329: perturbed

Of course.

Tore could also choose to directly sell the coordinates of this Nascent Chaos Universe.

He would receive a decent reward.

However, when faced with the immense benefits of exploring a Nascent Chaos Universe, almost no Cosmic Beast would choose such a short-sighted approach.

Without the ability to control one's Chance, a greater Chance becomes an even more terrifying disaster.

Lin Tianwei naturally couldn't ignore such a powerful Talent.

Take this time, for example.

If he hadn't received Tore's message, which informed Lin Tianwei of the coordinates of this Nascent Chaos Universe, he truly wouldn't have achieved such a harvest.

Not only did he obtain almost an entire Chaos Universe's worth of treasures, but he also acquired a star gleam stone, resolving his hidden dangers.

This allowed his strength to advance to a higher level.

Conservatively estimated, when unleashing his full power, even with the body of an ordinary Siberian Tiger, Lin Tianwei could exhibit Cosmic Level Three strength.

This strength might not seem formidable, but it was already enough for Lin Tianwei to roam freely in this Extremely Cold Universe and secure more resources for himself.

Thinking of this, Lin Tianwei developed a desire to befriend Tore.

Although his strength was lacking, if he could attract the arrival of Chances, it would still hold some value for Lin Tianwei.

With Tore acting as a Chance screening tool, Lin Tianwei could naturally avoid the harassment of unmanaged Chances.

He would only select and explore those Chances that were valuable to him.

This effectively eliminated the influence of this uncontrollable Talent on him.

Taking a deep breath, Lin Tianwei closed his eyes again, re-entering a cultivation state.

He also used his Talent: Star Devourer (Mythical) to acquire origin and Talent fragments.

There was still some time before reaching the Lotus Auction, and this period was equally precious to Lin Tianwei...

Lotus Auction.

A grand auction naturally couldn't be accomplished overnight; it required a long period of preparation in advance.

As a part of the Lotus Slave Market and the manager of one of its branches, Luo Ji was naturally extremely busy.

Most importantly, he had twice submitted applications to postpone the auction.

Such unusual circumstances naturally made Luo Ji one of the focal points of this auction.

At least his competitor, Filiche, paid close attention to him.

As fellow managers of a Lotus Slave Market Transfer Station, Filiche naturally paid attention to other managers as well.

Because these managers were all his competitors, rivals in his ascent.

If his performance couldn't stand out among all the managers in the Extremely Cold Universe, then he was destined to be unable to improve his status and obtain more resources.

Even powerful Cosmic Beasts suffered from the torment of performance metrics.

If one barely met the requirements, it was fine; at least there wouldn't be a demotion.

However, if performance consistently failed to meet standards, the fate of these managers would be utterly miserable.

Being stripped of the manager position was not the ultimate punishment.

In the worst cases, some might even become Slaves.

Filiche naturally couldn't be such a loser.

As the ruler of the Seventy-Third District, one of the fertile regions of the Extremely Cold Universe, his performance was considered top-tier among all managers.

He was the most advantageous contender for this promotion.

He only needed to maintain his current pace, and he would surely stand out in the assessment three years later, becoming the ultimate victor.

Yet, despite having such an advantage, Filiche showed no arrogance or complacency, still paying attention to his competitors.

Luo Ji's unusual behavior naturally caught his eye, so he also cast a timely glance of concern towards Luo Ji.

Just then, he saw Luo Ji reveal a relieved smile.

It was a genuine feeling of comfort from the heart.

How could Luo Ji not feel comfortable?

He never expected that at this most crucial moment, he would encounter Lin Tianwei, this noble beast.

Just as there were Cosmic Beasts with outstanding performance, there were also those at the bottom.

Unfortunately, Luo Ji was one of the Cosmic Beasts with the lowest performance.

This was also why he valued Lin Tianwei so much.

The ruler of the Nineteenth District was merely a Cosmic Level Eight Phoenix Bird, so it naturally couldn't be a rich core region.

There weren't many Cosmic Beasts passing through.

Strong individuals were even rarer, extremely uncommon.

Cosmic Beasts with a certain level of strength would simply not come to such a remote area.

This was also why the Slaves in the Lotus Slave Market were so disheartened.

To be honest, Lin Tianwei's seemingly insignificant consumption had actually drained the Lotus Slave Market managed by Luo Ji.

To acquire such high-grade Slaves again, Luo Ji might not be able to achieve it even after thousands of years of effort.

Such excellent resources were naturally supplied in limited quantities to regions with better performance.

This led to Luo Ji's extremely poor performance, placing him at the bottom among all managers.

Even with the excuse of a poor region, his performance was so bad that he was on the verge of being dismissed.

Dismissal? This meant he would lose a large amount of cultivation resources belonging to a manager.

He might be stuck at Star-level Nine for the rest of his life.

How could Luo Ji be willing to accept that?

As for signing a life-and-death contract, risking his life and freedom to gamble for a Chance to continue being a manager...

Unless he was truly desperate, Luo Ji naturally wouldn't have the courage to go all out.

This was also why he valued Lin Tianwei so much.

Lin Tianwei's appearance, his lavish spending, was like a beacon in the darkness, bringing hope to Luo Ji.

Even if Lin Tianwei only had a slight Chance of being a big shot, Luo Ji had to take the gamble.

Fortunately.

Luo Ji won the gamble.

Even if Lin Tianwei didn't make any moves, the list of items he provided was enough to salvage his performance.

It would prevent him from being at the bottom among all regions.

In that case, he could at least remain securely in his manager position for several thousand more years.

Of course.

If Lin Tianwei could spend lavishly and make crazy bids at the Lotus Auction, Luo Ji might even have a Chance for promotion.

However, this was merely Luo Ji's extravagant hope.

Because that would mean Lin Tianwei would monopolize most of the treasures at this auction.

Monopolizing this grand auction jointly held by the Lotus Slave Market and the Dawn Merchant Guild.

This was simply an impossible thought.

Thinking of this, Luo Ji chuckled self-deprecatingly, saying, "Lord Zeta simply couldn't have that much money."

He paused, then Luo Ji continued, "Even if he really had that much money, he wouldn't spend so lavishly."

"After all, his current strength is only so-so; he doesn't need too many resources."

"Ultimately, I'm thinking a bit too much."

"Oh well, it's already a blessing that Lord Zeta can help me through this difficult time; I shouldn't ask for too much."

Ever since learning of Lin Tianwei's strength, Luo Ji no longer dared to presumptuously call Lin Tianwei "Brother Zeta."

Now, he only dared to respectfully address him as "Lord Zeta."

After all, if he offended Lin Tianwei over such a trivial matter, causing a mishap in this auction, he would truly be beyond tears.

Perhaps the joy brought by Lin Tianwei was truly too shocking to his beast heart, causing Luo Ji's expression to become relaxed and excited.

However, Luo Ji's expression was unexpectedly seen by Filiche.

Something was fishy.

Although Luo Ji was destined not to be his competitor, Filiche still developed an interest in investigating.

If he could understand why Luo Ji acted that way, his promotion might be even easier this time.

Thinking of this, Filiche walked over and said to Luo Ji, "Luo Ji, long time no see."

"I heard that for this auction, you didn't hesitate to spend a lot of resources to postpone it twice. I wonder if there's a story behind it."

Although Filiche had his own intelligence system.

However, he truly hadn't considered wasting important resources on Luo Ji, who couldn't even be called a competitor.

Coupled with Luo Ji's strict secrecy, the reason for this postponement was unknown to any Cosmic Beast.

Facing Filiche's pleasantries, Luo Ji's eyes immediately became wary.

He didn't want his efforts to ultimately benefit someone else.

He immediately said cautiously, "No reason, it's just that a friend of mine really wanted to participate in this auction, and we had set a time early on."

"But I didn't expect this auction to be moved up due to the involvement of the Dawn Merchant Guild."

"My friend is currently in a special state and temporarily unable to get away."

"Under permissible conditions, I naturally had to try my best to postpone this auction until he could arrive."

Luo Ji naturally couldn't say nothing at all, as that would be too fake.

Of course, what he said was as good as saying nothing, as he didn't reveal any crucial information.

Someone who could make Luo Ji go to such lengths naturally couldn't be an ordinary friend; it was highly likely to be a prominent figure.

After all, the resources Luo Ji pulled out were practically his entire family fortune.

Unless this friend was extremely special, he wouldn't have done such a desperate thing.

Facing Luo Ji's perfunctory response, Filiche feigned curiosity and asked, "This friend of yours? I wonder if I have the honor of meeting him?"

Luo Ji pondered for a moment, then said, "I don't have the right to make decisions for my friend."

"If my friend is willing to meet you, I wouldn't mind introducing him to you."

"However, he is currently in a special state where he cannot be contacted, so this matter can only be discussed after this auction ends."

An expected answer.

Without offering enough benefits, Luo Ji would absolutely not reveal any information about his so-called friend.

Filiche shook his head slightly, not dwelling on it too much.

Until the friend in Luo Ji's words showed sufficient value, there was no need for him to spend a large sum to inquire about the other party's information.

This promotion opportunity was already within his grasp; there couldn't be any accidents.

As for Luo Ji?

He was just a bottom-dweller.

The reason he spent such a high price this time was probably to have his so-called friend come and support him.

To make his performance look a little better.

A waste's friend is still a waste.

No matter how many wastes gathered together, they couldn't pose any threat to him.

He should still focus his attention on those equally powerful competitors.

This auction was particularly important; even he had to be careful and cautious, without any mistakes.

His precious energy should be placed in more valuable areas.

Not wasted on Luo Ji.

Thinking of this, Filiche even chose to leave without saying goodbye to Luo Ji.

His attitude was arrogant to the extreme.

However, Luo Ji was used to it.

Filiche had always been this way; he focused on valuable things.

Ultimately, it was because he didn't have the qualifications to be noticed by him.

After hesitating for a moment, Luo Ji still sent a message to Lin Tianwei.

Although the resources Lin Tianwei provided were explosive enough to ensure Luo Ji a comfortable life for several thousand years.

However, until he actually received these resources, Luo Ji was still somewhat uneasy.

Hope was just like that.

If it didn't exist, he wouldn't harbor extravagant hopes.

But once it appeared, he eagerly wanted to grasp it in his hands.

Of course.

This was mainly because the information Lin Tianwei provided was insufficient, which caused Luo Ji to feel anxious.

To avoid trouble, Lin Tianwei had only casually scanned some treasure information and given it to Luo Ji.

However, he didn't expect that this casual act made Luo Ji feel like he was on pins and needles.

This information only proved that Lin Tianwei indeed possessed these treasures, but it couldn't prove the quantity of these treasures.

If the quantity didn't reach the exaggerated level described by Lin Tianwei, Luo Ji still wouldn't be able to turn things around with Lin Tianwei's help.

However, Lin Tianwei was currently in a cultivation state, so even if his communicator could receive Luo Ji's message, how could he waste time replying?

Therefore, Luo Ji's message was destined to sink into the sea, receiving no reply.

He could only wait in a state of anxiety.

Waiting for Lin Tianwei's arrival.

Waiting for Lin Tianwei to personally reveal the outcome of his big gamble...

Compared to Luo Ji's anxiety, Tore felt incomparably comfortable.

Under the blessing of the enhanced Star Power space, his strength was also rapidly increasing.

Star-level Four.

Star-level Five!

Tore felt the powerful force within his body, looking at his hands with some disbelief.

He had actually so simply risen to Star-level Five?

Although due to insufficient cultivation resources, the Star within his body was not yet stable enough.

There was even a faint tendency to collapse.

However, under the support of the vast Star Power, it ultimately persevered.

Like Lin Tianwei's Space Energy Star, it began to slowly repair itself under the nourishment of Star Power.

Star Power and stars were inherently complementary, so they could naturally nourish each other.

However, even after Tore had risen to Star-level Five, terrifying Star Power still permeated the entire space.

It was even more exaggerated than at the beginning.

Tore's speed of absorbing Star Power was actually slower than the speed at which Star Power emanated from Lin Tianwei's body.

Alas, Tore's body had limited endurance; faced with such vast Star Power, he was willing but unable.

He could only watch, not absorb.

His weak body could only barely maintain balance.

Absorbing even a little more Star Power would break the current balance, causing him to self-destruct.

Only after a sufficiently long period of time, after solidifying his strength, would Tore have the capital to continue absorbing Star Power.

Thinking of this, his gaze towards Lin Tianwei was filled with envy.

When would he ever possess such powerful strength?

Thousands of years?

Or tens of thousands of years?

Or would it be impossible to achieve in this lifetime?