C14 Underground Black Market

Great Flame City sits on the border between the North Star Country and the Devil Dragon Wasteland. Mercenaries, independent adventurers, and even students from prestigious academies flock to the wasteland for training and treasure hunting. Although the wasteland was cursed and sealed after the "World-Ending Battle" thousands of years ago, the ruins of ancient sects are still hard to find. However, over the millennia, the seals on these ruins have weakened, occasionally allowing adventurers to discover remnants of small sects.

The treasures found or the beasts hunted are often sold through official channels. However, items of dubious origin typically find their way to the underground black market. To quickly enhance his abilities, Qiao Gao decided that exploring the Devil Dragon Mining Area and raiding high-level beasts' lairs were not enough. Visiting the underground black market was the fastest way to acquire what he needed.

This black market isn't located within Great Flame City's inner walls but rather in a valley on the outskirts. Qiao Gao had to spend over a thousand dollars to be guided there, as ordinary fighters can't just stroll into the black market. He donned a black robe and a hood, his youthful face hidden behind a silver mask that only revealed his eyes. He had no desire to be recognized during transactions.

After all, many shady deals occur in the underground black market. While Qiao Gao wasn't afraid, he preferred not to waste time on potential double-crosses.

The most important thing now is to unblock the veins as quickly as possible and to find out why one of his Human Rank Essence Veins has withered.

Walking down the bustling streets of the underground market, it was far from the quiet scene one might expect. Instead, it was lively, with numerous independent practitioners setting up stalls along the street. The variety of goods available was impressive, including medicine pills, essence tools, martial arts manuals, and more—everything you could imagine. However, this place was a mix of all sorts, and the waters ran deep and murky. If you weren't careful, you could easily get swindled.

Qiao Gao strolled leisurely, quickly catching the attention of the stall owners.

"Hey there, young hero. Looking to buy something?" a burly man with thick eyebrows and big eyes stopped Qiao Gao. Despite Qiao Gao's black robe and mask, the faint, not-so-powerful energy emanating from him suggested he wasn't a master.

"Heh, a kid with less than a three-vein connection daring to shop in the underground market—if I don't take advantage, I'd be missing out," the burly man thought to himself while eagerly promoting his goods.

"Young hero, this is a Vein Connecting Pill, crafted by a Grade Three Pill Refining Master. It's the real deal, and the quality is excellent. It can boost your vein-unblocking success rate by at least 30%," the burly man said, picking up an ornate box containing a single Vein Connecting Pill. "And it's only 800 crystals each, while outside it would cost at least 1,000 crystals."

Upon hearing this, Qiao Gao couldn't help but feel intrigued, his gaze curiously falling on the 'Vein Connecting Pill' in the ornate box. The pill could enhance the chances of opening the Essence Vein, especially those crafted by high-level Pill Refining Masters, which boasted a higher success rate.

For Qiao Gao, such a Vein Connecting Pill was quite necessary. Of course, there were many ways to open the vein, the cheapest being to endure a beating, but he preferred not to resort to that unless absolutely necessary. Clearly, taking the Vein Connecting Pill was the best option.

However, after just a glance at the pill supposedly made by a Grade Three Pill Refining Master, Qiao Gao's smile faded. He remarked, "This Vein Connecting Pill is worth no more than 100 crystals."

The burly man turned visibly upset, a shadow quickly crossing his face as he retorted, "Where did this kid come from, slashing the price by ninety percent? If you don't have the crystals, don't cause trouble!"

The underground market was known for its murky dealings, so haggling was allowed, but Qiao Gao's aggressive bargaining was rare.

Unfazed, Qiao Gao calmly replied, "This Vein Connecting Pill has a dull color, a chaotic scent, and indistinct patterns. It's definitely not the work of a Grade Three Pill Refining Master. It's likely a failed batch from a Grade One master, reprocessed."

"You sure know how to do business, boss. You take discarded pills, reforge them, and sell one as three. This only increases the success rate of vein connection by 1% at most."

"By that calculation, paying 100 crystal dollars makes me quite the fool."

Qiao Gao spoke calmly and confidently, finishing in one breath.

The burly man's face changed instantly, his eyes filled with surprise. He realized Qiao Gao wasn't just some easily deceived novice. On second thought, with Qiao Gao's weak energy fluctuations, he might be pretending to be weak while actually being a master, which sent a chill down his spine.

"My apologies, sir," the burly man said, bowing in apology.

Qiao Gao didn't press the issue. The underground market was a deep pool; one wrong move and you could end up being the fool.

Soon, Qiao Gao arrived at a stall in a corner. The vendor was peculiar, unlike others who were eagerly hawking their goods. He stood quietly, lost in thought, as if burdened by worries.

In front of the stall was a small box, about the size of a palm. The box was entirely golden, exuding a luxurious aura, and was engraved with dragon and phoenix patterns, clearly a treasure from a royal collection.

"How much for this box?"

The price was so high, no wonder no one was interested.

Ten thousand crystal dollars— even a master at the Soul Connecting Stage would take a long time to accumulate that.

Qiao Gao approached and started the conversation.

The vendor glanced up at him. Despite wearing a silver mask, her lively, long lashes and eyes that seemed to shine, along with the hint of a graceful figure beneath her black robe, revealed her to be a striking woman.

She didn't sense any strong energy from Qiao Gao, nor any soul power, so she quickly looked away and stated a price.

"Ten thousand dollars, no bargaining!"

Hearing this, Qiao Gao was taken aback. Just a simple box, even if it looked like something from a royal collection, was priced at ten thousand dollars with no room for negotiation. That seemed way too steep.

"What's inside this treasure box?" Qiao Gao asked curiously.

"Heavenly Essence Pill," the vendor replied coolly. "But I don't have the key."

"No key? Then it's not worth ten thousand dollars," Qiao Gao chuckled. "I'll give you a thousand for it."

The vendor's eyes flashed with a cold light as her energy surged, revealing her as a late-stage Soul Connecting master.

"This Heavenly Essence Pill was crafted by a royal pill refining master and can fully open a Heaven Rank Essence Vein!"

Her anger was evident, causing her chest to rise and fall, and even through the black robe, her impressive figure was noticeable.

The intense energy fluctuation caught the attention of some nearby martial artists, particularly the guards maintaining order in the underground market.

Rumor has it that the underground market is owned by the city's leader, which is why it has been operating for so many years without anyone daring to cause trouble here.

"If you're not buying, please leave."

In the end, the beautiful vendor withdrew her energy. Clearly, she didn't want to alert the market's guards.

Qiao Gao didn't leave. Instead, he leaned closer to the woman and whispered, "Don't be like that. I also have a detoxification pill recipe to sell you. It can neutralize the poison from the Yin Fire Pill in your system. It's not expensive—just the box plus a thousand crystals."

"Who are you??"

The beautiful vendor looked at Qiao Gao in disbelief. Immediately, her energy surged like a tidal wave, its terrifying force enveloping Qiao Gao...