Chapter 23: Displaying Their Assets

In the Far Shore, a thousand Starter Villages had been opened. With nearly fifty million players being randomly placed, it was no easy task for friends from real life or players from the same guild to meet up in the same Starter Village.

Yidao Liangduan led Ye Rong into the Mountain God Temple and introduced him. Inside, besides Yidao Liangduan’s boss, there were four other players present.

Blue Chariot, Level 15, the ‘Boss’ Yidao Liangduan mentioned. They were likely guildmates.

Blood Colored Poppy, Level 15. Clad in white robes, with a handsome face that bordered on feminine. Ye Rong keenly felt the wary, almost fearful, atmosphere the others in the temple held towards this person.

Ethereal Green Robe, Level 15. True to the name, wore green from head to toe.

Misty Waters, Level 14, the only female player present among them. She had an elegant posture, pitch-black hair, and skin as white as snow.

Young Master Wei, Level 14. Carried a folding fan in hand, looking refined and cultured. His eyes kept darting towards Misty Waters.

Along with the newly arrived Ye Rong and Yidao Liangduan, these were all the people currently inside the temple.

Ye Rong also proactively displayed his ID and Level information, matching the action of the others.

“Alright, everyone is here now. Except for Brother Yijian Kurong, the rest of us already know each other, or at least heard of each other’s name during the Closed Beta, so no need for further introductions. Brother Yijian Kurong was introduced by Yidao, so his skills shouldn’t be lacking. He qualifies to join our team.”

Blue Chariot stood up. Only then did Ye Rong notice the man was nearly two meters tall. His voice was deep and steady, giving an instant feeling of reliability and trustworthiness.

“Wait, we don’t know anything about this guy’s strength yet. Him joining might actually be a hindrance.”

Young Master Wei snapped his paper fan shut with a flourish. Behind his gentle smile hid a faint trace of disdain.

“Yijian Kurong? That name rings no bells at all. Brother Green Robe, have you heard of it?”

“Nope.”

Ethereal Green Robe answered indifferently, expression wooden as he sat cross-legged on the ground.

“Well then! This guy’s probably just some novice noob. Better not mess things up during the Great Water Turtle hunt and screw us over.”

Young Master Wei spoke fervently, appearing earnestly concerned for the group’s welfare. As for Ye Rong standing right there, he seemed invisible, his feelings completely disregarded.

“I trust the person Yidao recommends. My people have that much discernment.”

Blue Chariot glanced at Ye Rong. He knew well enough Young Master Wei’s character – a petty, vulgar man during the Closed Beta, yet one who desperately tried to present himself as elegant, disgusting those who truly knew him.

“Brother Yijian, why not show us your character stat panel? Teammates need mutual understanding to cooperate.”

“Of course. But before that, shouldn’t you all display your character stat panels as well? Let me see if joining is even worth it. Joining a team of useless rejects would just be a waste of time, and get me killed for nothing.”

“How dare you! We’re all Closed Beta players! Brother Blood Colored Poppy didn’t take part in the beta but is a famous expert among pro players! What are you to question our qualifications!?”

Alongside the fiercely indignant Young Master Wei, Ethereal Green Robe and Misty Waters also looked peeved. This was the pride of the Closed Beta players.

Ye Rong’s expression remained impassive. He watched the ranting Young Master Wei coldly, his mind crystal clear. He had the Earth Deity Talisman. He could just leave anytime and not cooperate. Yet, these people actually seemed short-handed, scrambling to recruit others.

Who needed whom more was still undecided.

In a single Starter Village, there were only so many Level 14 and 15 players. Excluding those on bad terms with Blue Chariot or those with past grudges, the players he could find probably amounted only to those before him.

As for this ignorant Young Master Wei thinking he was weak and an easy target – Ye Rong snorted inwardly. Such a fame-hungry, ostentatious little man? Even a Closed Beta player like him likely wouldn’t amount to much. Once out of the Starter Village, Ye Rong vowed, he’d kill him on sight every single time.

“Brother Yijian has a point. Knowing each other’s abilities and treasures before cooperating is essential for good teamwork. Let me set things off first.”

Seeing Young Master Wei speak so harshly, Blue Chariot worried things might get ugly. He hurriedly opened his own stat panel for everyone to see clearly.

Nothing noteworthy among the clothing class equipment; they could be skipped. His weapon was a Nine-Ringed Great Blade, a first-rank Divine Weapon. Naturally, it couldn’t compare to Ye Rong’s Taixuan Ice Soul Sword, but it was still a Flying Sword, and its stats were slightly better than the System-offered Greenwood Sword.

Both Talisman Slots were occupied. One held the Fire Talisman, originally in Ye Rong’s hands. The other held a green command arrow, a second-rank Magic Treasure: Greenwood Command Arrow, Attack Power 28-36.

With his example set, the others bit back their words and one by one set their stat panels to viewable status.

Ye Rong hadn’t expected such a shock; he clearly wasn’t the only one with good luck or opportunities –

Blood Colored Poppy had a shiny silver bell. It was a Fourth-Rank Magic Treasure! It could unleash rhythm-based attacks, belonging to the extremely rare Musical Rhythm Type Magical Treasure category.

Ethereal Green Robe’s Flying Sword and other Magic Treasures were ordinary, but his green robe actually had a summoning spell attached! It could call forth a Blue Bird with Attack Power 180-200, HP equivalent to its owner’s own, lasting ten minutes.

Misty Waters’s Flying Sword was like Ye Rong’s Taixuan Ice Soul Sword, also third-rank, an Immortal Weapon named Butterfly Shadow Sword. It was a dainty sword, only about a foot long, and had no level requirement!

Young Master Wei was despicable, but he had some real skill. Most of his clothing-class gear had attributes, but more importantly, that white jade folding fan wasn’t just an ornament! It was a special equipment item with attributes, occupying one Talisman Slot!

The White Jade Folding Fan included an offensive spell called ‘Willow Swaying Breeze’. It created three gentle breezes, dealing damage from 80-200 to targets they passed over.

“These are all just low-grade Flying Swords and Magic Treasures anyway. They’ll become useless as levels rise. Only Dao Scrolls constitute the root of one’s strength. With the Chongxu True Scripture in hand, that’s where I truly have the lead over these people!”

Ye Rong thought this with some private satisfaction. He also realized he needed to reassess the strength of the Closed Beta players; he had underestimated them before.

Moreover, it was entirely possible they were still holding back, not revealing everything.

“Alright, Brother Yijian. It’s your turn to show your character stats now.”

Blue Chariot nodded secretly. These individuals certainly all well-known figures from the Closed Beta. Though he hadn’t known them deeply before, they had indeed developed well. If not for that hidden ace he possessed, purely in terms of visible strength, he might not even match up to them.