19. The Invitation to Join the Celestial Sword Sect

Walking back to the village, Su Yu’s mind was consumed with one thought: how to complete the hidden task and evade an attack from the Starforging Dragon King.

The penalty for failing the mission was no laughing matter—permanent deletion of his account.

If he failed, all his efforts over the past three days and his promising start would be reduced to nothing. He simply could not accept that.

“I don’t have a solution for breaking the deadlock yet, but I can at least learn some life-saving skills as a mage,” Su Yu suddenly realized.

In the early stages, the mage profession had three signature survival skills—Invisibility, Blink, and Ice Barrier.

Invisibility was useless against the Starforging Dragon King, so it was off the table for now.

Of the remaining two, Ice Barrier couldn’t be learned in the novice village; it required reaching level 20 in the main city to trigger the related quest.

“That leaves only one option for now: taking on the hidden quest for Blink. Yes, that’s what I’ll do!”

Having made up his mind, Su Yu’s steps quickened as he hurried toward Nolan Village.

...

But before starting a new quest, he had to turn in the one he had completed.

At the magic hut on the east side of the village.

Su Yu opened his backpack and placed a fist-sized Silver Serpent Gallbladder on the wooden table.

“Pism, I’m here to turn in the quest.”

The old wizard Pism had his back to Su Yu, busy stirring something in a cauldron.

Hearing Su Yu’s voice, he reluctantly turned around. “Couldn’t you wait a bit before bringing this to me? You’re interrupting my train of thought... Oh, it’s you! Why are you back so soon?”

Seeing Su Yu, the old wizard’s reluctance quickly turned into a smile of goodwill. “What are you looking to buy this time? I just got a new batch of goods in…”

“I’m here to turn in a quest,” Su Yu interrupted, pointing at the Silver Serpent Gallbladder on the table.

“This is...” The old wizard’s eyes widened as he examined the gallbladder, twice the size of an ordinary Silver Serpent’s. “This really is the gallbladder of the Silver Serpent leader! How on earth did you manage that?”

He glanced at Su Yu. “Did you hire a bunch of adventurers and pile up their lives to kill the Silver Serpent leader?”

The old mage inwardly sighed with envy: money sure is a wonderful thing!

“None of your concern. Just hand over the skill scroll quickly,” Su Yu urged.

“Alright,” the old wizard muttered, somewhat embarrassed.

But soon he produced a skill scroll crackling with electric arcs and a beautifully packaged letter, handing them over to Su Yu.

*Ding!* Congratulations on completing the rare hidden quest: [Join the Scholars’ Sanctuary (Revised)]! Rewards: [Scholars’ Sanctuary Invitation] x1, Skill Scroll [Chain Lightning (Excellent)] x1, Experience Points x500.

---

[Scholars’ Sanctuary Invitation]: With this letter, you can join the [Faction: Scholars’ Sanctuary] branches in major cities.

[Chain Lightning (Excellent)]: Hurl a bolt of lightning at an enemy, dealing 260% magic power in magic damage, then leap to nearby enemies, affecting up to three targets in total. Has a 30% chance to paralyze enemies for 1 second. Cooldown: 8 seconds; Cast time: 1.0 second; Mana cost: 20 points.

Su Yu immediately learned the Chain Lightning skill and upgraded it to rare quality.

[Chain Lightning (Rare)]: Hurl a bolt of lightning at an enemy, dealing 390% magic power in magic damage, then leap to nearby enemies, affecting up to three targets in total. Has a 40% chance to paralyze enemies for 1 second. Cooldown: 6 seconds; Cast time: 0.5 seconds; Mana cost: 30 points.

Chain Lightning could strike four targets at once, making it a highly effective early-stage area attack skill.

After learning Chain Lightning, Su Yu’s leveling speed improved noticeably—no longer needing to take down monsters one by one.

As for the Scholars’ Sanctuary Invitation, it could only be used after reaching the main city, so it was set aside for now.

Su Yu tucked the invitation back into his backpack and headed for the door.

The old wizard, reluctant to see him go, called out, “Adventurer, you must come back often!”

“Will do,” Su Yu waved back and stepped out of the magic hut.

...

Outside, the bustling street was filled with throngs of people.

Su Yu headed west toward the village’s edge, ready to undertake the hidden quest for the Blink skill scroll.

Just then, he noticed five players lined up, walking straight toward him.

Their strides exuded an intimidating aura, causing nearby players to instinctively detour around them.

Su Yu’s eyes gleamed coldly upon seeing these five.

He recognized the middle-aged warrior leading the group—Skycleaver!

...

Not long ago, members of the Skycleaver guild had spread to every corner of Novice Village No. 006.

On one hand, they were investigating who was impersonating them to collect village fees.

On the other, they were searching for Su Yu—the high-level player who had listed numerous rare equipment and skill scrolls—their “nemesis.”

Skycleaver guild’s sheer numbers gave them the upper hand in the first investigation, and they had tentatively identified the “Blood Emperor Assassins” guild as the culprits.

As for the second matter, Skycleaver had just received intel that the nemesis had returned to the village and entered the magic hut, prompting him to rush there with his team.

...

Squinting, Su Yu appraised the five members of Skycleaver.

Skycleaver, Qingli, Overlord, Bumblebee, and Silent Heart.

All core members of the guild.

Five traitors!

Suppressing the urge to unleash a Lightning Bolt to finish off Skycleaver immediately, Su Yu stood his ground, silently waiting for them to speak.

Skycleaver’s tone was surprisingly sincere.

At three meters away, he extended his hand first. “Little brother, hello. I’m Skycleaver, the guild leader of Skycleaver. You must be the ‘Nemesis,’ right? I’m here to sincerely invite you to join our guild.”

He reached out for a handshake.

But Su Yu did not reciprocate. Instead, he looked at him coldly. “Oh? You lot think you’re worthy?”

Su Yu’s words instantly enraged the four players behind Skycleaver.

Overlord and Bumblebee had never agreed with the leader’s idea of recruiting the nemesis, believing he was just a lucky ordinary player who would fade into obscurity once everyone else leveled up.

Now, seeing the nemesis treat them with such disdain, their anger flared immediately.

“Hey, kid! Don’t you know what kind of guild Skycleaver is before you spout nonsense here?”

“We’re inviting you because we respect you. Don’t get a big head thinking you’re some prize!”

Qingli and Silent Heart said nothing, but their expressions were sour, clearly disapproving of Su Yu.

Skycleaver, calculating and composed, showed no displeasure. Instead, he proudly declared, “As for whether we’re worthy, I assure you, we are.”

“We Skycleaver are the largest guild in ‘Demon Domain.’ We hold over half the records for clearing the top-tier dungeons!”

“Now that we’ve all moved to ‘Evolution,’ I believe it won’t be long before we become the number one guild in this game!”

“Our guild is perfect for elite players like you. Why not give it some thought?”

Su Yu said nothing, his expression still one of contempt.

When Skycleaver finished, Su Yu immediately cast Chain Lightning, targeting Overlord on the far left.