Blacky was now on their side. With him, their journey was much easier compared to using a horse.

With its astonishing speed, they rode on him, heading toward the east gate where they begin their journey to the capital city.

At the same time, Zhen Lun suddenly remembered that there's a quest that he has yet finish.

[Raiding Jade Beetle Nest]

Progress: 0%

Rewards: Nothing

'How come no one solved the Jade Beetle's problem yet?' Zhen Lun was perplexed. Many days have passed, he thought that someone would've cleared the nest already.

'Should I ask around? Maybe the guards know something about it.' He then approached one of the guards, which were employed to guard the east gate.

"Sorry to bother you, Do you know something about Jade Beetle's nest? Around the west gate area?" Zhen Lun politely asked.

"Jade Beetle? West Gate? I'm not sure about it." The guard didn't know very much about it. "If I'm not wrong, the city lord solved it himself. The Jade Beetles were still alive but they're not bothering the human anymore. I've heard that the city lord tamed their queen."

'Oh, so that's what happened.' He thought it was odd that the problem wasn't solved after so many days have passed. It turned out that his father tamed their queen.

"Thanks." Zhen Lun thanked the guard.

"No problem." The guard replied.

Since the queen was tamed already, there's no need for him to destroy the nest anymore. It would be unreasonable for him to destroy her nest when she's not disturbing anyone.

Thankfully, there's no punishment for not completing the quest. He decided to leave the quest alone.

Without wasting time, both of them departed off. Unlike riding a horse, Blacky was more comfortable to ride.

As they ride against the wind, they could see many people on the road too, most of them are merchants.

Different from the rest, the east wasn't a forest at all. It's a beautifully paved, wasn't blocked by anything and constantly being used by the merchant. By following the road, you will arrive at the capital city safely.

Of course, before you arrived at the capital city, you would've passed a few cities first.

With their traveling speed, there's no need for them to stop at Xing City. They continue their journey, heading directly to Xu City.

By the time they arrived there, it was already nighttime. They could still continue their journey but Blacky was exhausted.

He wasn't used to running for a few hours straight. He has stayed inside his cave for too long.

Even though they're resting a night, it was still much faster compared to what he has planned.

If he rode a horse, they would arrive at the capital city after six days time.

'Thanks to Blacky, he would arrive at the capital city earlier.' Zhen Lun scratched his head.

Apparently, Blacky liked to be scratched on his head. He knew it because of the blood contract. Even though they can't communicate directly, they could understand each other feeling as though their mind was linked.

Arriving at Xu City, he directly looked for a place to rest.

"Master, an Inn." Xiao Xue reminded him. She was afraid that his master would go to the red-light district again.

"Of course." Zhen Lun bitterly smiled. He was looked down by Xiao Xue.

'Hm? Where's Blacky?' He suddenly can't see him anywhere.

Sensing that his master was searching for him, Blacky growled.

The growl was heard, coming from his shadow.

Using his special ability, Blacky actually got into his shadow. It was almost similar to Duan Fang's skill.

"Wow, you have such a special ability?" Zhen Lun was surprised.

With his special ability, Blacky can stay with them, He could just turn himself into shadow and it will not take any of the room space.

Walking into a normal inn, he headed to the reception desk. "I would like to rent a room for a night." He handed over a gold coin to the receptionist.

"Hey did you heard the news?" A stranger whispered to his friend.

"You mean the night market event?" The stranger's friend replied enthusiastically.

"Yeah! Countless merchants visited this city and they decided to hold an event. Various items will be sold, even a beautiful woman!" The man smiled like an idiot as he drools on himself.

'Hm...' Because that he has reached the Transcendent Mortal Realm, he could easily hear their whispers. It seems that he accidentally received valuable information.

There's no harm for checking the market out. There might something interesting that was being sold. For example, books.

"Xiao Xue want to check the market out?" Zhen Lun asked. If she didn't want to, he would just rest at his room with Xiao Xue.

"Un." Xiao Xue nodded her head.

"Blacky are you fine with resting in my shadow?" The most important one was Blacky, he needs to have a good rest.

"Rrrr" Blacky replied with a growl, telling Zhen Lun that he's fine with it.

"Er... Is it your pet?" The receptionist meekly as she handed over the key to his room. She wasn't so sure with what she has heard. It may be just her hallucinations.

"Um, yes." Zhen Lun received the key. "Did you know, where tonight's event will be held?"

"What event? There's no event." The receptionist looked at him weirdly.

'She doesn't know? Weird.' Zhen Lun was perplexed. As someone who lived here, she should know if there's some sort of occasion happening in the city. Unless...

Storming out of the inn, Zhen Lun spotted the stranger that informed him the event.

He walked over and pulled one of them to his side. "What event are you guys talking about?" Zhen Lun smiled at him

"Event? What Event?" The man pretended to be innocent. He quickly shrugged Zhen Lun off but the hand that was holding onto him was suprisingly sturdy.

"Let me go!" The man yelled.

"Hey what are you doing to my brother!" The man's friend was furious. Seeing his friend was being attacked, he summoned his martial spirit. It was suprisingly a pet-type.

The man summoned an ugly-looking puppy, it has full of scars on its face.

"Scar! Attack him!" The man ordered his pet.

The puppy leaped at him but was knocked off with a swing of his hand by Zhen Lun.

'That puppy is pretty strong despite its small size.' Zhen Lun was a bit surprised. If he was only at Spiritual Refining Realm he would have lost to this puppy.

"No! My Scar!" The man went over to his puppy side, it was seriously injured by Zhen Lun.

"You speak!" With him trying to pretend not to know anything about it, made him wanted to know the event more. The grip around the man's hand got stronger and stronger.

"Ow! Ow!" The man yelled. "I speak! I speak! Let me go first! We'll talk in a discreet place."

With the commotion they caused, they attracted a lot of attention.

Zhen Lun complied with him. He has no chance to escape anyway. They then went to an alley, only when he arrived there, he was willing to speak.

"Is the black market event that you wanted to know about?" The man asked Zhen Lun.

"Tell me the details." Zhen Lun replied to him expressionlessly.

"Kid, If you're not someone from there, you shouldn't stick your nose in this kind of thing. It will probably do you more harm than benefits" The man warned him.

"I know what I should do and what I shouldn't do." Zhen Lun know what the man trying to tell him. The black market wasn't something normal people should know.

He's not normal people, was he?

"Suit yourself, If you wanted to visit the black market, you'll need us," The man said. "If you want to go alone, it's impossible."

"What is being sold there?" Zhen Lun asked.

"Well on a usual day, there are many things being sold. Today they're holding an event so there's more than the usual day. You can imagine them yourself, just state the item. I'm guessing that they will have it."

"Do they have high-quality cultivation technique book?" Zhen Lun asked. That's the only thing he needed.

"Cultivation Technique Book? Of course, they have! So, would you like to go there?"

"Sure." Since they have it, of course, he wanted to go there.

"Ten gold coins? How does it sound?" The man smiled at him.

Since ten gold coins wasn't a problem to him, Zhen Lun handed it over.

The man then guided them to a shady-looking place. It's an abandoned shop with shady-people guarding the entrance.

"They're with me." The man said. He then handed over four gold to the guard and they let him pass.

Arriving inside the shop, they went through a few doors and descend a few stairs before they arrived in a cave.

As they walked deeper, they finally arrived at their destination.

On top of the entrance, there was a sign with "Black Market" on it.

This time, the man handed over a token to him and whispered gibberish words to him. It seems that to enter they needed some sort of password and a specific token to enter the black market.

Without a problem, they passed the entrance.

As they arrived inside, he was flabbergasted by the view. They arrived in an underground city.

A city actually existed under a city itself!

"From here onward, we'll part our ways. You go look for your book and I look for my thing." The man then left them.

Scanning his surroundings, he found many stores available but they're not a bookstore at all.

'This place is too big and messy.' They're more like a maze than a city.

As he continues to walk, he encountered a stand called itself Information Center.

He then went over to the information center, wanted to ask where could he find some books.

"May I help you?" A young woman sensed him coming so she greeted him first.

"Do you know the way to bookstores?" Zhen Lun asked the woman.

"We have a map here, There is a map that covers some of the shops and there is a map that covers most of the shop and the last one that covers all of the shops. Which one would you like?"

"Umm, Can I just ask you?" Zhen Lun doesn't want to spend his gold on some map.

"How much the map cost? Does it have the shop that I needed?" Zhen Lun asked.

"The cheapest one cost you 100 gold. You'll have to buy it if you want to know." The woman replied nonchalantly.

"Then, I'll take one of the cheapest one." Zhen Lun handed a hundred gold coins to her.

She then gave him a piece of paper which is the map.

Upon seeing the map, Zhen Lun eyebrows twitched. The map that she gave him was made poorly, it almost looks like children doodling. He barely understands any of it.

"Are you scamming me?" Zhen Lun eyebrows twitched when he looks at the map he was given.

"No, you asked for the cheapest one and I just gave it to you." The woman laughed.

"Then, I want a map that covers all of the shops." This time he said it clear. He won't fall to the same trick again. If he would ask for the most expensive he would be tricked again.

Seeing that the man understood it, the woman was disappointed. "I thought I could earn more easy money." She laughed.

"1000 Gold." The woman stretched out her hand, asking for the money.

Zhen Lun then handed it over to her, Afterward, he received the map that he needed.

The map was perfectly organized and neat unlike the last one.

"Please come again!" The woman delightedly smiled.

"Don't worry I won't." Zhen Lun reassured her. He won't come to Rip-Off Center again.

As Zhen Lun left, The woman called someone over. "Investigate their background." She said grimly.

-----

Following his map, he easily found a bookstore. It turned out there are a few bookstores around this area.

Before proceeding to the next area he decided to visit all of the bookstores in this area first.

"Welcome!" The owner greeted him. "Which book are you looking for?"

"Cultivation Technique Book, show me your best one." Zhen Lun expressionlessly said to the owner.

"Cultivation technique? Tch, look at them yourself." The owner immediately loses his interest when he heard the book Zhen Lun is looking for.

Not minding the owner's attitude, he grabbed the cultivation technique that was displayed. Sadly, none of them was above quality ten.

"Owner, If you have cultivation technique book that I'm looking for, I'll pay 100 gold each." Zhen Lun said persuasively. To show some sincerity, he gave the owner some gold coins.

Looking at his customer, casually throwing away gold coins. He knew he spotted a jackpot. If he could find a suitable cultivation technique he will strike golds.

"I-I understand, wait here, I'll bring all that available on my storage, you can take your time picking them." The owner quickly went to his storage and brought out a mountain of cultivation technique books.

"Here it's all your to examine."