Chapter 29 Night Walk on Ghost Street, Testing the Edge of the Blade

The next day, 11:00 PM.

Li Ang finished his evening self-study session but didn't head straight home.

Inside an empty public restroom stall, he pulled a large black hooded trench coat from a hidden compartment in his backpack.

This was the "battle robe" his predecessor had prepared for buying medicine at underground clinics.

Although it was a bit old, its concealment was excellent.

"I didn't expect this coat to come in handy again."

Li Ang put on the trench coat and pulled up the hood, hiding his entire face in the shadows.

But that wasn't enough.

He channeled the Profound Water Power within his body, covering his skin with an invisible film of water.

It not only locked in his scent but also completely isolated his Qi and blood fluctuations, which were as intense as the scorching sun.

At this moment, he was like a drop of water merging into the ocean—unremarkable yet unfathomable.

Longnan City, Old City District.

This was a corner forgotten by prosperity and a breeding ground for vice.

Although a massive energy shield enveloped the entire city, the lights here were always dim and flickering.

"Ghost Street, here I come."

...

Underground Black Market · Ghost Street

Passing through several labyrinthine alleys, Li Ang arrived at a basement entrance bearing the sign "Old Wang's Car Repair Shop."

This was one of the entrances to Ghost Street, the largest underground black market in Longnan City.

He paid a hundred-yuan entrance fee.

The burly gatekeeper, his face full of scars, handed him a ghost face mask and sized him up with an unfriendly gaze.

However, finding himself unable to gauge the depth of the black-robed man's strength, he could only let him through resentfully.

Entering Ghost Street, a wave of clamor hit him.

It was like an underground city that never slept.

Stalls lined both sides, selling contraband brought back from the wilderness:

Bloody Materials from exotic beasts, mechanical prosthetics of unknown origin, and even hallucinogenic drugs strictly prohibited by the Federation.

Li Ang ignored the enthusiastic hawking; his goal was clear.

"A Breath Concealment Technique."

Although he had learned to use his Water-elemental Ability to hide his aura in the simulator...

But that was ultimately an amateur method that would easily be exposed when facing a true master.

He needed a systematic, high-level breath-concealing technique.

He stepped into a general store named "Scripture Pavilion."

The name sounded imposing, but it was actually just a stall selling old books and pirated Cultivation Techniques.

The owner was a one-eyed old man lying in a rocking chair, listening to the radio.

"Boss, do you have any Breath Concealment Techniques?" Li Ang lowered his voice, making it sound hoarse.

"Third shelf on the left, look for yourself." The old man didn't even lift his eyelids. "No haggling, no returns or exchanges."

Li Ang walked to the dusty shelves, his fingertips sliding across rows of old books.

Turtle Breathing Art (Incomplete)》, Withered Wood Technique (Manuscript)》, 《Assassin's Creed》...

All trash.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, his brow suddenly twitched.

It was a strange throb brought on by his [Blade Path Genius (Blue)] talent.

Li Ang paused, his gaze following the sensation downward, finally landing on a corner of the counter—underneath the leg of a rickety, rotten wooden table.

There, propping up the table, was a black leather book with a cover rotted into shreds, covered in grease and footprints.

Li Ang calmly squatted down, pretending to tie his shoelaces, and pulled the book out.

Opening the pages, the handwriting was scrawled and chaotic, but he immediately recognized the line of ancient seal script on the title page—"Hiding the Edge."

"Hide the edge in the scabbard; once drawn, it must kill. Use the body as a scabbard to nurture Qi for a thousand years."

Li Ang's heart shook violently.

This wasn't an ordinary Breath Concealment Technique; this was an extremely niche "Blade-Nurturing Art"!

It withdrew all Qi, blood, and killing intent into the body, remaining inconspicuous daily. It could not only hide one's cultivation but also unleash earth-shattering power the moment the blade was drawn!

Good stuff!

Li Ang was ecstatic internally, but his face showed nothing.

He casually tossed "Hiding the Edge" aside, grabbed a few books like "Basic Breath Concealment Technique" and "Night Suit Maintenance Guide" from the shelf, and piled them all onto the counter.

"Boss, how much for these?"

The blind old man lay in the rocking chair, fiddling with two walnuts in his hand. He cracked his eyelids open a sliver and glanced at the pile of books.

"Ten thousand for the bundle."

"Ten thousand? Why don't you just rob me?" Li Ang sneered, slamming the books on the table.

"These are all common goods, and incomplete at that. Five hundred. Take it or leave it."

"Five hundred?" The old man scoffed and suddenly sat up, a sharp glint flashing in his single eye.

He reached out with a withered finger and accurately picked the filthy "Hiding the Edge" from the pile.

"Kid, don't play those diversionary tactics with me."

"You're after this one that was propping up the table, aren't you?"

Li Ang's heart skipped a beat, but his expression behind the mask remained unchanged:

"A trashy book used for a table leg. I saw the paper was thick and thought I'd take it back to wipe my blade."

"Wipe a blade? Hehe..." The old man let out a weird, owl-like laugh and weighed the book in his hand.

"Young man, don't say I didn't warn you."

"This book is very wicked."

"In the last ten years, three people have bought copies of this book."

"The first practiced for three days and died from reversed Meridians; the second practiced for a month and went mad, slaughtering his entire family; the third was even worse—just as he made some progress, he 'hid' all his Qi and blood away until he became a mummified corpse."

The old man tossed the book back onto the counter, his gaze playful. "This thing is a true 'Ghost Book.'"

"If you want to seek death, I won't stop you."

"However... though it's a Ghost Book, this is the original manuscript, not a copy."

"Five thousand, not a cent less. Consider it a down payment on your coffin."

After hearing this, instead of being afraid, Li Ang became even more certain of his judgment.

Ordinary people died practicing it because they couldn't suppress the backflowing "sharp Qi" and "Qi and blood"; their Meridians couldn't withstand that extreme compression.

But he was different! He had the powerful physique of the Ninth Stage of Qi and Blood, and he had Profound Water Power constantly nourishing his Meridians!

"Five thousand."

Li Ang pretended to hesitate for a moment, seemingly weighing the pros and cons. Finally, he gnashed his teeth and pulled out an Anonymous Crystal Card. "Fine. I have a tough life and enjoy researching strange things. Deal."

"Beep!"

The card was swiped, and payment was made.

Watching the payment confirmation, the old man grinned, revealing a set of yellow teeth. "Good advice can't save a ghost bent on dying."

"The book is yours. Once you leave this door, your life is your own responsibility."

Li Ang grabbed "Hiding the Edge," tucked it into his robe, and turned to leave.

However, just as he stepped out of the shop and before he could blend into the crowd...

Several figures with sinister gazes who had been crouching by the door silently blocked his path.

"Hey, brother."

The leader, a bald brute with a scorpion tattooed on his neck, stared greedily at Li Ang's chest.

"Saw you shell out five thousand in that crappy shop just now. Since you're so generous, you must have plenty of cash on you, right?"

"How about lending some to us brothers to spend?"

This was a classic black market routine—robbery.

Or rather, it was a "test" for newcomers.

If Li Ang showed even a hint of weakness...

This pack of hungry wolves would swarm him and devour him whole.

Li Ang stopped, his eyes narrowing under the hood.

It seemed the [Passerby A (Green)] talent's effect was indeed good; otherwise, he likely would have encountered such problems in the second simulation.

However, he was currently looking for a place to test his combat strength in reality.

"Scram."

"Damn it, you refuse a polite offer! Cripple him for me!"

The bald brute flew into a rage. With a wave of his hand, his three lackeys immediately pulled out daggers and iron bars, surrounding him in a fan formation.

"Seeking death."

Just as one of the lackey's iron bars was about to strike his shoulder...

"Vroom—"

Li Ang moved.

No, more accurately, the Qi and blood within his body moved.

The Qi and blood, suppressed to the extreme, erupted like a volcano at this moment, released through a single finger.

Nine Layers of Overlapping Waves—First Layer!

He didn't use his full strength, only the force of the first layer.

"Snap!"

Li Ang's index finger lightly flicked the iron bar.

That solid iron bar, as thick as a wrist, actually bent instantly like a noodle!

Immediately after, a terrifying vibrational force conducted through the iron bar into the lackey's arm.

"Crack!"

The sound of bone fracturing was crisp and clear.

The lackey screamed as he was sent flying five or six meters like he'd been hit by a truck, knocking over a nearby trash can.

"What?!"

The bald brute's smile froze on his face.

One finger?

He sent a Martial Artist at the Fourth Stage of Qi and Blood flying with just one finger? What kind of monster is this?!

"This guy is tough! Everyone, together!"

The bald brute was also a ruthless man; though startled, his ferocity was triggered.

In this line of work, you can lose, but you can't show fear.

He roared, his muscles bulging as he threw a powerful cannon punch straight at Li Ang's face.

"Too slow."

In Li Ang's eyes, the bald man's movements were like a slow-motion replay, with at least eighteen openings across his body.

His body swayed slightly, passing through the bald man's punch like a gentle breeze.

The blade in his hand had been drawn at some unknown point.

Swish!

A flash of cold light.

Li Ang used only the back of his blade to strike the bald brute's wrist, elbow, and knee joints.

"Thud, thud, thud!"

Three muffled thuds rang out almost simultaneously.

The bald brute felt his whole body go numb, followed by a surge of intense pain.

He collapsed to the ground like a pile of mud, his limbs twitching, unable to get back up.

This was a Pulse-Severing Technique, precisely cutting off his neural transmissions.

In just three seconds...

The battle was over.

The surrounding crowd, who had been ready to watch the spectacle, was now deathly silent.

Everyone looked at the black-robed man standing there, his clothes not even ruffled, their eyes filled with deep apprehension.

"Do you still want to watch?"

Li Ang scanned the surroundings, his voice hoarse.

The crowd instantly parted to make a path, like Moses parting the sea.

Li Ang sheathed his blade and, without a second glance at the mess on the ground, strode out of Ghost Street.