After Lu Yin left, Xia Yan turned to look at Long Laogui. “That child is ruthless when he needs to be, and he has also done great things for Humility’s Gate. He’s been given an important task to fulfill at this place. You went too far.”
Long Laogui replied in a strange tone, “I was just educating a junior.”
“No one in this place is your junior. His name is Ah Qi, and he is the sixth colonel of my second array base.” Xia Yan was very dissatisfied with the old man’s response.
Long Laogui frowned as he stared at Xia Yan. “Your background and mine have nothing to do with each other. You’re a part of the Xia family while I am from the White Dragon Clan. You have no business speaking about my clan’s affairs.”
“This is the office of the second array base’s general!” Xia Yan shouted back.
Long Laogui was unconcerned. “So what?”
Xia Yan seethed with rage, but there was nothing that he could do. The Ceaseless Impetus sourcebox array had five bases, and the four ruling powers had been put in control of those bases. The controller of the array and the commander-in-chief were from different families, to prevent complete authority over it. However, if a general ended up in conflict with the core of the array, it would lead to many problems.
Xia Yan did not want to get embroiled in an argument with Long Laogui regarding this matter, so the General remained silent.
***
After leaving the general’s office, Lu Yin’s expression became much darker. He had clearly sensed that Long Laogui was unhappy with him. If Lu Yin was actually from the Perennial World, then he would do his best to make reparations to mend his relationship with both Long Laogui and Long Ke, but unfortunately he was not from this place.
So what if the old man was a Semi-Progenitor? Given Lu Yin’s current status and position, not even a Semi-Progenitor could do anything to him unless he made some sort of terrible mistake.
Lu Yin took a deep breath. It was time for him to find the best defensive treasure available. Every array base headquarters had a place to exchange one’s battlefield merit points, though Lu Yin had to search for a while before finally finding it.
The exchange center was not far from the headquarters itself. The building was a simple earthen hut, and it looked exactly like the headquarters building itself. While these buildings had a simple appearance, they were actually very durable, which was why the building had endured through the recent battle.
There were many people exchanging their battlefield merit points away. As Lu Yin walked into the building, he saw that each and every person had their communication crystal out. As long as a person activated their communication crystal, they would be able to see the list of items and the number of battlefield merit points that each option cost.
There were exotic treasures, battle techniques, materials, star essence, and many other things that could be traded. Lu Yin quickly glanced through the list, but even after spending some time, he never reached its bottom. He saw various exotic treasures, a great number of defensive treasures, and no less than a thousand different battle techniques.
While the battlefield behind the Mother Tree was a dangerous place, with luck and time, it could also be a place to greatly improve one’s strength.
There was no shortage of resources in this place. There were high temperature flames, various planets, and even the great sourcebox array. There were also areas where a person could leave the battlefield and even take a person away with them. If it was imaginable, it could be found on this list.
Lu Yin scanned the list and focused on the power vessels.
Power vessels were not ordinary items, as they contained other people’s power that had been placed within the power vessels while they were being made. While Lu Yin had seen many people with power vessels, all of those people had been from the four ruling powers, the Liu family, the Nong family, or some other great power that stood on that level. This made power vessels seem common, but in truth, most ordinary cultivators, even those who were close to the Envoy realm, had no power vessels.
The best treasure that Lu Yin saw that he could use battlefield merit points to exchange for was actually a box. As Lu Yin looked at the description, he was left speechless. Who was so bored as to make a box into a power vessel?
This box was called Little Haven, and the power vessel’s description claimed that it was able to endure attacks from Envoys that had survived two stellular tribulations. This was impressive, but it was not enough for Lu Yin’s needs.
Lu Yin had his die, and its Enhance option allowed him to upgrade all kinds of treasures and power vessels to freakish levels. Even if Lu Yin had nothing else, his universal armor had greater defensive abilities than this box.
Lu Yin shook his head. It was a pity that the listed power vessels were not a good option, so he simply switched over to the list of regular equipment.
Power vessels were made to contain a cultivator’s power or innate gift while regular items were made from more common materials and no special effects. Still, some of these normal items were no worse than power vessels, and some could even be better. For example, Lu Yin had once watched a machine from the Technocracy fight against Brother Hui Kong, and there was also Lu Yin’s own universal armor and mechanical right arm. None of those items were considered power vessels.
The list of regular equipment far exceeded the list of power vessels, and Lu Yin instantly found the item that cost the most battlefield merit points. It was a piece of mundane clothing that was called Cloudguard Robes. The material was extremely rare, and this clothing contained multiple sourcebox arrays, which allowed it to defend against various attacks. This clothing was able to withstand attacks from powerhouses that had survived five stellular tribulations.
Five tribulations… That was an expert with a power level of more than 900,000. This clothing far surpassed Lu Yin’s best defensive item. However, the number of battlefield merit points needed to trade for this item was accordingly sky-high.
Lu Yin glanced at the price, and the number caused his eye to twitch. This was something that was supposed to be purchased by experts with power levels of at least 800,000 or 900,000, though it was more likely to be bought by someone with a power level of more than a million. However, such powerhouses did not need the protection of the Cloudguard Robes, and no one else had enough battlefield merit points to even consider it.
The price was so high that no one had ever managed to buy it, even after all these years.
Lu Yin pursed his lips. He had found what he wanted, but how was he supposed to get it? He looked around the building.
Next to him, he saw a woman who was about to exchange for an item. She raised a hand, tapped on the introductory text on her communication crystal, and entered in her contact information. After that, she simply left.
Lu Yin copied the woman. He entered the contact information for his communication crystal, left the building, and then followed after the woman.
The woman only took a few steps before noticing that Lu Yin was following her. She whirled around and stared at him. “Why are you following me?”
The woman had average looks, and she was only an Explorer. On this battlefield, she could not even count as cannon fodder. Still, her eyes contained a stubborn and unyielding determination, as well as a certain wariness.
Lu Yin immediately apologized, “I’m sorry, but this is my first time trading for something, and I don’t know where to go to pick it up.”
The woman’s eyes relaxed a bit. “Head towards the General’s office and then turn right. You can pick up your exchange there.”
“Thank you.” Lu Yin smiled.
The woman did not move. Instead, she remained in place as she watched Lu Yin left. Only once he was out of sight did she let out a sigh of relief and slowly leave as well.
Everyone on this battlefield was constantly wary. Their enemy was not only those monsters, but also internal traitors. After a long time, everyone on the battlefield had grown numb to the situation.
Lu Yin entered the headquarters again. Since he was not being escorted by Liu Jing, someone immediately stepped forward to ask what Lu Yin wanted. Lu Yin had reported directly to Xia Yan himself, so there was no visible way to verify his identity with the guards. Such unvetted people were typically not allowed to enter the headquarters, so Lu Yin was left with no other choice. He reluctantly took out his commander token, which startled many people. Only with that token was Lu Yin allowed to enter.
To the right?
Lu Yin made his way to the right after entering the headquarters, and he saw that someone happened to be coming out from the path ahead of him. Lu Yin walked in, and he was surprised to see Liu Jing.
Liu Jing had not expected to see Lu Yin visiting this place, so he was surprised to see the youth. “Ah Qi, what are you doing here?”
“Trading for some things.”
“Do you have merit points?” Liu Jing was caught off guard.
Lu Yin nodded.
There was a grim looking old woman next to Liu Jing, and she suddenly locked onto Lu Yin. “Trading for what?”
As the woman spoke, her communication crystal information was offered to Lu Yin, and he entered his contact information. Instantly, the Cloudguard Robes appeared on the display.
The old woman and Liu Jingjing were both shocked, and they looked up at Lu Yin as though seeing a ghost.
“You want to trade for the Cloudguard Robes?” the old woman asked in shock.
Lu Yin nodded. “Yep. The Cloudguard Robes.”
“Where did you get enough battlefield merit points? Are you trying to pull something?” The old woman became angry.
Liu Jing quickly spoke up, “Ah Qi, the Cloudguard Robes cost too many merit points. Do you even have enough?”
Lu Yin explained, “I asked Senior Qing Chen about that, and he told me that this junior would be able to make a purchase with his merit points.”
Both people had heard of Qing Chen before, and this surprised the old woman even more than before. With this new information, she raced to investigate. Liu Jing gave Lu Yin a measured stare; this kid was actually able to borrow battlefield merit points from Humility’s Gate’s Supervisor of the Middle Realm Gates. This youth was becoming more and more of a mystery.
“Yes, you are indeed allowed to make a purchase by using Qing Chen’s merit points,” the old woman said in shock. She suddenly addressed Lu Yin in an entirely different manner, becoming very respectful.
Qing Chen was a Semi-Progenitor, which meant that he was a powerhouse on the same level as General Xia Yan and Long Laogui. Given Qing Chen’s position as Humility’s Gate’s Supervisor, he had an exorbitant number of merit points, and it was certainly enough to trade for the Cloudguard Robes. Still, the most important detail was that this youth was allowed to use the supervisor’s merit points.
Even the most elite heirs of the four ruling powers could not use their seniors’ points. All those who were given such a privilege were extremely important, and they would at the very least have some great influence on the overall battlefield’s situation. However, this youth was clearly quite young, and yet he was qualified to borrow a senior’s merit points. This was not a normal person.
“Can this junior trade for the Cloudguard Robes?” Lu Yin asked.
The old woman grew embarrassed. “There are indeed enough merit points for the trade, but the Cloudguard Robes are a bit of a problem.”
Lu Yin’s expression hardened. He refused to believe that this woman would make things difficult for him. “What’s the problem?”
The old woman patiently explained, “The Cloudguard Robes were already reserved by someone, and they even received approval from the first array base’s general, General Bai Chi. Items like this are not common at any of the five array bases, and Master Bai Chi already agreed to let someone else reserve the Cloudguard Robes. And naturally, it’s not easy for me to go around Master Bai Chi.”
Lu Yin frowned. “Are there no other options?”
The next best equipment available was only capable of defending against the attacks of an Envoy who had survived two stellular tribulations, and that could not compare to even Lu Yin’s universal armor.
The old woman grew increasingly embarrassed. “Unless Lord Bai Chi agrees to your exchange, or unless the other Generals agree, only the person who reserved the Cloudguard Robes can collect them, even if they don’t have enough merit points yet.”
Liu Jing spoke up in a low voice. “The fact remains that exchanging for goods has always been done with one’s available merit points. Reserving an item before having the required points is not something that is allowed.”
The old woman replied with clear irritation in her tone, “You aren’t able to decide whether the rules get bent or not. It comes down to the fact that, unless the General himself speaks up, that trade can’t happen here.”
She then looked at Lu Yin and continued on in a softer tone. “Little brother, don’t make things hard for this old woman. Even if that senior gave you the merit points, there are still certain things that you can’t trade for. This old woman doesn’t have access to everything that’s listed.”
Lu Yin understood that the old woman had been put in a difficult position. Who would dare to trade something after a General had ordered it to be reserved?
“Young man, it’d be best if you chose something else,” the old woman suggested. She felt that this was an unfortunate situation. The Cloudguard Robes were immensely valuable, and this youth had even been given permission to use Lord Qing Chen’s merit points despite his youth. Whoever got to wear it will be extremely safe on the battlefield. It was really a pity.
Liu Jing frowned. “If our General speaks up, can the trade be made?”
“Naturally. General Xia Yan’s status is not inferior to General Bai Chi’s. If Xia Yan speaks up, no one would dare refuse him.”
Liu Jing looked over at Lu Yin. “Ah Qi, why don’t you talk to the General? Maybe he’ll be willing to speak up for you.”
Lu Yin hesitated. He was not someone from the Xia family, and Xia Yan might not be willing to offend Bai Chi for Lu Yin’s sake. Also, after hearing the name “Bai Chi,” Lu Yin instantly associated the person with the Celestial Frost Sect.
“I’ll think about it,” Lu Yin replied, though he did not leave the room. The old woman allowed Lu Yin to see the list of items that could be traded, as she was happy to try to make things a bit easier for Lu Yin by allowing him to browse the list at his leisure.
She then turned towards Liu Jing and said, “You can go. You can’t receive anything without merit points.”
Liu Jing’s face twisted. “You’re also someone based out of the second array base. Do you really want to just watch on as our people are slaughtered by those monsters?”
