Those assassins had lied. Although it made Shi Feng angry, facing the current unknown situation, he had to stay calm.
Even members of a gaming studio had their own self-interests. They would always hide certain key discoveries for themselves, quietly growing stronger behind everyone else while making a fortune in secret.
There were plenty of people like that in studios—whether peripheral members or core ones, sooner or later a few unusually strong individuals would pop up, their status rising overnight. Shi Feng himself had been exactly like that; otherwise, he never would have gone from core member to studio team leader.
"So they came to the Land of Ruins, told outsiders they only saw a Mythril chest, and said nothing else. They definitely hid something more important than a Mythril chest. Could it be this hidden quest?" Shi Feng pulled up the system quest interface.
The hidden quest of the Land of Ruins: "Glory of the Past."
Aside from the name, there was no quest content whatsoever. He had no idea what he was supposed to do.
"A region-triggered quest?" With ten years of experience in Divine Realm, Shi Feng recognized the key to this hidden quest at a glance.
In Divine Realm, there were some very special quests that could only be triggered by reaching certain areas. These quests came with no content—the player had to figure out what to do on their own. And once the quest was completed, even if another player came to the same place, the quest would never trigger again. They were unique, one-time quests.
At the same time, they were extremely dangerous quests.
Searching for a way to complete a quest in an unknown area meant facing the monsters of that unknown region. The areas where these special quests existed usually had monsters several levels higher than the surrounding zones, making it virtually impossible for ordinary players to complete them.
In his previous life, this quest had been triggered in a level 5 monster zone, and six assassins in their twenties had come here—that was how the quest had been completed.
"Forget it. I can't get out anyway, so I might as well explore. Worst case, I die and respawn back in the city." Once Shi Feng made up his mind, he strode forward.
Wandering through the thick white fog, before long several hazy silhouettes appeared before Shi Feng.
It was a city—a city that had been abandoned for years. Dilapidated houses stood everywhere. Judging by the city's size and the grandeur of its architecture, this place had once been extraordinarily prosperous, even more flourishing and magnificent than White River City.
But this once "prosperous" city now didn't have a single soul in sight.
Shi Feng slipped into the city, searching for quest clues while keeping watch on his surroundings.
A city that could hold millions of people—searching it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Shi Feng ran through dozens of streets, entered hundreds of buildings, and spent several hours, yet still hadn't found any quest clues. Divine Realm had only just launched, and this was the critical window for pulling ahead, yet Shi Feng had wasted several hours. Many players were already level 1 by now, while he was still stuck at level 2 with 34% experience.
Should he keep searching for quest clues, or just kill himself and respawn back in the city? Shi Feng hesitated.
"One more hour. If nothing turns up, I'll head back." Shi Feng set himself a time limit. While this kind of quest was valuable, he didn't have that much time to waste. He had plenty of other quests he could do—no need to grind himself into the ground here.
Time trickled by.
Shi Feng arrived at the city's central tower. This had once been a holy ground for magic-class players—the best place to learn magic. Now it was in ruins, with even the magic crystals on the tower shattered.
He climbed the tower and stood on the observation deck, the city's landscape spread out before him. If time weren't so tight, Shi Feng would have taken a moment to properly admire the view.
He scanned his surroundings but found nothing remarkable.
When Shi Feng was about to leave.
"Young adventurer, welcome to Sky City."
An elderly man with a white beard suddenly appeared, his voice filled with the weight of years and wisdom. He startled Shi Feng so badly that he thought a monster had spawned, but upon spotting the yellow marker overhead, he let out a sigh of relief.
Sky City?
The name alone was enough to shock Shi Feng — this was one of the Divine Realm's most legendary cities.
Sky City had once been renowned across the entire Divine Realm. It housed countless Legendary Classes and was home to the semi-god-tier Sword Saint Lutia, a figure even the gods themselves treated with caution. Tragically, the city had been destroyed and lost during the Third God War, leaving behind one of the Divine Realm's greatest regrets.
"Honored elder, is there anything I can help you with?" Shi Feng asked with a practiced smile.
"Help?" The white-bearded old man shook his head and chuckled. "No, I don't need help. I imagine you must want to grow stronger — I can aid you with that. But would you be willing to accept my trial?"
"Of course, I'm willing to accept the trial." Shi Feng felt a wave of relief. The clue for the Legacy of Glory quest was right here, and there was no longer any need to die and respawn in town, losing levels and skill proficiency.
The old man nodded with satisfaction, then spoke in a solemn tone: "I'll give you three options. The first is Normal difficulty — pass it and you'll receive an Iron Rank treasure chest. The second is Hard difficulty — you'll get a Mythril Rank chest, plus additional rewards based on your completion rating. The third is Hell Difficulty — the reward is a Gold-grade treasure chest, along with extra bonuses depending on your performance."
"Young adventurer, which one will you choose?"
The three options grew progressively harder, but the temptation was staggering. Six assassins in their teens had chosen Hard difficulty and obtained Mythril chests, yet they had deliberately hidden the fact that they received additional rewards — which strongly implied those bonuses were even more valuable than the Mythril chest itself.
Shi Feng considered it. As someone who had been reborn, he ought to have the courage to take on a real challenge.
"Honored elder, I'll take the Hell Difficulty." Shi Feng was confident he could handle it, and if he pulled it off, the payoff would prove crucial for his future development.
"Hahaha, now that's the spirit of youth! I admire your drive — just don't regret your choice." The old man let out a hearty laugh and vanished without a trace.