Chapter 35: The Deal Struck, The Shield Acquired

Hearing Zhang Fang say this, even the composed Feng Xueyue could not help but let her beautiful eyes light up. Nangong Qianxiu’s eyes, which were already slightly larger than those of an average girl, widened until they were perfectly round, and she even held her breath for three seconds.

In terms of strength, these two stunning beauties were a super-expert and a top-tier expert of the Samsara Tower, respectively. Precisely because they were experts, they understood better than ordinary reincarnators what a double-S rating in Hell difficulty truly signified.

For a newcomer just entering the Samsara Tower—someone who belonged to no faction and had no access to any classified information—to luckily obtain a double-S clearance rating in a beginner trial was already a testament to both their ability and their luck.

But what did he just say? He actually knew two different methods to achieve a double-S rating in the "Juxian Manor" dungeon world!

This was simply unbelievable!

Upon hearing this, Nangong Qianxiu’s first reaction was that he must be lying, attempting to swindle them with fake strategies. However, her logic told her that with the Samsara Tower acting as a witness, no one could possibly cheat in a transaction. Unless the other party was truly a fool, they would never lie about such a matter. But a person who wasn't bright, no matter how much luck they had, could never obtain a double-S rating in a Hell-difficulty dungeon.

After a long while, Nangong Qianxiu finally recovered from her shock and shook her head decisively. "No. While we do need to cultivate newcomers, one strategy is enough for each dungeon."

"No!" Before Zhang Fang could speak, Feng Xueyue interrupted in a serious tone, "We want both methods!"

With Feng Xueyue making the final call, the deal was officially sealed. Under the notarization of the system, Zhang Fang detailed both the plan he had used at the start of the dungeon to secretly orchestrate the "transaction" between Qiao Feng and Xue Muhua, as well as the final version he executed—the process of exposing the mastermind, Shan Zheng—to the two women.

Throughout the process, the two beauties asked several questions, which Zhang Fang explained to the best of his ability. However, he flatly refused to answer any questions regarding his "Reward Critical Strike System" or his "Sworn Brotherhood" status. In his words, these matters were personal privacy and had nothing to do with the feasibility of the strategy. The Samsara Tower defaulted to this, and the two women did not press him further.

After listening to Zhang Fang's account, Feng Xueyue nodded in satisfaction and said to Nangong Qianxiu beside her, "Qianxiu, you cover the shield and the points for now. But since I bought these two strategies, why don't you use that collection item of mine you’ve been eyeing for so long to offset your 160,000 points?"

Nangong Qianxiu was overjoyed. "Really?"

Feng Xueyue nodded lightly, and Nangong Qianxiu excitedly sent a trade request to Zhang Fang. Because the Samsara Tower acted as a witness, no trickery was possible. Still, Zhang Fang cautiously checked the attributes of the Vibranium round shield and confirmed the four zeros on the Samsara points before clicking confirm.

Lifting the legendary-grade Vibranium shield with his left hand, Zhang Fang gave it a few experimental swings; the biggest sensation was its lightness. At a similar size, this shield weighed only about one-tenth of You Tanzhi’s steel shield. He then clenched his right fist and threw a fierce punch at the shield's surface. With a crisp "hum," Zhang Fang clearly felt that the force his left hand absorbed was not even half of his own punch's power.

Following that, he casually demonstrated several variations from the "Thirty-Six Tian Gang Shield Techniques," finding that everything felt smooth and natural—even more fluid than when he used the steel shield.

It was exactly what he needed!

After playing with it for a while, Zhang Fang reluctantly stored the round shield back into his private space. He then raised his teacup and signaled to the two women from a distance, "A pleasant transaction!"

The two women gave him the courtesy of raising their cups, and Zhang Fang drank the tea in one gulp, as if he were drinking alcohol. Another 10 points of internal energy proficiency gained—delightful!

Once the women set their cups down, Zhang Fang immediately said, "Since the transaction is complete, I won’t disturb your elegant tea time any longer."

Hearing that Zhang Fang was leaving, Feng Xueyue did not hold him back but softly suggested, "How about we add each other as friends for easier contact in the future?"

"It would be my honor!"

...

After bidding farewell to the two women, Zhang Fang strolled along the streets of the commercial district, his mind stirring to call up his attribute interface.

After the previous operation, the Vibranium shield was in his hands. Not only did he not spend a single point, but he actually profited an extra 10,000, bringing his total Samsara points to 67,095. With no other immediate need to spend points, Zhang Fang decided to use them to raise his skill levels and improve his hard power.

He acted immediately, raising the level of "Everlasting Sacred Qi: Yang" to level 3.

Then...

Everlasting Sacred Qi: Yang (Lv3)
Proficiency: 0/40,000
Strength +30, Constitution +30, Agility +30, Spirit +60
Special Effect: Innate Vitality
Innate Vitality: (Omitted)...
(This internal energy level is restricted and can currently only be cultivated to level 3; it cannot be further upgraded.)

...

Seeing the special prompt that appeared after the upgrade, Zhang Fang subconsciously stopped in his tracks.

He was stunned!

The skill level was restricted and could not be upgraded further!? What on earth was going on?

After carefully recalling the entire process of his cultivation of the "Everlasting Sacred Qi" and confirming there were no issues, Zhang Fang decisively sent a message to Feng Xueyue, whom he had just parted ways with:

[Big sister! May I ask you a question? It’s like this: a friend of mine has encountered a bottleneck with their internal energy, causing the level to be restricted, and it cannot be raised even with Samsara points. You are knowledgeable and experienced; have you ever seen a similar situation?] — Qianshu

Less than ten seconds after the message was sent, Feng Xueyue’s reply came back.

[In the world of the Samsara Tower, there are indeed some problems that points cannot solve. But the problem your... friend encountered does not fall into that category.] — Feng Xueyue

Zhang Fang understood instantly!

He had just used his intelligence to trade for a Vibranium shield and 10,000 points from her. When turning back to ask for advice, he naturally needed to pay for the information. But as for the price...

[May I ask, how many points would it cost?] — Qianshu

[That depends on the specific problem your friend is facing.] — Feng Xueyue

Her reply left Zhang Fang in a dilemma. The core of this issue involved the "Everlasting Secret Manual," and as a novice reincarnator who had only experienced one "Juxian Manor" dungeon, how could he explain having access to something from the "Legend of the Twin Dragons of the Tang Dynasty" world? Once he confessed, there was no guarantee she wouldn't start overthinking. Even if she didn't guess he carried a system, it would certainly attract unnecessary suspicion and attention. This was something Zhang Fang absolutely wanted to avoid.

However, not saying anything made no sense. It was like a patient seeing a doctor and saying, "I'm unwell! Don't ask me where, and I refuse any pulse reading, thermometers, ultrasounds, CT scans, or blood tests. Just tell me how to cure this illness."

Wasn't that absurd!? The doctor's response would likely be, "Perhaps you should go to the neurology department."

Just as Zhang Fang was struggling with how to explain his situation, Feng Xueyue’s next message arrived.

[In the functional area of the Samsara Space, there is a place called the Dream Entry Pavilion. Almost all problems encountered by reincarnators during cultivation can find answers there. However, the Samsara Tower will charge corresponding points based on the question your friend asks.] — Feng Xueyue

Attached to the end of the message was a location tag.

So, when Feng Xueyue said points could solve it, she meant he should go to that "Dream Entry Pavilion" to spend his points, not that she wanted to extract points from him.

He had measured the lady's heart with the mind of a petty person. How shameful!