Golden Potion

Night, bedroom.

A webpage was projected into the air. Xia Ping sat on his bed, staring at a list of supplements, monster meat, and precious medicinal herbs.

In three days, the school's martial arts tournament would begin. If he relied solely on his Martial Apprentice Fourth Heaven strength, he likely wouldn't be able to break into the school's top ten.

Don't let the fact that Xiong Batian was a school bully with formidable strength fool you; he was only at the Martial Apprentice Fifth Heaven, which wasn't even enough to rank in the top ten. The school had powerhouses at the Sixth and Seventh Heavens who were far more dangerous than Xiong Batian.

Given Xia Ping's current cultivation at the Martial Apprentice Fourth Heaven, breaking into the top ten would be quite difficult. He had to enhance his cultivation to stand out among the many students.

"Golden Potion!"

Xia Ping spotted a life-enhancing potion described on the page. This Golden Potion was refined from the hearts of dozens of monsters, including the Berserk Bear, Flying Tiger, and Unicorn Wolf, supplemented by forty-nine types of precious medicinal herbs. It underwent countless processing procedures, making it extremely rare and packed with immense energy.

It could be said that taking such a life potion would make advancing from the Martial Apprentice Fourth Heaven to the Fifth Heaven a certainty. The pity was that it was a banned drug.

The reason it was classified as a banned drug was that the energy contained within the Golden Potion was far too violent, possessing the ferocity of tigers and wolves. If someone without sufficient strength injected it, they would immediately be torn apart by the surge of energy, exploding and dying.

Therefore, anyone wishing to purchase the Golden Potion was required to be at least at the Martial Apprentice Seventh Heaven. Those who hadn't reached this martial arts realm were forbidden from buying it, a restriction strictly enforced by federal law.

"Golden Potion, this is the most suitable thing for me." Xia Ping's eyes flickered. For an ordinary person, this potion was too violent; anyone below the Seventh Heaven would die upon taking it.

But he was different. Having cultivated the Pure Yang Indestructible Art, he could tame even energy as violent as solar essence. What was the energy of a mere Golden Potion compared to that?

It could be said that if he wanted to advance to the Martial Apprentice Fifth Heaven as quickly as possible, this Golden Potion was the perfect choice. The only regret was that he currently lacked the qualifications to purchase it.

"It seems I can't buy it through official channels; I'll have to go to the black market." Xia Ping stared at the page. A merchant once said that the most profitable business was selling contraband.

The more something was banned, the more profitable it became, and the more people would engage in such illegal activities—all for the sake of Federal Coins. Thus, the Golden Potion still circulated on the market.

However, to buy it, one had to go to the black market.

"Black Moon City!"

Xia Ping clicked on a post that introduced the city: "This is the most notorious underworld city in the Yangzhou District. It is a melting pot of people, filled with countless bars, casinos, and gangs that thrive within its borders."

"In this city, betrayal, fighting, drugs, bloodshed, and death are daily occurrences. Yet, there is also great profit to be found here. Contraband, illegal weapons, monster meat, pills, medicinal herbs, and martial arts manuals are all traded without any barriers. As long as you have money, you can buy anything you want here."

"This place is both heaven and hell, a gathering place for wealth and a paradise for crime. Countless villains live here. Those who are kind should not come, or they will regret it for the rest of their lives."

He didn't understand why the federal government allowed such a sinful city to exist in the open. Perhaps there were unknown deals behind it, but regardless, its existence was a reality.

"But a single Golden Potion is too expensive. It actually costs 500,000 Federal Coins. This is robbery!" Xia Ping looked at the price and was left dumbfounded.

What was the concept of 500,000 Federal Coins? For a middle-class person like his father, it would take seven years of saving without eating or drinking to afford it—that was the down payment for a house.

Yet, this was just for a single potion. From this, one could see how lucrative this industry was. If he hadn't earned a large sum of money writing novels, he wouldn't even have the qualifications to buy it; he could only look.

"It seems I need to contact Editor Meng Fei to see if I can get an advance on my royalties, otherwise I won't be able to buy it." Xia Ping's eyes flashed. He immediately contacted Editor Meng Fei via his communicator and told him everything about his need for an advance.

Ten minutes later, Editor Meng Fei replied: "Normally, this doesn't comply with the rules because the company has its own regulations. Royalties are only issued on the 15th of each month. After all, there are tax processes and other procedures to handle; issuing them early is very troublesome and affects the company's workflow."

"However, I discussed it with the editor-in-chief and the company's finance department. Since you have your own difficulties, we will make an exception. We can issue an advance of 1,000,000 Federal Coins, and the rest will be calculated and issued next month. But this is a one-time exception."

It was indeed an exception!

In fact, if Xia Ping's novel hadn't suddenly become a massive hit, a phenomenal work with unlimited future potential, they probably wouldn't have even bothered to acknowledge his request.

But to retain a phenomenal writer like Xia Ping, they were willing to provide some convenience. This was a privilege.

"Then thank you."

Xia Ping knew his request was a bit unreasonable, but to buy the Golden Potion, he had no other choice.

"Teacher Black-Hearted Wolf, I wonder when your next work will be released?" Editor Meng Fei asked impatiently, as this novel by Teacher Bai Rong was simply too explosive.

By this morning, over 200,000 people had already purchased the book, but by evening, that number had reached over 300,000. This rate of growth was terrifying. It had sold at least 6 or 7 million Federal Coins worth, and this was just the beginning.

It was likely that reaching 10 million in sales by the time this craze ended would be an easy feat.

If he continued to write another novel, capitalizing on this momentum, it would surely be another hit. For Penguin, this was a huge opportunity to increase their performance.

For Meng Fei personally, he also wanted to see more excellent works and was incredibly expectant.

"I don't have any inspiration for the moment. It will probably take at least a month," Xia Ping said. The profits from this book hadn't been maximized yet, so he wasn't in a hurry to launch a second novel.

"Alright, then I'll wait for your next masterpiece, Teacher Black-Hearted Wolf." Although Editor Meng Fei felt a bit regretful, he knew that writing a novel wasn't something that could be done instantly; it required inspiration.

Snap. The two ended the communication.

"Tomorrow is Friday. The day after and the day after that are Saturday and Sunday. I can take advantage of Friday night to set off for Black Moon City and buy the Golden Potion." Xia Ping thought about his plans for the next two days.

Ding!

Just then, his phone received a message. Xia Ping took a look: "1,000,000 Federal Coins have been transferred to your account. Please check."

The next morning, Xia Ping went to school. Just as he was about to enter the classroom, he was immediately called out. He turned around to see Jiang Yaru glaring at him with eyes full of angry flames, looking as if she wanted to kill him.

"Xia Ping!"

Jiang Yaru gritted her teeth and glared at Xia Ping, wishing she could eat him alive.