Blood Martial Black Market Buys Strange Materials, Old Family Enemy Repays Kindness

[Rock Shattering Claw (1%, Third Level)]
[Potential: 5908]

Riding the momentum of his breakthrough to the Second Level of the Wood Element Art, he pressed on in one go, taking the opportunity to push the Rock Shattering Claw to the Third Level realm as well, gaining another 385 points of Potential.

Having broken through two true arts in succession, his blood and energy were somewhat depleted.

He grabbed the nutrient-rich blood food already prepared on the table, tearing into it and swallowing greedily to replenish what he had consumed.

The obvious effect of the First Level of the Wood Element Art was "enduring stamina," while this Second Level focused on "cleansing filth and detoxifying." Its effects were more restrained and not immediately obvious on the surface of the body, yet it scrubbed away hidden dangers in the minutiae.

The Second Level of the Wood Element Art had come to a temporary pause; the focus now needed to return to the tempering of his other true arts.

After all, the Third Level threshold of the Wood Element Art would be the moment of truth.

He had yet to meet that master of his, knowing nothing of his temperament or methods, only that he was a "Fifth Level" powerhouse...

"Fifth Level, huh..."

Chen Duan clenched his fist in the air, his joints popping with a crisp sound.

There was not a hint of fear in his eyes.

Only by swinging the fist of the strong against the even stronger could one appreciate the scenery at the pinnacle of the martial path; only then did the blood truly surge.

Hoo—

With a flicker of his thought, the internal energy of the Rock Shattering Claw began to circulate. As he swung his arms casually, his five fingers sliced through the air, stirring up sharp whistles.

The nature of this true art's internal energy was quite peculiar, like a solitary, arrogant wolf king living in seclusion—occupying its own territory, possessing its own pride and ferocity.

It did not go looking for trouble, but it would never tolerate others encroaching on its territory, which saved Chen Duan quite a bit of worry.

As his realm deepened, his understanding of internal energy became increasingly clear.

He discovered that, much like false arts, many true arts possessed a subtle similarity or commonality in their "nature."

For instance, the Water Soft Palm and the Void Inch Palm both possessed a "soft" quality; the Lingyan Step and the Treading Waves Step were similar in their "lightness" and agility.

He had pondered whether, since their natures were similar, it might be possible to "fuse" these internal energies in an ingenious way.

It would not be a case of the strong devouring the weak, but rather taking the essence and discarding the dross, allowing two or even more types of internal energy to complement each other under Chen Duan's absolute control, forming a more powerful and perfect "whole."

The concept was sound, but the practice was not easy.

At least with his current level of control over his power, he was unable to complete such delicate operations. The result of a forced attempt would still only be one side completely annihilating the other, failing to achieve true "compatibility and integration."

Moreover, having surveyed all the martial knowledge he knew, he had never heard of anyone who could successfully fuse internal energies of different natures.

Perhaps no one could truly achieve it, or perhaps his own perspective remained limited, yet to touch upon the secrets of that higher realm.

His gaze swept over the desk to the side, where several Secret Manuals lay—spoils of war "confiscated" from the Miao Mansion's Martial Masters that day.

Furthermore, after Miao Wu finished tallying the assets of the Tang family, he promised that another batch of Cultivation Techniques and Secret Manuals would be delivered later.

Nowadays, he had absolutely no need to worry about the source of his Cultivation Techniques.

Constantly practicing new techniques and breaking through realms could indeed yield Potential points quickly, but every time he mastered a new True Technique, an additional strand of internal energy was added to his body that required distraction to harmonize, invisibly increasing his burden.

It was precisely for this reason that he pondered whether he could find a way to "smelt" his internal energy and simplify the complex.

Putting aside his chaotic thoughts, Chen Duan rose and left the small courtyard, heading toward the Blood Martial Stage.

The Blood Martial Stage was not merely a place for death matches; it operated numerous gray industries, the Black Market being one of them.

Though called a Black Market, it was actually tacitly approved by—and even partially owned by—the government. It was simply a market that catered only to the powerful and the Martial Masters; ordinary folk had no way of knowing about it, let alone the qualifications to step inside.

"Master Chen, I have already registered your promotion to the Fourth Refinement as you requested."

Little Xie, the steward assigned to Chen Duan, reported respectfully, his eyes filled with disbelief as he looked at Chen Duan.

Chen Duan had not been at the Blood Martial Stage for long. Although his competition frequency was extremely high, his total number of matches was not particularly large; he hadn't even faced the few recognized top powerhouses in the Third Level Arena.

Little Xie had watched all of Chen Duan's matches and had long been won over by his strength. In his original expectations, Chen Duan would challenge all the Third Level powerhouses one by one, eventually reaching the pinnacle of the Third Level and becoming famous throughout Qingzhou.

However, events had unfolded beyond his expectations.

In just a few days, this Lord had quietly broken through to the Fourth Refinement and directly requested to be scheduled for matches in the Four Refinements Arena.

Chen Duan was never one to hide his strength.

To him, the Blood Martial Stage was simply a place to vent his desire for combat.

Since he had already advanced to the Fourth Refinement, remaining in the Third Level Arena would be akin to binding his own hands and feet—there would be no joy in it.

"It's just... Master Chen," Little Xie hesitated, but couldn't help whispering a reminder, "You have only just broken through to the Fourth Refinement, and your realm is not yet stable. Do you need to settle in for a few more days?

The masters in the Four Refinements Arena are all veterans who have been immersed in this realm for many years; their experience and methods are not something the Third Level can compare to."

A Four Refinements Martial Master was already considered a first-class master in the region of Qingzhou, and their numbers were naturally far fewer than those of the Third or Second Levels.

In the past year, Chen Duan was the only new Four Refinements Martial Master to emerge at the Blood Martial Stage.

This meant that Chen Duan's opponents would all be individuals with deep foundations and seasoned, cunning experience.

"Little Xie, I know what I'm doing."

Little Xie immediately shut his mouth, knowing full well that saying too much leads to mistakes.

"It was my place to speak out of turn. Rest assured, I will arrange everything properly for you. It's just that the Four Refinements Arena is not like the lower-tier arenas. These masters are unpredictable in their movements, and the Blood Martial Stage has no entry requirements for them. We have to wait for them to return before a match can begin, so I'm afraid it will take some time."

Hiss~ Chen Duan felt a bit regretful. His Battle Intent was surging today, and he had wanted to properly stretch his limbs.

It seemed that things like having a pillow delivered just as you're getting sleepy didn't happen all the time.

"Sir, this is the Earth Sky Ox Aperture Shell you requested last time. I have already asked an apothecary to grind it into powder, making it easy for you to mix into your medicine."

A merchant presented a Rosewood Box.

The Earth Sky Ox was a type of exotic beast, and the powder ground from its shell was the Core material for concocting the Great Medicine exclusive to the Rock Shattering Claw.

Chen Duan estimated that the time required to practice the Rock Shattering Claw wouldn't be long, so he couldn't be bothered to go through the trouble of capturing and raising them; he simply bought the finished product directly in this Black Market.

Now that he was wealthy and bold, he naturally chose whatever was most convenient.

He also took the opportunity to purchase a batch of materials needed for other Cultivation Techniques before heading home.

However, just as he arrived at his doorstep, he saw that Miao Wu had been waiting there for a long time.

It turned out that the inventory of the Tang family's assets had been completed, and Miao Wu had come personally to deliver Chen Duan's share of the "spoils of war."

In addition to this, Miao Wu had brought two people tightly bound with Rope.

Chen Duan recognized one of them; it was Kuang Jing, the Tang Family retainer he had defeated in the arena at Shuxin Lake that day.

At this moment, his hair was disheveled, but his spine remained straight.

The other person was a stranger named Yun Zhi.

"Master Chen! I beg you to show mercy and spare Brother Kuang's life!"

Upon seeing Chen Duan, the young man Yun Zhi threw himself to the ground, his forehead striking the stone slab with a heavy thud. "It was Brother Kuang who risked his life to send you that warning letter! My life is worthless; you can kill or punish me as you please, I only ask that you let Brother Kuang go!"

Seeing this, Miao Wu stepped forward and quickly explained the situation to Chen Duan.

After listening, a flash of realization crossed Chen Duan's eyes.

So, that anonymous letter that had warned him of the Iron Blood Hand's arrival that night was actually the work of this man.

He signaled for Miao Wu to untie the two men, his gaze falling on Kuang Jing's somewhat stubborn face as he asked with an amused smile:

"Oh? This is interesting. I crippled one of your legs and ruined your future, so why would you turn around and save me?"

Kuang Jing heard this, his voice raspy yet carrying a streak of stubborn pride:

"On that arena, I was the one who issued the Death Duel Challenge; life and death were left to fate! You could have killed me back then, yet you held back in the end."

"Heh." Chen Duan's tone was playful. "I spared you back then simply because I found killing you uninteresting, not out of any deliberate act of mercy."

"But you did not take my life in the end! I, Kuang, do not wish to owe anyone a favor in this lifetime."

"But your actions count as colluding with the enemy, betraying the Tang family. If you hadn't warned me, I might have been killed by Iron Blood Hand, and the Tang family naturally wouldn't have met this current end."