After logging off, Jiang Bai wasn't in the mood to fiddle with making food. He directly opened the "ChouTuan" app, ordered a Longjiang Pork Knuckle Rice, and then opened the "Genesis" forums. The game had been open for several hours already; it was a good time to check the forums and gather some knowledge.

A highlighted post on the forum at this time caught Jiang Bai completely by surprise.

"Discussion: Just Who is 'Old Dream of Empty City', the First Player on the Server to Obtain Purple Gear?"

"Pfft..."

The post's title instantly amused Jiang Bai. The replies below were full of various speculations, and someone even mysteriously claimed to know who he was, asking for a 10 yuan WeChat red envelope before revealing anything.

“Holy crap, people are already making money using my name?”

Jiang Bai continued scrolling down until a post finally caught his attention.

"What Exactly Are 'Genesis' Hidden Classes? How to Obtain Them?"

“People are already researching hidden classes this quickly?”

Jiang Bai hurriedly opened the post.

"Hello fellow players! 'Genesis' is now live, and surely the most pressing question on everyone's mind is about hidden classes. You likely already understand the basic classes in 'Genesis'; the six fundamental class lines represent different paths towards hidden classes..."

"So how exactly does one obtain a hidden class? Your humble editor is also very curious! Please continue following this post, as your editor will bring you the latest information..."

“Damn it!”

After reading, Jiang Bai was greatly disappointed. "It's just a clickbait account, damn it..."

After the takeout arrived, Jiang Bai shoveled down the food in a tearing hurry and impatiently logged back into the game.

The familiar login screen, exciting and captivating.

As the beginner village interface slowly loaded, the scene that greeted him was still bustling and in full swing. Four hours after launch, the beginner village was still packed shoulder-to-shoulder.

“Hey, move it, let me through...”

Jiang Bai squeezed through the gaps in the crowd towards the Old Blacksmith's location, earning quite a few annoyed glances.

“Selling cheap! Level 2 White Knight Two-Handed Hammer, only 5000 copper! Passersby, take a look!” “Selling cheap! Top-tier Mage skill, Fireball! Price negotiable.” ...

Hawking cries echoed along the way; these players preferred not to use the Trading Market to save on the 10% handling fee.

“Just as expected, Level 2 white gear prices are starting to drop!”

Jiang Bai keenly noted this good news. For him, the lower the price of this trash gear, the faster he could fuse equipment for his other slots.

The once-deserted spot in front of the Old Blacksmith now had a scattering of players. It seemed the top players were now around Level 4.

“Need to speed things up.”

Jiang Bai squeezed his way to the Old Blacksmith, slamming his longbow thump onto the counter. "Old man, your little grandpa is here to turn in the quest."

The blacksmith, who had been busy with his head down, slowly looked up. The impatience on his face gradually vanished upon seeing Jiang Bai, replaced by astonishment.

“It's you?” “It's me!” “You're here to turn in the quest?” “I'm here to turn in the quest!” “You completed it?” “I completed it!” “Impossible!”

The Old Blacksmith was full of doubt, looking Jiang Bai up and down. "The difficulty of my quest... how could you possibly..."

He didn't finish his sentence. As the blacksmith's gaze fell upon the two pieces of equipment Jiang Bai wore, the rest of his words died abruptly, his eyes filled with shock.

When he spoke again, his tone was already full of respect.

“Young rascal... could this old man perhaps take a look at the weapon in your hands?” “Sorry, old timer, your little grandpa doesn't have time to waste with you. Hurry up and process the quest.” “Fine!”

The Old Blacksmith didn't dawdle. A brilliant light flashed in his eyes, and immediately after, a golden beam cascaded down onto Jiang Bai's head.

[You have completed the quest "Blacksmith's Wager". Received 1000 EXP, 300 Copper Coins, received random equipment: Willow Wood Staff. Bonus for completing advanced hidden quest: 100 Reputation.]

“Whoa, 1000 EXP!”

Jiang Bai watched his level jump from 2 to 3, the experience bar filling halfway before stopping.

“Leveled up one and a half times directly! Just 500 more EXP to reach Level 4!”

“300 copper goes without saying—that's 300 RMB from one quest!”

“This is the benefit of hidden quests! Difficult, but the rewards are truly generous!”

Of course, the biggest surprise was the staff.

[Willow Wood Staff] (Uncommon) Magical Attack: +9 Intelligence: +2 Required Level: 4

“Green gear!” “It's colored!” “And it's Green gear with +2 Intelligence! The level is perfect too!”

Jiang Bai immediately opened the Trading Market and searched vigorously. Just as he thought, there were currently no Green weapons for sale!

"Genesis"'s drop rates were just that low!

At most, there were a few pieces of Green armor, all listed at sky-high prices.

Of course, this didn't mean no one had found a Green weapon in all this time; they were just such hot property that they were either used immediately or sniped the moment they were listed.

“I'm rich! Really rich!”

With trembling hands, Jiang Bai placed the staff onto the consignment interface, but instead of setting a buyout price, he chose auction mode, starting the bid at 1 Gold Coin!

Jiang Bai had no doubt the final selling price of this staff would give him a pleasant surprise.

Never mind that Green weapons were extremely rare right now; the main point was that the stat boost provided far greater returns for top players than ordinary players could imagine.

Especially for those conglomerate players competing on the level and gear rankings—getting their company's name recognized in this world-class online game generated benefits far beyond what a few gold coins could compare to.

Sure enough, the moment the staff was listed, Jiang Bai's private message channel exploded.

“Bro, take the item down quick! Name your price, let's trade face-to-face!” “Bro, I want the staff! 5 Gold buyout. Message me anytime if you'll sell.” “Wanna trade offline [RMT]? Bro...”

Looking at message after message, Jiang Bai struggled to remain calm. Admittedly, 5 Gold Coins, worth fifty thousand RMB, was very tempting. But through auction, the final price wouldn't be much different, possibly even higher.

After listing the item, Jiang Bai checked his mailbox again. The previous [Wild Boar Staff] had sold, netting him 9000 copper coins. Jiang Bai's assets now reached 2.3 Gold.

He then checked the prices of other equipment.

With the main player base reaching Level 3 and above, the prices for Level 1 and 2 white gear were plummeting. Level 1 whites were hovering around 1000 copper, while Level 2 whites were around 2000 copper.

Although prices hit new lows, the value proposition still wasn't great. Jiang Bai had no intention of sniping gear yet.

“I'll wait a bit longer.”

Jiang Bai thought for a moment and slowly shook his head. "Wait until I hit Level 4, then I'll see what the gear prices look like."

Casually equipping the [Wild Boar Leather Boots] and allocating the two attribute points from leveling up to Agility, Jiang Bai prepared to leave.

“Hold on, young rascal.”

Suddenly, the Old Blacksmith's hoarse voice stopped Jiang Bai.

Jiang Bai was startled and turned around, puzzled.

“What's up? Old timer.”

The Old Blacksmith leaned against the weapon rack behind him, looking Jiang Bai up and down. "Leaving already?"

“Say, old timer, don't tell me you've taken a liking to me?”

Honestly, the high level of NPC intelligence in "Genesis" was something Jiang Bai hadn't expected.

“Scram.”

The Old Blacksmith narrowed his eyes. "Although you completed the challenge quest I gave you, I have an even harder task here. Seeing as you seem like promising material, I might as well give you a chance. Want to try it?"

“Old timer, are you trying to screw me over again?”

Although he said that, Jiang Bai's heart was already stirring with excitement.

Clearly, this Old Blacksmith was no ordinary NPC.

More obviously, he should have triggered a hidden chain quest.

“Screw you over?”

The Old Blacksmith fumed at Jiang Bai's words. "Touch your conscience! Weren't the rewards for that quest generous enough? And do you think just anyone can receive a challenge quest from me? Hmph, as I see it, aren't you perhaps scared?"

“Scared!?”

Jiang Bai instantly raised his voice. "Old timer, don't try to provoke me! Whatever quests you have, just bring them on! I'll take every single one!"

“Good!”

The Old Blacksmith looked spirited. Immediately after, the system prompt sounded.

[You have triggered the chain challenge quest, "The Blacksmith's Test (1)". The system has forcefully accepted it for you.]