Chapter 122: Chapter 122: Released from Prison, Wild Secret Realm Spot in the Black Market_1
The next day, Wang Linchi and the others were released.
The Sheng Family had indeed been wiped out; not a single person survived. He learned that the one who led the slaughter was his old deskmate, Yan Ming King. According to the information he gathered, the new Domain Master was actually Yan Ming King’s master, which came as a surprise to Wang Linchi. It was astonishing that a new powerful supporter was backing Yan Ming King so quickly. At the Bright Moon Level, Yan Ming King could basically rule the Jing Room Domain as he pleased. However, in return, Yan Ming King became the sharpest blade in the hands of the new Domain Master, beginning to centralize power across the entire Jing Room Domain.
Wang Linchi had no intention of pledging allegiance to Yan Ming King. The latter’s actions were too detestable and likely to invite trouble. Therefore, he planned to continue according to his original plan. As for the contract left on him by the Zhou Family, he had already taken care of it. After leaving the prison, he found a secluded place, completely changed his appearance, and then prepared to find channels to inquire about the black market.
He certainly couldn’t stay in the city for long; after all, he didn’t have any identification. If discovered, being killed on the spot would be considered normal. Fortunately, he left quickly, and since there were many others, they weren’t all sent back. Otherwise, if he had been any slower, he would have been. Xuan Spirit Heaven certainly wouldn’t take everyone in; instead, they would make them leave at their own expense. No money? That was fine; there were always ways to make these lower-class Awakeners cough up their funds.
The high-ranking officials divided up the Sheng Family’s assets. The middle class squeezed profits from the Great Families in various states that had supplied people and goods to the Sheng Family. Even those of lower classes couldn’t get away empty-handed; naturally, the deceived lower-class Awakeners were targeted. It was just like with the soldiers who had bought a ticket for Wang Linchi for hundreds of thousands; direct confiscation was possible. They were helpless to resist. What? Complain and report? There would be no opportunity for that. Besides, who would risk a fallout with a local to defend an outsider, a beggar who came to Xuan Spirit Heaven to scrape by?
Wang Linchi left quickly and suffered no losses. Others, however, fared worse; not only was their trip a waste, but they also lost all their savings. The thought alone was absurd.
The location of the black market was rather easy to find. There were specific channels for everyone except non-Battle-type Awakeners and ordinary people who couldn’t access this circle. Over these past few days, Wang Linchi had managed to integrate into the circle of Battle-type Awakeners and learned a lot of common knowledge. So, he easily located Xuan Spirit Heaven’s black market.
It had to be said, Xuan Spirit Heaven truly deserved its reputation as the center of a domain; even the scale of its black market was unbelievably large. While there, Wang Linchi selected and bought some Soul Forging Methods, books, and other items. In fact, many things that were banned from sale at the state and city levels were sold here, such as Soul Skills monopolized by the Court. One could only say that the people running it were truly audacious and that the black market had powerful backing.
Even the number of Wild Secret Realms had increased drastically; there were nearly a thousand of them packed together, and among the highest tier, there was even access to a Gigantic Secret Realm. However, the entry condition was incredibly harsh: it required one Epic Level Soul Kind each time.
But Wang Linchi also keenly observed something: these Secret Realms might not all be Wild Secret Realms. Many were actually affiliated with the Court, and access was being sold directly because there were insiders involved. Naturally, Wang Linchi wanted to enter this Gigantic Secret Realm, but he didn’t want to part with an Epic Level Soul Kind.
If he were a Morning Star Level Awakener in Xuan Spirit Heaven, presenting an Epic Level Soul Kind wouldn’t cause any trouble. However, he was currently only a Black Iron Level Awakener. If he truly took out an Epic Level Soul Kind, the black market wouldn’t send him to the Gigantic Secret Realm; instead, they would most likely kill him.
Did they really think the black market followed rules? If they followed rules, they wouldn’t be involved in such illegal activities. As for the various rules of the black market, they existed only because they benefited the black market itself, not because the black market would be bound by them. The conduct of Officials high and low in Xuan Spirit Heaven was corrupt; how could a group of people running a black market be righteous? Such naive thoughts had to be discarded.
Therefore, Wang Linchi focused his attention on the Large Secret Realms, a tier below the Gigantic Secret Realm. The admission fee was indeed high: one hundred Good Level Soul Kinds to enter once. Although this was a considerable sum for a Black Iron Level Awakener, presenting it wouldn’t draw undue attention. It was just that if he entered, his strength would be on the lower side, as most participants there were around the Mountain Copper Level. After all, most Black Iron Level Awakeners went to Medium or Small Secret Realms, while Secret Silver Level Awakeners naturally went to Large Secret Realms.
Elite Gold Level Awakeners were numerous in Xuan Spirit Heaven, but their status remained very high, ranking among the top tier. They had privileges to enter certain Large Secret Realms and didn’t need to be discreet; they could go directly. Mini-secret Realms were virtually non-existent because their value was too low. Even Small Secret Realms were few in number due to their small profit margins. Medium ones required ten Good Level Soul Kinds, while Small ones cost one hundred Excellent Level Soul Kinds. With such a large disparity, there was naturally a distinction.
"When does this Large Secret Realm open?" Wang Linchi asked, pointing at the one labeled "Number 37."
According to its description, most enemies within this Secret Realm were ghost spirits and similar types, and Wang Linchi had a special advantage against such foes. Additionally, his Soul Kind enhanced his resilience, resistance, and immunity in four aspects: Soul (as in psyche/mind), Spirit, Soul (as in vital essence), and thought. This made him virtually immune to abilities like possession, body-snatching, and charm. Of course, it also yielded abundant rewards, especially Natural Treasures that enhanced spiritual power and various other precious items. Furthermore, it was a Secret Realm that had only recently appeared, so Awakeners had not yet significantly impacted it.
"In five days. There are still slots available," the person replied calmly.
For the black market’s Wild Secret Realms, it wasn’t a matter of simply paying and being sent over. Instead, they arranged for people to enter in batches at set intervals, with a limit on slots each time. Otherwise, if everyone swarmed in at once, the operators wouldn’t be able to turn a blind eye even if they wanted to.
"What time should I arrive?" Wang Linchi asked, taking out one hundred Good Level Soul Kinds to register.
The other person quickly fashioned a small Token, handed it to Wang Linchi, and said, "Departure is before eight in the morning. Remember to arrive early."
"Also, we recognize Tokens, not people. If it’s lost, it won’t be replaced."
This meant it didn’t matter who paid; if you didn’t have the Token, they wouldn’t acknowledge you. Moreover, the Tokens weren’t registered by name—whoever held one could use it.
Wang Linchi casually tucked the item into his Storage Soul Device. The reason he didn’t put it into his Soul Seed Page·Storage Space was, naturally, the fear that the other party might have tampered with it. He nodded and prepared to leave.
He knew that quite a few people had their eyes on him. Killing for loot was a common occurrence around the black market. After all, what was painstakingly acquiring resources compared to the quick fortune gained by robbing someone?
Wang Linchi saw this but wasn’t concerned. He didn’t plan on leaving the black market; instead, he decided to stay there. At least within the black market, those Awakeners thinking of targeting him wouldn’t dare to offend the black market. And anyone powerful enough to offend the black market’s forces wouldn’t be interested in his meager assets anyway.
He rented a room in a black market guesthouse for ten Good Level Soul Kinds a day. Its main selling point was the assurance of safety. As long as your enemies lacked sufficient strength and influence, the black market could keep you safe. If your enemies *did* have such power, well, then you could just pretend the black market never made any promises. Why would they genuinely offend powerful experts or major factions for the paltry sum they earned from someone like you?
Wang Linchi paid for five days’ lodging and was then shown upstairs.
It had to be said, this was truly expensive. Staying another five days would cost enough for one entry into a Large Secret Realm. Otherwise, why call it a black market? They specialized in making a killing through exorbitant prices. Of course, most people wouldn’t stay in the black market. If you were prioritizing your safety to this extent, being fleeced was only to be expected. But Wang Linchi was different. The main reason was that he lacked identification and couldn’t stay in the city’s guesthouses. Staying in a black market guesthouse certainly didn’t require identity registration; people came for safety and privacy. However, neither of these was actually guaranteed; it could only deter Awakeners who lacked strength and influence.
"Tsk, expensive!" Wang Linchi exclaimed internally, looking at the black market guesthouse menu. A bowl of plain water cost one Excellent Level Soul Kind, and a bowl of rice was a full ten Excellent Level Soul Kinds.
Other items like alcohol, dishes, desserts, and fruits were all available, but their prices started at a minimum of fifty Excellent Level Soul Kinds. Even in Xuan Spirit Heaven, where the cost of living was higher than in other states, people still used money; a full meal wouldn’t cost more than twenty units of currency. But here, they didn’t accept money, only Soul Kinds. You could choose not to eat their food, of course. But if you brought your own food and had issues with it, the black market and the guesthouse wouldn’t take responsibility. Similarly, if you ate the guesthouse’s food and a problem arose, they *still* wouldn’t be responsible, because anyone capable of tampering with food right under their noses was definitely no ordinary person. Essentially, they took no responsibility for anything except for taking your Soul Kinds.