A Strange Encounter in the Black Market

“Ah, looking to purchase a cultivation manual, are we? Please, take your time. Every manual here is complete, each one worth one hundred gold,” the stall owner, an old man, said with a warm smile as he looked at Ye Qingyun.

But as Ye Qingyun browsed, picking up one manual after another, he found none to his liking. They were all too common, their internal energy effects unimpressive.

Seeing his apparent dissatisfaction, the old man paused to think.

“Miss, are you perhaps unsatisfied with this selection?” he inquired.

Ye Qingyun hesitated for a moment before nodding.

“Yes, elder. Do you have any other manuals?” he asked, his Blood Spirit Demonic Eyes meeting the elder’s gaze.

The old man’s eyes widened slightly in surprise as he saw Ye Qingyun’s pupils.

‘Hmm? Natural-born unique eyes? A rare sight indeed,’ he mused to himself.

His gaze swept over Ye Qingyun again, and a flicker of recognition sparked in his eyes, followed by a faint smile.

“Ah, I see now. You cultivate the Creation Art. As it happens, this old man has a complete version right here. I wonder if you would be interested in purchasing it?” the old man suddenly offered with a grin.

At his words, a system notification chimed in Ye Qingyun’s ears.

[System Alert: Serendipitous Encounter Triggered]

Ye Qingyun was startled by the message. The Jianghu had a mechanism for such encounters, but they were complex and depended entirely on luck and circumstance.

He hadn’t expected to trigger one with this old man.

“I am. Of course, I am. How much for the Creation Art you have, elder?” Acquiring the complete version was precisely what Ye Qingyun wanted.

He had no desire to waste time starting his cultivation from scratch.

The old man smiled faintly and produced a rather exquisite-looking booklet from his robes, the words “Creation Art” inscribed on its cover.

“Simple enough. This manual costs two hundred gold. If you’re willing to pay the price, it’s yours,” the old man said with a chuckle.

While two hundred gold was steep, it was a price Ye Qingyun could afford.

“Done,” he said without a hint of hesitation, producing a gold note for two hundred and handing it to him.

The old man’s eyes lit up at the sight of the note. He passed the Creation Art to Ye Qingyun and eagerly accepted the payment.

“Haha, a deal! The Creation Art is now yours,” he said, beaming.

Ye Qingyun nodded, then turned away and immediately absorbed the manual.

[System Alert: Player’s Creation Art has advanced to the 36th level.]

[World Announcement: Player Ye Qingyun has completed the first Serendipitous Encounter in the Jianghu. Reward: One Self-Select Incomplete Internal Art Manual Gift Pack.]

It was one stroke of luck after another. To think he would be the first player to trigger a serendipitous encounter, and the system had rewarded him with an incomplete manual gift pack. This meant he now possessed three fragments of the Seven Emotions and Six Desires Art.

“Holy crap, Number Two, your luck is insane!” Qin Yun exclaimed, utterly stunned.

Ye Qingyun was pleased, but despite his happiness, he had no desire to linger. Now that his objective was complete, it was best to leave. The place gave him a sense of profound danger.

“Alright, let’s get out of here,” Ye Qingyun said.

And so, they left the black market and returned to The Capital.

Once they were back, Qin Yun asked about his next move.

“So, Number Two, what are you going to do now?” he asked.

“I’m not sure. I’ll probably look around The Capital for now. You likely have things to do, so go on ahead. I’ll find you if I need anything.” Ye Qingyun felt it was time to find a new, safe place to stay in the city.

Qin Yun nodded. He had his own daily tasks to attend to. The game had become almost indistinguishable from reality; aside from the interface elements, one could hardly tell it was a game at all.

Having spent so much time here, they had come to treat it as a new world.

After parting with Qin Yun, Ye Qingyun began to wander through the city, familiarizing himself with a place he still knew little about.

[System Alert: Player has unlocked the Jianghu Experience System.]

About half an hour into his stroll, another system notification sounded in his ears.

‘Jianghu Experience?’ Ye Qingyun thought, puzzled. He opened the new system menu to investigate.

Inside, he found a unique system that awarded Experience Points every time he did something for the first time or visited a new location.

These points could be exchanged for various items. He had already unlocked the first-tier identity: [A Novice in the Jianghu].

This identity allowed him to exchange for a few cultivation pills in the Experience Shop. Currently, his options were limited to three items: [Crow Herb], [Lesser Internal Qi Pill], and [Lesser True Qi Pill].

The Crow Herb could double his cultivation rate for one hour. The cultivation rate was essentially the speed at which he mastered his arts.

The Lesser Internal Qi Pill directly increased his internal energy value. Ye Qingyun’s daily cultivation yielded one hundred points, but he needed 5,900 points to reach the ninth level of the Creation Art. At his current two or three hundred points, it would take ages without the aid of elixirs.

But now, with the Experience Shop, he could significantly accelerate his progress. A stalk of Crow Herb cost 10 Experience, a Lesser Internal Qi Pill cost 50, and a Lesser True Qi Pill cost 100.

Ye Qingyun currently had only 200 points, not enough to buy much. He was also unsure how to gain more, as the system offered no clear guidance.

After some thought, he decided to visit every unexplored place in The Capital, hoping it would yield a large number of Experience Points. He noticed that entering a new shop gave him one point, as did purchasing an item for the first time.

However, the amount gained varied—some actions gave more points than others. It was likely calculated based on difficulty. For instance, spending a single copper coin would surely yield fewer points than spending one hundred.

But completing such a task would be exhausting; it could take him days.

As Ye Qingyun walked, he found himself in a distinct area, standing just outside the Imperial City.

[System Alert: Player has returned to a former home. 1000 Experience Points awarded.]

[System Alert: Player has visited the Imperial Palace of the Song Kingdom for the first time. 100 Experience Points awarded.]

The sudden influx of points took him by surprise.

“So many at once? Returned to a former home… I see. My character’s original identity used to live here. Heh, how ironic,” Ye Qingyun said with a wry smile.

He now possessed nearly 3,000 Experience Points, which he felt was sufficient. He didn’t have the time to waste on such trivial matters anyway.

Ye Qingyun opened the Experience Shop again and exchanged for one of each available item to test their effects.

After consuming the Crow Herb, he gained a buff that doubled his cultivation rate for one hour. The Lesser Internal Qi Pill instantly granted him an entire day’s worth of cultivation progress. When he took the True Qi Pill, another system was unlocked.

[System Alert: Player has unlocked the Meridian System.]

Ye Qingyun was delighted. He quickly opened the Meridian System interface, which displayed the body’s eight extraordinary meridians. The eight foundational meridians were already open, each with nine levels.