Chapter 64: The Two Shocked Women

After listening to the two of them introduce themselves, Gu Ning naturally didn't take everything at face value—everyone had their hidden cards.

Seeing both of them looking his way, Gu Ning understood they were waiting for him to share his own situation.

He had no objections and began, "Then I'll go ahead and introduce mine."

"I have two heroes. One is a Light Elementalist, a legendary-grade hero, and the other is a Fire Elemental Spirit, also a legendary-grade hero."

Ignoring the stunned looks on their faces, Gu Ning continued.

"In addition to the two heroes, I also have two pets. One is a legendary-grade pet, a Gold Elemental Spirit. The other is an epic-grade pet, a deep-sea whale."

Since Huohuo had transformed into a hero, Gu Ning no longer considered her a pet.

He kept the existence of Darkmoon, his other legendary hero, a secret—after all, you always need to keep some cards hidden.

Still, even with what he revealed, Licoelle and Bai Xue were completely stunned.

They already knew Gu Ning was powerful, but they hadn't expected this level of absurdity.

Three legendary-grade companions? Compared to him, they felt like the difference between heaven and earth.

"That's my main force. The rest are just civilians," Gu Ning added.

"You're a total monster! How can someone have such insane luck—three legendary-grade heroes?!" Licoelle looked at him with a mix of jealousy and resentment.

She was having a hard time accepting this.

Bai Xue nodded in agreement, equally shocked by Gu Ning's strength.

Originally, she was ranked second in points, while Gu Ning was ranked first.

Although the gap between their scores was wide, she had assumed Gu Ning's high rank came from luck or some stroke of fortune, not vastly superior power.

Now she realized Gu Ning's strength far exceeded her own. She probably couldn't even defeat any of his subordinates.

Still, as someone proud of her abilities, she wasn't entirely convinced.

"What levels are they?" Bai Xue asked.

After all, it wasn't just quality that determined strength—level mattered too.

Licoelle's eyes lit up as well. Facing a towering wall like Gu Ning was suffocating; she desperately needed some breathing room.

But Gu Ning disappointed them again.

"One of the legendary heroes is level 7, the other is level 6. The legendary pet is level 5, and the epic one is level 7," he answered straightforwardly.

The two women were dumbfounded.

"Impossible! How could they level up so fast?" Licoelle exclaimed.

She had worked hard—letting her followers fish, hunting herself—and had only just barely managed to get to level 6.

And yet Gu Ning's team was this far ahead?

"Oh, I unlocked a diving tech upgrade. I go underwater hunting every day, so leveling is just a bit faster," Gu Ning replied casually, brushing off her disbelief.

Seeing their expressions, like they were looking at a monster, even Gu Ning felt a little awkward.

"Do you really have to look at me like that?" he joked.

"What about your own level?" Bai Xue asked, still unwilling to give up.

"Oh, I'm not strong at all—just level 5. My class is Ice Elementalist."

Hearing that he was only level 5, they both visibly relaxed.

Then they became puzzled. If his team was so strong, why was Gu Ning only level 5?

Licoelle voiced the question.

"Oh, you both know that the attribute gains from leveling are tied to one's personal talent and quality, right?"

The two nodded, and suddenly it all made sense.

They realized Gu Ning was holding off on leveling until his quality improved so that he could get better attribute gains.

At first, they wanted to ask if he wasn't afraid of being in danger at such a low level, but then they remembered how powerful his team was—and suddenly they felt a wave of frustration.

With followers that strong, there was no need to rush leveling. If danger came, his team would handle it.

Watching the two women sink into depression from his explanation, Gu Ning felt a mix of pride and amusement.

He glanced around. During their conversation, more ships had arrived.

Gu Ning scanned the area and stood up, frowning slightly.

Most of the ships arriving were level 3 or 4, some even level 2. Considering these were supposedly the top 10,000 players, seeing such low-level ships was… bizarre.

He was confused. Hadn't the Mother of Heaven said the positions would be arranged by ranking?

If that were true, then those around him should be other top-ten players with ships at least level 5 or 6.

Noticing him stand up, Licoelle asked, "What's wrong?"

Gu Ning shared his concerns.

Licoelle and Bai Xue were also puzzled and thought for a moment.

"There's only one possible explanation," Bai Xue said. "The top ten were teleported separately. Each of us is likely leading a team. The only reason we three ended up together is because of Licoelle's item."

Gu Ning nodded—this explanation made sense.

Still, he felt a pang of disappointment. He had hoped to run into Kawanishi Nai during this battle, so he could settle things once and for all.

That guy was always yapping in the chat, and Gu Ning found him extremely annoying.

Well, if he couldn't deal with him now, he'd find a chance once the battle began.

As one of the team leaders, it was likely they'd cross paths eventually—and when they did, Gu Ning planned to make it quick and decisive.

He was already strategizing in his mind.

"Alright," Gu Ning said, "Now that we all know each other's strength, let's talk about how we'll split the loot."

"Whoever kills the lord gets the spoils," Licoelle said.

"Agreed. We just watch each other's backs to avoid getting ganged up on," Bai Xue added.

"What if we kill one together?" Gu Ning asked.

"Whoever contributes more gets the bigger share. The others get less," Licoelle replied without hesitation.

Gu Ning looked at Bai Xue. She nodded, clearly in agreement.

He had no objections. With his strength, he wouldn't be at a disadvantage anyway.

"Alright then. Looks like it's about to start. I'm heading back to prepare," Gu Ning said, then turned and walked toward his tower ship.

As they watched him leave, Licoelle and Bai Xue exchanged glances, seeing both helplessness and relief in each other's eyes.

Helpless because it was clear they had no say in this trio—Gu Ning's power far outstripped theirs.

Relief because with someone like Gu Ning in their group, their chances of survival and success were much higher.

And from their conversation, they could also tell Gu Ning was a decent person—someone worth working with long-term.

"Licoelle, I'm heading back too," Bai Xue said, pulling herself together.