The Great Martial Saint!

Chapter 582 The Sacrifice is Successful, and the Trip to the Black Market (Seeking Monthly Tickets~)

Canglong Prefecture, Gu Family.

Inside the pavilion, there was a stunningly beautiful woman, with a young girl holding a sword standing beside her.

Gu Qingcheng wore a white dress that flowed gracefully, making her look like a fairy from the clouds. Her skin was as white as snow, with a luminous glow, and seemed so delicate that it could be broken with a touch.

Her eyebrows, like distant mountains, were slightly raised; her eyes, like clear pools of cold water, were bright red; and her cherry-red lips, slightly pursed, exuded an innate nobility and composure.

Gu Qingcheng's expression was aloof, her gaze quietly fixed on the letter not far in front of her.

The letter has been opened, and a few lines of text can be faintly seen at the top of the letter.

"A letter to the beauty of the city."

"Fangqing, how have you been? Several months have passed since we last met. I hope everything is well."

The letter was sent by Chen Ping'an.

"How shameless! To be so blunt in your first letter."

The girl holding the sword beside her said fiercely, though a slight blush remained on her face.

While Gu Qingcheng was reading the letters, she stood aside and peeked at some of them as well.

"Thunder rumbles outside the city, a thousand peaks vie in beauty, and ten thousand ravines flow with springs. If you enjoy traveling, perhaps we can admire the mist and clouds together and listen to the pine trees by the cliffs."

"This, this, this"

Upon seeing these lines, the girl's eyes widened as if they were about to spit fire, yet also seemed to reveal a hint of shyness.

"Thunderous rain falls on apricot blossoms outside the city; I await the day when we can share an umbrella for a while."

Gu Qingcheng lowered her eyes slightly, her clear, cold eyes seeming to ripple.

"Destiny".

hum~
Chen Ping'an sat cross-legged, with a thin gray net floating in front of him.

His brow trembled with light, drawing his spirit to leave its mark on the fine gray web.

"carve!"

Chen Ping'an pointed with one hand, and a stream of blue light flashed by in an instant.

On the fine gray mesh, a shimmering halo appears, revealing inscriptions.

Wow~
A sudden flash of inspiration struck Chen Ping'an, and he abruptly withdrew his finger.

"It's done!"

After half a month, they finally forged a divine weapon.

At this point, Chen Ping'an had completed the refining of all the divine weapons except for the black veil worn by the Heavenly Luo Saintess.

With a light flick of his wrist, Chen Ping'an caused the fine gray net to vanish before his eyes.

Once the divine weapon was fully refined, he could use this fine gray net with the ease of an arm.

With his spiritual foundation, the power he wielded with this fine gray net far surpassed that of the Bone-Corroding Woman back then.

If the battle goes well, even a supreme grandmaster could be caught in this fine net.

Whether Chen Ping'an can maintain control over the situation depends on his follow-up measures.

After all, none of those whose combat power reaches the pinnacle of the Grandmaster realm are easy to deal with.

Although Chen Ping'an's spirituality was profound, the grade of this gray fine net was ultimately a little low.

Logically speaking, given his martial arts level, a powerful divine weapon should be standard equipment. Having a top-tier divine weapon wouldn't be anything unusual.

"Hopefully, we'll make some gains at the Thunder Black Market this time!"

Chen Ping'an narrowed his eyes slightly and looked out of the vehicle frame.

Outside the vehicle, the Thunder Mountain Range stretched out in a continuous range. Although not as large as the Azure Dragon Mountain Range, the Thunder Mountain Range still extended for thousands of miles, its layered peaks displaying a unique and rugged beauty.

The Thunder Mountain Black Market is scattered throughout the Thunder Mountain Range. There are some small black markets, as well as some large ones that can handle the trade of divine weapons.

In addition, there are rumors that a master blacksmith is in charge of the largest black market in Thunder Mountain, and Chen Ping'an wants to try his luck there.

According to Chen Ping'an's previous plan, he planned to first go to Thunder City to take up his post, and then choose an opportunity to go to the Thunder Mountain Black Market to sell resources and trade for necessary items.

However, he changed his mind halfway through the journey.

Now that he's newly appointed and the thunder has sounded, he's entangled in worldly affairs and probably won't be able to leave anytime soon. Who knows when the right opportunity will come?

Rather than doing that, he might as well make a trip to the Thunder Black Market on his way to his new post. There's no tight deadline for this assignment, so he shouldn't worry about any problems arising from this decision.

Compared to taking up a new post, accumulating experience and improving skills are the most important tasks at present.

Since there is an opportunity, we should deal with it as soon as possible.

He's currently quite wealthy, with over 20,000 yuan crystals readily available in cash. If he can sell off all the unused resources in the upcoming transactions, he could control up to 40,000 yuan crystals!
Forty thousand yuan worth of crystals, if sourced through the right channels, would be enough to buy quite a few nice things.

Chen Ping'an planned to check out the black market first, and then wait until he arrived in Leiming to fill in any gaps and see if there were any good items he could buy.

Once Chen Ping'an made up his mind, he put aside his plans.

They were still some distance from the main body of the Thunder Mountain Range. Chen Ping'an planned to leave the group and head deeper into the Thunder Mountain Range once they reached it. He would then return to the group and assume his post in Thunder Mountain after all matters were settled.
hum~
A sudden inspiration struck Chen Ping'an, and he didn't make any further plans. Instead, he focused entirely on cultivating the Seven Absolute Divine Skill.

In recent days, he has made full use of the Snow Spirit Leaves given to him by Yao Guang. During his cultivation over the past few days, his efficiency has greatly increased, and he has accumulated a lot of experience in cultivating the Seven Absolute Divine Skill along the way.

Now, the cultivation experience accumulated by the Seven Absolute Divine Skill has exceeded 2400 points.

I have already made more than half of the required cultivation experience to break through.

Unfortunately, he had already used up all the Snow Spirit Leaves that Yao Guang had given him. Otherwise, if he could have maintained this pace, it probably wouldn't have been long before he could have perfected the Seven Absolute Divine Art.

The power that a fully perfected Seven Absolute Divine Skill can unleash is probably greater than that of the Myriad Demons Body Forging Technique!

"Thunderous Mountains!"

Chen Ping'an, dressed in a blue robe and with a long sword at his waist, walked on the Thunder Mountain Range.

The Thunder Mountain Range, as a mountain range, is naturally a series of undulating peaks, one after another, intertwined, which is extremely magnificent.

Two days had passed since his previous training, and Chen Ping'an took the opportunity to leave the group. He didn't try to conceal himself and went directly into the Thunder Mountain Range alone with his sword.

The reason he chose to be a swordsman rather than a saber was that, deep down, he still hoped to be a swordsman, not a saber-wielder. This trip to the Thunder Black Market was a rare opportunity, and he naturally wanted to make the most of it.

The sword at his waist was a manifestation of the Hundred Illusions Divine Blade, sharp and deadly.

Chen Ping'an had previously practiced the Flying Star Sword Technique, and the Seven Absolute Soul-Severing Sword from the Seven Absolute Divine Skills was also quite powerful. In addition, Chen Ping'an had also explored many martial arts insights, including swordsmanship.

With his vision and knowledge as a martial arts grandmaster, he certainly deserves to be called a swordsman, even in a general sense.

Moreover, he is a swordsman with exceptional swordsmanship. If he were to travel the world with his sword, he could surely make a name for himself.

Along the mountain path, the mountain wind howled, rustling the leaves, and the occasional chirping of birds could be heard.

Chen Ping'an had just entered the Thunder Mountain Range and was currently on the outermost edge, where the overall tree environment was still quite tranquil.

Within the Thunder Mountain Range, there are also demonic beasts, but in terms of density and intensity, they are far less numerous than those in the Azure Dragon Mountain Range.

The mountain breeze blew against Chen Ping'an's blue robe, giving it an ethereal and otherworldly feel.

Having been confined to one place for so long, this trip out was a rare and enjoyable experience.

Chen Ping'an was in high spirits, and there was a hint that he was about to burst into song.

This journey was different from traveling by bicycle; it was about being grounded and experiencing nature.

"At most half a month, we'll finish dealing with Lei Ming's matter!" Chen Ping'an said with a gentle expression as he looked at the lush greenery on both sides.

Chen Ping'an gave himself a two-week time limit for this trip to the Thunder Black Market. Delaying his departure midway through the trip already put two weeks ahead; any longer would be inappropriate.

Although there are many black markets in the Thunder Mountain Range, Chen Ping'an mainly visits the largest ones. In terms of time, half a month is enough for him to travel back and forth.

Chen Ping'an had intended to gather information on the distribution of the black market in the Thunder Mountains before this trip, and he was well-prepared in terms of intelligence.

Although the black market in the Thunder Mountains is called a black market, apart from a few mobile black markets, the majority of the black market locations are fixed. Given Chen Ping'an's high position, gathering this intelligence would not be difficult.

Although the location of the black market is fixed, it is situated deep within Thunder Mountain, surrounded by a diverse and chaotic environment, making it difficult for the Zhenfu Division to effectively control it.

However, nominally speaking, the entire Thunder Mountain, along with the forces within it, is under the jurisdiction of the Thunder Town Command. Before his transfer, Chen Ping'an had also investigated the forces within Thunder Mountain.

Thunder Mountain is home to many independent cultivators, including vicious bandits from other states, evil cultists with their heads hanging on the bounty list, and some unorthodox masters.

Wherever there are people, there is a social hierarchy; wherever there are interests, there are conflicts.

Thunder Mountain is home to numerous black markets with enormous profits, and many powerful forces have naturally been established along this vast mountain range.

Some smaller forces were omitted, as they were not worth mentioning. Medium-sized forces were also not on Chen Ping'an's radar.

He mainly focused on the major forces that influenced the situation at Thunder Hill.

Left Path Alliance, Outer Path Alliance, Black Spirit Gate, Five Directions Family, Blood Owl Gang
The Thunder Mountain range stretches for thousands of miles, covering a vast area. Coupled with the numerous black market interests, the forces that can control the narrative within it are naturally extraordinary.

Among the many forces, the strongest are the Left Path Alliance and the Outer Path Alliance. As forces formed by a coalition of many rogue cultivators and villains, these two alliances have the largest number of powerful individuals.

However, compared to other forces, the management of these two alliances is relatively loose. Although there are many experts, they often fail to put in their full effort and engage in internal strife.

In addition, the alliances between the two sides are rife with factions, which slows down the management and decision-making process for some major issues.

This resulted in the two alliances being strong, but their overall influence in the Thunder Mountains was not superior to that of the other forces.

However, when the alliances unite against external threats, these two alliances demonstrate formidable combat power, arousing the apprehension of many other forces.

According to the intelligence gathered by Chen Ping'an, there are likely top-tier grandmasters in charge of these two alliances.

However, no definitive information has been received regarding this matter, and the two alliances themselves remain vague about it.

On the surface, the strongest members of both alliances are ordinary Grandmasters. These Grandmasters are mostly experts who roam outside the state, and their methods are quite different from those of the experts native to Canglong State.

In particular, the masters of the Left Path Alliance often possess numerous unorthodox techniques, which can be quite bothersome.

It is known for being difficult to deal with in the same region.

Besides the two alliances, other forces like the Black Spirit Sect, the Five Families, and the Blood Owl Gang each have Grandmasters in charge. However, like the two alliances, the Grandmasters in these forces are not particularly outstanding among those of the same realm; they are only considered to be of average level.

Normally, achieving the rank of Grandmaster already signifies becoming a renowned and powerful figure. Whether one joins the Zhenfu Division system or does something else, they have already accomplished something significant.

The grandmasters in the Thunder Mountains are here for various reasons. Furthermore, the lucrative black market is also a crucial factor.

Detailed intelligence on the various factions is well-documented in the secret files of the Zhenfu Division. Chen Ping'an is quite familiar with this.

Normally, this information is more than enough for just dealing with people.

Chen Ping'an's transfer to Leiming means that if he intends to oversee these forces, he will inevitably have to deal with them in the future.

However, Chen Ping'an wasn't particularly concerned about this. His biggest reason for coming to Leiming, besides the black market, was actually to quickly accumulate enough merit points to exchange for the top-tier, supreme divine skill, the Tai Xu Yu Feng Bu, from the State Zhenfu Division's treasury!
"If the opportunity arises during this trip to the black market, I might be able to make a killing," Chen Ping'an thought to himself.

After a careful initial exploration, Chen Ping'an's speed began to increase. He quickly left the outermost area of ​​the Thunder Mountain Range and entered the outer perimeter of the Thunder Mountain Range.

There are quite a few black markets in Thunder Mountain, but these black markets are not large in scale, mostly small black markets with limited transaction volume, and are not part of Chen Ping'an's plan for this trip.

However, these small black markets are very popular among those at the Inner Qi Realm. There are also quite a few ordinary Profound Light Realm cultivators among them.

The territory of the state is extremely vast, and naturally, all sorts of things happen there.

Whether it's murder for treasure or something obtained by chance, there's always a need for black market transactions.

Generally speaking, those who are able to venture out are mostly individuals of considerable strength. Ordinary Qi and Blood Realm cultivators are usually confined to a prefecture or even a city and do not travel across prefectures.

Aside from a few guards protecting merchant caravans, most people at the Qi and Blood Realm spend their entire lives within a single city or prefecture. For them, the surrounding large and small cities are sufficient to meet all their needs for the rest of their lives. Even in rare exceptions, a trip to the prefectural capital is enough to satisfy their additional expectations.

Aside from those with specific professional requirements, those capable of traveling across prefectures generally possess at least the Inner Qi Realm level. If traveling alone, their martial arts level would likely need to be significantly higher.

Such cross-county operations usually involve several surrounding counties, limiting the overall scope of action.

As for those traveling within the state's borders, they must at least possess the cultivation level of the Profound Light Realm. Without such cultivation as a guarantee, they would likely encounter numerous risks during their long journeys.

This is why certain phenomena often occur. It seems that once a place is left untouched, many previously rare and highly skilled individuals suddenly appear.

In reality, such experiences and feelings are mostly due to a biased perspective.

Just like in the back alleys, the experts that ordinary people see are mostly those at the Qi and Blood Realm. The Inner Qi Realm is already the pinnacle of existence.

But do experts at the Inner Qi Realm really not exist?
exist!

It is located in the urban area, which is a level above the alleys and lanes.

Take, for example, the scion of a powerful family in a small town. He thinks highly of himself, believing that his Inner Qi Realm cultivation is enough to dominate the area, and that his Profound Light Realm is even more formidable. But if he were to leave his small town and go to a large city, he would realize how ridiculous his previous understanding was!

Sometimes it's not that there are few experts, but rather that your perspective and the world you live in limit your ability to see them. Once you break through those barriers and venture out to see the world, you'll discover that there are far more experts in the world than you imagined.

Firstly, when your status rises and your horizons broaden, you tend to focus on those at the same or even higher levels.

In such a situation, one will naturally feel that there are more and more experts.

Just like when I was a constable, everyone around me and everyone I saw were constables. The constables were already very powerful and influential. It wasn't that there weren't people at higher levels, but rather that everyone in my field of vision and everyone I paid attention to were people of the same or one level above them.

However, when you are put in charge of the constables, ordinary constables no longer catch your eye; you are more interested in constables in other neighborhoods and higher-ranking commanders.

This applies not only to martial arts masters, but also to most aspects of life.

After passing the outer perimeter of Thunder Mountain, Chen Ping'an entered its inner region. Here, most of the black markets were medium-sized. Occasionally, high-quality magical artifacts would appear, making it a fairly good trading place for ordinary independent cultivators and small to medium-sized forces.

Chen Ping'an encountered quite a few people along the way.

These people mostly act alone, conceal their figures, and their auras are difficult to discern; they are likely people who trade on the black market.

However, their attempts to conceal their true intentions were completely ineffective in front of Chen Ping'an.

As Chen Ping'an ventured deeper, the cultivation levels of the people he encountered also increased. At first, Xuan Guang was rarely seen, but now he could encounter one quite frequently.

Some cultivators even possess a fierce aura, their presence sharp and menacing, clearly indicating their extensive experience and long history of combat.

"It does look quite presentable," Chen Ping'an nodded to himself.

If the people coming and going this time are all ordinary people at the Inner Qi Realm, then what's the point of this black market?

Chen Ping'an ventured deeper into the Thunder Mountain Range, gradually moving inward from its innermost region. Along the way, he encountered many people: some fierce and menacing, some secretive and stealthy, some cunning and furtive, and some brazen and unrestrained.

As Chen Ping'an passed by, some people cast curious glances at him.

Chen Ping'an didn't care at all; his green robe fluttered in the wind, giving him the air of a swordsman.

“Grandpa, look at that person, he’s not hiding anything at all.” Deep in the Thunder Mountain Range, a woman wearing a straw hat was curiously observing from among the trees.

Beside the woman was an elderly man with white hair. The old man's appearance was also concealed; he was a little hunched over, but still in the normal stage of old age.

"Qiao'er, don't cause trouble while you're out and about," the old man advised.

"Hmm." The woman in the bamboo hat nodded gently, glanced curiously at the swordsman in the green robe in the distance, and then changed paths with the old man.

Chen Ping'an glanced at the two of them indifferently, not paying them any attention.

Although the two tried to conceal their true intentions, they were exposed in front of him.

The old man's cultivation had reached the peak of the Profound Light Realm, but his foundation was damaged and his aura was aged. It was unknown whether he had suffered a severe injury in his early years or failed to break through to the Grandmaster level.

The woman in the straw hat on the other side, judging from her young age, had already reached the third level of internal energy cultivation, which was quite remarkable.

Whoosh!
Chen Ping'an moved with graceful ease, traversing the complex terrain of the mountains as if walking on flat ground.

During this trip, Chen Ping'an aimed for a low-key transaction, only revealing the aura of the mid-stage Profound Light Realm to the outside world. However, to avoid trouble, he also added another layer of the aura of the high-stage Profound Light Realm.

If anyone were to make a move against him and try to uncover the hidden aura of his Xuan Guang Gao Jing, they would have to think twice.

With Chen Ping'an's current level of cultivation, killing some small fry is meaningless.

Those to be killed must be at least the most notorious criminals on the Azure Dragon's bounty list.

Otherwise, making a move at this point would seem rather uninteresting.

Just as Chen Ping'an's figure changed, his gaze narrowed slightly as he sensed a fluctuation.

The fluctuation was extremely small, clearly indicating that it was still a great distance away from him, but Chen Ping'an's perception was exceptional, and he sensed it in an instant.

"Go over and have a look!"

With a flick of his sleeve, Chen Ping'an moved swiftly towards a dense forest.

(End of this chapter)