Exponential Growth, Quadruple Comprehension!

"Haha, don't be nervous. It's not like this is the first time we've met."

Seeing Han Qi's dazed expression, Liu Chu walked up to him and said with a smile.

"Should I call you the Black Dragon Gang leader now, or just A-Chu?"

Han Qi looked at him with a complex expression.

"Just call me A-Chu in private. However, I don't want to lead the Black Dragon Gang under my real identity for now, so when there are outsiders around, just call me Gang Leader."

Liu Chu said sincerely, "I am currently isolated and weak, and it's hard to guarantee whether these subordinates will deceive those above and bully those below. That is why I want to invite you to join the Black Dragon Gang and assist me in managing the gang."

"I remember your wish used to be becoming a hall master of the Golden Fish Gang. From today on... you are the fourth hall master of the Black Dragon Gang!"

"The fourth hall master!"

Han Qi's heart skipped a beat. This was a wish he had held since the moment he joined the Golden Fish Gang, and now, it seemed within easy reach!

However, after the initial excitement, Han Qi shook his head: "A... A-Chu, I can join the Black Dragon Gang to assist you, but I cannot accept the position of hall master."

"Why?"

Liu Chu had vaguely guessed Han Qi's thoughts, but still asked with confusion.

Han Qi's eyes were firm as he said: "You are absolutely right. In the past, I put the cart before the horse and didn't truly realize that only martial strength is the foundation."

"Every hall master in the gangs is a ranked martial artist. If I were to serve as a hall master, the others in the gang would never submit to me!"

He looked at Liu Chu earnestly: "Now that you have become the leader of a gang, the gap between us has grown into a chasm before I even realized it. I must cultivate diligently and break through to the ranked level as soon as possible!"

"Good!"

Liu Chu looked at him with gratification and encouraged him: "Since you have such ambition, I won't force you. However, I will grant you the benefits of a hall master in private so that you can cultivate with more peace of mind."

He knew that Han Qi had some silver on him and wasn't lacking funds for the moment, but he still provided him with the hall master's benefits so that he could cultivate without worrying about resources.

Han Qi pondered for a moment and nodded heavily: "Alright!"

His desire to cultivate was urgent at this moment, so he did not refuse.

Being able to have an extra source of income meant more cultivation resources, which were crucial for reaching the ranked level.

Many unranked martial artists failed simply because they lacked resources. His talent wasn't bad; the main reason he hadn't reached the ranked level back then was that the time was too short and his resources were too scarce.

In contrast, the direct descendants of martial arts families had abundant resources and could usually reach the ranked level.

It was just that those who could break through to the Eighth Rank of Skin Refining remained few and far between; usually, out of ten skin-refining martial artists, not even one might eventually break through to tendon refining!

Seeing that Han Qi was becoming impatient, Liu Chu quickly advised him: "Keep a calm mind, and never compare yourself to others..."

He was afraid that Han Qi would follow in Xu Haoran's footsteps, so he told him about that matter.

"So that's what happened... Don't worry, I won't be rash."

After hearing the story, Han Qi felt a chill in his heart. He had to admit that seeing Liu Chu's current achievements had indeed stirred a bit of a competitive spirit in him.

"By the way, you have quite a reputation in the Golden Fish Gang. Can you help me win over some of the members who are currently on the run..."

Liu Chu suddenly added.

The Black Dragon Gang couldn't consist entirely of former Green Tiger Gang members; that would be disadvantageous for him. It was best to mix in some members from the Golden Fish Gang to keep each other in check and under supervision.

"No problem, leave it to me!"

Han Qi patted his chest and guaranteed it.

Han Qi's efficiency was indeed impressive.

The very next day, he brought Hall Master Feng Sheng and dozens of former Golden Fish Gang members to defect to the Black Dragon Gang!

The reason Feng Sheng joined the Black Dragon Gang was simple: first, Liu Chu's strength made him feel safer following him.

The other reason was that the Black Dragon Gang currently only had three hall masters and was in a state of reconstruction. By joining now, he would become the fourth hall master, granting him greater power.

Now that the Black Dragon Gang held the territories of both the Golden Fish Gang and the Green Tiger Gang, they were in their prime. Compared to the Changle Gang, which had many people but little land, they were naturally much stronger.

Furthermore, the Black Dragon Gang leader had killed the leader of the Green Tiger Gang, which could be considered avenging the Golden Fish Gang, making their position morally defensible in the underworld.

Liu Chu summoned Feng Sheng alone as usual to inquire about his situation, learning that he practiced the Dragon-Tiger Nourishing Practice.

In his youth, he had also studied martial arts at the Dragon-Tiger Martial Arts Hall. His experience was similar to that of the hall master who had studied at the Flying Eagle Martial Hall—he had left the hall before reaching the ranked level and joined a gang.

He had never given up on his cultivation, and after being tempered by time, he had eventually managed to break through to the ranked level.

No wonder he valued Han Qi; it turns out they were fellow disciples...

A flash of realization appeared in Liu Chu's mind.

In fact, there were many who shared Feng Sheng's experience. Like Han Qi, they failed to graduate from a martial arts hall and joined a gang to make a living. Though they lacked cultivation, their hand-to-hand combat skills were still better than the average person's.

However, most people still couldn't break through to the ranked level, and many even died in gang warfare.

Liu Chu was not disappointed that he didn't obtain a secret manual from Feng Sheng.

After all, he already had the Rolling Thunder Nourishing Practice and the Thunderclap Blade Technique; he wasn't actually lacking in techniques to practice for the time being.

He had only asked as a matter of routine, following the principle of "striking the tree to see if any dates fall."

Over the next few days, he practiced his cultivation while occasionally handling gang affairs.

He dispatched Ruan Jin and Feng Sheng to the Black Market to purchase Treasure Fish.

Several days later, he stood by the pond, watching the eleven Treasure Fish swimming in the clear water, a look of satisfaction on his face.

The six Treasure Fish had cost him over one hundred taels of silver, and now he had less than four hundred taels left to his name.

However, it is all worth it!

Liu Chu felt no heartache; he ordered his subordinates to net the fish and deliver them to his main hall.

By the time he returned to the main hall, the Treasure Fish had already been delivered.

Dismissing everyone, he focused his mind: "Sacrifice!"

In an instant, ten of the Treasure Fish vanished into thin air.

Attribute Panel:

Host: Liu Chu

Comprehension Multiplier: 4x (Can sacrifice: 30 Treasure Fish / 300 taels of silver / 10 years of lifespan)

Dragon-Tiger Nourishing Practice (Great Success 28%)

Dragon-Tiger Combat Technique (Perfected)

Dragon-Tiger Blade-Breaking Technique (Great Success 13%)

"My comprehension has increased to four times!!"

Liu Chu's eyes filled with surprise, his heart surging with excitement: "I originally thought this sacrifice would raise my comprehension multiplier from 2x to 3x, but I never expected... it would actually be 4x!!"

"Could it be that with every sacrifice, the result doubles??"

"If so, wouldn't the next sacrifice double my comprehension again, reaching eight times the original level!!"

A sharp glint flickered in Liu Chu's eyes, and he was filled with excitement.

Four times the comprehension!

With his comprehension now boosted to four times its initial value, he could definitely be called a "genius"!

However, after the excitement subsided, he calmed his mind and looked at the requirements for the next sacrifice: "30 Treasure Fish, or 300 taels of silver, or 10 years of lifespan..."

"Thirty Treasure Fish... that won't be easy to handle!"

Liu Chu's expression turned troubled, and he ignored the other options entirely.

Three hundred taels of silver would not be difficult; although his assets had fallen below four hundred taels due to the purchase of the six Treasure Fish, he was still above that threshold.

But the ten years of lifespan made him immediately dismiss that option.

Are you kidding me? Ten years of lifespan is way too much!

Although an eightfold increase in comprehension was very tempting, Liu Chu was still deterred by the ten-year lifespan cost.

He would rather choose the first condition: sacrificing thirty Treasure Fish!

However, thirty Treasure Fish would not be easy to acquire; even at an average of twenty-five taels per fish, it would still require seven hundred and fifty taels of silver.

"Treasure Fish are special; their quantity is ultimately limited, which is the exact opposite of other commodities. If you only need one or two, they might be cheaper, but such a large quantity will actually drive the price up... and it might even attract the attention of certain big shots..."

Liu Chu couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

For other goods, the more you buy, the bigger the discount, but Treasure Fish were far too scarce. Thirty Treasure Fish represented nearly half of the total circulation in all of Zhaojiang City.