Human Clan Defender

Capital City.

Inside the Demon-Subduing Division.

For over a dozen days, Shen Changqing had remained in his residence, eating Satiety Pills when hungry and using Enlightenment Tea to recover when his spirit was severely depleted.

Finally, the complete Invincible Golden Body and the Heavenly Martial Gang Qi had all been deduced.

For this, it took him some more time to finish writing the two martial art manuals.

The Hundred-Battle Blade Technique, Invincible Golden Body, and Heavenly Martial Gang Qi... selling these three martial arts will fetch a price far beyond a mere million silver taels. But the exact amount will depend on the situation at the time.

In the small pavilion, three martial art manuals lay before Shen Changqing.

Different names were written on the covers of the martial art manuals.

Invincible Golden Body!

Heavenly Martial Divine Qi!

Hundred-Battle Blade Technique!

The so-called Heavenly Martial Divine Qi was, in fact, the Heavenly Martial Gang Qi.

He had changed it to a similar name merely to differentiate it from the Demon-Subduing Division's Heavenly Martial Gang Qi.

In addition to the name change, Shen Changqing had also altered some of the content within the manuals.

It should be known that the initial content of the Heavenly Martial Gang Qi only involved the Innate Realm; with his current realm, modifying martial arts at the Innate level posed no great difficulty.

Not to mention, Shen Changqing had long since fully comprehended the Heavenly Martial Gang Qi.

With such a foundation, modifying it became even more effortless.

Thus, the Heavenly Martial Divine Qi came into being.

"However, compared to the Heavenly Martial Gang Qi, the seventeen-layer Heavenly Martial Gang Qi is indeed more fittingly named Heavenly Martial Divine Qi," Shen Changqing said with a faint smile.

The Heavenly Martial Gang Qi that had broken its limits was no longer comparable to the original.

After breaking through to the seventeenth layer, the cultivated Gang Qi could not be shattered by anyone below the Grandmaster Realm.

Such Gang Qi indeed deserved to be called Divine Qi.

Originally, he hadn't planned to sell so many martial arts—just one or two to gather enough Merit Points. He would keep the rest to submit to the Martial Hall to complete the triennial assessment.

After careful thought, however, Shen Changqing found there was no need to retain them.

Three years would be enough time for him to assimilate many martial arts.

Moreover, every three years, he only needed to submit one martial art to the Martial Hall, which was not difficult at all.

Using Slaughter Value to assimilate martial arts, then successfully cultivating them before selling them off to earn a sum of silver taels, which could then be exchanged for his own cultivation resources—this approach was killing two birds with one stone.

Other sects hide their martial arts for two reasons. Firstly, they fear that disseminating their techniques would allow others to find weaknesses. Secondly, they cannot bear for martial arts they toiled to obtain to be easily learned by others. However, I have no such concerns. As long as I have Slaughter Value, I can assimilate a large number of Grandmaster Martial Arts. Even martial arts surpassing the Grandmaster level are potentially within my reach for successful assimilation. Instead of letting unused martial arts gather dust, it's best to exchange them for resources. Shen Changqing lifted the white jade teacup and drained the Spiritual Tea within in one go.

With the System Panel and enough Slaughter Value, Grandmaster Martial Arts were almost within easy reach for him.

He also didn't need to worry about someone finding flaws in his martial arts from the manuals.

Previously, Shen Changqing hadn't thought in this direction, but now, he suddenly had an epiphany.

It turned out the System Panel could also be used this way: improving martial arts, fusing martial arts.

And when they were no longer needed, selling them to extract their final bit of value.

It's a pity that a martial art manual can only be auctioned once. If I could sell it to several people, I could earn even more silver taels.

No sooner had this thought arisen than he dismissed it.

According to the rules, the same martial art manual could not be sold a second time by the same person.

Similarly, if the seller entrusted others to resell the martial art, it was also not permitted.

Once word got out, the buyer would be entitled to demand full compensation from the seller or even take the matter directly to the Yamen for the Imperial Court to handle.

If the seller belonged to a certain faction, their reputation would be completely ruined.

After all, no one wished for the unique martial art they bought to become common, only to have its weaknesses exploited after painstaking mastery, leading to their demise.

Furthermore, there was another crucial point.

If a martial art manual was sold too many times, its price would drop significantly, since rarity often dictated a high price.

Shen Changqing was somewhat familiar with these rules.

Beyond that, the Demon-Subduing Division would not permit the practice of disseminating numerous martial arts to the world.

The adage "the chivalrous use martial arts to break prohibitions" was a serious concern.

If martial arts were to spread and eventually reach nearly everyone, it would cause great disorder in Great Qin.

At that time, the Demon-Subduing Division would naturally step in to clear the field.

Even though he was a member of the Demon-Subduing Division, Shen Changqing did not believe that if he really did so, the Division would turn a blind eye.

Unless absolutely necessary, one must not provoke the Demon-Subduing Division.

The more he understood it, the more he realized how formidable the Demon-Subduing Division was.

The power wielded by this institution was not something one or two Grandmasters could contend with.

Tucking the three martial art manuals into his bosom, Shen Changqing rose and departed.

Fifteen days had passed, and the appointed time was near.

「Earth-Rank Demon Hunting Court.」

Ji Qu had long been waiting there.

Not long after a knock sounded at the gate, the door was opened.

"Lord Shen has arrived."

"Brother Ji." Shen Changqing nodded.

Ji Qu said, "Lord Shen, you intend to head to the black market, right?"

"Indeed. However, I am not certain about the current situation at the black market. How is it?"

"As per your instructions, Lord Shen, I've already communicated with the black market's auction house. News has spread, and many Jianghu sects are converging there, all awaiting the auction's start. Due to your reputation, the auction house won't be demanding any deposits in advance, and the standard commission has been reduced from five percent to two percent." Ji Qu reported truthfully.

Two percent. Shen Changqing nodded inwardly. A million silver taels would mean paying twenty thousand. The auction house is indeed a lucrative business.

Seeing his expression, Ji Qu felt compelled to explain, "Lord Shen, you need not worry excessively. The auction house takes a commission for many reasons, such as advertising and ensuring safety during the auction. Sometimes, when you auction off something important, you can even request the auction house's assistance with escort services."

The auction house didn't charge commissions for nothing. If needed, it would also undertake many tasks.

Shen Changqing chuckled, "If the auction house were to provide escort services, wouldn't there be a possibility of them committing theft themselves?"

Hearing this, Ji Qu also smiled, a subtle expression on his face. "The black market auction houses generally have a strong reputation in the Jianghu and adhere to their professional principles. They wouldn't easily do something to tarnish their own name. However, if a truly priceless treasure appears, one that could even tempt the auction house itself, then nothing is certain. The auction houses are, after all, entities of the black market. While they may profess codes of conduct, they don't always adhere to them."

Ji Qu's explanation perfectly matched Shen Changqing's own thoughts.

Then, Ji Qu asked, "It's almost time. Lord Shen, as we head to the black market together, should we make some simple disguises?"

"No need." Shen Changqing refused outright. "Since it's a public auction, there's no need for disguise. I'd like to see who would dare to have designs on my wealth."

Never mind his status as a member of the Demon-Subduing Division; by his strength alone, unless a top-tier Jianghu expert intervened, no one else would stand a chance against him.

However, such high-level figures in the Jianghu would hardly bother to intervene over a few common Grandmaster-level martial arts.

Those experts, Shen Changqing surmised, were likely focused on breaking through the Martial Artist Limit.

To attract their interest, it would take martial arts of the caliber of the Great Sun Scripture or the Tathagata Golden Body, and even then, it would only be a slight possibility.

Now, with the additional layer of his Demon-Subduing Division identity, there was absolutely no need to worry.

If it had been before he broke through to the Grandmaster Realm and fully understood a martial artist's capabilities, he might have had some concerns.

But now, Shen Changqing understood that the Grandmaster Realm was the limit for a martial artist.

The experts in the Jianghu were, at most, at the limit of a single cultivation system. It was still unknown if any had reached the limit of two systems.

As for power surpassing the Grandmaster Realm, only the Defender Envoys of the Demon-Subduing Division were capable of it.

Such a disparity was enough to make people of the Jianghu fear the Demon-Subduing Division like a scourge.

Ji Qu said, "Indeed, Lord Shen has no need for a disguise. I, however, will need to make a simple one."

With that said, he took out an object as thin as a cicada's wing, like a sheet of transparent paper, and placed it over his face.

One breath. Two breaths. In just a few breaths' time, the Ji Qu standing before him had transformed into a stranger.

Then, his slightly hunched back straightened, and he shed his previous elderly aura.

Combined with his current appearance as an ordinary-looking young man, no one would connect him to an old man.

"Brother Ji, this skill of yours is truly breathtaking!" Shen Changqing clapped in admiration.

This was his first time witnessing someone use a disguise technique right in front of him.

In just a few breaths, a familiar person had turned into a stranger. If not for the aged skin on his exposed hands and neck, one could say the disguise was flawless.

Ji Qu gave a faint smile, his once-aged voice now sounding much younger. "These are just some minor tricks, hardly presentable. When navigating the Jianghu, one inevitably needs to conceal one's identity. I am not like you, Lord Shen; I am merely an Innate Martial Artist."

After speaking, he took a bottle from his bosom, then poured some liquid from it onto his exposed skin.

Before Shen Changqing's eyes, wherever the other party applied the liquid, the aged wrinkles on his skin vanished, replaced by skin as smooth and delicate as a young man's.

Now, Ji Qu's disguise was completely undetectable.

"Let's go."

"Brother Ji, please lead the way."

Shen Changqing returned to his senses, suppressing his curiosity.