Black Market Deal

The next day, Mo Li stood before the gates of Blue Tyrant Academy, leaning against a white marble pillar and waiting in listless boredom.

During this time, teachers and students passed in and out of the campus, greeting Mo Li as they went.

Mo Li responded to each of them with a smile.

His naturally cheerful personality had earned him a decent reputation within the academy.

"Little Li, sorry to keep you waiting."

A familiar voice drifted from behind him.

Jiang Zhu appeared at the academy gate with her hands behind her back, looking apologetic.

In the two years that had passed, Jiang Zhu had blossomed into a young woman. Today, she wore a light green dress with her crimson hair tied up, her entire being radiating the youthful vitality characteristic of her age.

Girls on the continent generally matured earlier, and her figure had become increasingly exquisite, though that silly, sweet nature of hers remained largely unchanged.

In terms of cultivation, Jiang Zhu's spirit power had recently broken through to level twenty-five, allowing her to successfully advance to the academy's intermediate class.

Mo Li smiled and waved a hand at her.

"It's fine, I only just arrived myself."

Today was a day off, and Mo Li had originally planned to head into the city to purchase whale glue. However, Jiang Zhu had happened to find him yesterday and insisted on accompanying him into the city for some fun.

Mo Li had wanted to refuse at first—not because he didn't trust Jiang Zhu, but because their destination was a rather secretive underground trading post.

Given Jiang Zhu's simple nature, he worried that accidents might be inevitable.

In the end, he couldn't withstand her pestering and reluctantly agreed to let her tag along.

Before they set off, however, Mo Li felt it necessary to emphasize one thing: "Don't be impatient, Sister Jiang Zhu. We agreed beforehand..."

"Yes, yes, yes. Today, everything will be up to Little Li." Jiang Zhu's pretty face beamed with a smile. As she spoke, she reached out and pulled him toward the outside of the academy.

West of Heaven Dou City.

Although the western district was not as prosperous as other areas, it housed a magnificent landmark: the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena.

Despite its relatively remote location, the foot traffic here was much higher than in other districts, which also meant that security in the west side was consistently poorer.

Even standing outside the arena, the two could faintly hear the various clamors coming from within; the scene was quite lively.

However, this trip was not for the sake of the arena.

Although Mo Li had undergone special training under Liu Erlong, he had yet to engage in any real combat against other opponents. Perhaps there would be a chance to hone his skills in this arena in the future.

Passing by the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena, Mo Li led Jiang Zhu through the district, following the information he had gathered.

As they ventured deeper, chaos and squalor became visible everywhere.

Still, since they were within Heaven Dou City, at the foot of the imperial capital, the chaos remained within a controllable range.

After searching for some time, the two finally stopped in front of a cluster of buildings.

Before them stood a rather inconspicuous structure, its entrance obscured by thick black curtains.

People were constantly entering and exiting; some wrapped themselves tightly with dark, guarded expressions, while others were being helped out, or even carried away covered in blood.

Watching this scene, Mo Li's brow furrowed slightly. Jiang Zhu didn't say a word, but her eyes were filled with resistance.

This was the secret black market trading post Mo Li had found, a place specializing in the circulation of illicit goods.

Mo Li had wanted Jiang Zhu to wait outside, but she refused to let him go in alone, insisting on accompanying him.

Unable to sway her—and fearing that leaving her alone outside might lead to other accidents—Mo Li had no choice but to bring her into the gloomy venue.

Before entering, Mo Li had prepared two plain masks to avoid unnecessary trouble.

The environment inside was dim, with visibility much lower than outside. Various noisy, chaotic sounds echoed through the air, mingled with a damp, unpleasant odor that seemed to warn anyone entering that this was no place for the faint of heart.

Most people here kept their faces covered, though some—whether they were hot-headed youths or simply overconfident—exposed their faces openly.

The place was more like a market hidden within the building, with numerous stalls and gathering spots scattered about.

As the two ventured deeper, many eyes began to size them up.

While he and Jiang Zhu could hide their faces, their figures could not be entirely concealed.

Most of the gazes were fixed on Jiang Zhu; in a place like this, a girl like her was simply too eye-catching.

In the dim surroundings, one person began to jeer, and soon more followed suit. Some even wanted to step forward and take advantage of the situation.

Having never experienced such a scene, Jiang Zhu's pretty face turned pale. Her fingers gripped the corner of Mo Li's clothes tightly, and she pressed herself almost entirely behind him, her body trembling slightly.

Yet, this pitiful posture only made the group more unscrupulous.

Mo Li's brow furrowed. He turned, intending to take Jiang Zhu and leave, but as soon as he turned around, a lecherous man stepped into their path.

"Kid, this isn't a place for you."

The man wore a lewd grin. In his eyes, Mo Li and Jiang Zhu were nothing more than two sheep waiting to be slaughtered.

Moreover, this place was a gray zone; even if he did something, there was no one around who would care to stop him for the time being.

Mo Li's gaze turned icy in an instant.

"Get lost!"

His voice was not loud, yet it carried an unquestionable chill.

"Kid, you'd better worry about yourself first, haha."

Mo Li's gaze turned gloomy to the extreme. Without further ado, a bright yellow spirit ring rose from beneath his feet, its radiance appearing exceptionally striking in the dim space.

"A... a Spirit Master?!"

Watching the spirit ring light up on Mo Li, the lecherous man was instantly terrified, his scalp tingling.

The young boy before him was actually a Spirit Master!

Mo Li's eyes were cold. Without a word, he flicked his finger, and black flames, like life-reaping ghost fire, surged directly from his fingertip toward the man.

"Ah—!"

A shrill cry rang out. A moment later, the smell of burning flesh wafted through the air, and the man collapsed to the ground with a thud, his life or death unknown.

Although Mo Li had no intention of taking his life, he would never let such a person off easily; more importantly, he needed to kill the chicken to scare the monkey.

The black market was a mix of all sorts of people, but most were merely ordinary folk; Spirit Masters with any status would never come to such a place.

Mo Li was not bloodthirsty, but he would never tolerate his friends being insulted, especially when he had the ability to put an end to it.

Mo Li's cold gaze swept across the surroundings. Having witnessed his thunderous methods, the noisy chatter of the black market seemed to drop a notch, and for a time, no one dared to meet his eyes wherever he looked.

No one bothered with the man lying on the ground like trash; in this gray area, there was no order, and power was the iron law.

Now, no one dared to cast even a hint of an inappropriate glance at Jiang Zhu. In the face of the strength Mo Li had displayed, that was simply courting death!

Seeing that the desired effect had been achieved, Mo Li's expression softened slightly. He looked at Jiang Zhu, who was still clutching him tightly, and comforted her softly:

"It's alright, Sister Jiang Zhu."

Hearing Mo Li's voice, Jiang Zhu finally snapped out of the scene she had just witnessed. She peeked slightly from behind Mo Li, her voice trembling: "Mo Li, did... did you kill him?"

It was the first time Jiang Zhu had seen such a fierce side of Mo Li, and her voice sounded somewhat unnatural.

"Don't worry about him, let's go," Mo Li said indifferently.

Although the people in the black market had shifted their attention, they could still hear Mo Li's nonchalant words, and they couldn't help but feel a chill run through their hearts.

"Sister Jiang Zhu, why don't you go outside and wait for me first?"

"No!"

Although Jiang Zhu did not like this place, after witnessing its chaos, she was even more worried about leaving Mo Li alone.

"I... I will go with you."

Seeing Jiang Zhu's persistence, Mo Li said no more, took her hand, and continued deeper into the market.

Jiang Zhu was kind-hearted and soft-natured by nature, but she would have to face the dark side of this world sooner or later.

He just hadn't expected that he would be the one to lead Jiang Zhu through this first lesson.

Jiang Zhu had chosen to come in only because of him, so Mo Li would never tolerate her suffering any grievances here, which was exactly why he had struck with such thunderous force just moments ago.