Chapter 291

Xiong Quan was assigned to fight first.

How to describe his strength? Roughly equivalent to my own at the 20-point stage.

Perhaps after this meeting, Chu Danqing would never see Xiong Quan again.

Chu Danqing’s growth rate was too fast; the other could not keep up.

“Long time no see,” Chu Danqing said with a smile. “You’ve seen the item—what do you say?”

Xiong Quan’s gaze at Chu Danqing was filled with complexity; last time they met, Chu Danqing had been a novice with little combat power.

But now, his strength far surpassed Xiong Quan’s.

Da Bao, who walked beside Chu Danqing, radiated an aura far stronger than his own.

“Yes, long time no see,” Xiong Quan replied, then pulled out an item. “See if this works.”

Chu Danqing took it, glanced at it, and immediately accepted it. “Fine, I’ll take it.”

Though rated as Fine quality, its effect was among the top in that tier.

This must have cost Xiong Quan a significant amount of resources.

For Chu Danqing, items of Excellent quality were commonplace.

But for a Dimensional Adept like Xiong Quan, who progressed normally, he might not even encounter an Excellent-quality item until one or two trials before his Rank Assessment.

Fine quality was already extremely useful to him.

Even as a Fine-quality item, the Blood-Smash Void Claws, being True Spirit gear, could still trigger a qualitative leap for Xiong Quan.

“By the way, I have a question—how did you enter the trial world where you obtained the Martial Scripture of the Soldier Path? Did you use an item?” Chu Danqing asked.

One thing was certain: Xiong Quan had likely screwed himself over back then.

Normally, the trial before a Rank Assessment was a Sprint Class bonus dungeon—but Guo Ming’s trial world clearly didn’t meet that standard.

So it was highly likely Xiong Quan used an item to alter the trial world.

“You want to enter to update your scripture?” Xiong Quan’s first thought was this.

Chu Danqing naturally took the bait. “Yes, the scripture I had back then was too low-quality. I’ve maxed it out and now want to upgrade.”

“Well, I got mine purely by chance,” Xiong Quan admitted honestly. “The seller threw in official intelligence, which let me secure this Fine-quality inherited skill.”

Back then, he had staked everything on that item.

But it proved a winning gamble—thanks to the Martial Scripture of the Soldier Path: Blood Shadow Chapter, he barely managed to break through his five attributes.

Unfortunately, his first Talent Awakening quest failed, forcing him to settle for a lower-tier talent, which left him frustrated.

“I can’t help you with anything,” Xiong Quan said. If he could have helped, he wouldn’t have refused—after all, he could have demanded a reward from Chu Danqing.

Why else would he help for free? He didn’t owe him anything.

“Alright, maybe we’ll cooperate again next time,” Chu Danqing said, offering only polite words.

But Xiong Quan smiled. “No next time. I’m not someone who matures late.”

With that, Xiong Quan turned and walked away.

He had no hesitation whatsoever—they had merely crossed paths.

As for future suitable gear? By then, Chu Danqing might already be Rank 2—or even Rank 3.

Not only could he not afford it, he might never even see him again.

Chu Danqing said nothing, his gaze now fixed on the item.

Its name: Nano Particle Enhancement Fluid. Its effect: raise the quality of an item.

Since it was Fine quality, it could upgrade Common and Good items to Fine.

Chu Danqing chose to trade because he had two Good-quality items.

They were the Spirit Eye Necklace and Yunfeng White Jade Seal.

As for why he didn’t directly upgrade his earlier summoning gear but fused them instead—

The reason was simple: he was broke.

Fusion required only one Excellent-quality item, and with Divine Might Heavenly King’s guidance, it produced far greater power.

Especially after incorporating the Thousand-Faced Martial Shadow Stone, even the draught horses could now gain Basic and Proficient skills.

“I still have the Element Fertilizer No.1 quality-upgrade item,” Chu Danqing muttered.

He wasn’t torn over which to upgrade—he was just waiting for someone.

After upgrading the Spirit Eye Necklace, he’d likely be unable to use it—but that didn’t matter; Yang Qianyuan could.

The Heavenly Mechanism Base was a Level 2 base skill; above it was the Detection Base.

Just like the relationship between Sword Art and Close Combat.

Soon after, Element Fertilizer No.1 arrived.

He looked weary, as if he had just come out of the Arena.

“You’re selling this gear? This is true damage!” Element Fertilizer No.1 said upon seeing Chu Danqing.

The Yecha King’s Life Token was still True Spirit gear; its effect could be further enhanced upon True Spirit Awakening.

It could even serve as a core item—if you were willing to pay the cost, you could fully embrace the Sacrifice build.

“The cost is too high. I can’t afford it,” Chu Danqing said. Selling it was the best option.

“Next time you have something like this, find me,” Element Fertilizer No.1 understood perfectly: valuable but unsuitable items had only one use in an Adept’s eyes—sell.

If suitable but low-quality, there was always a way to upgrade.

Like Chu Danqing’s former Divine Machine Camp Crossbowman Token, now transformed into the Eight Steeds Ascending Dragon Chariot.

Once his five attributes barely reached 10; now he was a Golden Power Adept, capable of punching former crossbowmen into pulp with a single blow.

But such treatment was usually reserved for top-tier Adepts like Chu Danqing.

For Xiong Quan, upgrading quality was less worthwhile than simply swapping for a new item.

“Alright, next time for sure,” Chu Danqing said with a smile—this depended on circumstances.

If such an item ever appeared, Chu Danqing wouldn’t hesitate.

“By the way, how’s your Arena ranking going?” Element Fertilizer No.1 asked tentatively.

“Fine. Not as fast as you,” Chu Danqing replied vaguely.

He didn’t even know Element Fertilizer No.1’s rank—he’d just say something polite.

“My next match is the Rank Advancement Assessment. You’d better hurry up, or you’ll fall behind me,” Element Fertilizer No.1 revealed his true intent.

Chu Danqing knew exactly what he wanted: to sell information for profit.

For example, charging Chu Danqing for details on S-rank assessment requirements and rewards.

So Chu Danqing could prepare in advance.

After all, everyone was short on money—any opportunity had to be squeezed.

As the saying went: strangers get half-raked, acquaintances get fully fleeced.

Chu Danqing had interacted with him several times—he was definitely an acquaintance.

“Congratulations,” Chu Danqing said, understanding but refusing to engage.

Such information could be obtained from brokers or other Life Adepts.

Besides, assessment requirements weren’t fixed—the Paradise adjusted them based on each Adept’s build.

Blindly copying others would lead only to death.

Element Fertilizer No.1 realized his information wouldn’t sell, and with regret, took his leave.

After he left, Chu Danqing looked at the Fine-quality item named Element Enhancement Crystal.

Then he took out the Spirit Eye Necklace and Yunfeng White Jade Seal, and began upgrading their quality.

The process wasn’t slow—it took only ten minutes to complete the upgrade.

——

[Xiao Niao White Jade Seal]

[Type: Equipment · Seal]

[Quality: Fine]

[Durability: 100/100]

[Official Aura (Passive): Charm +10]

[Masterful Deception (Passive): Initial NPC favorability +10]

[Equipment Requirement: Base Charm 10, possess a Charm-increasing skill]

——

[Spirit Eye Necklace]

[Type: Equipment · Necklace]

[Quality: Fine]

[Durability: 100/100]

[Spirit Eye Technique (Active): Consume 100 MP to obtain data on target based on attribute difference, gain +10% Insight for 1 minute, 1-minute cooldown]

[Third Eye (Passive): +1 to attribute checks during reconnaissance]

[Ultimate Gaze (Passive): +1 to completeness of obtained data]

[Equipment Requirement: Detection Base LV.MAX, Reconnaissance Base LV.1, Spirit 20]

——

The good news: both items indeed had great potential—their upgraded effects pleased Chu Danqing greatly.

But the bad news: the Spirit Eye Necklace was now completely unusable.

Chu Danqing simply could not meet the equipment demands.

“I underestimated how fast the depreciation was—I thought reconnaissance gear would plummet in value at Rank 2, but now it seems even Fine-grade gear is already unused.”

Chu Danqing was relieved—he was lucky to have Yang Qianyuan; otherwise, he’d have been stuck renting reconnaissance techniques from the Paradise forever.

But in the end, no one would rent reconnaissance techniques anymore, because without the proper base, passive, or inheritance bonuses, raw reconnaissance techniques were useless.

As enemies grew stronger, the data obtained from reconnaissance techniques became increasingly scarce.

Sometimes, it was even less useful than the Adept’s own judgment.

After all, an Adept’s growth was deeply tied to knowledge—the more learned, the more they could discern.

“And even the original bonuses have been changed—it’s clear the detection system’s results have shifted toward Quantum and Heavenly Fate mechanics; otherwise, it would be impossible to adapt to the trials.” Chu Danqing put away the upgraded Spirit Eye Treasure Chain.

He then equipped the Owl Bird White Jade Seal. Though its attributes were fixed values and it had only two effects, those two effects were priceless.

For Chu Danqing, it was essentially a power-enhancing item for his Heavenly Sun Manifestation talent.

“Next, please welcome the next victim!” Chu Danqing opened chat and sent the Spirit Beast Codex: Azure Emperor Spear Set to the other party.

[Yan Qi: ?]

[Yan Qi: Quote a price, give your location—I’ll come find you!]

Yan Qi was clearly interested; though not an instant reply, he responded the moment he finished checking the stats.

“I wonder if he’s spent his money yet—hope he drops plenty of coins,” Chu Danqing muttered, then stated his requirements and sent his location.

(End of Chapter)