Chen Guo traded twenty worthless pieces of junk for twenty-seven golden treasure chests, and he was so thrilled he could hardly remember his own name.
Zhou Tao thought he had made a profit, and Chen Guo felt the same. So, who took the loss?
Maybe it was Old Ma who came up short!
"Deal!" Chen Guo confirmed with a nod.
Next, Zhou Tao gathered up the fragments of nine golden treasure chests and handed them to Chen Guo.
"These are now yours. If you come across any more fragments of golden treasure chests in the future, just hit me up on the chat channel. I'm always buying!" Chen Guo declared with a wave of his hand.
"I'll definitely be in touch..."
"Farewell!" Chen Guo had no interest in idle chatter with these folks. He invoked the Flying Thunder God Art and vanished in an instant.
Like a shadow, he was there and then he wasn't.
"He's like a dragon, seen in a flash and then gone!" Zhou Tao exclaimed.
"Hmph..." Wang Shaoyun was clearly displeased.
His authority had been undermined, and now even the deputy leader, Zhou Tao, was calling the shots.
But there was nothing he could do. He bore the brunt of the blame for this debacle.
Among the crowd.
Members of the original Fortune Squad exchanged bewildered looks.
"Is that really your old classmate, Chen Guo?" Liang Kuan questioned, "Doesn't seem like it... Maybe your old classmate Chen Guo isn't the undercover big shot we thought!"
Jiang Yan spoke up, her voice tinged with mystery, "Didn't you notice? Chen Guo may have altered his looks, but his voice is the same. I'm certain it's him!"
"Who would've thought he'd become so powerful? Nearly two hundred of us were almost wiped out, yet he took down the Ghost King all by himself..."
...
Chen Guo teleported back to Doonatel.
At that moment, nearly all the trial challengers were outside the city, leaving him the sole challenger within Doonatel.
Upon his return, Chen Guo burst into uproarious laughter.
"Hahahaha, I hit the jackpot!"
"Haha!"
Gazing at his haul from the excursion, Chen Guo was beyond pleased.
He slipped on the energy bracer and equipped the Medicine King Treasure Chest. In a flash, his vitality surged, and even the surrounding vegetation seemed to turn into data before Chen Guo's eyes.
"Wild Grass: Wild Foxtail Grass: Edible in times of scarcity!"
"Herb: Blood Wind Vine: A common medicinal herb for treating muscle strain!"
"Herb: Big Feather Grass: Treats shingles effectively..."
He could now recognize most plants, distinguishing between wild grasses, vegetables, and medicinal herbs.
Yet, even after a cursory look around, not a single spiritual herb was in sight.
Chen Guo wasn't bothered by this; becoming an alchemist was still a distant goal for him.
He set to work replicating fragments of the orange treasure chest.
Chen Guo managed to replicate twenty shards and assemble an orange treasure chest.
Then, he proceeded to replicate the chest itself.
"Ding! Replication initiated. You have replicated one orange treasure chest."
"Due to the Creation Law's restrictions, you are limited to replicating only one orange treasure chest."
And so, he replicated a single orange treasure chest.
Nevertheless, being able to turn one fragment into two complete orange treasure chests was quite an achievement.
Chen Guo wasn't one for greed; he was thoroughly content.
Next came the golden treasure chests.
He had nine golden treasure chest fragments and replicated a total of twenty-seven golden treasure chests.
Together with the golden treasure chest dropped by the Ghost King, he had thirty golden treasure chests in all.
Two orange treasure chests.
Thirty golden treasure chests.
"Woo-hoo, let's soar!"
Chen Guo could hardly contain his excitement as he began to unlock the orange treasure chest.
Upon opening, the chest unleashed a rainbow of light that pierced the heavens—an incredibly dramatic display.
"Ding! You've obtained a fragment of the Celestial Spell!"
"Celestial Spell Fragment: The Celestial Spell is a revered cultivation scripture from the Spiritual Mountain, now scattered in fragments across the land. There are nine fragments in total. Even a single fragment can aid in cultivation, and acquiring the complete Celestial Spell allows for the highest level of practice, reaching the esteemed rank of a Loose Immortal!"
"Since you're the first in the world to open an orange treasure chest, you've earned the title of Heaven's Mandate Koi!"
"Heaven's Mandate Koi: Your luck has increased by 5%! It's you, yes you! Born under a lucky star, your fortune is unbeatable!"
Chen Guo couldn't help but notice that the system had broadcasted his achievement of the Heaven's Mandate Koi title for all to hear.
This blasted system had no concept of privacy whatsoever.
But the Celestial Spell he acquired was quite impressive. It might be incomplete, but he had the ability to replicate it.
And if he wasn't mistaken, wasn't the Celestial Spell the very cultivation technique used by his Monkey Bro?
He was sitting on a goldmine!
...
Meanwhile, the outside world buzzed with excitement.
"Oh my God, Boss Guangcheng actually cracked open an orange treasure chest. I can't even imagine what treasures it holds!"
"He truly is the Heaven's Mandate Koi, blessed by the heavens themselves!"
"It's unbelievable. How on earth did he manage to get his hands on an orange treasure chest?"
"It's clear as day—Boss Guangcheng took down the Ghost King!"
The green-eyed monster had taken hold of many.
Now that Chen Guo was known by his alias Guangcheng, everyone referred to him respectfully as Boss Guangcheng.
Boss Guangcheng had slain the Ghost King, a feat that had stumped over two hundred challengers, and was now the talk of the town in Beginner Village.
The Bellowtalons Gang had become a laughingstock, struggling to regain their footing, while the Four Seas Gang rose to power.
Yet, before the dust had even settled from the Ghost King's demise at the hands of Boss Guangcheng, he went on to unlock an orange treasure chest!
And to top it off, he became the Heaven's Mandate Koi Fish!
Ordinary trial challengers would be lucky to find a plain white treasure chest.
Those who snagged a blue treasure chest were already cream of the crop.
Purple treasure chests were reserved for team leaders and gang executives.
Golden treasure chests were beyond the reach of even top-tier experts like Wang Shaoyun and Zhou Tao, remaining an elusive dream.
The orange treasure chest was a thing of legends, just as its name suggested.
Wasn't it said to be the only one in the entire world?
While ordinary folks were green with envy, Wang Shaoyun was beside himself with rage.
"That orange treasure chest was meant to be mine! That Guangcheng, he stole what was rightfully mine. I'll tear him limb from limb, ahhh!" Wang Shaoyun's eyes blazed with fury as he screamed in anguish and rage.
Wang Shaoyun could have remained composed if he was clueless about the Ghost King's loot, but discovering that an orange treasure chest was involved sent him into a tailspin.
He was unaware that what the Ghost King had actually dropped was just a fragment; it was Chen Guo's extraordinary ability to duplicate that had created the chest, leading him to believe an orange treasure chest had been directly dropped.
Wang Shaoyun had been the pioneer in assembling a team to take down the Ghost King, yet he reaped no rewards for his efforts. To add insult to injury, Chen Guo ended up with the substantial prize.
As a result, the Bellowtalons suffered a decline, with several deputy leaders defecting to the Four Seas Gang.
Wang Shaoyun's resentment towards Chen Guo hit an all-time high.
...
Chen Guo, with a tinge of regret, realized that the constraints of the Creation Law only allowed him to duplicate two fragments of the Celestial Spell.
To continue the duplication process, he would need a fresh fragment of the Celestial Spell.
Nonetheless, armed with his duplication ability and the head start, he was confident that more orange treasure chests would surface in time. Completing the Celestial Spell should be within reach.
"If I could be even half as formidable as Brother Monkey, I'd be content. Now, it's time to unlock another orange treasure chest. Here's hoping for a pleasant surprise!"