Chapter 764 – Crucible of the Ancients
“Golden Void Sand and Space-Time Bloodstones?” Looking at Shi Feng through their video call, Verdant Rainbow couldn’t help but be astonished. “Guild Leader Black Flame, although these items aren’t particularly rare, the amount you need is a little too much. It is especially so for the 100 Space-Time Bloodstones. Procuring them outside the Eternal Realm might not be a problem, but importing them will cost a fortune. Are you sure you want to buy them?”
“I’m sure. State your price,” Shi Feng said, nodding.
Currently, Shi Feng’s only option to procure the main materials for the Tower of the Abyss was to seek out the Seven Luminaries Alliance’s assistance. It might be relatively easy for the average power to get their hands on Golden Void Sand as it was only an Inferior Legendary Material, but it was a completely different story for the Space-Time Bloodstones, which were Inferior Divine Artifact Materials. Only apex powers could acquire 100 Space-Time Bloodstones within a short period. For any other power, it would take them at least a year or more.
As for the current Zero Wing, acquiring Space-Time Bloodstones wasn’t even within the realm of possibilities.
It should be known that Tier 6 monsters related to space and time were highly limited in quantity in every Realm. Moreover, they were highly contested by the various powers because they dropped Space-Time Magic Crystals, which were essential to construct Cross-Realm Teleportation Magic Arrays. Meanwhile, the necessity of Cross-Realm Teleportation Magic Arrays went without saying. Without them, players would have to spend days traveling from one Realm to the other, even with the help of a Tier 6 Legendary Flying Mount.
“I can quote you a price cheaper than the going rate for Inferior Divine Artifact Materials, but I will accept only Eternal Coins as payment,” Verdant Rainbow said after pondering for a bit. “Each Space-Time Bloodstone will cost you 10,000 Eternal Gold, while every 1,000 grams of Golden Void Sand will cost you 100 Eternal Gold. Based on the amount you need, it will cost you six million Eternal Gold in total.”
“Six million?” Shi Feng was left speechless when he heard Verdant Rainbow’s quote.
Although he had long known that these materials wouldn’t come cheap, he never expected it to cost six million Eternal Gold. This was already enough to purchase a hundred shops and lands in the Eternal Realm’s various Neutral Cities. Unless he sold off the Sunlight Blade or the Origin Myth, he shouldn’t even think of getting his hands on so much money within a short period.
“It’s because of the amount of Golden Void Sand you are asking for, Guild Leader Black Flame. Six million is already the lowest I can go,” Verdant Rainbow said, smiling when she saw the awkward look on Shi Feng’s face. “But if you can help me with a small problem, I can let you defer payment for up to ten days after you receive the goods. This is already the limit of what I can do for you.” action
“Ten days?” Shi Feng was a little tempted by Verdant Rainbow’s offer. “May I know what it is you need help with, Miss Rainbow?”
Ten days might not be a lot of time, but if he could get the upscale shop and Shadowring Town up and running, it should be more than possible to make six million Eternal Gold in ten days. Not to mention, once he constructed the Tower of the Abyss, earning even sixty million Eternal Gold would be a piece of cake, let alone six million. “I got my hands on an admission ticket for the Crucible of the Ancients, and I am in need of several experts. So, I hope to form a six-man party with you and two of Zero Wing’s Level 200-plus experts,” Verdant Rainbow said in a serious tone. “So long as we can get through the Crucible’s preliminaries, I can waive 500,000 Eternal Gold off your material cost.”
“The Crucible of the Ancients? Are you referring to the Continental Championship?” Shi Feng couldn’t help but be surprised as he looked at Verdant Rainbow.
The Crucible of the Ancients was a special place in the Eternal Realm. According to the various NPC Cities’ library records, the Crucible was also known as a breeding ground of powerhouses. It functioned similarly to a combat arena, allowing players from all over the Eternal Realm to fight each other in a competition.
Victors of the Crucible would receive a reward from the ancient existences operating it, while losers would be disqualified, and they would have to acquire another admission ticket if they wished to participate in the Crucible again. Meanwhile, as the admission tickets were scattered across the Eternal Realm’s three continents, the Crucible became a battleground for players from all continents, which, in turn, earned the Crucible the nickname of the Continental Championship.
In response to Shi Feng’s question, Verdant Rainbow nodded and asked, “Mhm. Are you interested, Guild Leader Black Flame?”
“Of course!” Shi Feng answered without hesitation. “When will admissions begin?”
In his previous life, Zero Wing rarely participated in the struggles in the Eternal Realm, so it never had anything to do with the Crucible of the Ancients. Not to mention, the various apex powers had jointly monopolized the Crucible, making it very difficult for other powers to participate in the so-called Continental Championship.
It should be known that the rewards given out by the Crucible were extraordinary. Moreover, even if players failed to win a reward, simply being able to participate in the Continental Championship was a massive opportunity in and of itself. After all, the Crucible was one of the few places where players could spar with experts of other races without interference. This was very beneficial for those seeking to refine themselves.
In fact, the Crucible of the Ancients was part of why the various apex powers could give birth to so many monsters in his previous life. Now that he had an opportunity to take part in it, he naturally couldn’t miss it.
“The next session starts in three days,” Verdant Rainbow said. “Since you have agreed to my offer, we will meet up in the Crystal City of Secrets in three days. I will also have your materials delivered to you two days from now.”
“Okay,” Shi Feng said before disconnecting the call.
…
After Shi Feng disconnected the call, the young man, a Level 185, Tier 6 Berserker standing beside Verdant Rainbow, revealed a look of dissatisfaction. “Have you lost your mind, Rainbow?” The Berserker youth questioned Verdant Rainbow angrily. “Have you forgotten how much trouble Elder Flood had to go through to get that admission ticket for you? Yet, on top of selling all those materials to Zero Wing at such a bargain price, you are also giving three of the admission ticket’s slots to Zero Wing? Do you know how big of a price the other apex powers are paying to get a ticket?”
The Crucible of the Ancients had already hosted multiple competitions since the Eternal Realm’s appearance. Thus far, practically all powers that had gotten their hands on an admission ticket would use it to nurture their own geniuses. After all, being able to fairly clash with the paragons of other races was an unbelievably precious opportunity.
Yet, now, Verdant Rainbow had given three slots to Zero Wing for free. Her decision was utterly incomprehensible.
“You do remember that I’ve already participated in the Continental Championship more than once, right? Also, why do you think the admission tickets have become such a rare commodity in the first place?” Verdant Rainbow calmly looked at the angry Berserker youth. Then, she moved her gaze toward the various Holy Race teams operating in the distance and explained, “It is because fewer and fewer parties from the human race are making it past the preliminaries. At this rate, the admission tickets the human race receives each session might drop down to less than a handful. If we want to change this situation, we will have to prioritize getting past the preliminaries.”
Understanding Verdant Rainbow’s intentions, the Berserker youth softened his tone a little as he said, “I know that. But why did you have to give a slot to Black Flame?
“The Holy Race might have placed Black Flame onto their Transcendent List, but he is ranked at the very bottom. If you are going to give a slot to someone under Level 200, you could have invited Demon’s Gate’s White Ghost. Like Black Flame, White Ghost is also ranked on the Transcendent List. He is also younger and has single-handedly killed one of the Scarlet Merchant Alliance’s Taboo-level existences in direct combat. If it wasn’t for his party having bad luck and encountering one of the top 16 parties last session, he could have definitely led his party through the preliminaries.”
“Is that so?” After glancing at the Berserker youth, Verdant Rainbow shared a video with him and said, “Take a look for yourself. This is a battle White Ghost fought in Luminous Sky City not long ago.”
…
TL Notes:
[1]Please note that there are two sentences that I have deliberately translated vaguely:
(a)fewer and fewer parties from the human race are making it past the preliminaries
(b)he could have definitely led his party through the preliminaries
In these two instances, the raws for “preliminaries” is “預選賽第一輪,” which could be interpreted as:
(a)first round of the preliminaries
(b)preliminaries, a.k.a. the first round of the Continental Championship
I don’t have enough details on the Continental Championship, so I don’t know which version is correct. The author could be referring to the “first round of the preliminaries,” but he could also be padding his word count.