A Deceptive Deal and the Evolution of Cloud-Stepping Steps

"How much 【Void Yellow Sand】 do you need?"

Hearing Wu Wang's words, the Wan Shitong, who had been about to leave, froze on the spot.

She immediately realized what he was implying. He actually had a way to get 【Void Yellow Sand】!

With a plop, she sat back down on the bench.

"A lot," she said in a grave tone. "I probably need to fill this thing."

With that, she took a human-head-sized hourglass from her backpack.

Wu Wang's mouth twitched at the sight.

You call this a lot? If anyone saw this, they'd think we couldn't afford to sell much! Another barrel! One for everyone!

But his expression made the Wan Shitong's heart sink. She thought she had asked for too much.

Indeed, the 【Void Yellow Sand】 she had managed to buy from various channels barely amounted to a handful. That meager amount had taken her nearly a year to collect.

An amount of yellow sand that could fill a head-sized hourglass was something no player in the world could likely produce.

But in the next second, Wu Wang's words left her dumbfounded.

"Just this little bit?"

This… little bit?

The Wan Shitong thought there was something wrong with her ears. She stared at Wu Wang in disbelief, the hand holding the hourglass trembling slightly.

"You… you have a lot?"

Wu Wang shrugged and grinned.

"How much I have depends on you."

The Wan Shitong immediately understood. He wanted her to raise the price.

She patted her chest and declared, "Rest assured. As long as you can fill this hourglass, I guarantee you'll be satisfied with the payment I offer."

She paused for effect.

"How about one Epic-grade piece of equipment, plus the method for obtaining a Legendary-grade item?"

In truth, the reward from the deal she was brokering with the 【Void Yellow Sand】 was just the method for obtaining a Legendary-grade item. To get the sand from Wu Wang, she'd have to throw in an Epic-grade piece of equipment of her own.

Still, it was worth it.

The value of an Epic-grade piece of equipment was far less than that of a Legendary-grade item, or even just the method of obtaining one.

Any high-level player knew that an item bearing the word "Legendary" possessed the power to turn the tide of battle or change one's entire life.

And Wu Wang knew the power of Legendary-grade items better than anyone. After all, he had two on him right now.

Take the 【Tree of Sighs】. Even in its unmatured state, its functions were enough to completely alter a player's combat prowess. Better yet, once it matured, it would provide a special instance for obtaining 【Exclusive】-grade equipment.

That was the kind of information money couldn't buy.

The players he'd met in the 【Relic Scramble】 weren't the entire top tier of domestic Spirit Calamity players, but they represented at least a third of them. Even among that elite group, Wu Wang hadn't seen a single piece of 【Exclusive】 equipment.

Dedicated threads on the Spirit Calamity app had discussed this very topic. The final conclusion was that no player had obtained 【Exclusive】 equipment during the closed beta. The popular theory was that it was a tier that would only appear after the Open Beta.

The first person to obtain 【Exclusive】 equipment might just leap to become the strongest Spirit Calamity Player! They could even cut down that high and mighty Director of the Abnormal Affairs Bureau, Qing Long!

His other item, the 【Eye of the Prophet】, was just as heaven-defying.

Without the hints it had provided during the instance, the final fight for the 【Tree of Sighs】 could have gone to anyone. Under normal circumstances, Wu Wang couldn't imagine how he could have possibly snatched the prize from such a group of high-level players.

Therefore, Wu Wang was very interested in obtaining another 【Legendary】 item. He nodded immediately.

He casually pulled a golden Transaction Contract from his backpack.

"To be on the safe side, let's sign a contract first," he said cheerfully.

The Wan Shitong was speechless.

Have you fucking forgotten that just a few minutes ago, you were the one who told me about the hidden clause?

She accepted the contract paper with a helpless look on her face. Right in front of Wu Wang, she carefully erased the hidden clause within the golden thread pattern.

Only after rewriting the contract with normal terms did she sign her name.

Wu Wang accepted the contract with a smile and stored it in his backpack.

"Pleasure doing business with you. After the 【Relic】 distribution and debt repayment in three days, I'll bring you the sand you want."

He couldn't just go back right now, fill a barrel with sand, and return to trade. That would be too obvious. She would quickly guess that he was in the 【God-Forsaken Land】.

If that happened, it would be hard to hide how he got there and what his connection to the Venerable was. He needed some time to create the illusion that he had "gone through hell and high water" to get the sand.

Besides, he needed to build some basic trust with the Wan Shitong before asking about Zhuge Yue. After all, asking to buy information on how to kill a woman's ex-girlfriend right after meeting her was beyond outrageous.

Wu Wang was afraid of alerting his target. What if this girl still had feelings for Zhuge Yue? If she secretly tipped her off, his plans would become infinitely more difficult, no matter how many items he had.

After completing the contract, the Wan Shitong stood up and left.

Watching her retreating figure, Wu Wang shook his head.

Back in his meeting room, he silently took out two signed Transaction Contracts from his backpack.

He sighed. "Scammed time and again, each a different trick. A loss time and again, each a lesson learned."

Both contracts had the Wan Shitong's name on them.

What Wu Wang had given her was a "Double Contract." When she signed the top sheet, the bottom sheet was also imprinted with her name.

Of course, he knew she would be wary of the hidden clause. He had deliberately let her erase it with her own hands. That way, she would let her guard down, completely failing to notice she was holding two sheets of paper instead of one.

It seemed like they had made two deals, but in reality, Wu Wang had given up nothing. He had just talked a big game.

The yellow sand was free. It was a classic empty-handed snatch.

【Cloud-Stepping Steps (Evolution Complete)】

【Congratulations, you have learned Big Dipper Seven Star Steps!】

Just then, a system notification sounded in his ear. A sharp glint flashed in Wu Wang's eyes.

He had been waiting for this evolution back in the 【God-Forsaken Land】 but hadn't expected the notification to pop up only now. It seemed the reception in that place really was bad.

He had been waiting for this for a long, long time.

Let's see what this is all about!

【Big Dipper Seven Star Steps (Epic): Retains the effect of Cloud-Stepping Steps, negates fall damage after a double jump, and allows the use of Shrink the Ground to an Inch within seven steps, reaching any position within a fifty-meter radius centered on the user.】

【Effect 1 (Ghostly Shadow Trail): After completing the seven Big Dipper steps, create seven temporary illusory doubles. The doubles possess 50% of the user's maximum Spirit and Stamina and can move freely for 5 minutes. Cooldown: 60 minutes.】

【Effect 2 (Silent-Step Backstab): The user can completely conceal their footsteps. No cooldown, no cost.】

【Usage Condition: The user must possess a physiological leg structure and be able to walk freely.】

【Remark: If Cao Zhi had had your seven steps back then, he would have run out of Cao's Camp long ago.】

Wu Wang's eyes widened.

Honestly, this skill was a bit too strong.

Just the near-teleport mechanic within a fifty-meter range was enough to crush most Epic-tier skills. And negating fall damage meant he no longer had to risk dying to ensure a safe landing, reducing the chance of his 【Undying】 ability being discovered.

Most importantly, the doubles created by the active skill could move freely. For five minutes, his opponent would have to face eight Wu Wangs at once.

The once-trashy Cloud-Stepping Steps had suddenly been elevated to a powerful new height. As expected of an evolved Epic-grade skill.

"Zhuge Yue, just you wait," Wu Wang muttered, his voice cold. "In three days, I'm going to get rid of you completely."

"I'm going to kill you."

Meanwhile, in her rented apartment, Zhuge Yue's face was etched with worry as she communicated with her other personalities.

She had discovered a major problem. Pending Death was gone.

He hadn't returned to reality from the 【Relic Scramble】 at all.

But the 【Special Life Card】 she had secretly placed on him hadn't been triggered, which meant he was still alive.

Damn it! Where the hell did that guy go? We clearly entered the instance together from this apartment!

In all her years as a Spirit Calamity Player, she had never heard of someone returning to a different location. At the thought of possibly never learning his secrets, she felt like ants were crawling all over her.

One of her personalities suddenly spoke up.

"Maybe… should we go find Little Wanwan and ask about this player, Pending Death? He has so many secrets. Little Wanwan might know something, right?"

The other personalities fell silent.

Their attitude towards this "ex-girlfriend" was conflicted. On the one hand, they had a complicated history. On the other, she was the best intelligence broker among all Spirit Calamity Players, especially when it came to finding people.

Now they were torn.

Should we go or not… What has she been busy with lately? Will she resent me for not greeting her during the instance?