Entering Ta Lo
Sally Valence.
Born into Hidden Families, a true descendant of a prestigious lineage.
It is conceivable that her wealth was no less than that of William Butcher.
Chen Ji and William Butcher had a lukewarm relationship.
However, he had a brief partnership with Sally Valence, and the start-up capital he lacked could be obtained entirely from Sally Valence!
It's just a collaboration.
It doesn't matter who you cooperate with.
A fallen, reclusive family is both a blessing and a burden!
And it would be far easier for him to persuade Sally Valence than to persuade William Butcher!
"Wealth?"
Sally Valence blinked her beautiful eyes, seemingly caught off guard, but still nodded seriously.
After all, it's rare for the Acting Sorcerer Supreme to take the initiative to communicate with her, and she must seize this opportunity!
Recently, other Hidden Families have been secretly plotting to oust the Valence Family and seize their home on the Earth Secret Realm!
If it weren't for her backing by Kamar-Taj, which instilled awe in the Hidden Families, they would probably have succumbed to pressure and chosen to compromise long ago!
Once she gives in and leaves the Earth Secret Realm, returning will be as difficult as climbing to the heavens!
Who would give up the benefits they've already gained?
No resources available.
No matter how stunningly beautiful or how exceptionally talented you are, you will eventually fade into obscurity!
As long as they are in the Earth Secret Realm, the descendants of Hidden Families will more or less possess secret skills. Even if only one genius emerges, he can lead the family to rise again!
So...
She absolutely cannot back down!
Furthermore, she needed to find a powerful patron who could provide protection for the family. She had initially set her sights on William Butcher, but discovered that William Butcher was all talk and no action!
Chen Ji, whom she despised, unexpectedly rose against the tide, quickly surpassing the Mystic Arts Master and becoming the Acting Sorcerer Supreme!
This nearly drove her to a breakdown.
I toss and turn almost every night, unable to sleep.
Now.
With the opportunity to win Chen Ji's friendship right in front of her, how could she not take the gamble?!
After all, Chen Ji's intelligence, wisdom, strength, and demeanor made all the Mystic Arts Master pale in comparison!
"Sally."
Don't dwell on past conflicts.
You had no obligation to befriend me in the first place.
"But I want to develop an Energy Ring, based on the Sling Ring, and endow it with offensive capabilities, which requires purchasing a large amount of magical metals."
"If..."
"Since you are willing to cooperate with me, the sale of the Energy Ring will be entirely entrusted to your family."
Chen Ji smiled.
He did not intend to distribute the Energy Ring to all Mystic Arts Mage free of charge.
Instead...
Sell!
If this core technology were distributed for free, it would inevitably fuel the ambitions of Mystic Arts Mage.
What If...?, if the Mystic Arts Mage, each wielding Energy Ring, gathered together and launched an attack on him...
That would be pointless!
Certainly.
Before that, he had to purchase a large quantity of Dragon-Scale Metal from the Ta Lo Secret Realm.
The material and hardness of Dragon-Scale Metal are perfect for the development of Energy Ring!
As for... Vibranium? Uru Metal?
How could Wakanda and Asgard tolerate the massive influx of their national treasure-level strategic resources into Kamar-Taj?
Essentially.
The three parties are in a competitive relationship!
Who would tolerate another power growing too strong on its own?
Only the Ta Lo Secret Realm!
They had already established trade relations with Kamar-Taj long ago.
The potions, Dragon-Scale Metal, and various magical weapons produced in the Ta Lo Secret Realm, after being enchanted by the Mystic Arts Master, were distributed to the various Sanctum.
The price of Dragon-Scale Metal remains consistently high.
Because...
The production of Dragon-Scale Metal is mysterious; it takes about one hundred Ancient Coins to buy just one piece!
This is a strategic material.
If it weren't for Kamar-Taj and the Ta Lo Ancestors working together to seal the Dark Dweller into the Hell Gate, the Ta Lo probably wouldn't have trusted Kamar-Taj.
"Energy Ring?"
"Grant the ability to attack with the Sling Ring?"
"Are you really capable of doing this?"
Sally Valence's beautiful eyes sparkled.
She almost thought she was hallucinating.
Energy Ring?
Chen Ji really dares to think that way!
Even the forefathers of Kamar-Taj spent countless years inventing the signature ritual object, the Sling Ring.
How could Chen Ji possibly accomplish this on his own?
This is simply a fantasy!
But...
Sally Valence immediately realized that Chen Ji had mastered a Primal Runes through the Rune Stone!
Even Odin, the king of the gods, was full of praise.
Could it be that Chen Ji intends to use the Rune Power to imbue the Sling Ring with offensive capabilities?
That does make some sense now!
"It should be possible."
"By finding the right combination of Rune, the Sling Ring can be re-enchanted, giving it a phantom form."
"The secret technique I created, Gate of Babylon, is also based on this principle."
"Sally."
"You can choose to refuse, that's fine, but if you choose to cooperate, I'll consider it an obligation to you."
Chen Ji smiled.
A forced relationship won't be sweet.
If you don't have a reliable partner, you might as well go find the Ancient One.
I'm sure Ancient One would never refuse Chen Ji!
And the price might be...
He must succeed the Sorcerer Supreme!
But he had already figured it out: temporarily taking over the position of Sorcerer Supreme was more beneficial than harmful, until Stephen Strange joined the sect, at which point he would abdicate the title to him.
A win-win situation!
"You owe me a favor...?"
How much funding do you need?
"The only Ancient Coins I can produce right now are five thousand."
Sally Valence said candidly.
Really!
Chen Ji nodded secretly.
Five Ancient Coins can buy fifty pieces of Dragon-Scale Metal.
It's clearly more than enough for the development of Energy Ring!
After all, Dragon-Scale Metal is produced by the Lakebed Guardian in the Ta Lo Secret Realm. A single piece of Dragon-Scale Metal is the size of a washbasin, while the materials used in the Sling Ring are only one percent of that!
Enough, enough.
"When shall we set off?"
Chen Ji beamed with joy.
Five thousand Ancient Coins.
This is an astronomical sum in the Hidden World.
The currency of the Hidden World is completely different from that of the real world.
Even if you put Ancient Coins up for auction, they can fetch millions of dollars, and there's no market for them!
This shows that Sally Valence has changed her attitude and fully recognizes his value, which is closely related to his abilities.
"Ta Lo Secret Realm"
"Located in the Western Regions."
"My family elders were once betrothed to women from the Ta Lo Secret Realm; let me take you there."
Sally Valence nodded slightly.
Then, a Mystic Portal was opened, leading directly to the Western Regions.
Through the Mystic Portal, one can see a fantastical bamboo forest, lush and verdant, with an extraordinary and mysterious aura that seems to possess a spirit!
"Did your family elders marry women who were associated with Ta Lo readers?"
That saves time.
Chen Ji was astonished.
Then, led by Sally Valence, they strolled deeper into the fantastical bamboo forest.
Along the way.
A fantastical bamboo forest, its green branches swaying gently.
It quickly closed up, concealing the entrance to the bamboo forest.
It kept changing its position, trying to hinder their progress.
However.
Sally Valence already knew the secret shortcut through the magical bamboo forest by heart.
Soon, we arrived at a waterfall, where the river cascaded down and the stream babbled.
Even the Sling Ring cannot directly access the Ta Lo, because the Ta Lo is sealed by the Dark Gate.
This seal isolated the spatial artifact from operation.
This also trapped the Soul-Eater Monsters behind the door!
No one knows where the Soul-Eater Monsters came from.
It appeared out of nowhere in the Ta Lo Secret Realm, destroying countless buildings and technologies, and almost extinguishing the legacy of Ta Lo!
As a result, the Ta Lo Secret Realm is now scattered into several villages, barely managing to sustain the entire tribe by selling potions and Dragon-Scale Metal.
Let's go.
"The current leader of the Ta Lo Secret Realm is named Ying Li."
"She is also in charge of selling potions and Dragon-Scale Metal."
Sally Valence channeled her magic, and the waterfall surged forth, forming a spatial vortex.
The two stepped into the spatial vortex one after the other.
It appeared deep in the pool, with crystal-clear coral reefs and various schools of fish swimming slowly, as if you were in an underwater world.
This drew admiration from Chen Ji.
The next second.
The two then appeared in another dimension.
This area is vast, with continuous mountains and lush vegetation.
In the open area ahead, fantastical creatures ran and lay on their sides; a qilin, resembling a horse but not quite, covered in scales; a white fox with nine tails; and a firebird with burning wings...
Almost all of them are recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas!
This is a fantasy world!
It is also the largest secret space on Earth, bar none!
Without the protection of Kamar-Taj, the Ta Lo Secret Realm would likely have collapsed long ago, its territory seized by other Hidden Families.
"Sally?"
"How did you end up at Ta Lo?"
A refined, inquiring voice rang out.
A middle-aged woman dressed in a ceremonial robe, with her long hair tied up and exuding a mysterious aura, immediately appeared before the two with her guards.
One of the burly, silver-haired elders, wielding a dragon-scale staff, glared at Chen Ji with an imposing expression.
"Ying Nan."
"Let me introduce him. This is Chen Ji, the Acting Sorcerer Supreme of Kamar-Taj."
"However, he came to Ta Lo with me not for any other reason than to buy Dragon-Scale Metal."
Sally Valence bowed.
To Ying Nan, she was just a junior.
They have absolutely no right to be arrogant.
"Acting Sorcerer Supreme?"
"List?"
"So Kamar-Taj really did have an Acting Sorcerer Supreme."
"It wasn't Kamar-Taj bought the dragon scales, but you who bought them yourself?"
A strange look flashed across Ying Nan's face.
The difference between these two conveys different messages!
The Acting Sorcerer Supreme has bypassed Kamar-Taj and purchased Dragon-Scale Metal without authorization. Is he planning to establish his own sect?
Still...
He and Sally decided to get married—a powerful combination?
Ying Nan's eyes flickered.
She dared not sell the Dragon-Scale Metal unless she could find out the truth.
After all, if the Dragon-Scale Metal were made into weapons and used to attack the Ta Lo Secret Realm, she would become a sinner!
"That's right."
"I intend to purchase Dragon-Scale Metal for research on magical items; I have no other purpose."
"I swear in the name of Vishanti."
Chen Ji told him the truth.
However, he omitted key information, as there was no need to make his research project public knowledge.
Success is achieved through secrecy, while failure is caused by leaks.
If the idea of Energy Ring were to spread to the outside world, it would inevitably cause quite a stir and could make the ring a target of public criticism.
He couldn't allow any mishap to occur to this plan!
After all, this concerns the Divine Awakening. Only when the Energy Ring is successfully developed can the overall strength of Kamar-Taj be rapidly enhanced, giving it the power to contend with the Eternals!
"Sally."
"Since you brought Chen to the Ta Lo Secret Realm, I certainly won't doubt your intentions... How much Dragon-Scale Metal do you plan to buy?"
"Currently, there are only ten pieces of Dragon-Scale Metal left to trade."
Ying Nan nodded.
It must be said that Chen Ji's oath in the name of Vishanti reassured her somewhat.
Because the arcane energy of Kamar-Taj all originates from this Vishanti!
If Chen Ji breaks his oath, Vishanti will also take back his magic, turning him back into a mortal.
Moreover, as the Acting Sorcerer Supreme of Kamar-Taj and the future Sorcerer Supreme, the Ta Lo Secret Realm is not someone to be trifled with.
Without the protection of the Sorcerer Supreme, other hidden forces and evil cults will all covet this fat sheep, the Ta Lo!
Ten yuan?
"So Dragon-Scale Metal also uses scarcity marketing?"
Chen Ji secretly curled his lip.
"Hunger marketing?"
"It seems you are unaware of the origins of Dragon-Scale Metal."
"These are scales dropped by the Lakebed Guardian."
"We cannot control the will of the Lakebed Guardian; we can only be responsible for retrieving the Dragon-Scale Metal that has surfaced."
Ying Nan explained considerately.
I see.
Chen Ji nodded secretly.
"Ten pieces of Dragon-Scale Metal."
"Two Ancient Coins".
"Cash on delivery"
The burly old man, without a smile, directly stated his price.
"Tsk."
"A swindler!"
Chen Ji's eyes flickered.
He immediately checked the Entry Panel for this burly old man.
[Name]: Uncle Guang
[Identity]: Ta Lo Instructor
[Entry]: Thick-skinned and ruthless (green), highly skilled and daring (green), vigorous in old age (green).
[Thick-skinned and black-hearted] (Green): Seemingly loyal and virtuous, but actually cunning and treacherous, adept at human relationships, and unfazed even when Mount Tai collapses before him.
[Skilled and daring] (Green): He is skilled in using various weapons, and his hand-to-hand combat skills have reached a high level. He commands all the Ta Lo Guardians.
[Still Vigorous in Old Age] (Green): He has entered his seventies, but thanks to the nourishment of the Ta Lo Secret Realm, his immunity has been greatly enhanced, and he can also resist common diseases.
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