Black Market Treasure Hunting

The underground Black Market of Tianwu City is located beneath an abandoned mine pit to the east of the city.

This place was originally a site for mining Mysterious Iron Ore. After the ore veins were depleted, it was occupied by a group of shady forces and gradually developed into the massive underground trading market it is today.

Yan Kui changed into a loose robe and put on a bamboo hat that covered half his face, doing his best to conceal his overly conspicuous Pig Demon features and large physique.

Although the name "Black Iron Tower" had already made a name for itself in the Asura Arena, he came to the Black Market to hunt for treasures, not to fight. Being low-key never hurt.

The entrance to the Black Market was behind the backyard of a seemingly ordinary blacksmith shop.

Yan Kui paid a "bos entry fee" of ten taels of silver before receiving a black iron token and heading down the dim mine tunnel.

Every few steps along the sides of the tunnel, a luminous pearl was embedded. Though not bright, it was enough to see the path underfoot.

The air was filled with a smell of decay and rust.

After walking for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the path ahead suddenly opened up.

A huge underground cavern appeared before his eyes.

Countless stone chambers and stalls had been carved out within the cavern. The place was bustling with noise and activity, incredibly lively. However, everyone here wore masks or bamboo hats, and they all spoke in hushed tones, exuding an air of mystery and oppression.

"So this is the Black Market..."

Yan Kui's gaze swept across the stalls.

The items displayed on the stalls were a motley assortment, including rusty weapons, unknown ores, incomplete cultivation technique manuals, and even young demonic beasts sealed in cages.

He didn't wander aimlessly but instead activated the system's detection function.

Anything containing high energy would be as conspicuous as a firefly in the dark in his perception.

"That... that... and that..."

Yan Kui walked along, his gaze constantly lingering on the stalls.

Most of the items on the stalls were trash, but within the system's vision, a few faint glowing spots occasionally appeared.

He stopped in front of a stall filled with broken antiques.

The stall owner was a thin old man who was dozing with his eyes squinted.

Yan Kui picked up a bronze wine goblet with a chipped corner and played with it in his hand.

[Detected item with trace Origin Power residue: Ancient Bronze Wine Goblet. Can be consumed. Origin Power +0.1]

A mosquito's leg.

He shook his head, put down the wine goblet, and his gaze fell upon a dark inkstone next to it.

This inkstone looked ordinary, even having some cracks, but in the system's perception, it emanated a rich, dark glow.

[Detected high-energy item: Ink Flood Dragon Bone Inkstone (Sealed). Contains Ink Flood Dragon Essence Blood, can be consumed. Estimated Origin Power +5.0]

5 Origin Power!

Yan Kui's heart leaped with joy, but his expression remained unchanged.

"Boss, how much for this inkstone?"

He picked up the inkstone and asked casually.

The old man opened his eyes and glanced at Yan Kui. Seeing his tall stature, he didn't dare to be negligent and quickly said with a smile, "Esteemed customer has sharp eyes! This is an inkstone used by a great scholar of the previous dynasty. Although it has some cracks, it's still an antique. If you're sincere, you can take it for fifty taels of silver!"

"Fifty taels?"

Yan Kui frowned. "A broken inkstone, ten taels."

"Ten taels? Esteemed customer, that's too harsh..." The old man looked pained. "This is what I got from..."

"Fifteen taels. If not, I'm leaving."

Yan Kui made a move as if to leave.

"Sell, sell, sell! Fifteen taels it is!" The old man quickly stopped him. He had only spent a few hundred coins on this broken inkstone, and no one had wanted it for months. Selling it for fifteen taels was already a huge profit.

Yan Kui threw down the silver, put away the inkstone, and turned to leave.

After walking a distance, he revealed a slight smile.

This was the thrill of finding a bargain.

He didn't rush to consume it but continued browsing.

Over the next period, he made several more purchases.

He spent a hundred taels of silver on a "tiger bone," which was actually the leg bone of a "Thunder Tiger." After consuming it, he gained 2.0 Origin Power.

He spent thirty taels of silver on a tattered travelogue, and hidden within its layers was a "Diamond Talisman." Although it was close to expiring, it could still withstand one blow from the Viscera Refining Realm.

In just half an hour, he spent less than two hundred taels of silver but acquired items worth nearly 10 Origin Power.

"This Black Market is truly a treasure trove."

Yan Kui was in a great mood.

Just as he was preparing to look for stalls selling cultivation techniques, a sudden argument erupted ahead.

"I saw this thing first! Why did you snatch it?"

"On what grounds? Because I'm from the Blood Saber Sect! What, you got a problem with that?"

A crowd had gathered to watch the commotion.

Yan Kui originally didn't want to meddle in other people's business, but a system prompt suddenly exploded in his mind.

[Detected extremely high energy reaction! Location: thirty meters ahead.]

[Estimated Origin Power: ??? (Inestimable, suspected Fragment of an Ancient Exotic Treasure)]

"Extremely high energy? Inestimable?"

Yan Kui's footsteps abruptly halted.

Ever since he got the system, this was the first time he'd heard such a prompt. Even Zhao Wuji's Corpse Pill was only "high energy"; this thing was "extremely high"?

He immediately pushed through the crowd and went in.

He saw a ragged boy, desperately clutching a grayish-white bone fragment, glaring stubbornly at several burly men in red clothes opposite him.

The bone fragment was only palm-sized, with a few blurry runes carved on it. It looked like the bone of a dead person picked up from some mass grave.

But in Yan Kui's eyes, the bone fragment emitted a dazzling white light, even making him feel a tremor from the depths of his soul.

"This thing…"

Yan Kui's pupils contracted sharply.

"Kid, hand over the item if you know what's good for you, and I might even give you a few taels of silver to buy medicine. Otherwise…"

The leader of the burly men in red grinned sinisterly, tapping the boy's cheek with his ghost-head saber, "In this Black Market, killing a person or two goes unnoticed."

"I won't sell it! My dad left it to me!" the boy gritted out, tears welling up in his eyes.

"You want to refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit! Beat him!"

The burly man in red waved his hand, and several of his subordinates were about to rush forward.

"Wait."

A massive figure blocked the boy's path.

Yan Kui took off his bamboo hat, revealing his fierce face covered in black hair.

"I'll take this."

The burly man in red froze, then flew into a rage: "Where did this wild boar spirit come from, daring to interfere with my Blood Saber Sect's business?"

"Blood Saber Sect?"

Yan Kui thought for a moment.

It seemed to be a second-rate gang in Tianwu City, specializing in bullying and extortion.

"Never heard of it."

He shook his head, then looked at the boy, "Name your price."

The boy looked at the man in front of him, who was even more ferocious than the men in red, and flinched, but still held the bone fragment tightly.

"I… I don't want money… I just want a life-saving pill… My dad is dying…"

"A life-saving pill?"

Yan Kui pulled out a jade bottle from his embrace.

This was a "Rejuvenation Pill" he'd found in Zhao Wuji's storage bag. It was merely a low-grade healing medicine for Cultivators, but for mortals, it was a miraculous medicine that could bring the dead back to life and regrow flesh and bone.

"Is this enough?"

He shook the jade bottle.

The boy smelled the medicinal fragrance emanating from the bottle, his eyes instantly lit up, and he nodded frantically, "Enough! It's enough!"

"Then this bone fragment is mine."

Yan Kui threw the jade bottle to the boy and reached out to take the bone fragment.

"You're asking for death!"

The burly man in red, completely ignored, was instantly enraged. He let out a roar and swung his saber at Yan Kui's back.

"Clang--!!!"

A grating sound of metal striking metal rang out.

Sparks flew!

Yan Kui didn't even turn his head.

The thick-backed ghost-head saber struck his back as if it had hit refined adamantine. The immense recoil force surged back along the saber handle. The burly man in red felt a sharp pain in his tiger's mouth, his palm split open, and the ghost-head saber flew out of his hand, spinning through the air and embedding itself deeply into the stone wall far away.

"Scram."

Yan Kui took the bone fragment, turned around, and spat a single word at the burly man in red.

The sound wave was like thunder, making their eardrums buzz.

"You… are you the Black Iron Tower?!"

The burly man in red finally recognized the ruthless individual who had recently gained notoriety in the Asura Arena. Those black hairs and terrifying defensive power were too distinctive.

"Black Iron Tower?!"

The surrounding crowd, who had gathered to watch, let out a collective gasp.

This was the ruthless individual who had even killed Lei Ao!

The burly man in red turned deathly pale. He no longer dared to waste words, picked up his saber, and fled with his subordinates in disgrace.

Yan Kui paid no attention to these minor incidents.

He held the smooth, warm bone fragment, feeling the terrifying energy contained within, and a storm raged in his heart.

This thing...

It had actually caused his internal Raging Bull Fist and Iron Cloth Shirt to resonate strongly at the same time!

"Good stuff."

He calmly pocketed the bone fragment and quickly left the scene.

Such a treasure should not be revealed in front of others.

He needed to find a safe place to study it thoroughly.

If you can't find it by searching the book title, you can try searching for the author. Maybe the name was just changed!