101: Zhao Tieying visits

Shi Jian's voice came intermittently, filled with urgency.

Evidently, he was contacting influential figures in Weiyang City's underground to mobilize funds.

Time passed, minute by minute.

About twenty minutes later, Shi Jian re-entered, a hint of fatigue on his face, but more so, excitement and a look of determination.

"My Young Master has waited long enough!"

Shi Jian's voice was a bit hoarse, yet exceptionally clear.

"I have not failed in my mission! I have reached an agreement with several bosses and raised enough funds!"

Two specially made purple crystal cards, emblazoned with complex runes and numbers, were handed to Lin Feng.

"Distinguished guest, after our joint discussion, we have arrived at a final package price for your five Gold-level pieces of equipment and the contract scroll!"

Shi Jian looked intently at Lin Feng, stating the figure word by word.

"One hundred eighty million crystal coins!"

"These are two purple crystal cards, one with eighty million, and the other with one hundred million," he said, pointing to the two anonymous cards in his hand. "These are the highest-grade anonymous purple crystal cards, redeemable at any time! Please verify, Young Master!"

Shi Jian's voice carried a hint of imperceptible tension. This price had virtually drained the liquid funds of the underground bigwigs involved in the fundraising, even requiring some hard currency as collateral.

But he believed this price would be enough to move the mysterious young man before him.

Five Gold-level pieces of equipment and one Gold-level contract scroll were definitely worth this price, and if managed and sold properly, there would still be a considerable profit margin.

More importantly, successfully completing this colossal transaction would bring immeasurable enhancement to his, Shi Jian's, and the Black Rock Exchange's reputation in Weiyang City's underground!

Lin Feng's gaze swept over the purple crystal cards; immense wealth lay before him.

He nodded slightly, acknowledging the efficiency and price.

"Deal."

With the transaction concluded, Lin Feng looked at Shi Jian and brought up his second objective for this trip.

"Boss Shi, there's something I'd like to consult you about."

"Please speak, Young Master!"

Shi Jian was in high spirits, his attitude even more enthusiastic.

"First, I need to know where Transcendent-level magical beasts exist in the wild, or in known secret realms or dungeons."

Upon hearing this, Shi Jian's eyes gleamed sharply.

"Does he intend to hunt Transcendent-level magical beasts?"

"A Young Master is indeed a Young Master; he has no idea how terrifying Transcendent-level magical beasts are."

Sensing Lin Feng's Silver-level peak aura, Shi Jian subconsciously assumed Lin Feng had never encountered a Transcendent-level magical beast and was merely seeking excitement, relying on his family's influence.

"Currently, the number of Transcendent-level powerhouses among humans is limited and cannot clear every Transcendent-level magical beast found in every secret realm or in the wild, so the locations of these known Transcendent-level magical beasts are not a secret and information is easily found."

Lin Feng nodded and continued to speak.

"Second, I need to acquire a batch of rare materials! For example... 'star tempering bone jade', soul nourishing ancient tree heart, star marrow, abyssal giant turtle blood essence..."

As these material names calmly left Lin Feng's mouth, each one struck Shi Jian's heart like a heavy hammer.

star tempering bone jade, rumored to reshape one's foundation and draw the power of the stars into the body.

soul nourishing ancient tree heart, a supreme treasure for nourishing the soul.

abyssal giant turtle blood essence, containing the power of ancient abyssal bloodlines, a top-tier sacred object for body tempering... Each of these names represented a possible path to the Transcendent-level!

With each name Lin Feng uttered, the muscles on Shi Jian's face twitched uncontrollably.

By the time Lin Feng finished listing the last material, Shi Jian felt as if all his strength had been drained, and his vision was blurring!

He felt he needed to take a fast-acting heart-saving pill quickly to return to normal!

"Young... Young Master..."

Shi Jian's voice was as dry as sandpaper, laced with an incredulous, bitter smile.

"To be frank with you, the things you're asking for... not only does my Black Rock Exchange not have them, but even if you dug up the entire Weiyang City underground market three feet deep and searched everywhere, you probably... probably wouldn't even find one of them!"

He swallowed hard before continuing with difficulty.

"Moreover, each of these materials you're asking for is priceless, truly having a price but no market! Those are treasures controlled by top-tier forces. Your one hundred eighty million... I'm afraid... I'm afraid it might not even be enough to acquire one of them!"

Shi Jian's tone was filled with a sense of powerlessness.

"Those things are the 'keys' that Gold-level professionals, stuck at the Gold-level peak for decades or even centuries, unable to comprehend the power of rules, would fight tooth and nail for, bankrupt themselves for, or even resort to murder and arson to seize!"

"The appearance of any one of these materials is enough to trigger a bloody storm that sweeps through the Gold-level circle!"

He shook his head vigorously, as if to cast off the suffocating pressure.

"Weiyang City is just a C-grade base city; on the map of the entire Dragon Country, it doesn't even rank."

"If you are truly determined, you would likely only find one or two of them in A-grade or even S-grade core mega-cities like Chang'an City or Magic City, at their top auction houses or underground exchanges..."

Lin Feng was silent.

These high-grade materials were only what he needed to advance to the Gold-level!

What about advancing to Transcendent-level after that?

Lin Feng didn't bother to think about it.

Putting away the two purple crystal cards on the table, Lin Feng walked out of the Black Rock Exchange accompanied by Shi Jian. Amidst Shi Jian's repeated assurances of "If you ever need anything in the future, just come find me!", Lin Feng stepped out of the underground exchange's main entrance.

As soon as he walked out, Lin Feng noticed a few figures following him. After carefully sensing, he realized they were just a few Silver-level two or three-star thugs.

Not finding the materials he wanted, Lin Feng was in a very bad mood!

With a wave of his hand, a smaller, assassin-type alien appeared out of thin air.

"Handle it cleanly."

He didn't linger.

Returning home, he pushed open the door, and the warm lamplight and the aroma of food wafted over him.

"Feng'er, you're back? Wash your hands quickly and eat."

Mother Lin's voice was filled with concern, and Father Lin also looked up from behind his newspaper.

Sitting down at the dining table, the meal was homely, yet exuded the warmth of home.

He quickly finished eating, put down his bowl and chopsticks, and took out the purple crystal card containing one hundred million crystal coins from his pocket, gently pushing it towards his mother.

"Mom, take this."

Mother Lin was startled. She picked up the crystal card, which glowed with a purple aura and was covered in runes. It felt smooth and warm to the touch, clearly valuable. She hesitated slightly.

"Feng'er, this is...?"

"There's some money in there. You and Dad shouldn't be frugal. Buy whatever you want, and get whatever the house needs."

"It might be in the next day or two that I'll have to go on a long trip and won't be back for a long time. Both of you take good care of yourselves at home. If anything happens, you can always ask our new neighbor for help."

I've talked to her; she's a very nice person.

Mother Lin stroked Lin Feng's head, and after seeing Father Lin nod, she carefully accepted the purple crystal card.

"Feng'er... take good care of yourself when you're away."

Mother Lin's eyes held a complex look of relief and worry.

"Your dad and I heard that many students didn't return from this professional's college entrance exam, and even Wang Yin, your best friend..."

"Mom, don't worry. My strength is very great. As for Wang Yin, I don't believe anything happened to him. This departure also includes the idea of inquiring about Wang Yin's whereabouts..."

After chatting with Father Lin and Mother Lin for a while, Lin Feng returned to his room... The night passed uneventfully.

The next morning.

Sunlight streamed into the room through the gaps in the curtains.

The first thing Lin Feng did upon opening his eyes was to go to the balcony. When his gaze fell upon a figure downstairs, his eyes conveyed a sense of 'just as I expected'.

At this moment, a person he had met the day before was doing morning exercises in the open space at the edge of the garden. Sitting beside him was Lin Feng's new neighbor, Aya.

Their gazes met, and all three wore expressions of understanding.

"Zhao Tieying, you really came..."