The Chaotic Black Market

At this moment, Black Panther sat in the seat of honor, his expression turning somewhat grim.

He looked at Scarred Leopard seated beside him and said coldly, "I never expected that old bastard Black Tiger to notice."

"Taking advantage of the war with the Ten Thousand Blades Sect, we killed quite a few of his trusted men. Looks like he can't sit still any longer."

"Heh."

Scarred Leopard sneered twice at those words, his gaze equally icy, though it soon returned to calm. "He's nothing more than an aging tiger. He can no longer hold the field."

"You don't seriously think we're the only ones in the gang with other ideas, do you?"

"He wants his son to take over? Has he even looked to see whether that son of his is worthy?"

"But the most important thing now is breaking through to the Blood Changing Realm as soon as possible. Once we do, with the strength of us two brothers, what's the harm in laying all our cards on the table?"

"Exactly."

Black Panther nodded in agreement after hearing Scarred Leopard's words.

After all, he was already at Viscera Refining Perfection, only a single step away from breaking through to the Blood Changing Realm.

When that time came, with their strength at the same realm, they would surely hold victory in their hands against that old, frail bastard Black Tiger, whose qi and blood were already depleted.

Meanwhile,

After leaving, Bai Ze returned directly to his residence.

After all, he had also sensed that something was wrong within the Black Tiger Gang. Their war against the Ten Thousand Blades Sect had begun far too suddenly.

Combined with the rumors he had previously heard that the Gang Leader intended to pass his position to his son, chaos would likely break out before long.

After all, Bai Ze did not believe that a martial artist who had only just broken through to the Late Viscera Refining Realm could smoothly inherit the position so easily.

Yet Leopard Hall, under the control of the Black Panther and Scarred Leopard brothers, had begun gathering factions and cliques several years ago. They had also become increasingly perfunctory in carrying out the Gang Leader's orders.

If they had no other intentions, Bai Ze himself would not believe it.

But for Bai Ze at present, increasing his own strength remained the most important matter.

Taking out the martial skill in his hand, he said calmly, "The Seven Wind Chasing Swords came at exactly the right time. It suits me best right now."

"Although the Sword Drawing Technique has already reached Great Accomplishment, it focuses on instantaneous eruption, killing with a single strike. When used by surprise, it can also inflict tremendous damage."

"But its weakness is equally obvious: it cannot sustain an attack."

"If the first strike fails to kill, the attacks that follow will weaken considerably."

"Now that I have this sword technique, it can make up for that flaw. It will be of no small help in increasing my strength."

Clearly, whether it was for increasing his own strength or obtaining Talent Points, he needed to cultivate the Seven Wind Chasing Swords as soon as possible.

He then glanced at the other bottle of Body Tempering Pills. Though there were only three pills, they could still allow him to break through to Late Bone Refining a little sooner.

After swallowing a Body Tempering Pill, Bai Ze swiftly drew his longsword and began practicing the Seven Wind Chasing Swords in the courtyard.

His swordsmanship was elusive and unpredictable, as though chasing the wind. At times it drifted like a gentle breeze; at others, it struck like a raging gale.

A short while later,

Once Bai Ze sheathed the longsword in his hand, he opened the system interface and saw the words: Seven Wind Chasing Swords, Beginner (3%).

At the same time, his Talent Points, which had originally numbered only twenty-three, had become twenty-five.

However, he was still quite a ways from upgrading his talent once more.

He could also feel a slight increase in the qi and blood within his body, while the bones throughout his body had hardened by several degrees.

He murmured, "With my current talent, if I have enough Body Tempering Pills, I can break through in half a month."

"But after all these years of cultivation, I haven't managed to save much. Even including what I took from Li Fei, I only have a little over four hundred taels of silver."

"Looks like I don't just need to find a large number of martial skills. I also need a large amount of money. The road ahead is long and arduous!"

But Bai Ze was not discouraged. He had made it this far without a system before, let alone now.

The next day,

Bai Ze first collected this month's offering. As a Deputy Hall Master, he now received two hundred taels of silver and three Bone Forging Pills every month.

Then he returned to his residence and continued cultivating, seizing every possible moment.

In the middle of the night, a black figure silently leaped out.

That person was Bai Ze. He wore a black mask over his face, making him difficult to recognize.

He went straight to the Black Market on Eastway Street in Changqing County. This place dealt in goods acquired through murder and robbery.

Murder, robbery, and commissions for all kinds of assassinations were even common occurrences here.

After all, everyone here concealed their identities. People from every walk of life gathered here, and as long as one could pay enough money, anything was possible. It was utterly lawless.

The reason Bai Ze had come here was to search for various martial skills and thereby improve his talent.

After wandering around for a while, Bai Ze spotted someone also dressed in black night-walking clothes and wearing a mask. The person was wrapped from head to toe so tightly that it was impossible to tell whether they were male or female.

Several martial skills were laid out on the carpet before them, with a faint candle burning at the side, seemingly so people could see clearly.

Bai Ze stepped forward and asked without revealing anything in his expression, "How much for the Iron Stance Skill, Fierce Wind Saber Technique, and Flying Hair Legs?"

"The Fierce Wind Saber Technique is three hundred and fifty taels. The other two are one hundred taels and one hundred and fifty taels respectively."

After glancing at Bai Ze, the black-clad person replied in a deep voice.

Hearing the voice, Bai Ze had not expected the person to be a woman.

However, he could not be certain. There were martial skills capable of altering one's voice, after all.

After pondering for several seconds, Bai Ze still tossed down six hundred taels of silver. Once the other party confirmed that the amount was sufficient, they handed over the martial skills.

But Bai Ze did not leave immediately after taking them. He gave the other party a deep look before saying in a low voice, "If you have any other martial skills, bring them all out. I'll take them all."

"Money and goods are settled. We can talk about what comes later when it comes."

After saying that, the other party turned and left without even looking back, vanishing into the night in the blink of an eye.

Although Bai Ze did not have much silver now, that did not mean he would not have more in the future. Besides, he could never have too many martial skills.

But since the other party had chosen to leave directly, it did not matter. He could obtain martial skills through other means.

Bai Ze did not pay it any mind. After another glance, he turned and walked outside as well.

Just after leaving the night market,

Bai Ze did not hurry away. Instead, he turned into a small alley.

He had already sensed that something was wrong earlier.

Sure enough, beneath the moonlight, three black figures followed him into the alley and blocked the exit.

Seeing this, Bai Ze did not waste a single word. He drew his longsword and charged forward.

With an instantaneous burst of power, he used the Sword Drawing Technique. Before one of them could react, he sliced open the man's throat.

The other two had not expected him to dare attack first despite facing three opponents alone. Once they recovered, they drew their sabers and slashed at him angrily.

"You fucking bastard, you dare attack first? Kill him and avenge our second brother!"

"We originally planned to spare your life, but now you're dead for sure!"

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

But ideals were full and plump, while reality was painfully thin.

They were merely one Late Skin Refining martial artist and one Early Bone Refining martial artist. Beneath several flashes of sword light, they had already fallen to the ground.

Bai Ze sheathed his longsword, quickly searched the bodies, then leaped out of the alley and vanished into the night.