In the end, this battle—with no new forces joining—lasted another day and a half before finally coming to a close.
The main reason was that Li Yunxian’s side had exhausted all the various pills that could extend life for both parties in creative ways, and both sides suffered heavy losses.
When the fight dwindled down to just a few people on each side, the shouting of merchants suddenly snapped them back to reality.
Or rather, the emptiness in their pockets forced them to sober up.
Suddenly, they had no will to keep fighting.
Instead, a reckless impulse surged within them—tempting them to rob these vendors!
Impulse spending is the devil!!
This battle was truly one where the longer you lived, the emptier your pockets became.
Better to die early and be reborn sooner.
Neither guild came out the winner.
The real victors were the merchants who had been trading all along, watching their wealthy patrons call for a ceasefire, desperately trying to keep the battle going.
After coming this far, can they really end without a clear victor?
It was nothing short of the devil’s whisper!
But the remaining fighters on both sides had hearts as hard as iron.
Everyone could only sadly watch these few broken, resentful soldiers return to the town.
Without a battlefield, naturally, there was no more trading. Each party tallied up their gains.
And the results left everyone very satisfied.
The vendors who came to set up stalls all sold at least half their goods, earning what could only be described as a fortune.
For Li Yunxian, especially so.
She had spent over twenty thousand Game Currency on materials this time.
Except for two items that really didn’t sell—the Spirit Weapon stink bombs and charm talismans, these mental attack weapons that inflicted equal harm on friend and foe—everything else was completely sold out.
Li Yunxian’s current account balance instantly broke through the eighty thousand Game Currency mark.
No wonder everyone says war profits are easy money.
Li Yunxian clicked her tongue, silently marveling at how wealthy these guild folk truly were.
After her moment of awe, she quickly listed out the spirit materials she wanted to exchange, only to suddenly notice the air around her had grown unusually quiet.
Alert, Li Yunxian looked up and saw she was inexplicably surrounded by a crowd.
Those excited, joyful eyes were all too familiar.
—This excitement wasn’t just for Li Yunxian leading the effort to bring them to the City East Gate.
It was also because throughout the selling process, Li Yunxian had often spoken up like she did earlier with Miaoying, recommending and introducing buyers to others when it suited their needs better.
—After Li Yunxian’s own items were mostly sold, she even casually helped sell things for others.
—One could say the current thriving sales at this battlefield trading spot owed at least half the credit to Li Yunxian.
As for Li Yunxian…
Facing these gazes, her mind flashed back to all the times she had been forcibly touched and harassed by many people.
Not a shred of joy or excitement crossed Li Yunxian’s face.
She gripped her Spirit Sword tightly!!
Before, those who groped her were all girls! But now, standing before her were mostly middle-aged men of various ages!
Li Yunxian’s killing intent surged!
If you dare come closer, prepare for a fight to the death!!
Seeing Li Yunxian like this, the crowd burst out laughing.
They were doing this on purpose.
When fighting wild beasts in the wilderness and chatting with Li Yunxian, they often talked about all kinds of things.
Through their words, Li Yunxian learned more about the interstellar world, and they got to know what had happened to her.
Of course, they knew about Li Yunxian’s “overenthusiastic” fear syndrome.
Everyone laughed together, and when they saw Li Yunxian was really about to get angry, the one at the front pulled out a Spirit Sword from his storage bag and handed it to her.
The jade-green sword body bore mysterious patterns, its blade edge so sharp it seemed to glisten with moonlight. The motion of drawing it was like unveiling a beam of starlit radiance.
It was an exquisite sword.
Li Yunxian recognized it.
When Sheng Yu’s Spirit Sword was damaged before, Li Yunxian had recommended this very one to her.
—Though Li Yunxian had once lamented Sheng Yu’s talkative nature, she wouldn’t keep people she truly disliked as friends without blocking them.
She was biased.
The sword she recommended to Sheng Yu was the best one here.
But when Sheng Yu went to ask about it, the vendor hesitated for a moment before saying he wasn’t willing to sell it.
It was normal to be reluctant to part with a fine sword.
Li Yunxian didn’t say anything to persuade him, and with a slight regret, recommended other Spirit Swords to Sheng Yu.
What Li Yunxian never expected was that this unsellable sword would end up being handed to her like this.
The blacksmith grinned, a hint of pride in his expression.
“Miss Li, I noticed you kept glancing at this sword several times back at the Trading Market.”
“Like it?”
Li Yunxian was momentarily stunned, then smiled and reached out.
Taking the Spirit Sword, Li Yunxian replied, “Yes, I like it.”
“Well then, consider this our referral fee,” the blacksmith said bluntly.
***
At the Trading Market, if you introduce customers to a vendor and they make a purchase, the vendor must give you a referral fee.
These fees vary greatly.
Eighteen…
Li Yunxian looked at the Spirit Sword in her hand.
She remembered this sword was priced at twenty thousand Game Currency.
If you added up all the referral fees from the items Li Yunxian helped promote, it still wouldn’t reach this high.
But sometimes, if you fuss over calculations, I’ll do the same.
If you don’t, then neither will I.
From leading them here to later helping sell their goods, Li Yunxian never sought anything in return. Naturally, they wouldn’t try to shortchange her either.
Li Yunxian’s eyes curved into a smile as she accepted the sword calmly and said, “Well, thank you!”
Li Yunxian was the same way.
She had the confidence to not fuss over any effort she gave, so she could also accept any return with confidence.
Moreover, she was confident she deserved more.
Li Yunxian pocketed the Spirit Sword and let out a sly laugh.
Since these people dared to scare her just now, they wouldn’t be leaving now!
“All the goods are sold, so everyone should be free now, right?”
“Come on, let’s all chat. I’ll share which of these items I sold are most useful.”
Li Yunxian boldly grabbed a chair and sat down like a boss ready to fleece everyone.
Everyone laughed heartily, each taking a spot to sit, chatting and analyzing the real battlefield applications of Li Yunxian’s items.
Li Yunxian listened while jotting down notes and sketches, gradually piecing together a rough framework…
Suddenly, an urgent ringtone, never heard before, rang sharply in Li Yunxian’s ear.
Others present noticed the sound too, their expressions turning serious as they all looked toward Li Yunxian.
Everyone knew this notification sound only appeared when a serious situation occurred offline.
Li Yunxian furrowed her brow and, without caring about the half-finished conversation, quickly bid farewell and dashed toward the city gate to log off.
Logging out of Ten Thousand Things, two distinct sounds rang in Li Yunxian’s ears.
One was her phone’s ringtone; the other was rapid knocking at the villa door.
Undoubtedly, something was wrong.
Li Yunxian rose swiftly, grabbed her phone, and glanced at the caller ID.
The call was from a classmate she had come with to the Qingteng Selection Exam.
Li Yunxian answered and briskly headed for the villa’s front door.
In reality, Li Yunxian’s consciousness extended beyond the game, and she already sensed the anxious knocking at the door was from another classmate.
“What happened?” Li Yunxian cut straight to the point without giving the other side a chance to waste words.
Her voice on the other end replied quickly, “It’s Yu Qiyao! Yu Qiyao has been forced into the arena, signing a Life-and-Death Contract.”
“Yunxian, you have to come quickly!”