Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Stone Forest

“Ding! Midnight has arrived. The Rock Forest dungeon has refreshed. Players above level 20 may form teams to enter. Team size must be between 10 and 15 members.”

The crisp announcement echoed above the entire Violet Stone Forest, and instantly, the players gathered on the open ground surged forward, joining long lines in preparation to enter the dungeon.

“I'll go activate the dungeon,” Ye Chen said, a hint of excitement in his voice as he strode toward the shimmering curtain of light that had suddenly appeared ahead. Through that curtain, a forest made entirely of stone could be seen, with numerous monsters roaming within—this was the Rock Forest.

As Ye Chen stepped into the light, a cold prompt rang in his ear: “You have entered the Rock Forest dungeon map. This place is teeming with terrifying monsters and brimming with danger. Are you sure you want to lead your team into the dungeon?”

“Yes, I am sure.”

“The Rock Forest dungeon has four difficulty levels: Easy, Normal, Hard, and King. Please select one.”

“King level.”

Without hesitation, Ye Chen clicked the orange King-level option.

“Preparing to enter dungeon. Countdown: 10, 9, 8...”

When the number reached zero, a flash of white light passed before Ye Chen and his companions’ eyes. The sensation was just like using a teleportation array. When they opened their eyes again, they were already inside the dungeon, standing at the entrance path to the Rock Forest. In the distance, monsters could be glimpsed wandering among the stony trees.

“Player Nightfall’s team has entered the Rock Forest, difficulty: King level.”

This voice was not just heard by Ye Chen; all the team members could hear it. The faces of the members from the third group instantly went pale, and several with short tempers couldn’t help but shout out.

“Captain, what are you doing? Are you messing with us?”

“Damn it, King level? Even the main elite squad couldn’t clear it. That’s it, today’s dungeon run is wasted.”

“You must have picked the wrong one, right? Maybe we should just quit—it’s better to waste a run than have a full wipe. If we die, we’ll lose experience points.” Some were already voicing thoughts of giving up.

Longteng Zhanzing, seeing his subordinates bickering like this in front of his superior and friends, felt his pride wounded. He glared and shouted, “What are you squabbling about? Has the captain said anything? Mind your own business and shut up! Anyone who keeps whining will be dealt with when we get back.”

The third group members immediately fell silent, though the looks they shot at Ye Chen were far from friendly. None of them believed their team could clear the King-level Rock Forest—they were all convinced they were doomed to wipe and lose experience.

Thief Never Leaves Empty-Handed was also a bit surprised, but he didn’t believe Ye Chen had made a mistake. In his view, Ye Chen must have some confidence to do this. He had originally wanted to see Ye Chen’s true abilities, so a King-level dungeon suited him perfectly.

Though the Longteng members were still disgruntled, Zhanzing’s authority kept them quiet. Left Handed Myth, unusually, didn’t jump in to contradict, but the scornful look on his face made it clear he was waiting for Ye Chen to make a fool of himself—ready to strike once Ye Chen slipped up.

Ye Chen took in everyone’s expressions. He smiled faintly at first, then composed himself and spoke seriously, “I know many of you don’t trust me and some are even dissatisfied. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is that our goal is the same: to clear the dungeon, earn experience, and get better gear. I don’t think anyone would disagree with that.” He paused, and the team members nodded—after all, that was the whole point of entering a dungeon.

He cleared his throat and continued, “Since that’s the case, I hope that in the battles ahead, you’ll follow my lead—especially certain individuals. As a holy priest, if you play dirty tricks from the back line, the first to fall won’t be me, but the Longteng teammates holding the front. If you dare do that, I believe Longteng’s friends won’t let you off.”

At these words, all eyes turned to Left Handed Myth, their gazes unfriendly. If he really tried any tricks, he’d make deadly enemies of the Longteng members.

Left Handed Myth’s face darkened. He had indeed been considering just such a move, but now that Ye Chen had called him out in front of everyone, there was no way he could go through with it. If he tried, even Thief Never Leaves Empty-Handed wouldn’t let him get away with it.

“Brother Nightfall, you just take command. With me here, anyone who doesn’t follow orders is going against me, Thief Never Leaves Empty-Handed. In this city of Fierce Mountain, there aren’t many I fear.” Thief Never Leaves Empty-Handed laughed lightly. The Longteng members quickly echoed their agreement, pledging to obey commands.

Ye Chen nodded. This was why he had chosen to run the dungeon with Longteng. The elite squads of these big families had discipline—no matter their feelings, they would follow orders, unlike those loose, ragtag teams. The only real uncertainty was Left Handed Myth, but with Thief Never Leaves Empty-Handed present, he wouldn’t dare try anything.

“Then let’s get ready. Oh, Zhanzing, here’s the gift I promised you tonight.” Ye Chen reached out and tossed a White Tiger Pill to Longteng Zhanzing. Without waiting for him to examine it, he threw another one to Thief Never Leaves Empty-Handed. “This one’s for you. At level 25, you can still enjoy it once.”

The team members were all curious—they hadn’t seen clearly what Ye Chen had just tossed. They didn’t dare approach Thief Never Leaves Empty-Handed, but a few who were close with Zhanzing crowded around him, clamoring, “Zhanzing, share the stats with us!”

But Zhanzing just stood there, stunned. After being nudged several times, he finally snapped out of it with an “Ah!”—but instead of responding to his teammates, he shot a look of shock at the smiling Ye Chen, then at Thief Never Leaves Empty-Handed, whose face had grown grave. With difficulty, he asked, “Brother Thief, this… this thing…”

Thief Never Leaves Empty-Handed quietly stowed the pill away and shook his head at Zhanzing, signaling him not to say anything. Then he looked up at Ye Chen and asked quietly, “Brother Nightfall, can you provide these in large quantities?”

“In large quantities? Don’t kid yourself. This stuff is incredibly hard to come by. Even if I could produce it in bulk, could your Longteng really handle it? This isn’t some cheap, everyday item.” Ye Chen smiled lightly.

Thief Never Leaves Empty-Handed was silent for a moment, then nodded, “True. Even Longteng couldn’t buy these in bulk. And with the level restriction, it would need a broader market to realize its full value.”

“A broader market?” Ye Chen’s eyes lit up. He had thought about this problem before, but the official auction house’s fees were outrageous—a fifth of the transaction as commission was daylight robbery.

“We’ll discuss this later. Let’s finish the dungeon first. Haha, I’m looking forward to seeing what you can do, Brother Nightfall. King-level—no team in Fierce Mountain City has cleared it yet.”

“Then let’s set that record today,” Ye Chen declared, his spirit high.