Chapter 1 NPC Battle?

Shi Feng quietly gazed at the Dragon Knight clad in silver armor, a sense of speechlessness rising within him.

The Dragon Knight ranked among God's Domain's top-tier classes. Its defenses and strength far surpassed those of Guardian Knights and Berserkers, let alone the fact that the NPC before him was a Tier 4 class, equivalent to a Legendary monster.

In a one-on-one fight, even with a backpack full of powerful items, victory would be impossible.

Unlike monsters, NPCs possessed high intelligence. Their ability to counter items was far beyond that of any monster.

A group of players might have a 10-20% chance of challenging a Legendary monster using special methods, but facing a Tier 4 NPC offered no hope whatsoever.

This was why players could defeat Legendary monsters in dungeons but still be robbed by Tier 4 NPCs on trade routes.

Moreover, the Dragon Knight before him was no ordinary one.

Reinbeck (Vice Commander of the Sea God's Temple Knight Order), Human, Tier 4 Dragon Knight, Level 50, HP 19,000,000.

In God's Domain, each temple, such as the War God's Temple and the Sea God's Temple, had its own Knight Order. Each member of these orders was a prominent figure in any kingdom, let alone the vice commander, who was entirely equivalent to the hall master of the kingdom's main temple. Even the king would show some respect.

Shi Feng then resumed his search for clues to clear the level.

However, after searching for a long time, he found no introductory stone tablet like the one on the second level, nor any progress bar. The entire mountaintop consisted of a huge magic array engraved on the ground, with the Dragon Knight Reinbeck standing in the center.

"Looks like I can only take it one step at a time." After searching for clues to no avail, Shi Feng realized that the only way forward was to face the Dragon Knight Reinbeck. Otherwise, he would be stuck doing nothing.

The moment Shi Feng stepped into the magic array, an extremely powerful sense of oppression washed over him. Each step became incredibly difficult, as if moving through a space filled with mercury, slow as a turtle.

When Shi Feng was less than 20 yards away from Reinbeck, the Dragon Knight, who had been standing like a wooden statue, finally turned his head to look at Shi Feng, his gaze carrying a hint of killing intent that made Shi Feng's movements even more difficult.

"Adventurer, this is not a place you should be. If you don't want to die, go back," Reinbeck said sternly as he looked at Shi Feng. "The Sea God's inheritance is not something anyone can obtain."

"Respected Dragon Knight, I still want to try, even if I can't succeed," Shi Feng said earnestly.

He had already come this far. How could he leave just because of a single sentence?

"Are you sure you want to challenge?" Reinbeck glanced at Shi Feng, his words laced with contempt. "Even if you are a Chosen One, failure comes at a bloody price. It's not something you can escape with just one death. You better think carefully. Perhaps you came here with great difficulty, but the inheritance is extraordinary. No luck is allowed, and you can't rely on any external forces. You can only rely on your own strength. Are you really sure you want to challenge?"

"Failure has other consequences?" Shi Feng was slightly surprised. This was somewhat different from what he knew.

He had previously heard Jun Wuchang say that the inheritance here only offered one chance. Failure simply meant death once, and because death occurred in a secret realm, it was the same as dying in a dungeon. The death penalty was not severe.

But now, according to Reinbeck, the price of failure was quite high.

"Alright, adventurer, go back. Those who cannot understand reason cannot obtain the inheritance."

Reinbeck lightly waved his hand. Instantly, Shi Feng felt as if a wall had crashed into him. Before he could even react, he was sent flying out of the magic array, landing heavily on the ground.

"Such powerful domain control," Shi Feng muttered inwardly, watching Reinbeck revert to his wooden-statue state, inwardly shocked.

It was common knowledge that Tier 4 was a watershed. The biggest difference between Tier 4 and Tier 3 classes was their mastery of domains. Reinbeck had simply waved his hand and sent him, a player approaching Tier 2, flying.

Generally speaking, Tier 4 NPCs' domain control was limited to suppressing enemies, making their movements difficult.

This level of control was comparable to the Abyssal Old Monsters in the Fallen Ark.

It should be known that those Abyssal Old Monsters were at least Tier 5 in the past, only dropping in tier due to severe injuries.

Shi Feng then walked toward Reinbeck once more.

The consequences of failure might be severe, but he was now very interested in the "reason" Reinbeck spoke of. What did it mean that those who did not understand reason could not obtain the inheritance? He had to try no matter what.

"Respected Dragon Knight, I still want to challenge!" Shi Feng said again.

"Young adventurer, since you are so determined to challenge, I won't stop you," Reinbeck said with a smile. "Don't you want to obtain the inheritance?"

Shi Feng nodded. What would he be doing here if he didn't want the inheritance?

"Your opponent is me. As long as you can defeat me, you can obtain the inheritance stone slab. If you lose, you will not only die, but you will also be cursed by the Sea God."

"And you should also be glad that you are too weak and not worth me using my full strength. As long as you can reach me, you will have succeeded."

After Reinbeck finished explaining the rules, the atmosphere within the magic array changed abruptly, as if the entire space had frozen, making it difficult to breathe.

Immediately afterward, gusts of wind blew toward Shi Feng, countless wind blades making it impossible to avoid.

Shi Feng could only draw his twin swords to defend.

Clang clang clang…

A series of blade collisions rang out. Shi Feng was forced back five steps, almost retreating out of the magic array.

"So that's how it is." Shi Feng, watching the countless wind blades flying toward him again, finally understood the difficulty of this challenge.

Attacks within the domain were omnipresent, and Reinbeck's control over power was perfect. The power of the wind blades was just slightly stronger than his own. Each time he used his sword to block a wind blade, he would be forced back a step. Of course, if he were hit, he would definitely be blown out of the magic array, just like the result of Reinbeck's casual wave earlier.

Moreover, all his skills and items were now unusable.

In other words, he could not use any external force and could only rely on himself to find a way to approach Reinbeck.

As a new wave of wind blades swept over, Shi Feng directly took the initiative to meet them.

Sword's Orbit!

Skills and items could not be used, but combat techniques were unaffected.

Under the attack of Sword's Orbit, the wind blades dissipated, and Shi Feng did not retreat a single step.

Shi Feng then began to advance slowly.

As the distance closed, the pressure grew stronger and stronger. Similarly, the number of wind blades also increased, from the original five to six, seven, until Shi Feng had traveled halfway, and the number of wind blades became ten. However, this was still within Shi Feng's tolerance.

"Hmm, you have some skill, but unfortunately, you are just copying what you see. You are still far from understanding reason. Go back and hone your skills."

Reinbeck simply smiled and lightly waved his hand. Instantly, the number of wind blades increased from ten to fifteen, and their speed and power were even greater than before.

The moment Sword's Orbit made contact, Shi Feng felt as if he had been struck by a large hammer, his hands aching.

After fifteen wind blades, Shi Feng was constantly retreating, getting closer and closer to the edge of the magic array.