The Inner City Black Market.
Li Pingsheng made sure no one was tailing him before slipping into an entrance marked with a pawnshop sign. Its back door led underground.
The stench of blood mingled with the smells of medicine and mildew, rushing straight up his nose.
"Fresh Iron-Backed Demon Ox jerky! Three strips for one tael of silver. A great tonic for your blood and qi!"
"Crimson Blood Pills! For breaking through in the heat of battle—a miracle drug that can save your life! If they're fake, we'll pay you ten times over!"
Li Pingsheng stopped in front of a stall selling pills and demon beast meat.
"How much?"
The stall owner was a One-Eyed Dragon. He looked Li Pingsheng up and down, saw how poor he looked, and grew impatient.
"Crimson Blood Pills are twenty taels each. Iron-Backed Demon Ox jerky is ten taels a catty. If you can't afford it, get lost. You're in the way."
Li Pingsheng pulled out a ten-tael banknote and slapped it on the table.
"One catty of jerky."
The One-Eyed Dragon froze, not expecting the pauper to actually have money.
He held the banknote up to the lamplight, then rubbed it between his fingers. Only after confirming it was genuine did a smile finally creep onto his face.
"Sir, we've got even better goods here."
"Blood Coagulation Paste, simmered for forty-nine days with more than thirty kinds of medicinal herbs and the heart's blood of a third-tier demon beast."
"Its medicinal potency is dozens of times that of Blood Strengthening Powder. It's just a bit pricey—fifty taels for a small box."
Li Pingsheng did the math.
It was expensive, but the stronger the medicine, the more efficiently it would convert into potential.
"Give me a small box."
He promptly pulled out another fifty-tael banknote.
Now the One-Eyed Dragon was truly impressed. He swiftly wrapped up the goods, his attitude turning much more respectful.
Li Pingsheng put away his purchases and was about to leave when he overheard a group of mercenaries drinking at a nearby table.
"Did you hear? That Master Scar from the Black Water Gang in West City took more than ten men out last night. Every last one of them got wiped out."
"What happened? The cops round them all up?"
"Cops, my ass. Heard they ran into demon beasts. Their bodies were chewed to pieces. It was a brutal mess. Even Master Qin, the one who kept their books, got caught up in it."
"Hiss... Are the demon beasts in the Outer City really that fierce lately? Even a good fighter like Master Scar couldn't handle them?"
"You're telling me. The Black Water Gang's leader turned green in the face. He took his men to investigate for half the day, but couldn't find a damn thing. All they could do was accept their bad luck."
Li Pingsheng kept walking, but sneered inwardly.
Accept their bad luck?
This was only the beginning.
Back at his small courtyard in the martial hall, Li Pingsheng locked the doors and windows before spreading his purchases from the Black Market across the table.
A small box of Blood Coagulation Paste and one catty of Iron-Backed Demon Ox jerky.
He tore off a strip of jerky and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing in big bites.
The jerky was dry and tough, but as he chewed, a warm current slid down his throat and into his stomach, spreading a pleasant heat through his whole body.
As he ate, he planned his next steps.
The next day, at the Martial Practice Field.
Instructor Wu stood before a group of new disciples with his hands behind his back and began teaching Thunderbolt Fist.
"Thunderbolt Fist is one of the Azure Cloud Martial Hall's signature arts. It's about driving force with qi and channeling that force into your fist. Your punches must be fast and fierce."
Instructor Wu explained as he demonstrated the moves himself.
"Watch closely, everyone. This is the first move: Thunder on Flat Ground."
He sank into a horse stance, twisted his waist, and punched out with his right fist. The air gave a muffled boom.
"The second move: Lightning Flash and Thunder Roll."
"The third move: Thunder Moves Through the Nine Heavens."
After completing all three moves, he lowered his fists and stood upright.
"Thunderbolt Fist is difficult to master. It demands both insight and good bones. I'll teach you only the first three moves. There'll be an assessment in half a month."
"Anyone who can't grasp the essence of all three moves by then and ends up at the bottom of the rankings—"
"At best, you'll get fewer cultivation resources. At worst... you'll lose your True Disciple status and be sent back to the outer yard to work as a servant."
The disciples all shuddered at those words.
Lose their status as True Disciples?
That punishment was far too harsh.
Zhao Ming was secretly delighted. He glanced at Li Pingsheng, not bothering to hide the challenge in his eyes.
The disciples immediately scattered, each finding a place to practice.
Soon, the Martial Practice Field was filled with the whoosh of fists cutting through the air and loud cries of "Ha!" and "Ya!"
Li Pingsheng stood in a corner, copying Instructor Wu's movements as he tried to perform Thunder on Flat Ground.
But he knew nothing about martial arts techniques. His punch came out limp and utterly lacking in force. His movements were crooked and awkward, uncomfortable to watch.
"Pfft."
Someone nearby immediately burst out laughing.
"Look at Li Pingsheng! Is that supposed to be Thunderbolt Fist? Why does it look like some country granny shooing chickens?"
"I'm dying! And he's supposed to have superior bones? More like superior garbage!"
Not far away, Zhao Ming was already performing Thunder on Flat Ground with a bit of flair. His punches stirred the air, and he was starting to get the hang of it.
He came from a family in the Inner City and had been taught by martial arts instructors since childhood. His foundation was far better than Li Pingsheng's, who had learned everything on his own.
Zhao Ming deliberately walked over near Li Pingsheng and slammed a punch into the nearby Wooden Dummy.
"Bang!"
The Wooden Dummy swayed violently.
"Senior Brother Li, the trick to generating force in Thunderbolt Fist is to unite your waist and legs and channel your qi into your dantian. That limp punch of yours—did you skip lunch?"
Zhao Ming claimed he was offering advice, but he couldn't hide the smug look on his face.
Li Pingsheng couldn't be bothered with him. He simply kept practicing, over and over.
Instructor Wu paced around the field. Seeing this, he furrowed his brows even more.
He'd already written Li Pingsheng off.
Not only were his meridians injured, his insight was abysmal too.
Someone like him didn't deserve to be a True Disciple. He was simply wasting the martial hall's resources.
It seemed the assessment in half a month would be the perfect chance to kick him out.
In the days that followed, Li Pingsheng became the laughingstock of the Martial Practice Field.
Zhao Ming and his lackeys found all sorts of ways to mock him. Sometimes, they even "accidentally" bumped into him while he was practicing.
"Hey, Senior Brother Li, your stance is awfully unstable!"
"With skills like that, you think you'll keep your True Disciple status? Keep dreaming!"
Li Pingsheng never reacted.
During the day, he let Instructor Wu, Zhao Ming, and the others look down on him all they wanted.
But once midnight came, things were different in his room.
"Gulp."
Li Pingsheng swallowed a small piece of Blood Coagulation Paste that looked like black jade.
As soon as it hit his stomach, its searing medicinal power ran wild inside him. It was several times more potent than Blood Strengthening Powder, violently battering his meridians.
An ordinary person would've been swollen to death by such overbearing medicinal power.
But Li Pingsheng merely grunted and immediately activated his Blood Strengthening talent.
The blood and qi in his body surged up at once, refining the medicinal power.
[Potential: 0.45] [Potential: 0.5] [Potential: 0.55] ...
The half-month deadline was only three days away.
That night, Li Pingsheng swallowed the last scrap of Iron-Backed Demon Ox jerky.
[Potential: 0.9]
Just a little more.
Only 0.1 more, and he'd have enough potential to unlock his next specialty—
[Divine Sense—Basic Specialty: Enhanced Cognition]
His body was strong enough, but his insight was truly lacking.
These past two weeks had taught him that without insight, even the strongest body would make him look like a fool in other people's eyes.
If he unlocked it, the mysteries of Thunderbolt Fist might finally fall into place.
"Just a little more..."
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