“You can give it a try,” Xue Qianbai said to the woman.

“Hehe, never mind, it has nothing to do with me anyway.” The woman scoffed at herself, then turned around and sashayed away.

Ignoring her age, her silhouette alone was enough to captivate countless men. She led them through the bustling Chao Feng Pavilion, gradually moving towards a quieter area.

They eventually reached the backyard of the pavilion. The woman slowly pushed open a door, revealing a pitch-black world beyond that was starkly different from the pavilion. The faint sound of flowing water could be heard, and there was a river outside the door.

The river was vast, its far end barely visible.

“This is as far as I can take you,” the woman said lazily, flicking her long hair. She then added with a hint of frustration, “Other guests at least know how to have fun. I don’t like men like you, Xue Qianbai, who don’t understand romance.” Xue Qianbai didn’t respond, acting as if he hadn’t heard her, and walked straight through the door.

Li Changqing politely nodded at the woman before following Xue Qianbai.

“Young man, come and have some fun here when you return. I’ll find you the best girl, how about that?” The woman said to Li Changqing with a playful smile.

“Thank you, I will definitely come next time,” Li Changqing replied, leaving with a cheerful smile.

“Tsk, another man who doesn’t understand romance. No wonder he’s friends with someone like Xue Qianbai. Two heartless men, ugh!” The woman muttered, slamming the door shut behind her.

The river was pitch black, with no light in sight. Just as Li Changqing was about to ask where the black market was, Xue Qianbai whistled towards the river.

Immediately, a creaking sound was heard, and a small wooden boat appeared on the river. On the boat was a figure wearing a bamboo hat, who asked in a peculiar voice, “Are you two getting on?”

“Yes.” Without hesitation, Xue Qianbai boarded the boat. Li Changqing also got on, feeling a mix of apprehension and excitement.

The black market seemed very mysterious.

“Do you two want to wear masks?” The man in the bamboo hat handed each of them a mask. Xue Qianbai took one and put it on.

Li Changqing didn’t ask any questions. He knew that the black market was a mixed bag, filled with all sorts of people. Wearing a mask would help conceal his identity.

“The black market is only open for three days each month,” Xue Qianbai explained to Li Changqing. “Today is the last day, so you’re just in time.”

“Also, no trouble is allowed in the black market. If your identity is exposed, you’ll be blacklisted and won’t be allowed to enter the black market in the future.” Li Changqing nodded, understanding Xue Qianbai’s explanation.

“That’s not entirely correct,” the old man with the bamboo hat who was rowing the boat interjected. “If you cause trouble in the black market, the enforcers will execute you on the spot, regardless of your identity. The chances of escaping from the black market are slim.”

“Thank you for the reminder,” Li Changqing said, bowing in gratitude. After drifting for a while, Li Changqing finally saw lights appearing on the pitch-black river, although they were somewhat dim.

A huge canyon appeared in front of them. The boat slowly navigated through the canyon. At this point, Li Changqing saw that there were many people on the cliffs on both sides of the canyon. These people had a gloomy aura and were watching the passing boats.

Some had malicious looks in their eyes, while others were simply curious. He could also see other boats slowly approaching from the opposite direction.

The other boats also had masked buyers on them.

“There’s a Ghost Clan aura,” Li Changqing said, frowning as he sensed an aura different from that of humans.

“The black market is a place where all kinds of people mix. Not only the Ghost Clan, but people from other races are also here. Anyone can sell things that can’t be seen in the light here.”

“However, safety is guaranteed. If someone tries to rob here, the enforcers of the black market will act quickly,” Xue Qianbai explained to Li Changqing.

“Alright, as long as safety is guaranteed. I don’t want to buy a treasure and then have it stolen by someone else, although the chances of that happening are slim,” Li Changqing nodded, indicating that he understood.

“Get off the boat,” the boatman said as they reached the shore. They disembarked and found themselves on a wooden bridge. The bridge looked old and dilapidated, with many of its planks cracked.

As soon as they got off the boat, a crowd of people approached them. Li Changqing thought they were there to rob them, but before he could say anything, someone handed him an item.

“This is a Painting Treasure made by the Painting Sage. Are you interested?” A man directly held up a string of beads and started promoting it to Li Changqing.The bracelet was pitch black, each bead gleaming with a mysterious luster.

“I’ll sell it for just three million taels of silver!” The man said sincerely.

“A Painting Sage’s Painting Treasure?” Li Changqing glanced at the bracelet. He could indeed sense that it was a Painting Treasure, but the Spiritual Power it contained had long been exhausted.

It could probably be used once more. Without a painting scroll to replenish its Spiritual Power, it would become a useless object after one use.

Three million taels? Li Changqing was puzzled. He was wearing a mask, but he felt as if someone had written the words ‘big fool’ on his face.

“This is a rare vine flower seed. Once planted, it can grow into a Spirit Beast imbued with life. Its growth period can even rival the Prenatal Realm. It’s only two million taels.” Another person was trying to sell to Li Changqing.

All sorts of things, strange and bizarre, truly broadened Li Changqing’s horizons.

“There are treasures in the black market, but there are more swindlers. I’ve seen these junk items many times before and they still haven’t been sold. So, you must never believe what these people recommend.” Xue Qianbai glanced at them and reminded Li Changqing.

“I understand.” Li Changqing felt grateful to have an experienced person like Xue Qianbai guiding him. If he had come alone, he might have been fooled by one or two of them.

After all, it was hard to tell whether these unfamiliar items were real or fake. Looking at Xue Qianbai’s back, he thought of two words.

Reliable. As they continued to walk forward, more people approached to sell their goods. To Li Changqing’s surprise, someone was even selling pre-made meals!

The familiar box, the familiar packaging, it must have been bought from the Changqing Trading Company!

“Come and see my treasure! This is a delicious dish made by an ancient Kitchen God. It has a history of hundreds of years, but it was just unsealed. Just heat it up and you can eat it. Not only is the taste extraordinary, but it also carries the blessing of the Kitchen God. After eating it, you can extend your life by twenty years, and even improve your physique. Even a waste can become a genius!”

“Now I’m selling it at a loss. One serving of Kitchen God’s Boiled Fish is only a hundred thousand taels of silver!” Looking at the man spouting nonsense, Li Changqing was stunned.

This person would be a great talent to cultivate in the trading company. Eating a bite could extend life by twenty years?

And improve cultivation physique? If pre-made meals were this amazing, he would eat them every day. Li Changqing felt this was even less reliable than the previous items. What ancient Kitchen God? Wasn’t there a limit to making up stories?

Even a fool wouldn’t believe it. Just as Li Changqing was about to ignore him, he saw Xue Qianbai approach with a serious face: “Does it really have such effects? Only a hundred thousand taels?”

“Don’t buy it!” Li Changqing didn’t expect Xue Qianbai to almost believe it. He seemed cold, but was a bit naive.

He forcefully pulled Xue Qianbai away. Although the black market was chaotic, Li Changqing had learned a lot.

The deeper they went into the valley, the more interesting things they saw. And it wasn’t just the Ghost Clan, Li Changqing saw many races with strange appearances.

There were also some small shops on the cliff. Xue Qianbai led Li Changqing to a dilapidated shop hanging on the cliff, as if it could fall off at any moment.

The dilapidated shop even had cracks in the door. But they could smell the scent of medicine and some complex odors from inside.

“If he doesn’t have it, no one else will.” Xue Qianbai said, then reached out to open the door. But the door didn’t move, as if it was stuck. So, Xue Qianbai used force and directly tore the door off.

“Who is it? Who tore off my door!” A furious roar came from inside, the person was clearly angry.

Then Li Changqing saw a very short old man come out angrily with a pestle, looking murderous.

“I did. Any objections?” Xue Qianbai said indifferently, looking down at the old man. The old man was taken aback when he saw Xue Qianbai, then sighed and casually threw the pestle aside.

“Why are you here.” The old man sat down on the spot, seemingly unable to look into Xue Qianbai’s eyes: “What do you want?”

“I’m here to buy medicine.” Xue Qianbai looked back at Li Changqing: “You can call him Old Craftsman.”

“Old Craftsman.” Li Changqing said politely.

“Just call me Old Craftsman, not Old Craftsman Senior. It sounds awkward!” The short old man had a fiery temper, as if no one could suppress him except Xue Qianbai.”Alright.” Li Changqing was no longer polite: “Old craftsman, I want to buy a fifth-grade Realm-Breaking Pill. Do you have any? Xue Qianbai said that if you don’t have it, it’s unlikely to be found anywhere else.”

“No.” The old craftsman said bluntly. With that single word, Li Changqing was extremely disappointed. He had thought he could buy it here, but it turned out to be unavailable.

Moreover, Xue Qianbai had also said that if the old craftsman didn’t have it, it would be even less likely to be found elsewhere. It seemed that he could only ask Mu Qingge for help in refining one?

“I don’t have the fifth-grade one, but I do have a sixth-grade one. Do you want it?” The old craftsman picked up his medicine pestle and slowly walked into the house.

“A sixth-grade one!” Li Changqing was taken aback. It was so hard to find a fifth-grade one, and this old craftsman actually had a sixth-grade one!

Moreover, someone had actually refined a sixth-grade Realm-Breaking Pill. No normal person would have so much free time!

“I refined it for fun when I was making medicine before. I made one, but no one bought it, so I kept it until now.” As he spoke, there was a clattering sound from inside. Then, the old craftsman took out a medicine bottle and said, “Found it, it’s still here.”

“I’ll take it!” Of course, Li Changqing wanted it. The effect of a sixth-grade pill was better than a fifth-grade one, and it would definitely help his son break through faster!

“How much does it cost?” Li Changqing asked joyfully.

“Old craftsman, this thing is useless if you don’t sell it and keep it until you die. Don’t ask for a sky-high price.” As if knowing the old craftsman’s nature, Xue Qianbai reminded him from the side.

The old craftsman stared at the pill in his hand, pondering for a moment. He seemed to know that if he didn’t sell it to Li Changqing, no one else would buy it.

A Realm-Breaking Pill was such a thing that a third-grade one could almost meet the needs of everyone in the Cangyuan Realm to break through the Postnatal Realm. Who would buy a sixth-grade one?

Wasn’t that a big head?

“Fifteen thousand, this price won’t rip you off.” The old craftsman looked at Li Changqing and said.

“Fifteen thousand?” Li Changqing was taken aback and asked in surprise, “Fifteen thousand taels of silver?” Is it so cheap?

No, it’s very likely to be gold! But even if it’s gold, it’s worth it!

“Bullshit!” The old craftsman was immediately angry again: “Qianbai, where did you find such a fool? Fifteen thousand, of course, refers to merit points!”

“Merit points?” Li Changqing was dumbfounded. He had read about these so-called merit points in books. They were used to exchange things in the Merit Hall of Tianhai City, the largest city in the Cangyuan Realm.

Killing aliens or strong people on the Black List of Tianhai, as well as using some rare treasures, can all be exchanged for merit points in Tianhai City.

Similarly, merit points can also be exchanged for various treasures, intelligence, and even Painting Treasures of the Painting Sage level in the Merit Hall.

So merit points are also considered a hard currency. But this is only limited to the exchange between the masters in the Cangyuan Realm. Weak warriors simply can’t get merit points.

“I don’t have that stuff.” Li Changqing was frustrated.

“I don’t have it either. I thought you did.” Xue Qianbai also shook his head. He was a man with a sword and rarely dealt with things like merit points.

“If you don’t have it, then leave.” The old craftsman casually threw the pill into the house, as if he was throwing away a piece of garbage, and then waved his hand impatiently at Li Changqing.

“Wait.” Li Changqing suddenly remembered something, then swiped his palm over the space ring, and immediately, the head of Old Devil Xiang appeared in Li Changqing’s hand.

Seeing this, not only the old craftsman, but even Xue Qianbai widened his eyes.

“Acceptance of Rings?” The old craftsman said in surprise. He never expected that the man in front of him, who looked like a simpleton, actually had such a treasure.

Xue Qianbai couldn’t believe that Li Changqing actually had such a high-level item. Acceptance of Rings was a rare treasure in the entire Cangyuan Realm. Those who possessed this treasure were the top powerhouses of various forces. Acceptance of Rings had even become a symbol of status.

This was also a kind of Painting Treasure, but there were very few Painting Sages who could create such a Painting Treasure.

So even though Xue Qianbai was known as the Qianxue Sword Sovereign, he didn’t have such a treasure.

“This guy’s head should be able to be exchanged for merit points. I don’t know if it’s enough.” Li Changqing pointed to the head of Old Devil Xiang and said.

“Oh, it’s Old Devil Xiang.” The old craftsman also noticed the head in Li Changqing’s hand. After a careful look, he immediately recognized it.

“Let me see.” The old craftsman rummaged in the house for a while, then took out a small notebook and seemed to be looking for something on it.

“Let me see… Old Devil Xiang, the nineteenth on the Tianhai Black List.”

“The reward is eighteen thousand merit points.” The old craftsman frowned and then said, “Eighteen thousand merit points, but I have to exchange them myself. It’s so troublesome. I’ll count you fifteen thousand. The pill is yours, but I won’t find you merit points. If you want to sell it, sell it. If not, forget it.””Deal!” Li Changqing didn’t really care about this. Having the Realm-Breaking Pill in hand was better than anything else. He directly tossed the head to the old craftsman, who in turn threw the pill to Li Changqing.

Upon receiving the pill, Li Changqing immediately put it into his Acceptance of Rings, feeling relieved.

“Kid, since you were brought here by Xue Qianbai, I’ll kindly remind you not to casually reveal your ability to use the Acceptance of Rings in front of others. Otherwise, you might not even know how you die,” the old craftsman sneered, then turned and walked into the house.

“Thank you,” Li Changqing nodded.

“By the way, where can I buy good ores?” Li Changqing looked at Xue Qianbai. He wanted to craft a good set of carving knives.

“Good ores?” Xue Qianbai suddenly said, “I have a piece of Ice Soul Cold Iron left over from when I crafted the Thousand Snow Sword. If you want it, I can sell it to you when we go back.”

“Ice Soul Cold Iron!” Li Changqing’s eyes lit up. The leftover material from crafting the Thousand Snow Sword? The Thousand Snow Sword was the eleventh-ranked Divine Weapon.

The rarity of the material was self-evident.

“How much?” Li Changqing asked, “If you also want merit points, I don’t have any left.”

“You made this Acceptance of Rings yourself, didn’t you?” Xue Qianbai stared at the Acceptance of Rings in Li Changqing’s hand, “I heard from Xu Muhai that you can make a very magical wood carving, comparable to a painting.”

“Do you want an Acceptance of Rings?” Li Changqing understood Xue Qianbai’s meaning.

“If you can still make one, make an Acceptance of Rings for me, and I’ll give you the Ice Soul Cold Iron. And I won’t take advantage of you, a piece of Ice Soul Cold Iron is definitely not worth an Acceptance of Rings.”

“So, I’ll help you craft whatever you want for free, how about that?” Xue Qianbai said, “You should know, if you were to find someone else to craft it, there are few who could use the Ice Soul Cold Iron.”