A Massive Surge in Members

Boom! The city gates of Fukang City shattered. Several green-skinned orcs brandished spiked clubs and charged inside, only to be shoved right back out the next instant by a wall of shields. Leading his squad with massive shields raised, Cheng Jian advanced step by step, keeping the green-skinned orcs barred outside the gates. The orcs slammed their spiked clubs against the shields, but the barriers didn't tremble in the slightest. In fact, a hazy yellow energy condensed into sharp spikes that stabbed right back into the orcs. This was an area-of-effect buff ability, Power of Earth. It coated every squad member in a layer of earthen energy, which not only reduced incoming damage but also reflected 3% of it. Furthermore, with every forward step they took, a force propped them up from behind, preventing them from being knocked back by impact forces. This was the effect of another area-of-effect buff skill, 'Power of Bedrock.' As long as an enemy attack did not exceed ten times a teammate's defense, it was impossible to knock back any ally carrying this buff. One could say the current meat-shield squad was terrifyingly tough. Taking advantage of the monsters being pushed back out, the ranged class holders atop the wall unleashed an assault. Under the barrage of attacks, green-skinned orc after orc dissolved into bursts of white light. Half an hour flew by. The last green-skinned orc crashed heavily to the ground, its body dissolving into white light, leaving behind only a pair of [Orc's Original-Flavored Underwear]. "Phew, we finally held them off." With the battle over, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "Splendid! Now only the final wave remains! As long as we hold out through this last one, Fukang City is in the bag!" Yu Xian laughed heartily. Ximen Wangcai grinned. "Everyone, is there anyone else who wants to join the Sparkle Troupe? This will be your last chance to become founding members. As long as people are willing to join, we can expand our troupe at any time!" "What perks do founding members get?" asked a young, yellow-haired girl among the class holders who had been watching from the sidelines. Ximen Wangcai smiled and answered, "Anyone who joins the Sparkle Troupe now will get priority promotions in the future. Our numbers will only grow—three thousand, three hundred thousand, or even three million won't be our limit! Every single one of you could become a general commanding a hundred thousand troops, achieving greatness beyond your wildest dreams!" He truly believed this. After all, with Little Nora around, food was never an issue. And with an endless abundance of food, funds wouldn't be an issue either. This was no different from waging war in ancient times. If someone transmigrated back to ancient eras and could provide every soldier with feast-worthy meat and fish at every meal, the troops would probably robe them in imperial yellow within days. Ximen Wangcai's words stirred the hearts of many. After all, the Sparkle Troupe had already weathered four waves. If they held off the fifth, all of Fukang City would become their territory. No one could predict what the future held, but they still needed to stay in Fukang City for quite a long time. Joining the Sparkle Troupe was not only lucrative right now, but what if they actually made it big? And so, many class holders chimed in, deciding to join the Sparkle Troupe. Yu Xian leaned in and whispered to Ximen Wangcai, "Wangcai, we're out of money to expand the troupe." "Don't worry, I've got money," Ximen Wangcai chuckled. If Ximen Wangcai had initially just wanted to watch the fun and joined the Sparkle Troupe as a lark, then after learning of Little Nora's ability, he genuinely wanted to manage the troupe well and lead it to heights never before seen in the Zhen Realm. "I'll go fetch the money. Wait here!" With that, Ximen Wangcai leaped straight off the wall and dashed toward the System Management Center. This wasn't his first time in the Zhen Realm; it was his third. His first time, he had left nothing behind, taking a hostile class holder down with him in mutual destruction. During his second stint, to prevent losing everything in the event of his death, he had prepared a special gift for himself. This gift was stored in the System Management Center, claimable by anyone with the right account and password. Inside were not only several precious, high-grade items, but also a massive stockpile of Fortune Gold Coins—more than enough to ensure he never lacked money up through Level 60. Originally, he had planned to claim this gift at Level 50, since reaching Level 50 unlocked the auction house, allowing him to convert Fortune Gold Coins directly into combat power. But now, he had found an even better use for them. After retrieving the gift, he rushed back to the wall and tossed a pouch of Fortune Gold Coins to Yu Xian. "Expand the troupe! Hurry up and recruit everyone. We can definitely use the extra hands for the upcoming battle," Ximen Wangcai said. Yu Xian opened the pouch and peeked inside. His eyes were instantly dazzled by the glittering golden gleam. If Ximen Wangcai were a woman, he would have planted a kiss right on his cheek. "Wangcai, your parents certainly didn't name you wrong—you really bring fortune!" Yu Xian looked at him, beaming. Ximen Wangcai rolled his eyes and deadpanned, "Has it ever occurred to you that 'Ximen Wangcai' might just be a screen name?" He treated entering the Zhen Realm like playing an online game. Why would he ever use his real name? Even if most people in the Zhen Realm did use theirs. "Huh? You're not actually named Ximen Wangcai? Then what's your real name?" Yu Xian blinked in surprise, his curiosity piqued. Ximen Wangcai said flatly, "Just call me Ximen Wangcai. Why do you care what my real name is?" "Fair enough. Thanks!" Yu Xian had only asked casually. If Ximen Wangcai didn't want to tell him, he wouldn't press. Next, he promptly paid the gold coins to expand the troupe and inducted all the waiting recruits into their ranks. In the blink of an eye, the Sparkle Troupe's numbers broke past a thousand. With this, the Sparkle Troupe had become the largest faction in the surrounding region. Even in Level 30 urban districts, there probably wasn't a team larger than theirs. After all, every team upgrade required Fortune Gold Coins, and the required amounts escalated with each rank. Without a filthy-rich backer like Ximen Wangcai investing, expanding a team to this scale would have taken at least a year or more. Ximen Wangcai quickly settled into his role, organizing the new members and assigning them to different squads based on their classes. The meat-shield squad swelled once again. As waves of buffing light washed over them, Cheng Jian felt his body turn rock-hard. He felt ready to tank a Level 30 boss head-on. Just then, the magic circle high in the distant sky began flashing crimson. A formidable aura emanated from the formation, drawing the curious gazes of all the class holders. In truth, for most of the class holders present, this was their very first time encountering a Zhen Realm monster boss. After all, the area around Fukang City was only home to small fry; there wasn't even a decent elite monster to be found. Boom! A beam of crimson light descended from the magic circle. Then, more and more beams of crimson light rained down, and the ground began to shake violently. "Good grief, isn't this commotion a bit over the top?" Yu Xian remarked in surprise, staring out at the woods beyond the walls. Little Nora nodded in agreement. "Could the difficulty have scaled up because our team has so many people?" "Impossible. Fukang City is only a starter city, after all. The difficulty won't be ridiculously high," Ximen Wangcai said. "Still, the enemy leader is probably no ordinary boss." He was well aware that many monsters possessed absurdly high intelligence, having slain plenty of such creatures before. Chances were, the leader this time was an ancient monster returned to life.