177: Chapter 177 The Black Market Chain of a Century-Old Martial Arts School

In the old district of Donghai City, the Xuantie Sect martial arts hall stood.

The two three-meter-high black-lacquered gates were wide open, and a mottled gilded plaque hung above the entrance.

The bluestone street outside was packed with top-tier luxury cars like Rolls-Royces and Maybachs; there wasn't even a place to stand.

Gu Changan wore an extremely ordinary grey jacket, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

Behind him followed Xiao Zhao, a criminal police officer also in plain clothes.

The two blended into the bustling crowd, following several pot-bellied tycoons across the high threshold.

The courtyard was extremely spacious, with a massive bluestone martial arts arena in the center.

Sitting on a grand armchair on the north side of the arena was a thin, withered old man wearing a black button-down Tang suit. This was none other than the Sect Leader of the Xuantie Sect, Sect Leader Ye Cangyun, who had recently been touted as a living immortal in the social circles of the wealthy in Donghai City.

Standing beside him were two rows of burly men in uniform white training suits, all with bulging temples and fierce expressions.

"President Wang, have you thought it through? Five million for one session of Opening Meridians. Life and death are up to fate, and results depend on the individual." A martial arts hall manager in charge of collecting money flipped through his ledger without even looking up.

The middle-aged tycoon in branded clothes next to him nodded repeatedly, rubbing his hands excitedly, and slapped a check onto the table. "I've been ready for a long time! As long as Great Master Ye can help my son open his Ren and Du Meridians and cleanse his marrow and bones, what is a mere five million!"

"Fine, go in." The manager pointed casually at the side room covered with black cloth.

A young man in his early twenties, urged on by President Wang, walked in with an excited expression.

Gu Changan stood at the back of the crowd, observing everything calmly.

Less than ten minutes later.

The thick wooden door of the side room was violently pushed open. Four burly martial arts hall men carried someone out on a stretcher.

It was the young man who had just gone in.

His eyes were rolled back, and black blood was seeping from his mouth and nose. His cheeks, which had been plump before, were now sunken, and he looked as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

"Son!" President Wang was terrified and lunged forward to see.

Two wide-backed swords in scabbards crossed to block him.

A Disciple of the martial arts hall looked cold and slapped a document with a red thumbprint onto President Wang's chest.

"Read it clearly, 'Voluntary Disclaimer Agreement'. Your son's roots were too poor to withstand the Grandmaster's True Qi infusion. Take him to the hospital quickly, don't get in the way here!"

President Wang looked at the black and white text, sweating profusely, but dared not speak out. He could only rush to have his son carried to the ambulance outside.

Throughout the process, Sect Leader Ye Cangyun, sitting on the grand armchair, didn't even lift an eyelid. He sipped tea from a purple clay teapot unhurriedly and shouted in a booming voice: "Next."

Xiao Zhao, standing behind, clenched his fists tightly and whispered: "Director Gu, this isn't Opening Meridians, this is slaughtering lives! Aren't we going to move yet?"

Gu Changan didn't reply. He narrowed his eyes slightly.

In his mind, the [Eye of True Appraisal] activated instantly.

A transparent data panel, visible only to him, directly overlaid onto Sect Leader Ye Cangyun in the distance.

[Target: Sect Leader Ye Cangyun]

[Cultivation Rank: Ancient Martial Body Tempering Level 9]

[Bound Plugin: Martial Dao Legacy System]

[Status Analysis: The target's internal True Qi concentration is severely excessive, and its attributes are extremely complex. It does not rely on its own hard work, but uses the 'Evil School Star-Absorbing Formation' provided by the System to forcibly drain the students' Innate roots and life essence during the so-called 'Opening Meridians' ceremony, converting it into its own True Qi.]

[High-Risk Note: Long-term frantic ingestion of others' life Origin has caused the target's own Meridians to be extremely fragile. While the cultivation appears to be skyrocketing, it is actually a case of draining the pond to catch the fish, overdrawing its lifespan.]

Gu Changan sneered.

Some bullshit Ancient Martial revival. It was just relying on a blood-sucking System to treat these tycoons who were delusional about immortality as mobile human blood bags. Paying five million for the result of being sucked dry, and these people still thought they got a bargain.

Gu Changan patted Xiao Zhao on the shoulder: "Did you record the evidence for the one just carried out? Suspected of intentional injury resulting in serious harm, perhaps even a homicide case."

"It's recorded clearly, the mini law enforcement camera has been on the whole time." Xiao Zhao patted his chest.

The two turned to leave, preparing to have the Special Police outside close the net.

"Stop right there."

A cold voice suddenly came from behind.

Sect Leader Ye Cangyun put down the purple clay teapot in his hand. His cloudy yet sharp eyes stared fixedly at Gu Changan's back.

As a Body Tempering Level 9 Martial Dao Grandmaster, his perception of surrounding energy was extremely keen. When the young man in the jacket looked at him just now, he actually felt a thrill of being completely seen through.

Seven or eight Disciples holding cudgels immediately rushed over, blocking the gate of the Xuantie Sect.

The tycoons in the courtyard were frightened and retreated, leaving a large open space.

Sect Leader Ye Cangyun stood up from the grand armchair. With his hands behind his back, he walked toward Gu Changan with a leisurely gait.

"The two of you, coming to my Xuantie Sect, neither paying tuition nor reporting your master, you want to just turn around and leave after watching for so long?" Sect Leader Ye Cangyun looked Gu Changan up and down, a cruel sneer curling at the corner of his mouth. "The rules of this sect: once you cross this threshold, you are my Named Disciple. Without my permission, if a Disciple leaves the martial arts hall without authorization, they will have their hands and feet broken."

Gu Changan looked at the old man blocking his way and couldn't help but laugh.

He unhurriedly unzipped his jacket and took out a black wallet from the inner pocket.

With a flick of his wrist, the wallet opened, revealing the metal ID embedded inside with the national emblem.

"National Bureau of Abnormal Affairs, routine law enforcement inspection."

Gu Changan held the ID in front of Sect Leader Ye Cangyun's eyes, his voice not loud, but every word landed heavily in the courtyard.

"Sect Leader Ye, is it? I see you've laid out quite a spread here; business is booming." Gu Changan pointed to the gilded plaque above. "Your recruitment brochure says you teach martial arts. Do you have the 'Martial Arts Training License' jointly issued by the Municipal Education Bureau and the Sports Bureau? Take it out and let me see."

Sect Leader Ye Cangyun was stunned.

The tycoons waiting for the Opening Meridians all around were also dumbfounded.

"Also, since you are doing business, where is the business license from the Administration for Industry and Commerce hanging on the wall?" Gu Changan took out a small notebook and a pen from his pocket, recording as he spoke. "Those Disciples who were responsible for blocking the door just now, holding controlled instruments, have they been registered with the Public Security Bureau for security personnel? Are there certificates for the coaches to be on the job?"

The courtyard, which had originally been filled with swords drawn and Martial Forest Killing Intent, instantly changed atmosphere.

Sect Leader Ye Cangyun's old face flushed red, and the veins on his forehead throbbed.

He had dominated the underground martial arts world for decades, his hands stained with blood, and even those high-ranking officials had to respectfully call him Great Master Ye when they saw him. Today, some greenhorn actually came to check his business license?

"Presumptuous!"

Sect Leader Ye Cangyun laughed up at the sky, his laughter mixed with thick True Qi, shaking the falling leaves on the old locust tree in the courtyard. Several tycoons with weak Physiques covered their ears and squatted on the ground.

"Using a few broken sheets of paper from the mortal world, you dare to manage the affairs of my Xuantie Sect?"

Sect Leader Ye Cangyun stepped forward violently, and a deep footprint was stepped directly into the hard bluestone slab.

His right hand formed a claw, bringing a whistling sound, and he slapped it hard at the two-meter-high green brick screen wall used for decoration nearby.

Boom!

The thick brick wall was hit as if it had been struck by a cannonball full of explosives, instantly exploding into a pile of debris. Large and small brick fragments mixed with dust filled the sky, splashing wildly in all directions like a shotgun.

Screams of terror erupted from the crowd.

"This old man is a Body Tempering Level 9 Ancient Martial Grandmaster!" Sect Leader Ye Cangyun retracted his right hand, standing proudly in place, looking at Gu Changan with cold eyes. "In the face of absolute power, my fist is the rule! I wouldn't even use these few broken papers to wipe my ass!"

A fist-sized green brick fragment, fueled by the impact of the explosion, flew straight at Gu Changan's face.

Gu Changan stood in place without even blinking an eyelid.

Just when the brick was less than two inches from his nose.

An extremely faint transparent ripple suddenly appeared in mid-air.

The brick, carrying huge kinetic energy, seemed to hit the hardest invisible gas wall in the world. Without even a dull thud, it lost all momentum and fell vertically in front of Gu Changan's toes.

Gu Changan reached out and dusted off the lime powder that had fallen on his shoulders.

"Suspected of intentional injury resulting in serious harm, suspected of illegal detention, illegal operation without a license, and defrauding huge amounts of property using feudal superstition."

Gu Changan took out his phone, pressed the record button, and shook it at Sect Leader Ye Cangyun.

"For this palm strike just now, I'll add property damage and violent resistance to law enforcement."

Gu Changan put his phone back into his pocket, his tone flat and without fluctuation. "Sect Leader Ye, your account today is a bit thick. I don't know if your old bones are enough to be sentenced for many years."