Realm-Hopping Martial Master

Unfortunately, on Xuanxing, the control over these blades had just been too strict.

Especially after the Martial Arts were promoted, all kinds of strict inspections took place.

Now, in Xia Country, probably only fruit knives and kitchen knives could be bought as blades.

Thinking about the power of those two types of knives, Jiang Shu couldn't help but shake his head. He looked at the dagger, his voice low, "How much is it?"

The stall owner glanced up, not saying much, he waved his hand, a burst of force rang out,

He turned out to be a Martial Artist too!

He picked up the dagger and just pressed it close to his own arm—in an instant, a trace of blood seeped out.

"It can cut through even beneath iron skin. Thirty taels of silver, no haggling."

The price was definitely steep, but at this time, Jiang Shu didn't have any other choices.

Thirty taels of silver wasn't a huge sum to him now either.

Right now, the most important thing was to increase his strength.

The dagger was just a temporary tool, until he steadily reached the Skin Grinding Realm and could come to the black market alone.

He would rent a booth and put some artificial diamonds and glass mirrors from Xuanxing on the black market to sell.

As long as he ensured his identity remained secret, he could sell at a high price and then vanish.

Hundreds of gold in a single night, that was all it took.

He put away the dagger, Jiang Shu pondered inwardly, and unconsciously made a circle around the plaza, meeting up with Qi Yuan.

At this point, Qi Yuan had a new package on his body, bulging, who knew what was inside.

"Let's go?"

Qi Yuan was concise, he didn't ask what Jiang Shu had seen here, or bought.

"Yeah."

Jiang Shu nodded.

The black market, a place for concealment, was always full of all sorts.

Staying even a moment longer only increased the risk.

The two headed back the way they came. Not until they returned to the small courtyard did Qi Yuan remove his mask and take off his cloak. He let out a long sigh of relief.

Even though he was already a Martial Artist, even though he had been to the black market many times,

he always kept an extreme caution toward the black market.

Qi Yuan sat in a chair, opened the wine flask on the table, and took several swigs. After settling himself, he opened the package, and immediately, a wave of blood scent rushed to his face.

Inside the package were several large, bloody chunks of meat, the smell sharp—it was unknown what mutant beast's meat it was.

"The meat that ordinary Martial Artists eat is usually fish, chicken, duck, and the like. But for us Martial Artists, such meat barely provides any energy. If we want to keep progressing in Martial Arts, we have to eat this mutant beast meat for the long term."

"We Martial Artists can use Martial Arts to raise our Martial Arts Realm. In the world, there are some birds and beasts, born to change, and they have powers comparable to us Martial Artists."

Qi Yuan spoke very slowly.

This kind of information, Old Qiu would tell Jiang Shu once he became a Martial Artist, so it wasn't a secret.

He just said it now to be friendly with Jiang Shu, giving him a heads-up.

"We Martial Artists use mutant beast meat to level up, but since every Martial Artist practices different Martial Arts and has different bodies, not every mutant beast meat provides the same improvement."

"The right mutant beast meat can double your Martial Arts progress. The wrong one, maybe not even ten percent. You usually have to try different kinds before you find what works for you."

"For our Famished Tiger Martial Hall, the Famished Tiger Roar Mountain Strength requires tiger or leopard meat. Of course, the piece I bought today isn't that. Pingling County is too small; if you keep buying the same beast meat, people at the black market will start guessing your identity."

"In the black market, secrecy must be maintained from beginning to end."

With a solemn look, seeing Jiang Shu deep in thought, Qi Yuan didn't continue. He picked up the wine flask, cut off two pounds of meat, and left the hall for the kitchen.

The small courtyard was where he practiced Martial Arts, and to keep it peaceful, he only kept an old servant to handle daily chores.

Seeing Qi Yuan come out, the old servant hurried to follow, waiting for Qi Yuan to slice the meat thin before stepping up, efficiently placing the meat slices in the main pot, then crouching to stoke the fire higher.

The main hall.

Watching Qi Yuan leave, Jiang Shu didn't linger either.

He stood practicing breathing techniques in the courtyard, steadily raising his own ability.

The special scent of meat wafted to him from the kitchen on the breeze.

Half an hour passed in a blink.

"Little junior brother, still doing stance training? Come try some mutant beast meat first. This is fox bear meat—it's a bit gamey. But for me, it boosts my martial progress by fifty or sixty percent. You should try it, then practice some stances and feel the difference."

Qi Yuan drank his wine, acting casual. He sat right down next to Jiang Shu, cross-legged. He had bought plenty today, so it was nothing to share some with Jiang Shu.

He wanted Jiang Shu to get an early taste of mutant beast meat, to feel the boost it gave to one's vitality.

"Then I'll benefit from Senior Brother Qi's generosity today."

Finishing his stance, Jiang Shu sat down cross-legged, grabbed a slice of meat, and popped it in his mouth.

Immediately, a strong, gamey taste filled his mouth. He forced himself to swallow, running the Famished Tiger breathing...

"Not easy to handle, huh? Want some wine?"

He handed over the wine flask.

But Jiang Shu didn't take it, opening his mouth, "Senior Brother Qi, I saw some cured meat in the black market. Compared to the fresh meat you bought, are those way less effective?"

"Of course. Who knows how long those cured meats have been around? Most of the essence in the meat's long gone. That's why Martial Arts cultivation keeps getting harder. It's not just the Martial Arts themselves—resources are the real trouble."

"Ordinary folk trying to practice only need regular meat. But Martial Artists, to keep moving forward, need mutant beast meat. At first, a well-off family might have enough savings to support practice. But once you reach Martial Artist level, only merchants can afford the costs."

"And if you want to ascend from the Skin Grinding Realm to the Bone Forging Realm, there's no way unless a wealthy house fully supports you! Without mutant beast meat, your Martial Arts journey ends before it starts."

Qi Yuan let out a sigh. He had practiced for so many years, and only then did he know how hard the Martial Arts path was. In Pingling County, a person's background decided how far in Martial Arts he could go.

He counted himself lucky. Though he wasn't born into a big family, his parents ran a shop and never lacked for daily needs. Only that allowed him to make it to Skin Grinding Realm before turning twenty.

But his Martial Arts Realm might end right there, too.

*Thinking of this, Qi Yuan couldn't help but take another swig of wine.*

"Mutant beast meat is hard to come by in the county, so what if you go to the shire's city?"

Jiang Shu asked in a low voice. He had lived in this world for half a year, but because key information was kept from him, he knew nothing about the areas around Pingling County.

"You can't get out."

Facing Jiang Shu's question, Qi Yuan shook his head.

"Jiang Shu, our Pingling County sits within Yongning County. To get to the county city, you'd have to cross who knows how many great mountains."

Qi Yuan stood up and gazed into the distance.

"We Martial Artists eat mutant beast meat to level up, but in the mountains, Skin Grinding Realm Martial Artists like us are nothing but food for the mutant fierce beasts."

"Only Bone Forging Realm Martial Artists stand even a slight chance of getting through."

"But becoming a Bone Forging Realm Martial Artist—is easier said than done."