Chapter 172

The Human Alliance established the Sacred Academy precisely to help human lords grow stronger.

Even if some academies have deteriorated, their original purpose, persistence, and traditions remain.

So as long as one truly invests effort, one can still learn much.

But things like so-called master-level riddles? Even in the Sacred Academy, you'd never encounter them.

In the past, Wang Ke visited major lords every year, listening to the problems they faced on their path to growth.

Sometimes, to win hearts, he'd bring along a few followers.

The insights and knowledge Chen Ping struggled to acquire at the academy, Wang Ke simply learned by listening to others speak.

Yet in the end, this guy was still slaughtered by Chen Ping.

With his sighing over, Chen Ping picked up the Trade List and began flipping through it.

This was his primary purpose for attending the auction.

Mai Er could participate in the Lord Trial and sell goods.

But for reasons unknown—whether due to rules or otherwise—his goods were almost all common items.

Even information often had limited utility.

Some tasks, in Chen Ping's view, were pure waste of time; he never accepted a single one.

To obtain sufficiently rare rewards from the Lord Trial requires too much randomness.

But at a trade auction, it's different—just glancing at the auction list reveals this is a high-end event.

Items brought here for trade won't be weak by any measure.

They clearly listed their offerings.

Chen Ping only needed to buy according to his needs and credit points.

Compared to the auction list, the Trade List contained far more items—scrolls stretched over two meters long.

The tiny, fly-sized text made his eyes ache.

Only when he scrolled to the end did he realize there was a filtering function.

"Damn it, why didn't they mention this up front?"

Chen Ping muttered irritably; beside him, the fat face on the gold card offered an awkward smile.

Once he understood how filtering worked, Chen Ping immediately applied it.

His top priority: territory upgrade items. Three results appeared—each could unconditionally raise a territory by one level.

All had the same price, since their functions were identical; no one could charge more than another.

Each sold for fifty thousand credit points—a price that made Chen Ping's teeth ache.

He turned back to examine the details of the three items, only to discover these could be used directly on official territories!

Any territory below Baron Rank could use these items to upgrade.

At this realization, even Chen Ping, ever composed, drew a sharp breath.

These items were clearly meant for high-tier territories.

As everyone knew, lords who passed the Lord Trial emerged as official lords with Baron Rank.

Further advancement meant progressing to Primary, then Intermediate, then Advanced territories.

To advance beyond Advanced territory required meeting numerous conditions—difficulty far beyond ordinary.

After all, once you crossed that threshold, you'd leap from carp to dragon, and your world would never be the same.

Spending fifty thousand credit points to upgrade one territory level was downright economical.

But if anyone learned Chen Ping had originally planned to use these to upgrade his Trial territory, even a billionaire would drop his jaw.

Realizing this, Chen Ping could only reluctantly mark one item as a priority, adding it to his watchlist.

Aside from these three items, no other territory-level-up items existed.

Presumably, those attending the auction didn't need such things.

Beyond territory upgrades, the other critical need for trial-era lords was population cap.

Chen Ping's Level Six territory, combined with the territory crystal's fusion effect and his official Baron bonus,

now sustained a population of roughly fifteen hundred.

He was confident this was the highest among all lords—even if others had also reached Level Six.

Filtering for population items yielded far more results than territory upgrades.

A rough count showed at least dozens, with varying prices and effects.

Some directly expanded the population hall—these were the most expensive; even the cheapest cost two thousand credit points.

Others bypassed territory level restrictions by adding special buildings to increase population.

But the populations recruited this way differed significantly—either loyalty was questionable, abilities weak, or compatibility poor.

For example, one item: High Ground Lizardman Nest.

After placement, it allowed recruitment of one hundred High Ground Lizardmen per week—but they could only perform basic labor.

Relying on High Ground Lizardmen to prosper a territory was nearly impossible.

Moreover, their lifestyle and moral values differed entirely from humans, posing management problems and long-term risks.

Chen Ping immediately discarded this category.

After eliminating overly expensive items and those like the High Ground Lizardman Nest, only seven or eight remained.

【Mother Earth's Mercy, five milliliters per vial, use to increase reproduction rate of territory or designated nest, value: ten thousand credit points】

【Place of Balance, faction structure; when territory achieves harmony, increases population by 1%–20%, value: twenty thousand credit points】

【Crystal of Desire, special item; use to forcibly boost population's reproductive desire, value: five thousand credit points】

…

At the end, Chen Ping circled 【Mother Earth's Mercy】 and 【Place of Balance】.

As for the Crystal of Desire? At this stage, his territory's priority was survival and development; if his people focused on reproduction, it would waste too much time.

Human pregnancy lasts ten months; growth takes at least twelve years—far too slow for their current needs.

Unless he obtained a time-acceleration item—but all time-related items were priced far beyond his reach.

Having circled the items essential for his territory's current development, Chen Ping turned to items boosting personal strength.

This time, results exploded—no matter how he filtered, the list remained densely packed.

Equipment items were most numerous; second were skill books—even he spotted Knowledge Transmission Seals.

Knowledge Transmission Seals? Chen Ping had seen only one before, at the academy—a supreme reward reserved for the regional headquarters.

Now that he'd visited the Hall of Knowledge, he understood how these seals were obtained.

Once he fully analyzed a subject and achieved basic mastery, he could condense a corresponding Knowledge Transmission Seal.

Anyone using it would gain the foundational knowledge of that subject.

The amount absorbed ranged from 1% to 50%, purely dependent on individual talent.

Chen Ping mastered nine academic disciplines; in future, he could create nine such seals. Each sold for three thousand credit points at auction.

Beyond equipment and skill books, there were items enhancing physical attributes—like Dragon Blood Essence.

Chen Ping still had a few drops, but he planned to use them on his own people, so he never had them appraised.

"Huh?"

Chen Ping's hand suddenly froze, his gaze locking onto one item.

【Hall of Worlds Illusion Stone】

【Upon use, projects a miniature world's illusion; user gains certain growth experience, plus a chance to obtain a Hall of Worlds entry ticket】

【Value: one thousand credit points】

"Growth experience" meant level-up experience—useless to Chen Ping right now.

His level was locked at 50; to level up further, he needed multiple Unlock Books.

But Unlock Books weren't sold at this trade event.

His stored energy already overflowed—enough to raise him to level 60.

But the second part intrigued him: a chance to obtain a Hall of Worlds entry ticket.

The Three Great Halls—Knowledge, Worlds, Time—each possessed unique power.

Anyone entering, unless they were a wastrel like Chen Ya, would gain substantial benefits.

Chen Ping's rapid rise owed much to his experience in the Hall of Knowledge.

If he could enter the Hall of Worlds, his strength would undoubtedly strengthen again!

And this enhancement would benefit him for life—not merely a temporary advantage.