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

"No! I have to find a way!"

Several days of intensive training allowed Su Bai's strength to advance even further amidst the pain.

He could feel the soreness and subtle growth of his muscle fibers, and his blood circulation had also quickened slightly.

However, the complete Tiger and Leopard Strength is ultimately just a basic skill.

The cultivation of the second stage of martial arts, the "Flesh Refining Stage," is progressing at a frustratingly slow pace.

He must quickly gather the remaining fifty taels of silver to buy ginseng and leopard gall, in order to accelerate his breakthrough to the Body Refining Realm and truly possess the power to change his destiny.

Su Bai's gloomy gaze involuntarily drifted towards the black market once again.

The place is a melting pot of all sorts of people; transactions there are shady and the risks are self-evident.

But it's also the place where you can get money the fastest, and maybe even "find a bargain".

Fortune favors the bold, and he had no other choice.

That night, the moonlight was obscured by thin clouds.

Su Bai changed into his inconspicuous black clothes, carefully put on the black hood he had used before, checked it against the blurry bronze mirror, took a deep breath, and like a shadow blending into the night, hurriedly sneaked towards the black market.

The entrance to the black market remained the same.

Two burly men, as tall as iron towers, stood guard at the narrow alley entrance on either side, their cold gazes sweeping over every passerby, while they toyed with rough short sticks in their hands.

"Pay three coins to enter the market, thirty coins to set up a stall, pay the money to receive a token and a torch." The burly man on the left mechanically repeated the rules in a rough voice.

Su Bai silently took out thirty well-worn copper coins that he had prepared beforehand and handed them over.

The other person weighed the items in his hand and casually tossed him a rough wooden plaque and a simple torch soaked in grease.

Su Bai skillfully took the torch, struck a tinderbox, and lit it. The faint light barely illuminated the distance a few steps in front of him.

This time, he didn't rush to find a spot to set up his stall.

Holding a torch, he walked slowly through the crowded, dark alleyways, his sharp eyes scanning each stall.

Most of the items sold were the same familiar things: medicinal herbs of dubious origin, rusty swords, or strange "antiques."

The audacious armor vendor from last time is nowhere to be seen tonight.

Walking and stopping, the glow of the torch flickered between the simple stalls and silent figures on both sides.

Suddenly, Su Bai paused slightly in front of a stall.

The setup of this stall is exactly the same as when he sold "Tiger and Leopard Force".

On the simple ground, there was only a dirty coarse cloth, on which lay a lonely book, its pages yellowed and curled.

The stall owner was an exceptionally tall and robust man; even when he was squatting, his broad frame was still evident.

His face was covered with a gray cloth, revealing only his eyes. Unlike other stall owners who lowered their eyes or called out to sell, his eyes were constantly and warily scrutinizing every passerby, his gaze seemingly filled with anxiety.

Su Bai's heart stirred, and he walked over and squatted down in front of the stall.

The torchlight illuminated the blurry cover of the booklet.

"Selling secret manuals? What kind of secret manuals?" Su Bai deliberately made his voice hoarse and deep.

"The Meridian Bone-Penetrating Acupuncture," the tall stall owner immediately replied in a low voice, which came through the veil and sounded somewhat muffled, but he spoke very quickly.

"Can I inspect the goods?" Su Bai asked, as this was the rule for buying secret manuals on the black market.

"Read three pages." The tall man said succinctly, pushing the booklet forward.

Su Bai nodded, stuck the torch into a crack in the bricks, and bent down to carefully examine the contents.

The first page begins with an introduction to this technique:

"Zi Wu" refers to the key times when the body's Qi and blood circulate through different meridians, and also alludes to vital points.

The term "penetrating to the bone" directly indicates the desired effect: using a small, sharp object to penetrate the skin and flesh, directly injure the tendons and bones, and even break through the protective internal energy.

The text exudes a sinister and ruthless air, suggesting a method of using unorthodox and unconventional techniques.

The second page begins to describe in detail the equipment and basic requirements needed for the exercise.

The main method involves using specially made silver needles. The booklet emphasizes that it is best to use needles made of high-purity silver, as their texture and properties make them more effective at penetrating and breaking through certain cold internal energies, making them the best choice for unleashing the power of "penetrating to the bone".

Next to it, several needle shapes were drawn with simple lines.

The third page touches on the fundamental principles of this hidden weapon, explaining how to twist the needle using special techniques, exert force, and the most basic finger and wrist power techniques.

Although the illustrations and text were crude, the principles they described were so insightful that Su Bai's mind became completely absorbed in them.

As he subconsciously reached for the pages to see if there were any more ingenious techniques or accompanying mental cultivation methods, a large, bony hand suddenly reached out and snatched the book back.

"Alright, are you buying or not?" The tall stall owner's voice was clearly impatient, his eyes fixed on Su Bai.

"How much?" Su Bai straightened up and patted non-existent dust off his hands.

"This technique costs fifteen taels of silver," the tall man quoted a price.

"Too expensive," Su Bai immediately shook his head, his tone critical and bargaining. "A proper internal energy cultivation method would cost about this much on the black market. Your acupuncture technique, no matter how nice it sounds, is still unorthodox and uses silver needles that wear out quickly, making it even more expensive to use."

The tall man, who was already asking for exorbitant prices, wasn't annoyed by this, but simply replied curtly, "How much are you offering? I won't sell if it's too low."

"Five taels?" Su Bai asked tentatively.

"Minimum twelve taels, otherwise forget it." The tall man's tone turned cold, as if he felt that Su Bai was making fun of him.

"Eight ounces?" Su Bai added a little.

The tall man didn't answer, but simply pulled the booklet further into his clothes, clearly somewhat angry.

"How about ten taels?" Su Bai, seeing that the time was right, offered what he considered a relatively reasonable price. "This price is quite reasonable for buying this kind of unorthodox technique on the black market. Are you selling or not? Besides, I still have to worry about whether you really have the complete version later on."

The tall man hesitated for a moment, then said, "That's how it is when you buy things on the black market. Money and goods are exchanged immediately, and we can't show you whether they're genuine or not. If you want them, take them. Ten taels... sure." He seemed eager to get rid of them.

Seeing that he wanted to sell, Su Bai quickly made a decision in his mind.

Ten taels of silver is no small sum, and he was very short of money.

But if this manual is real, it's still worth buying it; having more ways to protect yourself is worth the gamble.

"Alright then." Su Bai finally nodded.

The two said no more, and moved closer together in tacit understanding, their sleeves touching.

Su Bai felt the other person's rough fingers stuff a booklet into his sleeve, and he quickly handed over ten taels of silver that he had prepared beforehand and wrapped in cloth.

The touch connects seamlessly, yet they separate instantly.

The money and goods were exchanged.

The tall man took the silver without even checking it, then immediately turned around, his imposing figure quickly disappearing into the shadows of the surging crowd deep within the black market.

Su Bai stood still, quickly took out the booklet from his sleeve, and by the firelight, flipped directly to the later part that he had missed earlier.

His heart raced slightly—if what followed was blank or incoherent, he might still be able to try to trace it back based on his familiarity with the black market's layout and his impression of the tall man's physique.

The content that follows is indeed not much, only a few pages.

Su Bai skimmed through it quickly. It contained some launching techniques for different distances and angles, as well as rudimentary methods for poisoning and maintaining silver needles. Although not profound, the system was complete and did not seem to be made up randomly.

Just as he finished reading the last page and felt a little more at ease—

【Meridian Bone-Penetrating Acupuncture: Beginner → Beginner】

[Offering: Three ounces of refined iron]

Two lines of familiar, pale gold handwriting, visible only to him, silently appeared on the manual.

Become!

Su Bai felt a sudden sense of relief, and a warm feeling of joy welled up inside him.

If the system verifies it, then this hidden weapon is completely safe.

Ten taels of silver, not a waste!

The required "offering" is one pound of refined iron, which is also a valuable item.

However, the price was relatively stable, with the market price being around three taels of silver, which was well within his budget.

But there's no rush right now.

He composed himself and scanned his surroundings.

After the tall stall owner left, the spot became empty.

Without hesitation, Su Bai walked directly to the empty spot, re-inserted the torch in his hand, and then took out two booklets from his pocket, placing them side by side on the dirty cloth.

One of the books was "Tiger and Leopard Strength," which he had sold once before. This time, he also included his cultivation insights at the Great Completion stage, which was the main source of his income.

The other book is "Midnight Bone-Penetrating Acupuncture," which I just received.