“Next up is an inner force secret manual that we’re all familiar with from legends. Of course, regarding its authenticity, we cannot be certain despite our examination. Inner force requires long-term practice and observation, and in the short term, it’s impossible to tell if it’s genuine or fake. But from the material alone, we can confirm that the silk used in this book is over a hundred years old!”
The host chuckled twice, glancing at the audience to gauge their reaction. Every gaze was fixed firmly on him.
He continued, his voice slow and deliberate. “This secret manual is called the Black Fury Skill.”
Two dwarves stepped onto the stage, carefully carrying a yellow-bronze plate. On it lay a pitch-black booklet, its cover made of smooth, ancient silk.
“The Black Fury Skill contains thirty-two levels in total. According to the records, each level strengthens the practitioner’s body. This manual includes only levels one through five.”
A voice from the audience broke the moment. “Tsk, so it’s incomplete.”
Another sneered. “Inner Qi is already difficult enough to cultivate. Now this secret manual isn’t even complete? Who would dare practice it? If anyone tried modifying it, they’d be courting death!”
“Well, you don’t have to buy it,” a third added disdainfully.
The host raised his hands, smiling as he gestured for silence. “Everyone, please. This Black Fury Skill manual was entrusted to us for auction by a client. Part of it has been verified for authenticity. As for the rest… let’s not dwell on it. At the very least, the first three levels can be safely practiced.”
He expected these words to stir the audience, to make them lean in with interest. But their expressions remained cold, unmoved.
Lu Sheng shook his head slightly, understanding the reaction immediately. Zheng Xiangui, however, looked confused.
“Brother Sheng, what happened? Why aren’t they reacting?”
“Nothing unusual, this is normal,” Lu Sheng said flatly. “Inner force manuals take years to cultivate. Even with a demonstration, no one dares risk their life on it.”
“Moreover, I’ve heard Uncle Zhao say that inner force isn’t as powerful as the legends claim. Unless it’s practiced to the pinnacle, its strength can sometimes be weaker than a single strike from an outer force expert at full power.”
“Why is that?” Zheng Xiangui asked, even more puzzled.
“Perhaps Young Master isn’t very familiar with this field,” a captain of the guard spoke from behind them.
His name was Chen Dewu, one of the two strongest captains in the Zheng family’s guard. This trip to the Black Meeting was too important to leave without proper protection, so he had been assigned to maintain order. Like Uncle Zhao, he was among the few outer force masters of Strength Proficiency revered throughout the city.
Chen Dewu’s gaze swept over Lu Sheng briefly before he continued. “Whether inner force or outer force, both are methods of training strength. Outer force emphasizes physical conditioning—enhancing muscles through external strikes and forcing the body to withstand intense pressure. This approach is fast, but it takes a heavy toll on the body.
Inner force, on the other hand, cultivates and strengthens the internal organs, nourishes Qi, and refines the blood. It is slower, but it doesn’t harm the body and even extends one’s lifespan. That’s the key difference.
A pinnacle outer force expert can still contend with an inner force practitioner, but the truly formidable ones are those who master both inner and outer force…”
“I see…” Zheng Xiangui murmured, a hint of understanding in his voice.
Lu Sheng nodded. “I’ve heard Uncle Zhao say the same thing.”
“Then why does everyone get so obsessed with inner force training? If both can increase strength, aren’t they basically equal?” Zheng Xiangui asked, raising a doubt.
“It’s about longevity. Strong as outer force practitioners may be, their prime ends around thirty. Inner force, however, can extend one’s peak into their fifties or even sixties. The difference is incomparable,” Chen Dewu replied, his voice tinged with admiration.
Meanwhile, Lu Sheng’s attention shifted back to the secret manual on the stage, the auction about to begin. The host pointed at the black silk booklet resting on the tray.
“Bidding begins now. The starting price is a hundred talents!”
“A hundred and thirty talents.”
“A hundred and fifty!”
“Two hundred!”
“Three hundred!”
“Three hundred thirty talents!”
One by one, the bidders pushed the price higher. Even some who had mocked the manual earlier now joined the fray. It was a clear sign—despite lingering doubts about the manual, everyone trusted the Black Meeting’s reputation and its strict verification.
“Somebody’s purposely jacking up the price,” Fatso muttered under his breath.
Lu Sheng’s eyes narrowed as he focused on the stage.
“Five hundred talents!” he shouted, raising his arm.
The hall fell silent for a heartbeat, stunned by the sudden jump of a hundred talents. In this age, five hundred talents could buy the equivalent of half a million Chinese dollars. All for a manual whose authenticity was uncertain, potentially riddled with errors or omissions.
“Five hundred and fifty talents,” a hoarse voice responded.
Lu Sheng’s gaze shifted. A yellow-skinned man with drooping eyes and a dry, gaunt face stared back at him. There was little flesh on his bones, but his eyes burned with a raw, savage intensity—no kindness lingered there.
Lu Sheng had expected this. How could a secret inner force manual not spark a bidding war?
He didn’t flinch and raised his arm again.
“Six hundred talents.”
“Seven hundred talents!”
It was the same man. Lu Sheng had barely placed his bid when the other immediately matched it.
“Eight hundred talents!” Lu Sheng said evenly. His father, Lu Quanan, had given him a monthly allowance of two thousand talents. Even if it drained his funds, he would spend it all to claim the manual. With the Modifier, even a chance of being initiated in a martial art was enough—he could simply find its name and modify it directly to its extreme.
“Nine hundred talents!”
The man’s savage eyes locked onto Lu Sheng with unflinching intensity.
“A thousand talents,” Lu Sheng said calmly.
“…One thousand and one hundred talents!” The other’s voice cracked slightly under the strain. “Friend, I’m of the Zhang family of the White Jade. Give me some face.”
‘Zhang family of the White Jade?’ Lu Sheng’s lips twitched with barely concealed annoyance.
This Zhang family wasn’t from Nine Links City. They hailed from the nearby Zi Hua City—the top family there, led by the Prefect, Zhang Song.
“Oh, the Zhang family of the White Jade. To think they’d come all the way to our Nine Links City to hunt for treasures…” Zheng Xiangui’s voice beside him brimmed with surprise.
The Zheng family oversaw the Black Meeting, concerned only with the auction itself. They had no interest in the origins of their guests.
“One thousand two hundred talents!” Lu Sheng raised his arm once more.
Anger flared in the eyes of the man from the Zhang family. In the regions around Nine Links and Zi Hua City, he had never met anyone who dared trample the Zhang family’s pride so openly.
The Zhang family was more than Prefect Zhang Song. Within their ranks was Zi Hua City’s number one expert—Zhang Songxi. Their influence stretched through both the government and the underworld, giving them a shield to act freely… anywhere.
“Just ignore him. Items auctioned at a Black Meeting go to the highest bidder. Even the Zhang family won’t risk breaking that rule lightly. Otherwise, who would still cooperate with them in their jade business?” Zheng Xiangui whispered, a smug smile hidden in his misfortune.
The man from the Zhang family was Zhang Jundong, a specialist dispatched to Nine Links City to collect every secret inner force manual that surfaced. The family monitored the market closely, intercepting any rare manual before it could reach an auction.
This one, however, had slipped through the cracks. Deposited at a Black Meeting by a client who had arrived unexpectedly, it bypassed the usual channels—and Zhang Jundong’s eyes.
“One thousand three hundred talents!” Zhang Jundong ground his teeth and raised his arm again.
“One thousand four hundred!” Lu Sheng responded without hesitation.
At this point, the competition had narrowed to just the two of them. The rest of the room remained silent, unwilling to enter the fray.
“One thousand five hundred talents!” Zhang Jundong’s glare bore into Lu Sheng without a flicker of hesitation. “Friend, when you’re out on the roads, it’s better to have more friends. Let me have this manual today, and the Zhang family will remember this favor.”
Lu Sheng’s expression remained unchanged.
“One thousand six hundred talents.”
He raised his arm and bid again, calm and unwavering.
Zhang Jundong’s anger flared. He had come for this Black Fury Skill, expecting to secure it within a thousand talents and keep the rest of his fund intact. He hadn’t anticipated a reckless stranger leaping in to challenge him so relentlessly.
“One thousand, seven hundred and fifty talents!” He shot to his feet, throwing all his money into the bid at once.
“One thousand eight hundred!” Lu Sheng replied evenly, his face a mask of indifference.
Zhang Jundong spun to face him, eyes flashing with murderous intent.
“Well done. Very good,” he muttered instead of speaking further, scanning Lu Sheng from head to toe as if committing every detail to memory.
With a flick of his arm, Zhang Jundong stormed out in a blaze of anger.
“Congratulations to this mister,” the host said, grinning from ear to ear. For a manual whose authenticity and accuracy were uncertain to fetch such a price, his commission would be far higher than usual.
Lu Sheng received the secret manual, exchanged the silver notes, and departed without lingering to watch the final auctioned item.
Chen Wude trailed him, accompanied by two guards, unwilling to leave Lu Sheng unprotected in case of mishap.
They retraced the path through the karst cave. When Lu Sheng emerged, the night sky stretched wide and dark above him. The Zheng family’s horse carriage waited silently outside.
Chen Wude could not accompany him further. He allowed a few guards to leave with Lu Sheng, then returned to remain at Young Master Zheng Xiangui’s side.
Bringing three guards with him, Lu Sheng stepped out of the stone house, ready to board the carriage.
“Hoo…”
A sudden gust of wind swept through the village outskirts.
A guard tensed, scanning the area, but saw nothing.
“TCH!”
With a whisper of friction, a black shadow streaked past a guard, slicing through their small circle and racing straight toward Lu Sheng, who stood at the center.
The shadow moved with impossible speed. The guards barely had time to react before it had bypassed them entirely.
“DANG, DANG, DANG!”
Three sharp clangs rang out as a short blade carved swift cuts across the arms of the three guards.
They grunted in pain and stumbled back, clutching their wrists. Mercenaries by trade, they weren’t die-hard loyalists of the Zheng family. Risking their lives for their employer wasn’t part of the job description.
Seeing the shadow unstoppable, they chose self-preservation over heroics. Wounded and exposed, their formation instantly crumbled, leaving Lu Sheng fully vulnerable in the center.
“Die!” a deep, raspy voice hissed from the black figure.
The blade rose, slashing violently toward Lu Sheng’s chest.
Even slowed and slightly weakened from wounding the guards, the attacker still posed no real challenge for an ordinary rich young master. Martial skill or not, few in Nine Links City—or the surrounding region—could stand against him.
Before the strike, Zhang Jundong had carefully observed his target. Lu Sheng was not one of their own.
Though he had claimed to be a member of the Zhang family at the auction, he hid another, far darker identity.
He was none other than one of the notorious bandit chiefs outside Zi Hua City.
Since he had been outbid at the auction, securing the manual by force seemed the next logical step. It wouldn’t be his first time resorting to such methods. After all, no one at the Black Meeting could guarantee the safety of its bidders.
If he eliminated the other party and claimed the manual, he could walk away with it—and still save over a thousand talents for himself. Why not take the opportunity?
ns216.73.216.33da2
and then Add to home screen.