The Eerie Success Rate

"Next, you will see the fifth treasure!"

"This is a treasure that the group recently acquired!" Host A Yun introduced, "Don't be fooled by its filthy, blood-stained appearance. It's actually a very useful treasure. After testing, its defensive capabilities in its blood-stained state are top-notch among Epic-level armor. After activating its Vengeful Ghost function, it also possesses considerable offensive and harassing abilities."

"The drawback is that the armor itself is limited by its shape, lacking protection for the arms, head, neck, and shoulders. Moreover, offensive and defensive capabilities cannot coexist. To unleash its maximum power, the user needs precise control over the combat situation."

"Horrifying Hide, starting bid is one Epic Treasure Item. Please begin bidding!"

Listening to A Yun's introduction, those who were interested had already started bidding. Luo Jun noticed that there were only about twenty people fiddling with their bidding paddles, so it seemed that this piece of equipment wasn't very popular.

That's true, but considering the attributes of the Horrifying Hide itself, it's not actually that outstanding, and its appearance definitely detracts from its appeal. It's not that Cultivators care a lot about their image, but wearing this thing makes one exude a fierce aura, making them look like a perverted killer—it's just too conspicuous.

When Cultivators choose magical artifacts, especially wearable equipment, the most important thing is to be low-key and inconspicuous; the closer the appearance is to everyday clothing, the better. From this perspective, particularly ugly items like the Horrifying Hide and overly ornate fantasy armor dresses are both detrimental in terms of appearance. On the other hand, Luo Jun's Limit Underwear are particularly good; not only are they inconspicuous in appearance, but they are also worn underneath, so it's impossible to tell that they are magical artifacts.

The fewer people bidding, the better... Luo Jun glanced at A Yun. The host hadn't mentioned the set either, so it seemed Yuanqiang Group didn't know the ins and outs either. That made sense; aside from the Horrifying Hide, he already had two of the other three pieces of the set on his person, so others probably didn't know their value.

From this perspective, the fourth item should also not be in the hands of the Yuanqiang Group, otherwise this Horrifying Hide would not have been auctioned off separately.

The starting bid is Epic-level; Luo Jun has plenty of these things. The key is that blind bidding means there's no room for negotiation. To secure the item, you'll inevitably have to pay a significant premium.

Universal Equivalent?

Luo Jun abandoned the idea of using this thing. After all, the Universal Equivalent itself was quite weak. In Luo Jun's view, this trading item function was more like a kind of mental manipulation, making people want it as soon as they saw it, willing to exchange it for something more valuable. In face-to-face transactions, this thing would definitely be popular, but the problem was that during the auction, only equipment information was recorded, and the backend only looked at the information. Could they really appreciate the power of this thing?

We still need to exchange it for something truly valuable.

He was determined to get his hands on this treasure no matter what!

Luo Jun activated the Dice of Heavenly Secrets, took out the Fate Peering Glasses, and set up the event.

"Use the Advanced Expansion Slot and the Hunting Mark Throwing Knife to take down the Horrifying Hide!"

The Advanced Expansion Slot was a treasure that Luo Jun obtained very early on. Its function was to expand the slots of the Hundred Treasure Box. It was of little use to Luo Jun, but for 99% of Cultivators, it was a divine artifact that could double the capacity of the Hundred Treasure Box!

The Hunting Mark Throwing Knife is a functional weapon; it can provide a stable source of damage for Cultivators lack direct attack methods, but it's useless to Luo Jun.

According to the calculations of the Fate Peering Glasses, the difficulty of this event is as high as 101 points!

This is an impossible event? This means that at least one person at the scene offered a much higher price, so much so that if the backstage staff had seen his bid, they would never have given the Noble Phantasm to anyone else!!

Why? Is this Horrifying Hide really that valuable?

Luo Jun immediately wondered if that person might have the last piece of the suit.

The Kai Ren Qi, Horrifying Hide, and Hanging Hook. Even without knowing the set effects, the descriptions and effects make it easy to connect them as a series of Noble Phantasms. If someone Village Chief have the fourth piece, they should also be able to see the connection and would probably be willing to pay a high price to buy it.

So, should I just back out and wait to see who ends up buying it at the highest price, then try to collect the whole set from them later? But I'm afraid that once they get two pieces and see the set effect, they'll try to charge an exorbitant price...

Wait, something's not right... Luo Jun looked at the 101 difficulty level on the Fate Peering Glasses and shook his head.

You're going in the wrong direction!

Even if someone offers a high price, he did offer two epic items; he can't be completely outbid like this...

Moreover, the success of such an auction is influenced by many factors, including the possibility of oversights in the backstage process and the selection of the wrong bidder. It's entirely impossible for it to succeed; it's definitely not a matter of the bidder's value!

Luo Jun narrowed his eyes. Could it be that this Treasure Appraisal Conference was a scam?

It shouldn't be like this. The Ningdong Black Market has a notorious reputation, Treasure Appraisal Conference, engaging in underhanded dealings in this kind of thing would be tantamount to ruining their own reputation if it got out...

Is this only targeting the Horrifying Hide Noble Phantasm? Did the developers never intend to sell this Noble Phantasm at all?

Why display it here?

Luo Jun's mind raced, connecting all the clues he had gathered, and suddenly his eyes lit up!

Could it be that...

With that in mind, he immediately changed the course of events, withdrawing the two Noble Phantasms he originally planned to use and replacing them with another Noble Phantasm.

Duelist's Glory!

Let's use the Fate Peering Glasses to determine it again!

This time, the Event Difficulty is 2 points!

Success is almost certain, unless an extreme unforeseen event occurs!

Luo Jun narrowed his eyes. It seems I guessed right...

With that in mind, he immediately ordered Ailongtan to record and report the information about the Duelist's Glory.

The bidding period ended quickly, and the backstage team began evaluating the price. This time it was very fast; in less than two minutes, A Yun announced that the Horrifying Hide had been won by Ailongtan.

Sure enough! I chose Old Ai without any hesitation...

Luo Jun didn't pay much attention to the rest of the auction. Several epic items were sold one after another, and when it came to the legendary items, the number of bidders decreased significantly.

Luo Jun had quietly observed the previous Epic-level; each time someone bid, there were anywhere from a dozen or twenty to thirty or fifty people. When a particular item was highly sought after, half of them would be studying it with their heads down. But when it came to Legendary Treasure Item, he glanced around and saw only a handful of people making any moves. Clearly, most people didn't have the confidence to buy Legendary Treasure Item.

That makes sense. Luo Jun possesses more than ten legendary items and is also struggling with which one to sell. After all, at the legendary level, none of them are ordinary. Even if not every item is a necessity, it is indeed difficult to choose.

If someone as wealthy and powerful as him is so conflicted, one can only imagine how others must feel.

However, there were still many wealthy people attending the auction, and the first two treasures were eventually bought. Even though there were few bidders, the starting price was at least one legendary item, which clearly showed that the people who made the bids were not ordinary.

Luo Jun observed carefully and found that the person who bought the rocket launcher was a petite young girl with pigtails and a mask; the person who bought the Nine Section Whip was a tall, Bald Man.

After that came the Legendary Contract!

A Yun explained, many people picked up their bidding paddles and started bidding.

Huh? Luo Jun was slightly taken aback. This time, there were at least twenty people making a move. It seems that the Legendary Contract is even more sought after than the previous two...

While Luo Jun was still in surprise, he heard a noise beside him. He turned around and saw that Ling Xin had also picked up her bidding paddle.

"You want to buy this too?" Luo Jun asked. "Legendary Contract, a relatively rare rule-based treasure, capable of even restraining experts at the Ascension-level. Who wouldn't want such a treasure?"

"That's amazing?" Luo Jun blinked.

"Of course, most people never even have the chance to come into contact with the Ascension-level," Ling Xin shook her head and said, "Even if they do, the signing of such a contract requires the consent of both parties. Even if someone has the contract, who can force Ascension Expert to sign it? So the reason this thing is so sought after is less because people want to buy it for use and more because they want to hoard it and sell it for a good price."

"You can make a profit from something bought at an auction?" Luo Jun was skeptical. It was bought at a premium; how easy would it be to find a buyer?

"Legendary Contract is worth any price if it's in the hands of someone who can use it." Ling Xin smiled.

"Useful..." Luo Jun narrowed his eyes. Who could possibly need this thing?

The only way to restrain one who Feather Transformation is for another to Feather Transformation... and for official organizations!

Thinking of this, Luo Jun's gaze swept over the people bidding, and his eyes changed.

For casual attendees, information about the auction's treasures is only revealed upon arrival. However, it's possible that some might have prior knowledge of the key items up for auction...

No, someone will definitely find out! As the organizer of the black market, if there's a valuable and precious artifact to be auctioned, he'll definitely spread the word beforehand to attract more powerful people to participate in the bidding in order to gain greater profits!

Luo Jun carefully examined the bidding paddles and recalled that several of them hadn't made a move in the previous eleven rounds... There was even a man in his fifties who left a deep impression on Luo Jun because he had been dozing off in his seat the whole time and had only just woken up.

Clearly, these individuals were well-prepared and likely came specifically for this contract after receiving their mission!

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It seems getting the contract won't be so easy...

Luo Jun had Ailongtan check the inventory; what he had in his possession were three items: Violence, Sharpness, and Elemental Construct Box...

Luo Jun tried using the Fate Peering Glasses again and found that even if he bet on all three, the probability of success wasn't particularly high. These guys with connections are really rich and powerful...

Anyway, this contract wasn't something he absolutely needed. If he could get it, great; if not, so be it... With that in mind, he had Ailongtan report only one instance of Violence, and then rolled the dice to determine the outcome.

"Ding, Event Difficulty 100 points, Final Points 33 + 5 points, Event Failed."

As expected, the difficulty is at its maximum if you only need to use one Noble Phantasm, which means that unless there is a mistake in the backend operation, it is basically impossible for it to be your turn.

Luo Jun glanced at the options for Regret and refreshing, but decided to accept his fate. Failure was failure; he would check out the final mystery item later. Judging from the host's words, it should be worth more than this contract.

In the end, the contract was won by the uncle who kept dozing off. No one knows how much treasure he paid to stand out from the many competitors.

"It's him?" Ling Xin asked in surprise, "I didn't even notice, he's here at the meeting too?"

Ling Xin was sitting in the far corner. From this angle, Luo Jun, who was sitting next to her, could completely block the direction from which the dozing uncle was looking. So, Ling Xin didn't notice him until the uncle got the prize and stood up to signal.

"Is he very famous?" Luo Jun asked curiously.

"Zhuge Bai, the Vice President of the Southwest Branch of the Yuan Cultivation Society and the younger brother of the current head of the Zhuge Family! A bigwig from the government actually came all the way to the black market in Ningdong... No wonder I couldn't compete with him."

"How much are you bidding?" Luo Jun asked curiously.

"One legendary item, two epic items..." Ling Xin said with some disappointment, "That's all I can offer."

"That's quite a price." Luo Jun wasn't trying to flatter him. If he were bidding himself, he wouldn't be willing to trade two legendary items for one; at most, he'd offer one more epic item than Ling Xin. But seeing how fierce the competition was, he figured he definitely couldn't beat this official bigwig.

"What does he need this contract for?" Ling Xin analyzed. "If the Yuan Cultivation Society headquarters wanted it, they could have simply sent someone from Ningdong. There's no need to mobilize people from the Southwest Branch, which is thousands of miles away."

"Then that means it was the Southwest Branch's own idea," Luo Jun said. "Does the Southwestern Branch have any Ascension Realm? As far as I know, in Zhendan, only the Grand President and the head of your Ling Family family have achieved Feather Transformation."

"There isn't one in the Southwestern Branch ... but there is in the [Paranormal] world," Ling Xin said. "The apostle of the [Paranormal] world is said to be a Feather Transformation cultivator, and the [Paranormal] world itself also has at least one native Ascension-level Native Strong Person."

"Feather Transformation Apostle?" Luo Jun frowned. "With such a monster existing, can the Southwest Branch really control the [Paranormal] Gate?"

Luo Jun thought of the Martial World. Even a fallen Peak apostle Long Hui caused the Yuan Cultivation Society so much trouble. If he were to Feather Transformation, the explorers in the Paranormal would have to walk on thin ice.

Ling Xin shook her head. "Apostles who Feather Transformation are actually safer than Peak apostles."

"Why is that?" Luo Jun asked, puzzled.

"I can't explain the specific reasons either," Ling Xin explained. "All I know is that the native Feather Transformation of this Different World are very sensitive to and hostile towards Feather Transformation from outside. Therefore, Feather Transformation Apostles are often targeted by local forces. They are too busy dealing with local powerhouses to have the energy to deal with the Yuan Cultivation Society. At most, their Polluter will occasionally cause some trouble."

"Is that so?" Luo Jun was somewhat surprised. "Since the Earth Ascension beings know that the Apostles are from elsewhere, doesn't that mean they know about the existence of the Main World?"

"I don't know either." Ling Xin shook her head. "Nobody has asked the Earth Ascension for their opinions."

Just then, a commotion arose in the audience, and everyone looked toward the stage, where an exquisite box was pushed onto the stage.

It seems this is the last mysterious treasure.

(End of this chapter)