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nTranslator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

nThe conversation with Desert Fly lasted a total of three hours.

nLin Jie had an enjoyable chat with him, who was amongst the first batch of China’s gaming arena. Back when the virtual world hadn’t been taken seriously, and the players held low statuses, Desert Fly had been the first to lead the group of Chinese gamers to solidify their standings as ESports powerhouses. It had all been made possible with their passion and talent.

nAfter that, virtual gaming had advanced rapidly, and the Chinese gaming team had been given recognition. More and more talented players had come to the front line as Desert Fly, and his teammates had retreated to the background. Lin Jie held great respect for him through both of his lives.

nDuring the toughest times, when the older generation had been viewing it as ‘just a game’ and ‘a waste of time’, they had been the ones that stood strong and raised China up high!

nWith the respect he originally had, both men had a smooth conversation.

n“Alright, Brother Lone Wolf, here’s to anticipate our successful collaboration.” Smiley faces appeared on the book, as though Desert Fly was chuckling out loud. He added, “My name is a tongue-twister, just call me Li Dafeng. We will meet again soon.”

n“Alright.” Lin Jie gave a one-worded reply and closed the book.

nBu Yi had already left, as she had many things on hand as the important Priest of the team. Just speaking about casting materials alone, she had to carry 30 groups of those! The materials could increase skills’ powers by about 5-10%, and the more could be said for superior-grade materials. Hence, they held great importance when a team was going to a large dungeon.

nLin Jie closed his eyes to freshen up in the library. When the players were in the game, their brain waves were extremely weak, almost comparable to how it was during the shallow sleep phase. If the in-game character was in a calm state of mind, in the real world, the person’s brain would be in a normal sleeping state. This was the reason how professional players could slay monsters throughout the entire day without faltering and getting tired. As the job got repetitive, their brains’ operations would gradually slow down to the sleeping phase.

nThe next day, Lin Jie opened his eyes slowly, and his eyes shone with energy.

nLin Jie rode on his Crescent Warhorse and rushed to the War of Light’s dungeon entrance. The City of Light soldiers, who had pitched their camps there, were all ready to go. If one were to go a little closer, their stability would be affected by the vibrating sound waves.

nRaid Commander Tyrese mounted on a large horse as she donned on a silvery armor and looked mighty and valiant. She raised her hand and commanded, “Brave men, our final battle is about to begin. We will kill the Demon of Destruction, and the Holy Light Army will step foot into the Abyss to destroy that dark and dirty world!”

nEveryone accepted the mission For The Guild! All parties would be rewarded regardless of who killed the Demon of Destruction. Of course, the rewards would be greater for the player that slew the Devil.

nTo this day, very few teams had successfully conquered the four big maps. However, there were hundreds and thousands of teams there, making up countless men. Everyone was fervent and excited as they clenched their fists tight. They could barely hide their urge to enter Hell Gate to slay the Demon of Destruction and get the rewards.

nHowever, despite their eagerness, they all stood uniformly. The stronger the team, the better was their composure. At the front, other than the established City of Light guilds—Steel Allies, Ironwall Empire, Knight’s Glory, Vampire Capital—there were several new ones such as Supreme Tribe, Brilliant Sword, and so on. The teams formed a pyramidal shape, but they left the top spot empty.

nIt was a kind gesture of the friendly guilds such as Steel Allies and Knight’s Glory to leave the spot empty. Firstly, it was done out of goodwill towards the Brotherhood, and secondly, they wanted to see if they could gain from it.

n“The Xuanyuan Alliance is here!”

n“Haha, why does their skin look so weird?”

n“Things are getting interesting because Codename Lone Wolf is here already.”

nDiscussions broke out among the crowd as various meaningful glances were tossed towards the Xuanyuan Alliance. Some that desired to stir up trouble even shouted in the direction of the Brotherhood, hoping for conflict to arise.

n“Baili Xuanyuan.” Baili Changcheng stood in front of his Supreme Tribe. Even though he was a member of the Brotherhood, above all, he was the leader of the Supreme Tribe! He mulled over the name but maintained his composure. Baili Changcheng had learned many things during the time he had been spending with Lin Jie. Relentless words were meant to be said during times of victory!

n“Leader, could it be that he wants to stand in the first position?” Beside him, the beautiful second-in-command, Luo Ying, asked softly, “Do you want me to send some men to knock some sense into them?”

nBaili Changcheng’s mouth twitched as he laughed dryly. “There is no need for that. We just have to enjoy the show. Lone Wolf will definitely come forward.”

n“Changcheng, you are always talking about Lone Wolf. This is not what Young Lady wants to see,” inculcated Luo Ying, just like how a senior would educate the youngster.

nBaili Changcheng retracted his neck as he asked meekly, “Alright, alright… Why are you still calling my mom a young lady when she is already that old? Aunty Shen, as my mom’s secretary, it’s not a great idea for you to be hanging out in the game all day, right? Why don’t you go offline and take a break?”

nApparently, the pretty vice-leader that Lin Jie had misunderstood previously was the secretary of Baili Changcheng’s mother. Previously, when Lin Jie had gotten to know of that, he paused for 10 seconds, before forcing out a laugh for three minutes—it had been a painfully awkward situation.

n“There’s no need for that. Young Lady told me to monitor your uncle, not to protect you.” Luo Ying’s eyes were in slits as she glanced angrily at Baili Changcheng when he called her ‘Aunty’. Then she added, “We’ve been observing that Codename Lone Wolf specifically and realized that his words and deeds are unlike those of a usual university student. Young Lady… your mother has even praised him for being ‘deceitfully crafty and has great mental reservation’, and that you have to learn from him.”

nBaili Changcheng’s eyebrows rose as he didn’t know that his family held such high regard for Codename Lone Wolf.

nAt that moment, something occurred.

nBaili Xuanyuan led his capable subordinates and began walking towards the front. On the other side, Lin Jie also strode along slowly in the same direction.

nLin Jie was covered in a pitch-black beast armor, with six wings sprouting from his back. He held Broken Blade and donned on the Lone Wolf Helmet, looking striking and farrand. Although his eyes were shielded, he was still able to lit up a fire amongst the crowd. Although both men were treading differently, they were traveling at the same pace. Thus, everyone could easily calculate that both of their final steps would be onto the top.

nBang!

nBoth men remained silent and continued walking. Suddenly, a loud footstep was heard as Baili Xuanyuan stood at the very front, the most important spot of the entire team. He placed his right foot forward, and it sunk into the ground, all the way till his calf. It was a powerful step, and it seemed like Baili Xuanyuan’s powers had grown again.

nOn the other hand, Lin Jie stood softly aside. There were not any earth-shaking motions or staggering arrays, but he stood straight in front of the crowd just like that. He did not speak, did not move, and did not even bother looking anywhere else.

nThe crowd was silent!

nNo one knew why, but they felt as though Codename Lone Wolf was stronger despite the larger commotion that Baili Xuanyuan had caused.

n“Amazing! His manner of suppression is really powerful!” Luo Ying couldn’t help but praise.

nThe Baili family were great merchants, and all of them were intelligent. They were all skilled in the usage of presence. With an imposing presence, they would be able to suppress their opponents during negotiations and trades. Hence, it was crucial for them to practice their presence control. The secretary was one of the experts here, and she could identify Lin Jie’s approach instantly. Thus, she cheered, “Changcheng, this was the ‘coercion’ that your father and uncles often speak about.

n“A publicly respected figure should possess a natural presence. It’s a presence that is due to everyone’s fear and awe! Since the start of the game, Codename Lone Wolf’s strength has been clear to all, and people’s impressions are that he is extremely powerful! Even if he is just standing in front of you, you will feel the respect and fear, and that is the presence!

n“Baili Xuanyuan is a trader but hasn’t been faring well in the game. As such, he could only use the lowest possible means to build up his presence. By showcasing his strength like that, it’s equivalent to us dishing out millions of dollars during a negotiation to let our opponents know that we don’t lack money. This can only impress commoners, but what about those experts? However, Codename Lone Wolf made use of his surroundings to formulate his presence from the crowd just by standing there!”

nWords began pouring out of Luo Ying’s mouth as she treated Lin Jie as a great example. “His lack of movements is the best movement. His lack of words is the best thing he can say! His abilities to manipulate his presence are on par with the old foxes!”

nBaili Changcheng was stunned as a complicated feeling grew inside of him. He was happy for his friend, but he couldn’t help but feel inferior…

nLin Jie looked at Baili Xuanyuan with a steady composure. In this current situation, the first one to speak would lose. There was also no need for Lin Jie to do so as his presence was already formulated. However, Baili Xuanyuan could not last any longer.

nOn the other hand, a smile was hanging off Baili Xuanyuan’s face as his hands were placed comfortably on his side. He appeared to be a powerful figure, but his fingers were twitching unnaturally to ease his discomfort. He knew that he had lost the battle of presence! He couldn’t believe that after residing on the top and manipulating his presence for over ten years, he had lost to a young man!

nAt that moment, Baili Xuanyuan put on a smiling face and retreated, as he spoke loudly. “The Xuanyuan Alliance would like to congratulate the Brotherhood in advance for conquering the dungeon and getting the first clear!”

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