Chapter 71: Rule-Based Mystic Treasure

Seated near the door at the round table, a figure in a black robe, donning a crow mask and with a thin build, took out a purple crystal crucible engraved with mysterious runes and surrounded by an image of a dark giant maw.

He placed it on the table in front of him and began to introduce:

“This is a rule-based extraordinary mystic treasure…”

“Rule-based?!”

“There’s such good stuff tonight?”

“…”

Before he could finish speaking, the entire room became abuzz, and everyone’s gaze instantly converged on the item.

As the name implies, a rule-based mystic treasure is one that exists according to certain rules. As long as one complies with the rules, the input will inevitably lead to a corresponding reward.

To give an example, there’s a magical box that, for an offering of 100cc of fresh blood, can exchange for a hundred kilograms of rice.

Although it appears quite sinister, it follows the principle of equivalent exchange—no more, no less, effectively acting as a wish machine with a singular capability. If utilized well, it might serve as a power similar to conceptual abilities, yielding surprising effects.

However, the crowd quickly realized an issue; rule-based mystic treasures are generally extremely precious. The simplest use for them is as a means to obtain an unlimited amount of certain resources.

Some of the higher-grade rule-based treasures can even alter the laws of the world.

Numerous powers, including the Alliance, have always been willing to pay a high price for rule-based mystic treasures. They can easily be traded for a substantial amount of rare treasures or top-tier pet beast cubs—there’s really no need to bring them out for trade.

Unless…

Lu Yu, cloaked in yellow robes, suddenly spoke up:

“An artifact of the Spirit Food School, I see…”

His voice carried the weight of ages, tinged with a hint of reminiscence, as if he was mourning a friend from the distant past.

The man in the crow mask looked up sharply at the figure in yellow, his expression one of shock.

“So it’s that…”

The others were also reminded and were no strangers to the name.

Every mature professional system has developed through a long history of exploration and change.

And the Spirit Food School is one of the branches in the early beast trainer system. Unlike the general practice of making pet food, they specialized in creating spirit food using extraordinary materials and harmonizing the spiritual forces within them.

While Lu Yu’s Secret Foods differ by only one character, its capabilities are completely different. He mastered the art of refining the essence of sources, creating magnificent wonders.

Spirit Food, on the other hand, can promote the growth of pets when consumed and has magical effects similar to potions. If potions are consumed in large quantities, they can cause spiritual chaos and mutations, whereas Spirit Food is milder and can be eaten frequently without issue.

Yet such a glorious school suddenly vanished without a trace one day, and no one knew whether they were alive or dead, nor where they had gone.

At their former site, though, seven world-class mystic treasures imbued with the power of rules were left behind, each holding terrifying might and sparking a fierce contest among the mighty.

The result was that two were taken by the Alliance, one was snatched by other schools, one was shattered, and the last three disappeared without a trace.

Pieces of these shattered treasures were dispersed among many powerhouses. They fashioned them into poorly made replicas in an attempt to reproduce part of the original power.

However, these inferior replicas had harsh conditions for use, and their sole ability was to create gourmet food.

The spirit food produced by these replicas was merely delicious with slightly higher food quality, but its effect on enhancing the strength of pet beasts was negligible.

And so, the brilliance of the Spirit Food School went silent.

Yet, these imitations remained highly sought after by commoners, who called them “Dream Cooking Utensils,” symbolizing the ability to create legendary delicacies.

Thinking this, most of the beast tamers present lost interest. After all, buying a tricky rule-based mystic treasure just to satisfy one’s palate seemed too extravagant.

What shocked them more was that this mysterious “Collector” seemed very familiar with this century-old artifact and even seemed somewhat nostalgic.

Could it be that he was one of the strong competitors from back then? Is he an old immortal who has lived through countless years?

After being exposed, the man in the crow mask could no longer keep it a secret and explained:

“That’s right, this is a Dream Cooking Utensil, named the Gluttony Crucible. It can enhance the quality and taste of prepared food. However, the cost is the random loss of part of one’s body. If you refuse forcefully, it will turn into a spiritual contamination lasting for a period of time.

Although it has its disadvantages, it is also one of the last relics of the Spirit Food School, and perhaps it might uncover ancient legacies…”

After hearing about the side effects, many beast tamers merely looked on disinterestedly.

As for legacies, not to mention learning them or not, unless it involves the level of laws, development tends to improve over time. Today’s beast trainer system has inherited a portion of the Spirit Food School’s research and has reached new peaks over a century.

Aside from some unique secret techniques from the Spirit Food School, the rest are meaningless.

To lose part of one’s body just to satisfy one’s taste, to risk losing essential parts like the eyes with each meal—something even healing arts would struggle to mend.

To refuse meant to saddle oneself with a negative buff, increasing the probability of anomalies.

Only a mad gourmet would do such a thing.

The crow-masked man, sensing the audience’s deathly still atmosphere, could only smile wryly, figuring he couldn’t sell it off this time either.

However, as he prepared to take it back, Lu Yu once again spoke up: “It’s a nice collectible. What do you want for it?”

The others glanced sideways, but considering the “Collector’s” identity, they found it reasonable.

Such odd artifacts are quite fitting as collectibles.

Moreover, given the Collector’s tone, he might be one of the competitors from a century ago, perhaps seeking a memento to remember by.

The image Lu Yu had crafted for himself was beginning to take root in the hearts of the people.

The man in the crow mask first paused, then, overwhelmed with joy, hastily said,

“Any soul-related treasure above gold grade will do!”

Even the poorest rule-based mystic treasure has a value of at least one Morning Star tier artifact. However, those imitations trying to mimic the world-class treasures of the Spirit Food School were always sold for a low price.

Lu Yu nodded, quietly pulling off a bit of bark from the Ghost Soul Tree which had previously been hastened with several souls during a mission; a scrap that was of no use to the Ghost Soul Tree, but came in handy now.

He pinched a small amount between his fingers, crushed it into powder, secretly wrapped it in paper, and tossed it onto the table.

The crow-masked man opened the package with great care. Just a glance was enough to make him tremble with excitement.

Though scarce, the soul essence contained within was extremely high-quality and could serve as a versatile material for any soul-related potion, greatly likely to enhance their quality.

Such a treasure exceeded even Morning Star grade materials; it was a higher-level material. Moreover, the fragments made him think of the legendary Seven Divine Trees…

He dared not delve deeper—if this was truly associated with such apex existences, then just how fearsome a powerhouse might the Collector be?

Torn between fear and the worry that Lu Yu might change his mind, the crow-masked man nodded like pounding garlic. After the transaction ended, in fear of being mugged, he did not even stay to watch the subsequent items and hurriedly left.

The spectacle shocked everyone with its intensity. Even Morning Star tier materials had appeared several times at the help-meet without prompting anyone to flee so swiftly.

What kind of treasure necessitates such caution?

The Collector truly lived up to his name!

Lu Yu, outwardly calm, accepted the item, but underneath the yellow robes, his hands trembled slightly.

This object is related to a mythological-grade material!