Bone-stripping and tendon-pulling? The reborn senior sister becomes the number one cultivator in the

The room was pitch black, with only a small lamp on the central table casting a dim glow. Even with the light, it was still impossible for anyone inside to see their own hand in front of their face.

"This is indeed a high-grade seventh-rank pill with a smooth texture and excellent effects. It should fetch a good price," came the deep voice of the man in black on the other side of the table.

"No need for further explanation, what were the results of the previous investigation?" the woman in the black robe said, her voice tinged with urgency.

"Sorry, I still can't find any information." The man in black apologized, but his tone was somewhat flippant, as if it were a trivial matter that he didn't care about at all.

The woman swayed slightly, her hands weakly supporting her on the table.

"Alright, let's continue to give the money earned from these pills to the Shadow Pavilion. I must find out where that person is." The woman slammed a cloth bag onto the table, revealing more than a dozen grade seven pills inside.

"Very well, the Shadow Pavilion will do its utmost to fulfill its duties." The man in black smiled and picked up the cloth bag on the table.

"I hope the Shadow Pavilion's efficiency is as good as your smooth talk," the woman said sarcastically, then waved her sleeve and prepared to leave.

"The black market is open today, won't you stay a little longer?" the man in black asked, his tone somewhat mocking.

Unfortunately, he only heard a "humph" and then the woman disappeared.

The smile on the man in black faded slightly, and he said indifferently, "The senior sister of the Nine Cauldrons Division still has such a bad temper, but the quality of her pills is quite good." As he spoke, he tightened his grip on the cloth bag in his hand.

"Lord Guo, the black market is ready, the goods have been personally inspected, and now we are just waiting for you to take the lead," a follower called out.

Guo Futing waved his hand to indicate that he understood. Just as he was about to leave the trading room, another subordinate reported: "Lord Guo, an old man in black says he has something good to sell you, and that you will definitely regret it if you miss it."

Guo Futing paused, a smile spreading across his lips.

Good stuff? What good stuff could make him regret it?

He'd been involved in the black market for nearly a decade, seen countless rare treasures, and was no longer interested in ordinary things. What could possibly interest him now? What utterly audacious.

"Let him in."

"Yes."

A short while later, an old man with a hunched back and walking slowly walked in. He was dressed in black and wore a black mask, so his face could not be seen at all.

"Greetings, Lord Guo. I have a few treasures I would like you to see." The old man's aged voice echoed throughout the room, deep and resonant.

Guo Futing, who had been nonchalant, sat up straight.

How did this old man know his surname was Guo?

Outsiders only knew him by the name "Crow" among the black market traders. Other traders either called him "Boss" or didn't use any title. Only a few close followers knew that "Crow's" surname was Guo, and they called him Lord Guo.

This old man is probably no ordinary person.

"Old man, is there anything you want to sell?" Guo Futing's voice was somewhat serious.

The old man slowly took out three storage bags.

Guo Futing picked up a storage bag, and his hands trembled slightly as he opened it.

The storage bag was full of Grade 8 spirit pills, with smooth surfaces and pure colors, clearly indicating that they were top-grade Grade 8 spirit pills.

Each grade of elixir is divided into superior, medium, and inferior levels. The purity of the elixir, its preservation, and the quality of the medicinal ingredients used all affect its grade. Moreover, the alchemist must have precise control over the heat and time to ensure that every elixir is of superior quality.

The pills inside the storage bag were all top-grade eighth-rank pills, each worth a thousand or even two thousand high-grade spirit stones. More importantly, there were as many as fifty eighth-rank spirit pills in the storage bag. It should be noted that an eighth-rank alchemist needs a lot of spiritual energy and time to refine eighth-rank pills, and can only refine about five eighth-rank pills a month, and even then, there is no guarantee that every one of them will be top-grade.

Guo Futing picked up the other two storage bags, and after reading them, he was almost speechless with shock.

The other two storage bags contained fifty Rank 8 talismans and ten Rank 8 spiritual artifacts, respectively.

Moreover, they are all top-quality products.

This is almost equivalent to a year's worth of goods on the black market, and at a high price.

Guo Futing's eyes held a calculating glint as he looked at the old man, and he said in a fawning tone, "Old man, no wonder you said you would regret not looking at these goods. This is indeed a rare and excellent batch of goods. From now on, you will be a top-tier black market insider. In the future, no matter what treasure you buy on the black market, you will only need to pay half the price, and we will only take 10% of the profit as a condition of the transaction."

As he spoke, a token engraved with the character "black" was handed to the old man.

Both parties involved in buying and selling in the black market dare not show their faces for unspeakable reasons. Therefore, those who enter the black market all wear black masks, change their posture and appearance, and call themselves "Hidden Ones".

The black market auctions feature various suppliers, currently offering only three levels: purple, gold, and black. Purple-level concealment users can purchase treasures for 90% of the price, with the black market taking a 40% cut. Gold-level concealment users can purchase treasures for 70%, with the black market taking a 20% cut. Black-level users enjoy the highest privileges, including preferential buying and selling rights and the close protection of shadowy assassins.

The old man nodded slightly, accepted the token, and said calmly, "Lord Guo, I would like to ask if intelligence is sold on the black market?"

“Of course, the black market and the Shadow Pavilion are connected, so their intelligence network is extremely efficient.” Guo Futing bowed and said with a smile, “Old man, you can just call me Xiao Guo. What should I call you?”

"Haha, Xiao Guo, it's best not to inquire about things you shouldn't," the old man laughed, waving his hand and saying calmly, "I want to know, in the cultivation world, which minor sect doesn't rely on the eight major sects?"

Guo Futing felt a chill run down his spine, gave an awkward laugh, but didn't realize that his face was already covered in cold sweat. He could only rub his hands together and say, "Okay."

He was at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, yet he couldn't detect the old man's strength. It was clear at a glance that this old man was a top-tier expert. Guo Futing felt that his heart had never been beating so fast before.

As the old man was about to leave with the token, Guo Futing left his seat to personally escort him.

Suddenly, Guo Futing felt the jade pendant at his waist tremble slightly, and he couldn't help but shudder and his eyes widened.

"Old man, please wait a moment, the sect leader requests your presence." Guo Futing bent down and blocked the old man's path.

"Hmm." The old man nodded gently and stopped in his tracks.

"Old man, please follow me." Guo Futing went to the left wall of the room and gently knocked three times. The wall opened, revealing a bottomless passage.

Guo Futing led the way, holding the illumination ball.

The old man followed behind at a leisurely pace, his steps gentle and rhythmic.

Little did they know the uncontrollable cold sweat beneath his mask and the slight upturn of his lips.

At the end of the passage was a door.

Guo Futing respectfully opened the door, and the light inside was so bright that it was hard to open one's eyes.

The old man went inside, and the door slammed shut, then was locked securely.

Before the old man stood a man dressed in a purple robe, wearing a half-face mask that revealed a pair of dark eyes and slightly pale lips. He had a sharp jawline, a tall stature, and looked down at the old man with a smile in his eyes and a clear-eyed understanding that seemed to see through everything.

The old man remained calm, but his body was taut like a bowstring, not daring to relax even for a moment, when he heard the man's bright laughter.

"Hahaha! I never expected that you, Xu Weilin, the rogue cultivator who was hunted down by the eight major sects with a huge reward, would actually dare to appear in the black market. Aren't you afraid that we will hand you over to the eight major sects? Your bounty is now as high as one million high-grade spirit stones, which is a crazy amount."

The old man took a step back and clenched his fist.

The man's smile faded, his eyebrows furrowed slightly, and he looked at Xu Weilin with nonchalant indifference.

Suddenly, a clear bell rang throughout the room.