Chapter 55: Black market

Chapter 55: Black market

Although the lighting inside the black market was poor, there were still many customers. Besides numerous stalls, the square also had wide passageways for pedestrians. However, at this moment, the surging crowd had squeezed these passages tightly, making it nearly impossible for people to pass through.

Witnessing the bustling scene with people moving shoulder to shoulder, Meng Zhang's eyes lit up. Indeed, Firewell Market's black market was much livelier than Singing Sand City's.

Meng Zhang left the corridor and stepped into the square, carefully inspecting the various items on the stalls as he walked with the crowd. Underground in scorching Firewell Market, the temperature was even higher than on the surface, and the dense crowd made the enclosed space even more uncomfortable.The initial instance of this chapter being available happened at N0v3l.Bin.

When Meng Zhang had just entered Firewell Market, he had tried using spells to cool down his body and adjust his body temperature with true qi. However, despite trying various methods, the effect was not significant, and he still felt extremely hot.

Meng Zhang's keen senses made him realize that it wasn't just a matter of temperature. There seemed to be a vast underground fire emitting continuous heat, containing a peculiar force that made people feel dry and hot. Fortunately, after careful discernment, he concluded that this force only caused discomfort and didn't carry any hidden harm. As a cultivator, his endurance was much stronger than that of an ordinary person, and enduring a bit of heat was not a big deal.

Filled with anticipation for the stalls in the black market, Meng Zhang even felt the heat had reduced somewhat. After spending considerable time and sweating profusely, he wandered around the black market but didn't find anything valuable. The items on the stalls were few, and those that were valuable were priced exorbitantly. It was clear that the vendors were well aware of the worth of their merchandise, and those valuable items weren't worth buying at such high prices.

Meng Zhang's hopes of making good deals in the black market were dashed. He realized that while his Deception Breaking Eye and the knowledge he gained from the Trial Ground were advantageous for making discoveries in Singing Sand City, in the vast Cultivation World, he was likely not the only one who practiced eye techniques. Many experienced and knowledgeable cultivators existed, making it more challenging to find hidden treasures.

Meng Zhang mentally scolded himself for wasting so much time. If he had known there would be no valuable discoveries in the black market, he would have relaxed in the inn instead.

Deciding to leave since the black market offered nothing of interest, Meng Zhang headed towards the edge of the square, intending to enter the corridor he came through. However, at that moment, a middle-aged man blocked his path.

"Are you Taiyi Sect's Meng Zhang, Sect Master Meng?" Although phrased as a question, the tone was certain.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Meng Zhang looked wary of the stranger. In an unfamiliar place, being approached by an unknown cultivator naturally called for caution.

For the powerful force behind the black market, determining his identity and background should have been a simple task. With mediocre strength, hailing from a weak sect, yet possessing a considerable amount of spirit stones, he was the type of customer Shang Families all loved.

Fortunately, the reputation of the black market had been good, and he hadn't heard of any past cases of robbery or violence by the organizers. The transactions in the black market were still relatively fair, and they aimed to make customers willingly spend their spirit stones.

At this moment, the middle-aged man was conversing with another cultivator. It seemed that the man was responsible for attracting customers. Running a black market, of course, meant wanting many customers and prosperous business.

Meng Zhang pondered for a moment and decided that the black market had a decent reputation, and there shouldn't be any danger in going to take a look.

He entered the small house indicated by the middle-aged man. Inside the pitch-black room, a person dressed entirely in black guarded the door. Seeing Meng Zhang entering, the person extended their hand.

"Token."

Meng Zhang handed over the black token. The person checked it and then handed him a mask and a cloak.

The person lightly tapped the wall, revealing a dark hole through which a deep passage led.

"Go inside and follow it to the end."

Meng Zhang accepted the mask and cloak without asking any further questions and walked straight into the passage. Although the passage was pitch-black, cultivators generally had some night vision ability or technique. Meng Zhang's Deception Breaking Eye could directly penetrate the darkness.

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