Chapter Fifty-Nine: Successfully Changing Professions

The Witchcraft Plains were no longer safe; if Fiery Tiger Roar brought reinforcements and trapped him here, things would become dire. Ye Chen considered asking 2058 for advice on where to go, but the fellow seemed unusually busy today, so it was better not to disturb him. After some thought, Ye Chen finally recalled the perfect place—Specter Valley.

His supply of Specter Elixirs was almost depleted, so heading there to hunt monsters would not only cleanse his infamy and grant him experience but also allow him to gather materials for alchemy—a triple benefit. Moreover, the valley was deserted, so he had no fear of being ganged up on as a notorious red-named player.

With his goal set, Ye Chen wasted no time lingering. The speed boost from the Specter Elixir was still active, so he dashed straight out of the Witchcraft Plains. He had scarcely set foot on the Qilian Mountains when an announcement echoed in his ears—a city-wide paid broadcast.

“Fiery Tiger Roar: Ye Chen, I won’t forget today’s grudge. Remember my words—if I don’t kill you back to level zero, I’m not Fiery Tiger Roar! The Fiery Tiger family will not let you off! Friends in Fiery Mountain City, this player named Ye Chen is now marked red. He carries not only several pieces of bronze gear but even a piece of dark gold weaponry. If anyone capable comes across him, feel free to take him down.”

Ye Chen paused, slightly stunned. Clearly, Fiery Tiger Roar hated him to the core; otherwise, he wouldn’t have spent ten thousand just for a city-wide shout. But really, the man was shameless and devious—he’d exaggerated, claiming the rare gear they dropped had become bronze, and that Ye Chen’s gold weapon was now dark gold. It was obvious he wanted to incite others to do his dirty work.

Ye Chen knew he had to hurry to Specter Valley and cleanse his red name, and while he was at it, reach level 23. Once he donned the Shadow Cloak, he wouldn’t have to worry about being recognized everywhere he went.

He shook off a few players with suspicious glances and made his way down the mountain. Before long, his friends list began to chime. The first message came from Monk Dingyuan, who got straight to the point and asked if Ye Chen needed backup. Not wanting to drag Dingyuan into this mess, Ye Chen politely declined his offer. Nonetheless, Dingyuan couldn’t help but gossip—what exactly had Ye Chen done to enrage the Fiery Tiger family’s vice-commander so much? Ye Chen didn’t hide the truth and explained the grudge in detail. Upon learning that Ye Chen had taken down dozens of Fiery Tiger family members, including their top rogue, Dingyuan was genuinely amazed and impressed, insisting that next time Ye Chen did something so thrilling, he had to bring him along.

Next, the messages came from the studio girls. This time, they started a group chat—over a dozen voices chattered at once, giving Ye Chen a headache. After he explained what had happened, the eldest and second sisters both offered to bring people to support him, but Ye Chen refused. The Fiery Tiger family hadn’t yet realized his connection with the Blue Feather Studio, and it was best to keep it that way for now. Let Fiery Tiger dump all their hatred on him alone; he was used to carrying such grudges, as long as he didn’t get caught.

The last message was from Dragon Blade Star, who, as expected, was already fully informed. He mainly expressed concern about the Witchcraft Secret Ring and curiosity about the rumored dark gold weapon, and finally suggested an out-of-town trade. Ye Chen refused without hesitation—he and Dragon Blade weren’t close, and with so many valuables on him, who knew if they’d lay a trap? That was a risk he couldn’t afford.

Dragon Blade Star wasn’t surprised at the rejection, and the conversation shifted to ordering more elixirs, after which they ended their chat.

Descending the Qilian Mountains, Ye Chen avoided crowded areas and shook off the sneaky trackers, sprinting all the way to Specter Valley.

The valley was as deserted as ever, not a player in sight. Now fully geared, Ye Chen no longer feared the attacks of the specters. He gathered herbs and hunted monsters, leveling up and gathering alchemy materials at once. In just an hour, he had cleansed over 150 points of PK value, amassed a mountain of Blood Coagulating Grass and Mind Calming Grass, and his experience had reached 93%. In half an hour more, he would level up.

Three hours later, Ye Chen had finally washed away all his PK value, returning to a white name, favored by the cities. His level reached 23 with 19% progression. After donning the Shadow Cloak, not only did it block player probes, but his vitality also soared past 600 points. He no longer needed to fear being instantly killed by a rogue with a weapon like Fiery Tiger’s Blood Blade—unless his opponent also wielded a gold-grade weapon.

He checked his bag: over 210 Specter Grass, more than 4,000 Blood Coagulating Grass, and over 1,000 Mind Calming Grass. Once refined into elixirs, he’d make a fortune again. Still, he doubted Specter Valley would remain quiet for long. As higher-level players increased, someone would eventually discover this place. But by then, it wouldn’t matter—he’d already earned his first bucket of gold and didn’t rely on these level-two elixirs for profit. It was a pity about the Specter Grass, though; who knew if it dropped elsewhere? If not, he’d have to buy it dearly in the future. The practical value of Specter Elixir was simply too high to abandon.

Leaving Specter Valley, he returned to Fiery Mountain City. Without the red name marker and hidden beneath the anti-detection cloak, Ye Chen wasn’t tracked by anyone.

He hurried to the Adventurers’ Guild and submitted the quest to the beautiful mentor, immediately completing his class transfer. His new title: Arbiter of Darkness. Browsing through the level 20 skills available from his mentor, Ye Chen’s mood brightened at once.

The first two were offensive spells for the Dark Priest path:

Chaos Hex: Upon casting, the target falls into an uncontrollable state of confusion, running randomly for three seconds.

Deadly Toxin: Inflicts poison on the target, dealing 10 damage per second for ten seconds.

Chaos Hex was a control skill—though it lacked direct attack power, it was extremely practical, and, being instant-cast, was crucial in PvP. Had Ye Chen learned it earlier, Fiery Tiger Roar wouldn’t have even gotten close to him. As for Deadly Toxin, it wasn’t especially effective against heavily armored classes, but it was devastating against more fragile professions. Best of all, Deadly Toxin was also instant-cast; Ye Chen would no longer be limited to his Black Fireball in duels.

With these three spells, Ye Chen could string together a small combo: Deadly Toxin, Black Fireball, Chaos Hex, then another Black Fireball—enough to instantly kill most players, except for the true tanks.

Scrolling further, he found two buff skills—the true highlight of the Arbiter of Darkness class.

…

The details of these skills will be revealed in the next chapter. Don’t throw bricks at me—if you must, shower me with recommendation tickets instead, all right? Ha!