The world channel was abuzz.
Players who participated in defending the city were happily showing off.
Those who didn't were filled with regret.
Who would have thought such an impossible task could be accomplished?
Who would have thought an event so early in the game's launch could offer such generous rewards?
It was simply unbelievable!
Yet, only those directly involved knew the truth.
All of this stemmed from that incredibly powerful player.
He had, almost single-handedly, completed an event that many deemed impossible.
And subtly, this single event had divided players into two tiers.
Their starting points were no longer the same.
Meanwhile, the player in question, Lin Feng, remained unfazed.
After the Gathering Master and a group of gatherers finished harvesting all the monsters, the defense of the city officially concluded, much to everyone's satisfaction.
While other players, adorned with the "Qingchuan City Guardian" title and enjoying the "Light of Qingchuan" buff, were already calling out to form parties for monster grinding, Lin Feng and a few teammates quietly returned to the city.
His biggest gains were still safely tucked away in his inventory, waiting to be opened.
In the city's largest inn, within a top-tier private room, the group settled down.
The Gathering Master looked around, exclaiming in surprise.
"Even booking a room in the game costs 10 silver per hour. This game is too greedy!"
Although he had just been rewarded 5 gold from the defense event, making him seem like a small-time wealthy player in the game, such expenses still made his heart ache a little.
In reality, this was equivalent to paying 100 Chinese Yuan per hour for a hotel room.
War God Ao Tian said, "This room isn't just for resting. Didn't you see the prompt?"
The Gathering Master then noticed the system notification he'd received upon entering the room:
"You have entered a special area and will enjoy the following privileges:
100 cultivation points per minute.
5% increase in alchemy success rate.
5% increase in artifact crafting success rate."
The Gathering Master scoffed. "100 points per minute? That's only 6000 points per hour. What can such a small amount of cultivation do?"
War God Ba Dao snorted. "Don't brag. Before you knew Brother Yang Jian, how many cultivation points could you gain in an hour?"
The Gathering Master's face flushed red.
"Forget about the past. Even with my current strength, though my resistances are decent, my damage relies entirely on the weapons I got from Lin Feng. I can only solo level 8 monsters at best. And level 8 monsters only give 200 cultivation points. If I kill one every 2-3 minutes, factoring in time spent searching for monsters and waiting for respawns, it's better to just rest in this room."
The Gathering Master exclaimed in surprise, "Thinking about it that way, wouldn't ordinary players gain cultivation faster by just lying here resting than by grinding monsters?"
War God Ao Tian said irritably, "Are you willing to spend 100 Chinese Yuan per hour?"
The Gathering Master grunted, "I definitely wouldn't have been willing before, but now that I have money, what's this amount?"
"You said 'now.' Ordinary players can't afford this kind of expenditure. Besides, even if killing monsters is slower, there are still drops. Here, it's all going out with nothing coming in."
Their discussion sparked an idea in Persian Cat's eyes.
"So, if I stay here when I log off, I can still gain cultivation points?"
Her beautiful eyes flickered, seemingly proud of her brilliant idea.
Even the bragging Gathering Master was speechless.
"Big sister, 100 Chinese Yuan per hour, that's over a thousand per night! For just tens of thousands of cultivation points, is it worth it?"
Persian Cat said nonchalantly, "Of course it's worth it! For a little money, I get so much cultivation for free. How good is that?"
The Gathering Master decided he didn't want to talk to her anymore.
He didn't understand the world of the rich.
Lin Feng's heart stirred.
What Persian Cat said, while unsuitable for ordinary players, was indeed suitable for the wealthy.
Before he could cash out his special currency, Lin Feng was still empty-handed in reality.
However, in the game, he wasn't lacking in this kind of minor expense.
It was just that the effect of this room was far from meeting his needs.
If he could find a city with even better effects, he wouldn't mind spending more money.
For him, time was the most important thing.
The sooner he became stronger, the greater his confidence would be in facing future disasters.
After a brief chat, War God Ba Dao solemnly got to the point.
"Brother Yang Jian, since you consider us brothers, shared the game's greatest secrets with us, and have helped us multiple times, Ao Tian and I have discussed it. We know you wouldn't be interested in game currency as repayment. We want to invite you to join our real-world businesses and cooperate together."
He lowered his head and sighed. "To call it cooperation is just putting a good face on it. When the alien invasion arrives, our so-called business wealth might not even be worth a single top-tier piece of equipment in the game."
He looked up earnestly. "Please, senior, guide us brothers. We want to survive the chaos to come!"
Lin Feng was somewhat moved. "What kind of businesses do you have in reality?"
Although personal strength would play the biggest role after the game invaded reality, everything in reality wasn't entirely useless.
Seeing a glimmer of hope, War God Ba Dao excitedly replied, "Ao Tian and I were fellow disciples who learned martial arts together since childhood. Now we have a gym in Rongcheng."
Lin Feng said, "So you are martial artists. No wonder you have such high talent when entering the game."
War God Ba Dao said sheepishly, "Our talent is nothing compared to yours, senior. Not even close."
Lin Feng touched his nose, thinking to himself, "I'm a reborn with a cheat. There's no comparison."
"Are you still in touch with your former fellow disciples? Is the gym spacious? Do you have any members you're close with?"
Lin Feng's questions were clear in their intent. War God Ao Tian immediately understood and excitedly said, "Senior, do you mean to build our own team?"
Lin Feng nodded. "Since I know about future developments, we need to start preparing now."
A look of anticipation shone in War God Ba Dao and War God Ao Tian's eyes.
Things seemed to be getting more interesting?
Seeing the conversation heating up, Persian Cat grew anxious.
"I want to cooperate with Brother Yang Jian too!"
Lin Feng smiled and asked, "How do you want to cooperate with me?"
He had long noticed that Persian Cat, despite her outward appearance of a cool older sister, was more like a slightly willful cute girl. Although she seemed wealthy, she was likely not very old. What could she possibly offer as cooperation?
Persian Cat didn't answer him. Instead, she asked War God Ba Dao, "Which part of Rongcheng is your gym located in?"
War God Ao Tian, not understanding her intention, replied, "18th floor, Zhongtai International Building. What's wrong?"
Persian Cat proudly patted her chest. "I'm not very talented, but I happen to be your landlord."
War God Ba Dao's jaw dropped in shock. "You're our landlord? Who are you related to in Rongcheng's richest family?"