Silver Armor Technique Perfected, Entering the Black Market!

Over the next few days, Chen Mo occasionally came to the Inner District. He was not there to visit Chen Ying and the others, but simply to wander around, pass the time, and learn more about the situation within the county.

Thus, Chen Mo often stayed in the restaurants and teahouses near the entrance between the Inner City and Outer City, sometimes for half a day at a stretch.

Public security in the Inner District was far more stable than in the Commercial District. Whether Martial Arts Schools or gangs, none would choose—or dare—to fight or cause trouble here, because it was too close to the Inner City.

If they accidentally displeased some important figure from the Inner City, it would bring them a devastating blow.

A single city wall divided Hequ County into two different worlds.

Because he was near the entrance, Chen Mo occasionally saw people entering and leaving the Inner City: members of merchant associations, elites from Martial Arts Schools, and martial artists from great Lineages...

Compared to those in the Outer City, the Inner City residents possessed much stronger Essence Qi and spirit. Their eyes carried pride, as though they rather looked down on Outer City residents.

After deliberately approaching them, Chen Mo did not sense any threat from these people, which put him greatly at ease.

On the surface, Hequ County had no martial artists in the Qi and Blood Realm. The strongest group known to the public was merely at the Divine Valor Realm.

By that logic, with Chen Mo's current Divine Strength Realm cultivation, he was already standing near the peak of the County Town. Among the younger generation, surely none could rival him.

But while one need not fear ten thousand possibilities, one must fear the one exception. He still needed to guard against the formidable experts of the older generation.

In terms of combat experience and methods, Chen Mo was certainly far inferior to those long-established experts within the county, so he still had to remain cautious.

The Divine Strength Realm was far from enough. At the very least, he needed to reach the Divine Valor Realm before he could move about more freely. Better yet, he could become a Qi and Blood Realm martial artist.

Without actively seeking trouble for himself, Chen Mo quietly enjoyed life while improving his strength.

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye. Feeling the great surge in his strength, Chen Mo picked up the blade beside him and pressed its edge against his arm. He gradually exerted force, and only when he used thirty percent of his strength did he barely feel pain. A white mark was all that appeared on his skin.

After he released the blade, the white mark disappeared within seconds.

The Silver Armor Technique reached Perfect Accomplishment in ten days, four days faster than the Turtle Breath Health Cultivation Technique. The benefits of improving my aptitude are truly enormous, Chen Mo thought.

Do not underestimate those four days. That was enough time to "cultivate" two Trash Tier techniques to the Perfection Realm.

With the Silver Armor Technique cultivated to Perfect Accomplishment, Chen Mo felt that his strength had risen by a great deal. His entire body seemed clad in silver armor. With thirty percent of his strength, he could exert no less than a Thousand Jin of force, yet the blade could only leave a white mark on his arm, and he barely felt any pain.

There was no need to say more about the strength of his defense.

So long as no one struck his Vital Point, Chen Mo felt that even if he stood still and let others hack at him, they probably would not be able to harm him in the slightest.

"Today happens to be the twentieth. It is about time to take a look around the Black Market."

He drained the last bowl of Great Tonic Soup beside him in one gulp. Feeling that his body was no longer weak, Chen Mo knew he could not wait any longer.

Although Perfect Accomplishment in the Silver Armor Technique had not allowed him to break through to the Divine Valor Realm, his body had improved considerably. It had taken six bowls of Great Tonic Soup in succession to soothe that weakness.

That was Eighteen taels of silver.

Adding the five or six taels of silver he spent every day recently, Chen Mo now had less than ten taels left on hand.

A single penny could stump a heroic man.

He had to get some money.

The Black Market was the best hunting ground.

Whether money or goods, Chen Mo wanted both.

That night, Chen Mo covered his face with black cloth and darted through the Slum District at astonishing speed, searching for the Black Market.

The Perfection Level Flying Cloud Steps made his footwork exceptionally nimble and light. Even when running at full speed, he made almost no sound. Combined with his extreme speed, he drew no one's attention.

Compared to the Commercial District and Inner District, the Slum District had almost no pedestrians at night, and hardly any lights could be seen. It was so silent and dark that it chilled the heart. Yet as Chen Mo moved through it, his expression remained unchanged. A master of great skill was naturally bold.

After spending some effort, he finally found traces of the Black Market in a secluded area near the river at the southwestern corner of the Slum District.

He did not enter immediately. Instead, Chen Mo stood at a distant corner and observed for a while.

He found two blade-wielding guards at the Black Market entrance. Everyone entering had to pay a certain fee, though some simply handed over a wooden token and entered without paying.

It seems the people organizing the Black Market hold no low status in the County Town, Chen Mo thought, narrowing his eyes.

After checking the black cloth concealing his face and finding no problems, Chen Mo stopped observing. He walked straight to the Black Market entrance, paid One tael of silver for admission, and was allowed inside.

During this time, he did not forget to sense the two guards at the entrance. Finding no threat from them, his heart settled completely.

As his strength rose, Chen Mo's senses had become increasingly sharp. He could roughly tell whether someone posed a threat to him.

Of course, if the other party could restrain their aura, then he would be unable to sense it.

Upon entering the Black Market, he saw an open space that had been cleared out.

Many stalls stood within it, displaying all sorts of items: weapons, all kinds of bottles and jars, cultivation techniques and secret manuals, even armor and crossbows that Great Zhou prohibited from being traded among civilians.

"As expected of the Black Market. Their nerve is truly enormous."

After making a round, Chen Mo did not find any Exotic Beast Meat, which disappointed him somewhat. However, he did not leave in a hurry. Instead, he secretly observed everyone who had come here.

He found that everyone either covered their face or wore a mask. No one revealed their true appearance, nor did anyone act rashly, quarrel, or fight within the Black Market. Everything was harmonious and quiet.

Seeing this, Chen Mo confirmed his earlier guess. The people organizing the Black Market definitely possessed considerable influence within the county. They were most likely one of the county's top forces; otherwise, they could not possibly intimidate these lawless people.

As a good person, Chen Mo naturally chose to follow the rules. He did not cause trouble in the Black Market or do anything that broke its rules. He merely observed and searched for a target.

Very soon, he selected one: a Zhuang Han carrying a huge sum of money.

After waiting for quite some time, Zhuang Han finally left the Black Market. Chen Mo secretly followed him and discovered that as soon as Zhuang Han left, he quickened his pace and turned into a nearby alley, appearing extremely cautious.

Chen Mo was not shaken off and followed him in.

The two guards at the Black Market entrance witnessed the entire scene. Their gazes remained calm, and they showed no intention of stopping it.

They had most likely grown accustomed to such things.

Still, the two guards were secretly startled by Chen Mo's speed, but neither tried to get to the bottom of it.

This was the Black Market. No questions asked about identity.

It did not take long—only two or three minutes—for Chen Mo to catch up to Zhuang Han, who had exposed a stack of silver notes while buying things. He found that Zhuang Han had already been surrounded by a group of people and was fighting them.

Facing many opponents alone, Zhuang Han was not at any disadvantage. Rather, he held the upper hand. His attacks were fierce, yet his brawny body was not slow in the slightest. His movements were agile, and his footwork flexible.

"Not bad strength." Chen Mo nodded in praise and simply stood nearby watching.

Neither side in the fight paid him any mind.

He did not have to wait long before the battle ended.

The two sides were not on the same level at all.

After killing everyone, Zhuang Han did not collect the spoils. Instead, he looked directly at Chen Mo and said amicably,

"Friend, the valuables on these people are yours."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony."

As he spoke, Chen Mo walked over and began searching the corpses on his own. It felt somewhat disgusting, but he knew he had to adapt to such situations.

Seeing that Chen Mo completely ignored him and began searching immediately, a cold glint flashed through Zhuang Han's eyes. He sized Chen Mo up for several seconds but did not attack, turning to leave quickly instead.

Noticing this, Chen Mo, who had been preparing to strike, was slightly stunned. After hesitating for a second, he chose not to chase after him.

"Forget it. Since this fellow knows the score, I'll spare you this time."

He had already obtained more than thirty taels of silver from searching just two people, so he did not become greedy.

Shortly afterward, he finished searching the corpses. In total, he gained more than one hundred and thirty taels of silver, a Fist Technique manual called Iron Thread Fist, five bottles of pills and medicinal powder whose effects he did not know, and one man's blade, which proved to be better quality than his own. Naturally, he did not leave that behind either.

His gains were plentiful, and he had not even needed to act himself. In a fine mood, Chen Mo rose and quickly left the area.

However, before he had gone far, a figure blocked his path.

After seeing who it was, Chen Mo sighed softly.

"Why bother?"