The sequence is too involutional, luckily I am too.

Chapter 202 Devouring Merchants, Actuary Advances!

[Merchant Awakening Condition 1: Possess assets exceeding 100,000 gold coins - Completed!]

"That's it?" Lu Yan raised an eyebrow, his tone tinged with surprise.

Even if it's a branch path, the awakening conditions shouldn't be so hasty.

As expected of a merchant class, it seems that you can awaken it simply by spending money.

Without the slightest hesitation, Lu Yan directly chose to awaken.

[Awakening successful, obtained Sequence 9: Merchant]

【Acquire Trait - Equivalent Exchange: You can purchase other people's abilities by paying a sufficient price with assets (0/3)】

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[Gain skill - Wealth Can Move Gods: After activating this skill, you can burn money to temporarily exchange for an equivalent amount of physical enhancement.]

"That's quite an ability!"

A hint of surprise flashed in Lu Yan's eyes as he quickly began to calculate. He could both purchase the abilities of others and burn money to temporarily strengthen his physical body. Even if it was only a temporary effect, it could still play a fatal role in a critical moment.

Especially for a powerful force like Mu Yun, which is not short of money, if they cultivate this sequence as a secondary skill, they will almost be invincible.

But Mu Yun deliberately shelved it, without even any further development.

"There's definitely something fishy going on here."

Lu Yan immediately became vigilant, not letting the surprise overwhelm him.

The merchant, who had been imprisoned for a long time, expressed his gratitude to the host who released him.

Looking at the prompts on the panel, Lu Yan felt no joy, but rather a sinking feeling in his heart.

He'd seen this trick too many times; the more "well-intentioned" something seemed, the deeper the trap it often concealed.

The merchant has opened his secret stash, offering to lend the host a portion of his collected extraordinary abilities, but with interest charged, and a 13% return policy.

"I knew it!"

Lu Yan abruptly flung his hand away, showing no surprise whatsoever.

If it weren't for such a deceptive trick, how could Mu Yun have so easily abandoned such a powerful sequence?

He tried to activate the "Wealth Can Connect with the Gods" technique, but stopped immediately after burning a few gold coins.

This skill is indeed useful, but it's only applicable to ordinary people.

Given his current physical condition, the amount of money required to achieve a significant improvement through spending money would be astronomical.

More importantly, this improvement is only temporary.

The strong can't use it, and the weak can't afford it; it's definitely a useless tool!

What alarmed him even more was that he could clearly sense that a portion of the power gained from burning money was quietly siphoned off by the merchant sequence and became its "profits".

"Not only is it useless, but he's also a shrewd businessman!"

Lu Yan looked regretful. It seemed that his idea of ​​using the merchant sequence to realize the leasing secret technique had completely failed.

"It's a pity we couldn't successfully infiltrate Valinor, otherwise the elves might have used similar methods."

Lu Yan pondered to himself, "If there were a friendship system, my affinity with Valino would probably be locked at that level long ago."

The "hatred" range has been reached.

Forget about acquiring knowledge; the fact that the other party didn't chase after him and beat him was already a sign of mercy.

For now, we can only hope that we might encounter a similar opportunity inside the tower.

"Let's master the second-tier cultivation technique as quickly as possible before heading to the tower!"

Lu Yan set a goal in his mind.

He had already figured out the pattern: if one's cultivation method was not perfected, the tower would most likely reward other miscellaneous items.

However, once you achieve mastery, the rewards will inevitably include even more advanced cultivation methods.

He appreciated the personalized reward, but it also brought a sense of urgency.

After all, the ancient cultivation methods become increasingly difficult as one progresses through the ages.

Just as he calmed his mind and prepared to concentrate on his cultivation, a panel notification suddenly popped up in front of him.

The actuary showed great interest in the Merchant sequence, approached them to greet them, and invited them to a tense and exciting game of cards.

The familiar routine hit him like a ton of bricks, and Lu Yan instantly realized that the actuary was trying to get something for nothing again.

But this time, its plan failed.

The businessman declined the actuary's invitation, stating that he never gambles himself, but he would support others in gambling, requiring only a small interest payment.

An actuary and a businessman hit it off immediately and decided to become sworn brothers, working together to create a bright future!

As he watched the constantly flashing subtitles on the panel, Lu Yan's eyes twitched involuntarily a few times.

One is addicted to gambling, and the other is only interested in profit. This is not a case of meeting too late, but clearly birds of a feather flock together!

The next second, the panel notification refreshed again:

[The actuary has merged with the merchant's hierarchy and is beginning their promotion—]

[Promotion successful! Obtained Sequence 5: Speculator!]

[Gaining the Trait "Leverage of Fate": Allows for precise capture of the core balance between risk and reward, leveraging the greatest potential gain with minimal cost; however, the greater the leverage, the more severe the risk of a backlash from fate.]

[Acquire Skill - Domain - Game Matrix: After activation, a giant matrix space composed of countless independent game rooms is constructed. Those who enter the domain must follow the exclusive rules of each game room to complete the corresponding game. Only after passing the game can they choose to enter the next room until they find the only correct path to leave the domain. If they forcibly break through any room or matrix barrier, it will trigger a joint attack from all game rooms, causing them to suffer heavy damage.]

[Gain Skill - Domain - Pawnshop Zero: Upon activation, a special domain - Pawnshop Zero - is formed. This domain can penetrate spatial and causal barriers, and can establish rental or pawn contracts with any target in the unseen realm. Once a contract is established, it is forcibly bound by the domain's rules and cannot be arbitrarily dissolved.]

[Lease Agreement: Upon signing, the host must provide the contractor with designated "goods" (including but not limited to arcane arts, extraordinary skills, and sequence ability fragments). The contractor has full control over and can use the goods, and must pay corresponding interest to the host within the agreed time limit (the form of interest is negotiable and has no fixed restrictions). Failure to pay within the time limit will result in contractual repercussions.]

[Pawn Contract: After the contract is concluded, the host must pay the agreed price to the contractor in exchange for the pawned item provided by the contractor; if the contractor fails to redeem the pawned item within the stipulated time limit, the pawned item will permanently belong to the host, and the contractor will have no right to pursue it again.]

[Note: Zero Pawnshop only accepts pawns, not redeems!]

The moment the notification disappeared, countless cards surged out of Lu Yan's body, merging and intertwining with the various sequence abilities around him, gradually evolving into independent game rooms.

These rooms intertwine and connect, ultimately forming a giant matrix space.

The matrix is ​​not fixed; each game room within it is rapidly changing position, making it extremely difficult to find the single correct exit path.

What surprised Lu Yan even more was that he could forcibly change the location of the game room with just a thought, and completely take control of the matrix.

Before he could carefully examine the power of the game matrix, another batch of cards surged out of his body. These cards stretched and folded in the air, gradually transforming into the shape of a contract, and finally combining into a pawnshop with an ancient and simple design, exuding a sense of profound vicissitudes.

Behind the pawn shop counter, a ghostly figure identical to Lu Yan stood silently, expressionless, waiting for the "guest" to arrive.

With just a fleeting glance, Lu Yan felt a strong intuition.

Just as the warning had indicated, this pawnshop was a one-way street; once you stepped inside, there was no turning back.

Finally, all the strange phenomena slowly dissipated, and the speculator's promotion was completely completed.

Lu Yan felt his mind become clear, his thinking speed increased several times over, and his control over all his power reached an unprecedented level.

With a slight thought, all the wondrous things within him burst forth from the void, swirling rapidly around him, their tacit understanding seemingly innate, merging seamlessly with his aura, inseparable from each other.

Not only that, his mastery of cultivation methods has also improved in tandem. Whether it is the flow of blood wedges or the construction of spiritual nodes, it has become exceptionally easy. The cultivation bottlenecks that had previously caused him to be stuck for a long time are now showing signs of loosening.

Although the increase in total mental strength is not significant, this implicit improvement in control is far more valuable than a simple surge in power.

Of course, the biggest gain from this promotion was the emergence of Pawnshop Zero.

It not only perfectly solved its urgent need for leasing secret techniques, but also added the trump card of a pawn contract.

Lu Yan had a vague premonition that the various resources he needed for his future cultivation might have to be supported by this Zero Pawnshop.

"But how do we spread the word about the pawnshop?"

Lu Yan stroked his chin, lost in thought. Pawnshop Zero was a special area; anyone with the willingness to trade could establish a connection with it. The problem was how to spread this news widely without exposing himself.

After all, both contracts from Pawnshop Zero have a sinister feel to them, and in terms of their eeriness, they are no less than those of the God of Evil.

"Wait, the Ghost God!" Lu Yan suddenly slapped his forehead, a glint of inspiration flashing in his eyes.

If it's not feasible to target one's own people, then one can simply make deals with followers of the evil god and various criminals!

He only needed to weave a dream and spread the news of Pawnshop Zero through the mouths of criminals and believers of the evil god.

Given the greedy nature of the believers in the evil god, they would be absolutely unable to resist the temptation of such "easy-to-obtain" power. By the time they realized it, they would already be bound by the contract, with no room for regret.

Of course, it's also possible that kind-hearted humans, upon learning of this, might want to make a deal with Pawnshop Zero.

Lu Yan wasn't worried about this, since he decided the specific terms of both contracts, and it wasn't unreasonable for him to occasionally lend a hand to his compatriots.

As for whether someone will default on their debt, or whether criminals will try to take advantage of the situation and break the contract—

A cold smile curved at the corner of Lu Yan's lips.

The power of the Secret Judge is meant to be used in the darkness to judge all evil!

"Tsk~ Let's do it this way. We can acquire resources and deal with the bad guys at the same time. It's a perfect way to punish evil and promote good!"

Lu Yan clicked his tongue, then immediately calmed down and began to plan the specific implementation scheme.

Meanwhile, at the Divine Tree Palace.

Chu Sheng, who had been in a coma, suddenly opened his eyes, a chaotic light flashing in them.

But soon, the chaotic light disappeared without a trace, and everything returned to normal.

"Jiangnan Dao, you deserve to die!"