Myriad Treasures Pavilion

Early the next morning, Li Zhengyang took a cab straight to the west side of the city.

The old street was not long, lined on both sides with aging buildings. At the end, he turned into an even narrower alley. Number 14 was inside.

Myriad Treasures Pavilion did not have a large storefront, but the moment he pushed open the door, he knew it was no ordinary shop.

The counter was made from a single slab of granite, polished until it reflected people's silhouettes. Display cases holding various Spirit Materials hung on the walls, each compartment lined with black velvet.

A woman sat behind the counter.

She was in her thirties, with short hair, gold-rimmed glasses, and a sharply tailored qipao. A string of Buddhist prayer beads circled her left wrist.

The instant Li Zhengyang entered, he sensed it.

A Blood Qi fluctuation.

And it was not weak.

He could not determine her exact level, only that she was stronger than him, or at least on the same level.

For someone like this to be buying Spirit Materials in some tucked-away corner of an old street, the waters ran deep.

"Beast Cores. Third-Rank Martial Artist. Three of them."

Li Zhengyang skipped the pleasantries, pulled three Demonic Cores from his pocket, and placed them on the counter.

The woman set down her teacup, picked one up for inspection, turned it over, then flicked it. It gave off a crisp hum.

"Two are Rockspine Beast cores." She set it down and picked up the third. "This one is a little different. It doesn't seem naturally formed."

"Boss, are you asking where they came from?"

The woman pushed up her glasses and did not press further.

"Good quality, few impurities. Twelve hundred thousand for all three."

It was not a high price, but neither was it a rip-off.

More importantly, it was fast. No haggling, no nonsense.

"Deal."

The woman scanned a code, and one hundred twenty thousand arrived in his account.

Li Zhengyang put away his phone and turned to leave.

"Wait."

The woman called him back. Her gaze appeared over the top of her glasses as she studied him for several seconds.

"Young man, did you hunt them alone?"

"Yeah."

"Three Third-Rank Magic Beasts, and you killed all three by yourself?"

"Just got lucky."

The woman nodded, pulled a business card from beneath the counter, and slid it over.

"I buy Beast Cores and rare Spirit Materials here year-round. If you can supply them consistently, we can negotiate a higher price. For large quantities, adding ten percent per core won't be a problem."

Li Zhengyang picked up the card and glanced at it.

Myriad Treasures Pavilion manager, Su Jin.

Below the name was only a phone number. Nothing else was printed.

"Fine. Let's exchange contact information." He gave her his number.

Su Jin saved it, lifted her teacup, and took a sip. "There aren't many young people in this business. Even fewer can deliver Third-Rank Beast Cores alive to my counter. How old are you?"

"Twenty."

Su Jin said nothing more and nodded once.

Li Zhengyang left Myriad Treasures Pavilion and turned into an empty dead-end alley beside it.

He took out his phone and checked his balance. Total: four hundred thirty thousand.

That was 4,300 Blood-Qi Value.

His current Blood-Qi Value was 6,328. Adding 4,300 made 10,628.

The threshold for a First-grade Grand Martial Master was 10,000.

Enough.

Charge it.

Input amount: 430000.

Confirm.

[Recharge successful!]
[Recharge amount: 430000]
[Blood-Qi Value gained: +4300]
[Current Blood-Qi Value: 10628]
[Blood-Qi Value threshold detected]
[Realm breakthrough: Seventh-Grade Martial Master → First-grade Grand Martial Master!]

This breakthrough was completely different from the previous ones.

There was no warm current, no crisp cracking of bones.

Instead, there was a swelling sensation from the inside out, as though his whole body had been stuffed into a high-pressure container.

Astral Qi surged out from within him. Rather than covering his body's surface, it spread outward.

The air within three meters of him was compressed until it hummed and trembled, while cracks appeared in the ground beneath his feet.

Great Martial Master.

The gap between a Martial Master and a Great Martial Master was even greater than the gap between a Martial Warrior and a Martial Master.

A Martial Master's Astral Qi clung close to the body, while a Great Martial Master's Astral Qi could be released slightly beyond it.

The textbooks called it "Astral Energy Release."

Li Zhengyang raised his right hand and spread his fingers.

A vortex condensed in his palm, visible to the naked eye as it twisted and distorted the surrounding air.

Meanwhile, on the east side of the city.

Inside the Speedy Loan Treasure headquarters office.

"Say that again?"

A short, fat, bald man in his fifties sat behind the desk. His brows were knotted together as he held a report so tightly that the paper had crumpled.

Qian Long stood before the desk, bent at the waist with his head lowered.

"Boss Sun, that's the situation. That kid isn't weak. He's a Fourth-Grade Martial Master. I can't beat him."

"I sent you to collect a debt! And you gave him another hundred thousand?" The short, fat man slammed his palm onto the desk. "What the fuck, did you go there to do charity? Huh?"

Qian Long said nothing.

"The first ten thousand was overdue, and you couldn't collect it. Then you gave him another hundred thousand! One hundred ten thousand! If you can't get it back, I'll deduct it from your salary!"

"Boss Sun, that kid is already a Fourth-Grade Martial Master in his early twenties. He'll definitely be worth something in the future."

"Worth something? Worth your mother's money!" The short, fat man stood, walked around the desk, and stopped in front of Qian Long. "A debtor says he'll be valuable someday, and you believe him? You've been collecting debts for over ten years. Did a dog eat your brain?"

Qian Long lowered his head even further.

The short, fat man paced around the office twice, panting heavily before finally coming to a stop.

"Old Feng."

Someone on the sofa in the corner moved.

He had not spoken or moved the entire time, his presence so faint that Qian Long had not even noticed another person in the room when he entered.

The man stood.

He was over six feet tall, lean and wiry, with little expression on his face. He wore an old military jacket.

His right hand had only four fingers. Where his pinky should have been was a bare stump.

Cold sweat immediately broke out on Qian Long.

A Great Martial Master.

What did a Great Martial Master mean in a small city like this? He could enter Martial Arts University as an instructor.

Ordinary small companies could not afford to hire one at all.

"Old Feng used to be an instructor at the Northern Military Region's Martial Arts Special Training Camp. A Second-grade Grand Martial Master." The short, fat man introduced him with a hint of pride in his voice. "Later, he left the military for personal reasons. Now he helps me handle a few things."

Personal reasons.

Qian Long had heard of this man—Feng Tiezhu. He had retired from the Northern Military Region, taught at Martial Arts University for a year, then was persuaded to resign after getting drunk and injuring a student.

From regular military service to university instructor to thug for a lending company, the man's résumé was like a roller coaster ride.

But his strength was real.

A Second-grade Grand Martial Master. In this city, apart from professional Martial Warrior squads, it was hard to find anyone who could match him.

Feng Tiezhu picked up a cup from the sofa. Qian Long smelled alcohol.

"Send me the address." Feng Tiezhu spoke only four words, his voice hoarse.

The short, fat man smiled. "When Old Feng handles things, I'm at ease. Remember, getting the money back is secondary. First, make him submit. If the kid refuses to cooperate, you know what to do."

Feng Tiezhu had already reached the door without looking back.

Li Zhengyang was not idle either.

He refreshed the D-rank and C-rank mission lists, then accepted five missions in one go.

The receptionist had changed. It was no longer Liu Ting, but a bespectacled young man.

"Five missions? By yourself?"

"By myself."

The young man checked his certification level: Seventh-Grade Martial Master. Then he looked at the mission difficulties.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. Hurry it up."

After registering and leaving the hall, Li Zhengyang noticed several people squatting by the wall, cursing.

"Fuck, it got snatched again!" A bearded man slapped his thigh. "I'd been watching that C023 job for two days. The second it refreshed, it was gone!"

A short man beside him chimed in, "Not just yours. D019, D021, and D025 are all gone too. One person took every single one! Who the hell is that badass?"

"I heard from the front desk it was some kid in his twenties. Soloing D-rank jobs like he was sweeping up merchandise."

"Alone? Bullshit, right?"

Several people complained in the corner.

As Li Zhengyang walked past them, the bearded man looked up at him, then at the long spear on his back.

"That's him?"

The short man nodded.

The bearded man rose, sensed Li Zhengyang's aura fluctuation, and seemed about to say something. His mouth opened, but he sat back down again.

These days, it was getting harder and harder for Martial Warrior squads to make a living.

Li Zhengyang left the office and hailed a cab.

Today's goal: five missions, plus the Rockspine Beast bounty in the Northern Mountain Ore Vein Belt. Kill as many as he could.

Conservatively speaking, today's earnings would not be less than six hundred thousand.

Halfway there, his phone rang.

An unknown number.

He answered it.

"Li Zhengyang?" The voice was hoarse.

"Who is this?"

"When are you planning to repay the money you owe?"