Chapter 621: Even a clay idol has its limits

The Bull People’s Tribe was, in the eyes of ordinary players, a legend. It rose at an astonishing speed shortly after the game server launched, gathering a group of the best players, and possessed the finest equipment among all guilds.

A full set of Radiant gear would absolutely qualify someone as a top-tier warrior in any regular guild, but in the Bull People’s Tribe, it was merely considered second-rate. In fact, if a second-string player from the Bull People’s Tribe was poached by another guild, they could easily become a core member there.

When talking about the Bull People’s Tribe, Xu Yan couldn’t help but feel proud. As members of the Bull People’s Tribe, the vast majority had a strong sense of belonging. Even those who had been lured away by other guilds with high salaries often missed the Bull People’s Tribe. They truly saw themselves as part of the Bull People’s Tribe and felt proud of it.

Just like the former Dark Ranger guild—even after the Dark Ranger guild fell apart, many people still missed it dearly.

Loyalty to a guild was like a devout faith.

Xu Yan spoke enthusiastically about his gear while Nie Yan smiled bitterly, knowing Xu Yan’s personality meant he would likely talk about nothing else all day.

Nie Yan could understand Xu Yan’s feelings. In a previous life, he himself had often been overwhelmed with excitement after obtaining rare golden or dark golden gear. But now, even legendary gear couldn’t excite him much anymore.

Seeing Xu Yan’s expression reminded Nie Yan of his former self from his past life.

“Just an 85-level Glorious Battle Armor—what’s there to get so excited about? Never seen anything before,” Fu Guangtao sneered as he walked past them.

Nie Yan disliked Fu Guangtao’s tone very much.

Xia Tianyu, Xu Yan, and Fei Zhe merely snorted and ignored Fu Guangtao.

Nie Yan had heard from Xu Yan that Fu Guangtao had found a wealthy patron in the game, who had equipped him with a full set of Follower gear—entirely level 80 dark golden equipment. Within their class, Fu Guangtao’s gear was second only to Bo Jun’s, so he never missed an opportunity to flaunt it in front of them.

Fu Guangtao glanced toward Nie Yan, and their eyes met.

“Nie Yan, how high are you now? I haven’t heard you mention anything about the game lately. If you’re free, why don’t you join us in a dungeon sometime? We’re already tackling the level 80 Labyrinth of Secrets. If your level is too low, we can even help you grind up,” Fu Guangtao said with a raised eyebrow, his words laced with hidden mockery.

Lately, many people had tried asking Nie Yan about his level and class information, but Nie Yan always avoided the topic. Many secretly mocked Nie Yan, thinking he must be too low-level to admit it, secretly grinding in shame.

“I’m currently working on a quest, and I probably won’t be out for another one or two months. Once I’m done, I wouldn’t mind joining you for some dungeons,” Nie Yan replied indifferently.

“Pfft, what kind of quest takes one or two months? Just puffing yourself up,” Fu Guangtao muttered sarcastically, loud enough for Nie Yan and the others to hear.

That’s going too far! Xia Tianyu and the others were barely holding back their anger and wanted to get up and beat Fu Guangtao up.

Fu Guangtao stopped himself at that, casting a disdainful glance at Nie Yan and his group before walking past. If Nie Yan were truly strong in the game and had been provoked like this, he would have challenged them already. Fu Guangtao couldn’t believe Nie Yan could stay so calm, so they all assumed Nie Yan must be at a very low level in the game.

He knew he wouldn’t stand a chance against Nie Yan and his friends in a fight, but fighting was strictly forbidden at the First Military Academy—at the very least, it would result in disciplinary action—so he wasn’t worried about them actually taking action.

Now, the Command Department had clearly divided into several factions. One faction was led by Zhao Shiyu, Bo Jun, and Fu Guangtao, consisting of about a dozen people who formed a small clique, including most of the class committee members. On the other side were Nie Yan, Xia Tianyu, Xu Yan, and Fei Zhe, often excluded by Zhao Shiyu’s group. The remaining dozen or so students were neutral, somewhat disliking Zhao Shiyu’s group but not aligning with Nie Yan’s either.

Zhao Shiyu and others knew Nie Yan was very strong and thus avoided openly provoking him. However, in many ways, they pushed Nie Yan further to the margins. Nie Yan was basically excluded from all kinds of class activities, including basketball teams, football teams, and inter-class combat competitions. Nie Yan was fine with this, as he had no interest in seeking attention anyway.

“Damn, I really want to punch that kid,” Xu Yan muttered, clenching his fist as he stared at Fu Guangtao’s retreating figure.

“I want to punch him too,” Xia Tianyu added.

“Forget it, don’t do anything rash,” Fei Zhe advised Xu Yan.

Xu Yan exhaled in frustration and said, “We understand.”

Bound by school rules, they couldn’t physically confront Fu Guangtao, and in the game, they couldn’t match him and his group either, which made them feel even more frustrated.

Nie Yan withdrew his gaze from Fu Guangtao’s retreating figure, his eyes flashing with coldness. Previously, he had been indifferent to competing with Fu Guangtao and Zhao Shiyu’s group, but now they were becoming increasingly arrogant. Even a clay Buddha has its limits.

“What level are you guys now?” Nie Yan asked Xu Yan, Fei Zhe, and Xia Tianyu.

“I’m level 80,” Xu Yan replied, looking at Nie Yan with some confusion.

“I’m 83,” Xia Tianyu said.

“I’m 81,” Fei Zhe also turned his head, looking at Nie Yan. Previously, Nie Yan had always seemed indifferent to gaming matters, so why was he asking now?

Xia Tianyu, Xu Yan, and Fei Zhe’s levels were already quite high. Even if someone like Bad Guy Who Can’t Be Killed came to help them level up, their progress would still be slow. So improving their levels depended entirely on themselves. Nie Yan pondered for a moment—he could actually give Xia Tianyu, Xu Yan, and Fei Zhe some gear.

The Bull People’s Tribe guild warehouse contained countless powerful pieces of equipment. Giving them a few items was nothing. One small item from Nie Yan could completely transform their gear. Even if it didn’t make them top-tier players, at least they could stand up to Fu Guangtao.

“I’m stuck in a dungeon now and can’t come out. I’ll have someone get you some gear. Once you’ve leveled up, you can return them to me,” Nie Yan told Xu Yan and the others.

Xu Yan and the others looked at Nie Yan, silently for a moment.

“Nie Yan, forget it. Don’t take Fu Guangtao’s words to heart. Honestly, in the game, it’s not that big of a deal. There’s no need to compete with them,” Fei Zhe tried to comfort Nie Yan. He also thought Nie Yan’s excuse about being stuck in a dungeon for one or two months was just a cover. If Nie Yan’s level was indeed very low, there was no point in pretending otherwise.

“Just treat Fu Guangtao’s words like nonsense. He’s just an arrogant guy. Even if his level is a bit higher, it’s nothing special,” Xia Tianyu said firmly. “I believe we’ll surpass them soon enough.”

“No matter what Fu Guangtao says, even if you’re at a very low level in the game, to be honest, I still greatly admire you. If it weren’t for you teaching us combat techniques recently, we wouldn’t be this strong now. I, Xu Yan, still want to recognize you as my leader,” Xu Yan said solemnly.

Xu Yan occasionally called Nie Yan “boss” before, and Nie Yan never took it seriously, treating it as a joke. But now, hearing these words from Xu Yan, Nie Yan felt a touch of emotion in his heart.

“Since you recognize me as your leader, I’ll protect you. As for trash like Fu Guangtao, I don’t even consider them worth my attention. When you log in tonight, go to the warehouse. I’ll send someone to find you,” Nie Yan smiled, patting Xu Yan’s shoulder.

Seeing Nie Yan’s serious expression, Fei Zhe, Xu Yan, and Xia Tianyu all looked confused. Should they really believe Nie Yan?

“Alright, we’ll go to the warehouse tonight,” Fei Zhe finally decided after a moment’s thought.

In the end, they chose to believe Nie Yan.

Besides attending classes, Nie Yan continued his usual routine of going to the gym. His physical fitness had significantly improved. The day passed quickly, and by evening, Nie Yan logged back into the game to continue his Shadow Dancer class change quest.

Near the warehouse manager in Carol City.

This was a bustling area of Carol City, with shops lining the streets and a constant flow of pedestrians in the square.

Xu Yan, Fei Zhe, and Xia Tianyu arrived together near the warehouse manager, looking around as they waited for someone from Nie Yan’s side to show up.

They still had some doubts about Nie Yan’s words—not because they distrusted him, but because they worried Nie Yan might be trying to hold his ground against Fu Guangtao and his group out of anger, even if he wasn’t actually strong enough. That wouldn’t make any sense.

“We should still try to talk Nie Yan out of taking Fu Guangtao’s group seriously,” Fei Zhe said with concern.

“But can we really convince Nie Yan? I think there’s no way we can rival Zhao Shiyu’s group. Sigh,” Xu Yan replied helplessly.

“I think Nie Yan has his own reasons for calling us here. Let’s just wait and see,” Xia Tianyu said. He always had a strange sense of awe toward Nie Yan, though he couldn’t quite explain why.

As they were talking, Xu Yan’s voice chat suddenly rang. It was someone named Illegal Immigrant. He answered with some confusion.

“Hello, Nie Yan told me to come. Can you tell me where you are? Just give me the coordinates, there are too many people here and I can’t find you,” Illegal Immigrant said.

“We’re at square coordinates 385, 285, 28,” Xu Yan told him.

“I see you now.”

Xu Yan, Fei Zhe, and Xia Tianyu looked up and saw someone waving at them from a distance, running toward them. The person appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, still somewhat youthful, wearing a decorative robe and showing a level of 0.

Seeing someone like this approach, Xu Yan, Fei Zhe, and Xia Tianyu exchanged bitter smiles. If someone from an 80 or 90-level elite had come, they would have been convinced. But this young man in a robe didn’t seem particularly credible.

“Sorry I’m late,” the player named Illegal Immigrant apologized with a slightly breathless smile.