122: Chapter 122 A Deal That Ended in Disagreement

The surroundings fell into a deathly silence.

The muscles on One-Eyed Dragon's face twitched violently, his expression soon replaced by boundless rage and humiliation.

Causing trouble!

This was a blatant, goddamn provocation!

The thugs behind him instantly gripped their weapons and began to surround them step by step.

The atmosphere in the air instantly dropped to freezing point.

A bloody battle seemed to be on the verge of breaking out.

Zhang Wei was so scared his face turned pale. He instinctively shrank behind Lin Qi and whispered a reminder.

"Brother Qi, this... this grandson is about to be driven to desperation! Should we retreat first?"

Lin Qi didn't move.

He didn't even blink, his gaze falling calmly on One-Eyed Dragon as if he were looking at a dead object.

The moment One-Eyed Dragon met that gaze, he felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head, and he inexplicably shuddered.

He wasn't a fool.

To be able to become a local tyrant in the black market, he relied on his discernment.

This masked man in front of him had remained far too calm from beginning to end.

Snapping that specially-made "Dragon-Slaying Dagger" hadn't required brute force; instead, he had used a kind of clever force that One-Eyed Dragon couldn't comprehend at all, precisely finding the weakest structural point of that counterfeit item.

This was an expert!

An unfathomable, top-tier expert!

If he fought such a person, the consequences would be unpredictable.

One-Eyed Dragon took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the killing intent in his heart, and abruptly waved his hand at the restless thugs behind him.

"All of you, back off!"

The thugs were stunned, but they obediently stepped aside.

Complex light flickered in One-Eyed Dragon's single eye. He stared fixedly at Lin Qi for a full ten seconds before squeezing a sentence out from between his teeth.

"Friend, you have a good eye."

He bent down and fumbled under the counter for a while. Following the sound of heavy mechanical gears, he dragged a half-meter square, lead-gray safe out from a hidden compartment.

In front of everyone, he entered the code and turned the valve.

"Click."

The lid popped open.

A visible wave of white, cold air surged out from the box, causing the surrounding temperature to drop by several degrees.

There was nothing else inside the box.

Only a fist-sized mass of silver liquid, flowing slowly like mercury, lay quietly in a specialized crystal container.

The liquid emitted a strange vitality, as if it possessed its own breath.

"Deep Sea Sunken Silver Liquid."

One-Eyed Dragon's voice became somewhat raspy, his eyes filled with greed and reluctance.

"In the black market, you might not see this stuff once in ten years. In the entire Tianhai City, you won't find a second portion anywhere but here."

He placed the lead box heavily on the counter, his single eye staring fixedly at Lin Qi.

"You want it? Fine."

He held up five thick fingers, his tone carrying a hint of vengeful pleasure.

"Fifty million, not a penny less!"

As soon as this price was announced, the surrounding crowd let out a collective gasp.

Fifty million!

This was no longer just overcharging; this was robbery!

"Are you fucking crazy!" Zhang Wei was the first to explode, pointing at One-Eyed Dragon's nose and cursing, "Is this piece of junk lined with gold? Fifty million? Why don't you just go rob a bank!"

One-Eyed Dragon sneered, looking as though he had them right where he wanted them.

"Buy it or don't. Those who understand its value will naturally understand."

Zhang Wei wanted to curse more, but Lin Qi reached out and stopped him.

From beginning to end, Lin Qi hadn't even looked at the mass of Sunken Silver Liquid.

He simply reached into his worn-out backpack and slowly pulled something out.

It was a fist-sized crystal core, deep purple all over, with tiny electric arcs dancing on its surface.

[heart of thunder].

The moment this Lord Core was taken out, a violent and pure lightning pressure spread out in all directions like a tide!

Sizzle!

Under the impact of this energy, the lighting tubes above the stall flickered wildly a few times before letting out a crisp crack and exploding!

The surroundings instantly fell into darkness.

The only source of light was the heart of thunder in Lin Qi's hand, emitting an eerie purple glow.

That purple lightning illuminated the shocked, ghost-seeing expressions on everyone's faces.

The entire place fell into a dead silence once again.

Everyone's breathing stopped.

"A L... Lord Core?!"

One-Eyed Dragon's remaining eye bulged wider than a brass bell, his eyeball nearly popping out of its socket.

He stared fixedly at that heart of thunder, his Adam's apple bobbing as he let out a loud gulp.

As a black market merchant, he knew the value of this item better than anyone.

This thing was a strategic-level resource that simply couldn't be measured with money!

A Level 30 Lord Core was enough to make a Peak second-advancement lightning mage wipe out a medium-sized guild just to get it!

Fifty million?

In front of this, fifty million wasn't even worth a fart!

Lin Qi casually tossed the heart of thunder in his hand. The jumping electric arcs made One-Eyed Dragon's heart leap into his throat, fearing he might drop it.

"This, in exchange for your Sunken Silver Liquid."

Lin Qi's tone wasn't a negotiation; it was a notification.

"In addition, I need the best forging room and an Earth Fire Furnace capable of smelting Meteoric Iron."

"Now, immediately, right away."

In this deal, One-Eyed Dragon was making a massive profit!

The greed and shock on his face instantly transformed into an extremely flattering smile; his face changed faster than flipping a page in a book.

"Enough! More than enough!"

He bowed and scraped like a shop waiter, personally coming out from behind the counter.

"Honored guest! This way, please! The best VIP forging room has long been prepared for you! Never mind an Earth Fire Furnace, even if you want Heavenly Fire, I'll find a way to get it for you!"

He talked while eagerly leading the way, his attitude a complete 180-degree turn from before.

The surrounding crowd watched this scene, their eyes filled with awe.

In the black market, fists and wealth were the only passes needed.

Lin Qi was led by One-Eyed Dragon to a hidden forging room in the back of the shop.

The equipment here was far more professional and complete than Old Mo's laboratory.

"Guard the outside," Lin Qi instructed Zhang Wei. "No one is allowed to enter."

"Don't worry, Brother Qi!" Zhang Wei patted his chest, pulling out a large stack of Gold Notes from his pocket. "Money makes the world go round; today, I'm the door god!"

The thick soundproof door slowly closed.

Lin Qi placed the crack-ridden zhan ye heavy sword on the forging table and carefully poured the Deep Sea Sunken Silver Liquid into the furnace beside it.

Boom!

He slapped the furnace switch, and the True Qi vortex within his Dantian began to rotate frantically.

The earth fire drawn from deep underground was instantly pushed to its limit, the raging flames reflecting a crimson glow across the entire forging room.

Under the calcination of the earth fire, the Deep Sea Sunken Silver Liquid began to boil, turning into wisps of silver mist.

Lin Qi didn't use any tools.

He extended both hands, pressing them through the air above the blade of the karma cutter. Spiral Force emanated from his body, precisely controlling those silver mists, making them drill into the fine cracks of the blade one by one as if they possessed life.

This process was extremely taxing on the mind.

But for Lin Qi, who possessed the experience of a Martial Saint, it was as simple as breathing.

This time, he didn't hold back.

With a thought, from deep within the newly forged Silver Bone, wisps of the Thunder Tyrant's Origin lightning power—which he had stored in his marrow—were slowly guided through his arms and into the blade!

Sizzle! Sizzle!

Two hours passed in a flash.

Guarding outside, Zhang Wei had already used Gold Notes to drive away no fewer than ten waves of people trying to pry.

Just as he was becoming a bit impatient.

"Boom!"

The forging room door slammed open to both sides.

A heatwave mixed with a metallic scent and the faint burnt smell of lightning rushed toward him.

Lin Qi walked out slowly.

The zhan ye heavy sword in his hand had been completely renewed.

On the broad, pitch-black blade, an additional silver-purple fuller, resembling a living thing, stretched from the crossguard all the way to the tip.

Within that fuller, faint sparks of electricity seemed to be flowing.

Lin Qi casually swung the sword.

Hum!

The blade sliced through the air, actually producing a clearly audible "sizzle" like an electric current passing through!

This blade had evolved!

Although on the System level, it was still a "Blank Slate" without any attributes.

On a physical level, it now possessed a unique "Lightning Conductivity" trait!

Zhang Wei's eyes went straight, and he was just about to rush up and shower him with flattery.

Just then.

"Bang!"

A loud crash suddenly came from the entrance of the hallway outside, followed by a burst of noisy cursing and fighting.

"Damn it! You refuse a polite offer!"

"How dare you snatch things from our 'Blood Wolf Gang' in the black market? I think you're tired of living!"

A familiar voice, filled with a crying tone and anger, came from the chaos.

"What are you doing! Let go of me! I saw that item first!"

It was Zhang Wei's voice!

Lin Qi's gaze instantly turned cold.