Chen Guo, the top powerhouse on the battle strength leaderboard, attracted a sizable crowd as he acquired fragments of golden and orange treasure chests. In a display of his staggering wealth, Chen Guo flaunted 100,000 thrombin pills, leaving onlookers in awe. The source of Chen Guo's 100,000 thrombin pills remained a mystery, but the sheer magnitude of his fortune was undeniable.
"A large gang might boast a few thousand thrombin pills, and that's already formidable. But Boss Guangcheng, he's on another level with his hundred thousand pills. That's the combined wealth of dozens of major gangs!" someone exclaimed.
"This goes beyond being wealthy; he's on the level of a deity of wealth. I've never laid eyes on so many thrombin pills! With that amount, he could establish a power that eclipses all existing gangs," another observer commented.
The crowd was buzzing with questions about Boss Guangcheng's solitary status. "How does a loner amass such a vast fortune?" they wondered.
Many agreed that Boss Guangcheng must be the wealthiest person in their region, with no one else coming close to his thrombin pill count.
The generous salary from top-tier gangs was a single thrombin pill per week, which was already considered a handsome sum. When compared to Blue Star, it was akin to earning over $100,000 a month—a true tycoon's income.
Chen Guo's 100,000 thrombin pills could potentially employ 100,000 elite trial challengers to brave life and death for a week on his behalf—a staggering thought.
"You... You really have that many thrombin pills... How did you manage it?" Li Huan Yu asked, visibly shaken and stumbling over his words.
Chen Guo responded coolly, "The origins of my thrombin pills aren't your concern. Suffice it to say, I have plenty to spare; 100,000 is just a drop in the bucket. If you're interested in selling your golden treasure chest fragment, I'm prepared to offer you 2,000 thrombin pills as compensation for your efforts in assembling the chest. If you're not interested in trading, then please don't waste my time."
Regarding joining any gangs, Chen Guo made his stance clear: "I have no interest in affiliations. Please, save your invitations. I much prefer the solitude of going it alone."
Everyone grasped Chen Guo's reasoning.
Given Chen Guo's current status—unrivaled in combat strength globally and possessing a fortune of 100,000 thrombin pills—he lacked for nothing. Such a being had no need to align with any factions.
Why wouldn't one relish the opportunity to enjoy all the perks, free and unbound?
After a brief hesitation, Li Huan Yu declared, "I'll sell!"
Golden treasure chests were valuable, but even five of them would only enhance individual power.
Their guild, however, boasted over 2,000 members.
They placed greater faith in collective might than in solo prowess.
Besides, divvying up the combined treasure chest from fragments contributed by all would be a headache.
Li Huan Yu, an ambitious man, aimed to bolster his guild's strength and attract elite talents, necessitating a hefty supply of thrombin pills.
Two thousand thrombin pills was no trifling amount—it had the potential to double his guild's power.
"Bravo!" exclaimed Chen Guo, commending Li Huan Yu before proceeding with the trade.
Addressing the crowd, Chen Guo announced, "I'm purchasing each golden treasure chest fragment for ten thrombin pills. However, if you have enough fragments to assemble a full golden treasure chest, I'll double the offer to twenty thrombin pills per fragment."
Chen Guo harbored no concern about others getting greedy and inflating prices. He held the most thrombin pills in the entire region; no one could outbid him.
Even the largest guilds, with their few thousand thrombin pills, couldn't challenge Chen Guo.
While they needed their pills to grow their guilds, Chen Guo sat on a personal fortune, free to spend lavishly.
The market was unequivocally Chen Guo's.
Following the initial deal, an increasing number of people opted to sell their golden treasure chest fragments to Chen Guo.
Most held only one or a handful of fragments. The prospect of assembling a full chest seemed eons away.
Exchanging them for thrombin pills—a valuable safeguard—made more sense, especially since everyone was navigating treacherous terrain. Future gains were just that, future. The priority was to stay alive in the present.
Some folks, clutching orange treasure chest fragments, were unhappy with Chen Guo's offer and demanded a higher price. Chen Guo obliged each request.
After all, the thrombin pills were practically a windfall for Chen Guo. The fragments he acquired amounted to three full treasure chests. He was in no danger of a loss, regardless of the premium he paid.
In short order, Chen Guo snapped up around a thousand golden treasure chest fragments. The orange ones were a different story—extremely scarce, dropped only by rare elites, and even then, infrequently. He managed to secure just five.
It was then that Lee Fala made his entrance. "Stop selling your golden treasure chest fragments to this man!" he bellowed. As a Level Twelve entity and a member of the Tiger Claw Gang—one of the largest factions in East Asia—his warning carried weight.
"Why?" someone inquired.
Lee Fala explained, "Doesn't it strike you as odd how absurdly high this guy's fighting capacity is? I'm at Level Twelve with a combat power of only 1874, but this Level Ten has a staggering 5050. Doesn't that seem off to you?"
"That's hardly scientific!"
"His combat power is off the charts!"
"Definitely..."
The consensus was clear. Chen Guo's fighting capacity far outstripped that of any other trial challenger, raising eyebrows all around. Had it not been for his formidable ability to single-handedly dispatch a monster that entire gangs struggled with, others would have surely come knocking, eager to uncover his secrets.
Lee Fala pressed on, "Moreover, our Tiger Claw Gang, a top ten powerhouse in East Asia, has a total wealth of just six thousand thrombin pills. Yet Boss Guangcheng here has amassed a hundred thousand. Doesn't that make you wonder where he got them all?"
"Indeed, it's baffling how one person could possess so many thrombin pills."
"Is he somehow related to the system, like a son-in-law?"
"Or is he a groundbreaking scientist like Lu Benwei, pioneering in high-tech?"
The crowd murmured their speculations.
Seeing that he had successfully set the pace, Lee Fala beamed and declared loudly, "Your questions, I can clear them up. I'll explain exactly why this is happening!"