There were two items inside the treasure chest.
The most eye catching was a parchment scroll lying in the center.
When unfolded, it revealed a detailed map of Bladewind Stronghold.
“It really is a map!”
The higher the treasure chest’s grade, the greater the chance of obtaining a map.
For a blue grade chest, the probability of obtaining a Bladewind Stronghold map was likely only around ten percent.
Getting one on the very first attempt was enough to make Mu Yu ecstatic.
Picking up the map, Mu Yu carefully examined it.
Every pathway and hidden passage within Bladewind Stronghold was clearly recorded.
Even the locations of treasure chests and stronghold leaders were marked.
“Can this map be sold to Dustworld Pavilion?”
Yin Huaichen asked curiously.
“Of course.”
Mu Yu nodded without hesitation.
“During the pioneering stage, the value of a map like this is immeasurable.”
“Though honestly, I doubt anyone would be foolish enough to sell something this precious.”
Yin Huaichen let out an acknowledging sound and shifted his attention to the second item inside the chest.
It was an alchemy formula.
[Tianya Windstride Pill (Formula)]
[Tianya Windstride Pill: Increases movement speed by 90 for 30 seconds after consumption. Cooldown: 1 hour.]
“Oh, this one’s good!”
Never Short of Moonlight glanced at the formula.
“It should sell for quite a lot, right?”
Movement speed pills were useful for every class.
However, they were especially valuable to martial artists.
As a melee class, martial artists depended heavily on movement speed bonuses and gap closing abilities.
At present, Yin Huaichen only possessed Wandering Dragon Step as a temporary movement speed enhancement.
Combined with Tianya Windstride Pills, he would be able to advance or retreat at will, greatly increasing his battlefield mobility.
Even setting that aside, if he chose to sell it instead, such a universally useful formula would undoubtedly become a highly sought after commodity.
After thinking for a moment, Mu Yu spoke.
“Let’s hold a team auction.”
Yin Huaichen wanted it.
So did everyone else.
According to standard gaming conventions, whenever multiple members of a party needed the same item, ownership would be determined through bidding.
The highest bidder won.
Simple and fair.
“Sounds good.”
Yin Huaichen nodded.
[Party Leader “Mu Yu” has initiated a Team Auction. Auction Item: Tianya Windstride Pill Formula.]
[Mu Yu bids 20 silver.]
[Never Short of Moonlight bids 40 silver.]
[Fallen Leaf Peerless withdraws from bidding.]
[Great White Shark bids 80 silver.]
[Yin Wuchang bids 500 silver.]
Yin Huaichen did not hesitate.
He immediately raised the price to five hundred silver.
Before setting out, he had purchased two skill books.
After accounting for the money earned from selling Galebreaker Halberd and the funds he already possessed, he still had roughly nine hundred silver remaining.
“Holy crap, Brother Wuchang, you’re that rich?”
Fallen Leaf Peerless was stunned when he saw the opening bid.
“Five hundred right off the bat?”
“I never would’ve guessed!”
Never Short of Moonlight exclaimed as well.
“So you’re actually a rich player.”
“Honestly, martial artists really do need movement speed.”
Mu Yu nodded and casually withdrew from the auction.
[Mu Yu withdraws from bidding.]
[Never Short of Moonlight withdraws from bidding.]
[Great White Shark withdraws from bidding.]
[…]
One by one, his teammates abandoned the auction.
Yin Huaichen blinked in surprise.
Then he asked in confusion,
“You’re all giving up already?”
The value of a formula like this was far greater than five hundred silver.
After all, Yin Huaichen had spent six hundred silver just to purchase the Star Splitting Art skill book.
If this formula were taken to the open market, it could easily sell for two or three thousand silver.
It was worth even more than the purple grade Galebreaker Halberd.
The Galebreaker Halberd would eventually become obsolete as levels increased but an alchemy formula was different.
Not only could it be used personally but the pills produced from it could also be sold for profit.
At the current stage of the game, it was practically a walking printing press for money.
Mu Yu shrugged.
“We spent most of our money buying intelligence. Besides, without you, we wouldn’t have been able to clear out this bandit camp in the first place.”
The auction existed for the sake of fairness, preventing anyone in the party from feeling dissatisfied.
In truth, Mu Yu had never intended to compete with him for it.
Compared to earning a bit more silver, he would much rather build a good relationship with Yin Huaichen.
The favor of a top tier martial artist was worth far more than a single alchemy formula.
Yin Huaichen nodded, silently remembering the favor.
“Thanks.”
Obtaining the formula for only five hundred silver was practically equivalent to picking up a massive bargain for free.
Of course, he still couldn’t make the pills yet.
After completing the mission and returning to Thousand Mechanisms City, he would have to visit the Green Pouch Workshop and find an alchemist before he could turn the formula into actual products.
Afterward, the group continued deeper into Bladewind Stronghold, carefully avoiding large groups of bandits along the way.
With the map in hand, navigation became much easier.
Every now and then they would encounter isolated bandits and eliminate them.
Combined with the experience earned from killing the Grade One sub leader earlier, Yin Huaichen quickly gained another level.
His level rose to Level 8.
“Now this is what I call comfort!”
Watching his experience bar shoot upward at an incredible pace, Never Short of Moonlight could not help exclaiming,
“I could stay here for an entire year!”
“Then stay as long as you like.”
Without even turning around, Mu Yu replied,
“Just remember to go home for dinner during New Year’s.”
Never Short of Moonlight: “…”
“I think I hear something.”
Yin Huaichen suddenly halted.
Raising a hand, he signaled everyone to remain silent.
Then he closed his eyes and listened carefully for a moment.
Finally, he pointed toward the southwest.
“The sound is coming from over there… It sounds like people are fighting.”
Mu Yu immediately opened the map and compared the location.
“That area is… the Third Boss’s camp in Bladewind Stronghold.”
“Someone’s fighting over there?”
Never Short of Moonlight blinked.
“Could it be another party that entered before us?”
“Possible.”
Mu Yu considered for a moment.
“Should we go take a look?”
Yin Huaichen nodded in agreement.
“Let’s go.”
Following the direction of the sounds, the group advanced cautiously for some distance before arriving at a new camp.
From afar, they could see a rather elegant courtyard standing in the center.
It was completely different from the crude stone huts occupied by the lesser leaders.
The residence appeared far more imposing and luxurious.
Sure enough, it matched the location marked on the map for the Third Boss.
The courtyard gates were tightly shut.
The group climbed onto the surrounding wall, poking their heads over the edge and quietly peeking inside.
Brilliant flashes of skill effects exploded throughout the courtyard.
The sounds of bandits shouting and slashing mixed together with players yelling commands.
The entire scene was chaotic.
A rough count revealed more than twenty players inside.
“They’re people from One Sword Drifting Snow!”
Mu Yu immediately recognized several familiar faces.
“One Sword Drifting Snow?”
Yin Huaichen repeated the name questioningly.
He knew very little about gaming circles.
Since entering the game, he had barely interacted with other players, so naturally he had never heard of them.
“They’re our guild’s rival.”
Mu Yu explained.
“They belong to an S tier gaming club.”
“Even though they’re backed by an S tier organization, their reputation in the gaming community is terrible. They’re a bunch who bully the weak and fear the strong.”
“The leveling area outside Thousand Mechanisms City, the swamp forest? They’re the ones who fenced it off and stopped other players from entering.”
That immediately reminded Yin Huaichen of something.
Earlier, when he had gone to hunt Vicious Creatures for a quest, he had passed by the swamp forest.
At the time, he had seen countless players blocked outside the area.
He had wondered who possessed such arrogance.
So it had been this guild all along.
Standing in the center of the courtyard was a tall man dressed entirely in white.
A folding fan hung casually from his hand.
His appearance resembled that of a refined scholar.
At this moment, however, he was surrounded by several players and wore a visibly angry expression.
The players encircling him all looked tense and vigilant.
Each of them stared at the man in white as though facing a terrifying enemy.
Nearby, another group of bandits was fiercely battling the players.
Judging by the situation, they appeared to be the subordinates of the man in white.
Unable to resist his curiosity, Yin Huaichen tossed an Inspection Spell at him.
[Third Boss of Bladewind Stronghold: Hu Tianlu (Lv.31)]
A Grade Three expert?!
And a Leader Template at that?
Seeing the information, Yin Huaichen was genuinely shocked.
“People from One Sword Drifting Snow actually dare challenge a Grade Three Boss?”
Mu Yu cast Inspection as well.
The astonishment on his face was even greater than Yin Huaichen’s.
“Wouldn’t this boss wipe them out with a single sneeze?”
Something wasn’t right.
Yin Huaichen frowned.
Logically speaking, players at the current stage were completely incapable of fighting a Grade Three expert.
And this wasn’t merely a Grade Three opponent.
It was a Grade Three Leader.
Even with over twenty players present, they were no different from ants in front of such a monster.
Then why wasn’t Hu Tianlu making a move?
Why was he simply standing there?
Yin Huaichen shifted his attention toward the players surrounding Hu Tianlu.
Each of them held a pale purple talisman in hand.
A stream of dark energy extended from every talisman, connecting directly to Hu Tianlu in the center.
“It seems to be related to those things they’re holding.”
Mu Yu also noticed the talismans.
“Some kind of special quest item?”
Probably some sort of formation…
Yin Huaichen guessed internally.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t identify exactly what kind.
Formations had always been one of his weaker areas.
Besides, after a hundred years of development, countless formations had evolved and changed.
It was perfectly normal that he failed to recognize it.
“Are they seriously planning to kill the boss using that?”
Never Short of Moonlight couldn’t help saying,
“Wouldn’t that be ridiculously broken?”
“Not necessarily.”
Yin Huaichen noticed sweat already appearing on the foreheads of the players maintaining the formation.
Clearly, they would not be able to hold out much longer.
The gap between a Grade Three expert and ordinary players was not something a simple formation could completely erase.
His gaze shifted toward the others.
“Their real objective… is probably that.”
Following the direction he indicated, everyone looked toward a room behind Hu Tianlu’s courtyard.
At the center of the room sat a sandalwood box.
Aside from the players restraining Hu Tianlu, every other member of One Sword Drifting Snow was advancing toward that box.
Meanwhile, Hu Tianlu’s bandit subordinates were desperately trying to stop them.
A fierce battle had erupted around the staircase leading into the room.
“Hurry up!”
At the center of the guild formation stood a player who appeared to be directing the operation.
His voice was filled with urgency.
“The talismans won’t last much longer!”
“Guild Leader, these monsters are too high level! We can’t deal with them that quickly!”
“Damn useless trash.”
The guild leader cursed under his breath.
“All Iron Guardians move up immediately!”
“Stop wasting time fighting these monsters! Get the item first!”
“This Beacon Samsara really is terrible.”
Mu Yu clicked his tongue.
“His command is awful.”
“In a situation like this, he’s still sending the tanks forward?”
“Does he even know how to play?”
“And these idiots from One Sword Drifting Snow aren’t much better. Every single one of them is a fool.”
Beacon Samsara was the guild leader’s name.
Yin Huaichen asked curiously,
“Someone that bad can still become a commander?”
“He has money.”
Mu Yu rolled his eyes.
“One Sword Drifting Snow has always relied on throwing money around.”
“In previous games they bought powerful equipment, spent huge amounts recruiting talented players, built their reputation that way.”
“As for actual skill?”
“Not a shred.”
Never Short of Moonlight suddenly interjected.
“Their target is that box.”
“There must be something extremely important inside.”
“Should we steal it?”
Yin Huaichen glanced downward again.
The players restraining Hu Tianlu were clearly reaching their limits.
At most, they had another two minutes before collapsing.
Once Hu Tianlu escaped, a Grade Three expert like him would slaughter every single one of the twenty plus players present.
Not one of them would survive.
“Steal it.”
Mu Yu answered immediately.
“I’ve disliked those guys for ages.”
“Beacon Samsara is rich. He definitely bought a lot of information from Dustworld Pavilion.”
“The fact that they’re willing to go this far for that wooden box means there’s definitely something valuable inside.”
After a pause, he turned toward Yin Huaichen.
“One Sword Drifting Snow has a lot of influence in this game.”
“If you get involved, they’ll probably retaliate against you.”
“If you don’t want the trouble, the rest of us can handle it.”
“You can stay here and avoid being dragged into it.”
The two guilds had been rivals for years.
A little more hostility hardly mattered.
But the martial artist expert in their team was a lone wolf.
No guild.
No fixed team.
If he got caught up in the conflict, it could become troublesome.
Yin Huaichen raised an eyebrow.
“Listen to yourself.”
“You make it sound like I’m some obedient little good kid.”
He was the type who thrived on chaos.
Mu Yu’s proposal suited him perfectly.
“Good.”
Mu Yu liked that attitude.
After giving a few quick instructions, the party members immediately began moving into position.
The battle inside the courtyard continued without pause.
Although Hu Tianlu was temporarily trapped despite being a Grade Three expert, his subordinates were still around Level 9.
Even though One Sword Drifting Snow had superior numbers, dealing with them remained difficult.
As the talismans’ power weakened more and more, Beacon Samsara grew increasingly anxious.
He hurriedly ordered his guild members to charge forward recklessly, breaking through toward the wooden box.
Even if every one of them died here today,
They had to obtain that item.
Under the relentless assault of the players, a crack finally appeared in the bandits’ defensive line.
“You dare?!”
Hu Tianlu’s expression turned icy.
Dressed in white, he looked as though he wanted nothing more than to slaughter every single one of these Cloud Stepping Travelers.
Unfortunately, the talismans firmly restricted his movements.
He could not move at all.
He could only watch helplessly as the players drew closer and closer to the sandalwood box.
“I made it! I can grab it!”
Taking advantage of the opening created by his teammates, a spellcaster from One Sword Drifting Snow finally rushed into the room.
Shouting excitedly, he reached toward the sandalwood box.
“Move!”
Mu Yu barked.
He hardly needed to say it.
Yin Huaichen had been waiting for this moment.
The instant the command sounded, he activated Wandering Dragon Step.
However, at the exact moment he launched himself forward,
A figure suddenly burst out from the opposite side of the courtyard wall.
Like Yin Huaichen, the newcomer had apparently been hiding and waiting for an opportunity.
The two rushed toward the sandalwood box almost simultaneously.
✦ ✧ ✦
Cresvynia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
A humble coffee offering may appease the Great Translator.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Remember to keep a positive moodChapter 2 · Have fun playing the gameChapter 3 · Skill completion rateChapter 4 · Strange and malevolent creatures roam outside the cityChapter 5 · 90% complete!Chapter 6 · Serving the sect is my dutyChapter 7 · First meetingChapter 8 · Fang LecangChapter 9 · A prestigious and righteous sect!Chapter 10 · Kill Chi BantuChapter 11 · Spoils of warChapter 12 · We’ve made a fortune!Chapter 13 · Thunder and fire extinguish goldChapter 14 · You found it?Chapter 15 · The so called degree of freedomChapter 16 · The secrets of life and deathChapter 17 · A minor leader of the first rank.Chapter 18 · What kind of luck do you have?Chapter 19 · Let’s Do itChapter 20 · The BOSS escapedChapter 21 · “A wound to the heart is also a wound.”Chapter 22 · Good people are always blessed.Chapter 23 · The Old Man of the Valley of BonesChapter 24 · It’s me, young master!Chapter 25 · Take it slow and steadyChapter 26 · The older they get, the stingier they becomeChapter 27 · You know this person tooChapter 28 · I saw Wei Wanzhou againChapter 29 · You’d better keep having this kind of luckChapter 30 · “Password lock” crackedChapter 31 · We’ve come to punish you!Chapter 32 · A boorish country bumpkin who knows no manners.Chapter 33 · You have crossed the lineChapter 34 · Now that we’re here, do you think we can leave?Chapter 35 · A trivial skillChapter 36 · Actually, I was just kiddingChapter 37 · Upgrade mission complete, rating: SSS!Chapter 38 · AwardChapter 39 · I have always been law-abiding and law-abidingChapter 40 · Are you coming back for dinner tonight?Chapter 41 · Purple Lightning Square Seal.Chapter 42 · A money-grubberChapter 43 · BetChapter 44 · Four Continents Chamber of CommerceChapter 45 · This was my third meeting with Wei WanzhouChapter 46 · Oh, you want to hit on me.Chapter 47 · The angry drizzle has stoppedChapter 48 · Thunder SpearChapter 49 · “Are you a devil?”Chapter 50 · The Impermanent Lord!?Chapter 51 · Loot everywhere..Chapter 52 · His identity remains a mystery.Chapter 53 · Why not show yourself?Chapter 54 · He confronted Li Mingrui.Chapter 55 · Auction