Wang Zhetianxia held a deep respect for Nie Yan. In the past, the Bull Player Guild was just an obscure small guild. After merely two or three months of management, it had become the most powerful guild in Carol City. The defeat of the Triumph Empire enabled the Bull Player Guild to rise, making it the undisputed ruler of Carol City.
He originally started playing as a rogue, inspired by several videos of Nie Yan, which greatly improved his skills. His techniques were learned by imitating Nie Yan, so he considered Nie Yan half his mentor. Therefore, he had always refused to attack the Bull Player Guild because of the previous kill orders, as that would seem ungrateful.
However, this time the situation was different. He intended to challenge Nie Yan himself. This was a challenge, not an act of vengeful killing; the two were essentially different.
In Carol City, Nie Yan was undoubtedly a mythical figure.
Wang Zhetianxia’s passion began to ignite. As a mercenary walking on the edge of life and death, his greatest pleasure was challenging strong opponents.
After the battle in Glory City, Wang Zhetianxia had slain nearly a thousand people. His skills had improved dramatically. Once he truly grasped the techniques, he realized how enjoyable playing a rogue could be.
He was a former special forces soldier. When he first started playing games, he was clueless, but with time, his extraordinary understanding of the game Faith became evident.
Slayer of a thousand, this was an extremely glorious achievement. In Glory City, he hunted and killed 2,872 players from the Bloodthirsty Blade faction, leading the Assassin Alliance’s mission records by a large margin—the second person had barely surpassed a thousand. Because of that mission, he was promoted to the rank of Earl, and he was already close to becoming a Marquis.
With his rise, the name Wang Zhetianxia became well-known among many players.
The Bull Player Guild had once sent people to recruit Wang Zhetianxia, but he declined. The reason was that he had some comrades with low levels and poor equipment. He made several conditions, including having all his comrades join the Bull Player Guild. Guo Huai did not agree. Without rules, there could be no order. Wang Zhetianxia’s group of comrades had low levels and poor equipment. Those who entered the Bull Player Guild were all carefully selected strong players; none entered through connections. If Wang Zhetianxia’s comrades were allowed into the Bull Player Guild, the guild’s rules would be ruined.
The Bull Player Guild had its own rules, and Wang Zhetianxia had his own persistence. Thus, the matter of him joining the Bull Player Guild was indefinitely postponed.
He swiftly dashed across the grasslands toward Nie Yan’s location. This would be a clash between two rogues. Wang Zhetianxia was already filled with fighting spirit. He had no hatred toward Nie Yan; challenging a legendary rogue like Nie Yan was exciting!
Nie Yan knew more about Wang Zhetianxia than others did. He wondered how things had turned out between Wang Zhetianxia and Po Tian.
He dismounted his horse and looked around. This was an endless plain, occasionally with one or two giant buffalo monsters wandering about. They were three yards tall, very muscular, and carried black-gold battle axes. These were level 70 monsters.
He glanced at the time. Wang Zhetianxia should be arriving soon. He decided to clear some buffalo monsters first to gain some experience, Nie Yan thought.
Nie Yan sneaked behind a buffalo monster and used a sneak attack on its head, knocking it unconscious.
As the buffalo monster was stunned, Nie Yan performed a backstab and a slash from behind it, attacking one after another until the monster fell to the ground. These buffalo monsters were no challenge for him.
One buffalo monster fell.
Nie Yan picked up three silver coins from the monster’s body when he suddenly felt something unusual. Although it was just a fleeting sensation, he still caught it. It seemed Wang Zhetianxia had already arrived.
Nie Yan threw the three silver coins into his backpack and carefully sensed the other’s position. His eyes suddenly focused, looking toward an open area ahead.
True Sight!
Two sharp beams of light flashed in Nie Yan’s eyes as he locked onto a direction. He scanned the area for a moment but found nothing, puzzled. The upgraded True Sight was a relatively advanced skill, capable of easily detecting any rogue’s stealth at present. Why couldn’t he detect his opponent?
Wang Zhetianxia, who was in stealth mode, had a cold sweat on his back. He hadn’t expected that just approaching Nie Yan to within about twelve or thirteen yards would be sensed. What an incredible perception ability!
Seeing Nie Yan’s pupils suddenly emit a demon-like red glow, it was the Eye Perception skill! He quickly used the Vanish skill, which made him undetectable for 3 seconds, thus avoiding the effect of True Sight and swiftly moving away.
Nie Yan’s sharp gaze swept around. Once the Vanish effect ended, Wang Zhetianxia would no longer be able to evade Nie Yan’s True Sight.
Without hesitation, Wang Zhetianxia rapidly approached Nie Yan, almost reaching the back of Nie Yan’s head.
Feeling the sharp dagger swiftly stabbing from behind, Nie Yan slightly shifted his body, dodging Wang Zhetianxia’s sneak attack. He switched his dagger to a reverse grip and launched a counter backstab.
Wang Zhetianxia’s attack missed, and his figure slowly became visible. Nie Yan’s movements were so fast!
Wang Zhetianxia quickly stepped aside to dodge Nie Yan’s attack. Using the rogue’s free skill, Phantom Step, he evaded Nie Yan’s attack and thrust his dagger toward Nie Yan’s side.
In this first confrontation with Nie Yan, Wang Zhetianxia focused his mind. From Nie Yan’s fierce moves, he felt immense pressure.
Nie Yan, the Mad Rogue, was truly exceptional.
Nie Yan exuded a powerful confidence that dominated the world. Even in any dangerous situation, he could calmly respond, allowing him to exert several times his actual strength.
Nie Yan used Quick Step to dodge Wang Zhetianxia’s thrust, quickly retreating fifteen or sixteen yards, reappearing and turning to look at Wang Zhetianxia. From the previous Phantom Step and thrust techniques, Nie Yan had a sense of familiarity.
Therefore, he did not choose to continue attacking but swiftly retreated.
Nie Yan stopped his steps, maintaining a distance of about fifteen or sixteen yards from Wang Zhetianxia, facing each other from afar.
Countless thoughts raced through Nie Yan’s mind. Was it a bayonet?
The movements of these two were somewhat similar, causing Nie Yan to harbor some suspicions. He recalled some information. There were some similarities between Bayonet and Wang Zhetianxia. They both had a group of comrades. In past rumors, Wang Zhetianxia’s group was killed by Po Tian, and Wang Zhetianxia went to seek revenge, killing Po Tian before disappearing from Faith. Nie Yan still clearly remembered the conversation between Bayonet and Ghost Fire when they kidnapped Xie Yao. Bayonet’s situation was roughly the same as Wang Zhetianxia’s.
Could these two actually be the same person?
“We should make a bet. Are you interested?” Nie Yan decided that no matter the cost, he must recruit Wang Zhetianxia under his command, whether it was Wang Zhetianxia or Bayonet!
“What kind of bet?” Wang Zhetianxia stared at Nie Yan, somewhat surprised that the person he had fought with yesterday was actually Nie Yan, the Mad Rogue. Who was Nie Yan in the eyes of the players? He had always been an enigma, as Nie Yan had never publicly revealed his identity, so very few knew about him. He had clashed with Nie Yan in real life, and Nie Yan’s movements remained vivid in his memory. He recalled certain subtle habits—details his keen perception, sharpened in battle, had picked up.
Just a brief clash, and he was certain that this Nie Yan was indeed the same person!
“Let’s have a duel within this hundred-yard radius and decide the winner,” Nie Yan said. Bayonet was a mercenary, and every mercenary had a price. Nie was confident that the Nie family conglomerate could afford it.
“And what if I win, and what if I lose?” Wang Zhetianxia asked. He wanted to see what exactly Nie Yan was planning.
“If I win, you will serve me from now on. The Bull Player Guild’s door will be open to you. The four chapters of the Order Scroll I carry will belong to you. As for your comrades, I can let them join the Bull Player Guild’s branch first. Once they are strong enough, they can join the main Bull Player Guild. If I lose, the four chapters of the Order Scroll I carry will still belong to you, and I will also give you an evil gem to change your class to Shadow Dancer,” Nie Yan smiled at Wang Zhetianxia, his smile seemingly carrying a hint of cunning.
For anyone else, agreeing to the bet would mean getting the four chapters of the Order Scroll, a great opportunity not to be missed.
Wang Zhetianxia was stunned, asking suspiciously, “What’s in it for you?” Whether Nie Yan won or lost, he had to give up the four chapters of the Order Scroll.
“The benefit for me is that if I win, you will become part of the Bull Player Guild. What does it matter if I give you the four chapters of the Order Scroll? Gear is just crap!” Nie Yan said generously. For him, gear was easy to come by, so why should he care about these four chapters of the Order Scroll? Besides, he had successfully laid a smokescreen. Wang Zhetianxia seemed not to notice the linguistic trap in Nie Yan’s words. He had another plan in mind.
Based on Wang Zhetianxia’s past actions of killing Po Tian for his comrades, Nie Yan was convinced that Wang Zhetianxia was trustworthy and would not break his word.
“Alright, just for your words, I’ll take the bet. But you should think carefully. I won’t hold back. If I win, you’ll suffer great losses. If I lose, I’ll honor the agreement,” Wang Zhetianxia said solemnly. Nie Yan’s boldness had influenced him. No wonder Nie Yan had gained the loyalty of the entire Bull Player Guild. Just for these words, even if he lost, he would join the Bull Player Guild.
What he wanted to ask was, on what basis did Nie Yan trust him so much? If he broke his word and ran away with the four chapters of the Order Scroll, wouldn’t Nie Yan end up with nothing?
Nie Yan’s trust in him deeply moved him. He would not betray such trust.
“I’m starting!” Wang Zhetianxia said in a low voice, rushing toward Nie Yan, his dagger slashing like the wind.
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