Chapter 2393 – Demonwolf Mountain Range’s Secret
Demonwolf Mountain Range, Howling Wind Canyon:
s.h.i.+ Feng and his team stood on the mountainside, fighting fervently to fend off a large pack of Demonwolves coming up from the foot of the mountain. This pack was larger than any of the Frostwolf packs they had encountered before, with thousands of members. Moreover, every Demonwolf was Level 110 or higher, including Level 114 Demonwolves. Many of these beasts were Great Lords, and there were a few Grand Lords in the pack. None of the team members could afford to rest lest the Demonwolf pack overwhelm them.
If not for the Fine-Gold Guards blocking the only path up the mountain, and Anna using a magic array to suppress the Demonwolves, these beasts would’ve devoured s.h.i.+ Feng and his team long ago.
“Guild Leader, this is an amazing place to grind! Pack after pack of these Demonwolves are running at us. Our leveling speed here is even faster than when we were grinding Frostwolves,” Blackie said, grinning when he saw another pack of Demonwolves approach the foot of the mountain. “I bet we can even reach Level 105 in less than a day of grinding here.”
Compared to when they had grinded Frostwolves, their current leveling speed was on an entirely different level. They had invested a lot of time in their hunt for Frostwolves, but they didn’t need to chase down Demonwolves, which regularly called for reinforcements. They simply needed to station the melee Fine-Gold Guards on the frontline while the rest of the team attacked from a safe distance.
“These beasts are at least Level 110. If we stay here, we can maintain our leveling speed until we reach the same level. If we do, we won’t even have to fear the various superpowers’ experts when they catch up to Tier 3,” Yan Tianxing said, his eyes glowing with excitement.
It was true that Zero Wing had gained a ma.s.sive advantage when they had reached Tier 3 so early, but Yan Tianxing understood that the various superpowers had far more and stronger experts than his Guild. Zero Wing’s advantage over the various superpowers was only temporary. Once the superpowers’ experts finished their Promotion Quests as well, Zero Wing would be at a disadvantage.
He had constantly been concerned about this. Zero Wing’s feud with Starlink was still happening, and the various powers invading from the Otherworlds couldn’t be underestimated. Every one of these powers was eyeing the resources in Level 100 neutral maps and Stone Forest City.
However, this expedition had alleviated some of his concerns.
After reaching Tier 3 in G.o.d’s Domain, the Basic Attributes players earned with each level-up wouldn’t have as much of an impact on a player’s performance as it used to. Rather, weapons, equipment, and combat standards would have a more prominent effect on players’ combat power. However, by leveling up quickly, Zero Wing’s peak experts would have more time for high-ranked quests, which would allow them to upgrade their weapons, equipment, and combat standards sooner. With a level advantage, they had a chance of contending with the various superpowers’ experts and stabilizing Zero Wing’s position.
“How can a Level 100 neutral map have such a wonderful place?” s.h.i.+ Feng said, chuckling when he saw his teammates’ pa.s.sionate expressions after Yan Tianxing had mentioned the possibility of reaching Level 110 so soon. “There’s no lack of monsters in this area, but remaining here will be taxing on our Stamina and Concentration. We can’t stay for too long.”
s.h.i.+ Feng had already known about this area and its Demonwolves, but he hadn’t led the team here earlier because of the atmosphere’s burden on players’ Stamina and Concentration. Considering those factors, their grinding efficiency here wasn’t that much better than grinding Frostwolf packs. Moreover, the Frostwolves dropped better loot than Demonwolves.
However, Zero Wing’s cuaent predicament wouldn’t permit him to remain in the Demonwolf Mountain Range for long, which had led to his decision to grind the Demonwolves.
The team members couldn’t help but glance at their Stamina and Concentration gauges, and just as s.h.i.+ Feng had warned them, they noticed that they were consuming twice as much as they had while grinding Frostwolves. They really wouldn’t be able to fight the Demonwolves for very long.
“Of course, the environment here isn’t all bad. It does increase our Stamina and Concentration consumption rates, but it is also the perfect pace to adapt to our Mana Bodies and train with our Tier 3 Skills and Spells. You’ll rarely find such an opportunity elsewhere,” s.h.i.+ Feng said, smiling when he saw everyone’s disappointment.
The Demonwolf Mountain Range was no ordinary forbidden land. It was a prized location for players to train after reaching Tier 3, especially since it was infested with berserk Demonwolves. Not only was the map full of chaotic energy, which was much stronger here, but that energy also disrupted Mana. It was the perfect situation to help players adapt to their Mana Bodies.
The Mana Body was the biggest difference between Tier 2 and Tier 3. The Mana Body could also be referred to as a player’s Mana pool. Players with Mana Bodies controlled Mana in an entirely different way than players without.
At Tier 2, players used the ambient Mana to power their Skills and Spells, but once they reached Tier 3, they’d use the Mana inside themselves, as well. This was why Tier 3 Skills and Spells were so much more powerful than those at Tier 2.
However, using the Mana within one’s body wasn’t easy. Players would need a certain level of understanding of their own Mana Body. Meanwhile, players would struggle to use the ambient Mana in environments with chaotic energy, and as such, they’d be forced to rely on the Mana within them. This was why such environments were so helpful to players as they adapted to their Mana Bodies.
“Indeed. I can sense my Mana a little more clearly now. The effects aren’t as apparent, but I’m finding it easier to use my own Mana now,” Yi Luofei said.
After she had reached Tier 3, something had felt wrong when she had cast her Tier 3 Spells, but she had brushed it off, a.s.suming it was simply due to how unfamiliar she was with her Tier 3 physique. However, it seemed that sense of wrongness had been a result of her lack of control with her Mana Body, which had limited her ability to cast her Tier 3 Spells.
When the rest of the team realized this, they adjusted their approach as they attacked the charging Demonwolves. They started to focus on their own Mana while they attacked, using this opportunity to adapt.
After two hours of practice, the team saw significant improvements to their Completion Rates with their Tier 3 Skills and Spells. On average, the team members increased their Completion Rates by 4%, enough to push many of them across the 80% threshold. Yi Luofei, Zhao Yueru, and Alluring Summer improved the most, with all three reaching past an 85% Spell Completion Rate.
Everyone on the team grew ecstatic. They had never realized that the Howling Wind Canyon would be such an extraordinary training ground.
Even s.h.i.+ Feng managed to learn some new tricks. He had only had a Bronze ranked Mana Body in the past, and now that he had an Epic Mana Body, the way he conducted Mana had changed. Inspired, he could now manipulate his body with greater precision. He even gained a new understanding of his physical control in the real world.
By the time the team only needed 19 more Mana strands, Cola and his companions had reached Level 105, crossing the first minor threshold past Level 100.
Without hesitation, s.h.i.+ Feng handed the three Frostwolf Sets to Cola, Turtledove, and Shadow Sword, which gave the three a large boost to their Basic Attributes.
“The Defense and Basic Attributes are so high. I feel like I can even tank a Level 110 Mythic monster now,” Cola exclaimed as he examined his newfound strength.
s.h.i.+ Feng also gave the Frostshadow and Snowfrost Sets to Yan Tianxing, Yi Luofei, and the rest. With their new equipment, these players’ Basic Attributes were only slightly lower than those of ordinary Tier 3 NPCs.
Armed with appropriate equipment, the team slew the incoming Demonwolves far faster than before. As a result, they collected Mana at a much faster rate.
“Guild Leader, my group is almost out of Stamina and Concentration,” Blackie announced, sounding tired.
“My group’s running out of gas as well,” Yan Tianxing added.
Although the team members all had high-ranked Mana Bodies, they couldn’t completely resist the effects of the violent Mana in the area. If players with a Bronze Mana Body tried to take their place, they would’ve run out ages ago.
“Let’s retreat for now since everyone’s exhausted,” s.h.i.+ Feng decided after seeing that they only needed three more Mana strands to complete their quest. They could easily collect the rest on their way back to Alba Gray. s.h.i.+ Feng then retrieved the Crimson Dragon Flying s.h.i.+p for everyone to board and rest.
Once they boarded, the team found rooms to rest in and logged out of the game. Meanwhile, s.h.i.+ Feng piloted the flying s.h.i.+p back to the Demonwolf Mountain Range’s outer area.
Once he had reached the safety of the outer area, s.h.i.+ Feng received a call request from Liang Jing.
“Has Starlink done something again?” s.h.i.+ Feng asked. It hadn’t been long since the last time she had called.
“There’s nothing new from Starlink, but I just received a message from Chairman Xiao regarding a problem in the Heaven’s Rumble Training Center. He says that a group of people has shown up demanding a challenge, and they’ve already injured quite a few of our advanced disciples,” Liang Jing said.
“Challengers?” s.h.i.+ Feng asked, “Has Master Lei Bao not taken care of them?”
The Heaven’s Rumble Training Center had no lack of challenges since so many people wanted to use Heaven’s Rumble as a stepping stone to earn fame in Fenglin City overnight. However, s.h.i.+ Feng normally let Xiao Yu and Lei Bao take care of these issues.
“I’ve heard that Master Lei Bao lost in just three moves. Chairman Xiao only contacted me after he had run out of options,” Liang Jing said.
They even defeated Lei Bao?” The news surprised s.h.i.+ Feng. “Who is the challenger?”
Since he had begun training with Zero Wing, Lei Bao had grown considerably stronger. Even among apex internal force experts, few were his match.
“No one knows, and the training center is in an uproar over it. Chairman Xiao is hoping that you can send Fire Dance to take care of this,” Liang Jing said.
“No need. I’ll visit the training center myself,” s.h.i.+ Feng said, shaking his head. Fire Dance and the others were still in the midst of their Tier 3 Promotion Quest, so leaving their virtual gaming cabins wasn’t convenient right now. Moreover, s.h.i.+ Feng was curious to find out who was strong enough to defeat Lei Bao.