Chapter 127: The First Trial of Spring Grass

This armored soldier’s name was Sha Wujing.

He was the very same Sha Seng, the most inconspicuous disciple of Tang Sanzang. When he first entered the game, everyone expected him to play a swordsman, yet he chose an armored soldier instead. Usually, he would quietly tag along with Tang Sanzang, the Great Sage, and Zhu Bajie to complete quests, rarely making a sound unless it was time to fight or collect loot.

If Zhou Jingchen hadn’t asked whether Sha Wujing was around, Yu Qian wouldn’t have even remembered that such a high-level armored soldier existed in their guild.

Sha Seng quietly requested to join the party.

Yu Qian paused for a moment before turning on her microphone. "Brother Sha, the Spring Grass quest can be run five times a week, but only two yield rewards, which means we have three chances to fail. In the first stage, someone needs to pilot the boat to chase the octopus and safely transport the NPC on board to the destination. While piloting, you must avoid the whirlpools in the river; hitting one means instant failure. You will be attacked by monsters along the way, but don’t worry about them. You’ll pass two bridges, and crossing them will restore your health to full. I will wait for you before the third bridge to heal you, while the others clear the monsters on the path."

She paused, then added, "Is there anything you don't understand, Brother Sha?"

After about a minute of silence, Sha Seng typed in the public chat: "So, I just need to pilot the boat, chase the octopus, and avoid the whirlpools, right?"

"That's right."

"Do I need to activate any buffs?"

"Use the Heavenly Beam Guard for defense and that damage reduction skill—I forget what it’s called. Those two will suffice."

"Got it."

The party teleported to the Grand Canal. No sooner had they loaded into the map than Sha Seng swiftly activated all his buffs.

Yu Qian suddenly spoke up, "I remember Xiu Xiu saying she had never run Spring Grass before, right? Did you complete the prerequisite quests?"

Wen Xiu, pulled onto the voice channel by Tiandao, turned on her mic: "We did. Just because we haven't run it doesn't mean our power-leveler didn't."

Since the prerequisites were met, Zhou Jingchen immediately triggered the first stage: Spring Grass Lotus Life - A Touch of Autumn in the Jianghu.

Although Yu Qian had suggested that others help clear the monsters along the path, it was clear that Sha Seng didn’t need the help; he wasn't losing any health at all.

As the top-ranked armored soldier in Cloud Song, Sha Seng relied on more than just his gear—he relied on his skill. He handled pulling mobs, managing rage, and tanking damage without a hint of hesitation. This level of skill was overkill for a weekly dungeon like Spring Grass, so he completed the boat segment with ease.

Yu Qian was stunned. In her past life, she remembered that one moment of carelessness while piloting the boat would lead to failure.

Zhou Jingchen was also surprised. He glanced at her expression and couldn't help but laugh. He took over from Yu Qian and began to explain the mechanics: "The boss in the first stage is easy to handle, but there is one thing to watch out for: the boss will randomly place poison circles. You must run out of them; otherwise, when they detonate, you’ll be killed instantly regardless of your gear."

After speaking, he clicked an item in his quest inventory, revealing the invisible mobs on the ground.

These mobs were a hidden mechanic. If the party leader didn't notice the item in the quest inventory, the mobs wouldn't appear, and they couldn't be hit by area-of-effect skills or anything else. If left alive, they would block the players' path, pinning them down. If you were unlucky enough to be stuck in a poison circle, you could just wait for the "boom" and meet your end.

With Sha Seng tanking the mobs, Yu Qian, as the healer, spent most of the time coasting, only stepping in to resurrect those who were caught by the poison circles.

"I see so many people on the world chat saying Spring Grass is hard. I thought it would be a nightmare, but it's actually quite simple," Wen Xiu remarked after turning in the quest.

"It’s not that the dungeon is hard," Zhou Jingchen replied. "It’s just that people haven't figured out the tricks, and since there are so few people playing armored soldiers, they find it difficult."

"What kind of tricks? If there were no armored soldiers, would this quest be impossible?"

"Not at all. You can clear it without one. Anyone with high health and defense can pilot the boat. Even a regular player can do it if they equip enough damage-reduction gear and have 20,000 health."

"It’s that simple?"

"It’s just that simple. It’s only a weekly dungeon, why make it so complicated?"