Chapter 730: Thus Knowing

Regarding Zhan Yingwu, Nie Yan knew very little. He wasn’t quite sure who had earned this title in the previous life, or if it had ever appeared at all. He also didn’t fully understand the skills and talents of Zhan Yingwu.

Zhan Yingwu was the second high-level title after Nie Yan’s Sheng Yingwu, and Nie Yan wasn’t sure how it differed from Sheng Yingwu.

Xiaoran Bushi Weiwo seemed to obtain the title of Zhan Yingwu as if guided by a destined force. Nie Yan had changed everything with his rebirth, and although fate had shifted its course, it had corrected certain aspects again.

Nie Yan immediately went to see Xiaoran Bushi Weiwo.

Xiaoran had just completed a task and was still at the guild headquarters preparing consumables for an upcoming leveling session. His level had fallen far behind.

The two met in the guild headquarters’ hall.

Xiaoran’s equipment had been completely updated. What astonished Nie Yan was that Xiaoran wasn’t wearing leather armor like other rogues, but instead donned a set of light armor. Rogues were restricted to wearing cloth or leather armor and could not wear plate armor, yet Zhan Yingwu had clearly broken this rule.

The armor was a silver-gray metallic set, although the color was rather dull, suggesting it was quite old. It was exquisitely crafted, with each joint adorned with various strange runes that emitted a faint magical glow.

This was Runed Light Armor, which had the highest defense among all light armors, rivaling heavy armor while being lightweight and minimally affecting speed. It was an extremely rare and valuable item. The pieces Xiaoran wore were at least of a sub-legendary tier or higher.

“I heard you’ve dual-classed into Zhan Yingwu. It looks pretty good,” Nie Yan remarked, noting how the light armor made Xiaoran appear dashing and heroic.

“Yeah, this class suits me pretty well. Rogues have very low defense, but after dual-classing into Zhan Yingwu, I gained defensive bonuses, similar to rangers. However, I haven’t lost any of the rogue’s strong crowd control abilities,” Xiaoran Bushi Weiwo replied with a thick, honest smile.

The two chatted for a while, and Xiaoran shared details about Zhan Yingwu with Nie Yan. Nie Yan gained a clear understanding of the class’s various skills. In some aspects, Zhan Yingwu inherited certain warrior talents, significantly enhancing defense and health. It also had acceleration skills similar to Charge and control skills like Rend. Using these skills in battle would definitely achieve surprising effects.

Seeing how satisfied Xiaoran was with Zhan Yingwu, Nie Yan’s lingering guilt completely disappeared. In this life, he had taken Xiaoran’s Sheng Yingwu title. If Xiaoran had remained a stranger, Nie Yan wouldn’t have felt any remorse. However, since Xiaoran had become a brother in Niuren Tribe, Nie Yan had always felt a bit guilty about this.

“While you were away, Xia Chongyu Bing dual-classed into Archmage and went underground with Sun, Wang Zhetianxia, and thirteen others. Sun and Wang Zhetianxia know you’ve dual-classed into Zhan Yingwu, so they might feel some pressure,” Nie Yan chuckled, recalling how Sun had successfully dual-classed into Lie Yingwu in the previous life and wondering how things would unfold in this life.

“I need to get familiar with Zhan Yingwu’s skills and level up a bit. They’re all nearly twenty levels ahead of me,” Xiaoran Bushi Weiwo said with slight frustration, realizing he had spent too much time on the Zhan Yingwu advancement quest. Advancing to Zhan Yingwu had not been an easy task.

“You should definitely get the hang of it. The combat style of Zhan Yingwu should be quite different from that of a regular rogue.”

“How about your plans now that the Grinland Empire has stabilized?”

“I’m planning to visit the Saturn Empire.”

“The Saturn Empire?” Xiaoran Bushi Weiwo furrowed his brow. That was Angel Dominion’s territory. “Will you be okay going alone? Should I come along?”

“No need. I’m not going to the Saturn Empire to cause trouble for Angel Dominion. I’m there to complete a Rogue’s Heart quest. You should focus on leveling up. Go see Ziyan and get some Flame Bombs. Use my previous method for leveling, and it’ll be a blast,” Nie Yan said with a smile.

“Alright, be careful,” Xiaoran Bushi Weiwo replied. Thinking about it, Nie Yan should be fine on his own. At this stage, almost no one could take Nie Yan down. Among the top-tier classes, no one dared to challenge Nie Yan to a duel because that wouldn’t be a duel—it would be pure self-flagellation.

After parting ways, Xiaoran Bushi Weiwo went to Ziyan to get Flame Bombs for leveling up, while Nie Yan prepared for his journey to the Saturn Empire.

According to Guo Huai, a mysterious tribe called the Salar had opened a secret shop in the northern part of Okolen City. The requirements for entering the shop were extremely high—players needed at least the rank of Earl.

The Salar did not belong to the orcs, but their physique was much more robust than that of ordinary humans. They often wore bizarre clothing, adorned their necks with human bone necklaces, and painted their bodies with white, green, or red pigments. Though they were a minority tribe, all NPCs who passed by the shop showed them great reverence.

Listening to Guo Huai’s description, Nie Yan thought of a race that fit the description perfectly—the barbarians.

The race of War God Kuro had many branches, and the Salar might be one of them.

Following the streets of Okolen City, Nie Yan, wearing a hooded cloak, made his way toward the location of the mysterious shop.

As he passed by the auction house, Nie Yan glanced inside. The auction house was bustling with activity.

Just as he was about to continue forward, some hawking voices reached his ears.

“Level 100 warrior’s dark gold Kroatia Battle Axe, level 115 paladin’s dark gold Radiant Sword, looking to exchange for mage gear of the same level,” a player shouted loudly.

The voice was so familiar it sent a jolt through Nie Yan’s heart. He stopped in his tracks, his face lighting up with joy.

He turned toward the source of the voice and saw a tall, muscular mage wearing a deep blue robe. The mage was setting up a stall to sell items. The dark gold battle axe and Radiant Sword were both excellent items.

Looking at Han Lei’s somewhat rugged face and unshaven beard, a long-forgotten memory surged into Nie Yan’s mind.

Back when Nie Yan was still playing the game, he had many comrades, but many of them had been lost over time. Although Nie Yan was now the leader of Niuren Tribe, finding a few specific people in a sea of players still posed a challenge. And what reason could he use to look for them? Those people no longer recognized him. If he were to openly search for them, it might even be mistaken as Niuren Tribe hunting them down. Even if they reunited, Nie Yan recognized them, but they didn’t recognize him—what use would that be?

However, the tall mage before him was an exception. His name was Han Lei, with the in-game ID Fan Hua Yi Jiu. He and Nie Yan had been close friends since their teenage years, attending school together in Ningjiang. Han Lei transferred to another school in the middle of their second year and lost contact. By their junior year in college, Han Lei met Tang Yao and asked for Nie Yan’s phone number. The two talked about the game and met in the game later, after which Nie Yan joined their team.

He was tall and built like a warrior, but he chose to play a mage. However, Han Lei was quite skilled at playing a mage, showing great potential to become a top-tier class, but he eventually failed due to poor equipment.

When Nie Yan first joined the team, he was only level 80-something, while Han Lei was already over level 120. Han Lei spent more than twenty days gradually leveling Nie Yan up. Without Han Lei’s help, Nie Yan wouldn’t have even had the qualifications to join the team. Nie Yan had received much support from Han Lei back then—fighting side by side, leveling up together, and being chased by the Triumph Empire. Those days were deeply etched in Nie Yan’s memory.

Han Lei had set his voice chat to do not disturb, so Nie Yan didn’t know how to contact him. He never expected to run into him here, and a complex emotion welled up from the depths of his heart.

In this life, many things had changed beyond recognition. Here was a former comrade-in-arms, yet there was a sense of not being able to recognize each other.

What should he do?

Nie Yan hesitated for a moment. Walking away like this wasn’t his style.

To remember old friends even when one becomes rich and powerful—that was the true essence of brotherhood!

He was now Kuang Zei Nie Yan, the leader of Niuren Tribe, with circumstances vastly different from his past life, but his core self remained unchanged.

Although a lifetime had passed, Nie Yan didn’t want the bond of brotherhood to be severed. Thinking for a moment, he walked straight up to Han Lei.

“Hey, buddy, you really remind me of an old friend of mine,” Nie Yan couldn’t help scratching his head. It was a clumsy attempt at conversation, but he opened the dialogue anyway.

“These items are for exchange only, no bargaining,” Han Lei interrupted, shielding himself from Nie Yan’s approach. He looked Nie Yan up and down. Nie Yan was hidden beneath a black robe, making it hard to discern his features, which made Han Lei wary.

Nie Yan blinked in surprise and quickly realized Han Lei had mistaken him for a passerby trying to haggle. He couldn’t help but chuckle slightly.

“I’m not here to buy anything,” Nie Yan explained with a smile.

Han Lei stared at Nie Yan. There were many scammers in the game, often approaching players who were selling items. Many had been tricked into giving away their items and only realized it much later. Scammers often wore cloaks like Nie Yan’s, hiding their faces.

Seeing the look in Han Lei’s eyes, Nie Yan immediately understood what the other was thinking. Amused and a little exasperated, he decided to take off his hood, revealing his face.

Han Lei’s gaze fell on Nie Yan’s face. His eyes widened, and his mouth opened wide enough to fit an egg.

“Kuang Zei Nie Yan? Brother… brother, do I know you?” Han Lei stammered, his mind going blank at the sight of Nie Yan’s face. He wanted to slap himself, wondering if he was dreaming. What kind of world was this where even while setting up a stall, he could be approached by Kuang Zei Nie Yan.