Chapter 686 - 347: Consecutive Breakthroughs from Rewards

Chapter 686: Chapter 347: Consecutive Breakthroughs from Rewards

Through the Realm of Dominator, Cheng Zongyang observed the actions of the vast majority of people in Territory No. 2 and couldn’t help but smile.

’They’re all so impatient.’

Some went to the arena; others went to queue up at the rooms. These people made up the majority, simply because they weren’t short on Spirit Stones and didn’t consider the one-Spirit-Stone certification fee to be expensive.

This was precisely Cheng Zongyang’s goal.

If the fee were high, some people would think twice before attempting certification. But with a low fee, it was a different story.

This was just a quirk of psychology at play.

It was like in pay-to-win games, when comparing a ten-dollar purchase to a one-dollar one.

People would think hard about whether it was really necessary to spend ten dollars, and if they did, they’d use it sparingly.

But for one dollar, they’d pay without a second thought. They wouldn’t feel the pinch when spending it; it’d be nothing to them. They might even make impulse purchases anytime, anywhere in the future.

’Although I could set the price at three, five, or even ten Spirit Stones, that’s a lot more than a single one. People would hesitate before getting certified, and that hesitation would reduce the number of attempts.’

’So, some people would think one Spirit Stone is a bargain. After cultivating for a while and feeling they’re up to snuff, they’ll go get certified. Even if they fail, it won’t sting.’

’Some people, when they get an itch to fight, will see the arena and casually spend a Spirit Stone to go have some fun, without feeling the slightest pinch.’

’It’s like a product priced at $9.99 versus $10. Even though the difference is only a cent, people prefer buying the $9.99 one, thinking, "Wow, it’s less than ten bucks!"’

’A smart beggar who only asks passersby for a dollar will almost always get it. Ask for more than a dollar, and they’ll almost always refuse.’

’So who earns more in the end?’

’This was the way to earn fees—by capitalizing on that psychology of indifference.’

And so, Cheng Zongyang shifted his consciousness to a spot in the Preservation Space and saw Spirit Stones beginning to appear out of thin air, one after another.

It was like Spirit Stones were raining from the sky.

These were all the fees paid by those attempting certification.

’I’m a f*cking genius when it comes to scummy monetization schemes,’ Cheng Zongyang thought with a wide grin. He was ecstatic.

Anyone who saw money pouring in like that would be in a good mood.

’Now, the rate of Spirit Stone consumption will gradually ease. Once it reaches an equilibrium, I won’t have to worry about running out of Spirit Stones. But I still need to increase my income of Points.’

Cheng Zongyang reined in his thoughts, no longer concerning himself with their activities.

The rules had been set. At the outset, they would surely compete fiercely for a spot on the leaderboards.

This meant a huge stream of income.

For now, he didn’t have to worry about Spirit Stones.

The main purpose of establishing the leaderboards was to facilitate the release of clues about Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, getting people to search for Soul Crystals and Five Elements Spirit Pearls.

It was like buying a ton of side dishes and new cookware just to stew a single piece of meat.

After handling these matters, just as Cheng Zongyang was preparing to leave the Realm of Ten Thousand Races and return outside, he suddenly heard a reminder from the Ring Spirit Assistant:

"Soul Crystals detected. Quantity: four. Location: Altar No. 56!"

Hearing this reminder, Cheng Zongyang’s eyes lit up again. He instantly shifted his consciousness to the Realm of Dominator, looked at the map, and locked onto the location of the marked room.

’It’s that guy again!’

Through the Divine Statue’s perspective, he saw that the person making the sacrifice was still the same Qi Cultivation Practitioner who had brought three Divine Statue Heads before.

On the sacrificial altar this time was an additional Divine Statue Head. A brilliant red light shone from between the eyebrows of all four.

As expected, the man’s first words were a request to trade the sacrifice for a Nascent Soul Pill.

After stating his request, the young cultivator looked at the Divine Statue, extremely nervous.

’Although the Golden Core Steward had told him this Divine Statue Head was just borrowed from someone, he was no fool.’

’By now, everyone knew what a Divine Statue Head with a red Crystal Stone was used for.’

’A single one could be traded for a Foundation Establishment Pill. Who would be willing to just lend something like that out?’

’He didn’t need to think to know his master, who wasn’t even certified yet, must have snatched it from someone else.’

’But that had nothing to do with him. As long as he completed this task, he would officially become the Golden Core Steward’s Closed-door Disciple. The path to the Immortal Dao was beckoning to him!’

"The requirements are met. The exchange can be made."

As the voice emanated from the Divine Statue, the young cultivator was overcome with excitement. He hadn’t even paid attention to the changes in the manual; he had been living for this moment!

A moment later, he saw the four Divine Statue Heads vanish. In their place on the sacrificial platform appeared a palm-sized Jade Box with a Talisman affixed to it.

The Talisman was a Sealing Talisman, about the size of a middle finger, used for preserving Elixirs. On the other side of the box were five words written in an ancient script: Low Grade Nascent Soul Pill.

Extremely excited, the young cultivator stored the Jade Box in the personal space of his Ten Thousand Races Spirit Seal. This was far more secure than keeping it in a Storage Pouch.

He had no intention of opening it to take a look. He knew better than to be curious about its contents; he just had to hand it over perfectly intact.

He quickly left the room and headed for the tunnel entrance, making sure to maintain a normal pace and composure as he walked.

If he ran into any of his Sect brothers on the way, he would exchange a few normal pleasantries before making an excuse to leave, terrified that any unusual behavior would arouse suspicion.

「Meanwhile, in the Preservation Space of the Hall of Ten Thousand Races.」

The moment the sacrifice was complete, Cheng Zongyang appeared. Gazing at the four Divine Statue Heads, he was overjoyed. He immediately got to work, stripping all four Soul Crystals from them.

Four astonishing waves of pressure flared and vanished in quick succession, but they had no effect on Cheng Zongyang.

He then proceeded to appraise each of the four Soul Crystals.

The results, however, were beyond his expectations. Each Soul Crystal was between 90% and 95% complete. They were on the verge of being finished.