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

"Successfully, we sold four portions of Tiger Leopard Energy today."

In the dead of night, all was quiet.

Under the hazy moonlight, Su Bai stealthily made his way back to his courtyard like a wisp of smoke. He carefully bolted the door behind him before letting out a soft sigh of relief.

He was really short of money lately and had no choice but to turn to the black market again.

He absolutely dared not sell the Zhenyue Saber Technique and the Lieyang Force; if those two items were leaked, the Zhenfu Division would definitely investigate thoroughly, and the risk was too great. After weighing the options, the only ones he could sell were the Tiger and Leopard Force and the Meridian Penetrating Needle.

However, the Meridian Bone-Penetrating Acupuncture is considered an unorthodox and unorthodox technique, and there are not many knowledgeable people who dare to buy it, so its sales have always been mediocre.

Only the Tiger and Leopard Force, which comes with "enlightened experience and insights," is quite attractive on the black market.

In order to recoup his money as quickly as possible, Su Bai decided to hold a "big price reduction promotion" tonight, selling each serving for only thirty taels of silver!

Unexpectedly, the results were surprisingly good, and four orders were sold in one night.

The heavy cloth bag came into my hands, and it contained a full 120 taels of silver.

Under the faint moonlight filtering through the window, Su Bai poured the cold silver ingots onto the table, carefully stroking each one as he began to calculate in his mind.

"What a pity, I guess it'll only sell this well today. Fenjiang County is only so big, and the number of people who truly need Tiger Leopard Power and have the financial means to buy it is ultimately limited. Unless... I'm willing to lower the price again next time?"

Su Bai rubbed his chin, pondered for a moment, then shook his head and gave up the idea.

Lowering prices further would result in very thin profit margins and would appear suspicious, making it a losing proposition.

His gaze returned to the gleaming silver coins on the table.

Depending on the altar's requirements: the offerings needed for the perfect level of "Tiger and Leopard Strength" would cost approximately one hundred taels; the offerings needed for the minor level of "Zhenyue Knife Technique" would cost twenty taels; the offerings needed for the minor level of "Blazing Sun Strength" would cost twenty-five taels; and the offerings needed for the major level of "Midnight-Noon Bone-Penetrating Needle" would cost thirty taels.

How should we spend this 120 taels?

By the way, he still has more than ten taels of silver on hand, totaling more than one hundred and thirty taels of silver.

Is it a desperate gamble to buy the Tiger and Leopard Strength technique and reach its peak, then combine it with another technique at the minor level?

Should we abandon the Tiger and Leopard Force and upgrade the other three martial arts techniques to a higher level?

He was torn between his inner thoughts and his own conscience.

"According to the manual, the perfected Tiger and Leopard Strength can not only greatly enhance strength, but also significantly accelerate my cultivation speed in the Skin Refining Realm. However, its potential is limited, its help to the second realm is greatly reduced, and it is almost useless in the third realm."

"On the other hand, even at a minor level, the 'Blazing Sun Force' has already provided a significant boost to my current cultivation. If I were to reach mastery, its power would likely surpass even the perfected Tiger and Leopard Force. Most importantly, it's a well-established technique with a complete system; it's said to allow one to steadily cultivate up to the sixth realm of martial arts!"

It's a second-rate technique with obvious flaws and a fixed upper limit; even if it becomes stronger, there are limitations.

Even the lowest level of a skill that has reached a certain level represents a reliable path to higher levels.

As for the True Qi Realm above the sixth realm... that is another profound realm, and Su Bai can't even see the threshold yet.

The flickering candlelight reflected his ever-changing expression.

Fingers unconsciously traced lines on the table, as if outlining a weighing of pros and cons.

After a long while, a resolute look flashed in Su Bai's eyes, and he suddenly clenched his fist.

"Forget it! The Tiger and Leopard Strength technique has limited potential and isn't very useful. It's better to invest in a more promising martial art!"

The next day, as dawn broke.

Su Bai then went out with the silver and went around buying all the sacrificial items needed to advance the three cultivation techniques.

Back home, with the door tightly shut, after a solemn ceremony, all three cultivation techniques advanced simultaneously!

The remaining silver was almost gone again.

Left with no other choice, Su Bai had to resume his busy cycle of going to work on time during the day, selling secret manuals in the black market at night, and devoting all his spare time to arduous cultivation.

These days, with their relentless pace and constant tension, seem to accelerate the passage of time.

......

On this day, as dawn broke, Su Bai, as usual, stepped through the morning mist to the Zhenfu Division to report for duty.

As soon as he stepped over the high threshold and into the front yard, he ran into Sun Hou, who was walking from the other side of the corridor.

"Brother Su... Officer Su..." Sun Hou saw Su Bai and his face habitually put on a smile. He almost called out the old address before, but he stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence, realizing that the person in front of him was no longer the same as before.

He remembered that when Su Bai had just been promoted to a formal constable, he had dared to go up and make a few jokes.

But lately we've been busy with our own lives and haven't seen each other much. Now that we're standing in front of each other again, I feel a strange sense of estrangement and awkwardness, and my smile seems a little unnatural.

"What 'constable' nonsense?" Su Bai raised an eyebrow, interrupting him irritably, but her tone carried a familiar intimacy. "If Brother Sun is being so distant, does that mean I have to call you 'Constable Sun' properly from now on? Let's just go our separate ways, shall we?"

"Sigh...hehe...my fault, my fault," Sun Hou's embarrassment dissipated considerably after hearing this. He scratched the back of his head and laughed sheepishly, "Brother Su, you're so understanding. I misunderstood."

"I've been quite busy with various matters these past few days," Su Bai said with a smile as he saw Sun Hou regain his usual composure. "When I have some free time in a couple of days, let's go to our usual spot for a drink."

"Alright! That's great!" Sun Hou readily agreed, then, as if remembering something, he quickly glanced left and right, lowered his voice, and said, "By the way, Brother Su, perfect timing, I have something I've been meaning to tell you about..."

"What's wrong?" Su Bai noticed his strange expression and couldn't help but suppress his smile, asking curiously.

Sun Hou's expression turned serious. He grabbed Su Bai's arm and led him to the shade of an old locust tree in the corner of the courtyard, a secluded spot away from the main path.

"I overheard something yesterday, but I don't know if it's true or not," Sun Hou said, his voice lowered to almost a whisper. "I asked two brothers I know well, and it seems the source of the rumors... came from Zhao An, one of your men."

"Zhao An?" Su Bai's face suddenly darkened, and his senses immediately tightened, sensing that something was amiss.

"Yes," Sun Hou nodded emphatically, confirming.

"It's supposedly about the task of collecting 'donations' from each district this year. You know the rules; it's always been the job of regular runners, and temporary runners like us can't get involved. The problem is—"

He paused, then leaned closer to Su Bai's ear.

"I heard that this year, with the district reorganization, you've been assigned to be in charge of the Yangtianjing area!"

"What?!"

Su Bai's brows furrowed instantly, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

He was almost immediately certain—something was definitely wrong!

What a coincidence! He had just clashed with Luo Haoxuan of the Fierce Tiger Gang at Yangtianjing.

In the blink of an eye, the task of collecting donations fell to him.

And it just so happens to be the Yangtianjing area where the Fierce Tiger Gang is entrenched!