Chapter 157: Money Pit

The entry of the rogue alliance and various elite gaming studios made the scramble for the three hundred gold elemental stones even more intense. After arguing for a full twenty minutes, the various factions of LIESHAN City finally divided their respective ticket quotas. The mediocre factions were directly squeezed out, and those who managed to stay were the elites who truly held clout.

"Lord Ye, you agreed just now to let our Fierce Tiger take the first batch of tickets. You aren't going to go back on your word, are you?" Just as the ticket quotas were finalized, Fierce Tiger Overlord hurried over to Ye Chen, shouting loudly, evidently wanting Ye Chen to fulfill his promise.

"Of course not. I, Ye Chen, keep my word. Bring the money, 250—" Ye Chen raised his eyebrows slightly, extending his right hand with the air of someone waiting for the money to be placed right in his palm.

"2,500 gold? Night Chen, what do you mean? Wasn't it just 50 gold a piece as you said earlier?" Fierce Tiger Overlord grew furious, his eyes bulging wide, but that was as far as it went. He did not turn around and walk away; clearly, he could not afford to give up these tickets to the Martial Soul Secret Realm.

"Selling to others is 50 gold, but selling to you naturally doubles the price. Well, do you want them or not? If not, get lost." Ye Chen had Fierce Tiger Overlord figured out completely. He had already given away 2,000 gold without blinking, so what did an extra thousand-plus gold matter? Besides, Ye Chen was deliberately giving Fierce Tiger Overlord a hard time; otherwise, if he let him get the gold elemental stones first so easily, there was no guarantee the man wouldn't grow suspicious.

Sure enough, Fierce Tiger Overlord merely clenched his teeth and finally forked over the 2,500 gold cheerfully, completing the trade with Ye Chen. Judging by the expression on his brow, far from feeling any heartache, he actually seemed relieved. Ye Chen's obstruction had indeed put his mind at ease and lowered his guard.

With twenty-five gold elemental stones in hand, joy inevitably bloomed on Fierce Tiger Overlord's face. After mentally murdering Ye Chen countless times with his gaze, he hurried back to the Fierce Tiger family, leading six or seven teams of Fierce Tiger elites into the giant teleportation array.

Swish, swish, swish! A row of numbers suddenly lit up in the void, representing that Fierce Tiger's team had begun clearing the trial.

"Fierce Tiger has started. Should we wait and see before deciding?"

"Wait and see my foot! By the time you finish observing and go in, there won't even be scraps left."

"True. Then boss, you better hurry up and get those tickets."

Similar conversations erupted among the high-ranking members of every guild and clan. Thus, according to the prior agreement, the various guilds began lining up in their respective order of ranking to purchase gold elemental stones. Interestingly, the Spirit Fox Studio had used its massive number of high-level players to secure the second spot, and the person dealing with Ye Chen was none other than Sword Heart, legendary as Spirit Fox's top expert.

This was Ye Chen's first time seeing Lieshan City's premier swordsman. This level 37 swordsman wore a suit of bronze chainmail and carried a broadsword as wide as a palm strapped across his back. His demeanor was steady and composed; at a glance, he possessed the true air of an expert.

While Ye Chen was sizing up Sword Heart before him, Sword Heart was also evaluating Ye Chen. A cloak prevented Sword Heart from discerning the appearance of Ye Chen's equipment, and a faint smile kept him from guessing Ye Chen's inner thoughts. The only thing he could be certain of was that the staff in the opponent's hand was definitely of gold-tier quality, and those two rings didn't look like ordinary items either. The circular protrusion on the right side of his chest made his gaze narrow—that had to be a medal, an extremely rare accessory. The quality of any medal would never be lower than bronze.

"I've long heard of Brother Night's great reputation. Seeing you today, you truly are a dragon among men. A single word from you stirs all directions; you are truly glorious indeed." Although Sword Heart spoke flattery, there was not a trace of flattery on his face, as if he were merely stating an insignificant trifle.

Ye Chen didn't get angry. Lieshan City's past top expert certainly lived up to his imposing aura; what allowed him to be so confident must be his exceptional strength. Unfortunately, unfortunately for him, he was a swordsman, a class naturally countered by Sword Demons. He was destined to become a defeated foe under Ye Chen's hands. If he knew that engaging in close combat with Ye Chen would reduce his attack power by twenty percent, I wonder if he would still maintain this composure.

"Spirit Fox Studio, according to the agreement, you may purchase six gold elemental stones. 1,200 gold. Pay up." Ye Chen's voice did not fluctuate in the slightest. Imitating Sword Heart's tone, he spoke as if it were only natural.

Twelve hundred gold for six gold elemental stones!

The high-ranking members of the various guilds waiting in line gasped in an uproar upon hearing this, hurriedly inquiring how on earth Spirit Fox had offended Ye Chen. He was gouging them even more viciously than he had gouged Fierce Tiger! Consequently, the story of how Spirit Fox Moon had repeatedly gone against Ye Chen only to be repeatedly counter-killed quickly spread. Some people even deduced from this that the person who killed Windless Blood was none other than Ye Chen. Once such a speculation came to light, everyone's gaze toward Ye Chen shifted once more. Awe was already present in many of their eyes. Killing Fierce Tiger Roar was nothing special, but Windless Blood—that was Lieshan City's top thief! Anyone capable of killing him three levels down had to be a ruthless character. Several guild leaders had already sent word to their guilds, instructing their underlings to try their best not to provoke Ye Chen in the future. Offending such an expert was extremely troublesome; if he didn't confront you head-on but instead ambushed your gathering parties in the wild, he could absolutely give any guild a massive headache.

Sword Heart gave Ye Chen a deep look, yet he paid the 1,200 gold without the slightest hesitation, leaving behind only a resolute sentence: "You will regret this, and very soon!"

"I'll be waiting." Ye Chen smiled nonchalantly, though inwardly he grew vigilant, quietly whispering to Two-Thousand-and-Fifty-Eight: "Do me a favor and track Sword Heart on the minimap as well. The Spirit Fox bunch seem ready to act up."

Ding! With a soft chime, Sword Heart's location appeared on the minimap. Ye Chen smiled slightly. Whatever tricks they wanted to play, he would accompany them to the very end.

Watching Sword Heart lead Spirit Fox's two teams charge into the Martial Soul Secret Realm, the smile on Ye Chen's face grew even brighter. Want to deal with me? Get past this trial first, and the guardians inside will give you a huge, huge surprise.

"Look, look! Fierce Tiger, the numbers for Fierce Tiger's team lit up!" Not long after Sword Heart and the others stepped into the teleportation array, someone in the crowd suddenly let out an exclamation. Hearing this, everyone hurriedly looked toward the void at the numbers representing the Fierce Tiger family, only to see that the numbers representing Fierce Tiger Overlord's team erupt into an intense golden light. That signified a successful clearance!

"Damn it, Fierce Tiger Overlord really snatched the first victory."

"No way, no way. We can't let those Fierce Tiger bastards take advantage. Let's move quickly."

Several guild leaders who had just obtained gold elemental stones from Ye Chen hurriedly organized their teams and eagerly rushed into the teleportation array. Meanwhile, the clan guilds that hadn't yet obtained gold elemental stones grew clamorous, cursing the people ahead of them in line to move their hands and feet faster. Fierce Tiger's success had clearly stimulated these fellows. The leader of the Fierce Wolf clan, who was currently trading with Ye Chen, even bought nine gold elemental stones and tossed 500 gold directly at Ye Chen...

Seeing the various clans rush frantically into the Martial Soul Secret Realm, Dragon-Soaring Wanderer and Sword Enchantress grew somewhat anxious, their whisper channels constantly asking Ye Chen when they could enter. Ye Chen merely told them to wait patiently. Not until the vast majority of the numbers flashed with golden light did Ye Chen distribute the remaining adamantine stones to Dragon-Soaring and Azure Feather. Dragon-Soaring naturally paid for his; thirty gold elemental stones netted Ye Chen an additional 1,500 gold in income.

Azure Feather merely put on an act, sending Drunken Yearning to stage a performance and pretending to buy the gold elemental stones with money. Doing this was a helpless measure; after all, once those entering guilds discovered they had been royally scammed, even if they didn't oppose Ye Chen on the surface, they would definitely trip him up behind the scenes. It was better not to expose Azure Feather's connection with him.

"Little Ye, are you sure those Spirit Fox fellows won't get any benefits by entering first?" Drunken Yearning took the gold elemental stones and asked with some unease.

"Don't worry, Second Sister. I guarantee not only will they get no benefits, but they'll suffer a huge loss. Just wait and watch when the time comes." Ye Chen smiled with confidence, turning his gaze to the numbers flashing with golden light again, and sent a whisper to Dragon-Soaring and Azure Feather that they could begin the trial.

"Brother Night Chen, it's been a while since we teamed up together. You'll have to give us plenty of pointers during the trial later." Dragon-Soaring Slash-Star looked at Ye Chen joining their team, an excited smile on his face.

"With the elemental stones, clearing the trial won't be too difficult. Rest assured." Ye Chen smiled. To prevent his relationship with Azure Feather from being exposed, he naturally wouldn't join Azure Feather's team in public. Mingling with Dragon-Soaring was fine, and the anger of the major guilds also needed Dragon-Soaring to help absorb the aggro for him. Since he took the benefits, he had to contribute something, right?

"Brother Chen's heavy cannon is truly mighty and matchless. With Brother Chen here, the pressure on me as a tank will definitely be a lot smaller," Dragon-Soaring Mad-Ox rubbed his head and said honestly.

"Let's go. Most of the teams have already cleared the trial; it's time." Saying this, Ye Chen took the lead and walked toward the teleportation array, while Dragon-Soaring's other teams and Azure Feather's team had already gone in a step ahead.

Dragon-Soaring Slash-Star and the others exchanged glances and quickly followed toward the teleportation array. They were truly curious as to why Ye Chen insisted on entering last. It seemed the mystery was about to be revealed.

Swish! A flash of light swept past, and the group vanished from the teleportation array. When they reappeared, they had arrived in a dim, gloomy corridor. Ahead, a stone door and dozens of bizarre, golden giant frogs were vaguely visible. Each golden frog was a full half-man tall, and the moment Ye Chen and the others entered, these monsters glared at them with cold, gloomy frog eyes.

[Gold-Swallowing Beast] (Elite)
HP: 80,000
Level: 41
Innate Skill: Devour Metal

"These monsters are fierce, but looking at how scattered they are, fighting them one by one should be fine." Dragon-Soaring Slash-Star looked at the Gold-Swallowing Beast's stats, startled at first, but then relaxed upon noticing the monsters' distribution.

"We can't fight them one by one. We must wipe out all these monsters in one go." Ye Chen shook his head.

"Wipe them out in one go? Why?" Dragon-Soaring Slash-Star cried out in astonishment upon hearing this, then perplexed, said, "There's no time limit for the trial; there's no need for us to be in such a rush, right? Besides, our tanks simply can't hold nearly forty elite monsters."

"Yeah, Brother Chen, I can only hold off four at most, and the knights and berserkers would be doing well to hold two." Dragon-Soaring Mad-Ox, the ascetic monk, wore a deeply depressed expression. The others also looked at Ye Chen in utter confusion, not understanding why he proposed this nearly impossible mission.