering with green hellfire, immediately settled on Anna standing behind Shi Feng. Although there was no ill intent behind his gaze, Shi Feng could still feel the tremendous pressure bearing down on him, making his entire body feel heavy and sluggish.
Shi Feng, a Tier 1 player, felt this way — so for Anna, who hadn't even become an adventurer yet, the pressure had to be even worse.
But Anna's expression remained as calm as ever, as if she hadn't felt a thing.
"Her mental fortitude truly is extraordinary," Dark Arcanist Green said with an approving smile. "White River City hasn't produced a talent like this in many years. Who would have thought that when one finally came along, they'd be this remarkable? Irene, I'm leaving this young lady in your hands. You're the strongest Summoner in our White River City Guild. If you fail to teach her properly, you'll answer to me."
"Guild Master, rest assured. I will devote myself fully to Anna's training," the Tier 3 Illusionist Irene replied with a smile.
"Good. Go ahead and show her around the Guild first," Dark Arcanist Green stroked his white beard and nodded. Then he turned to Shi Feng. "So you're the young man who recommended her."
Shi Feng gave a silent nod.
High-level NPCs in the Divine Realm all possessed extraordinary intelligence. The Adventurer's Guild Master Green, in particular, was far smarter than any ordinary human and wielded enormous power over White River City. A single word from him could make it impossible for Shi Feng to remain in the city.
In front of such an NPC, one had to show absolute humility.
Anyone foolish enough to act cocky in front of an NPC like this would meet a tragic end. In his previous life, countless players had died horrible deaths along precisely that path — and only then had they learned how to behave.
"Bringing such a talent to White River City — as the Guild Master of the Adventurer's Guild here, I naturally won't be stingy. Since you're a Tier 1 Swordsman, take this. If you can master it, the road ahead will hold fewer hardships for you," Dark Arcanist Green said as he produced a gray book that radiated an ancient aura.
In the bottom-right corner of the gray cover, a single character was inscribed: "Forbidden."
"A Forbidden Skill!" Shi Feng was momentarily stunned upon seeing the cover.
The Divine Realm had countless skills, but the vast majority were common abilities of unremarkable power. They didn't add much to a player's combat strength. Only rare skills could truly boost a player's fighting power.
Skills like the Wind Thunder Flash and Flame Thunder Burst that Shi Feng had previously learned were rare skills — capable of helping players defeat enemies far above their own level.
Above rare skills existed Ultimate Skills, which could instantly kill enemies of the same level and turn the tide of battle, like Flame Burst.
But even above Ultimate Skills, there existed even more formidable abilities — ones that could threaten enemies vastly beyond a player's own strength.
These were known as Forbidden Skills.
The gray book in front of him was exactly that: a Forbidden Skill. An ability that allowed players to challenge enemies of higher tiers.
Shi Feng took the book and immediately began reading through it.
Instant Activation — Tier 2 Forbidden Skill. Channels the power of lightning through the body, instantly teleporting in front of the target while boosting attack speed by 500%. Each strike deals 400% damage to the target and inflicts a heavy injury and paralysis effect. Targets below 20% HP are killed instantly. Duration: 3 seconds. Cooldown: one hour. Class restriction: Swordsman.
"That's incredibly generous — a Tier 2 Forbidden Skill, no less," Shi Feng murmured in mild shock after reading through the full description.
Forbidden Skills were different from other skills. They didn't require proficiency to level up and could be learned at any level, so long as the learning conditions were met. However, Forbidden Skills were also ranked by tier.
Tier 1 Forbidden Skills were the most common, and a Tier 1 player could bring out their full power. Their effects were comparable to Tier 2 skills.