166: Chapter 166 Wholesale Divine Weapons? The Entire Server's Guilds Have Gone Mad!

Night was as dark as ink, a fierce wind howled.

A streak of black light transformed from Qin Ji tore through the sky, finally landing atop a snow-covered precipice. The rock beneath his feet groaned under the unbearable weight the instant his soles made contact, spiderweb-like cracks radiating outward.

He casually dismissed the [Abyssal Star Wings] behind him. That pair of sky-shrouding black wings dissolved into motes of starlight, dispersing into the air.

"There's still a three-day cooldown before the [Snow Corpse's Trail] instance can be opened again."

Qin Ji glanced at the crystalline key in his hand, which was absorbing moonlight to recharge. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

These three days were just the right amount of time to deal with the Materials overflowing in his inventory, and also... to repay the favor he owed that 'sucker'.

In this data-driven Divine Court world, favors were the hardest debts to repay.

Qin Ji sat down cross-legged, his fingertip lightly tapping the empty air. A dark golden glowing Cauldron appeared out of thin air. This was the special ability he had obtained after plundering a Divine-Grade blacksmith's talent—[Void Realm Cauldron].

"Perfect. I just plundered quite a few extreme cold Materials from that woman, Princess. Combined with the life crystals I saved up before, it should be enough to make that batch of things."

Qin Ji dumped a pile of Materials emitting astonishing Spiritual Qi into the Cauldron as if discarding trash.

If any blacksmith from the outside world saw this scene, they'd probably be so heartbroken they'd vomit blood on the spot. Those were all rare epic rank Materials, yet Qin Ji treated them as utterly insignificant.

[Melting in progress...]

[Obtained: Life Orb (Special) ×1]

[Passive 'Greedy Grasp' triggered: Critical Yield! Obtained: Life Orb ×2]

Even with Qin Ji's monstrous talent that boosted his crafting speed, forging these things still consumed a considerable amount of time.

A full three days.

Apart from occasionally logging out to eat, Qin Ji stayed by the Cauldron almost like a soulless machine.

In the end, thirty-six orbs emitting an emerald-green halo lay quietly in his inventory.

"The attributes are passable."

Qin Ji picked one up, sweeping his gaze over the attribute panel.

[Life Orb (Special)]

[Origin: Qin Ji's Black-hearted Workshop]

[Effect: +100,000 HP when equipped.]

[Special Trait: Does not occupy an equipment slot. Takes effect when placed in inventory (single instance).]

[Restriction: No Rank requirement.]

One hundred thousand HP.

For Qin Ji at his current level, this amount of HP was a drop in the bucket. After all, his health bar was so long he couldn't even be bothered to count it. But for ordinary players, even the main tanks of top guilds, this was an extra life!

Not occupying a slot meant this was an additional boost.

"Aside from keeping a few for myself... the rest..."

Qin Ji opened his friends list, his gaze locking onto the ID named 'Frenzied Blade'.

Back when he was scheming against the Imperial Dynasty, this guy had brought Berserk Guild members to help him take the heat, losing quite a few elite members in the process. Losing levels and dropping equipment was a common occurrence.

Though Qin Ji was ruthless, he had a principle: Those who helped him take bullets wouldn't suffer losses on his account.

"Blade."

Qin Ji sent a message.

The reply was almost instantaneous.

Frenzied Blade: "Snow Emperor, boss!! You've finally appeared! I heard you beat up Princess? Damn, that's insane! Any orders?"

Qin Ji didn't waste words. He directly sent the [Life Orb] item information over.

"..."

The chat window on the other side fell into a deathly silence.

A full half-minute passed before Frenzied Blade sent a string of exclamation marks sufficient to express the shock in his heart.

"Holy shit!!! No Rank requirement? Doesn't take up a slot? Adds a hundred thousand HP?!!"

"What kind of god-tier item is this?! With this thing, couldn't my squishy mages be used as warriors??"

Frenzied Blade was completely stunned.

As the leader of a top guild, he had seen all kinds of top-tier equipment. But the attributes of this thing were simply outrageous. The most critical part was 'does not occupy an equipment slot,' which meant it was an additional, game-balance-breaking attribute!

"Incredible item. How much gold? Boss, name your price. As long as my Berserk Guild can afford it, we won't haggle!"

Frenzied Blade's hands were trembling with excitement.

A faint smile tugged at Qin Ji's lips. He directly initiated a trade request and placed thirty Life Orbs in the trade window.

"For helping me before. Consider this repaying the favor."

Click. Confirm.

Frenzied Blade stared at the thirty neatly arranged green orbs in the trade window, his eyes nearly popping out of his skull.

He originally thought it would be a huge Face if Qin Ji sold him just one.

But... thirty?

And for free?!

"This... this..." Frenzied Blade stammered, at a loss for words. "Snow Emperor, boss, this is too valuable! How can we accept this? We're friends, helping out is what we should do..."

His mouth said he was embarrassed, but his hand very honestly clicked 'Confirm Trade' at the speed of light.

Joking aside, only a fool would refuse strategic-level supplies like these!

"Alright, enough with the false modesty," Qin Ji replied lazily. "Also, if you have demand, I can sell them to you in bulk for ten thousand gold per piece."

The raw material cost for these orbs was roughly five hundred gold. Selling them for ten thousand meant a twenty-fold profit.

This was the immense profit brought by monopolizing a technique.

Frenzied Blade on the other end was clearly stunned by the words 'bulk sell.'

"B... bulk? Boss, you mean this thing can be mass-produced?"

"Currently, a dozen or so per day."

"I'll take them all!!!"

Frenzied Blade's reply was practically a roar. "Snow Emperor, boss, we'll take as many as you have! From now on, you're my sworn brother!!"

Ending the private chat.

Qin Ji looked at the deposit that instantly appeared in his account, satisfied, and closed the chat window.

The leeks... ahem, the business partner was now cultivated. Next would be a steady stream of gold income.

...

Berserk Guild headquarters, conference room.

Frenzied Blade, beaming with delight, immediately convened an urgent video conference of the high-ranking officers.

Holographic projections lit up, the figures of over a dozen guild officers appearing around the round table.

"Blade, why the urgent summons?"

The speaker was the vice-leader, Berserk Emperor. His brows were tightly knit, his tone carrying a hint of displeasure.

"Last time, to help that Snow Emperor, the guild suffered heavy losses. The elite team dropped an average of one level, dozens of pieces of equipment were lost, and we even missed the Night Walkers' first kill. The brothers below are full of complaints. As the leader, you need to give an explanation."

The other officers didn't speak, but their expressions were also not good.

For the sake of a lone wolf, offending the Star Kingdom's Imperial Dynasty and suffering such losses—this deal looked like a complete loss from any angle.

"An explanation?"

Frenzied Blade chuckled. Without defending himself, he directly projected the attributes of one [Life Orb] onto the center of the conference table.

"This is the explanation."

The previously noisy conference room instantly fell silent.

Everyone's gaze was glued to the line 'HP +100,000,' unable to look away.

"This... what is this?"

Berserk Emperor shot to his feet, breathing rapidly. "A special equipment that doesn't take up a slot? A hundred thousand HP? Where did this come from?"

"Snow Emperor gave it," Frenzied Blade leaned back in his chair, looking perfectly calm.

"Gave it? You mean..." Berserk Emperor's Adam's apple bobbed. "He's compensating us?"

"Correct."

Frenzied Blade lightly tapped the table with his finger. "This one goes to me. Any objections?"

Berserk Emperor's expression changed. Though covetous, Frenzied Blade was the leader, and this decision was his. It was only right for him to take the best reward.

"No objection. You're the leader, and you're a Berserker class. The extra hundred thousand HP suits you perfectly," Berserk Emperor said through gritted teeth.

The others also nodded, though their eyes were green with envy. Rules were rules.

"No."

However, Frenzied Blade shook his head, a supremely punchable grin spreading across his Face.

"Emperor, you misunderstand. I mean, one for each person here."

"What?!!"

Berserk Emperor's legs went weak, nearly causing him to collapse into his seat.

The other officers in the video conference collectively petrified, mouths agape, jaws nearly hitting the table.

"One... each?"

Berserk Liehu tremblingly extended a finger, counting the people present. "Leader, there are over twenty of us here! You're saying you have... over twenty of these?"

"Thirty."

Frenzied Blade corrected him, then with a wave of his hand, displayed the data for the remaining twenty-nine orbs.

The verdant glow reflected on each Face, filled with greed and shock.

"Snow Emperor, boss, gave us thirty at once to thank us."

"Hiss—"

A uniform sound of sharp intakes of breath echoed through the conference room.

Thirty Divine Artifact-level special equipment!

Just given away like that?

This move... was utterly, inhumanely extravagant!

"This... just who is this Snow Emperor?" Berserk Emperor's earlier resentment had completely vanished, replaced by fervor in his eyes. "He can give away something like this in bulk? Does his family run dungeons?"

"That's not all."

Watching everyone's reaction, Frenzied Blade dropped the final bombshell.

"Snow Emperor said he can mass-produce these. Out of our friendship, he's willing to supply them to our Berserk Guild first, at ten thousand gold per piece."

"Ten thousand gold?!"

Berserk Emperor slammed the table, roaring, "That's too cheap!! It's practically a steal! At current market prices, special equipment like this could sell for a hundred thousand gold and people would fight over it!"

"Buy! We must buy! How much liquid capital does the guild have? Mobilize it all! Buy as many as we can!"

The other officers also nodded frantically, their eyes gleaming with avarice.

"A dozen or so a day... As long as we monopolize this supply, the overall strength of Berserk Guild will directly rise by a whole tier! By then, guilds like Dynasty Guild, Divine Court... we'll crush them all underfoot!"

At this moment, all previous dissatisfaction and resentment evaporated.

In the Face of absolute benefit, Snow Emperor's image in their minds instantly transformed from 'troublemaker' to 'savior.'

...

On the precipice.

Qin Ji was unaware of the frenzy over at Berserk Guild. Of course, even if he knew, he'd only sneer dismissively.

To him, those were just casually crafted by-products.

"Time's about up."

Qin Ji stood up. The crystalline key in his hand was now fully charged, emitting a bone-chilling cold.

He looked into the distance.

The direction of the Star Kingdom was eerily silent.

Ever since that woman, Princess, fled back in disgrace, the entire kingdom seemed to have fallen into a slumber, with no major movements.

Not even a bounty had been issued.

"The calm before the storm?"

Qin Ji narrowed his eyes, a playful curve lifting the corner of his mouth. "What are they brewing? Or is it... that new queen, Leona, plotting something sinister?"

But, it didn't matter.

No matter what they were plotting, in the Face of absolute power, they were nothing but clay chickens and pottery dogs.

"As long as I stack my HP high enough, even if the sky falls, I can prop it back up."

Qin Ji turned, inserting the key into the empty air.

*Crack—*

Space shattered like a mirror. A massive vortex, reeking of decay and Frost, slowly materialized.

[Instance: Snow Corpse's Trail (Hell) has been opened.]

[Recommended Rank: LV.60 - LV.80]

[Warning: Monsters with special HP regeneration mechanics exist within this instance. Proceed with caution.]

"Special HP regeneration mechanics?"

Qin Ji looked at the line of crimson warning text. The smile on his Face grew even brighter, a hunter's excitement gleaming in his deep eyes.

"I love monsters that just won't die no matter how much you hit them."

"Because only then... can I truly enjoy the slaughter!"

Before his words faded, Qin Ji took a step forward.

A fierce wind swept up the snow on the ground, instantly swallowing his tall figure. Only that dark, deep vortex remained, slowly rotating in the night, like a giant maw waiting to devour its prey, silently awaiting the arrival of carnage.