If Death Ripple scrolls were auctioned, a single scroll would fetch several hundred gold coins. The input versus output might not be proportional, and few would be as crazy as Nie Yan, spamming Death Ripple scrolls like that. He spent close to thirty or forty thousand gold coins! Even Century Financial Consortium wouldn’t be so reckless. But at the original price of two gold coins per scroll, Nie Yan used only four or five hundred gold coins to level up seven times and obtain equipment worth over twenty thousand gold coins.
Nie Yan had Guo Huai send a Thief to transport all the dropped items back to the city.
“I got seven Beginner Resurrection spells here. Distribute them to the Priests with the best skills,” Nie Yan said. Good steel should be used on the blade. These Beginner Resurrection spells had to be used well.
Guo Huai was stunned. A Beginner Resurrection spell on the market cost thousands of gold coins. Whenever one appeared, players would fight over it, the wealthy ones frantically raising the price to unbearable levels. Nirvana Guild naturally wouldn't buy such expensive Beginner Resurrection spells. Their drop rate was extremely low, with the guild only obtaining one or two every few days. Nie Yan's claim of getting seven was unbelievable, considering they only had nine so far.
“Where did you get so many Beginner Resurrection spells?” Guo Huai asked, surprised.
“Level 80 map. I think I can get more. Have Huidun, Brilliant Cutlass, and the others come over. Try to get them all to Level 50,” Nie Yan thought. It wasn't enough to boost only his level; he needed to bring up the elite team members as well!
Guo Huai hurried to arrange it.
After reaching Level 54, Nie Yan paused his leveling, summoned the Golden Earth Dragon, and set the experience to be solely absorbed by it. The dragon's level soared, quickly surpassing Level 45 and then charging towards Level 50.
At Level 45, the Golden Earth Dragon already had 6,000 HP, with significantly increased attack and defense. This Golden Earth Dragon had become an unrivaled overlord-class pet.
After a while, Tang Yao arrived. Nie Yan leveled with him for a bit. Watching the Level 80 Blue-skinned Elites fall one after another, Tang Yao was astonished. No wonder Nie Yan leveled so fast! Tang Yao could only handle monsters up to Level 60 when over-leveling and grinding, and he certainly wouldn’t dare come to a Level 80 map.
Soon after, Sun, Watery Reflection, Brilliant Cutlass, Big Boss Seven, and over twenty other elites from Nirvana Guild arrived.
“It was so dangerous getting here! All those Level 60 and 70 monsters. Nie Yan, how did you even get here?” Watery Reflection asked. Nie Yan dared to go anywhere!
Nie Yan smiled. “These are all Level 80 Blue-skinned Elites. Be careful.”
Nie Yan distributed some Death Ripple scrolls to them, and they split into groups to grind. Usually, the Warriors and Thieves would grind, while the magic users would leech experience from the side.
Using up the remaining Death Ripple scrolls, most of them should reach Level 50. Sun, Watery Reflection, and a few others who were already Level 50 should reach Level 52 or 53.
Sun walked up from the side and said, “Nie Yan, I found the Soth Shadow Remnant you asked me to get.”
Sun took out the Soth Shadow Remnant from his bag, a somewhat dim cloth roll that looked old and worn. The map where he found the Soth Shadow Cloth Roll was a Level 30 mechanical maze, filled with traps. It required exceptional skill to retrieve the cloth roll. Some of the intricate traps could instantly kill Level 60 or 70 Thieves. High levels alone wouldn't guarantee success.
Nie Yan confirmed the trade and looked at the Soth Cloth Roll's stats.
Soth Cloth Roll: A remnant of the Soth Shadow. This cloth roll is filled with strange magic. Grants the holder +20 Focus and +20 Stealth.
Nie Yan placed the Soth Cloth Roll into his bag, then put the Soth Shadow Boots inside as well. A dazzling light flashed as the Soth Cloth Roll slowly melted away, eventually disappearing without a trace. The Soth Shadow Boots shimmered with an unusual luster, quite different from before.
Nie Yan checked the Soth Shadow Boots' stats.
Soth Shadow Boots (Fragmented Legendary Item): Requires 330 Strength.
Item Description: The Soth Shadow has been divided into three parts. The boots still retain traces of magic and can still be used. Soth Shadow Remnants: Soth Boots, Soth Feather, Soth Cloth Roll. You need to find the remaining fragments to restore its original form.
Stats: Agility +50, Speed +20, Jump +20, Stealth +20, Concealment +20, Reflexes +20. Grants Level 7 Thieving skill, grants Level 7 Shadow Dance skill, Stealth and Concealment are additionally boosted by 50 points, Movement Speed +50, grants 2 seconds of invincibility, untraceable for 12 seconds, with a certain probability of being detected in rounds after 12 seconds.
The Soth Shadow Boots' stats increased significantly, especially the Thieving and Shadow Dance skills, which went from Level 3 to Level 7. Both Level 7 Thieving and Level 7 Shadow Dance were rare skills. Besides some stat bonuses, Shadow Dance also gained a 2-second invincibility effect. With this upgrade, the value of Shadow Dance exceeded Gale Steps.
Sun had helped Nie Yan immensely. He wondered how Sun's skills were progressing. Nie Yan had taught him all the Shadow Dance techniques Sun knew in his previous life. With his talent, he must have understood quite a bit.
“Which of the Shadow Dance techniques have you mastered?” Nie Yan asked, eager to see Sun's progress.
“I only learned two of the seven Shadow Dance techniques, Shadow Steps and Illusion Steps. These Shadow Dance techniques are too difficult. Some techniques I practiced hundreds of times but still couldn’t learn. I’m too stupid,” Sun said, scratching his head embarrassedly. He assumed Nie Yan knew all these techniques, and he had only learned two. He worried he was too slow and would be scolded, but in reality, his learning ability far surpassed ordinary players.
Of the seven Shadow Dance techniques, Nie Yan had only learned Shadow Steps and Death Steps. Illusion Steps was slightly simpler than Death Steps, but it still required excellent comprehension to master in such a short time. He was speechless at Sun's talent. Some people were simply born to play Thieves.
In his previous life, Nie Yan knew he was only of average talent compared to those exceptionally gifted geniuses. He could only compensate with hard work, studying those videos every day to learn some things. Although he failed to become a Shadow Dancer, he still managed to make a name for himself.
In this life, although he had a temporary advantage due to his rebirth, eventually someone would surpass him. Perhaps one day, his skills would be inferior to many, but he would still be the leader of Nirvana Guild. That was unshakeable. He hoped Nirvana Guild would produce talents one after another, surpassing him so he could relax and not have to take action himself. In his previous life, the overlord Cao Xu dominated, with five super guilds under his command spanning the entire Green Land Empire, while he himself was just a Level 0 commoner!
“Not bad. Show me your Illusion Steps later. I haven’t learned it yet,” Nie Yan said. A gentleman is open and honest. If he didn't know something, he didn't know it. There was no need to hide it for the sake of face. His talent was inferior to Sun's, that was a fact. Only by learning could he continue to improve, otherwise he would fall further and further behind and be looked down upon.
“You haven’t learned Illusion Steps either, Nie Yan?” Sun asked in surprise.
“Yeah, I only know Shadow Steps and Death Steps out of the seven Shadow Dance techniques,” Nie Yan said. Shadow Dance techniques were very difficult to learn. In his previous life, most Shadow Dancer-class Thieves only knew two or three Shadow Dance techniques. It was rare for someone like Sun to master two in such a short time.
“I thought you knew all seven Shadow Dance techniques, Nie Yan.”
“No one knows everything. Learning these Shadow Dance techniques requires talent, and you're more talented and hardworking than I am,” Nie Yan said with a smile. Sun was both diligent and talented. His success was no accident.
“Shadow Steps is the most basic of the seven Shadow Dance techniques. I think Death Steps is the hardest to learn, it requires mastering the frequency. As for Illusion Steps, I only learned it by chance. I thought I hadn't grasped it because I lacked comprehension,” Sun said. Hearing Nie Yan's praise, the pressure on his mind suddenly lessened a lot. Nie Yan not knowing these Shadow Dance techniques didn't affect Nie Yan's high status in his heart. Nie Yan was still an unattainable goal for him. These Shadow Dance techniques were just some auxiliary skills and didn't represent a person's strength.
Brilliant Cutlass and the others, overhearing Nie Yan admitting his inferiority to Sun, admired him. Even they probably couldn't be so open and honest. Nie Yan's ability to lead Nirvana Guild wasn't just luck. To earn others' respect, one needed not only strength, but also the leader's personality. Nie Yan influenced the entire Nirvana Guild in his own way. Nirvana Guild's resilience, never giving up, and unwavering loyalty were all influenced by Nie Yan.
Nie Yan and the others began grinding monsters in different areas, using Death Ripple scrolls to frantically clear them out. After using so many Death Ripple scrolls, everyone would reach Level 52 or 53. Especially the Shield Warriors and Priests. If Brilliant Cutlass, Watery Reflection, Big Boss Seven, Biyi Lusha, and the others could complete their class advancement, they could clear the intermediate fortress in Carol City.