Apex of Ten Thousand Races!

The next day, Jiang Chuan entered the Source Realm early in the morning.

As usual, he first went to the battle group to check in.

No matter what,

his father had pulled strings to get him this job.

He could ignore Su Yao, but he could not disregard even the most basic rules of the battle group. That would disgrace his father.

Besides,

he still needed his battle group identity to explain his source of income to his parents.

After checking in, Jiang Chuan did not stay for even a minute before heading straight to Artisan Pavilion.

In the early morning, Tianyuan City's streets were already bustling with people. Vendors who had risen early shouted as they sold breakfast along the roads, while the air still carried the night's chill.

Artisan Pavilion had only just opened its doors.

Jiang Chuan strode inside and immediately spotted Xing'er behind the counter.

Today, she wore a light green cheongsam, her hair pinned up in a bun. She was touching up her makeup with a dressing case, surrounded by over a dozen long-legged, curvy women in cheongsams. It was quite a feast for the eyes.

When Xing'er saw Jiang Chuan enter, she froze slightly before putting on a professional smile and hurrying over. "Mr. Jiang, you're here so early."

"As the saying goes, the early bird catches the worm."

Jiang Chuan smiled faintly and got straight to the point. "Today, I'd like to look at better equipment."

"You mean... you want to buy Bronze-grade equipment?"

Xing'er's eyes widened slightly, and she instantly perked up.

The Bronze equipment in Artisan Pavilion sold for an average of over ten thousand each.

She could earn a three-percent commission on every piece she sold.

At the very least, that was several hundred!

She hurriedly flipped through the inventory list. "Bronze equipment... We have over three hundred pieces here. About one-third should meet your requirements. How many would you like to buy?"

Jiang Chuan took the list and glanced at the prices. Bronze equipment averaged around ten thousand each, and he quickly did the math.

He had made nearly one hundred thousand yesterday by reselling materials, and his parents had given him another fifty thousand.

Artisan Pavilion members received discounts.

That was just enough for him to buy fifteen pieces of Bronze equipment.

Jiang Chuan said, "Let's start with fifteen."

"Certainly, I'll pack them up for you right away!"

Fifteen pieces of Bronze equipment were brought out and neatly arranged atop the counter.

They came in all kinds of styles.

Yet all of them shared one trait.

They used plenty of materials.

Even if they were somewhat overpriced,

he would not lose much money by dismantling them and selling the materials afterward.

Of course,

the more important thing was the attribute boosts!

Jiang Chuan paid, stored the equipment in his backpack, greeted Xing'er, and turned to leave Artisan Pavilion.

He went to that familiar secluded corner, made sure no one was around, took a deep breath, and began dismantling them.

The first item: a Bronze broadsword.

[Wind-Slaying Broadsword: Can be dismantled. Expected recovery: Refined Steel Ingot ×4, Star-Calling Gold ×1, Wind Demon Stone ×1, Strength +1.5]

Strength +1.5!

Jiang Chuan's eyes lit up. Basic equipment only added 0.1 attributes, Black Iron added 0.5, and Bronze added 1.5!

The increase really was multiplying with each tier!

Next!

The second item: a Bronze longbow, Agility +1.5!

The third item: a Bronze breastplate, Constitution +1.5!

The sixth item...

The tenth item...

The fifteenth item...

Golden light flashed again and again, enveloping Jiang Chuan's entire body in a radiant glow.

The heat pouring into his body felt like streams of molten lava, surging in through his palms, racing along his meridians, and finally flowing into every part of his body.

Of the fifteen Bronze items, twelve boosted the three physical attributes of Strength, Constitution, and Agility. Only three boosted Intelligence.

In total, they gave him 22.5 points of permanent attribute increases!

This felt amazing!

Jiang Chuan was thrilled beyond measure and could not help thinking, If I keep growing endlessly like this, will I have the power to smash this world apart while still at Level 1!?

Wait...

Why would I want to smash the world apart???

He shook his head, casting out the strange thought, gathered up the materials scattered across the ground, and rushed toward Hundred Treasures Trading House, which specialized in buying them back.

Artisan Pavilion also bought forging materials at high prices, but Jiang Chuan was not an idiot, and neither were the people at Artisan Pavilion.

He had just bought a pile of equipment from them, only to turn around and sell them a batch of untouched materials.

Even an idiot would notice something was wrong.

Selling the goods somewhere else

was another layer of insurance Jiang Chuan had put in place to avoid exposing himself.

Of course, this insurance would not hold up under investigation either. But it would not take long. At this rate, he would be practically invincible within a week at most. Even if someone noticed him by then, what could they do!?

The materials dismantled from fifteen pieces of equipment sold for a little over one hundred sixty thousand.

He could still make a profit.

But the profit margin was getting smaller and smaller.

Higher-grade equipment was usually marked up due to its rarity. He could still make a little from Bronze equipment, but Silver equipment would probably mean taking a pure loss.

Then Jiang Chuan reconsidered. It was no big deal. So what if he lost a little money? He could treat it as an early investment. Once he had strength, would he have to worry about making money?

"Again!"

Jiang Chuan turned and ran back to Artisan Pavilion.

Xing'er was clearly stunned to see him return less than a moment after leaving. "Mr. Jiang, is there anything else you need?"

"Get me another sixteen pieces of Bronze equipment!"

"Huh?"

Xing'er blinked blankly. "Didn't you just buy some..."

Halfway through, she caught herself. Why was she asking so many questions!

Customers had their own privacy. Her only job was to provide the best service. Being nosy would only bring trouble upon herself!

"Please wait a moment!"

Xing'er's attitude changed immediately, and she promptly fetched another sixteen pieces of Bronze equipment.

She said, "Mr. Jiang, you've already spent a cumulative total of two hundred thousand at our store, so you can upgrade to a Gold Membership. Gold Members receive a seven-percent discount on purchases. Would you like to apply for it now?"

"A seven-percent discount means I can save even more, right?"

"Sign me up!"

Jiang Chuan casually asked, "Above Gold should be Diamond Membership, right? How much do I need to spend for that, and what discount does it offer?"

Xing'er smiled. "Diamond Members receive a ten-percent discount! You only need to spend one million to upgrade! Moreover, Diamond Members receive VIP treatment within the pavilion and can shop directly on the fifth floor!"

Artisan Pavilion had five floors in total. The first floor only sold low-grade equipment like Black Iron and Bronze items.

Starting from the second floor, it sold equipment of Silver grade and above.

As well as various rare treasures.

Jiang Chuan's current Gold Membership already allowed him access to the fourth floor.

He could browse around when he had nothing to do.

Not now, though.

Getting stronger came first!

He put away the equipment and hurriedly left. Less than half an hour later, he reappeared before Xing'er with an astonished look on her face, then spent another two hundred thousand in one go to buy twenty more pieces of Bronze equipment...

Again and again.

Jiang Chuan's attributes soon reached a new peak amid the system prompts:

[Jiang Chuan]

[Level: 1]

[HP: 1000]

[MP: 1000]

[Constitution: 100 (current level Extremum)]

[Intelligence: 100 (current level Extremum)]

[Strength: 100 (current level Extremum)]

[Agility: 100 (current level Extremum)]

...

[Notice: All of your base attributes have reached the current level's Extremum, triggering the legendary achievement—Apex of Ten Thousand Races! The system will make a server-wide announcement. Hide your name?!]