Chapter 677, Dogs Biting Dogs, a Mouthful of Fur

Translator: Silavin

 

These four Fifth Profession Players all had Hidden Professions, so their strength was beyond imagination!

 

In the eyes of the world, Third Profession Players were already considered top-tier experts.

 

As for Fourth Profession Players, they were even rarer than Phoenix Feathers and Unicorn Horns. Any one of them would be a pillar of a nation. They were the kind of existence capable of supporting an entire country.

 

A Major Force might have no more than ten Fourth Profession Players visible on the surface, and these Fourth Profession Players had ordinary Professions, and were only around Level 90. Hardly anyone had ever encountered a Level 100 Player before!

 

Many people even believed that Level 100 was the ultimate limit of Human Levelling.

 

This was because some Fourth Profession Players had mentioned that once they had their Fourth Profession Change, the Experience Points gained from killing Monsters, Clearing Dungeon Instances, and exploring Secret Realms were insufficient to allow them to Level Up.

 

What truly enabled them to Level Up was the understanding of their own Profession.

 

Only through a more thorough comprehension of one’s Profession could one possibly ascend to the next Level at that point. Therefore, after the Fourth Profession Change, each Level increase was as difficult as scaling Heaven.

 

Every single Level represented a barrier, no less challenging than each of their previous Profession Changes.

 

Some individuals would even become stuck at a particular Level, unable to advance further because their understanding of their Profession could not deepen, rendering any Level progression impossible.

 

In the eyes of ordinary people, this was the reality beyond Level 90.

 

Such experts were sparse in numbers and found it impossibly difficult to advance further.

 

So, for Level 100? Most found it merely theoretical.

 

Who in this world had ever seen a Player above Level 100?

 

Yet now, the Patriarchs of Cherry Blossom Country’s Four Major Clans had simultaneously appeared, displaying their personal information.

 

The words ‘Level 120’ left others speechless, but they had no choice other than to believe their eyes.

 

Naturally, some had suspected these might be false Attribute Panels created through a Special Item.

 

But subsequently, Cherry Blossom Country’s Royal Family directly and publicly announced their submission to these Four Major Clans, finally convincing everyone worldwide. Regardless of whether these Four Major Clans’ ‘Level 120’ Fifth Profession Players were genuine, their power over the country was certainly real!

 

One must understand that Cherry Blossom Country’s Royal Family was supported by six Fourth Profession Players.

 

Yet, after the Four Major Clans’ high-profile emergence, they directly confessed that they were merely puppets used by the Four Major Clans to govern the nation.

 

This could only indicate that Cherry Blossom Country had already been controlled by the Four Major Clans, and now, the colossal entities behind Cherry Blossom Country had finally revealed themselves.

 

In truth, every nation concealed their strongest Forces. They were merely lying dormant in the shadows. This was something generally known by anyone who had risen to a certain Level.

 

However, no one had truly anticipated that the Forces behind Cherry Blossom Country would emerge so ostentatiously, and with such terrifying strength.

 

Forces supported by Fifth Profession Players would rank at least as First Tier Ancient Noble Families within Dragon Country.

 

For Cherry Blossom Country, which was far smaller than Dragon Country, to produce four First Tier Ancient Noble Families, it was indeed a remarkable feat.

 

At the very least, if other nations’ hidden Forces do not act, these Four Major Clans were enough to sweep across any country in the world.

 

Naturally, Dragon Country was the known exception to Lu Fan.

 

After all, from what he knew, Dragon Country was the only nation possessing Ancient Noble Families while its state remained entirely unconnected to the Ancient Noble Families.

 

Tu Jing alone was already unfathomably strong on his own, and among Dragon Country’s Three Elders, one possessed strength surpassing even Tu Jing.

 

Regardless, the high-profile emergence of Cherry Blossom Country’s Four Major Clans had overturned many people’s worldviews.

 

Now, the question would be why the Four Major Clans had appeared so conspicuously?

 

Lu Fan believes that quite a few powerful Forces lurking in the shadows regarded the emergence of these Four Major Clans with utter disdain, considering them mentally defective for placing themselves out in the open.

 

Would it not be better for them to just remain in the shadows, gathering resources from the nation they ruled over, and develop steadily?

 

However, one could already deduce that the Four Major Clans, with their ability to control Cherry Blossom Country, meant that they were not fools.

 

Currently, Lu Fan could tell that the Patriarchs of the Four Major Clans should all be Disciples of that black-robed figure. They were Players of the same calibre as Kage Mako. It was just that they had reached Level 120 and had their Fifth Profession Change, making them stronger than Kage Mako.

 

In other words, behind the Four Major Clans stood that person called Kage Tenshi.

 

With the Four Major Clans mobilising together, their primary objective would undoubtedly be to seek him out, to capture him with absolute authority and interrogate him about the methods for obtaining Giant Dragons.

 

This point had already been communicated when Kage Tenshi activated the brand three days ago, issuing his challenge to Lu Fan.

 

However, these Four Major Clans would not need to ostentatiously expose themselves and their control of Cherry Blossom Country to deal with Lu Fan.

 

It was completely unnecessary if that was their sole goal.

 

If they so desired, they could secretly try to capture him without needing to expose themselves.

 

Therefore, Lu Fan speculated that Kage Tenshi’s actions certainly served other purposes. [Maybe, they are trying to use this as a deterrent and seize another country?]

 

Each country’s Hidden Forces were fundamental to preventing their country’s overthrow.

 

Superficially, struggles between countries had occurred many times, but each outcome typically concluded with reparations as the primary resolution, without any nation getting annihilated.

 

Consequently, the number of Human nations had remained stable, rarely experiencing any changes.

 

Much like when South Country had previously challenged Dragon Country, only to be thoroughly defeated by Dragon Country. Yet ultimately, Dragon Country had not incorporated South Country into its own territory.

 

After all, they still had to consider South Country’s Hidden Forces.

 

Dragon Country might be powerful but Hidden Forces contained Fourth Profession and even Level 100 and above Players.

 

Should these individuals be provoked to desperation, they would become like tumours causing chaos within Dragon Country, striking once before relocating. Even if Tu Jing possessed three heads and six arms, capturing them would prove extremely difficult.

 

This would ultimately result in Dragon Country’s citizens suffering.

 

Therefore, these surface-level national wars all followed a ‘rule’, no annihilation of the nation.

 

As long as the nation did not get annihilated, their Hidden Forces would not emerge.

 

Now that the Hidden Forces like the Four Major Clans had actively appeared, they had undoubtedly developed the intention to disrupt this ‘rule’.

 

As for which nation they intended to target, Lu Fan could roughly guess. [The most unstable one. It is most likely going to be Extremistis Country.]

 

After all, Extremistis Country bordered Cherry Blossom Country and, having been severely weakened by Divine Bone’s attack. It would certainly be an excellent target for annexation.

 

However, Lu Fan felt no particular concern over this matter.

 

After all, he bore no sentimental feelings towards either country. Also, those from the Four Major Clans would soon come to seek him. If nothing unexpected occurs, their plan would be ruined and they would lack the opportunity to annex Extremistis Country.