Accidental Trespass into the Heavenly Abode!

The enforcement officers of the Destiny Bureau escorted the black market vendors away, leaving in a grand, sweeping procession.

A few minutes later, the once noisy and crowded air-raid shelter was completely empty, the ground left in a state of utter disarray.

Zhang Tian leaned against the wall, raised his arm, and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

"Damn it, that scared the hell out of me. I really thought I was going to be eating free state-funded meals behind bars."

He regained his composure, whipped his head around to glare at Gu Yuan, and gritted his teeth.

"Gu Yuan! You bastard! You sold me out pretty fast back there!"

He turned his gaze toward Zhang Yining.

"And Yining, you little brat, you were nodding along too, weren't you! All that affection I showed you went to waste! To think I even shared half a leftover sausage with you before!"

Zhang Yining scratched his head awkwardly and shrank back.

"Cousin, that was a lapse in judgment. My brain just short-circuited; I was sweating bullets, honestly."

"It was purely a subconscious reaction, I really didn't mean it."

Gu Yuan spread his hands, his face full of innocence as he retorted righteously.

"Brother Tian, how can you call that selling out a teammate? That's called a tactical retreat! If I hadn't distanced myself quickly, how could I have preserved our strength to go fetch reinforcements?"

Gu Yuan pointed at the phone in Zhang Tian's pocket.

"Besides, if it weren't for me flashing my face today, would you be standing here in one piece?"

"Could you have sold those few bottles of defective Blood Qi Pill so quickly? Two hundred and fifty thousand! You're a big spender now!"

Zhang Tian was rendered speechless for a moment.

He thought back carefully and realized that the logic actually held up.

"Alright, alright, enough nonsense." Gu Yuan stepped forward and patted Zhang Tian on the shoulder.

"Now that the pills are sold and the money is in the account, it's time to fulfill your promise and treat us to a meal, right? That new Beast Hot Pot place south of the city—you said it, all-you-can-eat."

Zhang Tian touched the phone in his pocket and waved a hand forward.

"Let's go! I'll treat you to something good! Order whatever you want today, it's all on me!"

The three of them walked out of the black market through another passageway, chatting and laughing.

Meanwhile, a figure slowly emerged from the shadows at the entrance of the air-raid shelter.

The person was still wearing a martial arts gym training uniform.

It was the very student who had taken photos and made the report earlier.

Just moments ago, he had been fantasizing about his successful report and the sweet reward money he would receive.

But he had been hiding in the dark, witnessing the entire process with his own eyes.

Although he was too far away to hear exactly what they were saying, he saw clearly that these three peddlers of contraband were not only not arrested by the Destiny Bureau, but were actually laughing and joking with the lead officer!

The most absurd part was that the Destiny Bureau officer had actually transferred money to them personally! And then taken the medicine!

What was this?

Fencing stolen goods in broad daylight?

Collusion between officials and criminals?

The young man leaned against the wall, dazed and weak in the knees, feeling as if his entire worldview had collapsed.

Even the people from the Destiny Bureau were trading with contraband dealers in the black market and splitting the money in public!

"Could it be... that the sky over Sea City has finally turned black!"

"I... I was just a hot-blooded youth trying to do the right thing! How... how am I supposed to survive in Sea City from now on!"

The young man muttered to himself, his face a mask of regret and terror.

"I actually reported the internal black-market supply chain of the Destiny Bureau... I've stumbled into the lion's den!"

A cold breeze blew, and the young man shivered.

Just then, his phone pinged with a message.

"Respected citizen, your report information is incorrect. The actions of the parties involved do not constitute a crime. Thank you for your report, and we wish you good health and prosperity in your martial path!"

The young man stared at the message, his eyes widening, his breathing growing rapid.

"Good health... prosperity in your martial path..."

He repeated these eight words over and over, cold sweat trickling from his forehead down into his collar.

They had even sent a message.

This was clearly a warning not to continue reporting.

On the surface, they were wishing him good health, but in reality, they were telling him that if he dared to meddle again, they would make sure he was no longer in good health!

"Martial Prosperity" was clearly a hint that my martial arts career had come to an end!

The young man shoved his phone into his pocket with trembling hands and turned to run.

He swore that he would absolutely not leave the house for a while.

He wouldn't even go to the martial arts gym! If those three people found out he was the one who made the report, he would definitely be dumped into the moat outside Haicheng to feed the fierce beasts! It was too terrifying!

Half an hour later, in the south of the city.

Inside a luxurious private room at the Beast Hot Pot Restaurant, steam was rising in thick clouds.

The spicy red oil broth bubbled, emitting a rich and savory aroma.

The table was covered with large platters of pre-prepared beast meat.

Gu Yuan held the menu, specifically ordering meat priced over a thousand per serving, bleeding Zhang Tian dry without the slightest hesitation.

"Mmm! This flavor! Why is it so fresh?"

Zhang Yining took a sip of the complimentary chicken soup.

He smacked his lips and downed three more large gulps.

"This chicken soup is incredible; drinking it makes my whole body feel hot, and my qi and blood are surging."

Zhang Tian watched Zhang Yining from the side and smiled.

He picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a slice of beef, and swished it through the pot.

"Of course, I've already looked into it; the chefs at this restaurant are all Spirit Chefs."

"Spirit Chefs?"

Gu Yuan and Zhang Yining stopped their chopsticks.

Both of them were clearly hearing this term for the first time, their faces full of confusion.

Zhang Tian popped the cooked beast meat into his mouth, chewed twice, and swallowed.

He set down his chopsticks and continued.

"You don't know, do you? Spirit Chefs can process beast ingredients much more effectively."

Zhang Tian pointed at the raw meat slices on the table.

"When ordinary chefs prepare beast meat, more than half of the qi and blood is lost; eating it just fills your stomach, with a conversion rate of less than ten percent."

"Spirit Chefs use special techniques to process it, preserving the qi and blood in a purer state, allowing the conversion rate to reach over thirty percent."

Zhang Tian took a sip of tea and cleared his throat.

"Some high-level Spirit Chefs can even tailor recipes to an individual's constitution."

"If you consume them over a long period, your cultivation speed for qi and blood will even increase significantly."

Zhang Yining was very surprised to hear about the methods of high-level Spirit Chefs.

"Is it really that outrageous? You can increase your cultivation just by eating a meal?"

Zhang Yining scratched his head.

"But cousin, you sure know a lot."

Zhang Tian leaned back in his chair, lifting his chin proudly.

"Of course! Our Martial University has a Spirit Culinary Academy, after all."

He looked at Zhang Yining, his tone earnest.

"Yining, if you really can't get into the Martial Arts Academy, you could actually try this."

"You can even take the exam for this in advance. As long as you pass, you don't even have to worry about the college entrance exam. Once you graduate, you can become a head chef at a big restaurant and make quite a lot of money a year."

Zhang Yining didn't like the sound of that at all.

He slammed his hand on the table and stood up on the spot.

"What kind of talk is that, cousin! Who are you looking down on!"

"I am the number one Tiger Leopard Fist of Haicheng No. 1 High School!"

He immediately dropped into a horse stance, clenched his fists, and threw two fierce punches into the air.

"I wake up at five every morning to practice, rain or shine! My mastery of this martial skill has already reached perfection, alright!"

Zhang Yining retracted his stance and sat back down.

"I'll be getting bonus points for this during the college entrance exam! Getting into the Martial Arts Academy will be a breeze!"

Gu Yuan, sitting to the side, covered his forehead and turned his face away.

He pretended not to know this person.

"Tiger Leopard Fist?"

"Isn't that the introductory martial arts technique taught in the first year of Haicheng No. 1 High School? The one the PE teacher taught?"

Zhang Tian looked at Zhang Yining, his face full of astonishment.

He set down his teacup and leaned forward.

"Are you telling me you've cultivated it to the realm of Perfection???"

Zhang Tian pointed at Zhang Yining's nose.

"Are you just bored out of your mind? You'd be better off learning another martial skill with that time."

Seeing this, Zhang Yining raised an eyebrow with disdain.

"Heh! Never mind what kind of martial skill it is; haven't I already cultivated it to the realm of Perfection?"

Zhang Yining retorted.

"Doesn't it add points to the college entrance exam? As long as it adds points, who cares what kind of fist technique it is!"

Zhang Tian looked at his cousin, speechless.

He rubbed his cheeks vigorously.

"Big brother, do you even read the college entrance exam bonus point criteria???"