Chapter 1268: Beating the Market Master

"Not count?"

Zhang Jiuxiao was stunned, his brows immediately knitting. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing!"

The middle-aged man snorted. "Our bets here are all based on fairness. You and that Zhang Xuan—one pretending to be weak to fool everyone, the other deliberately placing bets—are cheating, violating the rules. Not only will all your bets be confiscated, but you must also pay compensation!"

"Compensation?"

"Disrupting market order, malicious betting... Men, seize this fellow!"

With a wave of his hand, the middle-aged man called out.

Swish!

In the blink of an eye, over a dozen armored guards surged from all around, each at the peak of the Nascent Soul realm, encircling Zhang Jiuxiao.

"You..."

Never expecting that the underground black market, having lost, would refuse to admit it and even try to capture him, Zhang Jiuxiao was furious. He pointed a finger, and a mid-grade sacred artifact hovered before him, ready to strike at any moment.

Though he had the ability to fight above his level, there were too many opponents, and the middle-aged man was a peak Soul Departure realm expert—far beyond what he could contend with.

"A business this big, unable to pay after losing, and now arresting people... Is this your style?"

Before he could act, a faint voice rang out. The young man who had just defeated Hong Yang on the platform appeared before him, clearly displeased.

He had planned to collect his winnings and attend the auction to buy that ancient book of couch talk... But not only did they refuse to pay, they had surrounded Zhang Jiuxiao. Unable to hold back any longer, he flew over from the arena.

"You two colluded to rig the game, violating the rules. If I don't punish you, and everyone does this, how can the market continue to do business?"

The middle-aged man flicked his sleeve.

He was the market master from earlier.

Twenty thousand high-grade essence spirit stones—that was the entire black market's total. Giving them away would shut the market down.

"Rules? Does the black market care about rules?"

Zhang Xuan sneered.

Everyone said this place was lawless and unruly... Now they were lecturing him about rules?

"Nothing can be accomplished without norms or standards, even in the black market..." said the market master.

"Since you want to talk rules, I'll reason with you..."

Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Even the Master Teacher Pavilion, a place so strict with rules, couldn't do anything to him. A black market master talking rules to him was like selling cut cake in front of a bank!

"Anyone can place bets on the arena matches. Zhang Jiuxiao is my friend; he had faith in me and bet on my victory. Is there anything wrong with that?" Zhang Xuan said.

"No problem."

The market master nodded.

In the black market, many fighters bet on themselves. Without such incentives, who would risk their lives here?

Having a friend bet on one's victory was standard practice.

"Since there's no problem, and you set the odds, accepting any amount—why do you claim we broke the rules?" Zhang Xuan snorted.

"You could have won easily but pretended to be weak—that's deception..."

"Deception? Deception means cheating and swindling, using improper means to gain profit... Ask everyone here: in my fight with Hong Yang, I kept saying I couldn't hold on and wasn't his match, telling him to stop. He wouldn't listen and insisted on fighting, forcing me to retaliate. Is that deception?"

Zhang Xuan looked around. "If I really wanted to profit from this, I would have agreed to fight him directly, not refused repeatedly!"

"This..."

The middle-aged man's brows twitched.

He had heard those words too.

Indeed, the other party had told him not to fight, but he insisted... Strictly speaking, it wasn't the other's fault.

"Don't quibble with me. This is the black market, and I am the market master. What I say is the rule! Men, seize these two troublemakers as well!"

Knowing that continuing would only give the other more excuses, the middle-aged man flicked his sleeve and dropped all pretense.

"Can't find a reason, so you'll just arrest us? I'd like to see who dares to touch a single hair on our heads..."

Raising his brows, Zhang Xuan swept his gaze around.

"Charge!"

A guard shouted and rushed forward first.

Even if this fellow was strong, they had numbers, and all were peak Nascent Soul realm experts. They should be able to take him down easily.

His long sword swung through the air, sending a sword beam shooting forth.

As a guard in the black market, tasked with suppressing rule-breakers, his strength was not to be underestimated. Before the sword beam even arrived, it tore through the air with explosive cracks, as if it could cleave a man in two at any moment.

Seeing the sword aura both fierce and subtle, Zhang Xuan did not dodge. Instead, he suddenly shifted his body and pointed a finger.

Pata!

The sword beam shattered. True qi reached the guard, and with a single strike, the latter felt a violent tremor in his dantian, which shattered with a "crack!"

"You... crippled my cultivation?"

His body went limp, and the guard fell to the ground, terror in his eyes.

A shattered dantian meant total loss of cultivation. After countless years of training, he was now completely ruined.

Too lazy to reply, Zhang Xuan continued to move. A series of sounds like firecrackers rang out. In a few breaths, the dozen or so guards who had surrounded Zhang Jiuxiao were all on the ground, feeling the destruction of their dantians, fear rising from the depths of their hearts.

These men had bullied others and aided the wicked; even killing them would not be excessive. Crippling their dantians was leniency.

Seeing a mere late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator cripple his subordinates right before his eyes, the market master's eyes reddened with rage. He grabbed with his hand, and a surge of mighty power erupted, reaching out through the air.

Squinting his eyes, Zhang Xuan did not dodge. He stamped his foot and charged forward.

Having advanced to the late Nascent Soul realm, he had yet to find a sparring partner. Since this fellow was looking for trouble, he didn't mind giving him a beating!

Boom!

Fist met palm. The two forces collided, sending a tremendous roar through the surroundings. The stands collapsed under the shockwave.

The onlookers, seeing such immense power, scattered in fear. Zhang Jiuxiao also retreated dozens of meters away.

"You... how can you be so strong?"

The market master's pupils contracted.

He had thought the other could only fight above his level but was far inferior to himself. He never dreamed that the exchange of fist and palm would be... evenly matched!

A late Nascent Soul cultivator with power rivaling a peak Soul Departure expert...

Even seeing it with his own eyes, he found it hard to believe.

"Who exactly are you?"

Such ability to fight above one's level meant a background that could not be simple. The market master refused to believe he was just an ordinary challenger.

"Zhang Xuan."

With a faint smile, Zhang Xuan turned his palm and struck down.

The move seemed devoid of power, yet it gave an overwhelming sense of invincibility. The market master wanted to say something, but seeing the strike coming, he knew he had to block it and met it again.

However, before his fist could touch the other's palm, the figure before him flickered. Somehow, Zhang Xuan was already in front of him and pressed lightly.

Boom!

Blood sprayed from his mouth. The market master flew backward, crashing heavily to the ground, his face pale.

When Zhang Xuan was at the mid Nascent Soul realm, he could almost fight peak Soul Departure experts. Now at the late stage, even if the opponent was strong, he still couldn't withstand it.

"Go, cripple him!"

After two moves, knowing the opponent was no match, Zhang Xuan was too lazy to continue. He gave a command.

Whoosh!

From a room beneath the arena, over a hundred various long blades flew out, slashing straight at the market master.

These blades were only low-grade sacred artifacts, but there were so many—over a hundred attacking at once. In an instant, blade energy crisscrossed. The market master's pupils shrank. Before he could even retaliate, he was slashed, blood streaming.

"These..."

The old man who had reported to the market master saw so many blades and his brows jumped.

They were none other than the blades provided for contestants in the arena... But weren't these things all without spirituality? How were they so obedient, attacking the market master?

"They must have been awakened..."

His fists clenched, and he quickly understood.

Clearly, these weapons had all been awakened by the other party. That was why they obeyed so easily and attacked the market master...

This fellow had gone in to choose weapons and come out not long after... He had awakened them so quickly, and so many weapons... How had he done it?

Not only was he stunned, but Zhang Jiuxiao's mouth also twitched.

He had long known that Zhang Shi's awakening skills were unmatched, but he hadn't expected him to have prepared in advance and even subdued the other's long blades.

It seemed that from the moment he arrived, he had guessed that taking the winnings wouldn't be easy... The other's direct confrontation had simply given him an excuse.

Wuwuwuwu!

The hundred-plus low-grade sacred artifacts seemed specially trained. Each strike targeted the market master's weakest points. Before long, the once-arrogant peak Soul Departure expert was covered in blood, slashed countless times, on the verge of death.

"Stop... I'm willing to return the spirit stones you won..."

Knowing that if this continued, he would be hacked to death, the market master quickly shouted.

Though humiliated, he had no choice.

He was no match for the opponent, nor could he withstand these blades.

"Return?"

With a wave of his hand, the many long blades flew back, hovering neatly behind Zhang Xuan like a peacock spreading its tail.

"Yes..."

Struggling to his feet, the market master took out a ring and handed it over. "This is nineteen thousand eight hundred high-grade spirit stones..."

This was the profit of the underground black market over countless years. Once given, the entire black market's capital chain would be severed.

Taking it casually, Zhang Xuan glanced at it and nodded.

The amount was sufficient; it seemed the other hadn't played any tricks.

"These winnings came from my fight... Now, for you attacking me and my friend, how will you compensate?"

Putting away the spirit stones, Zhang Xuan looked over.

"Compensation?"

The market master's face turned white.

He was already bankrupt, and now he had to pay compensation?

"That's right."

Zhang Xuan nodded.

This black market treated human lives as nothing. The Master Teacher Pavilion and Qianchong City turned a blind eye. Since he had encountered it, he naturally had to intervene. Otherwise, if everyone acted like this, what rules would the master teachers have established?

"May I ask... how should I compensate?" the market master gritted his teeth.

"I heard that your black market recently obtained an ancient book of couch talk?"

After a moment's thought, Zhang Xuan said.