Ready

The sudden chime of the system uplifted Jiang Han's spirits, prompting him to immediately open the panel to examine the details of his title —

[Dark Prelude]: Final Life Value increased by 300%!

Compared to the era of Dark Dominance, there is another 50% increment, and it is still the "Final Life Value." This entails an additional tripling after all relevant life values and percentages have been settled.

Due to the change in the title, Jiang Han's life value at this moment has soared to a staggering 1.76 million, surpassing ordinary players by an unknown multiple!

"Still a bit on the low side..." Jiang Han felt a bit uneasy.

He wasn't necessarily eager to compete in life value thickness with NPCs of the same level, as there was still the "Third Transformation" in the future. He could learn various passive skills to enhance attributes, offering significant room for development. However, he couldn't shake off the feeling of a significant disparity.

Taking the example of facing the Trolo in the assault on the Ice and Snow Town, both being level 60 dark-gold tier BOSS, the opponent's life value was a staggering 6 million, more than triple his!

It's worth noting that, apart from the cloak, he was fully equipped with dark-gold equipment.

"Could it be... there's some equipment I haven't worn yet?" Jiang Han pondered. Just like the cloak, perhaps there existed some rare equipment that he overlooked.

However, now was not the time to ponder these matters. All he could say was that the advancement of the title was an unexpected joy, providing him with extra assurance in completing the plot mission.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

Riding the Blue Scale Beast, Jiang Han galloped across the wilderness, the scenery rapidly receding, and the wind blowing against him was quite strong.

Much faster than the donkey period!

Jiang Han was in a good mood.

The Blue Scale Beast provided a 120% movement speed bonus, coupled with the 20% shadowing effect, and a 60% growth star bonus, resulting in a total of 200% movement speed bonus, making him incredibly fast.

Occasionally, Jiang Han used War Stomp to travel, skyrocketing his movement speed to 500% within three seconds. The Blue Scale Beast's hooves cast shadows, resembling an arrow leaving its bow.

In just a few minutes, he reached the nearby third-level town. Jiang Han used the Invisibility Technique to blend into the crowd and enter the town, ignoring the system's introduction to the city map for first-time entrants. He then used the teleportation matrix to travel to his destination for this trip.

"Ding!~"

System prompt: You have entered the map [Qingfeng Town]!

Qingfeng Town!

This was his second entry; the first time was when he went to the Sword Pavilion with Cheryl. This time, however, he was acting alone.

As a precaution, patiently waiting for nightfall, Jiang Han used the jump force bonus provided by War Stomp to easily leap over the walls and enter the Sword Pavilion.

"Ding!~"

System prompt: Please note that you have entered the map [Sword Pavilion]!

"Swoosh..."

In the instant of landing, a strong sound of a sword breaking through the air echoed in Jiang Han's ears. Startled, he looked up, and what appeared in his line of sight was a swift white sword qi, rapidly expanding and almost occupying Jiang Han's entire field of vision.

-1766399!

The high damage value jumped out from Jiang Han's body. As the sword qi passed through Jiang Han's body, it directly dissipated, turning into a gentle breeze without causing any damage to the surroundings, as if proving the attacker's exquisite control over the force.

Jiang Han was startled, looking at his life value —

1 point!

Well, that was a close call.

Putting away his sword, a white-clothed girl appeared in front of Jiang Han in an instant, clear eyes carrying a hint of annoyance: "Are you addicted? Do you know that finding me puts me under tremendous pressure?"

"Mainly, there is an important matter to discuss with you," Jiang Han chuckled.

He knew that, no matter what, the Sword God would not kill him. Otherwise, there would be no need for the Sword God to intervene to save him back then.

Although a bit shameless, for the sake of the mission, he had to exhaust all means.

"Oh?" Dongfang Yixin was surprised. "What's the matter?"

"The situation is like this..." Jiang Han explained the matter of the Bright Camp attempting to sacrifice a hundred children to summon a divine being, with some embellishments, as it was standard operating procedure.

Finally, he solemnly declared, "I cannot accept the sacrifice of a hundred children, so I intend to disrupt this ritual."

Dongfang Yixin frowned, silent.

Seeing this, Jiang Han did not continue speaking, patiently awaiting a response.

After a long while, she said seriously, "I... ultimately represent the Bright Camp and am powerless to assist you."

Powerless to lend the power of the Sword God to help him overcome this difficulty?

Jiang Han's heart sank.

Powerless!

Whether the actions of the Sword God were restricted by rules or by position, he was uncertain.

"The only thing I can tell you is this," Dongfang Yixin said with a serious expression, "The Dark Swordsman is evil, from start to finish. Your body, your blood, your soul, all are evil."

Jiang Han: "..."

What kind of bizarre statement is this?

I am clearly such a kind-hearted person.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

Suddenly, thunder exploded in the sky.

Purple lightning illuminated the sky for an instant before disappearing.

Simultaneously, an indistinct pressure enveloped the entire area, lowering the atmosphere to freezing point.

Looking up at the sky, Dongfang Yixin, as the Sword God, had a solemn expression: "Hurry and leave, if you don't leave soon, I really will have to take action..."

"...Thank you!" Jiang Han decisively turned around and leaped out of the Sword Pavilion.

Now he understood the reason behind the Sword God's claim of powerlessness.

If unnecessary, the other party really couldn't take action to save him.

Why then was the Sword God able to intervene in the Ice and Snow Town?

"Come to think of it, although it was said that she was helping me at the time, it was officially against the Demon God, and the rules did not restrict her, which is normal," Jiang Han immediately understood the reason.

Subsequently, Jiang Han went to Tianhai Town and logged out.

...

Taking off the game helmet, he picked up his phone placed nearby and called Wang Kai.

"Dial... dial..."

"Hello!"

"Brother, there's something I want to ask for your help." Jiang Han got straight to the point.

"What's the matter, don't be so polite. What kind of relationship do we have? Anything I can help with, I will definitely help!"

"I want you to find a large number of thieves to infiltrate the Dark Camp stealthily. Tell an NPC for me that I might die at the hands of the Holy See of Light. It's crucial, and I need to grasp and utilize any potentially overlooked key points."

Although Wang Kai found Jiang Han's request incredible, as a brother, he

 still chose to help unconditionally.

Of course, Jiang Han had already transferred the money to Wang Kai for hiring thief players.

With everything prepared, Jiang Han read some forum strategies and then went to sleep peacefully.

Tomorrow is the beginning of the world martial arts competition, so it's essential to be well-rested.

...

The next day.

9:30!

Wearing the game helmet again, Jiang Han continued his journey for the new day.

"Swoosh!"

In a flash of white light, Jiang Han appeared at the logoff location in Tianhai Town.

"Ding!~"

System prompt: Please note that the first round of the [World Martial Arts Competition] (Eastern Region) you are participating in is about to start at 10:00. Do you want to go to the venue in advance? (Note: When the event officially starts, you can choose to go immediately or forfeit the match.)