novelraw Chapter 8: Underground Black Market 1
Chapter 8: Underground Black Market 1
Su Yuan was quite curious about his current strength.
Nowadays, he was practically equivalent to being 'superhuman'.
His internal organs, flesh, blood, muscles, and bones were all significantly stronger than those of ordinary humans.
With such strength, what rank could he achieve in this bustling Magic City?
Su Yuan looked expectantly at the gray mirror.
Buzz~ The gray mirror surface rippled and churned, quickly revealing lines of text.
【Strength Ranking: 1428】
"There are still 1,427 people stronger than me?" Su Yuan wasn't particularly surprised.
Magic City had tens of millions of residents and was one of the most prosperous cities globally, undoubtedly hiding countless experts.
Having only undergone one cultivation session, Su Yuan had already jumped from his original ranking of over twenty million to over one thousand, which he was quite satisfied with."What level of expert am I equivalent to in Xia Country's cultivation world?"
Su Yuan continued his inquiry.
Various countries on Blue Star indeed had cultivators and superhumans.
Su Yuan had already learned about this aspect by questioning the gray mirror.
For example, the current strongest individual in Xia Country was a Level 4 lifeform, and the global strongest was also a Level 4 lifeform.
【Major Achievement in Hidden Force level】
The gray mirror provided its answer.
"Major Achievement in Hidden Force?"
Su Yuan understood clearly in his heart.
The cultivation system in Xia Country's cultivation world was divided sequentially into:
Visible Force, Hidden Force, Transforming Force, Embracing Elixir...
Hidden Force experts could already establish authority in a region. Unless facing firearms, they could easily defeat ten or even a hundred opponents.
As for Transforming Force? They were even referred to as Grandmasters.
And Embracing Elixir experts... in another classification by the gray mirror, were also called Level 1 lifeforms.
Those who Embrace Elixir have flawless qi and blood, perfect minds, and in ancient Xia Country, they would be considered immortals whom even emperors would treat with utmost respect.
"If I complete fifteen cultivation sessions and evolve into a Level 1 lifeform, what rank could I achieve in Magic City?"
After pondering for a moment, Su Yuan asked.
For him, becoming a Level 1 lifeform was merely a matter of time, achievable through fifteen cultivation sessions.
The gray mirror surface blurred and churned, providing the answer once more.
【7th Place】
Seeing the gray mirror's reply, Su Yuan's spirits lifted.
......
Next.
Su Yuan rested for an hour.
Even though he had absorbed all the lingzhi mushrooms and ginseng he consumed in a short time through acupuncture stimulation, he still needed proper rest and recuperation.
This was also why, according to the cultivation plan provided by the gray mirror, Su Yuan could only cultivate once per day.
The human body has its limits, and cultivating once daily was Su Yuan's maximum capacity.
Exceeding this limit would cause Su Yuan's body to collapse from the inside out.
......
Two hours later.
Su Yuan left the Jinshan Villa District and returned to his school dormitory.
Using two large suitcases, he packed all the rare treasures he had collected over the past few days and brought them back to Villa No. 66.
These treasures were worth over thirty million, so Su Yuan naturally wanted to keep them under his direct supervision.
While carrying the two suitcases back to the Jinshan Villa District, several security guards offered to help.
However, Su Yuan declined.
It wasn't because he worried they might discover the treasures inside the suitcases.
But because the suitcases were too heavy, and the guards might not be able to lift them.
Not to mention anything else, just the box of gold bars Su Yuan retrieved from the bottom of the Pujiang River weighed nearly a hundred jin.
The remaining jade, statues, and antiques weren't light either, with each suitcase averaging almost two hundred jin.
Only someone like Su Yuan, who had undergone complete transformation, could effortlessly carry one in each hand.
......
Inside Villa No. 66.
Su Yuan opened the two suitcases, gazed at the numerous treasures, and fell into deep thought.
"I need to liquidate these treasures as soon as possible."
Su Yuan thought to himself.
The gold bars weren't urgent. Gold was a hard currency in any era, easily convertible whenever needed, and could even be used directly for transactions.
But other treasures, such as jade and antiques, required professional appraisal to liquidate, which was more cumbersome.
Therefore, Su Yuan planned to exchange them for money in advance.
His cultivation speed was too fast, and he would need massive cultivation resources over the next fourteen days.
"To liquidate so many treasures quickly, I'll have to go through Magic City's underground black market."
Su Yuan contemplated privately.
The so-called underground black market was where prohibited items or goods of unclear origin were traded.
Although the treasures Su Yuan obtained weren't stolen goods, their quantity was substantial, making the black market the fastest and simplest route.
"Underground black market..."
Su Yuan looked at the gray mirror and began inquiring about various details regarding Magic City's underground black market.
......
Half a day later.
Su Yuan walked out of the villa district carrying one suitcase.
He then took a bus to a bustling street.
Magic City's underground black market was extremely secretive, accessible only to individuals with net worth exceeding a hundred million, which was merely the entry threshold.
Of course, this was just the threshold; actual entry required referral from an insider.
Su Yuan placed the suitcase in locker No. 56, Section C of a nearby shopping mall, then walked out and stopped in front of a milk tea shop.
Not far from the milk tea shop was a pawnshop that appeared utterly ordinary. Compared to the surrounding bustling crowds, this pawnshop was slightly deserted, with very few people entering or exiting.
But Su Yuan knew that this pawnshop was actually one of the entrances to Magic City's underground black market.
Su Yuan hadn't come here intending to enter the black market personally. Instead, he planned to have the black market manager handle the batch of treasures for him.
Thinking of this, Su Yuan suddenly stepped backward.
"Ouch..."
A soft body bumped into him.
Su Yuan turned around and saw a young girl rubbing her forehead.
"My apologies."
Su Yuan said apologetically.
"Be more careful next time."
The girl's forehead was red, clearly from bumping into Su Yuan.
But seeing Su Yuan apologize immediately with sincere attitude, she couldn't bring herself to say much, merely glaring at him before walking into the nearby milk tea shop.
Su Yuan remained calm. After the girl entered, he flipped his right hand, and a pink phone appeared.
This pink phone naturally belonged to the girl, temporarily 'borrowed' by Su Yuan.
Picking up the phone, the lock screen lit up.
Skillfully entering the lock screen password, Su Yuan smoothly accessed the phone's interface.
Then he directly dialed the landline number of the pawnshop not far away.
......
Inside the pawnshop.
Two people sat behind the counter: a young man and a middle-aged man in his fifties.
This pawnshop served as a front, concealing its true purpose as one of the entrances to Magic City's underground black market.
The middle-aged man in his fifties was one of the managers of the underground black market, specifically responsible for vetting the identities of numerous members seeking entry.
Not their real-world identities, but their identities within the underground black market.
Every member of the underground black market had their own membership serial number, used to determine their identity and level within the system.
The more one spent in the black market, the higher their membership level. Newly entered billionaires were merely the most ordinary black market members.
For truly high-level black market members, even managers like the middle-aged man had to serve them with extreme caution, as the power they wielded could shake the very foundation of the black market's existence.
"Uncle Sun, that person earlier was also our member. What level were they?"
The young man, feeling somewhat bored, couldn't resist asking the middle-aged man, Uncle Sun, sitting beside him.
"Member identities are something you can casually inquire about?" The middle-aged man, Uncle Sun, frowned and scolded.
"Yes, yes, you're right."
The young man immediately realized his mistake.
Inwardly, however, he judged that the person's membership level probably wasn't high.
Because from start to finish, Uncle Sun's expression hadn't changed at all; he hadn't even glanced at the person, leaving all the reception to the young man.
Just then.
Ring-ring—
The landline phone on the counter suddenly rang.
Seeing this, the young man immediately reached to answer it.
"Hello."
The young man didn't say much, waiting for the person on the other end to speak first.
"I'm looking for Sun Laoliu."
A low, gender-indistinguishable voice sounded.
"Sun Laoliu?"
The young man was momentarily stunned.
Then he quickly realized that 'Sun Laoliu' here probably referred to Uncle Sun.
"Uncle Sun."
The young man immediately looked at the middle-aged man, picking up a pen to write 'Looking for Sun Laoliu' on a piece of paper.
"Hmm?"
The middle-aged man, Uncle Sun, narrowed his eyes slightly.
Many people knew his surname was Sun, but those who referred to him as Sun Laoliu...
Uncle Sun's expression grew slightly serious. He immediately stood up and took the phone.
"Hello."
Uncle Sun said solemnly.
"I have a batch of items. Help me handle them." The low voice on the other end spoke calmly.
"No problem." Uncle Sun nodded, then probed, "Might I ask, sir, what your membership number is?"
"SED2384..."
The low voice recited a combination of numbers and letters.
Uncle Sun initially maintained a normal expression, but as the membership number became more complete, the respect on his face grew increasingly heavy. He even began bending his waist slightly while holding the phone.
The young man beside him widened his eyes in astonishment.