181: Chapter 181 The Mysterious Merchant Has Finally Arrived!

At the entrance of the Ten Thousand Fox Cave, the moment the bounty appeared, Mad Knight was first stunned, then burst into wild laughter.

This must be someone who lost their mind from being constantly berated!

"1 Gold Coin to find the world boss? Are you kidding me?"

"He must have been truly mesmerized by the foxes!"

The surrounding players were also in an uproar.

But out of reverence for Chen You's past achievements, they subconsciously clicked to view the bounty details.

Noticing the strange reaction of the surrounding players, Mad Knight also frowned and clicked on it.

The next second, his eyes widened involuntarily, as if he had seen something incomprehensible.

"The sequence of the Five Elements, generating each other as the gate."

"Metal generates Water, Water generates Wood, Wood generates Fire, Fire generates Earth, and Earth generates Metal."

"Enter the corresponding gate to break through the barrier of the Ten Thousand Fox Cave."

"I wish you all success!"

These few short lines carried more impact than any language he had ever seen in his life.

He... he published the guide?

The core mechanism that required constant trial and error for summation, he just... made it public?

No!

That's not right!

This wasn't just making it public!

He was paying to make it public!

In order to make sure everyone saw this information, he specifically posted a world bounty of 1 Gold Coin!

He's crazy!

This guy is absolutely insane!

Mad Knight's brain completely short-circuited.

He couldn't understand.

He completely failed to grasp the logic behind such an action.

Knowledge and information were the most precious wealth in the Source Realm, the opportunity to widen the gap between social classes.

Possessing the exclusive guide to a core dungeon was self-evident in its importance.

Yet this person used a method of "paying to give away" and threw it directly to everyone.

Why?

For what purpose?

Mad Knight suddenly looked up, gazing at the originator of this act.

Chen You's face showed no expression; there was neither the smugness of showing off nor the pleasure of revenge.

He was as calm as a lake without wind or waves.

He turned, stepping into the blood-red portal emitting a violent aura.

From beginning to end, he didn't even spare Mad Knight a single glance.

Ignoring him.

It was complete, utter disregard, on both a physical and spiritual level.

"Pfft—"

An indescribable sense of humiliation and frustration rushed straight to his crown. Mad Knight only felt a sweetness in his throat, his vision darkened, and he nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood.

He had schemed so meticulously, yet he couldn't even make the other party look at him properly!

...

City of Eternal Night.

The territory of the Elf God Clan. The teleportation array at the guild headquarters flashed, and a tall, elegant figure materialized.

Arrow of the Moon had just logged in.

She had originally logged off to rest, but an urgent call from a guild member forced her to return to the game immediately.

The Mysterious Merchant has been found!

However, the moment she stabilized herself, the successive world announcements made a look of astonishment appear on her exquisitely beautiful face.

First, the opening of the "Ten Thousand Fox Cave" Destruction Mode, which made her sigh—truly not surprising in the slightest.

Then came the inexplicable bounty.

When she clicked to view the bounty details and saw those few lines about the Five Elements generating each other, she couldn't help but take a deep breath.

"What an incredible Chen You..."

She murmured to herself, with a hint of genuine admiration.

"His strength is unfathomable, his actions are wildly imaginative, yet his magnanimity is so broad..."

Making the core guide public—even she hadn't thought of doing something like that.

But Chen You just did it, doing it with such casual grace.

"This man is too deep; I can't see through him..."

Arrow of the Moon shook her head, temporarily suppressing her chaotic thoughts.

Right now, the Mysterious Merchant was more important.

She directly sent two words in the guild channel.

"Location."

Soon, a guild member replied to her message.

"Guild Leader! You're online!"

"The target is in Qirui City! Guild Leader, hurry over!"

"This guy is so secretive. When I asked him what he was selling, he told me something about 'The threads of fate have led the destined one here.'"

"I feel like his brain might not be entirely normal..."

"Shut up."

Arrow of the Moon rubbed her temples.

"Your mission is to keep an eye on him and don't let him run away. If you dare to lose him, this month's bonus will be entirely docked."

"Ah? Don't do that, Guild Leader! I promise, even if he turns into ash, I can still recognize the color of his underwear!"

Arrow of the Moon closed the conversation expressionlessly.

The next second, she directly exited the territory and headed towards Qirui City.

She needed to confirm it herself; no mistakes could be made.

...

A few minutes later, Chen You arrived before the Myriad Fox Queen once again.

Although it was Destruction Mode, it didn't seem like there was much of a change.

He still had to wait for the Myriad Fox Queen to put on a show first.

The Myriad Fox Queen gave him a seductive look, her voice soft enough to seep into the cracks of his bones.

"Brave Adventurer, do you know why I have guarded this place alone for a thousand years..."

She was about to launch into the tragic story capable of making countless players lose their composure, however, the moment her health bar appeared, what greeted her was neither pity nor desire.

But a devastating thunder light that descended without any warning.

"Boom—!!!"

Divine Firmament Heavenly Thunder Orthodox Method!

There was no scream, no struggle, not even time for the exquisitely crafted mournful expression on the Queen's face to fully bloom.

Along with the magnificent throne behind her and the pink miasma permeating the surroundings, everything evaporated and was annihilated in the violent thunder light.

Clean and decisive.

"Ding! You have slain [Elite Lord · Myriad Fox Queen]!"

"Ding! You have successfully cleared [Ten Thousand Fox Cave] (Destruction Mode), EXP + 300000!"

"Congratulations, your level has increased to 21!"

"You have obtained [Queen's Echo] x 1!"

"You have obtained [Queen's Exquisite Long Skirt] x 1!"

...

A string of system prompts scrolled across the screen.

Chen You didn't even look at the loot, directly pulling up his attribute panel.

"Character: Chen You"

"Class: Cultivator"

"Level: 21 (Fifth Layer of Qi Refining)"

...

The experience bar had jumped significantly, and he was already about one-third of the way to Level 22.

However, Chen You's brow couldn't help but furrow.

His main body had indeed reached Level 21, but the level of his clone was still stuck at Level 20.

Attributes and skills were all fixed data from the moment of summoning.

"Tsk."

Chen You let out a slight, displeased click of his tongue.

This meant that the clone's attributes did not adjust dynamically with the main body's progression.

This implied that even if his main body immediately broke through to the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining, the clone would still possess the strength of the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining.

To update it, he would have to wait for the skill's cooldown to end, dismiss the old one, and summon a new one.

Although it wasn't a major issue, there was a period of power vacuum in between.

"So troublesome..."

He complained internally.

Originally, he had planned to let the clone go and farm that open dungeon a thousand miles away once he reached the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining.

Now it seemed he either had to send the clone at the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining, or wait for the cooldown to finish and summon again.

Just as he was feeling slightly annoyed, a message notification sounded by his ear.

Someone was sending him a message; he didn't need to look to know who it was.

Chen You opened it.

"[Arrow of the Moon]: Guild Leader Chen, I have found the Mysterious Merchant."