World’s Best Martial Artist

Fang Ping knew of a fact: villains always died because they talked too much.

Huang Bin wanted to speak.

He did not want him to, but he had a very limited understanding of how certain things worked, and his current status meant limited or no access to some really useful information.

So he prepared to let Huang Bin speak a few sentences with him despite his initial reluctance.

He did not fear that he would start screaming immediately. This man was obviously not innocent. He would not start struggling against his bonds at the mention of handing him to the police, otherwise.

…

Huang Bin started panting loudly a few minutes later.

Fang Ping had tied him up tightly and taped his mouth shut. He felt some of his ribs break too, which caused difficulty in breathing.

The first thing Huang Bin did after Fang Ping punctured a hole in the tape with his knife was breathe.

After huffing and panting for a while, he glared at Fang Ping, who was standing far away from him, bloodlust glinting in his eyes.

He did not expect to be foiled by this kid!

He could not resist asking, “There’s nothing between us, is there?”

He could not fathom the reason this kid would want to oppose him.

He could understand if the other was a martial artist, but he was nothing of the sort!

Fang Ping did not offer a direct reply. He could not just say that he did it because he had suspected that the man was after him, could he?

Actually, he now suspected he made a wrong guess.

This man was likely here not for him, but to conceal his tracks.

From the cash, food, and water that he had in hand…

This seemed more like something an escaped convict would prepare.

Could Fang Ping admit his mistake, though?

Fang Ping replied to Huang Bin’s question offhandedly, “I’m a good student. Capturing convicts is our responsibility!”

“Responsibility, my ass!”

Huang Bin cursed internally. Having been defeated by this little jerk of all people when he had traveled to so many places… He would be bitter about this even if he died.

Fang Ping did not give him a chance to interrogate him. He took the few bottles of pills out from the bag.

“What are these? Don’t hide anything from me. I’ll know after checking even if you’re talking bullsh*t.”

Huang Bin did not conceal anything from him. As Fang Ping had said, he could very well check for himself.

He was relieved when he saw the kid fixate on those pills. His chances were better when the other was in need of something.

“Three of the bottles have labels on them. You should’ve seen them. Two of them are Blood and Qi-replenishing Pills, while another is filled with Vitality Pills.”

“Do martial artists need pills like these too?”

“Of course!” Huang Bin said immediately, “Those are both pills that replenish Vitality. Martial artists need to do that too.

“They can’t replenish their Vitality with food every time, so the pills are necessary supplements that most martial artists have at all times.”

Fang Ping nodded in understanding, and took out a slightly smaller bottle before asking, “How about this?”

“These are also Vitality Pills, but not the commonplace ones — they’re Rank-1 Vitality Pills.”

Huang Bin continued, “Ranked Vitality Pills are usually used when a martial artist is gunning for a breakthrough.

“For example, this Rank-1 Vitality Pill is necessary when a quasi-martial artist is trying to achieve a breakthrough.

“It can replenish more Vitality.

“For me, they’re to replenish my Vitality too.

“In occasion of battles or long raids, they’re more effective than the others.”

“There are ranks even among pills?”

Huang Bin did not answer — this was common knowledge — but then he saw Fang Ping looking for places he could stick his knife in, so he said immediately, “There are, same as the ranks among martial artists.”

“How much does one of these costs?”

There were not many of those pills. Fang Ping took a look and saw only three in the bottle.

“Thirty hundred thousand.”

Fang Ping cringed at the price of those pills. Martial artists really treated money like it was nothing. A pill could cost hundreds of thousands.

The Blood and Qi-replenishing pills and Vitality Pills cost 1.34 million in market value.

Add in the Rank-1 Vitality Pills, and it would be 2.24 million.

Fang Ping pointed towards the two remaining bottles.

Huang Bin replied honestly, “In one of these bottles is a Bone-honing Pill, and the other a Viscera-shielding Pill.”

There were fewer pills in the bottles, or it could be said that there was only one in each bottle.

This time there was no need for Fang Ping to ask. Huang Bin replied complacently, “A Bone-honing Pill, as its name suggests, hones the bone and improves its strength.

“Martial artists, especially lower-ranked ones, mainly cultivates the strength of the bone.

“Only strong bones can withstand a Vitality outburst.

“The strength of the outer body is cultivated in turn. External wounds, like those on the skin and veins, are not that severe to martial artists.

“Wounds on the bone are different, in that they take an extremely long time to heal.

“This is why martial artists cultivate the strength of their bones first so that they don’t sustain overly serious injury when they ignite their Vitality in combat or when they cultivate.

“This is the same in battle. If one’s bones are weak, a punch that shatters bone can impede combat ability.

“Only with strong bones can one’s body be strong.

“The Viscera-shielding Pill’s purpose is also shown in its name. It is used to shield the internal organs in the human body from damage.

“Our internal organs are extremely weak. Lower-ranked martial artists cannot start cultivating their internal organs yet.

“It presents no problem during normal cultivation, but one of these is necessary during breakthrough.

“Without the Viscera-shielding Pill shielding your organs from damage, they might suffer injury when your Vitality explodes over your limit.”

After explaining to him, Huang Bin added hurriedly, “These are pills necessary for my breaking through to Rank-3! They’re extremely expensive!

“They’re both Rank-2 pills, and it’s extremely hard to procure even if you have the money for them.

The Bone-honing Pill is cheaper, but it still costs a million.

The Viscera-shielding Pill is even more expensive. One of them costs 2 million in market value!”

Fang Ping swallowed, his hands clutching the bottles tighter.

A Rank-2 Bone-honing Pill costs 1 million, while a Viscera-shielding Pill costs twice the price. Why did money seem worthless in this context?

Actually, those two pills were painstakingly procured by Huang Bin in preparation of his breaking through to Rank-3.

Forget about civilian martial artists like Huang Bin. Under normal circumstances, even martial artists from huge conglomerates, the government, or martial arts universities would not be so wasteful as to use those pills in cultivation.

These six bottles of pills cost 5.24 million in total!

Actually, they would be cheaper if traded between martial artists. Organizations like martial arts universities could even get them at a cheaper price than that.

Huang Bin did not have a network of contacts, so he had to get them at a market price.

Of course, those pills he owned were mostly acquired from robbing someone.

He had been broke after achieving a breakthrough to Rank-2. He had saved up some money during the next few years, but they were only enough to cover his daily expenses.

If a martial arts student like Wang Jinyang wanted to achieve a breakthrough to Rank-3, he would only need 3 to 4 million.

Huang Bin had to pay 10 million just to acquire the same supplements needed.

Earning money was way harder than spending it. Huang Bin had committed the crime of robbing out of desperation and resentment.

Wang Jinyang had said that those who lived in limited conditions, Fang Ping, for example, would become even more dejected after getting admitted to a martial arts university. This was the reason.

Cultivation needed money. Replenishing Vitality needed money. Breaking through ranks, too…

There was no scenario in which money was not necessary.

Li Yuanjiang, the other guy who got in Nanjiang Martial Arts University during the past year, had not been able to achieve a breakthrough to Rank-1 for this reason.

A quasi-martial artist would need a Rank-1 Vitality Pill and a Bone-honing Pill at the least.

As for the Viscera-shielding Pill, it was not necessary at this stage, but the lack of it meant a certain degree of danger.

Those with better conditions could prepare to decrease the risk for one as much as possible.

Others who did not fare as well could only prepare a Rank-1 Vitality Pill, but the risk was so high that most dared not do so.

A Rank-1 Bone-honing Pill costs half a million. Add in the Rank-1 Vitality Pill, and it would be 0.8 million.

In a martial arts university, the school would provide some amount of subsidy, and the price of pills would be cheaper, but students would still have to earn three hundred thousand yuan by themselves.

This was only for the first attempt. Quasi-martial artists could fail during the first time. In that case, the school would not provide the funds for further attempts.

Li Yuanjiang had failed the first time, so he had to earn funds for his second attempt.

For a martial arts university student who was not a martial artist, a second attempt at breakthrough would cost over a million, including his daily expenses.

How could he possibly find so much money when he was not a martial artist?

Wang Jinyang had succeeded in the first try. Some of those people like him had only needed a Rank-1 Vitality Pill, which was easily acquired with funding provided by the school.

After becoming martial artists, they would have ways to earn more money. This was why the strong became stronger while the weak became weaker.

When the first step failed, it was only normal that they would fail to make the next one even when they graduated.

…

Fang Ping had obtained some information from Huang Bin’s words.

This man was not only a martial artist. He was not in Rank-1, but in Rank-2, and was close to achieving a breakthrough.

Fang Ping panicked again post-haste. He had been impulsive, indeed!

Impulsiveness was the devil. He would have to be more careful next time.

Huang Bin’s eyes glinted when he saw Fang Ping’s hand close around the bottles tightly. He whispered, “Now, these are all yours!

“They cost over 5 million in market value, plus the cash in the bag!

If you hand me over to the Department or to the police, these will be confiscated!”

The only thing Huang Bin thought of at this moment was how he could not be sent to the police.

The police were all civilians. He did not fear them.

Despite that, he, an escaped convict, would be documented by the police. He would definitely be sent to the Department of Investigation Services after he was identified.

In the Department’s lair, even Rank-4 martial artists could only admit defeat. He, a Rank-2 martial artist, would only fare worse.

His only way out was to lure his captor with money.

A wealth of over 5 million… Had the boy ever seen so much money in his life?

When Fang Ping did not speak, Huang Bin said immediately, “Don’t you think of murdering me. The diversions I laid down could only fool the police for ten days or half a month at most.

“They would definitely succeed in finding me after a few days.

“If I’m dead, you’ll definitely be involved.

“You’re still young and have lots of potential. I’ve sensed your high Vitality. You’ll definitely have a shot at getting into a martial arts university.

“Going down with me isn’t worth it.

“Now, if you would release me, I’ll leave immediately and leave everything here to you.

“You don’t need to worry about your safety. I won’t seek revenge on you…”

These promises felt empty without some backing up, so Huang Bin said, “You can arrange for the police to watch over you, or prepare to report to them anytime.

“If I take revenge, I won’t be able to emerge unscathed.

“After something happens to you, the authorities in Sun City will definitely lock down the city and capture me.

“That’s why I won’t take the risk.

“My life is way more important than money, and I haven’t had enough of it.

“What do you say?”

Huang Bin said all of this with sincerity. Most of it was true.

As for the not taking revenge part, even he himself was not convinced when he said it.

He would regret it for his whole life if he did not kill the boy himself when the boy’s artifice had reduced him to this state.

Huang Bin was waiting eagerly for the boy to give his answer when Fang Ping said, “You have some other good stuff with you, haven’t you? Maybe it’ll be more valuable than the pills here.

“Tsk, tsk, a Rank-2 martial artist owning possessions over 10 million in value…

“Martial artists sure are f*cking rich!”

Huang Bin’s mouth twitched. How could he still think about money during this situation?

Did the boy hear the words that he had said?