Chapter 217 - 217 198 Trading Column

Words : 1514 Updated : Oct 3rd, 2025

217: Chapter 198: Trading Column 217: Chapter 198: Trading Column The spacious hall was brightly lit, with simple round tables surrounded by stone chairs. There was also a ring of audience seats slightly farther away. It would be more accurate to describe the overall structure as an assembly hall or a parliament hall, rather than a meeting room. But now, a room big enough to accommodate a hundred people was completely empty except for three shadowy figures whose faces couldn’t be seen clearly. The “Reception Hall” was a Rule-Level Building that had emerged after the courtyard’s promotion this time, and it was also the new feature that Lu Ping’an had been eagerly awaiting for a long time. “If the Secret Realm called the Steam Factory can be accessed remotely, there’s no reason why my Secret Realm would lag behind that far.” Perhaps his eagerness determined the direction of the evolution of the Secret Realm, or perhaps it was the intended role of the Life Bank to entertain guests. Among the new functional buildings in the first evolution, there was the “Reception Hall” he had been wanting. For 10 life-points, a virtual spirit body could be created for remote logins by visitors. No additional consumption was needed once it was made. One point could be used as an admission ticket, but it was also an extra cost for remote login, with a single point being good for 10 logins. However, the consumption here was rounded up, like buying 10 tickets at once. Real remote access of physical bodies? That feature also existed. “With a thousand points, I could promote the Reception Hall to level 2, and unlock the remote access technology like in the Steam Factory? Haha, no thanks.” Lu Ping’an knew that considering the wonderfulness of “Rule-Level Buildings”, 1000 life-points really weren’t expensive; the problem for him was being broke. Before setting up a stable mechanism for collecting life-points, he wouldn’t dream of spending money on buying buildings…Although buying early was definitely more advantageous in the long run, he wasn’t even sure if he would live long enough. If he were to buy a building, his lifespan would immediately get cut by a sixth. “Come, let me introduce you to the functions of Life Bank.” There wasn’t much to talk about in the empty reception hall, so Lu Ping’an led the two downstairs straight to the trading hall on the first floor of the bank…. This was the only place their spirit bodies could currently reach. Let alone the further sports hall, Lu Ping’an hadn’t even opened the main entrance of the bank. As for further places, that would have to wait until he became a Contractor and signed a contract. “Is this a world in dreams?” Seeing the world before his eyes, Guan Xinxian was utterly stunned as he recalled the unique abilities of the spirit system. Yet all Lu Ping’an did was smile, without giving a response. The first floor still looked more like a hotel than a trading hall with a piano, a dining table, bouquets, and cozy lights. But in the middle of the hall, there was now a display board. “Touch this.” Guan Xinxian did as he was told, and in an instant, a system sound echoed in his ears. [Welcome Brass-level customer Guan Xinxian to use the Life Bank Trading System, this trading column can trade all life-related items (Black-iron level).] In a daze, an abundance of information flowed into his mind. It was just a simple trading system, but the things it could trade were extremely special. “You can trade Abnormal Abilities? How is that possible?” Even the always calm Guan Xinxian was shocked. He subconsciously pinched his cheek to see if he was dreaming. “Pfft.” Lu Ping’an on the other side just laughed out loud. It wasn’t that he was laughing at Guan Xinxian, but Meow had had the same reaction not long ago. Even after pinching her face, she was still muttering, “It doesn’t hurt, I must be dreaming.” So, Lu Ping’an amusedly asked, “Why don’t I help you pinch yourself to see if it’s a dream?” And Meow nodded… hence, Lu Ping’an pinched her face left and right, thoroughly enjoying himself. Even though he couldn’t feel anything, just seeing the awakened Meow scratching him in frustration had made him feel like it was all worth it… In the eyes of the other customers, everyone was a faceless black spirit body, but Lu Ping’an could see their true selves. In a sense, this also ensured everyone’s privacy. The Life Bank’s only “rule” was trading. The items traded, however, were limited to life-related ones. Currently, the most appropriate items to trade were “Professional Abnormal Abilities”. The trading column is for that. When a seller sells their “Abnormal Ability” and marks the “price”, a buyer can trade if they find the price suitable. “Is this your real ability? A whole life system?” Meow, upon learning the truth, was completely shaken. She was originally proud of her rare abnormal ability, but now after seeing Lu Ping’an’s, there was no comparison. “Will I lose the abnormal ability completely once traded?” [Yes, you will ‘forget’ the abnormal ability. But you can re-acquire it through experience, although it will be more difficult the second time.] “What about the cost? The cost associated with the abnormal ability from before?” [The cost and the abnormal ability are inseparable, the buyer will have to bear it.] “…Can I use the abnormal ability if I buy it? Aren’t there many abnormal abilities with high conditions?” [No, the trade will provide an ‘adaptation rate’ based on your basic conditions. If it’s above 80%, you are highly likely to inherit it perfectly. If it’s below 50%, it’s not recommended you buy it. You will probably gain a lot of experience, but repeated buys can increase the adaptation rate.] Guan Xinxian was completely gobsmacked. He always found the Rule System to be puzzling, but this was beyond comprehension. For professionals like them, professional skills are not hard to improve, just practice daily. However, awakening an abnormal ability depends on talent, accumulation and, finally, luck, which is completely unreliable. You can always improve your professional skills with hard work, but abnormal abilities are different. Many people get stuck at this critical stage when upgrading their profession. “Not just that, if the ‘cost’ of your abnormal ability is too high, you could consider selling it, to rid of that burden.” Lu Ping’an shrugged, stating this tempting proposition. Think about it, there’s an endless list of clever uses. This ability is not simply for individual use but is used primarily to build a faster-growing team… The more people, or rather, the more skilled people there are, the greater the benefit of this ability is. The only thing Lu Ping’an is dumb about is that he can only use half of the “Abnormal Ability Trading”… He can only buy, not sell. When he chose to sell an abnormal ability, the system prompted [This ability is an appreciating asset of the Life Bank, cannot be traded]. “Since the ability is granted by the system, I can’t sell it? Is this a financial institution not allowing interventions in the market?” If there weren’t these restrictions, he could easily wholesale abnormal abilities based on his advantages. But he can tax this, a trading tax, from 1% to 5% … Without hesitation he maximizes it, even though the first trade is still far away. Guan Xinxian stood before the trading column, completely transfixed. But other people could understand. The clever uses of “Trade” doesn’t even need to be expanded, just the Rule System ability listed for trade was already beyond comprehension. Meow, with her not-so-many abilities, stood in front of the trading column for more than ten minutes. Just understanding her abnormal ability characteristics and the progress of professional skills meant she had opened the staircase to a higher position. In Meow’s words… “With this trading column meow, who needs growth analysts? They charge so much, it costs more than a fraction of this meow!” Time waits for no one, hesitating will mean game over. At this critical moment, Lu Ping’an is using a brazen tactic. If you want to recruit talent, you must provide tangible benefits. Otherwise, why would others risk it to work with you? Guan Xinxian touched the trading column, the simple and direct descriptions had clearly displayed his abilities, accumulation, and future direction. While he was excited, he also saw his future path more clearly. Looking at each number and term, he pondered on their meanings, murmuring subconsciously. “Grafting LV22…” “Ahem, don’t say it out loud, it’s personal privacy, very serious privacy.” Lu Ping’an was also a bit surprised, is this guy a little over the top, more than level 20 grafting? Isn’t this level enough for you to go and be a professor at Ancient City University? But then, he laughed again, his laughter resembling a happy old farmer seeing his leeks ripen.

Chapter 217 - 217 198 Trading Column

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