Killing Intent

"Asking for leave?"

Huang Haitao's anger had yet to subside, and he immediately began to lecture Lu Li without room for argument: "Martial arts is a process of grinding an iron pestle into a needle; it requires day-after-day persistence. If you fish for three days and dry your nets for two, you will never achieve anything in your entire life."

"You are nothing but a herb gatherer. Aside from martial arts, you have no other way to change your station in life, yet you still don't know how to strive?"

Lu Li lowered his head and listened, offering no rebuttal, maintaining an appearance of humility.

After continuing to lecture Lu Li for a while, Huang Haitao sighed and said with earnest concern: "I see that you have decent aptitude and are diligent and hardworking; do not ruin your own future."

"Only by becoming a martial artist can you have a steady stream of silver, live a better life, and not have to look at others' faces to survive!"

Lu Li understood his intent. He slid a five-tael silver ingot from his sleeve and let it drop to the ground.

Then, he picked it up and handed it to Huang Haitao with a smile: "Martial Master Huang, you dropped your silver."

Huang Haitao paused, patted his chest, and smilingly accepted it.

"What do you need leave for?"

"My parents have passed away. Tomorrow is the anniversary of their death. I was always too busy struggling to make ends meet and never had the chance to keep vigil for them."

Lu Li's expression turned dim. He looked up at the sky as if recalling the past, appearing quite sorrowful: "Now that my situation has improved a bit, I want to keep vigil for them."

Huang Haitao seemed moved by Lu Li's filial piety. He patted Lu Li on the shoulder: "You are a truly filial son. Granted!"

"Many thanks, Martial Master Huang!" Lu Li cupped his fists and bowed, expressing his gratitude.

Huang Haitao helped Lu Li up: "If I didn't grant this, wouldn't it make me seem heartless?"

"I have seen your hard work and diligence with my own eyes; if it weren't for that, I wouldn't have approved it."

"However, you are still half a step behind Li Qing and the others. You must work hard to catch up." After saying this with a mix of sincerity and pretense, he waved his hand and left.

Lu Li watched him walk away and spat lightly: "Pretending to be righteous—he's nothing but a jackal!"

"It's a good thing I was prepared and hid five taels of silver in my sleeve beforehand."

Lu Li felt a pang of heartache. A full five taels of silver—to say it didn't hurt would be a lie.

However, he finally had the time.

Lu Li went home to retrieve his silver and wandered around the outer city a few times to ensure no one was following him.

He bought some spices, donned a black robe to cover his face, and headed up the mountain.

After finding Hu Niu, he gave her the spices. Once she ate the meat sprinkled with them, she cheered with joy.

After coaxing her into a good mood, he set off toward the Black Market.

Hu Niu had once followed a black-robed man to the Black Market, so she knew the way.

After traveling for about three hours, covering an unknown distance, the view suddenly opened up to reveal a mountain pit.

Inside the pit, flickering, dim candlelight danced, appearing exceptionally eerie in the dead of night.

The sparse light illuminated only a corner of the Black Market.

The area was filled with stalls, and a few scattered shadows moved among them.

A man stood guard outside the Black Market, his face also covered, revealing only his eyes.

His gaze was piercing, like a falcon, scanning left and right as if keeping watch over the market.

Lu Li told Hu Niu to wait in the shadows and went in alone.

He spent another tael of silver, paying the gatekeeper an entrance fee, before being allowed through.

He hadn't done anything all day, yet six taels of silver were gone; Lu Li felt a twinge of pain.

This was all money he had saved through hard work.

And he hadn't even bought any martial arts manuals yet!

Touching the one hundred and eighty taels of silver in his pocket, Lu Li began to feel anxious.

Entering the Black Market for the first time, Lu Li scanned the surrounding environment.

The items for sale were indeed as strange and bizarre as the rumors suggested.

Some were even peddling rusted iron scraps, claiming these shards were the divine weapons of some great master, engraved with supreme martial arts that could allow one to be reborn and ascend to the heavens in a single step.

The key was that a crowd had gathered around, and some people actually believed it.

It seems that things like bone structure and aptitude, which determine one's upper limit, have indeed made people suffer for a long time.

But fortunately, he was a genius.

Lu Li was not interested and quickly withdrew his gaze.

He looked around again and discovered a stall filled entirely with books—dozens of them. He immediately became interested and walked over.

"No browsing. You can only buy them if you pay." The stall owner was dressed in night-traveler clothes, but they could not hide his obese frame. He lay on the ground, eyes closed, resting.

Lu Li's hand paused as he flipped through the book, and he looked at the stall owner.

With such a carefree demeanor, he must be an expert!

He got straight to the point and asked, "What martial arts can reach the Inner-Qi Realm?"

The Inner-Qi Realm and the stages preceding it were still focused on tempering the physical body.

However, the Post-Heaven and Pre-Heaven Realms above the Inner-Qi Realm were no longer about polishing the body, but about cultivating a strand of Qi within it.

This required switching to a mental cultivation method, rather than just martial arts.

"I have one: the Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist, which can break through to the Inner-Qi Realm."

"Not only that, but among martial arts, this Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist can be considered top-tier."

"For instance, an ordinary Flesh-Refining Realm practitioner has a strength of two thousand jun, while the Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist can increase that by one point five times, reaching three thousand jun."

The stall owner remained lying down with his eyes closed, his leisurely voice drifting over, making Lu Li's heart skip a beat.

To be able to increase strength by so much—this martial art was truly impressive!

"How much silver?"

"One thousand taels, no bargaining," the stall owner replied, still with his eyes closed.

Lu Li's hand froze, a look of surprise on his face. Was the price for a martial art that could reach the Inner-Qi Realm really this expensive?

He had thought he had enough, but he hadn't expected the price to be five times the amount of money he had on him!

If so, how much would a higher-level Post-Heaven mental cultivation method cost?

Lu Li gained a deep realization that practicing martial arts was a bottomless pit.

It was truly terrifying!

Seeming to notice Lu Li's predicament, the stall owner said slowly, "Brother, don't think I'm trying to cheat you. If it weren't for the fact that this martial art's origins are questionable, I would have sold it for half the price. Otherwise, the normal price is two thousand taels!"

"How about this? It's not easy for anyone, so I'll sell it for a bit less. How much silver do you have on you?"

Lu Li rubbed his head and said awkwardly, "One hundred and eighty taels."

The stall owner finally opened his eyes.

His small eyes widened into circles as he sized Lu Li up. Seeing that he wasn't joking, he rolled his eyes: "You want to buy martial arts with this little money? Are you dreaming?"

"Hahaha, daring to come out and make a fool of yourself with a mere one hundred and eighty taels of silver." Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind Lu Li.

Lu Li turned around and saw a person with a white head covering walking over slowly, holding a dog draped in a black robe on a leash.

The dog revealed sinister eyes, and Lu Li could roughly identify it as a Wind-Chasing Dog.

The owner of this dog was naturally the Fifth Young Master.

He arrived in front of the stall owner and tossed out a silver note: "I'll buy this Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist."

He picked up the Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist, a smile curling at the corners of his mouth, his heart filled with wild joy.

"Hahaha, I've made a killing. My Huang Family doesn't have any martial arts that can cultivate to the Inner-Qi Realm."

"I've performed a great service for the family!"

"Hmph, my talent for martial arts is mediocre, and I'm only in the Flesh-Refining Realm right now. Father favors my sisters, and I've been unloved since I was a child, receiving the fewest resources."

"But now, if I take this martial art back, I will definitely be valued!"

"I will take back everything that belongs to me!"

Lu Li was not angry at being mocked and insulted.

He had always heard that the Fifth Young Master was unloved and a mere playboy.

With behavior like this, it would be a wonder if he were favored.

It was one thing to act like this in the city.

But to dare to make enemies at will in the Black Market—he truly had no brain.

However, after thinking about it, Lu Li chose to turn and leave.

The gatekeeper had said that fighting was not allowed inside the Black Market, so Lu Li decided to endure it for now.

Once he stepped outside, it wouldn't be too late to take revenge.

He was in the Tendon-Refining Realm; dealing with the Fifth Young Master would be like picking up a chick!

When the time came, he would simply take the martial art back!