69: This old man seems to be a good person.

“Should I approach him?”

While Li Si was contemplating, the Weak Old Man walked over.

“Young man, I’ve seen you crouching here for a long time. Is something the matter?”

The Old Man smiled, his gray hair neatly tied in a hair crown, meticulously groomed.

This was a rare sight—a clean Old Man. Wang Shidao and the Mysterious Old Man were both slovenly, completely opposite to the Old Man in front of him.

“No.”

Li Si decided to wait. With his red name status, it was safer to wait for a regular NPC.

A Monarch-level Old Man was too dangerous.

Of course, if the Old Man offered enough, Li Si would be willing to take the risk.

“Excellent! Since you have nothing to do, I happen to have a quest here. Are you willing to accept it?” The smile on the Old Man’s face grew wider.

Ding!

Congratulations! Your charm is astonishing, and your luck is heaven-defying! You have triggered a hidden quest—ice jade marrow (Star Rating adjusts dynamically).

The Weak Old Man is severely injured and needs ice jade marrow to heal. Please go to the Icy Cold Pond south of Moonfall Town as soon as possible and retrieve the ice jade marrow from the pond. You will receive generous rewards.

Generous rewards?

Li Si was extremely sensitive to such vague word games.

These were all lessons taught to him by the Mysterious Old Man.

“Sorry, I won’t accept your quest.”

“Why?”

“Because the reward content isn’t clear enough. Who knows if the so-called generous rewards will just be a handful of dirt from the roadside?”

“I see. Your concern is not unfounded.” The Old Man nodded slightly, then said, “If you help me retrieve the ice jade marrow, I can give you a Wind Attribute Gem.”

Ding!

Quest Reward Changed: Generous rewards have been changed to—Wind Attribute Gem (Gold).

A Gold-quality Wind Attribute Gem?

Li Si’s eyes lit up. The gale sword embryo absorbed wind energy to grow, so this gem was definitely something he wanted.

However, even so, he still didn’t rush to accept the quest, but instead haggled.

“I’ll ask you one question. If you can answer it, I’ll accept your quest and help you retrieve the ice jade marrow.”

“No problem. But everything is an exchange of equal value. If I answer your question, you must also pay a corresponding price. You must retrieve the ice jade marrow within five days. Otherwise, I will show you my methods.” The Old Man extended the five fingers of his right hand.

Ding!

Quest Content Changed: Time limit 5 days, failure penalty—the Weak Old Man’s retaliation. Warning: The Weak Old Man’s strength is formidable; please try your best to complete the quest.

“Deal! My question is, where is the evergreen willow tree near Moonfall Town?”

“You want to go to the Elf Secret Realm?” The Old Man’s expression suddenly became strange.

“Yes, I’m going to the Elf Secret Realm to find a way to cleanse my sin value.” Li Si chose not to hide it; after all, the Old Man could see his red name status.

“I can tell.”

The Old Man nodded slightly and said, “The Ten Thousand Willow Woods is 60 li south of Moonfall Town. If you go to the central area of the Ten Thousand Willow Woods, you can easily find the willow tree you’re looking for. After entering the Elf Secret Realm, head north, and you’ll find the dwelling place of the Light Elf. Only the Light Elf possesses the method to cleanse sin value.”

“Thank you.”

Li Si cupped his hands slightly.

“No need to thank me. I’m just doing this so I can get the ice jade marrow sooner. I hope your trip to the Elf Secret Realm goes smoothly and you return quickly.” The Old Man said with a smile.

“Alright, I’m going.”

Li Si secretly sighed, wondering if he was being overly cautious. The Weak Old Man seemed nice and didn’t appear to have any ill intentions.

He sprinted 60 li at top speed.

His figure appeared before the Ten Thousand Willow Woods.

The dense, verdant willow trees stretched as far as the eye could see, exuding a vibrant aura of life.

“This aura of life is too real.”

Li Si always felt that the All Heavens Game was a real world.

“Hiss hiss hiss….”

Dense swarms of venomous snakes emerged from the willow forest, writhing their enchanting bodies as they attacked Li Si.

“Get lost!”

Clang—

Sky-Piercing Blade Draw was unstoppable, annihilating the snake horde. These Level 27 common monsters didn’t even qualify for Limiter farming.

Ding!

Killed 38 Willow Leaf Vipers, experience increased by 10260 points. Killing across 26 levels, experience additionally increased by 20520 points.

Killing across levels.

The experience gain was quite generous. Li Si checked his experience bar; his experience had already exceeded 100 million, so it was time for a skill upgrade.

After completing the Mysterious Old Man’s quest, he would gain a skill slot, and then he could choose a new skill.

Li Si already had a candidate in mind: the Gold-tier skill from the Master-Disciple Shop—

Seven-Shot Barrage.

Charging straight through, Li Si soon reached the central area of the Ten Thousand Willow Woods.

A majestic and towering ancient willow tree stood on the ground. Under the moonlight, the ancient willow tree shimmered with a light of wisdom, like a wise sage who knew everything from ancient times.

This willow tree…

It should be the evergreen willow tree.

“Ten circles clockwise.”

“Ten circles counter-clockwise.”

About a minute later, Li Si circled the Old Willow Tree 20 times, triggering a hidden condition—

Boom!

A brilliant light shot up from the ground, and the entrance to the Elf Secret Realm appeared—a kaleidoscopic light gate.

“How magnificent.”

As expected of the Elves, even their gates are so beautiful.

Li Si was filled with emotion.

Just then, Netherworld Soul Chaser suddenly sent him a private message:

“Big Boss, the equipment has been sold out, totaling 33,651 gold. I kept 3,651 gold, and the remaining 30,000 gold coins have been mailed to you. Thank you, Big Boss, for helping me earn money. Next time there’s such a good opportunity, you must call me!”

“OK, I’ll definitely call you then.”

Li Si closed the friends interface and then checked his mail messages.

Ding!

Congratulations! You received 30,000 gold coins from the mail.

“…I’m raking it in!”

Although it wasn't as much gold as Wang Rui Niu dropped, earning 30,000 gold coins in an hour was already a lot, at least surpassing 99.999999999% of players.

Li Si looked at his backpack with satisfaction.

Gold coins: 128,798.

“What are gold coins for?”

Li Si hadn’t found a use for gold coins yet, but their existence was reasonable. He firmly believed that at some point in the future, there would be a use for gold coins.

He would just slowly accumulate them for now and see later.

Buzz—

Space vibrated.

Li Si stepped into the light gate, and his figure disappeared from the Ten Thousand Willow Woods. The surrounding scenery shifted, and the dense willow forest transformed into a vast plain of grassland. The grassland was boundless, seemingly connecting heaven and earth.

Ding!

Congratulations! You have arrived at a hidden area—Elf Secret Realm (Level 0 - Level 99).

Current Location: Light Elf Domain—Boundless Grassland (Level 0 - Level 30).

Description: The Elf Secret Realm is vast, with territories divided by tribes, and each Elf tribe maintains a balance of power. Among them, the Life Elf are the most powerful, controlling the Ancient Artifact and dominating the entire Elf Secret Realm.

It was actually a Level 99 hidden area.

Li Si was surprised, instantly realizing that the Elf Secret Realm he entered in Mingyue Village was just a small corner. This current space was the true, complete Elf Secret Realm.

Next… head north!

Li Si didn’t forget the Old Man’s words; the Light Elf’s dwelling place was in the north.

Time passed, and he followed the guidance of the area map, heading straight north.

He crossed mountains and rivers.

Killing all the monsters he encountered along the way, Li Si finally reached his destination before midnight, and a city radiating brilliant light appeared in his sight.

However, things didn’t seem so simple, because a golden light barrier enveloped the Light Elf city on all sides.

It isolated the inside from the outside, preventing Li Si from entering.

“How do I deal with this?”

Just as Li Si was thinking, with a roar, a large dog suddenly appeared and pounced towards Li Si.

The large dog was bright white all over, looking majestic and extraordinary.

“What is that?”

Suddenly, Li Si was startled and quickly activated the system function to check the large dog’s attributes.

Projection of the Bright Watchdog (Gold King)

Level: 1

Health: 10000

Attack: 30-40

Talents: [Bright Guardian] [Watchdog] [King’s Power]

Skills: [Bite] [Roar] [Bright Arrow Rain] [Bright Shield]

Description: The watchdog of the Light Elf dwelling place, a phantom clone projected based on the outsider’s level. Defeat the watchdog’s phantom to gain entry to the Light Elf dwelling place.

The first moment he saw the words “Gold King,” Li Si was indeed flustered, as this was his first time facing a Gold boss.

However, the next second, when he saw the watchdog’s level, his mouth split into a grin.

“…Unbelievable.”

“It’s actually a Level 1 Gold King.”

If it were any other player, the watchdog’s level would be very high, perhaps still a threat. But with a Level 1 watchdog at this moment, Li Si could clearly taunt—

Little trash!

Little toy.

At this moment, Li Si reflected and hated his own cowardice, scolding himself for being so easily intimidated by this little toy.

The watchdog’s fangs gnawed at Li Si.

-0!

Unsurprisingly, it dealt no damage.

“Get lost.”

Li Si kicked the watchdog away with one swing of his leg, then “swish swish swish” a few arrows, clearing the watchdog’s 10,000 health.

Ding!

Successfully defeated the Bright Watchdog, experience increased by 2000 points.

Congratulations! You have obtained—Entry Qualification to the Light Elf Dwelling Place.

Unfortunately, projections don’t drop equipment.

Otherwise, a Level 1 watchdog projection might even drop Level 1 Gold equipment.

Li Si felt regretful.

Pop!

The golden light barrier shattered.

He slowly walked towards the Light Elf dwelling place.

……