Techniques Secured

At this moment, the streets were bustling.

The scents of all kinds of food mingled with the cries of street vendors and the laughter of children... It looked nothing like the dead silence of nighttime.

Ling Yun walked through the crowd, looking at Zhang Mu trailing behind him with a fawning expression, and felt a headache coming on.

"What are you following me around for all the time?"

After leaving the Demon Suppression Division, Ling Yun had not returned to the Black Tiger Martial Hall. In fact, he had no intention of ever going back.

It was not because he bore a grudge over being abandoned by the martial hall. Mainly, there was little point in staying there any longer when it came to improving his strength.

This was the perfect chance to leave outright.

But what he had not expected was that Zhang Mu seemed to have a screw loose somewhere. The man stubbornly insisted on following him, more troublesome than dog-skin plaster.

Seeing Ling Yun's impatience, Zhang Mu scratched his head awkwardly. "Master Ling, I sincerely want to follow you. Please take me in. I'll do whatever you want!"

Ling Yun shot him a disdainful glance. Just as he was about to drive him away directly, he suddenly paused.

There really was something this kid might be able to help with.

Glancing at the restless Zhang Mu beside him, Ling Yun said irritably, "Enough. Come with me."

Zhang Mu's face lit up, and he hurriedly scampered after him.

He did not know why, either, but somewhere in the dark, he seemed to feel that he absolutely had to follow the man before him!

Inside an inn.

"So there are only this many martial halls in all of Cloud City?" Ling Yun looked at the crooked, uneven writing on the slip of paper before him, somewhat surprised.

He had originally thought there would be at least a dozen or so, but excluding the Black Tiger Martial Hall, there were only six martial halls in total.

Zhang Mu nodded with certainty. "There's nothing to be done about it. Master Ling, you should know that anyone capable would definitely join the Demon Suppression Division. Even if they couldn't, they could spend a little money to get an official post and eat from the imperial bowl. That's far better than becoming a miserable martial artist."

"So over the years, martial halls have declined more and more. Now, only these few are barely holding on."

"By the way, Master Ling, what are you gathering information on these martial halls for?"

Ling Yun glanced at him. "Don't ask what you shouldn't."

Zhang Mu smiled awkwardly and quickly shut his mouth, not daring to ask any more.

Ling Yun turned his gaze back to the slip of paper and frowned in thought.

The situation of martial artists was even more miserable than he had imagined.

Still, that was only normal. Though the threshold for becoming a martial artist was not high, it did exist.

If an ordinary person wanted to practice martial arts, then without talent, it was basically difficult even to get started.

Even with talent, and even if one could endure the pain of training, it often took years or even decades to achieve anything!

Such sluggish efficiency was enough to drive most people to despair.

But for him, there was no need to worry too much about that.

As long as he got his hands on the techniques, he could force them up with Modification Points!

And the reason he had gathered information on these martial halls was naturally for their martial techniques.

There was no helping it. Though martial arts in Cloud City were becoming increasingly desolate, control over cultivation techniques remained extremely strict.

If an ordinary person wanted to practice martial arts, they first had to join a martial hall.

And even after entering a martial hall, they would not immediately be taught any techniques. They had to undergo a long evaluation period—first, to judge their compatibility with the technique, and second, to prevent those with ulterior motives from getting the techniques and running off.

Thus, Ling Yun naturally ruled out such a time-consuming method.

As for killing people and seizing treasures, though the chances were small, he did not want to draw the attention of those people from the Demon Suppression Division again because of it.

That left only one method.

As the saying went, money could make even ghosts turn millstones. No matter how tight the defenses were, there would always be people willing to walk the tightrope.

Those people were precisely Ling Yun's targets!

Of course, with his unfamiliar face, even if he had money, no one would likely dare trade with him.

That was where Zhang Mu came in.

Ling Yun swept his gaze across the list, then pointed without hesitation at two martial halls. "Zhang Mu, no matter what method you use, get the martial techniques from these two places into my hands as soon as possible."

"If you complete this to my satisfaction, you can follow me from now on. Otherwise, go back where you came from."

Zhang Mu's face brightened at once. Though he did not know why Ling Yun wanted to collect these martial techniques, this was undoubtedly a perfect opportunity to prove his worth.

"Copper Skin Martial Hall, Spirit Shadow Martial Hall..."

Zhang Mu muttered the names twice, then patted his chest without hesitation. "Don't worry, Master Ling. If nothing else, I haven't spent these years in Cloud City for nothing. I know all sorts, from every walk of life. I guarantee I'll complete the task!"

After speaking, he looked at Ling Yun and scratched his head sheepishly. "Um... Master Ling, you know, all my belongings from before were offered up as tribute... Hehe... hehe."

Ling Yun naturally understood what he meant and flicked out two banknotes. "Handle the money as you see fit. If you run into any trouble, you can tell me directly. But you must get the goods into my hands as soon as possible!"

With a whoosh, the two banknotes vanished. By the time Ling Yun looked again, Zhang Mu had already dashed out the door in a cloud of dust. "Don't worry, Master Ling! Wait for my good news!"

Watching his retreating figure disappear, Ling Yun shook his head with a laugh.

As for whether Zhang Mu would run off with the money, Ling Yun said nothing. He merely slowly closed his eyes.

Time flew by. An hour before sunset.

Inside a remote teahouse.

"Master Ling, this is the person I told you about. This guy has everything you want."

Zhang Mu pointed at the mysterious person before them, whose entire body was shrouded in a black robe and whose face was hidden behind a mask, introducing him to Ling Yun with a smile.

"Cut the crap. Did you bring the money or not?" The mysterious person's tone was rather impatient.

Ling Yun frowned slightly but said nothing, merely glancing at Zhang Mu beside him.

Understanding at once, Zhang Mu pulled two five-hundred-tael banknotes from his robe and handed them over.

That was right. A single cultivation technique cost five hundred taels!

That price was enough for an ordinary family to live free from worries over food and clothing for several years.

And these techniques could be sold repeatedly. From that alone, one could imagine how enormous the web of profits behind them was.

But for Ling Yun, who had just obtained several thousand taels in banknotes from the Deng Family, it was barely acceptable. After all, the most important thing now was to get the techniques first.

After putting away the banknotes, the mysterious person took two books from his robe and tossed them onto the table.

"You should know the rules. If you dare speak of this matter..."

After saying that, he rose, intending to leave.

But before he could stand up, Zhang Mu walked over with a grin and placed both hands on his shoulders.

"Don't be in such a hurry to leave, brother."

"What is the meaning of this?" The mysterious person's voice turned cold, and a powerful force of blood and qi suddenly erupted from his body. He was actually a Force Conduit martial artist as well!

Caught off guard, Zhang Mu's hands were violently knocked away.

"Not bad, kid. Try this again!"

Feeling that he had lost face, Zhang Mu's blood and qi surged at once. Just as he was about to strike again, Ling Yun stopped him with a wave of his hand.

Ling Yun casually flipped through the two books on the table and said calmly to the mysterious person, "No matter what, you should let me verify whether the goods are genuine first, shouldn't you?"

The mysterious person gave a disdainful laugh and sized Ling Yun up and down. "How do you want to verify them? Don't tell me you want me to watch you practice them a few times here?"

"Money and goods have already been exchanged. I have no time to waste with you any longer."

"Keep yapping, and don't blame me for getting rough with you!"

Half an hour later.

As the last ray of sunlight was about to vanish, a young man with his mask crooked beside him and his face battered black and blue wailed, "Two masters, I'm just a runner. Please show mercy and spare me."

Seeing how bedraggled he looked, Zhang Mu could not help but sneer.

"You brat, shut your mouth. If you dare disturb Master Ling again, don't even think about leaving today!" Zhang Mu borrowed the tiger's might, looking every bit like a petty villain drunk on newfound power.

Seeing the man's timid, shrinking appearance, Zhang Mu immediately felt refreshed from head to toe.

Only today did he realize how satisfying it was to cling to a powerful thigh!

Ling Yun ignored the two of them. He quickly skimmed through both books, and then his gaze gradually lost focus. To outsiders, he looked as though he were simply staring blankly.

But in truth, a transparent panel had already appeared before Ling Yun.

Name: Ling Yun

Martial Techniques: Tiger Blade Technique—Fourth Layer (Can Be Modified), Vajra Body—Not Yet Initiated (Can Be Modified), Phantom Step—Not Yet Initiated (Can Be Modified)

Modification Points: 6

It worked!

Looking at the two newly added techniques on the panel, Ling Yun could not help but feel delighted.

Raising his head and seeing the two men staring at him eagerly, he gave a small cough and turned to the young man. "By the way, do you have any martial techniques similar to internal cultivation methods? If you do, money won't be a problem."

"Internal cultivation methods?" The young man froze for a moment, then thought carefully before shaking his head, indicating that he did not have such techniques.

As though afraid Ling Yun would be dissatisfied, he hurriedly added, "Master, not just me—even all of Cloud City couldn't possibly have that kind of thing. Perhaps only the larger cities nearby might have them."

Though Ling Yun was somewhat disappointed, he said nothing more. At least he now had a direction.

"Fine. You can go."

He waved his hand, signaling that the man could leave.

The young man immediately felt as though he had been granted amnesty and vanished in a puff of smoke.

Watching him disappear, Zhang Mu curled his lips disdainfully. If Ling Yun had not spoken, he would have even wanted to take back the thousand taels in banknotes they had paid!

If Ling Yun had known what he was thinking, he would definitely have kicked him on the spot.

If you're thinking so much, then fucking do it!