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If it were just an ordinary night watch, the profession quest rewards for a Lamp Keeper might not even surpass those of a First Order quest.
But if one could complete two major night watches, the inspiration points gained would be tremendously substantial!
This is also one of the main reasons why the Lamp Keeper profession is so dangerous.
Chen Qi jotted down the plans he held in his hand, unable to contain his excitement.
Without a doubt, the upcoming Descent was the perfect opportunity for him to fulfill his profession quest.
If he succeeded in protecting a light source during the Descent, his reward in inspiration points might even break ten thousand!
Plus the inspiration points earned from slaying monsters, his total inspiration points would reach an astonishing twenty thousand or more.
Having made up his mind, Chen Qi glanced at the time, then started practicing the Blade Casting and Body Refining Technique.
This was a Body Forging Skill he had gotten from the Blood Blade Pirate Group.
However, due to rank issues and his own constitution issues, his progress had always been very slow.
The +10 constitution bonus granted from advancing to Third Order, along with the +5 constitution bonus from the body forging potion, brought his constitution to exactly 60 points.
For a newly-promoted Third-order Transcendent, this number was already quite high, allowing him to equip most Mechanical Armors.
However, in comparison to his powerful physique, Chen Qi's strength was only average, at 33 points.
Real strength lies in the stats—Chen Qi firmly believed in this principle. Without hesitation, he started circulating his Qi Power to burn within his body, refining his Body Forging Technique.
With practice, Chen Qi's body grew hotter and more fervent.
Meanwhile, the Water Elf took on the responsibility of cooling him down.
Not knowing how much time had passed, Chen Qi slowly opened his eyes and moved his limbs about.
Indeed, after advancing in rank, the difficulty of practicing the Body Forging Skill greatly reduced, and his body's strength increased at an extremely fast rate—Chen Qi moved his limbs, and in an instant, his joints made a crisp sound, and the muscle lines on his arms became more defined.
"Awesome!"
Chen Qi took the towel from Water Elf No.3, wiped his body clean, and changed into a set of tidy clothes.
[You have gained a preliminary mastery of Blade Casting and Body Refining Technique, Strength +10, Constitution +5, your constitution has reached 65 points, and your strength has arrived at 43 points...]
After drying off, Chen Qi looked out the window.
Outside the house, the cold wind kept howling, and the sky was covered with dark clouds, with a strange pink moon casting a peculiar light, while black tides kept assaulting—the surroundings were occasionally filled with the mutterings of Shadow Beasts and fleeting red eyes.
...
...
The next day.
Chen Qi went to the outfitter on Sea God Island, spent a hundred thousand Shell Coins to repair the Hunter's Clothes he got from the E-tier hunting ground.
Compared to the previously tattered Hunter's Clothes, the repaired black Hunter's clothes had more slots for blades, stronger defense, and looked much more stylish.
Although the equipment from the E-tier crack was a bit weak, looking cool was what truly mattered... Chen Qi straightened his clothes and headed to the Hunter Association's bar on Sea God Island.
Chen Qi took off his Hunter's hat and scanned the surroundings.
Today, the Hunter Association was exceptionally crowded, with the newly released newspapers from the Dove Times scattered carelessly on the floor.
After the Smiling Moon event, the danger level of the entire sea has risen, and many hunters' boats lacked the capacity to set sail, leaving them no choice but to stay obediently on Sea God Island.
Facing the upcoming Descent, many people had made up their minds to confront the Shadow head-on.
This was hardly surprising, for if they had sufficient intelligence, they would know that the Descent disaster on Sea God Island was now the simplest B-tier crack after the Smiling Moon.
In the face of the numerous Descent waves, everyone was talking.
"Form a team? Bro, I can perform the Dancing Light Technique! I can even swallow a light bulb and spit it out when necessary!"
"I'm paying with Floral Appearance materials 'Magic Teng Flower' for a Floral Appearance doctor."
"Looking for a pyromaniac, or others with Lamp Phase abilities, not bookish nerds from the Book Phase!"
"Need a team! Whoever takes in this dancer, gets a kiss from me!"
It feels like a gaming guild... Chen Qi pushed through the crowded bar and spoke to the bartender:
"A malt beer, one with less alcohol, please."
At this moment, Melanie from the White Tower Federation was biting her finger, staring at the Supernova prediction feature on the newspaper:
"Damn it, didn't this guy go to graduate school? To think he's also on the high seas..."
Chen Qi took a glance.
On the newspaper, there was the newly-emerging 'Prospective Supernova,' Hunter An. She gained a bit of fame for seriously wounding the near-shore dominator, beating the Black Pig Shark within an inch of its life.
In the interview, An stated she would reinvigorate the navy's power, capture the Flower Witch, the Black Hunter, Hai Ge, and other monstrously famous Transcendents, throw them into prison, and interrogate them thoroughly!
```
An is crazy, she truly has the strength to be arrogant, but looking at Melanie's expression, does she also know An Aotian? Chen Qi took the drink from the bartender.
At this moment, Melanie and her five subordinates all turned their heads to look at Chen Qi.
Chen Qi spoke first:
"How did you know I've been promoted to Third Rank?"
"Little Hunter, of course I know, I made your card after all..."
Melanie blinked blankly and downed a glass of rum:
"Congratulations! Promoted to Third Rank! Little... Hunter!"
Melanie was used to calling Second-order Transcendents 'Little Hunter', 'little brother', and First Order Transcendents 'Little Little Hunter'. Now that Chen Qi had suddenly reached her rank, it took her a moment to adjust.
Forget it, let's still call you Little Hunter, after all, I am about to be promoted to Legend... Melanie said:
"Little Hunter, are you interested in joining the six of us to fight against the Shadow Tide? By rough estimate, each of us could earn 5000 inspiration points.
As your seniors, we can also guide you well~"
Guide me? Chen Qi said subconsciously:
"Sorry, I'm not interested."
Chen Qi had his own thoughts about the Shadow Tide.
That was to use the existing defenses on Sea God Island, the Tentacle Grass defense line, to combat the Shadow Beasts.
Under normal circumstances, staying close to the Tentacle Grass to snatch kills was a very dangerous thing.
But for Chen Qi, this was a pretty good strategy.
The tentacle traps carefully cultivated by the pirates of Sea God Island were all good helpers to him.
By the way, Chen Qi wanted to study if it was possible to take all these tentacles for himself.
Chen Qi sipped on his malt beer, his brows furrowing involuntarily.
One had to admit, the alcohol content on Sea God Island's drinks was just too high.
"You've refused us."
Melanie looked at Chen Qi suspiciously and said:
"Little Hunter, think it over, we have six Third-tier Hunters, and amongst these six hunters, there's a genius Cardmaker like me who has passed the Bei Country Royal College and successfully landed a graduate position in cardmaking."
Many Hunters wanted to join their professional team but were refused by Melanie.
As she spoke, Melanie pulled out a report card from her chest and, smiling, showed it off!
Why do you carry this kind of stuff with you... Chen Qi was utterly speechless; the White Tower Federation truly was a nation that took exams seriously, placing significant emphasis on academic results.
Melanie joked:
"How about that, I'm impressive, right? You're not afraid that we might kidnap you during the mission, are you?"
Chen Qi said speechlessly:
"No, it's you I'm afraid of."
Many tentacle traps on Sea God Island could ensnare even a Third-order Transcendent.
"We're afraid?"
With flushed cheeks from drinking, Melanie said confidently:
"Are you kidding! A B-level Shadow Tide certainly has its difficulties, but for us experienced hunters, it's a minor issue! Are you sure you won't join us?"
My Water Elf fleet is enough… Chen Qi replied firmly.
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"I'm not interested."
Damn it, the Shadow Tide is a good opportunity to kidnap him and make him an undercover agent... Melanie snapped her fingers:
"Another bottle of the most expensive Dragon Tongue liquor, for my friend here, to celebrate his promotion."
I'll get him drunk... Melanie gritted her teeth.
Bang!
At that moment, an aging lighthouse keeper with wrinkled, purplish-blue skin, burst through the door and loudly said:
"Everyone! According to the latest intelligence from our signal tower, our bishop, who was at sea, encountered a lantern in the black clouds and cannot support us."
"Moreover, according to the information from the disaster messenger, the Shadow Tide has already begun to stir, the calamity is about to descend!"
Behind him, the wild wind howled, and disordered black waves crashed against the ships at the dock.
The entire tavern fell silent in an instant.
Chen Qi accepted the strong drink passed by the bartender and took a swig.