My Crazy Upgrade System

Yi Tianyun studied the chest, which was covered from top to bottom in Divine Runes. Many runes were carved upon it, but none were particularly high-grade—at most, they were Fifth Grade Divine Runes. However, it was precisely these Fifth Grade Divine Runes that had stumped everyone.

"Ding! Side Quest accepted: ’Help Shopkeeper Ye Open the Treasure Chest.’ Reward for completion: 30,000,000 Experience Points, 100,000 Madness Value, and +100 Favorability with Shopkeeper Ye."

’I can’t believe a side quest popped up now.’ Generally, when a quest was triggered, it meant the person involved was significant. Yi Tianyun could already tell that this Shopkeeper Ye was no simple man. ’Opening a shop in such a remote place, and barely even welcoming customers... Heaven knows what he’s up to.’

"Failed again!" A Divine Rune Master leaped to his feet in anger, pointing at the chest and cursing, "Only Fifth Grade Divine Runes? How is that possible? It feels like there are at least Divine Rune Grandmaster-level runes on it, and the difficult kind at that!"

"If you can’t open it, then let me! Stop being so indecisive!" the Divine Rune Master behind him said with a frown. The man in front had been dragging his feet for so long, and it was getting on his nerves.

"Fine, be my guest!" The Divine Rune Master flicked his hand in frustration and glared at the young man. "Hey, kid! Are you sure this thing of yours only has Fifth Grade Divine Runes?"

"Guaranteed. It’s only Fifth Grade Divine Runes. Don’t you have eyes? Even if it weren’t, two Sacred Artifacts are on the line. That’s enough to tempt a Divine Rune Grandmaster, isn’t it? If you’ve got no skill, then stop whining. Get out of the way and let the next person try. You’re wasting my time." The young man had a blade of grass dangling from his lips. Anyone with a discerning eye would immediately recognize that it wasn’t ordinary grass, but Jade Spirit Grass—a Fourth Grade Spirit Grass.

It could be refined into excellent Elixir Pills, yet he was simply chewing on it, just for a hint of its sweet taste.

"You little punk!" The Divine Rune Master was furious. Just as he was about to lose his temper, the young man’s eyes went cold. A frigid glint shot from his gaze, seeming to pierce right through the man’s own.

A chill ran down the Divine Rune Master’s spine, and his rage was extinguished as if doused by a bucket of ice water. In the end, he could only let out a low huff before turning and leaving.

Yi Tianyun observed the young man. He couldn’t be very old, perhaps around twenty-one, but his cultivation was surprisingly high—he was at the Seventh Level of the Core Formation Stage.

’For someone his age, that level of cultivation is simply heaven-defying. But then again, with Shopkeeper Ye backing him and a steady supply of Miracle Elixirs, it’d be harder *not* to get strong.’

"Why are there so many people today?" Shopkeeper Ye asked, walking up to the young man.

"Master, you’re finally here," the young man said with a sigh of resignation. "I was just about to pack up and head back, but I didn’t expect such a crowd today. They seem to be arriving in waves. I bet you increased the reward, and that’s why they’re all flocking here."

"This is your responsibility in the first place. The more people, the better. More importantly, what were you about to do just now? Stay out of trouble, you hear me!" Shopkeeper Ye admonished.

"Got it, Master..." the young man replied, resigned.

"That’s Shopkeeper Ye’s apprentice, Pu Ren. Apparently, he took him in from somewhere and spoils him rotten... Anyway, my job’s done. Good luck to you!" Ink Rat said with a sly chuckle. He took his Spirit Pill and left without a second thought.

This was how people like him made a living, after all. He had to get his cut, otherwise, how could he survive?

Yi Tianyun glanced at him but paid him no mind, simply getting in line behind the other Cultivators.

After returning, Shopkeeper Ye didn’t intervene further and just stood off to the side, watching. One after another, Divine Rune Masters came forward to try and break the Divine Runes, but none succeeded. Through it all, his expression betrayed neither joy nor sorrow; he simply remained indifferent.

Yi Tianyun guessed that Shopkeeper Ye had simply seen this happen so many times that he’d grown numb to the failures.

"Damn it! These Divine Runes are so hard to break... I’m a dignified Divine Rune Master! How can I possibly fail to break something like this?" A Divine Rune Master stared at the chest in a fury. With so many people watching, his inability to break the Divine Runes was a deep humiliation. He spun around and looked at Shopkeeper Ye angrily. "Can I just smash this chest open?"

"Do as you please," Shopkeeper Ye said calmly. "As long as you can get the chest open, I don’t care if you do it by attacking it or by dispelling the Divine Runes. However, if you choose to attack it, you’d best think it through. The Divine Runes on that chest are no joke."

"You should have said so earlier! I refuse to believe these Divine Runes are all that tough. Those Sacred Artifacts are mine!" The Divine Rune Master drew a greatsword and swung it down violently at the chest. He was an expert at the peak of the Core Formation Stage, and his strike was incredibly powerful, unleashing a massive Sword Aura.

BOOM!

The moment the sword struck the chest, a powerful recoil force erupted, violently flinging the Divine Rune Master back. He didn’t stop until he crashed through a nearby shop. When he finally crawled out from the rubble, it was clear the rebound force had injured him significantly.

"Such a powerful rebound force... I concede!" The Divine Rune Master snorted, turned on his heel, and left. Staying any longer would only bring him more shame.

The others who had considered trying to break the chest open with brute force all had second thoughts. It was obvious that method wouldn’t work. None of them considered themselves much stronger than that Divine Rune Master. If he was sent flying so easily, what chance did they have?

"Let me have a try!" A Void Spirit Stage expert stepped forward. In his hands, he held a massive iron hammer, which was surprisingly a Low-Grade Sacred Artifact.

The burly man’s muscles bulged, on full display, giving him an incredibly imposing air. As he strode forward, the crowd parted for him. Judging by his powerful aura, it seemed he might actually be able to shatter the chest. The only fear was that in opening the chest, he might shatter everything inside as well.

"I’m no Divine Rune Master. If I smash this chest to pieces, does it still count as opening it?" the burly man boomed.

"I’ve already said it: any method will do. As long as you can open the chest, these two Sacred Artifacts are yours," Shopkeeper Ye said in a low voice.

"Excellent! Your word is good enough for me. There’s nothing I can’t smash!"

The burly man let out a great laugh, raised his giant hammer high, and brought it smashing down toward the chest. Veins bulged all over his body as he poured all of his Gold Attribute Power into the hammer, causing it to flare with a dazzling, blinding light.

"SHATTER!"

The burly man roared as the great hammer fell. A loud BOOM echoed, and a figure was sent flying straight up into the sky, a spray of blood arcing behind him.

Clearly, the burly man had failed—and failed spectacularly. The terrifying recoil had left him gravely injured. His Sacred Artifact had fallen to the side, crushing a nearby stall.

However, no one dared to touch the Sacred Artifact. It belonged to a Void Spirit Stage expert, and he would surely be back for it soon.

"Next," Shopkeeper Ye said, his expression as placid as ever, gesturing for the crowd to continue.

Yi Tianyun smiled faintly. ’If it could be opened by brute force, Shopkeeper Ye would have done it himself long ago. Even someone at the Spirit King Stage can’t break it open, so what good is a mere Void Spirit Stage expert?’