Chen Tian and Xie Ku faced each other, neither willing to yield. Chen Tian himself knew his clone was no match for Xie Ku. He understood his clone's weaknesses intimately; it lacked the computational power and only possessed Chen Tian's memories. While its combat experience was vast, its practical combat skills were limited, leaving many exploitable openings. This allowed Xie Ku to easily injure Chen Tian in their clashes. However, Xie Ku fared no better.
Chen Tian gazed at the battle unfolding in the sky, unsure how long it would last. Noon was fast approaching. Chen Tian and Xie Ku simultaneously stepped forward, and instantly, countless sword and blade lights collided. Pure white sword light and black blade light exploded as Chen Tian and Xie Ku fought from the sky to the ground, and from the ground to the depths below, their battle incredibly fierce. The intensity of their fight left everyone else speechless, afraid to break the atmosphere. Xie Ru nodded at the young man before him. Chen Tian and Xie Ku emerged from underground. Just as Xie Ku was about to attack, Xie Ru spoke, "This battle is paused. A victor cannot be decided so quickly. Xie Ku, return."
"I won't. I can win. Why pause?"
Xie Ku craved intense combat. Being told to stop the fight made him extremely displeased. It was a rare, satisfying battle, a feeling he hadn't experienced in ages! He hadn't had enough, and yet the most difficult part of the fight was being interrupted.
"I am the strategist, the commander of this great war. This is the Lord's command. Do you intend to disobey the Lord's order?"
Seeing that he couldn't persuade Xie Ku, Xie Ru directly invoked the Lord's name. Upon hearing that name, Xie Ku's imposing aura immediately calmed. He moved to Xie Ru's side, his face filled with displeasure. Turning to Chen Tian, he said, "Next time, I will surely slay you. I hope you will have grown by our next battle."
Xie Ru and his two companions retreated from the city walls. This did not mean they had given up their assault, but rather that they were going to strategize. Chen Tian's clone arrived before him. Chen Tian said calmly, "Do you understand your weaknesses now?"
"Yes. Next time, I will not lose."
"Good. Go rest. We don't know when the next battle will be."
Chen Tian cared about his clone. Even if Chen Tian himself didn't say it, the clone understood what it needed to do. The previous fight with Xie Ku was a chance for the clone to comprehend and improve its combat experience and skills. It would not lose the next time.
As Chen Tian watched his clone leave, he roared, "Alert! Do not let your guard down!"
"Yes!"
Everyone's formidable presence echoed throughout the sky above the city walls. Chen Tian headed towards his room. Upon entering, Chen Tian found himself in the center of a city within the Time Epoch. Regarding the situation outside, the Xie Ling race would not attack for now. They likely had something in mind. Chen Tian was not worried; he had already calculated solutions for various scenarios, allowing him to focus on completing his game quests with peace of mind.
"After this quest is completed and Ling'er obtains her weapon, I can bring her to reality. More people mean more help, and the pressure will be significantly reduced."
Chen Tian murmured to himself. Next, he had to find the whereabouts of the Starfall Tear. There was still no news. Chen Tian felt a headache coming on. Did such materials even exist? However, considering that the developers wouldn't release quests that were impossible to complete, Chen Tian decided to search anyway. What if he found it?
Chen Tian headed out of the city. Having found no information in this city, he set his sights on the next. The closest city to this one was Yun Tian City, a city comprised entirely of auction houses. Every establishment in this city was an auction house. One auction house occupied a quarter of the city. Chen Tian felt that he might find information about the Starfall Tear here. In Yun Tian City's taverns, countless players bustled about. Chen Tian organized the information he had gathered; the players here were all heading towards the auction houses.
Yun Tian City had four major auction houses: Iron Cage, Purple Jade, Linglong, and Hu Lie. Each auctioned different items and categories. For instance, the Linglong Auction House auctioned various pieces of information, with accuracy comparable to the Ten Thousand Breath Pavilion, making it ideal for Chen Tian, who was currently seeking information. However, this particular auction was different. It was a joint event held by the four auction houses to celebrate their tenth anniversary. This was their tenth anniversary within the game. Three years had passed in the real world, but decades had passed in-game, as the time flow was different. The in-game time flowed faster than the real world. Currently, the in-game time flow was 1:30.
One hour in-game equated to thirty days in real time. After the world fusion, the time flow changed from one hour a day to one hour every thirty days. Thirty in-game days passed for every one hour in the outside world.
Compared to before, the time difference of one hour in the outside world equating to one day in-game had shortened. With the world fusion and the diversity of players from different races and professions, if the time didn't compress, the entire world might soon be filled with players. One should not underestimate the players of Time Epoch; this game never lacked players and had swept the nation.
Currently, this was not a complete game. Everything would only truly begin after it all concluded. Chen Tian left and headed towards the Linglong Auction House. The joint auction held by the four houses would take place at Linglong. At that time, the four houses would present their auction items one by one: various materials, weapons, information, and other items.
The Linglong Auction House primarily auctioned information. Iron Cage specialized in forging materials and weapon materials. Purple Jade auctioned quest scrolls and items. Hu Lie mainly auctioned various high-quality weapons.
None of the four dared to overstep their bounds, as conflicting auctions could lead to inter-guild warfare. Who knew what the city would become in the end?
Chen Tian arrived at the entrance of the Linglong Guild. Linglong Auction House had the best service among the four auction houses, which was why the joint auction was held there. As soon as Chen Tian entered, a young girl approached him with a smile and asked, "Esteemed guest, are you here to participate in the auction or to purchase some items?"
"Participate in the auction!"
Chen Tian calmly opened his mouth. With a polite and respectful demeanor, he asked, "Please register here. Also, Young Master, your wealth needs to be verified. To participate in the auction, you will need three hundred billion Epoch Coins and over a hundred Time Coins. Only those who meet these standards can participate."
"See?"
Did Chen Tian lack money? Impossible. With data modification, he directly increased his financial amount to nine nines, all in Time Coins. Qingxin was stunned by the amount. It was simply too much: nine nines, all Time Coins. At the current exchange rate of 1:200 million, one Time Coin was equivalent to two hundred million Epoch Coins. This was a big shot, perhaps a player who had been playing since the server opened.
Qingxin immediately became respectful. Qingxin was the in-game name. Afterward, she explained the rules and precautions to Chen Tian. After completing the registration, Chen Tian received a golden token inscribed with the character "神" (Shen). If other players saw it, they would surely be astonished.
Which "Shen" ranked player wasn't a formidable big shot, a legendary figure who had been playing since the server opened? It appeared in Chen Tian's hand. He understood the token's significance; it represented the identity of a big shot. Only those who had played from the server's opening to the present could obtain this token. The condition for obtaining it was difficult: over five hundred million Time Coins.
That was five hundred million Time Coins, which equated to two billion Epoch Coins. Epoch Coins could be obtained through various means, but the quantity was limited to a few or a dozen. Initially, players' attributes were sufficient for them to last several days. Time Epoch had low consumption, especially for food, lodging, and recovery. The more expensive items were weapon materials and the like, but would quests and boss fights yield weapon materials?
In fact, every novice made a mistake: money is never enough. For instance, if you lack money now, you wouldn't even have the qualification to enter the auction house. The items auctioned here were super rare, things players could never touch in their lifetime.
Chen Tian's room was "Shen" rank room 301. The entire room was decorated like a real room, with brown tones creating a serene atmosphere. It had sofas, tables, and tea sets. On Chen Tian's table was a slot for swiping cards.
Chen Tian said, "Put five thousand five hundred Time Coins into the card for me. Just for playing around."
As Chen Tian spoke, the receptionist following him was completely dumbfounded. Just for playing around? Was this truly a big shot?
They couldn't afford to provoke him, couldn't afford to provoke him!
The receptionist behind Chen Tian put the amount into the card and quickly left. She feared her heart couldn't take it if she stayed any longer. Who knew what this great being in front of her might do? She couldn't afford to provoke him.
After some time, the auction began, and soon the entire Linglong Auction House was filled with players. These players were all high-end, wealthy individuals. Before the Time Epoch world merged, the higher the world, the more wealth and resources were earned. Therefore, many players at the auction were like Chen Tian, and quite a few were veteran players who had been playing since the server opened.
In Chen Tian's room, a screen appeared on the table, showing the center of the auction hall. A beautiful young girl stood in the center and said clearly, "The auction begins now. You have already understood the rules and auction methods of the Linglong Auction House upon entering. The auction commences!"