My Crazy Upgrade System

Shopkeeper Ye gestured for the crowd to continue trying to break the box. He would present the reward to anyone who could open it. While the offer was tempting, the difficulty was immense.

The box was supposed to be sealed with a fifth-grade Divine Rune, but who would have thought that even a Divine Rune Master couldn’t get through it? Finding a Divine Rune Grandmaster to break the seal, however, was another matter entirely. Such experts were exceedingly rare.

The National Preceptor of the Netherworld Empire was theoretically a Divine Rune Grandmaster. In reality, he wasn’t quite there yet and could only be considered a half-step Divine Rune Grandmaster. The only true Divine Rune Grandmaster was the Spirit Race Ancestor, and even he was just at the junior level.

Thus, reaching the level of a Divine Rune Grandmaster was incredibly difficult. There were several Divine Rune Masters present, but not a single Divine Rune Grandmaster.

As for trying to destroy it with brute force, even Void Spirit Stage cultivators had failed. When others speculated that it would take at least a Spirit King Stage expert to break it, Yi Tianyun could only shake his head. ’If a Spirit King could break it, Shopkeeper Ye would have done so himself long ago.’

"What is the story behind this box? Why is it so difficult to open?" Yi Tianyun squinted at the chest, finding it deeply mysterious. ’I wonder what kind of Treasure is inside that warrants it being locked so securely.’

"Boss, are you confident you can open it?" Yang Zhiwen asked excitedly. "That’s two Sacred Artifacts on the line! If you open it, we’ll get two Sacred Artifacts!"

Yi Tianyun smiled. "That depends. I can’t be sure without taking a closer look."

He wasn’t particularly interested in the Sacred Artifacts; he was only curious about what was inside the box. ’Could there be a Divine Artifact in there?’ That wasn’t out of the question. ’For such a sturdy box, it would be a huge waste if it didn’t contain an unparalleled Treasure.’

One by one, the Divine Rune Masters took their turns trying to break the seal. No one else tried to use brute force. After all, even a Void Spirit Stage cultivator had been sent flying; who with a lower cultivation level would dare to try?

So, the task fell to the Divine Rune Masters, who took turns attempting to slowly undo the seal. If one failed, the next would step up.

Shopkeeper Ye sat to the side, watching. Pu Ren, however, simply continued to lie nearby with a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, looking utterly bored.

"Master, who can possibly open this thing? If even you can’t, who else could?" Pu Ren asked, bored. "People have been trying for months, and not a single person has succeeded."

His daily job was to watch people try to open the box. It had been months, and not one person had managed to open it.

"Be patient. Eventually, someone will be able to open it," Shopkeeper Ye said calmly. "The world is far larger than you can imagine. I’m just a minor figure in it."

Shopkeeper Ye was quite humble, not considering himself to be particularly powerful.

"I failed! Damn this box!"

A Divine Rune Master kicked the box in anger, then turned and left. He gave a reluctant glance back at the thought of the Sacred Artifacts, but since he couldn’t open the box, he had no way of claiming them.

After one failure after another, it was finally Yi Tianyun’s turn. Many people glanced at him and shook their heads, assuming he would just be another failure. There was nothing to see.

Just as he was about to inspect the box, an angry shout came from behind him. "Make way, make way! Master Sky Cyan is here!"

A group of people approached from behind. At the front were several young disciples, motioning for everyone else to clear a path. The way was already plenty wide, but they still demanded people move. This was a clear display of arrogance.

Surrounded by his retinue, a middle-aged man slowly walked over. His expression was full of arrogance, as if he looked down on everyone.

"It’s Master Sky Cyan! Langyun City’s most famous Grandmaster is here! He must have heard about this box..."

"That’s right. The challenge to open this box has gone on for so long without a single success. At first, it drew in many Divine Rune Masters, then even more skilled Masters came, and now it’s finally attracted a Grandmaster!"

"He’ll definitely be able to open it this time. If even a Divine Rune Grandmaster can’t open it, then who can?"

Everyone chattered excitedly, certain that the box would finally be opened and this shocking affair would come to an end. How could it not be shocking that a small box could stump everyone?

"Hey, you, get out of the way! Let my master go first!" the young man clearing the path arrogantly ordered Yi Tianyun. He was shamelessly cutting in line.

"What did you say?!" Yang Zhiwen retorted angrily. "We were here first! If you want a turn, get in line like everyone else!"

"Do you have any idea who you’re talking to? This is Master Sky Cyan, a Divine Rune Grandmaster! And you’re telling us to wait in line?" the young man said with a sneer. "You can’t open this box anyway. Only my master can. Once he’s done, you won’t even need to bother trying."

Master Sky Cyan’s expression was filled with impatience; to him, waiting in line was a waste of time.

"Give them something and get them to leave," Master Sky Cyan said with a wave of his hand.

"Yes, Master!" The young man immediately took out a bottle of Elixir Pills and offered it to Yi Tianyun’s group. "Consider it your lucky day. These are some pretty good Elixir Pills. Take them and move aside. This is your compensation!"

Yi Tianyun frowned. ’He expects me to be impressed by this?’ The so-called Master Sky Cyan before him was only at the third or fourth level of the Void Spirit Stage. Yi Tianyun could kill him with a single slap.

"Get in line." A low voice suddenly came from the front. Everyone looked up to see Shopkeeper Ye staring coldly in their direction. An unbelievably terrifying pressure bore down on them. The young man, Master Sky Cyan, and his followers were all forced back several steps by this pressure alone—it was just his aura!

"This... this cultivation level..." Master Sky Cyan’s eyes filled with shock. He never expected a supreme expert to be presiding over this place!

His expression darkened. He hadn’t expected this situation, but he had no choice but to get in line obediently.

"There’s no need. Since you’re so eager, please, be my guest," Yi Tianyun said, gesturing for them to go ahead.

"Boss..." Yang Zhiwen and the others protested, clearly unhappy. It was their turn.

"Let them go first," Yi Tianyun said calmly. "I’d like to see the skill of a Divine Rune Grandmaster and find out if he can open this box."

"Hmph, at least you know your place!" The young man’s face was still pale, but seeing Yi Tianyun step aside, he quickly urged his master forward to the box.

Master Sky Cyan glanced at Yi Tianyun but said nothing. He strode over to the box, which was covered in Divine Runes, and prepared to break the seal.

Shopkeeper Ye glanced at Yi Tianyun. Since Yi Tianyun had yielded, he said nothing more.

Master Sky Cyan placed his hand on the box and began searching for a weak point in the seal. After a moment, he began his attempt. He channeled bursts of energy and tried to break the seal again and again, but every attempt ended in failure.

He had expected to break it in an instant, but to his surprise, he kept failing without a single success. As time dragged on, Master Sky Cyan’s face flushed red. Under the watchful eyes of so many people, he, a supposed Divine Rune Grandmaster, had failed!

However, he didn’t leave immediately. He continued his attempts, trying again and again. He couldn’t afford to lose face like this.

Yi Tianyun shook his head. This Master Sky Cyan was just a half-baked Grandmaster, hardly a true one. ’I saw through him from the start, which is why I let him try.’

’So arrogant, aren’t we? Go on, make a fool of yourself.’