Giant Horned Barbarian Beef

After leaving the entertainment hall, Lu Jue easily got a pass approved by Instructor Wang, then rushed to the market without stopping.

The news he had heard from Zhang Yang had suddenly pulled the string in his heart taut.

With his current strength, he could not guarantee that everything would be foolproof.

That group of young masters was full of capable people. They were nothing like Zhang Yang, all bark and no bite.

He had to become stronger—strong enough to shatter every unwritten rule and injustice!

The afterglow of the setting sun had yet to fade completely, and a streak of orange-red still lingered on the horizon.

This was the market's evening rush hour, and waves of clamor crashed over him.

Lu Jue passed through the crowded main market area. Without so much as a glance at the ordinary meat and vegetables on either side, he headed straight for a relatively isolated building deeper inside the market, with guards posted at its entrance.

This was the "inner market," open exclusively to martial artists and selling Calamity Beast Meat.

The moment he stepped into the hall, the atmosphere changed drastically.

The noise was shut outside. The air circulation system kept the temperature comfortable, and the floor gleamed like a mirror—a world apart from the chaos outside.

More than a dozen female sales attendants in fitted uniforms were stationed throughout the hall, wearing professional smiles and ready to serve customers at any moment.

There were noticeably fewer customers here, but most walked with steady steps and deep, even breaths. They were clearly martial artists with some cultivation under their belts.

The first, second, and third floors were the "fresh meat section," specializing in fresh Calamity Beast Meat that had been safely transported in from outside the city that very day.

It was already seven in the evening, and some stalls had hung up signs reading "Discount" and "Special Price."

Holding onto a sliver of hope, Lu Jue made a few rounds, his gaze sweeping over the price tags—

"Red-Eyed Barbarian Pig Meat, today's special, 1,300 yuan per jin."

"Wind Claw Rabbit Ribs, evening discount, 1,400 yuan per jin."

Even with the discounts, all those zeros in the prices made the corners of his eyes twitch.

He immediately turned and headed for the elevator leading to the higher floors.

The fourth and fifth floors were the "frozen section."

In Tianhai City, spirit-type livestock had an enormous customer base and was almost always in short supply, making frozen Spiritual Meat difficult to buy.

But Calamity Beast Meat was different. It had fewer buyers, and hunting outside the city was filled with unpredictable variables, making both shipment times and available varieties unstable. This had given rise to a massive frozen Calamity Beast Meat market, which could both stabilize prices and ensure a steady supply.

Lu Jue's goal was clear: he wanted to buy some Giant Horned Barbarian Beef, known for its down-to-earth price.

This Wolf-grade Calamity Beast reproduced quickly, was enormous in size, and had passable meat.

Most importantly, the forward bases outside the city had even begun artificially raising them. Supply was plentiful and stable, and their prices were far lower than those of other Wolf-grade Calamity Beasts. They were the first-choice "tonic" for many Commoner Martial Artists looking to try Calamity Beast Meat.

After quickly browsing the meat counters, Lu Jue soon found the huge freezer storing Giant Horned Barbarian Beef.

Chunks of meat, cut into fairly regular pieces and covered in a thin coat of frost, were stacked together in a deep crimson heap.

He carefully checked the storage date on the label. It had been stocked two months ago, before prices had skyrocketed.

There was hope!

A trace of delight rose in his heart as his gaze eagerly shifted to the price tag—

Giant Horned Barbarian Bull (shoulder meat), frozen product, 800 yuan per jin.

The moment he saw the price, Lu Jue's heart sank.

Eight hundred yuan!

The date clearly showed it was stock from before prices had surged, yet its price had still risen by more than thirty percent along with market rates!

Damn it!

Those profiteers would never let go of any chance to raise prices. Their so-called inventory costs were nothing but an excuse!

Lu Jue cursed inwardly without end.

At that moment, a middle-aged man in a work uniform stepped forward and asked,

"Hello, how many jin of Giant Horned Barbarian Beef do you need?"

"Do you have any meat with an earlier date?"

The staff here were highly professional. The man did not slight Lu Jue in the least because of his plain Training Clothes, and answered with a smile,

"The earliest Giant Horned Barbarian Beef is 780 per jin, from three months ago. How much would you like?"

"I need quite a lot. Can you make it cheaper?"

"Sorry, I'm not the owner. This is a state-owned enterprise, so there's no bargaining over prices!"

"Why can't I bargain? Then where's your person in charge? Can we discuss it with them?"

Lu Jue negotiated with the worker for more than ten minutes, and the other man remained patient and attentive throughout.

Only after the last customer beside them had left did the worker suddenly lower his head and quietly say, "Friend, if you want to buy cheaper Giant Horned Barbarian Beef, I get off work in an hour. Wait for me outside?"

Lu Jue froze for a moment, then instantly understood what he meant.

"Alright. I'll wait outside!"

Two hours later.

The sun had completely sunk below the horizon, and night began to shroud Tianhai City.

In a dim alley in the Commoner District, Lu Jue carefully inspected the frozen meat in the burlap sack.

The chunks were unevenly cut and still carried obvious ice crystals. At a glance, they were clearly stock that some employees had secretly skimmed off.

"Are you sure this meat is all genuine?"

The worker, now dressed in casual clothes, immediately became agitated. "Look at those patterns. How could it possibly be fake? Besides, I'm a public employee. If it's fake, just come find me!"

"Alright, alright!"

"There's a total of one hundred jin here. The dates range from one week to ten months ago. If you want it, 600 per jin!"

"Four hundred!" Lu Jue countered.

"Don't play that game with me. One price—500 yuan. Any lower, and I'd rather take it back and keep freezing it!"

"Deal!"

"Here's my business card. If you need more in the future, remember to come find me!"

After the transaction was complete, Lu Jue quickly returned home, took out pots, bowls, and utensils, and began preparing the meat.

The hundred jin of Giant Horned Barbarian Beef was still wrapped in a layer of ice crystals. He did not have time to wait for it to thaw, so he dumped it straight into the pot, mixed in some Energy Powder, and began stewing it.

The Giant Horned Barbarian Beef was exceptionally tough. It took a full three hours to turn it into pot after pot of meat soup.

An aroma completely unlike that of ordinary meat spread through the room.

Lu Jue had looked up information before and knew this was the unique scent emitted by the high-density Spiritual Energy contained within Calamity Beast Meat.

Since the Spiritual Energy Revival, all things on Earth had absorbed Spiritual Energy to varying degrees. Plants had grown taller and lusher. Even an ordinary-looking tree had a far more intricate internal structure and a greatly extended lifespan.

Even ordinary people who had never practiced martial arts contained some Spiritual Energy in their bodies, and their lifespans had generally increased.

The spirit-type livestock Lu Jue had eaten before, Spirit Pigs, descended from some of Blue Star's earliest creatures with exceptionally high Spiritual Energy absorption rates. Their bodies contained Spiritual Energy at considerable concentrations.

Calamity Beasts, on the other hand, were monsters from other worlds that had descended through Spatial Rifts. Their ancestors had gone through hundreds of millions of years of survival of the fittest, and the concentration of Spiritual Energy within them far surpassed that of Blue Star's native creatures.

Not only did they contain more energy per unit of weight, but depending on the type of Calamity Beast, eating them could also bring all sorts of special benefits.

It was said that the meat of certain top-tier Calamity Beasts could even prolong one's life. Netizens jokingly called it "Tang Monk Meat."

At one in the morning, all the meat soup had been separately packed into bowls and basins.

Lu Jue sat in his chair, took a deep breath, and dragged "Sound Location" into the Fast-Track Slot.

Let's get cooking!