The bounties in the Bounty Arena were separated into ten ranks.
The bounty for the first rank was 50 thousand saint spirit stones, the second rank was 100 thousand, the third was 200 thousand, and the fourth was 300 thousand. There was a big jump in bounty starting from the fifth rank with 500 thousand saint spirit stones, the sixth was 1 million, the seventh was 2 million, the eighth 5 million, and the ninth 10 million.
The tenth rank was meant for the most supreme of bounties. The diamond of all bounties. They would only appear on the final three days. These bounties were of utmost difficulty and were the penultimate event. The lowest reward for a rank ten bounty was 30 million saint spirit stones, but it was only the starting price. The sky was the limit for a bounty of this rank. It was also the most sought after and exciting event. The bounties before it were nothing but a warm-up.
To put it in simpler terms, it was to allow the arena lords and assistants to make some money. At the beginning, the arena lords would often refrain from taking on bounties out of respect for their status. When the assistants completed a bounty, half of it would be distributed to the arena lord. They were guaranteed to make money as soon as they made arena lord. They could earn a large sum of bounty even if they chose not to take on any missions.
Becoming an arena lord was no easy feat. It was so difficult that it bordered on impossible. A large sum of money was required as guarantee in tryouts, and they would lose a tenth of it if they failed. It was why many preferred to be assistants. They had to split half of their bounties to the arena lords, but they didnât have to bear any risks. It was guaranteed profit.
âYanyu, you should return to your sub arena. The amount of customers in this event has already exceeded our expectations. Business is surprisingly good.â Jiang Chen consoled Lin Yanyu after noticing the dejected look in his eyes. The latter probably felt that it was a waste to lose such a big business. He glanced towards the man whoâd just left and saw him walk to another arena.
âDonât bother about him. Heâll come back to us in the end.â Jiang Chen said confidently.
True enough, the man found that none of the other arena lords could solve his problem after walking around. Many tried to swindle him or ask for a extortionist price. None seemed to know exactly how to solve his problem. He was incredibly depressed. Do I really have to seek his help in the end?
Heâd consulted every single arena from the pill dao zone to the general zone. He even went back to Pill King Blue Phoenixâs arena. The pill king had taken another look at his bounty and redirected him to Jiang Chen again. He didnât know whether to laugh or to cry. He recalled how furious heâd been when he left Jiang Chenâs arena. But in the end, he still found himself at the kidâs mercy.
After all, it was a problem that not even the pill king could solve. The pill king recommends that bratâs arena even though he was unable to solve the problem? Does this mean that his knowledge is no match for the mysterious, young arena lord? Truth be told, he would never return to Jiang Chen if he could help it.
Unfortunately, that wasnât the case. He reluctantly returned to Jiang Chenâs arena.
Jiang Chen didnât respond with mockery or contempt. Instead, he welcomed him with a faint smile. Business was business after all. Jiang Chen wasnât going to resort to flattery or ass-kissing to keep him around.
âArena Lord Shao, are you certain that you can solve my problem?â Suspicion due to Jiang Chenâs age was written all over the manâs chubby face.
âMy response is still the same. I wonât force you to make the deal if you think that Iâm unsuitable for the job.â Jiang Chen couldnât be bothered to explain himself.
The fat on the manâs cheeks trembled a little. He gritted his teeth as though heâd finally made a decision. âI believe you. Five million saint spirit stones for this rank eight bounty right?â
Fatties were typically quite miserly, and this chubby one was no exception. However, it seemed like he was determined to solve this problem of his once and for all.
Five million saint spirit stones were deposited in the arena. The chubby man clutched the spirit stones tightly with his two hands and growled. âArena Lord Shao, the Bounty Arena has always had incredible credibility. Itâs also why Iâve come all the way here to join the event. If you take my money and fail me, I will not let you off easy, and neither will the Temple of Cleansing Fire!â
Jiang Chen could tell that the chubby man was definitely capable of paying five million saint spirit stones. He was just incredibly stingy. Paying this sum was like asking for his life. Jiang Chen was equally as amused as he was annoyed.
âFriend, just ask your own conscience. How can this bounty be worth a mere two million? Moreover, five million is already a huge bargain. If your attitude gets any worse, I might get angry and increase the price again.â This wasnât a business he had to accept. His life wouldnât be even mildly affected if he chose not to take the bounty.
The chubby man panicked after hearing that. âDonât! Please donât increase the price! Itâd be easier to scavenge the money from my corpse if you did!â
Swish! Swish! Jiang Chen took up his brush and began writing on a piece of paper without saying another word. It didnât take long before he was done answering the main questions, including the question about the spirit herb, the cultivation method, and the curing method.
âJust do as Iâve written and your problems should be solved. It takes a lot of technique to mass produce true saint rank spirit herbs. Your technique is fine, thereâs just some issues with the details. Itâs often the deciding factor for success.â
This bounty wasnât actually that difficult. The insight of the spirit herbalist was the deciding factor for its difficulty. Those who know, know. Those who donât, struggle.
The chubby man took the instructions and looked at Jiang Chen blankly. âYou really know how to cultivate the Rivercloud Dream Grass?â
âHow on earth would I be able to write you an instruction if I didnât?â Jiang Chen was losing his patience. It was the most idiotic question heâd ever heard.
The chubby man grew more and more surprised. âAre you saying that my inability to cultivate the Rivercloud Dream Grass was all due to the fertilizer and not my technical skills?
Jiang Chen smiled. âHaste doesnât lead to success. More often than not, spirit fertilizers can hasten the grown of spirit herbs, but sometimes it leads to an opposite effect. Your eagerness for its growth is incompatible with the herbâs nature.â
âIs it really that simple?â The chubby man still found it hard to believe.
Jiang Chen replied blandly. âWhy donât you go home and give it a try? If you really need to apply fertilizer, try applying it only at midnight.
The chubby man seemed to have something to say, but Jiang Chen shooed him away with his hands. âAlright, Iâve already you the instructions. If you have any issues, feel free to complain to the Temple of Cleansing Fire.â
The bounty arena organized by the temple. It was only natural that they would handle all of the complaints as well.
The chubby man was more or less convinced now. He was just incredibly reluctant to part with five million saint spirit stones. He felt incredibly aggrieved for paying so much money in exchange for a piece of instruction and a few words. However, he didnât dare to cause any trouble as he knew the rules of the arena. He picked up the instruction and left, grumbling all the way.
Lin Yanyu was kept incredibly busy at the sub arena, but he was still able to keep an eye on the main arena. He was elated when he saw the chubby man return to the arena to pay five million saint spirit stones. The amount of foresight his master had was unbelievable!
Master is truly incredible! It wouldâve taken us many hours of labor to make five million! we better work harder to keep up. Lin Yanyu didnât remain remain idle. He had many bounties to claim as well. He was the first in line at the Jiang Chenâs sub arena, and was the first person everyone sought. Customers would only be sent down the line if he was busy. Thus, he was practically never without a customer.
By the end of the day, Jiang Chen had only completed two bounties. One was rank eight, and the other rank seven. However, it was a bountiful day for the assistants beneath him. They were swamped with bounties, and made a total sum of sixty million on the first day.
As the arena lord, Jiang Chen would receive half of it. He made roughly forty million on the first day if the two bounties heâd completed was added to the count. Forty million wasnât exactly a large sum to him, but it was incredibly easy money. So much so that he was still in disbelief over how much he made in so little time. Moreover, this was only the first day. Everyone knew that the public mostly preferred to observe on the first day. The following days were only going to be busier.
The public would soon scramble to post their bounties because the event only lasted for fifteen days. If one waited for too long, they might have lose their chance to post a bounty. Jiang Chen made sixty million on the second day, and profits broke through the 100 million mark on the third day.
Profits stabilized on the fourth to sixth day. They hovered around the 100 million to 150 million mark. Something interesting finally happened in the arena on the seventh day. Jiang Chen finally received a rank nine bounty.
Emperor Peerless had actually received rank nine bounties on a daily basis. The public had a lot of trust in him due to his reputation. Thus, almost everyone looking to post a high rank martial dao bounty would seek his help. Pill King Blue Phoenix had already received two rank nine bounties, while Master Wang Xuetong had received one.
Jiang Chen only received his first rank nine bounty after seven days. Moreover, it was a bounty that even Master Wang Xuetong was unable resolve. It was a question related to spirit beasts. The one who posted the bounty was a noble youth from a great clan in Pillfire City. These people often had vast wealth, but an incredibly short temper.