He grinned warmly, “Ah, you must be Mr. Zhou who bought the Litchi Villa! Pardon my oversight. To think I've already collaborated with a heartthrob like you. I'm truly fortunate!”

Zhou You nodded, “Wishing you all the best today. We have to leave now due to our schedule.”

Zhang Dingshan hurriedly inquired, “When do you typically log in? Perhaps we can collaborate again?”

Shao Qi responded curtly, “No guarantees. Our online times vary and we're not looking for collaborations at the moment.” To make up for the team member they were short of, they had involved both Su the butler and Master Xuan. Today, Master Xuan had joined them.

But for now, he was peacefully snoozing atop a tree branch.

"Master Xuan, let's go." Zhou You called up to a tree. Suddenly, a motionless figure flipped over and began to fall from the tree. Just as Zhou You prepared to catch him, the figure did an aerial flip, landing gracefully on the ground. He then yawned and remarked, "That took forever. Who knew it would take this long to hunt down an armadillo? I've got such a stiff back from waiting."

Miao Miao aimed a playful jab with his gun, loosening Master Xuan's joints. He teased, "Master Xuan, you should take a look at that agelessly handsome face of yours before speaking. This is a game; you're quite youthful here."

No one expected Master Xuan to have crafted such a handsome avatar for himself, flawless in every way. When he appeared in the game hall, he was immediately surrounded by curious players, all asking for his character's modeling data. However, in keeping with his aloof persona, the old man didn’t utter a word.

"Had I known the game could grant one a fresh start, I would've joined earlier. Let's get moving. I need to stretch my legs." Master Xuan greeted Zhang Ding Shan and his group, adding a friendly warning, "Be wary of hibernating creatures. Hungry as they are, they might just consider humans a meal."

As the group piled into a vehicle to leave, Zhang Ding Shan hesitated. One of his teammates urged him, "Captain, we should hurry. We only have two hours left. We've brought ample equipment this time. We're not even afraid of a bear in its prime, let alone one in hibernation."

Zhang Ding Shan felt they could indeed take on the challenge. If the worst came to pass, they’d only lose a life. After all, they had three lives for three hours—plenty to gamble with.

However, after reviving at the respawn point for the third time, it became increasingly difficult for Zhang Ding Shan to stay lucid. The horrifying scenes of being consumed by mutated beasts haunted him. With the trauma stacking, continuing the battle felt impossible.

Seeing his despondent teammates, Zhang Ding Shan consoled, "It's alright. What's a few more deaths? We won't mess with that bear for now. Once we're stronger, we'll face it again!"

"But Captain, by the time we're powerful enough, someone else will have defeated that bear."

"Then we'll find another target. There's no shortage of high-level mutated creatures in these mountains, right?"

System Announcement: "Congratulations to players Zhou You's Journey, Kirin, and others for eliminating a mutated millennium-old willow tree—one of the top ten threats in the game. Rewards: one third-class medal of honor, a secret manual, a piece of the heart of the millennium-old willow tree, and a treasure box..."

"What's going on?" Everyone was puzzled by the announcement. Aside from mutated beasts, there were mutated plants too?

"Didn't I notice someone named Kirin among those awarded medals last time?"

"I checked the list; it’s mostly the same players. Just one new name. Damn, what luck they have! They've taken down two big BOSSes. Could they have known about the top ten threats in advance?"

"That's unlikely. Unless it’s a game bug or a leak, even if the city lord showed up, they couldn't have had such classified information. But I don't believe it's mere luck. There's something we don't know."

"Let's find them and ask!"

"Who'd spill such a secret?"

"Hey, isn't that the same guy who earned a medal last time? Sir, may I have a word?"

Surrounded, Zhang Ding Shan, now clear-headed, quickly logged off with his teammates. Once offline, his teammates were still in a daze, thinking their captain was traumatized by the bear encounter.

Yet, Zhang Ding Shan mused aloud, "I knew there was something special about them. I should've clung onto them earlier. How did they manage that?"

The system announcement surprised Zhou You's group, though they had somewhat expected it. They had been targeting the big BOSSes these days. After hunting numerous mutated creatures, it seemed only this willow tree remained, so luck wasn’t necessarily the key factor.

"How did you think of the mutated plants?" Master Xuan asked Zhou You thoughtfully.

Zhou You relayed rumors he had heard. Everyone spoke of a mutated willow tree by the southern river. This tree, three meters in diameter, attacked indiscriminately. Nobody who entered its territory lived to tell the tale, and its territory seemed to be expanding.

"If it's a major BOSS, its threat level must be significant. A regular high-level mutated creature can't do that. So I deduced the next big threats would either be highly intelligent or possess unmatched strength. Another possibility was those with ever-expanding territories. While I wasn't entirely sure about the mutated willow tree, I felt we had to at least give it a shot given the rarity of mutated plants."

Holding the piece of the willow tree heart, Shao Qi chuckled, "I've only heard of such a thing, never seen it. Three years ago, a mutated tree was found deep in the southwestern mountains. Allegedly thousands of years old, this sentient old tree guarded its territory fiercely. After hundreds of warriors were lost, the area was sealed off. Humanity couldn't keep sacrificing lives to a tree. Letting it battle the mutated beasts seemed like a better idea. Once our nation's strength grows, we'll deal with it."

"It seems that the thoughts of this millennium-old willow tree might have originated from that mutated tree. Truly, it's a formidable adversary."