286: Ethereal

Shaking his head, Lin Tianwei had no time to sympathize with the so-called Sky Spirit Clan.

While their plight might touch Lin Tianwei slightly, he would absolutely not do anything irrational because of it.

A saint?

Lin Tianwei had morals, but not many.

His benevolence was reserved only for those he deemed worthy.

Thinking this, Lin Tianwei waved his hand, dispelling the product introduction floating in mid-air, and said:

"Although these goods are barely decent, they don't meet my requirements."

"Looking at these ordinary goods is a complete waste of Time."

"Bring up the strongest of the Sky Spirit Clan directly; perhaps he can pique my interest a little."

The three attendants serving Lin Tianwei never expected him to say such a thing, and their expressions instantly became conflicted.

The strongest of the Sky Spirit Clan had indeed been captured by the Lotus Slave Market.

However, this was only the third floor of the Lotus Slave Market.

As attendants, they simply did not have the qualifications to interact with the strongest of the Sky Spirit Clan.

"Agree to his request; the strongest of the Sky Spirit Clan will be brought to him as soon as possible."

Fortunately, just as the three attendants were in deep conflict, a voice saved them.

It was the voice from the higher-ups of the Lotus Slave Market.

Clearly, Lin Tianwei's behavior of treating origin energy as trivial had alarmed them.

Weighing the pros and cons, they immediately chose to satisfy Lin Tianwei's request.

Even if Lin Tianwei was just bluffing, the Lotus Slave Market would suffer no losses.

But if Lin Tianwei was genuinely interested in the strongest of the Sky Spirit Clan, they were unwilling to lose such a lucrative opportunity.

Upon receiving the order from the higher-ups, the three attendants also breathed a slight sigh of relief.

The tragic experience of the previous attendant was still vivid in their minds.

Even as Slaves, unable to control their own bodies,

compared to being pulverized, they still preferred to live.

Thinking this, the three attendants said in unison: "Respected guest, all your requests will be met."

"However, please wait a moment."

"We will bring the strongest of the Sky Spirit Clan to you in the shortest possible Time."

Lin Tianwei nodded indifferently.

As long as he could ultimately acquire the goods he desired, he did not mind the necessary waiting.

Thinking this, Lin Tianwei reached directly for the drink in front of him.

This was the third floor of the Lotus Slave Market, and the treatment was significantly better than the first two floors.

The most obvious was the seemingly ordinary drink in front of him; this was a treat absolutely unavailable on the first two floors.

After all, the Cosmic Beasts who could enter here were basically members of the Lotus Slave Market.

Under the hefty membership fees, the Lotus Slave Market was willing to bleed a little.

Under the effect of his Talent: Danger Perception (Legendary), Lin Tianwei could easily sense whether the drink in front of him was poisonous or would cause him harm.

Naturally, he could enjoy it without any worries.

As the drink entered his mouth, a faint sweetness spread through Lin Tianwei's palate.

What followed was a large amount of energy, beginning to nourish Lin Tianwei's parched cells.

The Lotus Slave Market would naturally not provide ordinary drinks.

This was a drink processed from Bitter Vine juice.

Bitter Vine is a powerful plant-type Cosmic Beast, with strengths ranging from Planetary-level to Star-level.

The juice of the Bitter Vine itself is incredibly bitter, which is also the origin of the name Bitter Vine.

However, miraculously, by simply processing the Bitter Vine juice, this bitter liquid could be transformed into an incredibly sweet drink,

making Bitter Vine juice one of the most popular drinks among Cosmic Beasts.

Not only was it delicious, but the immense energy it contained also gave Cosmic Beasts a very refreshing feeling.

It was precisely because of this terrifying discovery that the originally powerful Bitter Vine race almost faced extinction.

Countless Bitter Vines were captured, becoming self-service drink machines that endlessly supplied beverages, one could say their fate was utterly miserable.

Fortunately, just as the Bitter Vine was on the verge of extinction, a far-sighted powerhouse stepped forward, raising the banner of protecting the Bitter Vine,

and took in all the remaining Bitter Vines.

He began cultivating Bitter Vines using scientific planting methods and artificial intervention.

Ultimately, the Bitter Vine became a ubiquitous economic crop.

It could continuously provide drinks for all Cosmic Beasts.

Even out of fear that the quality of the drinks would not meet customer requirements,

this powerhouse specifically formulated a Bitter Vine cultivation plan.

Cultivating powerful Bitter Vines to serve as drinks for higher-level Cosmic Beasts.

It is just unknown whether this method is torture or a blessing for the Bitter Vine.

All in all, Bitter Vine juice thus became one of the most common drinks in the Extremely Cold Universe.

It must be said that the Lotus Slave Market's efficiency was quite high.

Just as Lin Tianwei finished the Bitter Vine juice placed in front of him, an attendant hurried to Lin Tianwei's side.

What surprised Lin Tianwei the most was that this attendant did not have the mark of the Lotus Slave Market on him.

That is to say, he was not a Slave here.

Clearly, this attendant was definitely not simple.

As expected, upon arriving in front of Lin Tianwei, the attendant quickly introduced himself, saying:

"Hello, respected guest, my name is Luo Ji, and it is my honor to serve you."

"Here are the goods you requested. You can carefully examine them before deciding whether to purchase."

At this point, Luo Ji carefully took out a goods display device from his spatial storage and handed it to Lin Tianwei.

Although called a goods display device, it was actually a very simple contraption, quite similar to a snow globe.

It was also a transparent dome covering a display stand.

And on the display stand was the protagonist of this exhibition, an item named Kong Ling.

A silver-bodied slug-like Cosmic Beast.

Unlike ordinary Sky Spirit Clan members, though also slug-like, Kong Ling's body was surrounded by mysterious flowing light.

Just looking at it felt as if it possessed some kind of magic, capable of completely devouring a creature's soul.

Clearly, this Sky Spirit Clan member named Kong Ling must be very powerful.

And yet, he, so powerful, could only be casually viewed by Lin Tianwei like a piece of merchandise.

With a thought, Lin Tianwei quickly obtained Kong Ling's information:

"Item Name: Kong Ling, Sky Spirit Clan, possesses a high-level Space-type Talent, capable of opening up a space with a diameter of a million meters, and is proficient in basic Space-type abilities such as Teleportation and Space Folding."

"Strength: Star-level, Fifth Stage."

"Price: 100,000 yuan crystal."

"The Sky Spirit Clan, a race naturally endowed with powerful Space-type Talents."

Upon seeing Kong Ling's information, Lin Tianwei's brows furrowed involuntarily.

He never expected that Kong Ling, as the leader of the Sky Spirit Clan, would be so weak, possessing only a high-level Space-type Talent.

This also meant that Lin Tianwei would find it difficult to obtain the Space-type Talent he desired by purchasing a Slave.

Of course, even if there truly was a Space-type Slave that could meet Lin Tianwei's requirements, he would certainly not be able to afford the price.

The price of such a weak Kong Ling had already reached one hundred thousand yuan crystal.

One could imagine how expensive a Slave with a higher-level Space-type Talent would be.

Although Lin Tianwei was wealthy, possessing more than two units of origin energy, which was over two hundred thousand yuan crystal,

he would still be somewhat stretched to purchase a Space-type Slave with a powerful Talent.

Thinking this, Lin Tianwei couldn't help but sigh.

It truly is when yuan coins are needed that one regrets having too few.

He had previously thought himself a tycoon, but he never expected to be immediately defeated by harsh reality, realizing the cruel truth that he was not yet rich enough.

But fortunately.

Lin Tianwei was not an ordinary tiger, but an ordinary tiger with cheats.

Although Kong Ling's Space-type Talent was not high, Lin Tianwei only needed to successfully kill Kong Ling to acquire the Space-type Talent that originally belonged to Kong Ling.

At that Time, he would only need to use the Talent fragments accumulated by Lin Tianwei to upgrade the newly acquired Space-type Talent,

and Lin Tianwei would easily possess a powerful Space-type Talent.

Buy, this Kong Ling must be bought!

Lin Tianwei quickly arrived at the answer in his heart.

If possible, Lin Tianwei even planned to purchase some Slaves with powerful and rare Talents.

By killing them, he would supplement his not-so-abundant Talent pool.

Thinking this, Lin Tianwei's heart settled.

Krypton gold is indeed the best way to become stronger.

Even in the universe, it still applies.

Anything that could be solved with origin energy was not a problem for Lin Tianwei.

Lin Tianwei had already decided to buy Kong Ling, but he didn't know that Luo Ji, sitting opposite him, was feeling dejected at this moment.

He had lost the gamble; he had indeed lost it in the end.

Upon seeing Lin Tianwei's slightly displeased expression, Luo Ji had drawn this conclusion.

In fact, customers on the third floor could not possibly access goods as high-level as Kong Ling.

If Lin Tianwei truly wanted to examine Kong Ling, he would have to go to a higher floor.

After all, this was the Lotus Slave Market, and it had its own rules.

However, upon seeing Lin Tianwei casually using origin energy as if it were candy, Luo Ji realized that this would be an opportunity for him.

An opportunity to advance further.

As a place similar to a trade guild, the Lotus Slave Market naturally judged one's ability to climb the ranks by performance.

The most crucial aspect of performance was the acquisition of origin energy.

Unfortunately, the acquisition of origin energy was extremely difficult.

Even with a high acquisition price of 120,000 to 1, the amount of origin energy Luo Ji could obtain was still extremely small.

This was also the reason why Luo Ji was so attentive to Lin Tianwei.

Because he knew that Lin Tianwei had a very high chance of choosing to pay with origin energy.

It was precisely because he saw Lin Tianwei's potential that Luo Ji risked a major transgression by bringing Kong Ling to the third floor.

Yet, he never expected that even after going to such lengths, he still failed to facilitate this transaction.

Judging from Lin Tianwei's expression, he was clearly not satisfied with Kong Ling.

If he was dissatisfied with the price, that would be fine.

There would still be room for negotiation between them.

But if he was dissatisfied with the quality of Kong Ling, then Luo Ji could only sigh at the thought of origin energy, completely unable to make Lin Tianwei pay with origin energy to purchase his goods.

From Lin Tianwei's performance of casually pulling out origin energy to eat like candy, Luo Ji felt that Lin Tianwei was very likely dissatisfied with Kong Ling's quality.

After all, ever since he arrived at the Lotus Slave Market, Lin Tianwei had consistently demanded very high quality from Slaves.

It seemed that the beast before him was not the opportunity for advancement he had long awaited.

Luo Ji shook his head inwardly, and with the mindset of doing his best and leaving the rest to fate, he spoke: "Mr. Zeta, are you satisfied with Kong Ling?"

"If not, you might want to pay attention to the Lotus Auction ten years from now."

"Honestly, Kong Ling is already the best merchandise our branch can offer."

"Of course, it's not that our Lotus Slave Market is not strong enough."

"It's just that the better the item, the more effort is needed to sell it at a sufficiently high price."

"So, better items generally only appear at auctions."

"Of course, if Mr. Zeta is still somewhat satisfied with Kong Ling, I can take the liberty of offering Mr. Zeta an 80% discount."

"This is also the treatment that distinguished guests like Mr. Zeta should enjoy."

Lin Tianwei, who was about to purchase Kong Ling, looked at Luo Ji with some surprise.

He never expected that he would encounter such a fool who would cut his own price without knowing the customer's purchase intention.

However, not taking advantage of a good deal would be foolish, so Lin Tianwei naturally could not refuse Luo Ji's proposal.

He immediately said: "I am somewhat satisfied with Kong Ling, and an 80% discount is barely acceptable."

"However, Space-type Slaves are just one part of my Slave procurement plan."

"I also need to purchase some more powerful and useful Slaves."

Thinking this, Lin Tianwei paused and said: "Such as Slaves with Time-type Talents."

Time-type Talent, as one of the most overpowered Talents, was naturally a target Lin Tianwei coveted immensely.

Unfortunately, he found that Slaves with Time-type Talents seemed to be nonexistent.

They were not even a shadow on the supply list provided by the Lotus Slave Market.

So he had the idea of directly asking Luo Ji.

Time-type Slave?

Luo Ji's face stiffened; he never expected Lin Tianwei to utter such a startling statement.

Although both were among the strongest Talents, the difficulty of acquiring a Time-type Slave was countless times greater than acquiring a Space-type Slave.

Not only because Time-type Cosmic Beasts were rarer than Space-type Cosmic Beasts,

but also because of the vastly different capture difficulty.

Time Lockdown was clearly more difficult than Space Lockdown.

Those with such abilities were all powerful figures, who would generally not condescend to do something like capturing Slaves.

This led to Time-type Cosmic Beasts being extremely difficult to capture.

Not only that, Time-type Cosmic Beasts also had a very buggy ability, which was Time Reversal.

These Time-type Cosmic Beasts would often leave a Time Reversal node on themselves,

regularly reverting their physical state to an earlier Time.

This rendered the control chip, a universal method for controlling Slaves, useless.

Time-type Beasts could often easily break free from the shackles of control chips.

A Cosmic Beast with Time-type abilities, no matter how weak it appeared, was enough to make powerhouses take it seriously. (End of Chapter)