Chapter 344: Chapter 278: Casting a Diamond to Draw Out Jade (Part 2)
"Forget it. I don’t have the money," Su Ze said, spreading his hands. "My recent trip to the Lin Family wiped me out."
He wasn’t just trying to sound pathetic. His Evolutionary Technology account was down to only fifteen million points, which wasn’t enough to buy more than a few high-grade evolutionary materials.
Besides, he knew that since Chen Suifeng had brought it up, there had to be more to the story.
Sure enough, Chen Suifeng’s tone shifted. "What if I made everything you need the reward for first place in the Three-Continent Dominator Exchange Tournament?"
"You can do that?" Su Ze was stunned.
"I’m the one organizing the tournament, so I get to decide the prizes," Chen Suifeng scoffed lightly. "So, what do you say? Interested in competing now?"
Su Ze pondered for a moment before asking tentatively, "I’d like to make a suggestion. What do you think about adding a vial of a Tier 6 extract to the first-place prize? Preferably a Tier 6, S-rank!"
"You’ve really got some nerve, kid. Aren’t you afraid you’ll bite off more than you can chew?" Chen Suifeng chided with a laugh.
However, he actually began to seriously consider the feasibility of Su Ze’s proposal.
’In the past, no matter how good his relationship with Su Ze was, he would never have been able to help him like this. But now... It’s not certain who those treasures in the Lin Hua National Treasury will belong to in the future. They might just end up in the hands of aliens. It’d be a crime not to use them while we can!’
’Actually, what I need most right now is a suitable Tier 5, S-rank extract, which I could absorb immediately to increase my strength. But wait... if I can win a suitable Tier 6 extract through this tournament, then I could just absorb the Bloodline Crystal right now!’
’A Bloodline Crystal can substitute for either a Tier 5 or a Tier 6 extract. Normally, using it in place of a Tier 6 extract is more cost-effective.’
’But that’s only when you’re short on Tier 6 extracts.’
’If I had enough Tier 6 extracts, using the Bloodline Crystal to replace a Tier 5 extract would be far more effective.’
’That’s because the skill within the Bloodline Crystal is definitely stronger than a Tier 5, S-rank skill. After all, it’s a Divine Skill Prototype!’
’That way, I’d be skipping the stage where a Dominator absorbs a Tier 5 extract, using the much stronger Bloodline Crystal in its place.’
This would make Su Ze much stronger during his Dominator phase and allow him to further snowball his advantage.
Later, if he completed the "Divine Grace of Evolution" skill, he could also try to skip a level for his second Dominator-phase extract and directly absorb a Tier 6 one.
However, after a moment of thought, Chen Suifeng shook his head. "That’s highly unlikely. You have to understand just how precious Tier 6 extracts are. A Tier 6 exotic beast is the equivalent of a Legend-rank powerhouse among humans. Every single one is a leader among its kind. The number of humans capable of hunting a Tier 6 exotic beast can be counted on one hand.
"Theoretically, the true combat strength of a Legend should crush a Tier 6 exotic beast, but in terms of sheer numbers... there are far more Tier 6 exotic beasts on Blue Star than there are Legends.
"So, every single vial of a Tier 6 extract is the fruit of a Legend’s dangerous hunt, making it incredibly precious. And you’re asking for a Tier 6, S-rank one? The higher-ups would never agree to that. Unless..."
"Unless what?" Su Ze pressed.
"Unless the delegations from the other two continents also put up a Tier 6 extract as a prize. In that case, we here on the Lin Hua Continent couldn’t afford to look weak and would have to match them. But that’s impossible. Those people from the other two continents are so damn stingy..." Chen Suifeng shook his head and began to explain the prize rules for the Three-Continent Dominator Exchange Tournament to Su Ze.
Chen Suifeng was the head organizer of this tournament. As the host, the Lin Hua Continent had to offer some precious rewards to attract participants from the Flame Emperor Continent and the Snowfield Continent to travel from far and wide to compete.
At the same time, however, the Flame Emperor and Snowfield Continents also had to contribute valuable resources as prizes. Otherwise, the Lin Hua Continent would be hosting the exchange tournament at a complete loss, which would be pointless.
So, after negotiations, the three parties came to a decision: the Lin Hua Continent, as the host, would be responsible for the champion’s prize.
In other words, all the rewards put forth by the Lin Hua Continent would go to the tournament’s champion.
The Snowfield and Flame Emperor Continents would be responsible for the second and third-place prizes. The rewards they offered could be slightly less valuable than the Lin Hua Continent’s, but not by much.
Simply put, the Flame Emperor and Snowfield Continents were just following the Lin Hua Continent’s lead. The more valuable the prizes offered by Lin Hua, the more generous they would be in turn.
Therefore, expecting those two to proactively offer a Tier 6 extract as a prize was practically impossible.
Su Ze listened, then lowered his head, lost in thought.
Chen Suifeng tried to console him. "Come on, don’t get so greedy. As for the materials on your list, I’ll find whatever the National Treasury has and add it to the champion’s prize pool. Isn’t that enough?"
But Su Ze suddenly looked up, his eyes shining. "What if," he asked, "we add a Bloodline Crystal to the champion’s prize? Do you think that would make the other two continents cough up a Tier 6 extract?"
"What are you planning?" Chen Suifeng was taken aback by Su Ze’s audacious idea.
"Everyone knows I have a Bloodline Crystal. If I offer that crystal as the first-place prize, the Flame Emperor and Snowfield Continents will have to raise the quality of their own rewards. You can use that to negotiate with them—get them to offer Tier 6 extracts for the second and third-place prizes.
"As for Lin Hua Country... since the Bloodline Crystal isn’t coming from the National Treasury, but is my own personal investment, shouldn’t the treasury also put up a Tier 6 extract as a prize, just like the other two continents?
