Chapter 1 A Quiet Beginning

Inside a secluded and frigid ancient tomb, several dozen players stood in formation, making their final preparations.

Every one of them was above level 17, and all their equipment was Xuan Iron-grade or higher, mixed with a good number of Mithril-grade items. The lead MT was decked out in mostly Mithril-grade gear, and his half-moon shield was even Adamantine-grade.

They all looked at the figure before them with admiration – an unmatched beauty, clad in silver-white light armor, wielding a deep blue greatsword that shimmered with a cyan glow. Her crystalline black eyes sparkled with wisdom, and her raven hair cascaded down her back, swaying in the wind and exuding an unparalleled aura, like a true Valkyrie.

This peerless Valkyrie was none other than Bai Qingxue, the Ice Snow Goddess of the Snake of Devouring.

After braving the trials of the three great dungeons, Bai Qingxue had become even more radiant, like a raw gemstone that had been polished to reveal its brilliance, transforming into a cold and intelligent sapphire.

Now, not only was she wearing the complete Mithril-grade Snow霞 set, but she also held a greatsword of unknown quality, yet possessing terrifying power.

The Snow霞 set was obtained from the Hard Mode of the three great dungeons, but the Azure Sky Greatsword was not. It was acquired after defeating a Guardian, a Field Grand Lord, and discovering it by chance within an underground temple in some ruins.

If Shi Feng were to see this two-handed greatsword, he would be astonished, because this greatsword was also a Demonic Weapon, and one of the Thirty-Six Famous Swords of God's Domain – Azure Sky.

Just as they were about to begin their attempt to conquer the fourth Boss of the Land of Eternal Slumber, the Bone General Jella,

Bai Qingxue heard the system announcement, and a hint of surprise flashed in her beautiful eyes.

"How is he so fast?" Bai Qingxue knew how difficult it was to obtain a Guild Residence. Even though the Snake of Devouring was already the number one guild in White River City, and had such powerful assistance, she was still quite a ways off from becoming a Baron due to a lack of Prestige. Yet, Zero Wing had managed to beat her to it. A smile touched Bai Qingxue's lips, and she chuckled softly, "Looks like I need to congratulate him."

In White River City, the Snake of Devouring and Zero Wing were allies, although this fact was unknown to outsiders. If they knew, they would surely be shocked that the number one guild in White River City was allied with a declining new guild like Zero Wing. It seemed impossible.

But Bai Qingxue had done just that.

Although the Snake of Devouring was the top guild in White River City, its position wasn't unassailable. The Dark Star Guild was a formidable force right behind them, and the Dark Star Guild was secretly connected to Hegemony, another top-tier guild.

If the two guilds joined forces and attacked the Snake of Devouring, the Snake of Devouring would certainly suffer.

So allies were necessary. Although there were three other guilds among the top six, including Emperor Light, another first-rate guild, and Assassin's Alliance, a second-rate top guild, Bai Qingxue still chose the newly established Zero Wing.

Because she had faith in Zero Wing.

Putting aside the elusive and incredibly powerful Ye Feng,

There was also Black Flame, the Star-Moon Kingdom's Chief Forger, with his astonishing strength and hidden, unseen backers, not to mention his close ties with Star痕 Merchant Firm.

His astonishing financial resources put even her to shame.

Although Bai Qingxue couldn't figure out what the relationship between Ye Feng and Black Flame was, both of them possessed unfathomable power, yet they always kept it hidden, which Bai Qingxue found very puzzling.

The combined strength of just those two made even Bai Qingxue feel a chill down her spine.

What's more, there was now the unexpected appearance of Aqua Rose, an honorary elder of Twilight Echo. Her reputation in the virtual gaming world was no less than her own, but her fame was more widespread because she had done a lot of advertising and endorsements, making her well-known.

Bai Qingxue had never fought Aqua Rose, but she had seen Aqua Rose's battle videos. In terms of combat skills, Bai Qingxue felt that she was only evenly matched, at best.

Just having those three in Zero Wing was enough for Bai Qingxue to form an alliance, not to mention the other experts within Zero Wing, emerging one after another.

Outsiders thought that Zero Wing would fall apart sooner or later, but Bai Qingxue knew very well that

Their current silence was only for the sake of a future explosion.

Like now, they had unknowingly obtained a Guild Residence, taking the lead over all the guilds in the entire Star-Moon Kingdom, and instantly becoming the focus of all players in the Star-Moon Kingdom.

Not long after the system announcement appeared, Zero Wing's recruitment point was swamped.

Although Aqua Rose had made preparations in advance, it was still a sea of people, frantically signing up. As for those players who had previously left Zero Wing, their guts were now green with regret.

They regretted why they had been so impulsive, not waiting a few more days. Now, if they wanted to enter Zero Wing, they had no choice but to delete their accounts and start over. But who was willing, who had the courage to delete their accounts and start over?

Those who had not left Zero Wing were overjoyed and celebrated.

Putting aside the numerous tasks that a Guild Residence provided, just repairing weapons and equipment at the Guild Residence would save a lot of money, and they didn't have to spend money to rest and recover their spirits in a hotel. They could recover directly at the Guild Residence.

In addition, there was a double experience bonus. As long as they rested at the Guild Residence, they could store double experience, making grinding and leveling up more efficient.

Not to mention that the Guild Residence also provided private rooms.

This was the greatest benefit of having a Guild Residence.

In God's Domain, everyone wanted to have their own private room or house. As long as they logged off in their own room, even if they weren't in God's Domain, they could store double experience, and even more than the guild's public lounge provided.

Resting in the guild's public lounge for 48 hours could store 20% of double experience, up to a maximum of one level's worth of double experience. But in a private room, resting for 24 hours could store 20% of double experience, up to a maximum of one level's worth of double experience, twice the speed of the public lounge.

Of course, this was just a regular one-star private house.

In God's Domain, housing was also divided into levels. The higher the level, the more benefits they enjoyed. The lowest was one star, and the highest was ten stars. Raising the star rating required a lot of money and some special materials, so it wasn't easy.

The benefits of a one-star house were that it could store 20% of double experience every 24 hours, up to a maximum of one level's worth of double experience.

The benefits of a two-star house were that it could store 25% of double experience every 24 hours, up to a maximum of one level's worth of double experience.

…

The benefits of a seven-star house were that it could store 50% of double experience every 24 hours, up to a maximum of one level's worth of double experience. In addition, it also had a Mental Boost state, increasing all attributes by 5% for two hours.

The benefits of an eight-star house were that it could store 50% of triple experience every 24 hours, up to a maximum of one and a half levels' worth of triple experience. In addition, it also had a Mental Boost state, increasing all attributes by 5% for three hours.

The benefits of a nine-star house were that it could store 50% of triple experience every 24 hours, up to a maximum of two levels' worth of triple experience. In addition, it also had a Mental Boost state, increasing all attributes by 8% for three hours.

The benefits of a ten-star house were that it could store 50% of triple experience every 24 hours, up to a maximum of three levels' worth of triple experience. In addition, it also had a Mental Boost state, increasing all attributes by 10% for four hours.

But it was too difficult to get a house in White River City, and it wasn't convenient to go to a small town.

But the Guild Residence could provide guild members with private rooms. However, not everyone could have one, since the space in the Guild Residence was limited. So they would give them to those who made outstanding contributions to the guild or the guild's upper echelons. If there were any spare rooms, guild members could buy or rent them with contribution points.

In God's Domain, leveling up was always the most troublesome thing for players, and the further they went, the slower it became. It was normal to level up every three or four days, and dying in the wild would result in a one-level penalty, which meant that items that accelerated leveling were very popular.

This guild benefit alone was fatal to all players, not to mention the many guild missions they could choose from, greatly accelerating their leveling speed.