Human Clan Defender

Leaving Ji Qu, Shen Changqing returned to the Hidden Heart Pavilion.

Originally, he had planned to make another trip to the Treasure Pavilion if he couldn't obtain what he wanted from Ji Qu. In the Treasure Pavilion, one could find almost anything for sale. He believed that a top-notch martial arts technique would certainly fetch a high price.

However, the problem was that even the best price offered by the Treasure Pavilion couldn't possibly exceed that of the black market. After all, an organization ultimately needs to make a profit on the spread. Conversely, if it were an auction, the price could be higher. Of course, there also lay the risk of not being able to sell the item.

But Shen Changqing wasn't too worried about this. A martial arts technique aimed straight at the Grandmaster Realm would be considered a supreme treasure in the Jianghu; anyone in the Jianghu would be unable to resist it. In the end, martial arts of that caliber were considered the cornerstone of their respective sects. Such techniques were almost entirely held within major sects; for an average Jianghu individual to acquire one was nothing short of a pipe dream.

"Wait a moment!" Shen Changqing remembered something else and turned back to the Earth Rank Demon Hunting Court.

Coincidentally, Ji Qu was just preparing to leave.

"Lord Shen, why have you come again?" His expression was one of astonishment. It had not been long since Shen Changqing had left, and now he had returned.

Shen Changqing said, "I hope Brother Ji can help me spread the word in the black market. It would be best if the news could be disseminated—that three martial arts techniques aimed straight at the Grandmaster Realm will be auctioned: Outer Techniques, Inner Strength, and offensive martial arts."

Three martial arts!

Ji Qu was taken aback; he had thought that Shen Changqing was only going to auction one or two techniques. He hadn't expected the other party to start with three. Ji Qu, however, understood Shen Changqing's implication. Promoting it in advance would spread the news further. Then, when the auction took place, more people would naturally attend, and the prices would rise accordingly.

After pondering for a while, Ji Qu nodded, "Lord Shen, rest assured, I know what to do. But are you certain about setting the auction half a month from now?"

"That's right."

"For the location of the auction, I think one of the black markets within the Capital City would suffice. As for the auction house itself, there are three in the Capital City's black market, and I'm somewhat acquainted with one of them. If Lord Shen chooses to auction there, the commission required could be reduced.

"Moreover, their promotional efforts would also be more substantial," Ji Qu said gravely.

These matters were something he had planned to discuss with Shen Changqing. Only, they had covered so many topics earlier that he had forgotten to mention them. Now that Shen Changqing had returned, it was a good opportunity to lay everything out at once.

"Good, I'll entrust everything to Brother Ji then. Once it's all settled, I will also give Brother Ji a share of the commission, and I won't let you make this trip for nothing," Shen Changqing said with a light smile.

Since Ji Qu was willing to go to such lengths for him, there must be some advantage for him. It couldn't possibly be solely based on Shen Changqing's position in the Martial Hall that Ji Qu was willing to do so much. Thus, it was better to have such matters out in the open. Regarding the auction house's commission cut, that was nothing out of the ordinary. As Ji Qu had stated, auction houses have substantial influence in some respects, and their promotional effects go without saying.

Originally, Shen Changqing did not intend to make a big deal out of the situation. But now that he had revealed his identity, he might as well do it in a grand and open manner. After all, with his current strength, there was no need to be overly secretive. As long as he wasn't colluding with demon evils, the Demon-Subduing Division couldn't do much to him.

"Lord Shen is too polite," Ji Qu's face beamed with a brighter smile.

Leaving the Earth Rank Demon Hunting Court once again, Shen Changqing returned to the Hidden Heart Pavilion.

In the courtyard, inside the room, blank booklets lay on the desk. Shen Changqing, holding a brush, was writing something on them. On the cover of one booklet were the bold characters "Hundred Battles Saber Technique."

Because of rules within the Demon-Subduing Division, there weren't many martial arts that he could sell. There was one integrated Invincible Golden Body, one integrated Hundred Battles Saber Technique, and the final one, the Heavenly Martial Gang Qi that broke through limitations.

Among them, the first twelve levels of the Heavenly Martial Gang Qi were exactly the same as those of the Demon-Subduing Division. However, the following five levels, derived from breaking the limits using the Slaughter Value, elevated the rank of the Heavenly Martial Gang Qi by a substantial margin. As such, Shen Changqing was not concerned about the Demon-Subduing Division causing any trouble. At most, if someone caught wind of it, he would claim the Heavenly Martial Gang Qi from the Demon-Subduing Division was incomplete, and what he possessed was the complete version. After all, as long as there was an excuse, that would be enough. As a Grandmaster who had entered both major systems, unless there was a significant issue, the Demon-Subduing Division wouldn't pursue matters too strictly.

He chose to write the Hundred Battles Saber Technique first for a simple reason: due to the fusion, he had a complete memory of the Hundred Battles Saber Technique in his mind, so he could write it out directly without wasting any time. Next were the Invincible Golden Body and the Heavenly Martial Gang Qi. Shen Changqing had memories of the initial portions of these, but for the parts where the limits were broken, he had not a shred of related memory.

Given this, if he wanted to write out the two martial arts, he would need to spend time reverse-engineering the post-limit-breaking cultivation methods from his current state. This was also why he required half a month as a buffer. Firstly, it was to provide enough time to create an effective promotional campaign. Secondly, it was to use half a month to deduce the follow-up cultivation methods for the two martial arts that would break through the limits.

One hour later, by the time Shen Changqing finished writing the last stroke, the entire manuscript seemed to shimmer momentarily before the light quickly vanished. But if one were to carefully examine the pages, they would be met with an aura of grand majesty. In an instant, it was as if thousands of troops and horses were rushing forward, with an atmosphere of battle soaring to the skies and a pervading sense of killing intent, compelling one's spirit to become involuntarily immersed in it.

Such a phenomenon occurred because Shen Changqing had unconsciously infused his own will during the writing process, turning an ordinary manuscript into one that carried a hint of Martial Dao True Intent.

With this bit of Martial Dao True Intent, I believe the price will be somewhat higher. Shen Changqing smiled faintly.

At this moment, a wave of fatigue swept through his mind, the consequence of heavy spiritual consumption. Normal martial arts writing wouldn't result in such significant mental exhaustion. The exhaustion was because he had imbued a strand of True Intent during the writing process.

Among the numerous martial arts in the Martial Hall, very few truly carried True Intent, much like the Great Sun Scripture and the Tathagata Golden Body, which had no trace of a martial artist's intent within them. According to Shen Changqing's conjecture, those two martial arts were most likely not the original works of the Myriad Buddhas Sect, but rather transcribed by the experts of the Demon-Subduing Division based on the originals. Therefore, the two martial arts within the Martial Hall lacked a strand of True Intent.

Having a strand of True Intent, as opposed to not having one, made some difference. The biggest difference lay in the level of difficulty in comprehension while perusing them. Take the Hundred Battles Saber Technique, for example. If written with a strand of True Intent, it doesn't mean one will definitely comprehend the True Intent of the Hundred Battles, but it certainly increases the likelihood compared to not having any True Intent at all. That slight possibility, for ordinary Jianghu martial artists, represented an incredible opportunity.

After closing the manuscript imbued with the Hundred Battles True Intent, Shen Changqing left the room. It was now the time when the sun shone fiercely at its zenith. He did not, however, start cultivating the Great Sun Scripture. Instead, he went to the small pavilion and brewed a pot of Enlightenment Tea to recover from his earlier spiritual exhaustion.

After a long while, his mental exhaustion had recovered slightly. Shen Changqing then calmed his heart and mind, silently recalling the past circulation pathways of the Heavenly Martial Gang Qi, and began to reverse-deduce the cultivation methods beyond the twelfth level.

Although the Heavenly Centipede True Qi generated by his current cultivation of Heavenly Martial Gang Qi had all been transformed into Great Sun True Qi, the fact was that when the Heavenly Centipede True Qi existed, he had circulated it countless times. That memory was nearly etched into his very bones. Now, with just a bit of time, Shen Changqing could return to the state when he possessed Heavenly Centipede True Qi, and from those past memories, deduce what he sought.

Time ticked away.

Reverse-deducing martial arts wasn't excessively difficult, but neither was it too easy. It might take two hours, or perhaps even four.

When Shen Changqing finally reopened his tightly shut eyes, he brewed another pot of Enlightenment Tea for himself.

I didn't expect that deducing martial arts would also place such a strain on the spirit. Fortunately, I have Enlightenment Tea to sustain me; otherwise, in my current state, I might not be able to deduce the contents of the two martial arts within half a month.

As the Spiritual Tea entered his stomach, it nourished his spirit.

From the Internal Affairs Hall, he received the resources entitled to a member of the Martial Hall: one hundred grams of Enlightenment Tea, plus three Blood Essence Pills, as well as three Qi-Nurturing Pills. These two types of elixirs were superior versions of the Qi and Blood Pill, also aimed at enhancing a martial artist's qi and blood. The difference, however, was that the enhancement provided by the Blood Essence Pill was significant even for martial artists in the Grandmaster Realm. The Qi-Nurturing Pill, on the other hand, strengthened True Qi.

Shen Changqing had also seen both types of elixirs in the Treasure Pavilion's exchange catalog. Each one was priced at twenty Merit Points per pill for exchange. Six pills in total amounted to one hundred and twenty Merit Points. Adding the one hundred grams of Enlightenment Tea, if exchanged using the status of an Earth Rank Demon Hunter, it would cost a staggering two hundred and twenty Merit Points in total.

And this was the annual resource allocation for members of the Martial Hall. Shen Changqing was quite satisfied with this arrangement. Being given two hundred and twenty Merit Points a year for free was indeed a rare benefit. The provided resources, if sold, could amount to tens of thousands or even over a hundred thousand Silver Taels a year.

However, no one would exchange such resources for Silver Taels. For the people of the Martial Hall, Silver Taels were of little consequence; the resources they received were the truly valuable items. Shen Changqing saw this in the same light.

The hundred grams of Enlightenment Tea provided, along with the additional hundred grams he had previously exchanged, would suffice for a long time, so he wouldn't have to worry about it for now.

Once the three martial arts are sold, I'll see how many Silver Taels they fetch...