They didn't harbor any jealousy towards Chen Guo.
The gap between them and Chen Guo was simply too vast. Chen Guo was a figure of legend, far beyond the realm of their envy.
Their jealousy was directed at those from the Jade Void Temple who had the fortune to converse and pass levels with Chen Guo—they were truly lifted by his presence.
Setting aside the dazzling achievement of being dubbed 'Number One Under Heaven,' just the permanent 5% boost in attributes was enough to turn heads in envy.
It was like striking gold without lifting a finger!
Zhou Tao and the rest were well aware they had reaped unearned rewards. Zhou Tao was the first to express his gratitude to Chen Guo, "Thank you, Boss Guangcheng, for leading us through our inaugural run!"
"Thank you, Boss Guangcheng, for leading us through our inaugural run!" echoed the others in unison.
Chen Guo gestured dismissively, "No need for such formalities. While you may not have been of great use, you weren't entirely useless either."
Zhou Tao was at a loss for words...
Chen Guo, however, was unfazed by their reactions. He glanced at his status panel, brimming with joy. All of his attributes had reached the 'one dragon' level, surpassing ten thousand. Copying a few hundred more points in attributes would hardly make a difference at this stage.
But a percentage-based increase? That was ideal for him. He was already closing in on the 'two dragons' milestone.
Chen Guo then turned his attention to the remains of the Fiend Demon.
The Fiend Demon had been annihilated, both flesh and spirit. The great banyan tree was reduced to ashes, leaving behind only a withered stump.
"Could this stump be the remains of the Fiend Demon?"
A thought struck Chen Guo, and he reached out to touch the stump, confirming that it was indeed the Fiend Demon's remains. The Fiend Demon and the banyan tree were one and the same—the tree was the demon, and the demon was the tree.
With the Fiend Demon's destruction, the tree had rapidly disintegrated. Yet, remnants of such a formidable mythic being persisted. The solitary stump that remained was the vestige of the Fiend Demon, effectively its corpse.
Ding! Copy initiated. You've successfully replicated 500 points of Fiend Demon Dugu Hongying's spirit, along with the Fiend Demon's skill, Cosmos Throw!
Cosmos Throw: Toss a hefty sum of money, invoking the power of the Wealth God, Zhao Gongming, to deal a heavy blow to the enemy. This skill can damage all beings—humans, ghosts, immortals, demons alike. Money has the power to command spirits and communicate with the divine.
Chen Guo felt a twinge of disappointment. The Cosmos Throw seemed to be a skill from Dugu Hongying's past, before her transformation into a Fiend Demon—a skill not easily wielded without vast wealth. Even for a tycoon, a few uses could lead to bankruptcy.
But then, Chen Guo reconsidered. The alternative—using the Fiend Demon's ability to morph into a tentacle monster—held no appeal. He was adamant about never becoming such a bizarre creature, no matter the circumstances. With this in mind, the Cosmos Throw suddenly didn't seem so bad.
Having fully exploited the Fiend Demon's remains, Chen Guo gestured with a flick of his wrist and recited the Spirit Gourd Curse, stowing the remains into the jasper gourd for refinement.
This efficient utilization of resources truly embodied the virtue of frugality and simplicity.
Chen Guo then turned his attention to the loot he'd acquired from vanquishing the Fiend Demon.
The Cosmos Sword boasted a silver-white hue, with delicate patterns adorning its hilt and the blade etched with the phrase, "The Way of Heaven is to diminish the full and augment the meager." Truth be told, it looked far more impressive than the pair of Kingslayer daggers.
Of course, aesthetics were secondary. The real importance lay in the sword's attributes. Chen Guo would gladly wield any item, no matter how mundane—like a dung fork—if it possessed formidable powers.
Cosmos Sword: A 7th-tier weapon with an attack power of 1000, it boosts Taoist magic by 20% and can summon the might of a divine dragon to deliver a lethal strike to enemies, with a cooldown of 120 seconds.
It was an exceptionally sharp sword, and Chen Guo was thoroughly pleased with its attributes. He had considered fusing the Kingslayer with the Cosmos Sword, but realizing the Kingslayer's own utility, he decided against it.
Chen Guo was in no short supply of weapons and equipment, so there was no longer a need to combine them.
The spatial pouch, much like the Cosmos Bag, was a space-holding item. Though it appeared smaller on the outside, its capacity was significantly larger, able to hold an entire mountain within.
Chen Guo's Cosmos Bag was nearly full, making the timely arrival of this spatial pouch a perfect solution for storing more future spoils of war.
The treasure chest was straightforward—it was as good as cash.
The Sovereign's Order was intended for upgrading one's status level. Yet, for Chen Guo to ascend from an Explorer to a Dao Seeker, he would require ten Sovereign's Orders. A single one was insufficient for such an upgrade.
After a quick inventory check, a cry of surprise came from Zhou Tao's group: "City Lord Dugu isn't dead; he's become a ghost!"
Chen Guo turned to see City Lord Dugu's body gone, replaced by an ice-blue specter that retained the Lord's visage.
City Lord Dugu's spectral form was impervious to attack—an unassailable entity.
Chen Guo approached.
Upon seeing Chen Guo, City Lord Dugu lamented, "Young Hero, it was indeed a terrible nightmare. I am grateful to you for freeing my daughter."
Chen Guo inquired, "Were you under your daughter's control all this time?"
"Indeed, my daughter Dugu Hongying was once a kind soul..." City Lord Dugu began recounting the Fiend Demon's tale.
Chen Guo cut him off, "City Lord Dugu, I'm not interested in the reasons behind your daughter's downfall. Is there anything else you wish to impart? If not, this is where we part ways."
City Lord Dugu gave a wry smile, "I shouldn't have rambled on... As a token of my gratitude for your help in liberating me, I leave something behind for you all. I will soon return to the Netherworld. Farewell, Young Heroes..."
With those final words, City Lord Dugu vanished.
Chen Guo and the others received a system alert:
Ding! You have completed the advancement mission 'Autumn Rain and Autumn Wind Troubled the Mortals' and have been awarded a Sovereign's Order x1!
Please pardon City Lord Dugu's final spectral existence. He was responsible for assigning everyone an upgrade quest, and it seems the item he left for us all is the Sovereign's Order.
As it stands, Chen Guo has two Sovereign's Orders in his possession, but he's still eight short of the required number to elevate his status.
"I've finished the advancement quest and even got a Sovereign's Order to upgrade my status!"
"Big thanks to Boss Guangcheng. Without him, I wouldn't have been able to tackle such a daunting task in a month!"
"We've really struck it big this time, all thanks to Boss Guangcheng!"
Everyone was elated.
A thought struck Chen Guo, and he turned to Zhou Tao, "You've all received the Sovereign's Order, haven't you?"
"Yes," Zhou Tao replied, "the Sovereign's Order is the only reward from the advancement quest."
"Do you understand what the Sovereign's Order is for?" Chen Guo inquired.
"To upgrade our status?" Zhou Tao ventured.
"Exactly," Chen Guo confirmed. "Currently, you are trial challengers, and I am an Explorer, a rank above you. But this rank only means I can see more powerful monster data. For instance, you might not be able to see the Fiend Demon's data, but I can."
"What are you suggesting?" Zhou Tao sensed Chen Guo had a plan.
Chen Guo explained, "Simply upgrading your status won't significantly boost your actual fighting capacity. Right now, my fighting capacity is at 99999. Don't you think there's something off about that?"
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