No Matter How Skilled You Are

"Just as expected of the Blood Cage Arena. They have serious influence..."

"I have to get revenge. These two hundred thousand will get me detailed information on the enemy, so I can't skimp on it! Besides, I can also try some private coaching..."

Fang Xing closed his eyes and thought slowly.

Money was not much of a problem. Altogether, it would only be three hundred thousand.

He had sold gold on the Black Market before and had even been targeted by Lance because of it. He could afford this much.

As for why three hundred thousand?

Naturally, it was because he only intended to buy one lesson!

"Information on the Extreme Emotion Sword is available online. Besides, I only need to experience the artistic conception of the Extreme Emotion Sword once. Reaching the Beginner level will be enough... After that, I can grind it out myself with the Attribute Panel!"

"Strictly speaking, I'm freeloading!"

"Learning another sword technique would mainly serve as a disguise for my identity... Besides, being Unparalleled in Dual Blades sounds pretty cool."

Night fell.

After putting on a mask, Fang Xing returned to the Blood Cage Arena.

Ever since the last attack, he had realized that the Fighting Arena's shuttle bus was still the safest option.

"Welcome!"

Zhang Jiarui wore a small business suit with a bright red bow pinned at her collar. Her hands rested over her abdomen as she gave a slight bow.

"Hello. I'm here for a transaction..."

Fang Xing spoke in a low voice.

"All right. Please follow me."

Zhang Jiarui led Fang Xing to an office. Once she opened the door, he found that it was surprisingly spacious, yet contained only a lone desk.

"The money has already been transferred into the Fighting Arena's account."

Fang Xing spoke in a low voice.

"Mm. Here's the information." Zhang Jiarui tapped the air a few times and transmitted a file to Fang Xing's Black Market Communicator.

At the very top was a highly realistic personal image.

"Lance Knott, thirty-seven years old. Biochemical Human from Three Leaves City. Graduated from Three Leaves City High School, then entered Military Service and awakened a Superpower on the battlefield... Discharged at thirty-four..."

"An Uncut Jade Realm martial artist. His awakened Superpower is suspected to be Communicate with Small Animals. He can only command small animals; even animals similar in size to large dogs cannot be used by him... Frequented locations: Maple Leaf City Black Market, Blood Dance Bar..."

Fang Xing glanced through it and found the information extremely detailed.

That was excellent. Knowing all this was equivalent to knowing a person's weaknesses!

Even as he was now, he was confident he could deliberately arrange traps based on this information and kill Lance!

Of course, that would be rather dangerous, so Fang Xing would definitely wait until he was fully prepared before making a move.

"Thank you."

He sincerely thanked Zhang Jiarui. Information of this caliber was not something ordinary organizations could obtain.

"You're my customer, after all... So, private coaching?"

Zhang Jiarui smiled and asked another question.

"Mm. I'll pay for one lesson first."

Fang Xing nodded in agreement and watched Zhang Jiarui leave.

Not long afterward, the office door opened again, and a Female Martial Artist walked in.

She was burly and dark-skinned, with an unremarkable appearance. Yet upon closer inspection, one could sense the extreme danger hidden within her, like a lioness lurking in the grass, ready at any moment to pounce upon her prey!

"My surname is Ping. You can call me Coach Ping... You want to learn the Extreme Emotion Sword? How much do you know about this A-Rank Martial Art?"

Coach Ping asked.

Fang Xing explained some of his own understanding.

After listening, Coach Ping frowned. "It's all publicly available material. I understand... You don't have any foundation at all. In that case, I recommend taking ten lessons to consolidate your basics before moving on to advanced training... It should take around fifty lessons for you to reach the Beginner level..."

Fang Xing's face immediately darkened. "Well... I haven't decided whether to cultivate the Extreme Emotion Sword yet, so I planned to first buy one trial lesson... Could Coach Ping briefly explain the Beginner essentials of the Extreme Emotion Sword first, then demonstrate its Sword Intent?"

One lesson cost one hundred thousand. Fifty lessons would cost five million!

He would have to be insane to spend that much money.

He had bought this lesson precisely to organize the key points, then rely on himself to overcome the thresholds one by one.

Of course, the most crucial thing was still experiencing the artistic conception of the Extreme Emotion Sword once.

"That works... The essence of the Extreme Emotion Sword lies in taking emotion to its utmost, being sincere in one's intent, joining heart with intent, and joining emotion with the body... Given your situation..."

Coach Ping looked at Fang Xing, a trace of mockery flashing through her heart before she began her explanation.

This A-Rank Martial Art was likewise profound and extensive. Without guidance from an expert, Fang Xing felt that he could barely even understand it by reading it himself.

Yet after attending this private lesson, he felt as though everything had suddenly become clear. He could not help sighing inwardly that you got what you paid for.

"All right. Finally, I'll demonstrate the artistic conception of the Extreme Emotion Sword once..."

"Training in the Extreme Emotion Sword requires you to excavate the deepest and most unforgettable emotions in your heart... The more intense the emotion, the stronger the simulated artistic conception."

Coach Ping brushed a hand across her waist.

Roar!

A flash of white light appeared, accompanied by a sword cry like a dragon's roar.

A flexible sword had been wrapped around her waist all along.

Sword Light flickered, seeming to carry an intensely infectious emotion.

Fang Xing became somewhat dazed. Without realizing it, a glimmer of tears appeared at the corner of his eye. "The word emotion is truly difficult to comprehend..."

Coach Ping had already sheathed her sword. "Today's lesson is over. If you come again next time, remember to pay the full tuition in one go."

She was actually somewhat short of money; otherwise, she would not have accepted this kind of private coaching request.

Revealing a trace of the artistic conception was merely bait.

In her view, how could someone possibly master an A-Rank Martial Art with just one trial lesson?

In the end, he would still have to start practicing from the beginning.

"Thank you, Coach!"

Fang Xing firmly memorized the feeling from earlier. At the very least, he now had a direction.

As for paying for a whole pile of lessons?

That was naturally impossible. Not in this lifetime.

Although this time did not count as freeloading, now that he had a direction, with a few tricks from the Cultivation World and the Attribute Panel's assistance, he might not be unable to reach the Beginner level!

There would definitely be no need to spend money on subsequent lessons.

After leaving the office, Fang Xing checked the time and immediately headed for the stolen-goods shop and the small weapons shop.

"Since it's rare for me to come here, I'll sell the gold as soon as possible, then buy the Swift Dragon-Class Laser Gun I've been wanting so badly... Finally, I'll take the Fighting Arena shuttle home. Killing two birds with one stone!"

There was quite a bit of gold in Green Forest Market, and Fang Xing had brought another batch this time.

Together with what he had left from before, he could barely scrape together two million.

More importantly, he would not need to launder the money. He could buy the weapon directly and bring it back, saving a considerable sum.

"Sure enough, the Black Market doesn't want me taking even a single cent home either... But without the money-laundering step, spending it feels so good... For some reason, it even feels like I've made a profit."

Happy Home District.

"Laser gun..."

Inside his room, Fang Xing played with the firearm in his hands.

This Swift Dragon-Class Laser Gun had come from the Black Market. Its body possessed a silver-white metallic sheen, and it felt satisfyingly heavy in his hand.

More importantly... it could be used on people!

"A laser gun fires at nearly the speed of light, and its destructive power is enough to pierce a Nano Protective Suit..."

Fang Xing assumed several standard aiming stances. "It should be enough for revenge. That Lance definitely won't be able to block it..."

"I don't have much to do over there right now, so I'll leave this gun here for the moment and take it over after I get my revenge..."

Although the weapons shop owner had sworn that the firearm contained no hidden mechanisms, Fang Xing did not believe him in the slightest.

Even if the manufacturer had not left any tricks behind, the Black Market might have!

Therefore, if he took this firearm to the Other World, he definitely would not bring it back again.

So Fang Xing planned to let it do its job first. After getting revenge, he would toss it into the Other World.

By then, he would not exactly be able to rest easy in Green Forest Market, but he would no longer have much to fear.

At the very least, aside from Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators, he could even ambush and kill Qi Refining Completion Cultivators!

As for whether Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators could withstand it?

Fang Xing did not know, nor did he wish to find out. Once it came to that, his own situation would probably be extremely dangerous.

Several days later.

Black Market.

Blood Dance Bar.

Lance the Carrion Feeder staggered drunkenly out, a bottle still dangling from his hand.

Ever since retiring from the interstellar battlefield, he had needed hard liquor and even psychiatric drugs to soothe his heart.

That period of memory had even become taboo to him. He forced himself to forget it, unwilling to recall it again.

He turned into an abandoned street, skillfully lifted the cover of a certain sewer entrance, and crawled inside.

The sewer was narrow, enclosed, dark... and reeked of filth.

For some reason, Lance felt very safe in such an environment.

"Squeak! Squeak!"

At that moment, two rats suddenly scurried over and began squeaking.

"Gulp, gulp..."

Lance raised the bottle and took another savage swig. His steps became unsteady, and he looked like nothing more than a drunkard, the sort who had drunk himself senseless.

"Ugh..."

The next moment, he covered his mouth as though he were about to vomit, bracing himself against the wall beside him.

Suddenly!

Lance's legs explosively tensed, and his entire body lunged toward a spot in the darkness like a leopard.

His hands formed claws, tearing through the air with a fierce gust of wind and astonishing killing intent. It was the Mad Eagle Style from the A-Rank Martial Arts technique, Crazy Eighteen Strikes!

Hmph... If I were really just a drunk, I would've been killed in the Black Market long ago!

A hint of smugness flashed through Lance's eyes. Ever since the two rats had alerted him to someone lying in wait, he had deliberately pretended to be a drunk about to vomit in order to lower his ambusher's guard.

Then, at this moment, he would launch a sudden attack!

Even as he pounced, his entire body had already been covered by a Nano Protective Suit, leaving no gaps in his defense.

The next moment, he saw the attacker hiding in the darkness.

Though the other party wore a mask, his build and eyes gave Lance a familiar feeling. He immediately identified him. "That fat sheep who got away that day, and you dare come assassinate me? Today, I'll show you what it means to be a battle-hardened elite who survived the battlefield!"

The other party was merely in the Muscles and Bones Realm. How could he possibly be a match for an Uncut Jade Realm Ability User wielding an A-Rank Martial Art?

Lance could already imagine what his opponent would look like after dying.

But while he was in midair, he suddenly saw the attacker's right hand inside his clothes, seemingly gripping something hidden from view, while his eyes were filled with mockery.

At that instant, the battle-hardened Lance suddenly thought of something. Horror appeared on his face. "You have no martial honor..."

"Goodbye!"

Fang Xing pulled the trigger, and a white laser flashed.

The laser struck Lance instantly, melting through the Nano Protective Suit's defenses and turning the area where his head had been into nothingness.

Bang!

The headless corpse collapsed onto the ground, sending the nearby rats shrieking as they scattered.

"No matter how skilled you are, one shot puts you down!"

Fang Xing blew on the muzzle of the Laser Gun, feeling rather emotional. "My great vengeance is avenged. It's time to go..."