21: Chapter 21 Bartering

The Xuanwu Heavy Armor Killing Array had already formed, and the tactical system was complete.

Sitting at the desk in his old apartment, Lin Yunfei began to ponder!

"The only shortcoming right now is the equipment for the entire army."

The three thousand Tier 1 Qi-Refining armored soldiers were still wearing the crude raw iron armor forged by the tribe themselves using bronze furnaces.

Such protective gear was fine for fighting mutant wild boars on the Divine Kingdom's wasteland, but once entering the abyss-polluted zones of the major exam and facing those frenzied, bloodthirsty abyss monsters, it would appear rather inadequate.

Lin Yunfei tapped the starnet terminal on his wrist, switched to the official trading mall, and prepared to make some purchases.

However, as soon as he entered the [Basic Armament Zone], his brows furrowed tightly.

On the eve of the major exam, prices soared!

The prices of all weapons, armor, and even the lowest-grade hemostatic potions rose with the tide, as if riding a rocket.

A standard set of [Tier 1 Standard Fine Steel Heavy Armor], usually priced around eighty faith points due to massive production, had now been forcefully hyped up to three hundred faith points per set by financial consortia and unscrupulous merchants eager to boost their combat power before the exam!

Three thousand people meant nine hundred thousand faith points!

That didn't even include the matching spears and defensive shields.

The hundreds of thousands in cash flow in his hands would normally be considered a huge sum, but placed in today's crazy inflation market, if he really went to the official mall to forcefully arm an army of three thousand, it wouldn't even make a splash and would instead lead to bankruptcy.

"Being a sucker is not my style!"

Lin Yunfei decisively exited the official mall and skillfully switched to the underground anonymous trading area at the very bottom of the starnet.

The official market was affected by macro-environmental hype, but the [Barter] section of the underground trading area often featured sellers in urgent need of special resources. As long as one's vision was sharp enough, it was easy to achieve mutually beneficial exchanges.

He quickly browsed the bounty information.

Before long, an expedited bounty flashing frantically with red light leaped into view.

[Urgent, urgent, urgent! High bounty seeking high-grade soul-condensing flowers to save lives! The higher the grade, the better! Willing to offset with heavy armaments produced by the mining area under my command, quantities are sufficient, absolutely conscientious!]

Lin Yunfei clicked on the details page to read carefully.

The publisher was obviously an elder in the family who had encountered a fatal crisis of soul damage while exploring the outer realms, and urgently needed a massive amount of soul-condensing flowers to refine life-saving calming potions.

The other party was holding a large batch of newly forged [Tier 1 Cold-Forged Dark Gold Armor] and [Armor-Piercing Spears]. Because they were in a rush for medicine, the other party was willing to directly exchange these equipments—which could have made a huge profit on the market—at a ratio far lower than market price.

Although the cold-forged dark gold armor could not be considered top-tier weapons, in a conventional heavy armored corps, it was definitely considered a fairly exquisite and superior piece of protective gear.

Not only was its defense astonishing, but the metal also contained special conductive lines with excellent conductivity for true qi, perfectly matching the human race's Xuanwu Heavy Armor Killing Array. Buying it normally would incur staggering premiums, but now because of the other party's urgent need, it had instead become the most cost-effective choice.

"This is it."

Without hesitation, Lin Yunfei immediately contacted the other party via the anonymous channel.

After brief communication, Lin Yunfei directly slapped down ten thousand ordinary mature soul-condensing flowers. After thinking for a moment, to ensure the quantity and quality of the equipment, he added the most precious [Purple Frost Soul-Condensing King Flower] on the ice field.

When he saw the data of the "half-step Tier 2 mutant king flower" light up in the trading column, the buyer on the other side snapped it up instantly!

The transaction went extremely smoothly.

To express gratitude for this life-saving king flower, the other party not only packaged and sent over the cold-forged dark gold armor and spears sufficient to arm three thousand people, but even threw in a full one thousand heavy and thick dark gold tower shields as a bonus!

Looking at the mountain of armament cards piled up in his creation backpack, Lin Yunfei let out a long breath.

"Equipment problem solved; with the array plus the dark gold heavy armor, the defensive power has risen by a few more notches."

However, amidst his joy, thinking about how the purple frost king flower, which had mutated after gestating for who knows how long, had just been traded away, a trace of regret inevitably rose in his heart.

After all, that was a rare mutant spiritual plant of the half-step Tier 2, something that could be met by chance but not sought.

Carrying this trace of regret, Lin Yunfei switched his consciousness back to the Divine Kingdom and cast his gaze toward the Far North Ice Field.

However, when he saw the scene on the ice field clearly, his entire person suddenly froze.

Under the long years of deduction by the time acceleration card, the ecosystem of the Far North Ice Field had long operated itself to a terrifying degree.

Mutant Earth Dragon continuously churned the high-grade feces of the Dark Ice Snow Camel, and phantom spirit bees tirelessly pollinated among the flowers.

The place where the original king flower was plucked not only did not become barren, but instead, because a large amount of living space and extremely Yin spiritual energy were vacated, it prompted the surrounding soul-condensing flower groups to undergo frantic, virtuous competition and evolution!

At this moment in the center of the ice field, surrounded by a dim blue sea of flowers.

Three brand-new plants with deep dark purple petals and stems like jade were swaying in the wind!

A full three Purple Frost Soul-Condensing King Flowers!

Lin Yunfei's eyes instantly lit up, and that trace of regret in his heart vanished instantly, replaced by a burst of indescribable pleasant surprise!

"Supernatural reproduction is terrifying to this extent!!!"

Exiting the Divine Kingdom, nothing more was said for the night.

Early the next morning.

When the first ray of sunlight pierced through the heavy fog of Tianwu City's outer city, the day of the Federation's actual combat major exam finally arrived officially.

After washing up and changing into a neat Federation standard combat uniform, Lin Yunfei went out heading toward Tianwu First High School.

Today's campus atmosphere had reached the pinnacle of solemnity.

The usually bustling and spacious White Stone Plaza was now completely taken over by the fully armed Federation military.

A giant interstellar portal towering a hundred meters high stood quietly in the exact center of the playground. The door frame was embedded with intricate and profound spatial runes, exuding a heart-palpitating dim blue fluctuation.

Lin Yunfei walked calmly into the senior high array.

As soon as he stood still, he felt a bone-chilling coldness spreading from the front-side.

He looked up.

His ex-girlfriend Liu Ting was standing at the very front of the Grade A talent class phalanx.

Having not seen her for just a few days, Liu Ting's entire temperament had undergone earth-shattering changes. Her pupils flashed with a faint ice-blue, and her body was surrounded by a layer of visible frost mist. Morning dew even condensed into fine ice slag beneath her feet.

The surrounding classmates shivered from the cold, not even daring to approach within three meters of her.

Obviously, under the fierce pile-up of massive resources from financial consortia, Liu Ting and her companion dependents had ushered in another reborn, massive upgrade in these last few days.

Sensing Lin Yunfei's gaze, Liu Ting turned her head slightly and glanced at him indifferently. That look was like a high-and-mighty ice and snow queen; after just a single glance, she withdrew her sight as if looking at an insignificant stranger.

Lin Yunfei's expression remained as usual, not taking this boring gaze to heart!

Just at this moment, a warm and enthusiastic laughter came from the side.

"Yunfei, how are your pre-exam preparations going?"

Zhang Hao was wearing a luxurious yet understated custom combat armor, walking over with a smile on his face.

"Young Master Zhang." Lin Yunfei nodded slightly, his attitude neither humble nor arrogant.

Zhang Hao stepped closer, his tone revealing three parts concern and seven parts sincere intention to win him over.

"This major exam is no trivial matter; the military has drawn real abyss-polluted zones. It's full of dangers inside, and those monsters don't know what mercy is. If you're not careful, the origin of your Divine Kingdom will suffer heavy damage, which is a matter of destroying one's Dao foundation."

"Yunfei, I know you have a strong self-esteem, but reality is skinny after all. After the major exam, that little wasteland foundation of yours will definitely be wiped out completely."

Patting Lin Yunfei's shoulder, Zhang Hao smiled and tossed out an olive branch: "It's still my previous proposal. After the exam, consider joining my dependent faction. With our Zhang family covering from above, resources will be sufficient. That's much better than you struggling bitterly in the starnet alone and worrying over a few faith points, don't you think?"

Facing the olive branch handed over by Zhang Hao once again, Lin Yunfei only revealed a rather amiable smile, neither agreeing nor completely shutting the door.

"Thank you for Young Master Zhang's good intentions." Lin Yunfei said in an even tone, "However, with the major exam imminent, my mind is entirely filled with how to make the dependents survive. As for subsequent developments... after we successfully finish the exam, I will consider it properly."

This answer was watertight, both giving Zhang Hao face and quietly hanging the other party in mid-air.

A trace of surprise flashed in Zhang Hao's eyes, seemingly not expecting Lin Yunfei's composure to be so steady. He smiled and no longer forced the issue.

"Alright, then I wish you good luck. I hope that after the major exam, I can still see your complete Divine Kingdom." Zhang Hao waved his hand and turned back to his own phalanx.

"Hum—!"

At that very moment, the giant interstellar portal in the center of the playground emitted a deafening roar!

A profound spatial vortex completely formed inside the door frame, and an otherworldly gale filled with a desolate, bloody, and dilapidated aura swept violently out of the portal, blowing across the faces of the tens of thousands of students present.

"The teleportation array has been activated!"

The cold and stern voice of the military supervisor resounded through the clouds, like blowing the horn of war.

"All freshman deities, board the ships!"