A person sacrifices himself to become a saint in a chaotic world of martial arts.

The black market in Fenjiang County is said to be controlled by the Blood Knife Gang, the largest gang in the county.

It is said that the Blood Blade Gang has connections with the county government and the higher-ups in the Zhenfu Division.

Whenever the Zhenfu Division conducts its routine crackdown on the black market,

This black market always seems to get advance notice and temporarily closes down.

In this black market, members of the Blood Blade Gang are also responsible for maintaining order.

Of course, once you're outside the black market, they don't care about your safety anymore.

At the entrance to the black market, two burly men with black cloth covering their faces stood guard, their eyes appearing particularly sinister in the dim light.

When they saw Su Bai approaching, one of them didn't even lift his eyelids, his voice rough and short:

"Pay three small coins to enter the market, thirty small coins to set up a stall, and you'll receive a token and a torch after paying."

Su Bai was prepared and silently took out thirty copper coins and handed them over.

The burly man who took the money weighed it in his hand, nodded slightly, and took out a rough wooden plaque and a torch wrapped in oilcloth from the wooden box behind him. He stuffed them, along with the tinder, into Su Bai's hand, and as he stepped aside to make way, he added in a cold voice:

"Fighting is prohibited inside. After you've sold your items, return the sign and torch."

Su Bai responded softly, put his things away, and quickly walked into the dark passageway with his head down.

The inside of the black market was even darker than the outside, with only the flickering light from the small torches stuck in front of a few stalls, barely illuminating the wooden plaques with numbers written on them on the ground.

Everyone was dressed in black, their faces covered with black cloth, and they walked hurriedly with their heads down, moving like shadows in the dim light.

Occasionally, people would stop, approach each other, and silently clasp their hands together inside their wide sleeves—a common way of trading in the black market, where prices were negotiated entirely by the gestures of the fingers hidden in the sleeves.

Su Bai wasn't in a hurry to set up a stall; instead, he first slowly walked around the narrow passage.

The goods on both sides of the stall are different.

Some displays showed knives, spears, and clubs, while others displayed various medicinal herbs.

He even caught a glimpse of a rusty suit of armor with a dented breastplate stacked on a stall.

If this thing were discovered by the authorities, it would be a deal that could cost him his head, far more serious than his handwritten copy of the secret manual.

After all, in this world, the military remains invincible.

A group of powerful warriors, clad in armor and drawing their bows.

Unless one is a martial artist capable of defeating ten thousand men, any other force can only submit to the army.

After walking around, Su Bai returned to his chosen spot, stuck the wooden sign into the ground, and lit the torch.

The faint firelight instantly illuminated his small area and cast a faint yellow glow on the handwritten copy of "Tiger and Leopard Strength" on the ground.

He had barely sat down cross-legged when a thin, monkey-like man in black silently approached, his voice deliberately high-pitched:

"Hey sir, what are you selling?"

"Tiger and Leopard Strength, with Xiao Cheng's insights." Su Bai answered in a low voice without looking up.

"A handwritten copy?" The man bent down, his eyes narrowing above his veil. "Could there be mistakes? Is it authentic? Is the summary reliable?"

"Buy it or don't, it's up to you." Su Bai was too lazy to argue, and simply pushed the manual forward half an inch.

The man stared at the manual for a few moments, then glanced at Su Bai, clicked his tongue, and turned to disappear into the shadows.

Several more people came to inquire, but after flipping through a few pages, they hesitated and left.

Su Bai sighed inwardly.

No wonder I haven't seen any martial arts manuals for sale; they're so hard to sell.

An hour later, the black market was coming to an end.

As he was pondering whether to come back another day, the firelight in front of the stall suddenly dimmed—a burly figure blocked the light.

The newcomer was broad-shouldered and thick-backed, with a pair of sharp, eagle-like eyes visible above his mask. His gaze swept across the stall and finally landed on the secret manual.

"What kind of technique?" The voice was deep, with a rough, sandy quality.

"Tiger and Leopard Strength, with minor insights," Su Bai repeated, raising his head slightly at the same time.

The burly man was silent for a moment, then extended his hand: "May I examine it?"

"You can read the introductory section and the first part of the notes," Su Bai said.

The big man did not look at it immediately, but instead stretched out his sleeve.

Su Bai understood and extended his hand in return.

Their sleeves touched, and their fingers moved quickly in concealed places, hooking and bending.

After several exchanges, the burly man frowned slightly: "The price is too high."

"No bargaining," Su Bai withdrew his hand, his voice calm. "My understanding has reached a minor level of mastery, and it's flawless. It's worth the price."

The burly man remained silent for a moment before beginning to peruse the secret manual.

He flipped through the pages quickly by the firelight, lingering particularly long on the pages with his reflections, a slight glint in his eyes.

Finally, a resolute glint flashed in his eyes, and he nodded emphatically: "Okay, I'll buy it."

Su Bai nodded.

This person is probably either someone who practices the Tiger and Leopard Force, or someone who knows their stuff.

The level he reached with his cheat-like abilities must have been perfect.

The other party must have figured it out.

The two reached out again, and with a slight movement inside their sleeves, Su Bai felt a heavy handful of silver coins fall into his palm.

He discreetly slipped the manual into his robes, while the burly man quickly hid it inside his clothes.

The two exchanged a glance, turned around, and quickly disappeared into the darkness in opposite directions.

That's how black market transactions work; you can't haggle like you would at a vegetable market.

Here, buying things depends on luck and a good eye.

Back at the entrance, Su Bai returned the wooden plaque and torch to the gatekeeper.

The other party took it and, in a routine, hoarse voice, reminded him:

"Once you leave the black market, we are not responsible."

These words made Su Bai's heart skip a beat, and his original joy was immediately suppressed.

He pulled his coat tighter, buried his head and walked into the night, deliberately choosing to wander through narrow alleys, and occasionally stopping to look back.

The long street was silent, with only the sound of the wind whistling through the eaves.

No one followed them along the way.

Su Bai finally breathed a sigh of relief after pushing open his own door.

He carefully hid the money, washed up briefly, and lay down on the wooden bed.

The moonlight outside the window was hazy. Su Bai closed his eyes, his mind filled with the glorious scenes of breaking through in martial arts, being promoted to a formal constable, and being surrounded by followers.

Drinking wine from large bowls, eating meat in large chunks, living in better houses, and accumulating more and more money...

Then, using the cheat system, he continued to grow stronger and advance in rank.

Today I am merely a lowly temporary servant.

But later,

He will definitely climb up step by step.

Taxi driver, driver, or even higher.

......

Dreams must eventually end.

The next morning, Su Bai kept the silver hidden on his person.

Today is his day off.

Four days in January.

Su Bai hurriedly went to Changchuntang again to buy what he needed.

Holding the purchased medicinal herbs, Su Bai no longer hesitated and directly activated the sacrificial scales.

[Tiger and Leopard Strength at its Peak]

[Offerings: One ounce of 30-year-old ginseng rootlets, and one whole tiger penis (completed)]

Su Bai had a thought,

Sacrifice!

[Offerings: One ounce of 30-year-old ginseng rootlets, and one whole tiger penis (completed)]

The medicinal herbs in his hand turned into white light and dissipated again, and the golden scales in his mind immediately returned to balance.

Su Bai's vision went black as the golden light of the sacrificial peace reappeared, and streams of information flooded in. The key techniques of the Tiger Leopard Force, which he had not been able to comprehend before, suddenly surfaced in his memory one by one.

The Tiger and Leopard's Strength has reached its peak!

Based on the information in his mind, he only needs one month to reach the first level of martial arts!

Beyond the Tiger and Leopard Force at its peak, there is an even higher realm of perfection.

The requirements for offerings have also been raised again.

Three ounces of ginseng rootlets from a fifty-year-old wild ginseng, and one whole leopard gall bladder.

The requirements this time are not low.

Leopard gallbladders are alright, not too expensive.

A 50-year-old ginseng is already considered a major medicinal herb.

Martial arts training requires various medicinal herbs, which are generally classified as common medicinal herbs.

For example, he initially needed ginseng that was three to five years old.

Even ginseng that is thirty years old is still considered a common medicinal herb.

A ginseng that is fifty years old is considered a high-grade medicinal material.

The price will rise sharply, at least by hundreds of taels of silver.

As for the precious medicine that followed,

Su Bai had only heard of it.

According to his father, it was impossible to buy precious medicines in pharmacies in Fenjiang County; even common medicines were hard to come by.

Only those powerful forces might have it.

Su Bai looked at the requirements for the offerings and sighed.

Now, we must first reach the first realm of martial arts before discussing anything else.