170: Chapter 170 The Promise of God-Level Job Change, The Siege of the Guardian Tower!

Dusk settled, the bloody afterglow of the setting sun stretching long shadows across the ruins of Fuling City.

Qin Ji leaped down from the towering beast-head stone sculpture, his black cloak fluttering loudly in the wind, landing without a sound.

Fatty Zhou and Houzi were immersed in the ecstasy of their skyrocketing attributes. Especially Fatty Zhou, whose frame seemed to swell with confidence as he swung the giant shield in his hands with a whooshing sound.

"Brother Hao, this is too awesome! Three thousand free attribute points!" Fatty Zhou's face was flushed red with excitement as he waved his fist. "I feel like I could punch an ox to death right now!"

Qin Ji glanced at him, a faint curve lifting the corner of his mouth. "Don't get too carried away. The Star Kingdom is full of hidden talents. We still need to be careful."

As he spoke, he retrieved the crystal he had obtained earlier from the underground treasure vault.

The crystal was disc-shaped, pure white throughout, with faint spatial fluctuations rippling around its edges, as if even light would warp upon nearing it.

[Spatial Spirit Disc (Special Item / mythic rank)]

[Effect: Upon activation, can seal the space within a ten-mile radius, prohibiting all teleportation methods; can also open a directional portal, ignoring most spatial Restrictions.]

"Good stuff."

Qin Ji gently rubbed the surface of the disc with his fingers, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. With this item, he had another ace up his sleeve for future pursuits or escapes.

He put away the Spirit Disc and turned his gaze back to the two.

"Fatty, although I secured you three thousand points this time, have you thought about how to allocate them?"

Fatty Zhou was taken aback for a moment, scratching his head. "Brother Hao, how else? I'm a Shield Warrior, I should definitely stack all into HP and dual resistances! I want to be the toughest man!"

"Shallow."

Qin Ji shook his head, his tone calm yet leaving no room for doubt. "Your HP and resistances will be sufficient through equipment and skill growth. What you lack most right now is mobility."

"All into movement speed?" Fatty Zhou's eyes widened in disbelief. "Brother Hao, what Shield Warrior adds movement speed? Wouldn't that make me a 'fast runner'?"

"Listen to me." Qin Ji offered no further explanation, simply stating flatly, "All your free attribute points go into movement speed. Also, after completing this mission, you should be able to change to a Divine-Grade hidden class."

"What?!!"

Fatty Zhou's eyeballs nearly popped out, his voice cracking. "Divine... Divine-Grade hidden class!!"

In this game, hidden classes were already one in ten thousand, but a Divine-Grade hidden class was the stuff of legends!

"Mm. One of the follow-up rewards for this mission, from the Black Robe Leader, is a Divine-Grade hidden class change scroll for Shield Warriors." Qin Ji casually painted a grand picture. Although he hadn't obtained it yet, he was confident he could make that Black Robe Leader cough it up.

Fatty Zhou trembled with excitement, his fat jiggling, drool almost dripping. "Great! If I change to a Divine-Grade hidden class, I'll truly be invincible! Anyone who dares touch Brother Hao, I'll just ram them to death!"

Houzi, standing to the side, appeared much steadier. Although his eyes also flickered with desire, he understood the principle of not biting off more than one could chew.

"Houzi." Qin Ji turned to this taciturn assassin. "Your talent lies in burst damage, but your frame is too fragile. A pure assassin build has too little survivability on the Late Stage battlefield."

"Brother Hao, what do you mean?" Houzi asked respectfully.

"Dual Cultivation."

Qin Ji uttered four words. "Your biggest issue is the waste of your magic power and magic penetration. It's best for you to change to a class like Dual Cultivation. I've already scouted a clue for a Heaven-Grade hidden class for you. Although it's not as good as Divine-Grade, in specific environments, its burst potential is stronger."

Houzi took a deep breath and nodded heavily. "Dual Cultivation... Just thinking about it gets the blood pumping."

"Let's go. Next stop, Gu Feng City."

Qin Ji waved his hand. The profound ice wings behind him trembled slightly, lifting him off the ground. "I've taken down Fuling City. The Star Kingdom won't just sit back and watch. The road to Gu Feng City probably won't be peaceful."

The three had just left the territory of Fuling City and entered a desolate stretch of Gobi desert.

Suddenly, a piercing wolf howl tore through the night sky.

"Awooo—!!"

On a sand dune ahead stood a massive silver wolf, proud and imposing. Bathed in moonlight, its silver fur flowed like silk. It stood atop a vortex of cyan wind elements, its pair of crimson eyes fixed intently on Qin Ji in the air.

[Silvermoon Direwolf (epic rank BOSS)]

[Rank: 190]

[HP: 38 Billion]

"Whoa, a big gift right out the gate?" Fatty Zhou raised his shield, eager to try. "Brother Hao, let me test out these new attributes!"

"No need."

Qin Ji's gaze was indifferent. He didn't even halt his flight.

He raised his right hand. In his palm, the newly acquired [Spatial Spirit Disc] flickered faintly.

He didn't activate the disc's sealing function. He simply wanted to test his new combo.

"Blink Step."

Swish!

Space distorted slightly.

The next second, Qin Ji's figure vanished into thin air. When he reappeared, he was standing atop the Silvermoon Direwolf's head.

The epic rank BOSS, as high as Rank 190, didn't even have time to react before it felt a heavy pressure on its head.

"Too slow."

Qin Ji muttered. Without even drawing his longbow, he adopted the posture of Houyi Shooting the Suns, using the sharp bow limb as a melee weapon, smashing it down fiercely!

Boom—!!

This strike wasn't enhanced by any skill. It was merely pure physical strength combined with the kinetic energy from his terrifying attack speed.

The Silvermoon Direwolf's massive head exploded like a watermelon, splattering red and white matter everywhere.

-99,999,999!

A golden critical damage number floated up.

The enormous wolf corpse collapsed with a crash, kicking up a cloud of yellow sand.

"This..."

Fatty Zhou and Houzi, watching from behind, were dumbfounded.

Was this Brother Hao's current strength? Even an epic rank BOSS was instantly killed?!

Qin Ji casually flicked the blood off his bow limb. Without even a glance at the loot on the ground, he continued flying forward.

"Keep up. Guests are waiting for us ahead."

...

Upon reaching the entrance of a canyon, Qin Ji's figure abruptly halted.

The canyon wind was fierce, whipping his robes loudly.

Right in the middle of the path stood a figure, silent and still.

Clad in snow-white robes, with an aloof and peerlessly beautiful face, she held a crystalline staff in her hand.

"Snow Emperor, must it come to this?"

The speaker was none other than Princess.

From behind her, several figures slowly emerged.

Luolin Muye held an ordinary-looking wooden sword, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

Qing Fuyun also held a beginner's wooden staff.

Even the Village Chief Wang, whom they had met before in the Newbie Village, now stood to one side of the group, holding a rusty iron sword.

These figures, any one of whom could shake a region, were now all wielding—beginner equipment.

"Beginner equipment, indestructible."

Qin Ji's gaze swept over the weapons in their hands, a trace of mockery appearing at the corner of his mouth. "A very good idea. It seems my two strikes that shattered your platinum shield last time taught you a lesson."

"All of you, just to kill me?" Qin Ji asked with interest.

"You could say that."

Princess sighed, her expression complex. "Snow Emperor, I never wanted it to come to this. But you've gone too far. The King said that against you, no lineup is excessive."

As her words fell, a small, pale blue tower appeared in her fair palm.

The tower was only thumb-sized, yet it exuded an ancient, vast aura. Around its body, nine miniature Dragon-shaped phantoms circled.

The moment Qin Ji saw that small tower, his eyes couldn't help but narrow slightly.

"It seems you're truly sparing no expense to kill me, even bringing out the guardians tower."

The guardians tower was an extremely troublesome special treasure.

It could forcibly pull enemy units and the user into an independent alternate dimension. Within this space, the environment and rules could be set to a certain degree by the tower's wielder.

Most crucially, it was a fight to the death.

Unless one side died, or the tower's core was shattered, there was no leaving. And the guardians tower itself was also in an indestructible state.

Taking a deep breath, a cold glint flashed in Qin Ji's eyes.

He knew he couldn't run from this situation. Since the other side dared to reveal this item, it meant they had already locked down the surrounding spatial coordinates.

"Houzi, Fatty."

Qin Ji's voice sounded in the party channel. "I might be trapped here temporarily, but their top fighters will be trapped here too."

"Brother Hao, you mean... we go attack the city?" Fatty Zhou reacted quickly.

"Correct. Their high-end combat power is all here ambushing me. Gu Feng City's defenses must be weak. Aside from the King of the Star Kingdom, no one should be able to stop you."

"Understood." Houzi tightened his grip on his dagger, a flash of bloodthirsty light in his eyes. "Anyone who blocks us, kill without mercy."

Qin Ji didn't actually believe the two of them could truly capture Gu Feng City.

But he needed Houzi and Fatty to experience this kind of high-intensity battle in advance. Only under extreme pressure could their newly skyrocketed attributes truly translate into practical combat ability.

Numbers were numbers. Combat power was combat power.

Some fierce individuals with a comprehensive combat power of one hundred could achieve the effect of one hundred and twenty. Others, despite having a full set of divine gear, could be killed by skilled players of a lower Rank.

This was the gap in practical experience.

"Heh, just the two of them? Not qualified enough."

Luolin Muye sneered, twirling his wooden sword in a flourish. "Snow Emperor, you should worry about yourself first."

Qin Ji didn't respond. Instead, he looked at Princess, his eyes as calm as a stagnant pool.

"Begin!"

Princess wasted no more words, fiercely activating the guardians tower in her hand.

Hum—!!

A blue light screen shot into the sky, instantly enveloping the area within a hundred meters.

Qin Ji felt the scenery before his eyes distort, a strong sense of weightlessness washing over him.

When his vision cleared again, the surrounding desert canyon had vanished.

In its place was a dense, suffocating thicket of shrubs.

All around were thorny shrubs half a person's height, severely obstructing vision. The air was thick with a damp, decaying smell.

"Scene Simulation: Misty Thicket."

Qin Ji understood.

This was the nastiness of the guardians tower—it could simulate the most disadvantageous combat scenarios tailored to the enemy's class characteristics.

What did an Archer fear most?

Obstructed vision, numerous obstacles, inability to create distance.

This thicket could not only block the flight path of arrows but also easily allow assassins and melee classes to conceal themselves, launching endless ambushes.

"You've really gone to great lengths to counter me."

Qin Ji remained standing in place, his ears twitching slightly, capturing every faint sound carried by the wind.

He knew there would be some trouble today.

Yet he wasn't flustered in the slightest. In fact, the blood in his veins began to simmer slightly.

Since these people wanted to play, he would play along properly!

Swish!

Qin Ji reached back and retrieved a black booklet emanating a Nether Qi aura—the [book of life and death].

The pen tip descended, strokes strong and sharp.

On the first page, without hesitation, he wrote three characters: "Princess."

To capture the rebels, first capture the leader. To shoot a man, first shoot his horse.

The guardians tower was activated by Princess. As long as he killed her, this damned spatial seal would naturally reveal a weakness.

The moment the name was written, the shrubbery to the left suddenly exploded.

"Boom!"

A massive fireball, wreathed in high temperature, came roaring. Simultaneously, the soil beneath his feet instantly softened, turning into a giant mire-like maw attempting to swallow his legs.

Qin Ji tapped his toes, his entire body sliding back several meters in a rear-leaning posture that defied physics.

The fireball grazed past the tip of his nose, striking an ancient tree behind him, instantly blasting the trunk into a shower of wood splinters.

"Archmage Abid?"

Qin Ji's gaze locked onto a golden-robed mage revealing himself from the shadows. A cruel smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Your elder sister died by my hand. Since you're also in a hurry to reunite, I'll grant your wish."

Before his words even finished, the longbow in his hand was already fully drawn.

This time, it wasn't an ordinary feathered arrow.

An arrow, pitch-black throughout and wreathed in deathly Nether Qi, coalesced on the string. Where its tip pointed, even the surrounding shrubs instantly withered and decayed.

In this sealed hunting ground, the identities of hunter and prey often hinged on a single thought.

The last rays of the setting sun filtered through the gaps in the thicket, casting dappled spots of light. Qin Ji maintained his bow-drawing posture, his black hair dancing wildly in the wind. Those amethyst-gold pupils, peering through layer upon layer of branches and leaves, coldly locked onto the distant Soul about to scream in terror.