This was the second functional treasure that Huang Yi had acquired; the last one he’d obtained was the 18 eye orbs of Hydra Death Scales, which was an S-class treasure capable of seeing through the past and future, with an incredibly powerful effect. By comparison, the Talent Blood of Shadow Dance was somewhat weaker, only adding a 5% increase to movement speed when not in combat.
This ability was barely better than nothing. A 5% increase in movement speed was almost imperceptible, and the prospect of achieving anything significantly impactful was virtually impossible. After all, this was just an empty promise at the moment; having taken no action, Slark couldn’t possibly offer anything of much value. This was simply human nature.
However, this was only a part of Shadow Dance’s capabilities, not the final effect. Once Huang Yi truly took action, traveled the long distance to Slark’s homeland and fulfilled his desire, then Slark would have a reason to give him the complete Talent Blood of Shadow Dance.
Next, Huang Yi reached out and touched the drop of blood, immediately choosing to absorb it.
Instantly, a surge of purple energy flooded into his body, spreading to his limbs and bones. Huang Yi felt his body become lighter, and his running speed increased slightly.
"Slark, I will head to Desolate Sands as soon as possible. Once there, I will contact you again. And by then, the Talent Blood I’ll need will not just be this little bit," Huang Yi said.
"If you truly can let me see my homeland one more time, then I will naturally give you the complete Talent Blood. This small amount of Talent Blood is only a token of my sincerity; it is not the final effect of Shadow Dance. Should you keep your word, you will, of course, receive the complete Shadow Dance, and then you will understand just how powerful this ability can be!" Slark said weakly.
Huang Yi nodded. It was not possible to gain more benefits from Slark at this moment, so he immediately left Heroes’ Prison.
After teleporting out of Heroes’ Prison and reappearing in the ruins of the old city district of Thornbush City, Huang Yi thoughtfully looked at the dissipating Dragon Head. With over 5,000 heroes inside, if each one of them gave him some Talent Blood, his strength would become unimaginable.
However, this was just wishful thinking. His current strength was too low to achieve such a feat. Slark was an accidental discovery he had made by chance, an instance of serendipity. Not every hero has a dream, not every dream is to return to their homeland, and not every homeland is within close reach. The vast majority of heroes have only one wish—to leave Heroes’ Prison and return to the outside world, a request Huang Yi couldn’t possibly fulfill.
Another night fell, and Huang Yi checked the friend status. Biyue Qingkong and Little Fatty were still offline, and his enterances to the Tower of Pantheons single-player room had already been used up. With nothing else to do, it was the perfect time to go to the auction house and deal with the gear he had acquired during the day.
The auction house in Thornbush City was located in the center of the city, a majestic stone building constructed of massive rocks each weighing several tons. Every day thousands of players streamed in and out, and vast fortunes were made and spent here daily.
Huang Yi walked among the crowd inconspicuously, not standing out, and after entering the auction house, he suddenly noticed that something was different today.
At the entrance of the auction house, two rows of attendants stood, handing every visitor a flyer as if distributing leaflets.
Huang Yi also took one, looking over its content—
"Great news! In three days, the Mainland’s top Rune Master, Master of Law Longwen, will be hosting a special auction at the Thornbush City Auction House. A collection of precious runes will be auctioned. It’s a rare opportunity, so customers interested in joining the auction please make reservations with our house in advance. The minimum qualification for the auction is Ten Thousand Gold Coins."
The Mainland’s top Rune Master! Upon reading these words, Huang Yi immediately decided to participate in the auction.
Rune Masters were a rare breed similar to blacksmiths and alchemists, part of the life classes. However, the items crafted by Rune Masters were more arcane; they made Skill Runes, which essentially added extra effects to skills. For example, a Mage’s Fireball Technique, which normally disappears after inflicting damage, could be modified by a Rune Master to include additional rune effects like explosion or burning. If a Mage used an Explosion Skill Rune, from then on, their Fireball Technique would be accompanied by an explosive effect, making it more powerful than others.
As Rune Masters wield an extremely sophisticated craft that requires a deep understanding of various skills, not just anyone can master it. Thus, Rune Masters are few and far between on the Mainland. Moreover, most Rune Masters can only produce runes for low-level skills, which are limited in effectiveness; truly valuable runes are incredibly scarce.
Being the Mainland’s top Rune Master, Longwen undoubtedly possessed many superb runes, which was precisely why Huang Yi decided to attend the auction. If he encountered runes suitable for him, he wouldn’t mind spending all his savings to acquire them.
Inside the auction house, many shared Huang Yi’s sentiment, understanding the rare value of Skill Runes. It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and missing it meant not knowing when the next opportunity would come around.
However, many had worried expressions and helpless looks in their eyes; clearly, they didn’t have the Ten Thousand Gold Coins needed to meet the qualification for the auction and could only watch enviously.
Huang Yi immediately made a reservation with an attendant for the auction in three days, handing over a deposit of a thousand Gold Coins. He then headed to a private appraisal room, where, under the appraiser’s astonished gaze, he took out the dozens of Blue and Purple Gear from his storage ring...
These pieces were gathered by Huang Yi during daytime encounters. His drop rate was exceptionally high; every time he killed a BOSS, he almost always received Blue Gear and occasionally Purple Gear. His daily gains were equivalent to what a regular player could accrue in a year—an astonishing rate of wealth accumulation.
After the appraiser evaluated the batch of gear, he offered Huang Yi Fifty Thousand Gold Coins, a fair price. Huang Yi agreed to the deal.
With that, the Gold Coins in his storage ring exceeded 100,000, but he still felt it wasn’t enough. The upcoming auction in three days was destined to be an extravagant affair and his 100,000 Gold Coins would not be enough. It wasn’t just players who would take part in the auction; some NPCs also needed Skill Runes, and their wealth was far beyond that of players, especially those above level 100, the Holy Domain Warriors, for whom money was not an issue at all.