Black Market

The attribute panel was naturally just a joke from Li Pin.

The so-called [Embrace Dan: 0/514] theoretically required him to strike 514 Dan Jin blows.

Relying on the nourishment of Life Vitality and the heavily optimized Eight Fiends True Fire Strength, he could strike two Dan Jin blows per day even when his qi and blood were depleted.

But that did not mean he had to practice 514 times before he could Embrace Qi into Dan.

This value was constantly changing.

If he obtained a new Embrace Dan method or gained a new understanding of Embracing Qi into Dan, the number might drop from 514 to 500 or 450. If each Dan Jin blow brought him a slight insight, the value added might change from 1 to 2, or even 3.

Besides, one Dan Jin blow was not the same as another.

Bursting forth with qi and blood could produce Dan Jin; emptying all thoughts and driving one's essence, qi, and spirit to a boiling peak could also produce Dan Jin, but the effects were worlds apart.

Therefore, this number was only for reference.

Only by adjusting it at all times according to his own cultivation progress could he achieve the best training results.

"Embracing Qi into Dan before the Jiangzhou Martial Arts Tournament begins will be enough."

Li Pin said.

Embracing Qi into Dan was within sight.

The next step...

"Gang Jin."

Li Pin recalled the Gang Jin videos he had watched. "This kind of force mainly comes from minute resonance. It shakes the body itself, using the body as an amplifier to send that force outward. When a top expert's Gang Jin vibrates at frequencies beyond the speed of sound, it forms a layer of white airwaves. The ancients called it innate gang qi. That is where Gang Jin originally came from."

Shaking one's own body and using it as an amplifier sounded easy, but it was extraordinarily difficult in practice.

Because when one shook one's own body and used it as an amplifier, the first to endure the force's backlash was oneself.

The outer skin, muscles, and bones were one thing.

The backlash borne by the internal organs was the true trial.

If one's physique and internal organs were not tough enough, before the Gang Jin could even be unleashed, one would suffer a backlash first—injured and vomiting blood.

"There are plenty of videos of Dan Jin martial artists online, but videos of Gang Jin grandmasters drop sharply."

Li Pin pondered. "That is because Gang Jin grandmasters count as true upper-class figures. Though they hold Senior Titles, the Martial World carries more weight than other industries, so their status is a cut above those with Senior Titles in other fields. They receive state subsidies and are treated with respect in any setting. There is no need for them to post videos like Dan Jin martial artists to attract traffic and recruit disciples."

They themselves were the traffic.

In a city like Canglong City, with a population of several million, the publicly known Gang Jin grandmasters could be counted on both hands.

Dan Jin martial artists still had wealthy merchants, friends, and relatives gathered around them.

They could be considered successful, and they could help the people around them live better lives.

But around Gang Jin grandmasters...

Among their laughing companions were learned scholars; among those they dealt with were no common men.

They had truly stepped into another stratum.

"With my current foundation of knowledge, physical strength, and understanding of Gang Jin, if I want to train gang qi externally and strengthen my internal organs within, I will probably need..."

Li Pin quickly arrived at a new value.

[Train Gang: 1/6481]

The distant horizon seemed beyond reach.

Still, it did not matter.

"One step at a time on the road, one bite at a time at the table. I'll set a small goal first: strike Gang Jin, then proceed from the outside inward, step by step."

Li Pin calmly accepted the gap between himself and training Gang Jin.

Besides, the Life Vitality cultivated through the Innate Qi Nourishing Technique had an extraordinary effect on nourishing the internal organs.

Backlash, injury, nourishment, recovery.

That itself was a form of training.

It would lay a solid foundation for him to strike Gang Jin sooner.

"It would be best to get some complete manuals or inheritances for cultivating Gang Jin. Hopefully, Friday's private trading market won't disappoint me."

Friday arrived quickly.

At eight that evening, Li Pin took a car to the Luo Family Courtyard on Fangzheng Street.

Because of the space they occupied, large flower markets could not possibly be located in the city center.

The fact that the Luo Family Courtyard stood near a flower market was enough to show that this place was not prosperous.

With Hengyu Mountain beside it—still not fully developed into a scenic area in Canglong City—the place seemed somewhat desolate at night.

Yet when Li Pin arrived at the Luo Family Courtyard, it appeared quite lively. There was even a considerable flow of people through several old alleys beside the courtyard.

Most of these people, like Li Pin, wore deep-colored clothes, hats, and masks. Some had even wrapped themselves from head to toe, altering their body shapes.

Moreover, most of them looked sturdy, brimming with vitality and vigorous qi and blood. It was clear they had achieved something in martial arts.

Someone stood guard at the entrance to every alley, with a warning sign beside them.

Under the lamplight, the words on it were clearly visible.

No loud noises.

No forced buying or selling.

Do not ask where goods came from.

Once money and goods changed hands, no responsibility would be assumed.

There were more than a dozen rules in all.

Li Pin gave them a glance and entered one of the alleys.

Several dozen people had spread stalls across the ground in the alley. There were not many passersby, only around a hundred or so.

Taking the other alleys into account, one could infer that each time this black market opened, its total foot traffic was probably only around a thousand.

Li Pin inspected the stalls one by one.

The items for sale were a motley assortment.

Cultivation manuals of unknown origin, ancient books from bygone eras, strange objects with unknown effects, medicinal herbs that looked convincing enough, smuggled pills, and tokens, blades, swords, and antiques that came with stories.

But ninety percent of these items held little value.

Fortunately, unlike black markets for antiques and curios, where ninety-nine percent were fakes, this black market still had some people selling genuine goods.

Dragon Tiger Pills that had leaked out from within the Martial Arts Association were among them.

After searching for a while, Li Pin quickly found a martial art that could be cultivated to Embrace Dan.

"Dragon Form Fist, a martial art from Dragon Fist Gym."

This gym was a renowned martial arts school in Jiangzhou.

It had even hired a Gang Jin grandmaster to lend his name to it.

"How much?"

"One hundred and sixty thousand."

One hundred and sixty thousand?

That price was far lower than he had expected.

But it made sense. Dragon Fist Gym held great influence in Jiangzhou. Once someone was discovered secretly practicing its martial arts, those with connections might get off by paying compensation, but those without them could be beaten to death outright without it being surprising.

Besides, when selling manuals on the black market, one could sell to one buyer and then sell to another.

The most crucial point was that if one could Embrace Qi into Dan merely by following a manual, Dan Jin would have long since flooded the world.

Just as very few students could teach themselves from books and then apply to become professors at top universities.

Li Pin did not rush to make a move and continued looking around.

There were quite a few stalls selling Embrace Dan martial arts.

After making a round, he found six Embrace Dan martial arts.

The highest-priced one came from the heir of a declining martial arts school. It was being sold by its owner, with no hidden dangers whatsoever, but its price was also the highest: five hundred thousand.

The remaining ones ranged from one hundred thousand to five hundred thousand.

The one being sold for one hundred thousand was the Five Elements Body Refining Technique, a core inheritance of Canglong City's foremost martial arts power, the Five Elements Sect.

The Five Elements Sect had been established for over forty years. Its branch schools had spread to several surrounding cities, and it even had branches in Jiangzhou, the provincial capital. If it had not taught a hundred thousand students, it had taught at least eighty thousand.

Furthermore, it was a local force in Canglong City, and its disciples and students were scattered throughout every profession.

As he flipped through this Five Elements Body Refining Technique, Li Pin vaguely sensed someone watching this stall.

If he truly bought this body-refining technique...

Whether he could return home safely after leaving the Luo Family Courtyard would be anyone's guess.

Either this stall owner had a big heart for putting the Five Elements Body Refining Technique up for sale.

The ignorant feared nothing.

Or else...

He was targeting the Five Elements Sect from the very beginning.