The Price of Xueluo Crystals

Luo Feng's point earnings were quite impressive. He had made a significant profit in Chaos City thanks to the 10x reward. After purchasing the first two volumes of "Space-Time Essays," he still had 20,360 points remaining. Later, in the Illusory Sea, he consecutively cleared nine islands, instantly earning 51,100 points. During his time in the Xueluo World, he passed the sixth layer of the Sky-Reaching Bridge, gaining 3,200 points. In total, he now had 74,660 points! The first volume of "Space-Time Essays" cost only 1,000 points, the first two volumes required 10,000 points, the first three volumes needed 100,000 points, and the first four volumes demanded 1,000,000 points. This pattern continued, with the complete nine-volume set of "Space-Time Essays" astonishingly priced at 100 billion points—an amount that would make even Universe Nation Masters' eyes widen. Moreover, there were no discounts whatsoever! Choosing it was like choosing a bottomless pit. "It seems I'll have to confirm the completion of my cultivation missions before I can purchase the third volume of 'Space-Time Essays'," Luo Feng thought, gently clicking to close the 'Treasury' file. He then opened the 'Backend Management' file, selected the 'Cultivation' option, and quickly entered the cultivation mission page. He chose 'Apply for confirmation of cultivation mission completion'. "Hello, Your Highness Luo Feng," a soft voice emanated from the screen. "Are you applying to confirm the completion of your missions?" "Yes," Luo Feng nodded. "May I ask, Your Highness Luo Feng, how many of the two Xueluo World missions have you completed?" the soft voice continued to ask. "Both have been completed," Luo Feng replied. "Please wait a moment, Your Highness Luo Feng. A spaceship will soon arrive at the Star Continent where you reside for real-world verification. Once verified, Your Highness will receive your point rewards," the soft voice stated. ... Indeed, after approximately eight hours, a gray, sword-shaped spaceship, only a hundred meters long, landed on the Star Continent. Luo Feng, accompanied by Sector Lord Aoduo and others, personally went to greet it. "Hello, Your Highness Luo Feng," said the black-clad man leading the three black-uniformed individuals who emerged from the hatch. "Please enter the spaceship. Your guards do not need to come in." "Understood," Luo Feng nodded. He stepped into the sword-shaped spaceship and soon arrived at a specialized detection cabin. "Once Your Highness Luo Feng enters the detection cabin, simply follow the intelligent prompts," the three black-clad individuals said, their demeanor incredibly humble and polite. In terms of strength, they were all Sector Lords, but their talent in combat was not high, so they were assigned to handle various administrative affairs. However, even within administrative roles, there were differences in status. These three handled relatively core matters, and they knew that three geniuses from this year's genius battle—Bolan, Luo Feng, and Rongjun—were highly valued by the upper echelons. Naturally, their attitude towards Luo Feng was extremely deferential. If they were dealing with some unremarkable genius from the Taichu Secret Realm, they would typically be all business, with cold expressions, far from being so humble. "Mm," Luo Feng nodded and stepped into the detection cabin. Inside the cabin, an electronic voice sounded: "Luo Feng, please take out a Xueluo Crystal and place it on the table in front of you." Luo Feng placed a Xueluo Crystal on the alloy table. "First mission: obtained one Xueluo Crystal. Completed. Awarded 10,000 points," the electronic voice announced. "Luo Feng, please prove your status as a Blood Warrior and place your Xueluo Medal on the table." *Whoosh!* His Moyun Battle Armor automatically parted, revealing his bare chest. Luo Feng activated the Xueluo power within his body, and blood-red secret patterns immediately appeared on his chest. Though simple, these patterns seemed to be a single entity, imbued with an incredibly mysterious power that instantly doubled Luo Feng's compatibility with the universe's various origin laws. At the same time, Luo Feng tossed the Xueluo Medal onto the alloy table. A blue light scanned Luo Feng and the tabletop. "Confirmed!" "Luo Feng, congratulations on completing the second mission, becoming a Blood Warrior and obtaining the Xueluo Medal. Awarded 100,000 points." A smile immediately appeared on Luo Feng's face. "Luo Feng," a cold female voice suddenly interjected, "The information I am about to convey to you through the virtual universe network system involves the confidential secrets of my Virtual Universe Company. Do not disclose it externally." "Huh—" Luo Feng was startled. "Yes," Luo Feng quickly responded. Secrets? What secrets? "Don't be nervous. We routinely ask this of anyone who enters the Xueluo World," the cold female voice said. "Since you were able to become a Blood Warrior and submit a Xueluo Crystal, I estimate... you likely have extra Xueluo Crystals." Luo Feng was surprised. Xueluo Crystals... He hadn't seen Xueluo Crystals for sale in the 'Treasury' at all! "Xueluo Crystals are found only in the Xueluo World. They are extremely mysterious crystals in our vast universe and are incredibly important. Within our human race, Xueluo Crystals are designated as 'forbidden items.' A 'forbidden item' is something absolutely prohibited from being sold. If anyone is found selling them, the Virtual Universe Company, Giant Axe Martial Arena, Cosmic Mercenary Alliance, Universe First Bank, and Cosmic River Bank will directly intervene, confiscate the Xueluo Crystals, and severely punish the individual." Luo Feng jumped in fright. Forbidden item? Just like 'planet-destroying cannons' were restricted items for various Universe Nations, these Xueluo Crystals were actually forbidden items for the entire human race in the universe, prohibited from sale? "Your acquisition of Xueluo Crystals was through legal and normal channels, so we will not seize them," the cold female voice continued. "However, first, you absolutely cannot sell Xueluo Crystals to others; you can only use them yourself. If you wish to gift them to someone else... you must first submit an application to the Virtual Universe Company. Only after the application is approved can you gift them. Second, if you wish to sell Xueluo Crystals, our Virtual Universe Company is responsible for purchasing them at a price of 600 points per crystal." Luo Feng's heart pounded. He had a large quantity of Xueluo Crystals! Of course, they didn't exist anywhere else in the vast universe except the Xueluo World. But even in the Xueluo World, there were still many Xueluo Crystals. Yet, according to what this high-ranking Virtual Universe Company official told him... selling them was absolutely forbidden, and even gifting them required an application, which, if not approved, meant he couldn't gift them! "The Virtual Universe Company has many geniuses. Logically, with so many Xueluo Crystals, giving three to each genius wouldn't be much," Luo Feng mused. "But clearly, the five major powers of the Virtual Universe Company control them very strictly." "Are you willing to sell Xueluo Crystals?" the cold voice asked. 600 points per crystal! Luo Feng now had nearly 10,000 Xueluo Crystals... if he sold them, he could get over 5 million points. My goodness. This was a huge sum! Because, according to the information Luo Feng knew, Undying beings exchanged points at a rate of 1 primal chaos unit for 1 point. "If I had known, I would have grabbed more back then," Luo Feng thought to himself. "Are you willing to sell Xueluo Crystals?" the cold voice asked again. "I don't have many Xueluo Crystals, and I wish to continue fusing them," Luo Feng replied. "Understood," the cold voice did not press the matter further. "Our conversation ends here. Today's discussion is confidential and must not be leaked." "Yes," Luo Feng nodded. Immediately, the electronic voice in the detection cabin announced: "Luo Feng, the detection is complete. You may leave." At the same time, the door automatically opened. ... Standing on the grass, Luo Feng watched the sword-shaped spaceship rapidly disappear into the void, his brows deeply furrowed. "Luo Feng, I can guarantee that Xueluo Crystals definitely have some special uses! If it were just for body fusion, a mere few crystals... your Virtual Universe Company wouldn't need to guard them so closely, being so stingy even with its own geniuses," Babata howled. "There's only one answer: Xueluo Crystals have other uses, and they are beneficial to super-strong Undying beings, and even to Universe Nation Masters and Venerables. That's why they are designated as 'forbidden items'." Babata's perspective was much broader than Luo Feng's. Back then, Babata had roamed the universe with Huyan Bo, engaging in battles, struggles, and adventures, mostly against Undying existences! Naturally, he saw things more clearly. "Oh?" Luo Feng's heart stirred. "Geniuses are geniuses, but the true pillars of the human race in the universe are those great Undying beings. Like Zhenyan King and others. And even more powerful Venerables and Universe Nation Masters. These eternal, ancient existences are the foundation of the human race in the vast universe. It's impossible for you geniuses to directly receive the items they need. Haven't they given you the opportunity to enter the Xueluo World? Giving you an opportunity is already a sign of how much they value you," Babata said. Luo Feng nodded, communicating mentally: "I understand! I just felt... Xueluo Crystals are very important, so I chose not to sell them." Nearly 10,000 Xueluo Crystals... If he wanted to sell them, there would be plenty of opportunities in the future. And perhaps, once he discovered their other uses, he might not even want to sell them. "It's easy to sell, but hard to buy. They're forbidden items; there's nowhere to buy them," Luo Feng thought to himself. ... In the virtual universe, Yuxiang Mountain, Taichu District. Luo Feng logged in again, sitting at his desk. When he clicked on 'Treasures' on his laptop screen, he noticed his personal points balance had changed. Personal points balance: 184,660. "Now it's enough." Luo Feng smiled and quickly navigated to the secret technique category. He soon found the incredibly expensive "Space-Time Essays." Having experienced the benefits of "Space-Time Essays," Luo Feng didn't hesitate, directly selecting to purchase the first three volumes. There was no other way; he couldn't purchase individual volumes, only sets. "Transaction successful!" "100,000 points deducted, balance 84,660 points." "Please wait, someone will deliver the secret technique shortly." Three consecutive prompts appeared on the page. Looking at his remaining points, Luo Feng couldn't help but sigh. These points were hard to earn. It took him 80 years to successfully fuse three Xueluo Crystals, and that was due to his incredibly strong will and his entry into the 'vortex core'. Otherwise, without being in the vortex core, how long would it have taken to complete the second mission? 100,000 points were indeed hard to earn! "The real big gain was the nearly 10,000 Xueluo Crystals. Acquiring these nearly 10,000 Xueluo Crystals was much easier than fusing three. And the Virtual Universe Company offered to buy them for 600 points each, meaning I can sell them anytime I want, but I can't buy them anywhere!" Luo Feng also understood that only Universe-level geniuses had the qualification to undertake this mission. By the time they reached the Domain Lord level, they would be dispatched as regional governors, with no opportunity to obtain Xueluo Crystals. "Xueluo Crystals!" "Their true value is definitely more than 600 points. I'll wait and see. Perhaps they'll bring me a surprise in the future," Luo Feng mused.