Natural Selection, Survival of the Fittest

An hour later.

Chen Qingfeng finally finished sorting through the huge pile of materials on the ground and drew up a quotation.

He handed it to Lu Chuan. "Young Brother Lu, the list is here. The total comes to 1.4738 million. I'll round it up for you—1.5 million. How does that sound?"

"1.5 million!"

Lu Chuan's eyes narrowed, and joy surged within him. The price was far higher than he had expected.

He had looked over the list as well. There was not much difference in the other items; it was more or less what he had anticipated.

Only the materials from the Red Fox and the Ink Cloud Blood Leopard at the end differed rather significantly. The value of those two Fierce Beasts alone added up to more than 900,000.

It seemed he had underestimated the value of those two Fierce Beasts.

Countless thoughts flashed through Lu Chuan's mind, but his face remained calm as he nodded. "No problem. We'll go with your quoted price."

"Good, then I'll transfer the money now."

Chen Qingfeng was immediately overjoyed. Once this deal went through, he would make a small profit as well.

More importantly, he would establish a deeper connection with Lu Chuan.

Lu Chuan had achieved Martial Arts Reaching Rank at such a young age despite receiving almost no Cultivation Resources.

His talent was clearly extraordinary.

So long as he did not die young, he would only grow stronger, and he would kill more Fierce Beasts.

This was a channel that would keep flowing without end!

"Not so fast!"

Lu Chuan had no idea what Chen Qingfeng was thinking. He hurriedly stopped him from making the transfer, then said in a low voice, "I also want to buy a few things."

"Oh... what do you need? Give me a list. I can sell basically anything a Martial Artist might use."

Chen Qingfeng's eyes lit up as he hurriedly said, "Weaponry, potions, even Cultivation Methods and Martial Skills."

"Oh? You have Cultivation Methods and Martial Skills? Aren't those only available in the Inner City?"

Lu Chuan froze, then immediately understood.

Chen Qingfeng had quite the background. Many rules were probably meaningless to him. Lu Chuan chuckled. "What Cultivation Methods do you have?"

After Martial Arts Reaching Rank, his Five Elements Stance Training was no longer sufficient.

Even with the Heaven Rewards Diligence System Panel, he could probably only grind it to the limits of Perfection. Whether he could break through that limit remained unknown.

Besides, Five Elements Stance Training was merely the most basic Stake Technique. It was inherently a notch inferior to Skin Refining Methods.

If he had the chance to switch to a better Cultivation Method, naturally he would not let it slip away.

"You cultivate the Five Elements Stance Training, right?"

Chen Qingfeng studied Lu Chuan and smiled lightly. "I do have several Cultivation Methods here, but only one Skin Refining Method is suitable for you. It is called the Savage Elephant Skin Refining Method.

"It is a Low-grade Skin Refining Method. Once cultivated to Perfection, it can allow you to attain the Cowhide Realm..."

"The Cowhide Realm?"

Lu Chuan was slightly stunned and looked at Chen Qingfeng in confusion.

Although he had practiced martial arts for some time, he knew very little about the realms of the Martial Dao.

Even regarding the true realm divisions after Martial Arts Reaching Rank, he knew nothing beyond the Ninth Rank Skin Refining Realm.

"On the path of the Martial Dao, once you cultivate Internal Strength, you have reached rank in martial arts."

Chen Qingfeng had clearly noticed Lu Chuan's confusion. Yet rather than mock him, he explained patiently. "Those who have just reached rank are in the Ninth Rank Skin Refining Realm, also called Junior Martial Artists.

"Above that is the Eighth Rank Bone Quenching Realm, known as Intermediate Martial Artists.

"The Seventh Rank Viscera Forging Realm consists of Advanced Martial Artists.

"And the Ninth Rank Skin Refining Realm is further divided into four stages: early, middle, late, and Perfection.

"The Cowhide Realm I mentioned is actually a state you reach after attaining Perfection.

"Your Internal Strength spreads throughout the skin and hair over your entire body, making it as tough as ox skin..."

"I see!"

Understanding dawned on Lu Chuan. He then asked in a deep voice, "By your reckoning, there are higher realms beyond the Cowhide Realm."

"Of course. Cultivating ox skin can only be considered the lowest level among Junior Martial Artists at Perfection."

Chen Qingfeng immediately said, "Beyond ox skin, there are Stone Skin and Bronze Skin. However, a Low-grade Skin Refining Method can at most cultivate ox skin.

"To cultivate Stone Skin and Bronze Skin, you need Mid-grade and High-grade Skin Refining Methods.

"However, even a Low-grade Skin Refining Method costs at least 300,000. A Savage Elephant Skin Refining Method like the one I offered you is worth 500,000.

"If you want to buy a Mid-grade Skin Refining Method, the price starts at two million.

"As for High-grade ones, I'm afraid not.

"Those are basically the secret inheritances of the various great factions. You simply cannot buy them on the open market..."

Chen Qingfeng finished all that in one breath, and by then, Lu Chuan's expression had completely changed. He could not help cursing inwardly.

A Low-grade Skin Refining Method cost 500,000, while a Mid-grade one started at two million.

So after walking a circle before Ghost Gate Pass today and trading his life for these gains, he still could not even afford one Mid-grade Skin Refining Method?

What angered him most was not even that, but the Inner City's many factions monopolizing High-grade Skin Refining Methods.

They refused to sell them externally, which was equivalent to cutting off the path of ordinary Martial Artists.

He finally understood why the Inner City's many factions only grew stronger, while ordinary civilian Martial Artists could never shake those great factions.

They monopolized resources, leaving them with nothing to fear.

Civilian Martial Artists could at most cultivate Mid-grade Skin Refining Methods, while the Martial Artists of those great factions could cultivate High-grade Skin Refining Methods.

Both might be at Ninth Rank Skin Refining Realm Perfection, but one had Bronze Skin while the other could at most achieve Stone Skin.

He would not believe there was no gap between them even if beaten to death.

"I know you feel wronged, but this is reality."

Chen Qingfeng saw the fury in Lu Chuan's eyes and said gravely, "The resources of the Inner City factions did not appear out of thin air. Their forebears fought for them with blood, sweat, and even their lives.

"So there is no such thing as unfairness. Everything that exists has its reason.

"You believe the Inner City factions monopolizing resources is unfair.

"But to the people of those Inner City factions, making public the resources their forebears traded their lives for would be the greatest unfairness to them..."

Lu Chuan was stunned. Chen Qingfeng's words struck him deeply.

That was right!

Where in this world was there any absolute fairness? The glory those great factions enjoyed today had also been bought with their forebears' blood.

"Phew..."

Lu Chuan exhaled a breath of turbid air, and his state of mind gradually calmed. A saying suddenly came to him.

Natural selection, survival of the fittest.

There was no absolute fairness in this world. Great factions created monopolies in order to survive. Ordinary civilians like them struggled upward for the same reason: survival.

"So there is no fairness in this world, nor is there so much good and evil. Everyone acts for themselves, fighting over resources."

A trace of enlightenment rose within Lu Chuan. He looked at Chen Qingfeng and said, "I'll take your Savage Elephant Skin Refining Method.

"Besides that, I also need a set of Bow and Arrow suitable for Junior Martial Artists, a War Blade, and a Combat Suit..."