004

Upgrading in the Ninth District, which isn't considered a new district, has a clear advantage for Zhong Qing thanks to the experience compensation system. At least it's not like in new districts where it can take 12 hours without even reaching level 20. After clearing all her dungeon attempts and spending some time grinding mobs in the wild, she was already at the level to change classes.

"Let's go, let's go. Let's go farm some gear,"

Jian Ke Liuchao lived up to Zhong Qing's impression of most lively sword users. Unfortunately, his fast hands were mainly used for skills, leaving him with no time to type.

While controlling her character and following them to the trading market, she glanced at the loot in her bag.

Aside from encountering a Spider Warrior once, the last dungeon also spawned a Spider Lord. This time, she rolled for a blue necklace, and the purple shield went to the knight. The number of spider venoms and silks she received from the hidden bosses was enough for her to estimate earning over a hundred silver coins.

That amount wouldn't buy her a purple item, but at least it would allow her to look for standout blue items. After all, it was just level 20 beginner gear, and there were plenty of hand-me-downs from players who had already leveled up.

Zhong Qing had some ideas about how to plan her character's attributes.

Her time playing Glory, considering her multiple playthroughs, was not short. Even though she could skip non-essential timelines, Glory always demanded real skill. Without it, she wouldn't have been able to pass the official competition checkpoints.

Her Glory journey started with Ye Xiu, the current captain of Team Excellent Era. Since she was familiarizing herself with the main storyline by following the boss's wife around, showing even a little interest in the game meant the internet cafe manager had to recruit her to play.

Later, she went through teams like Misty Rain, Excellent Era, Happy, Tiny Herb, and Thunderclap. After living under the wings of Ye Xiu, Xiao Shiqin, and Wang Jiexi, Zhong Qing could be considered half a "little heart" player.

What she needed to stack for her character wasn't the high damage most element mages went for but rather global cooldown reduction to take full advantage of her fast hands, and crit rate to deal lethal damage. As for gear with shortened skill casting time, that wasn't in her consideration just yet.

After changing into a full set of equipment, her elemental mage, Shexin Lingpo, finally looked like a proper expert. However, in the Ninth District, where many max-level players were already active, she could only be considered a new player.

"Have you thought about joining a guild, Miss?"

Shaoguang Liu Jing had already swapped gear faster than everyone else. Although her outfit's colors were a bit mismatched, unlike what most female players would typically fuss over, Zhong Qing could tell that the gear she chose was well-suited stat-wise.

"Not yet." The in-game character twirled her staff, and Zhong Qing pondered outside the game.

In fact, this wasn't about her gaming skills.

After running a few dungeons, she knew her technique and hand speed well. With her level of skill, simply placing herself as a power-leveler would be a waste. But joining the pro scene wasn't as straightforward as completing a game's walkthrough, where a clear objective negated the need for repeated deliberation.

If she were her 25-year-old self, she wouldn't need to think about it. She'd already passed the golden age for entering the pro scene.

At 19, however, she had another option besides joining a team. She could use her in-game skills to earn enough money and then go on to get a degree.

To Shaoguang, though, this hesitation likely appeared as though Zhong Qing hadn't returned to the game in years, with her old friends all having quit, and she was now unsure which guild to join. So, she eagerly started promoting.

"How about joining Samsara Guild? We can form a dungeon group and steadily push to level 70."

Seeing Zhong Qing was somewhat interested, Shaoguang continued selling the idea, "With your skill level, you'd have no problem joining Samsara's elite team once you reach the Heavenly Domain. And I'll tell you this: the elite team's stipends are the highest!"

She wasn't wrong about that.

Zhong Qing had gone through both MMORPGs and professional leagues multiple times, and thanks to a certain scattered-class player, she had stolen plenty of bosses, tangling with various guilds.

Samsara Guild wasn't like the three main guilds, which had enough roots in MMORPGs to form vast networks. Nor did it have a team with three championship titles, like Excellent Era, to attract a crowd of players with fan loyalty. It also wasn't like Misty Rain or Thunderclap, where the guild was closely tied to a specific team. Samsara was a relatively new guild that had emerged in recent years, but it had one notable trait: money.

Zhong Qing felt there was no need for a second reason to convince her to join.

"Alright."

Shaoguang, who had initially thought she'd have to mention things like how Samsara had the top face in the league or how the guild had a harmonious atmosphere, was stunned when Zhong Qing agreed so directly.

In-game, Shexin Lingpo's character looked cool and aloof, and being an expert only reinforced that image. Shaoguang tried to convince herself that Zhong Qing hadn't made her decision because of the second reason she had in mind.

"I'll invite you to the guild."

Technically, Samsara's guild wasn't the kind that would casually invite a level 20 newbie, but with Yan Hua, Shaoguang, and Liuchao's main accounts being elite members of the Heavenly Domain Samsara Guild, their endorsement ensured Zhong Qing's smooth entry.

In the guild chat, a gunner with the ID "Xiaobei Gonna Fight You" was trading gear with other members in exchange for contribution points, trying to get enough for the Flowing Earth Emblem that had just dropped from the Blue Crystal Knight in the western desert world boss fight.

Thus, the message "Player Shexin Lingpo has joined the guild" became nothing more than a system notification drowned out by all the transaction details.

...

[Shaoguang Liu Jing]: Welcome, newcomer.

[Xiaobei Gonna Fight You]: I still need 100 more contribution points, wahhh! Bros and sis's, if you're interested in any rare materials or gear I've stashed, come find me at the trading area near the east gate.

[Lone Drink Refuses to Guide Newbies]: What's with you, a grown man acting cute?

[Zhou Zekai's Little Cotton-padded Jacket]: Xiaobei, why don't you sell yourself to the guild leader? Maybe then you won't even need to pay those 100 points.

[Du Hu]: Xiaobei, are you willing to trade that jump-boost ring?

[Xiaobei Gonna Fight You]: Pfft! You opportunist! There was just a newcomer; can't you at least watch your image?

[Du Hu]: I never said your ring was only worth 100 contribution points.

...

Zhong Qing couldn't hold back her laughter.

"Is the guild chat always this lively?"

In the game, the loli-like Shaoguang Liu Jing tried to maintain a serious demeanor. "Well, you know, the team is young, so it tends to attract a bunch of energetic fans…"

Shexin Lingpo patted Shaoguang Liu Jing on the head.