Ling and Mark arrived on the second floor, feeling a surge of excitement.
Everything here would soon be theirs!
"Hello, madam. Can I help you with anything?"
The service attendant, surprised to see Ling return with a foreigner, approached them.
Ling smiled at her.
"Yes, can you show me the most expensive item in the redemption area?"
Ling figured the most expensive item would undoubtedly be the best. With limited time, she wanted to secure the best first.
"Certainly, please follow me."
Without any suspicion, the attendant led Ling to a display case.
"This is the most expensive item in our redemption area, priced at 150,000 points."
Due to the high demand for the Breakthrough Pill, its price had increased from the initial 100,000 points to 150,000. Although many people grumbled about it, no one felt it was not worth the price, and it did not deter their eagerness.
"Breakthrough Pill?"
Ling looked confused. This was completely different from what she had expected.
She had imagined the most expensive item would be some incredibly beneficial divine artifact, not a pill?
What was a Breakthrough Pill, and how could it help one bypass bottlenecks and enhance true qi? Ling didn't quite understand.
The concept of true qi was unique to China. Other countries, even if they had similar power systems, did not refer to it as true qi. Energy users, for instance, simply called the power within them "energy," which was straightforward.
Could it be a pill that directly allowed one to level up?
Ling's eyes suddenly lit up as she recalled something.
Ling's face beamed with excitement. If her guess was correct, it would indeed be very powerful.
Just as Ling was about to smash the glass casing to grab the Breakthrough Pill, an alarm suddenly blared throughout the second-floor redemption area.
Woooo~ Woooo~
The piercing sound startled everyone present.
The service attendant who had been introducing Ling to the items immediately changed her expression upon hearing the alarm. She rushed to the nearest pillar and pressed a red button.
Clang! Clang! Clang!…
One by one, the display cases were covered with thick armor. The heavy armor descended with loud thuds.
Ling, who had just reached out, had not even touched the glass before the display case in front of her was completely protected by armor.
"Everyone, evacuate immediately!"
At this moment, Dongfang Tingyin arrived and shouted at the people in the second-floor hall.
Everyone hastily fled towards the stairwell.
However, not many chose to leave; instead, they hid in the stairwell, secretly observing the situation on the second floor.
Who would want to miss such a rare spectacle?
Ling did not stop the fleeing crowd. She drew a knife and slashed at the armor of the display case. A red aura emanated from the blade.
Ling's single strike only left a shallow scratch on the armor.
This armor had been specially crafted by Su Fan from manufacturers of rare metals. It was extremely durable, and even someone with SS-class strength might not be able to break through it, let alone someone with S+-class abilities.
Meanwhile, Mark turned his attention to Dongfang Tingyin.
Mark also put on a pair of glasses, similar to Ling's, used to detect the opponent's strength.
"A+ class?"
Upon seeing Dongfang Tingyin's strength, Mark felt a dismissive disdain.
Just as Ling had said, the Martial Alliance's members were weak. Even this woman who had rushed to provide support was only A+ class.
The security personnel responsible for the second floor immediately adopted a defensive stance.
This was the second time the Martial Alliance had encountered robbers. They had missed the first incident, but this time, they were determined to perform well and earn the boss's favor, perhaps even a Breakthrough Pill.
"Don't move! Hands behind your head, squat down!"
The security personnel, each armed with a custom-made stun gun, pointed them at Mark and issued a warning.
These stun guns were specially made and were ineffective against true experts. However, they were quite potent against martial artists below the Yaoguang realm. A single shot could incapacitate them.
Mark scoffed at them.
"Hmph!"
With a cold snort, Mark appeared in front of a security guard as if he had teleported.
It wasn't actual teleportation, but an illusion created by his incredible speed.
The security guard was startled and immediately pulled the trigger, aiming the stun gun at Mark.
Piu~
A stun bullet shot out from the gun, heading straight for Mark's face.
Mark's eyes turned cold. He quickly raised his hand and caught the incoming stun bullet.
Because the handgun was custom-made, its firing speed was not high, and its lethality was low. It relied entirely on electric shock to subdue enemies.
Mark felt a slight numbness in his hand, but the small current had no effect on him.
He could withstand Thor's lightning with his body, so how could this minor ordinary current possibly affect him?
The stun gun posed no obstacle to Mark. He directly landed a punch on the security guard.
The security guard was sent flying as if hit by a truck.
Dongfang Tingyin, standing behind the security guard, tried to catch him. However, upon contact with the security guard's body, she too was sent flying as if hit by a car, crashing into the wall behind her before coming to a stop.
"Waaah!"
The security guard, who bore the brunt of the impact, spat out a mouthful of blood, suffering severe internal injuries.
Dongfang Tingyin's face also turned pale.
This opponent was too strong!
Mark sneered dismissively.
Just as Ling had said, the Martial Alliance was a weakling that couldn't withstand a single blow. They didn't even have two S-class individuals in their organization.
"Ling, hurry up."
Mark turned and urged Ling.
"Got it!"
Ling replied to Mark before resuming her serious focus on the armor in front of her.
While the armor was tough, she believed she could break through it with her abilities, though it would take some time.
Ling channeled more red energy into her blade, making the entire edge of the sword appear as if it were stained with blood.
With a downward slash, a deep gash appeared on the armor. The gap was wide enough to see the glass casing inside.
Ling's face lit up with joy. If they could open it, their trip would not be in vain.
Mark scanned the surroundings, guarding against the approaching security personnel, giving Ling ample time to break through the armor.
"Nobody move!"
Seeing that the opponents were not initiating an attack, Dongfang Tingyin immediately signaled the security personnel not to act rashly. If the opponents wanted to stall for time, then let them.
The security guards, who had been planning to sneak up and ambush them, stopped in their tracks upon hearing Dongfang Tingyin's command.
"What is the Martial Alliance doing? Where are their experts? Why is it a stalemate?"
The martial artists watching from the stairwell were filled with confusion, unable to comprehend the current situation.
"Who knows? Maybe the Martial Alliance doesn't have any Kaiyang realm experts?"
Some began to doubt whether the Martial Alliance truly had any experts guarding it. Perhaps they didn't? Maybe it was all just speculation before.
"How could that be? Don't forget, the Martial Alliance members beat up the old patriarch of the Ye family during the auction."
"Maybe they're putting on a show?"
Everyone held different opinions.