Exchange Counter

"Hello, Teacher Tie?"

Luo Jun answered the phone, and Tie Jingang's deep voice came from the other end. "How have you been resting these past two days? I heard you went to a concert yesterday?"

"Teacher Tie is really well-informed. He had a very happy holiday," Luo Jun said sincerely, touching the Hundred Treasure Box.

"Don't just focus on having fun. The Five Schools Tournament coming soon. We just had a meeting and decided that we need to finalize our school's exchange participants before the end of this semester. Improving our strength is the real priority."

"Five Schools Tournament?"

Luo Jun was slightly taken aback, then shook his head and said, "What does that have to do with me?"

The so-called Five Schools Tournament is an annual event, a grand exchange among the five major Explorer Academy in China. It is usually held in the second half of the semester, with representatives selected by each university to exchange experiences and promote learning progress through various energy-related competitions.

Of course, the above is the official statement. In reality, the Vital Energy Cultivation is closely related to individual physique. While mutual exchange can indeed lead to improvement, the effect is far less significant than practical experience. Therefore, what is called Exchange Meeting is actually a sports meet combined with a martial arts competition. Teams selected by various universities compete against each other in various events. Students try their best to show their abilities, and those who achieve good results can be valued by the Yuan Cultivation Society and win honor for their alma mater.

Such a grand event is definitely reserved for the strongest and most accomplished students in the academy; there's no such thing as guaranteed admission. Luo Jun's current apparent Foundation Establishment Realm. Let alone the upperclassmen, there are plenty of first-year students stronger than him, so there's no way he'd get a chance.

"Don't underestimate yourself..." Tie Jingang encouraged, "Although your current cultivation level is low, you have a strong ability to adapt to changing circumstances and a very good mentality. You can remain calm in the face of danger and turn the tide at crucial moments. You can always improve your cultivation level with effort, but combat wisdom and mental fortitude are much harder to improve..."

"There are still two months until the Exchange Meeting, I think you have a chance to try."

"Wait a minute..." Luo Jun was taken aback. "More than two months? Isn't the Exchange Meeting not until next semester?"

"That's how it usually is," Tie Jingang explained. "But with the Heavenly Origin Tournament being held again next year, we've given six nomination slots to major domestic and international Explorer Academy. After deliberation, these six slots will ultimately be determined at the International Academy Tournament. And the slots for the International Academy Tournament will naturally be selected from the Five Schools Tournament. The Heavenly Origin Tournament is expected to be held next May, and the International Academy Tournament must be completed before then, so the Five Schools Tournament also be moved forward, tentatively scheduled for mid-February."

Mid-February? Isn't that around Chinese New Year?

"It has to be completed before the New Year. So these two months are your last preparation time; you need to seize the opportunity to improve your skills."

Upon hearing this, Luo Jun sighed, "Teacher Tie, it's only been two months. Even if I try my best, I can only advance one or two levels in the Foundation Establishment Realm at most. How could I possibly fight against so many experts in the Heart Refining Realm?"

"Relying solely on cultivation level is definitely not enough," Tie Jingang said. "But don't forget, because of the Long Hui Incident, you unexpectedly benefited from the misfortune, expanding your meridians and greatly increasing your Qi!"

This was the excuse that Ailongtan came up with for Luo Jun. In order to lay the groundwork for the power that would be inadvertently revealed in the future, the High Priest made up an ambiguous reason, saying that he did not know what changes had occurred in his body, but that his energy had increased several times over.

Although it's rare for someone to have their meridians strengthened and their qi increased due to a special encounter, there are precedents, so the others didn't suspect anything and were fooled.

"What's the use of high phosphorus content if you don't have the ability to generate energy?"

"If you don't have your own abilities, can't you use external forces?" Tie Jingang laughed. "The most important event in the Exchange Meeting is the martial arts competition. The rules stipulate that the Hundred Treasure Box will be blocked on the field, but each contestant can take out three treasures in advance, declare them, and bring them into the field for use."

"Of course, these three treasures must be verified and obtained legitimately. Those bought on the black market or borrowed from elders in the Lineage just to get a ranking are definitely not acceptable."

"A legitimate source... for example?" Luo Jun vaguely knew what Tie Jingang was about to say.

"The most legitimate way is naturally from the Chaos Mission. Besides that, official rewards for outstanding contributions, and rewards obtained through the Exchange Platform using merit points, all count..." Tie Jingang laughed, "Remember when we were in [Martial World], I said I would help you report your merits? Now the process is complete, and your account is set up. You can come and exchange for treasures!"

Luo Jun thought to himself that misfortunes never come singly, and good fortune never comes alone. He had just finished taking stock of the treasures he had acquired, and now another one was delivered to his door... If Tie Jingang hadn't reminded him, he would have almost forgotten about this.

"Exchange Platform? Where do I exchange it?" Luo Jun couldn't help but rub his hands together excitedly.

"You can normally browse the menu online, but the Treasure is not like a regular delivery; you still need to pick it up at the branch headquarters. As for your account, since I set it up for you, you'll need to link it to your forum account. There's a dedicated exchange point in the academy, located above the Chaos Mission Zone in the Experiment Building. Just come over there."

"Okay, I'm coming right now!"

After hanging up the phone, Luo Jun quickly tidied up and headed towards the Experiment Building.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the earth, at the summit of Mount Dynaso in Montaigne State, the Hell Creek Family headquarters.

Secret Chamber in the mountainside, several people in protective suits were standing by a large pool, stirring the liquid inside with an unidentified long-handled tool.

The pool was filled with a viscous, blood-red liquid, which was slowly churning as it was stirred. Every now and then, a huge bubble would rise up, and when it burst, the spray that landed on the rocky ground outside the pool would send up a wisp of white smoke.

Suddenly, the door to the Secret Chamber opened, and a tall, elegant, and aloof blonde middle-aged woman strode in, surrounded by several people in protective suits. Upon seeing her, the people in protective suits working by the blood pool immediately put down their stirring rods and knelt before the Old Man.

"Get up." The woman waved her hand, and the group immediately stood up and went back to work. Then, the Old Man came to the blood pool, glanced at it with slightly lowered eyes, raised his hand and gently beckoned. Several people in protective suits came up behind him, pressing down several naked, delirious white men, and pushed them into the blood pool.

The moment they entered the pool, their bodies hissed due to the intense corrosion, but they had already lost consciousness and did not struggle at all, allowing the red liquid to corrode their flesh and bones, quickly dissolving into the blood pool.

A moment later, the blood pool began to churn violently. People around, even those wearing protective suits, retreated in fear. Only the blonde woman remained standing by the pool, looking down at the churning blood. Even if drops of blood splashed onto her, they were blocked by her solidified qi and could not reach her body.

Soon, the churning of the blood pool stopped, and a huge tumor slowly emerged from it. The tumor floated to the shore, and suddenly, a lump bulged on it, then burst open, and two hands reached out and tore the tumor apart.

Inside the tumor was a naked man with a full head of blond hair, whose appearance was exactly the same as that of Nikolai, who had already been killed by Luo Jun!

Nikolai stepped onto the fleshy tumors floating on the pool of blood and reached the shore. He paused slightly when he saw the woman's face, then knelt down as well.

"Greetings, Elder Caroline..."

The woman nodded slightly. "I heard from Leisade that you were sent to Zhendan?"

Nikolai nodded. "Yes... it was a truly humiliating experience."

"The only meaning of shame is to motivate oneself to avoid making the same mistakes." Elder Caroline scoffed. "Old Rex has convened a council of elders; everyone is waiting to hear your story."

As she spoke, Caroline waved her hand, and someone behind her handed her a set of clothes.

"No need." Nikolai waved his hand in refusal, raised his hand and a delicate bracelet appeared on his wrist. Then he touched it and pulled out a coat to put on. He then left the Secret Chamber with Elder Caroline.

"So much?!"

In the Experiment Building of the Ningdong Academy, Luo Jun stood in front of the terminal on the third floor, browsing the Exchange Platform, and exclaimed with sincere admiration.

He has just completed the account binding under Tie Jingang's guidance. According to the merits reported by Tie Jingang, he has been awarded two Tier A Merit Points, two Tier B Merit Points, and seven Tier C Merit Points.

Normally, completing an Otherworld Internship will award a student one to five Tier C Merit Points based on their performance, with the remainder being extra merits awarded for outstanding performance.

That Tier A Merit Points should be the reward for quelling the Medicine King Valley incident. This reminded Luo Jun that Song Yi had given him a Merit Certificate with a Tier A Merit Points recorded on it, so he redeemed it as well.

After doing such a big thing, he only got two Class A titles. He was only locked up in the Confinement Room for a day and then he got one. It seems that the dean really did take good care of him at the Master's behest.

With this, Luo Jun would have three Tier A Merit Points.

"Once you've selected your reward, submit your redemption request, and then pick it up at your local Yuan Cultivation Society Branch on the designated day. If you're usually at the academy, you can come directly here to collect it; if you're in the city, you'll need to go to the branch located underground at the Victory Chocolate Factory."

Luo Jun nodded, swiping his finger across the touchscreen. One by one, the treasures and their detailed effects descriptions flashed before his eyes, allowing him to choose.

There is a wide variety of treasures available, and the prices for exchanging them vary. Generally speaking, common, fine, rare, and epic treasures correspond to the four levels of merit: D, C, Tier B, and A, respectively. The only difference is how much merit is required.

However, since even Noble Phantasms of the same grade can vary in function, practicality, and effectiveness, this correspondence is not absolute.

For example, Luo Jun had seen that, for the same rare-grade treasure, one required two Tier B Merit Points to exchange, while the other only required four Tier C Merit Points.

Another point is that merits can be broken down downwards, but cannot be merged upwards.

Many Noble Phantasms, in addition to their original price, also have a compatibility price in their descriptions.

For example, the Noble Phantasm that requires four Tier C Merit Points is marked as such, but it can also be exchanged for one Tier B and one Rank C. In other words, one Tier B is equivalent to three Rank C.

Conversely, if you need a Tier B Noble Phantasm, you can't exchange it for three Rank C ones. And in terms of effect, generally speaking, a Rank Tier B Noble Phantasm is significantly more powerful than three Rank C ones.

Therefore, merits of different levels cannot be exchanged for each other at a ratio of three to one. Higher-level merits can be exchanged for stronger Noble Phantasms. Unless there are special circumstances, no one would split high-level merits to exchange for low-level Noble Phantasms.

As for Legendary-grade treasures... Luo Jun didn't see them in the exchange menu. According to Tie Jingang, legendary-quality treasures cannot be crafted by Refining Masters. The only way to obtain them is to achieve Perfect Evaluation in Tier A Mission or complete an extremely difficult Hidden Mission.

It was estimated before that only a few hundred people from Zhendan regularly participate in Tier A Mission. Anyone who can get three Perfect Evaluation can be promoted to Class A. There are only about two hundred participants in Tier S Mission worldwide, half of whom are at the Peak or even at the Feather Transformation. Those who can do missions with these people are basically the world's top experts.

Therefore, most Rank A contestants may have been stuck at this level for many years without ever receiving Perfect Evaluation, let alone obtaining Legendary Treasure Item. You should know that the opponent Luo Jun Zhuge Lang last time, Zhuge Lang, was a genuine Peak Expert. If someone like him could be stuck at Rank A, then what about others?

Therefore, looking at the Tier A Mission in Zhendan, getting even one legendary item a month is considered high-yield. Moreover, even if they get one, most people will keep it hidden in their Hundred Treasure Box as a trump card, not letting others know about it, let alone selling it to the association.

Therefore, Legendary Treasure Item are extremely rare on the Exchange Platform. Even if they are occasionally listed, they are snapped up instantly, and they are almost never seen.

Of course, Luo Jun's goal is not to reach the legendary level. Although he has three A-level characters, it is probably not enough to exchange for a legendary one. He should set his sights on the epic level.

Most Epic Treasure Item require one Tier A Merit Points, some more expensive ones might require one or two Tier C Merit Points, and cheaper ones can be obtained with two or three rank C merits, but their attributes are generally quite poor. In Luo Jun's eyes, they can only be considered as large-scale rare treasures.

However, if he were to participate in the Exchange Meeting under the identity of Luo Jun, then most of the epic and legendary items he possessed would be beneath him. Either they were Night's signature equipment, which would be tantamount to revealing his identity, or they were obtained through murder and robbery—completely shady... Even if no one had ever seen them, their origins would be unclear. Therefore, he needed to exchange them for something more practical...

Luo Jun looked through them for a while, and finally saw a treasure that caught his eye.

Name: Hainlein's Left Arm

Grade: Epic

Description: A component of a powerful weapon lost in the interstellar battlefield. Although separated from the main body, its modular structure allows it to still function largely by consuming energy. If the other parts of this weapon can be found, it may be possible to restore its full functionality.

Function 1: Nanotechnology: This Noble Phantasm is made using nano-memory materials, which can change its shape to a certain extent and can also recover from damage by absorbing vital energy.

Function Two: Psionic Shield: The shield generator on the wrist can generate a one-way Psionic Shield to block frontal attacks. The Psionic Shield is powered by the energy stored in the generator, which can store up to fifty Breath Vital Energy. The shield can be activated at any time without additional consumption, but if it is damaged or consumed by an attack, it can absorb energy to repair itself at a rate of up to one breath per second when it is put away.

Function 3: Energy Cannonball: After charging, it can fire Energy Cannonball to attack enemies at a distance. Charging takes one second, activating it consumes Ten Breaths Vital Energy of energy, and has a 15-second cooldown. It can be used when the Psionic Shield is deployed.

Note: Everyone stand behind me, I'm about to shoot!