Zhan Long

Chapter 347 Reluctant Return

“Eh…… ”

I looked at the rankings on my phone and licked my lips before saying, “I’m ranked 17th now. I rose pretty quickly, much faster than I would ever have imagined. I didn’t even think that I would get into the top 20…..”

Wan Er stuck out her tongue and giggled, “Whatever. My ranking also went up. I’ve gone from being ranked 9th to 6th…… ”

Dong Cheng Yue threw her hands in the air and said, “Woot! I’ve finally made it into the top 20 too, that was way too hard. Wait, now that I think about it, there are actually three players ranked in the top 20 of the Chinese Server’s CBN [Destiny] Battle sitting at this small table. If anybody else saw this, they might sh*t bricks……”

I stared at my phone and asked,”Fang Ge Que’s place at rank 1 will be pretty hard to steal. Likewise, Q-Sword’s spot, at rank 2, is pretty much solidified where it is. So who’s this Little Demon, and why haven’t I heard of this person before?”

Wan Er pursed her red lips together and chuckled gently, “Little Demon is [Legend]’s Vice Guild Master. She was ranked second in the game Conquest and her name was placed higher than Q-Sword and Jian Feng Han. She is also the creator of the Pulse Break Style and a Grand Master class player. However, Little Demon’s name isn’t well known here. She didn’t even enter games like [Destiny]. Something must have happened in real life; maybe she went to study abroad or something. Maybe that is why her ID doesn’t appear in the Chinese server. Although, her past achievements are so great that even if she didn’t enter [Destiny], she is still ranked third in CBN Battlenet Rankings…..”

I nodded, “I’ve seen the strength of the rank 4, Bai Li Ruofeng. He’s very strong and specializes in long-ranged attacks, something that is extremely effective during group battles. On top of that, his burst strength is a lot higher than our guild’s Dancing Forest. He’s also the Guild Master of [House of Prestige]. I don’t know whether he will be a friend or foe in the future.”

Lin Wan Er ordered another 3 drinks and smiled, “He’s probably not our enemy. Bai Li Ruofeng isn’t a bad person. At least he won’t seek revenge for the smallest offense like Jian Feng Han. As long as [Zhan Long] doesn’t actively try to provoke them, [House of Prestige] might even become our ally when the three big cities converge in the future….”

“Yea.” I cast a glance at the ranks and said, “Ye Lai, the Guild Master of [Judgement], is a rather candid and blunt person. Hehe, I like it; we might even become allies in the future.”

“Yea, He seemed to have a good impression of you too…… ”

“That’s good……”

I took a deep breath and stared outside the window. “[Zhan Long],” I mused, “still has a long way to go. For now, it’ll be a fight for the championship within Ba Huang City. And perhaps once all the players’ levels reach a certain point, Tian Ling City, the largest main city in the region of China Server, will open its gates. At that point, every guild will send their main forces to transplant themselves in this extraordinary city. That time will truly be when the heroes rise.”

……

We sauntered beside the parterre after we left the restaurant. Wan Er carefully walked in her heels on the bricks that surrounded the parterre. She placed her hand on my shoulder while she drunkenly wobbled. Feeling the warmth on my shoulder, a burst of happiness filled my heart. I hoped this path would never end.

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parterre

But it did, as we arrived below the girl’s dorm soon after. I gazed at Lin Wan Er and Dong Cheng Yue as they went upstairs.

I raised my head and stared at the room of the very floor, of the building that they slept in. I knew I didn’t belong here; I was just a passerby. But deep down in my heart, I wished I could stand here much longer and be by her side. I hoped I could stop wandering and wait for her here everyday; even if she is the daughter of the Tian Xin group CEO and I am just a worthless young man.

I stood downstairs for nearly ten minutes. Suddenly, Wan Er’s dorm room curtains opened, and she stood there gazing at me who was downstairs.

“Di!”

My phone rang; it was a message that said, “Why aren’t you going back yet?”

I stared dumbly at my phone. I didn’t know how to respond. As I raised my head and looked back upstairs, I saw Wan Er standing cheerfully with her hands on her knees beside the floor-to-ceiling window. She then started to make a mock angry motion at me. As her long hair cascaded over her shoulders, she suddenly puckered her lips and kissed the glass of the floor-to-ceiling window.

“Di!”

My phone rang again, “Okay. Are you satisfied now? Now go to sleep. Idiot……”

Even I became a bit embarrassed. I lowered my head and then lifted it up once more as I glanced at her again. I then replied to her message, “I am going back then.”

“Okay.”

I left reluctantly. My feet felt unusually heavy, like they were filled with lead, unwilling to leave this spot.

……

Early the next morning, rain fell gently upon the school.

Holding a pile of textbooks and an umbrella, I arrived under the girl’s dorm to fetch Lin Wan Er and Dong Cheng Yue. There was compulsory class this morning. Without the audacity to skip the class, I could only suffer through the morning. It was an early autumn morning and the light rain gave a lonely feeling. Wan Er wore a short skirt, brown shoes and held her books as she rushed downstairs with a smile. She held my arms and hid under my umbrella.

Dong Cheng Yue walked toward us with an umbrella. Slightly shocked, she asked, “Why…… Why am I holding an umbrella all by myself?”

I replied, “This umbrella only has room for two people, so be quiet…… ”

Dong Cheng Yue tilted her head and looked at Wan Er, laughing dryly she commented “I see someone’s finally succeeded, isn’t that right?”

Lin Wan Er tidied her books and responded in surprise, “What could you possibly be talking about? How come I don’t get what you mean?”

“Humph. You keep pretending!”

“Tee hee! ”

After breakfast, we went straight to the classroom. Wan Er and Dong Cheng Yue listened to the teacher, while I earnestly copied their homework. Dong Cheng Yue stretched her neck and looked at me. “Hey. If you keep copying like this, aren’t you afraid that Wan Er and I would make mistakes in our homework?”

I took a deep breath and replied, “The basic principle of copying homework is to never doubt whether it’s right or wrong!”

“You truly have potential……”

After struggling for a whole morning, the class finally ended. After lunch, I returned to my dorm and went online.

……

“Shua! ”

My character appeared in Ba Huang City. I speedily went to repair all my equipment and replenished my potions. “Yes, there’s nothing else left on my schedule.” I thought to myself before proceeding to rush my Lv 8 alchemy. But, before I even left the city, I heard someone yell loudly, “Level 8 alchemy herbs Eye-Catching Grass! a batch of 100 for only 20G!

I thought to myself “Damn! Someone’s already selling Lv 8 herbs? Perfect! I will buy them immediately, then there’s no need for me to gather the herbs myself.”

I arrived before the group of sellers. After bargaining crazily, I bought all the herbs and also an adequate number of alchemy furnaces. I then remained in the city to grind my alchemy. In about an hour, I heard a “Ding”. My alchemy had been rushed to Lv 9 and I was able to refine Lv 9 pills now. Level 9 pills were still considered high level items; at least no one was able to sell batches of those pills right now. I opened the alchemy skills list, and the formula for Lv 9 pills appeared before my eyes.

[Spirit Recovering Pill]: Recovers 1500 points of mana. Ingredients: Spirit Recovering Grass×3, Eye-Catching Grass×1, Alchemy Furnaces×6.

Yes. I just need Spirit Recovering Grass. If I could gather that, I could rush my alchemy to Lv 10.

I searched online for the herbs, yet the forums didn’t have any details about Spirit Recovering Grass, but I did find a few posts——

[Help] Where is Spirit Recovering Grass located? Why hasn’t anyone seen it?

[Help] All the alchemists stopped leveling up at Lv 9. Is it possible that [Destiny] did not design the Lv 9 herbs?

[Help] Paying a high price for the location of Spirit Recovering Grass. Any insiders, please contact me. Will definitely pay a high price for information!

……

I spent half a day inquiring, but there were still no results. I didn’t find any information. Desperately, I checked my friend list. As I had many powerful and strange friends, there was a chance that I might have been able to obtain some information this way. Unfortunately, Yue Qing Qian, Li Mu and the others had no clue where the Lv 9 herbs were located.

At the end of my search, the ID ‘Head of Medicine King Vale ’ caught my eyes. Yes. This person must be the one. This level 50+ uncle didn’t have a high level, but he possessed a super high alchemy level and was also an herb gatherer. He had traveled throughout the forests and waters of Ba Huang City, so perhaps he might be able to answer my question!

“Di!”

I sent a message, “Hello, Uncle Guild Master……

After a few seconds, I received a message. “Hello! [Rise of Heroes] Third Place little Bro.”

I burst out laughing. This Uncle had some sense of humor. I sent him another message, “I have a question, and I would like to consult you. I just don’t know if Uncle is available……

“What is it? Just ask.”

“Uncle, you’ve traveled throughout the maps of Ba Huang City and gathered herbs in countess precarious areas. Do you know the main locations of the herbs needed for the Lv 9 Alchemy?

“There’s really only a few locations……” After waiting for a long half minute, he sent another message. “I spent almost a week to find the ingredients for the Lv 9 Alchemy skill. It is located in the badlands, north west of Ba Huang City. The map’s name is called……hmm. It’s called ‘[Icy Forest Graveyard]’ because of its abundance of high leveled undead. Recently, the map had refreshed a few times. Now the monsters are probably at an even higher level. Common people won’t be able to go. I’ve only secretly gathered a few Lv 9 Spirit Recovering Grass around that area. As for the Spirit Recovering Grass that you need for your alchemy skill, I don’t know if there are any inside the area. However, I believe that the same level herbs might grow together so there might be the Spirit Recovering Grass that you need in the heart of the [Icy Forest Graveyard].”

I was overwhelmed with joy and nodded, “Yes. Thanks you Uncle. I owe you a big favor!”

“Haha. It’s nothing. There’s no need to be so courteous. If I was bullied by any guild in the future, Zhan Long can just get revenge for me and that would be enough……”

“Deal!”

……

I focused on my target, the [Icy Forest Graveyard]. The map was easy to find. It was located to the north of the [Green Qilin Valley]. It was a desolate and remote region that required at least an hour of travel for any player. However, due to my Divine Battle Boots, I could probably get there a bit faster.

I set off after preparing everything I needed. The destination was locked for [Icy Graveyard ]. My two swords, the Emperor Qin’s Sword and the Deep Sea Cold Iron Sword, rested in a cross against my back. The weapons both shined with menacing light and against my high rank equipment, they gave me the appearance of a mighty warrior. I summoned my Flaming Tiger God to complete the look of pure sovereignty.

I quickly sped past the [Green Qilin Valley], receiving greetings from many members of the [Zhan Long]’s main guild, and the first sub guild, who were training in the valley. I was also greeted by a few others there who knew me. Soon, I continued deeper into the forest, flying past the trees after the activation of [Camouflage]. Ten minutes later, I appeared before an enormous valley. It was bone-chillingly cold, and icy winds continuously howled. The weather of the valley was unlike that of the outside. In the distance the sky was gray, and heavy snow fell into the valley. It was like the snowy [Dragon City], half a meter of snow had already covered the ground.

“Cha Cha……”

My Divine Battle Boots stepped onto the snow, making a sweet crunching sound.

I wrapped myself with the red scarf at the collar of my battle robes and left for the valley to become the first to obtain the Level 10 Alchemy skill for that precious charm stat!

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