A few minutes after Li Xuanxiao left the tunnel, another group of people arrived.
They swept over the corpses of the Chameleon Demon Clan Members inside the tunnel, their expressions filled with shock and uncertainty.
"Did that person from just now do all this!?"
"One person wiped out seven Chameleon Demon Clan Members, including the old Chameleon—this..."
"Such strength is truly terrifying!"
"Our Human Race has produced a fierce character!"
"How laughable that old Chameleon, who spent his days catching eagles, ended up having his eyes pecked out by one."
"Should we report this?"
"Report my foot! Let him go on a killing spree and crush the arrogance of the Demon Race!"
"What about the old Chameleon's territory..."
"Naturally, we'll take it for ourselves~"
After a fruitless search, Li Xuanxiao found that the various routes in the Underground Black Market were simply too complicated.
"This damn thing was absolutely not designed by humans!"
Having no other choice, he had to pay some Spirit Crystals and find a Demon Race member to lead the way for him.
"Nigo, how much further until we arrive?"
Li Xuanxiao swept his gaze around with some helplessness.
The underground architecture was monotonous, with street corners lacking any signs or markers.
Fumbling around on his own would waste an unknown amount of time.
"Very soon, Sir. Turn the next street corner, and you will see a plaza. Inside the building at the center of the plaza is the Death Match Arena of the Black Market."
Nigo was a Demon Race member with an Eighth Level Mystic Realm cultivation.
After transforming, he resembled a young Human Race man.
He was just significantly darker... clearly an expert at picking cotton!
Unlike most Demon Race members, Nigo was very friendly towards humans.
Conversely, among the Demon Race, he was not welcomed by his own kind; they all considered him an anomaly.
However, because Nigo belonged to the Mu En Clan, not many Demon Race members dared to cause trouble for him.
"Oh right, Nigo, do you know where I can buy Qian Realm Cultivation Techniques and Martial Arts?"
Nigo pondered while leading the way: "Human Race Qian Realm Cultivation Techniques and Martial Arts are already very precious resources. As far as I know, no shop in the Black Market sells them openly. Even if they occasionally appear, they are more often traded in an item-for-item exchange. Of course, there are exceptions. At the Black Market Auction House, sometimes Martial Artists who urgently need Spirit Crystals will list them for sale."
"Because their source is questionable and they are eager to sell, the starting bid price is relatively friendly. But even so, they will eventually be bid up very high, unaffordable for ordinary Martial Artists."
Li Xuanxiao felt uneasy in his heart. He originally thought over one million Spirit Crystals was a lot, but now he felt rather unconfident.
"Do you remember roughly how much the last Qian Realm Cultivation Technique and Martial Arts sold for at auction?"
Nigo was silent for a long time: "The starting bid for Qian Realm Cultivation Techniques and Martial Arts is usually around eight hundred thousand Spirit Crystals, and the final transaction price might be two to three times the starting bid."
"Hiss—"
Li Xuanxiao clicked his tongue twice. His one million-plus Spirit Crystals seemed far from enough.
He needed to prepare for the worst-case scenario!
That is, three times the starting bid, two million four hundred thousand Spirit Crystals!
After all, the opportunity was rare!
What if a Qian Realm Cultivation Technique and Martial Art appeared, and he failed to acquire it because he wasn't prepared, letting someone else snatch it? He would truly regret it to his core!
Moreover, he didn't know when the next opportunity would arise.
He couldn't afford to waste any time...
Of course, he could also take a reckless risk and try to rob someone!
But even using his rear end to think, anyone who could afford several million Spirit Crystals couldn't be a simple person.
He might fail to steal the Cultivation Technique and Martial Art and end up losing his own life here.
Conversely, he didn't need to worry about being robbed.
Because the moment he obtained the Qian Realm Cultivation Technique and Martial Art, he could use the System to instantly add points and learn it!
His strength would soar wildly!
If some fool dared to target him, he would only be overjoyed.
Instead, he could kill the opponent back without any psychological burden, reaping another huge profit!
Heh heh heh!
Wait!
Li Xuanxiao suddenly thought of a very important issue: Where would he get the Demon value Points to cultivate the Qian Realm Cultivation Technique and Martial Art?
It was known that upgrading a Origin Realm Cultivation Technique and Martial Art to the Transcendent level required 2.4 million Demon value Points. Then Qian Realm...
He currently only had a little over one million Demon value Points on hand; it probably wouldn't even be enough for entry level...
He couldn't risk successfully bidding for the Qian Realm Cultivation Technique and Martial Art only to stare at it blankly because he lacked the Demon value Points.
That would truly be a dog's life!
Li Xuanxiao sighed. He originally thought that with enough Spirit Crystals, he wouldn't need to participate in the Death Matches of the Black Market Arena.
Now it seemed he still had to participate! He absolutely must participate!
Only the Black Market Arena could provide both Demon value Points and Spirit Crystals simultaneously!
Li Xuanxiao settled his mind after some thought.
Coincidentally, the two of them had now arrived at the plaza Nigo mentioned.
This place should be the central area of the Underground Black Market.
In the plaza, the number of Human Race and Demon Race members was noticeably higher!
Next to the central building, a large plaque stood tall.
It announced the participants of today's Death Matches—there were Human Race members and Demon Race members.
There were participants from the Three Great Powers: the Ronin Alliance, the Mu En Clan, and the Brocade Snake Manor. There were also unknown individuals with no background.
The entrance fee was ten thousand Spirit Crystals.
This price was quite expensive; it required most laborers a month's salary just to buy one ticket.
Yet, the line to buy tickets was still endless.
Nigo stopped walking: "I will escort you this far, Sir."
Li Xuanxiao immediately understood, took out five thousand Spirit Crystals, and handed them over as payment for guiding him.
Nigo happily accepted and took his leave.
Li Xuanxiao joined the queue to buy tickets.
Even if he decided to participate in the Death Match competition, he had to first figure out the rules.
Only by knowing exactly how the Death Match Arena operated could he maximize his benefits.
Otherwise, what if all his opponents in the Death Match turned out to be Human Race members?
Wouldn't that mean he wouldn't gain any Demon value Points at all?
Li Xuanxiao queued silently. Fortunately, although the line was endless, the entry speed was quite fast.
In a short while, Li Xuanxiao successfully stepped inside the building.
A strong scent of masculine hormones rushed toward him, and the spectators inside were roaring wildly.
On the central stage inside the building, one human and one Demon Race member were fiercely exchanging blows.
Li Xuanxiao found his seat according to the number on his ticket, watching the match while observing the rules.
The Death Match was indeed a death match!
Once on the stage, one either came off standing up or lying down.
After each match, the survivor could choose to continue or stop.
If they chose to continue, the Spirit Crystals earned would double.
As the number of consecutive wins increased, the Spirit Crystals would double multiple times, and the audience would become increasingly frenzied!
Li Xuanxiao watched a few matches and secretly gasped.
If the earnings for the first match were twenty thousand Spirit Crystals, after winning five consecutive matches, the earnings for the fifth match would become 2 to the power of five, which is three hundred twenty thousand Spirit Crystals!
This was cumulative, not replacement!
This meant the total earnings for five consecutive wins were: 2 + 4 + 8 + 16 + 32.
Totaling sixty-two thousand Spirit Crystals!
It didn't sound like much at first, perhaps less than what he gained from killing the Chameleon group earlier.
But the Chameleon group's nearly one million Spirit Crystals had likely accumulated over a long time; he had simply gotten lucky encountering them.
Most of the desperados in the Lawless Land were 'moonlight clans' (living paycheck to paycheck).
You might spend a great deal of effort eliminating them, only to check their pockets afterward and be left in tears.
The Death Match Arena was relatively more stable, provided you could win.
"Doubling the Spirit Crystals but not the Demon value Points is still a bit of a loss..."
Li Xuanxiao stroked his chin, completely unaware of his own greed.