Target Completed!

Lingyun County's city gates were already visible in the distance,

Instructor Yang, who was driving, and the wealthy merchant inside the carriage let out a long sigh of relief at the same time,

A wave of fatigue and slackened tension after the arduous journey spread through them.

At last, they had reached the end of this trip!

"Sir!"

The wealthy merchant nimbly leaped down from the carriage and hurried over to the fifth carriage,

He bowed deeply to Su Xian, who sat upright inside, his manner utterly deferential,

"Once we enter the city, if you have nowhere to stay, I would be honored to arrange a quiet residence for you, as a small token of my appreciation!"

"No need!"

Su Xian's voice was flat as he cleanly rejected the merchant's goodwill.

Before his voice had even faded, he had already drifted out of the carriage like a ghost, his figure flashing,

He went straight into the noisy stream of people in Lingyun County and vanished in an instant into the shadow of the city gate tunnel.

Protecting this merchant's caravan had merely been a convenient undertaking for him,

His true objective was to infiltrate Lingyun County's Black Market and obtain that Fourth-grade Body Tempering Martial Skill.

The merchant watched that back, deep and imposing as an abyss and a mountain, recede into the distance,

Only then did the taut string of his heart truly relax, as though a thousand-jin burden had been removed from his shoulders.

Traveling alongside an expert with such profound aura and unfathomable strength,

Every moment had been like walking on thin ice, the invisible pressure nearly suffocating him.

Fortunately, this baleful figure was not as bloodthirsty as the notorious Scarred Twin Heroes!

"Move out!"

Instructor Yang shouted, cracking his whip and urging the five fully loaded carriages forward as they rumbled through Lingyun County's gates.

As soon as he entered the city, Su Xian did not hurry into action. Instead, he found an inconspicuous inn to rest at,

While recuperating, he quietly investigated Lingyun County's local customs and the distribution of its forces.

The order here was indeed far better than in chaotic Blackwater County; the County Yamen could still maintain a measure of decorum.

At root, this was probably because the place lay far from the Green Dragon Mountains,

The Demon Race in the mountains could not be bothered to travel such a great distance to cause trouble here,

And so Lingyun County had managed to retain a rare semblance of peace.

By noon the next day, Su Xian had already ascertained the Black Market's exact location.

However, he did not hurry there. Instead, he planned to go at night.

The setting sun sank westward, and dusk closed in from all sides.

Su Xian sat alone in an elegant booth on the second floor of a restaurant, leisurely savoring the dishes while his gaze swept over the streets below.

He saw a group of haggard, ragged people,

Yet their eyes burned with an almost fanatical fire as they muttered under their breath,

Repeatedly chanting the White Lotus Cult's strange maxims about the Unborn Old Mother and the Vast Homeland, they staggered down the long street.

"The White Lotus Cult?" Su Xian's brows drew together slightly.

"I didn't expect that even seemingly peaceful Lingyun County would be occupied by such evil heretics?"

He mused inwardly and shook his head slightly.

As far as he knew, the White Lotus Cult was a heretical religion that had taken advantage of the collapse of the imperial court's order,

Spreading and multiplying throughout the government and the populace like a plague.

In Su Xian's eyes, its essence was no different from the martial-world gangs fighting over territory,

It merely used even more sinister and ruthless means to beguile people and expand its power!

Its tentacles had long since seeped into every corner of the empire's territory,

Even though some people in the imperial court wanted to uproot it completely, they were often powerless to do so, able only to cry out in despair.

Su Xian withdrew his gaze and shook his head. The White Lotus Cult had nothing to do with him either!

After paying, Su Xian drifted out of the restaurant.

He casually bought a square of black cloth from a roadside stall and covered his face with it, concealing his features,

Then he arrived at Lingyun County's Black Market.

Upon stepping into this underground world, Su Xian immediately began searching for his target.

Lingyun County's Black Market was a size smaller than Blackwater County's, and its layout was somewhat cramped.

Perhaps because the order aboveground was slightly better, trade here seemed even more deserted, with much weaker demand.

Su Xian walked steadily, his eyes sharp as lightning as they roamed over the many stalls.

Before long, a target caught his attention.

Although the stall owner had changed his appearance and deliberately dressed plainly, Su Xian was already ninety percent certain.

There was no other reason: the various martial skills and cultivation methods sold at this stall were all marked considerably cheaper than those of the others,

This bargain was exactly the same as when he had traded in Blackwater County.

"Blackwater County. One Fourth-grade Body Tempering Martial Skill."

Su Xian walked up to the stall and spoke plainly and directly.

Hearing this, the stall owner abruptly raised his head and carefully sized up the masked customer before him,

A trace of surprise flashed through his eyes before turning into a smile:

"Same old rules. One hand gives the money, the other gives the goods!"

Su Xian nodded slightly, his slender fingers drawing a thousand taels' worth of banknotes from his robes and handing them over.

The stall owner accepted the banknotes and rubbed his fingertips over their surface, unable to keep from grinning:

"Hey, looks like you struck a windfall recently, kid!"

With that, he swiftly drew an old, yellowed manual from inside his close-fitting robes. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed it toward Su Xian.

Su Xian reached out and caught it securely, his fingers moving like a gust of wind as he rapidly flipped through the pages.

In an instant, the mysterious Demon Strategy in his mind glimmered faintly,

And completely recorded the martial skill named Savage Dragon Bone Tempering Force.

It really was a Fourth-grade Body Tempering Martial Skill!

With only a hurried glance at its essential principles, Su Xian had already seen how extraordinary this technique was!

Among Fourth-grade Body Tempering Martial Skills, it was unquestionably of the highest caliber!

If cultivated to perfection, the strength of its physical body would be enough to withstand a martial expert in the Initial Organ Nourishing Realm head-on!

"Not bad. The money and goods have changed hands."

Su Xian nodded in satisfaction, tucked the manual into his robes, and turned to leave.

"Wait!"

The stall owner's voice rang out again.

Su Xian's steps halted, and he turned his head to look back.

"Do you need any other martial skills or cultivation methods, kid?"

A sharp glint flickered in the stall owner's eyes as he asked in an enticing tone, "Still Fourth-grade, at the original price!"

"Oh?"

Su Xian's brows lifted slightly. "Still Fourth-grade, for the same price?"

"Exactly! I still have two excellent pieces hidden away, both saber techniques!"

"What do you say? Want to take them all as well?"

The stall owner nodded repeatedly, his eyes burning as he stared at Su Xian.

"Two Fourth-grade saber techniques?"

Su Xian pondered for a moment, sharp light shifting through his eyes.

He was just about to evolve his own saber technique to Fifth-grade, and these two items were precisely excellent nourishment that could save him a considerable amount of precious Demon Lifespan.

Once he had made up his mind, he stopped hesitating, reached into his robes, and took out another two thousand taels' worth of banknotes.

"Bring them out."

"A straightforward customer! Refreshing!"

The stall owner laughed heartily as he accepted the banknotes,

Then he felt around inside his robes and pulled out two manuals still carrying the warmth of his body, tossing them to Su Xian.

Su Xian moved both hands at once, flipping through the two saber manuals at astonishing speed. He had already reached a conclusion in his heart.

These two saber techniques were vicious in their moves and powerful in their force. Even among Fourth-grade Martial Skills, they ranked among the better ones, with formidable power!

Though he still had more than six hundred years of Demon Lifespan, he should save wherever he could,

If money could be exchanged for reduced Demon Lifespan consumption, this deal was exceedingly worthwhile.

After storing away all three manuals, Su Xian did not linger. He turned and prepared to leave the Lingyun Black Market.

There was nothing else he needed here, and the prices were inflated. Having achieved his objective, he had to leave as quickly as possible.

"Is this the person who traded with me in Blackwater County? He feels somewhat different!"

"Though he's wearing a mask, his height and build seem to have changed too. That probably isn't his real appearance!"

"Looks like he's still a Bone Tempering Realm martial artist! Interesting!"

Watching Su Xian's departing back, the stall owner revealed a faint smile.

"The trade is finished. This place isn't safe to linger. If I stay any longer, trouble will probably come knocking."

He muttered under his breath, a trace of wariness flashing through his eyes,

His hands and feet moving with extraordinary speed as he swept all the items off his stall,

His figure quickly vanished into the tangled dark alleys of the Black Market.

After leaving the Black Market, Su Xian could not help frowning.

He sensed two people quietly following behind him.

"Again? Fine. This is just the chance to test my Lightning Flowing Fire Slash!"