169: Screening task

After careful consideration, the the five people each selected several quests, ignoring the low-level fetch quests and repetitive monster-grinding quests.

The first quest was a joint choice by Xu Bai and Ji Linghan.

Quest Name: Exterminate the "Corrupted Tree Spirit"

Quest Level: A+ (Recommended for elite five-person teams below Level 50)

Quest Location: Eastern Wilderness, Silent Abyss Third Layer

Quest Objective: An ancient treant at the bottom of the Silent Abyss has been completely corrupted by Abyssal aura, becoming a source of defiled demonic energy and spawning demonic creatures. The team is to delve into the Silent Abyss and purify (destroy) the Corrupted Tree Spirit.

Quest Description: Recently, the activity of demonic creatures in the Silent Abyss has abnormally increased. Investigations show the source to be the "Corrupted Tree Spirit." This demonic plant's roots spread throughout the third layer of the Silent Abyss, endlessly summoning Level 45 demonic treants and corrupted bats. Its core combat power is estimated to be Level 50. The quest risk is high; it is recommended for teams with strong area-of-effect clearing abilities and single-target burst damage.

Quest Rewards: Guild Points +5000, Gold +150, [Pure Ancient Wood Essence] (Advanced Forging/Enchanting Material) x3, [Treant's Protection Badge] (Epic quality special accessory, All-attribute Resistance +20, Health Regeneration Speed +10%).

"The reason this quest suits our team," Xu Bai said, "is that my Abyssal summons can form a front-line defense, effectively resisting the monster tide, and the Abyssal Creatures I summon might have an additional suppressive effect on corrupted creatures."

"Ruo Xue's Moonlight power can provide both group healing and buffs, and she can use Moonlight beams to bind and control the small monsters on the field. Moonlight should also have an additional suppressive effect on these corrupted creatures."

"Yes, and both Yi Xing and I possess large-scale attack skills, allowing for efficient clearing of small monsters. We also both have extremely strong single-target burst damage, enabling us to quickly defeat the Corrupted Tree Spirit," Ji Linghan added.

"Furthermore, Yu Yue's Holy-type skills can deal extra damage to corrupted creatures and have a counter effect against them, providing a more solid shield to ensure the team's safety."

The others nodded and moved on to the next quest, which was a joint choice by Ji Linghan and Han Ruoxue.

Quest Name: Explore the "Mirror Flower Water Moon" Instance

Quest Level: A (Special Mechanism Quest)

Quest Location: Misty Lake Shore

Quest Objective: Abnormal spatial fluctuations have recently appeared at the Misty Lake Shore. Investigations show that a hidden Instance, "Mirror Flower Water Moon," is about to open. The team is to investigate and clear the Instance.

Quest Description: This Instance is not a simple combat Instance. It contains special mechanisms such as illusionary mazes and mental trials. The team may encounter special attacks like mirror clones and fear illusions. Team members need to have firm willpower and the ability to see through deceptions, effectively defending against mental attacks.

Quest Rewards: Guild Points +4000, Gold +100, [illusory moon glaze] (Special material, can be used to craft illusion-type equipment or advanced potions), [Sober Talisman] (Rare quality, slightly increases mental resistance).

"My Divine Punishment skill is the bane of illusion-type abilities," Ji Linghan said, "and Ruo Xue's Moonlight power has a certain connection with dreams and illusions, making it potentially easier for her to perceive and break these kinds of mechanisms."

"Moreover, after seven days of activity, I believe our team's rapport is high, and our trust is strong, which will allow us to effectively deal with mechanisms designed to sow discord, such as 'mirror clones' or 'inner illusions,'" Han Ruoxue said softly.

Next was the third quest, a joint choice by Chu Yixing and Xu Bai.

Quest Name: Decapitation Operation

Quest Level: A+ (High Difficulty Assassination/Annihilation Quest)

Quest Location: Instance Old World Ruins

Quest Objective: Kill the master of the Iron Smelting Workshop in the Instance, Butler Iron Anvil, who has proclaimed himself "Grand Duke Iron Smelter" (Level 50 Lord BOSS).

Quest Description: Butler Iron Anvil has occupied an old-world military factory Instance, using his mechanical knowledge and enslaved artisans to constantly produce war golems and modified demonic creatures. He will soon pose a significant threat to the real world. He himself operates a powerful "Furnace Heart" power armor in combat. The fortress interior is heavily guarded, filled with automated defense facilities and Level 48-50 elite Iron Smelter Guards. The quest requires the team to infiltrate the core area of Iron Smelter City and execute a decapitation operation.

Quest Rewards: Guild Points +6000, Gold +200, [Furnace Core] (Epic Engineering/Forging Material), one free choice of a Level 50 second-tier golden equipment blueprint or finished product from the Guild Warehouse.

"For this quest, once Butler Iron Anvil is dealt with, all his mechanical constructs and demonic creatures will automatically collapse. In the quest, Xu Bai can summon a large number of Abyssal Creatures to launch feints from multiple directions, drawing the fire of the fortress guards and automated defense systems, disrupting the enemy formation, and creating an infiltration path for us," Chu Yixing said.

"And I have multiple single-target burst skills that can deal fatal damage to the BOSS's main body."

"Old Yu can withstand the BOSS's heavy physical attacks and use his Sacred Protection skill to shield us from environmental damage (such as high-temperature burns). Old Ji's Divine Punishment power can effectively reduce the BOSS's armor value or energy barrier, and apply negative controls like paralysis, creating the optimal output window for Yi Xing," Xu Bai slowly added.

"And Ruo Xue's Moonlight power can provide precise single-target healing and buffs. Her control skills are also crucial when dealing with elite guards, minimizing interference from small monsters to Yi Xing's output."

Next was the fourth quest, a joint choice by Han Ruoxue and Yu Yue.

Quest Name: Collect "Eternal Sands"

Quest Level: A+ (Special Environment Exploration Quest)

Quest Location: Time Desert Secret Realm

Quest Objective: A guild elder is currently crafting a legendary item that can foresee danger and urgently needs a material called "Eternal Sands." This material only appears within the highly unstable spatio-temporal rifts in the Time Desert Secret Realm. The team is to enter the Time Desert Secret Realm, find and stabilize a rift, and collect at least 5 units of "Eternal Sands" from it.

Quest Description: The time flow in the Time Desert Secret Realm is chaotic. The team may encounter phantom monsters from the past or future, and the environment may drastically change in a short period (e.g., an oasis instantly turning into a desert, or ancient ruins suddenly reappearing). Spatio-temporal rifts are also highly unstable, constantly spewing out Time Ghosts (Level 50 elite monsters with high physical attack immunity) during the collection process, and the rift itself may even collapse.

Quest Rewards: Guild Points +7000, Gold +180, [Time Hourglass] (Special accessory, greatly increases dodge rate for a short period after use), one free advanced enchanting service.