A Friend, Testing Each Other!

"I have a friend who's quite curious about the prices of spirit stones. Since even S-Rank Spirit Stones are so expensive, what about SS-Rank Spirit Stones? Could they possibly be worth tens of billions? And if so, how much would SSS-Rank Spirit Stones cost?"

"Ahem, I don't mean anything by it. Aren't you an authority in this field? I just wanted to ask on behalf of my friend and satisfy his curiosity!"

Xu Kun knew that the moment those words left his mouth, someone of the big shot's status would definitely think of something!

But so what? As he had said before, even if this man was the Azure God, there was no way he could do anything to him on the Haotian Pagoda's 0th floor!

As long as he stubbornly refused to admit anything, there was nothing the man could do to him!

Besides, Xu Kun himself was curious about how much SS-Rank Spirit Stones were worth. Other than the big shot before him, there really was no one else he could ask!

Qian Manlou stared hard at Xu Kun, then finally gave two dry laughs. "Your friend is a little too ambitious. SS-Rank Spirit Stones are treasures that the entire Human Race produces only a few of each year!"

"As for SSS-Rank Spirit Stones... hehe, to be frank, aside from the Lords of the Era who emerge once every hundred years having some in reserve, even experts with SS-tier talents may not possess one or two!"

"Th-They're that rare?"

Qian Manlou's words had truly stunned Xu Kun!

"Hmph, you simply don't understand the value of these strategic resources!" Qian Manlou snorted.

Xu Kun immediately seized the opening. "Then tell me about it!"

Qian Manlou glanced at him. "Why do you need to know so much? Don't tell me you have some?"

Xu Kun shook his head like a rattle drum. "No, I'm just curious!"

"Wasn't it your friend who was curious?"

"My friend is curious, and after hearing you say all that, I'm curious too. Please tell me?"

Seeing the innocent expression plastered across Xu Kun's face, Qian Manlou's teeth itched with hatred in secret. The prayer beads in his hand creaked as he squeezed them!

Yet he still had to put on a magnanimous front. "Fine, I'll explain it simply!"

"Yes, please, I'm listening!"

"The most basic use of SS-Rank and SSS-Rank Spirit Stones is forging equipment of the corresponding rank!"

Xu Kun nodded. That was no different from ordinary low-rank spirit stones!

"The value Containing in a piece of SS-Rank equipment is immeasurable, even if it's merely low-level SS-Rank equipment! Forget it, you wouldn't understand even if I told you. You've never witnessed the power of SS-Rank equipment. Those are existences known as divine artifacts!"

Xu Kun held back his smile and hurriedly lowered his head.

So what if you're a big shot? Bet you never expected that I have two of the divine artifacts you're talking about, and they're weapons—the most valuable category of Human Race equipment!

Heh, I use one myself and treat the other like a shovel. Just tell me, doesn't that piss you off?

Seeing Xu Kun lower his head, his shoulders continuously trembling, Qian Manlou frowned.

This brat... no way, right?

Qian Manlou's fingers paused on the prayer beads, his knuckles turning slightly white.

"SS-Rank divine artifacts are already things one can only hope to encounter by chance. Aside from dropping from high-level bosses, every few years, some big shot will empty their entire fortune to successfully forge one as part of their foundation!"

"But do you know this? SS-Rank divine artifacts can still be successfully forged, but beyond that, even if the entire Human Race pooled its strength, it could not forge a single SSS-Grade Supreme Artifact!"

"What? How is that possible?"

That truly shocked Xu Kun. He hurriedly asked, "The Human Race has developed within the Haotian Pagoda for eight hundred years. With such accumulated strength, we still can't forge a single piece of SSS-Rank equipment?"

At this topic, Qian Manlou sighed as well. "Though I hate to admit it, it's the truth!"

Xu Kun frowned. "Could it be that the Human Race has too few SSS-Rank Spirit Stones?"

Qian Manlou shook his head. "No. The Human Race's reserves of SSS-Rank Spirit Stones are naturally enough to meet the requirements for forging a Supreme Artifact!"

"Then why..." Xu Kun looked utterly lost.

Qian Manlou explained, "First, ownership of SSS-Rank Spirit Stones does not belong to one person. No one will truly selflessly contribute everything they own. Do you understand?"

Xu Kun realized it at once. One or two big shots might not have enough in reserve, but if several big shots pooled their stockpiles, they would certainly have enough to forge one. But once it was forged, who would get to use it?

Even if it were the Azure God, could he truly make the other Lords of the Era willingly contribute?

"Second, to forge an SSS-Grade Supreme Artifact, spirit stones are only the most basic requirement. The other various SSS-Rank materials are not things the Human Race can easily produce either. Some materials are unique to certain high-ranking races and are not even sold to outsiders!"

"Another point: the Human Race does have divine craftsmen. These divine craftsmen have even successfully forged SS-Rank divine artifacts. But if SSS-Rank materials were handed to them and they were asked to forge an SSS-Grade Supreme Artifact, I don't think a single divine craftsman would dare accept the task!"

"Because once they begin forging, there is a possibility of failure. And if they fail, the loss would be the foundation of the entire Human Race. No divine craftsman could bear such consequences. Do you understand?"

Xu Kun's mouth hung wide open. He had not expected so many complications to be involved.

"There's one more point. Everything else, including SS-Rank Spirit Stones, can be regarded as resources at most—their level of importance is simply higher. But SSS-Rank Spirit Stones are condensed from the Haotian Pagoda's purest power, and they contain information crucial to the entire Haotian Pagoda!"

"What information?" Xu Kun blurted out.

Qian Manlou shook his head. "I only heard a little about it. As for the specifics, my status isn't high enough!"

Xu Kun's heart tightened. Even Qian Manlou's status was insufficient... could it be that only the Lords of the Era, who appeared once every hundred years, possessed such information?

"So, the greater significance of SS-Rank and SSS-Rank Spirit Stones lies in their strategic value. They are the foundation of a race. If any race tries to provoke the Human Race, the upper echelons may not necessarily begrudge spending these resources. If they commit everything they have, an SSS-Rank divine artifact would be enough to alter a race's fate!"

"And when the Human Race acquires resources including these two grades of spirit stones, we are willing to pay an enormous price. How could such a price possibly be converted into mere Human Race Currency? Bartering for items, granting authority, special privileges, and supplying resources you have never seen before—those are what determine the value of spirit stones above SS-Rank!"

In other words, no one foolish enough to sell something like an SS-Rank Spirit Stone for money remained. Trading it for resources was the best option!

"Kid, after telling you all that, you get what I mean, right?"

Qian Manlou abruptly changed the subject, hinting at something.

Xu Kun froze. "What do you mean?"

Qian Manlou frowned. "You know exactly what I mean!"

"I don't know what you mean." Xu Kun shook his head.

"Now you're being boring!" Qian Manlou's eyes widened.

"But I really don't understand what you mean!" Xu Kun said innocently.

Qian Manlou covered his chest with one hand and gritted his teeth. "I told you so many secrets about the Human Race. It's only reasonable for you to bring out a few more good treasures, isn't it?"

Xu Kun scratched his head. "But didn't you volunteer to tell me all that?"

"Didn't you ask me to tell you?"

"No. It was just my friend's request. I didn't particularly want to hear it myself!"

"You!" Qian Manlou slammed the table.

What an utterly stubborn little brat!

He decided to be blunt. "Do you have any more S-Tier Spirit Stones?"

Xu Kun was about to deny it when Qian Manlou continued, "I'll buy them from you at twenty percent above market price. No limit on quantity!"

The words on Xu Kun's lips immediately went back down.

Twenty percent... that meant the original one billion became 1.2 billion!

Then Qian Manlou offered him an even sweeter deal. "If you have any other materials, I can make the call on those too. From now on, anything you sell to my Myriad Treasures Pavilion will be bought at a twenty percent premium. This is a VIP card. From now on, whenever you enter a Myriad Treasures Pavilion, you'll receive the most distinguished treatment. Even if I'm not there, my subordinates will attend to you!"

Qian Manlou placed a gilded card on the table and pushed it toward Xu Kun.

Xu Kun's breathing grew a little hurried as he kept brainwashing himself. This wasn't my intention. It's just that... he's offering far too much!

Xu Kun let out a long breath, then took an S-Tier Spirit Stone from his backpack. After that, gritting his teeth, he took out another one.

Two golden S-Tier Spirit Stones lay on the table.

Noticing the anticipation in Qian Manlou's eyes, Xu Kun hurriedly said, "That's all. I only have these two!"

Qian Manlou did not mind and simply nodded. He then took out something resembling a POS terminal from a drawer, inserted the VIP card he had prepared for Xu Kun, fiddled with it for a while, and finally returned it to him.

"There are already 2.4 billion Human Race Currency in this card. You can withdraw money with it in any base city within the Human Race's territory!"

Looking at the card held out before him, Xu Kun hesitated. "There isn't some kind of trick to this, right? Like using the card to track my real identity on Blue Star?"

Upon hearing that, Qian Manlou nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

If I have sinned, then take me away. Don't bring this little bastard before me to piss me off!

His face darkened as he snapped, "What do you take my Myriad Treasures Pavilion for? Let me tell you, not even a single base city has many of these cards. The information on every card issued is absolutely encrypted. Other than the Lords of the Era, no one can access it—including me. Understand?"

"And even if every Lord of the Era has the authority, do you really think they'd investigate you over such trifling assets?"

Afraid Xu Kun would not believe him, Qian Manlou rummaged through his drawers and found an instruction sheet for the card he had given Xu Kun. It bore an anti-counterfeit design printed with the words "Sky Eye." Even with a hundred times the nerve, Qian Manlou would not dare falsify something like this!

The contents of the instruction sheet were exactly as Qian Manlou had described.

Still, for peace of mind, Xu Kun used the metal wristband on his arm to take a flurry of pictures of the instructions. That way, if Qian Manlou ever tried to scheme against him, he would have evidence to use against him!

Watching Xu Kun's practiced movements, Qian Manlou's mouth twitched several times as he held the instruction sheet.

I give up. I really give up!

Boss, why don't you just come personally? Why did you make me receive this little bastard?!

He's really going to anger me to death!

In the end, after Master Xu finished fussing around, he pushed the two immensely valuable S-Tier Spirit Stones toward Qian Manlou and accepted the golden card for himself!

The thin, light card felt heavier than a thousand pounds in Xu Kun's hand!

He was rich now—filthy rich! 2.4 billion! He could never spend it all, absolutely never!

His mind had already begun painting a wonderful future: where to buy a house, and how to give his mother a life that everyone would envy!

"Hey, brat, stop daydreaming! Look at how worthless you're acting!"

Xu Kun suddenly came back to his senses and gave Qian Manlou a sheepish grin. Though he did not understand why the grand master of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion seemed to favor him so much, as long as it did not affect his life, Xu Kun did not want to dig too deeply into it!

Wasn't it nice to be an ordinary, honest, harmless little commoner?

As someone who had been a god-tier student from elementary school through high school, how could Xu Kun possibly be that naive?

The two men sitting face-to-face now both understood the other perfectly. You knew I was playing hard to get, and I knew you had ulterior motives. They were merely acting along with the occasion; saying it outright would ruin the fun!

"Hehe, Brother Qian, you've already bought the most valuable stuff I had on me. How about you appraise this junk too?"