Chapter 145: The Black Market
Although public attention to the competition had significantly waned due to the sudden Xuanhuang Fruit incident, what needed to proceed still did.
Ever since his last battle with Luo Yi, Bai Mo's avatar had returned to merely going through the motions in his other matches, dragging out each fight for hundreds of rounds before finally securing what appeared to outsiders as a hard-won victory.
Everyone, including his opponents, felt that Ying was completely out of form after that battle with Luo Yi. They all surmised that his final move, which had withstood Luo Yi's outburst, had exacted an enormous, unknown price, leading to his abilities being restricted for a period thereafter.
Yet, even against an out-of-form Ying, the other three members of the group, straining every nerve and playing every last trump card, still fell slightly short of Bai Mo's avatar, ultimately suffering bitter defeat beneath his longsword.
On the other hand, Luo Yi, with new insights continuously surfacing in his mind, grew stronger with each battle. He effortlessly defeated the remaining three, securing his spot as the second qualifier from the group. The astonishing strength he displayed led many to believe that if Luo Yi were to face Ying again in the finals, he would very likely be able to avenge his previous defeat.
Having suddenly gained a wealth of Spirit Art memories, Luo Yi used them extensively and without restraint on the competition stage. This conspicuous display immediately attracted the attention of discerning individuals.
According to the statistics from the organizing committee, he employed a total of eighteen different Spirit Arts, both major and minor, across his four group stage matches. The latter three, in particular, completely transformed into his personal showcase, with the other three competitors reluctantly becoming mere foils.
"My memories are still unlocking, and I’m growing stronger every day. Soon, I’ll have you beneath my heel. That kick of yours... it truly hurt!" Luo Yi paid no mind to his defeated opponent; instead, he gazed at the resting area where Ying was located, silently musing to himself.
The primary reason for Bai Mo's avatar's uncharacteristic performance was that he was in the midst of undergoing a new round of transplant surgeries... leaving him utterly preoccupied and unable to focus on combat.
After Bai Mo finished reading the article about Spirit Hub transactions in the underground black market, he suddenly found himself intrigued. Wielding the Contribution Points system, that colossal money-printing machine, his only concern was having too much wealth with nowhere to spend it. He wanted to see if this so-called underground black market held anything he desired.
With this thought in mind, he called Chen Xi to make the arrangements.
"Mr. Bai, you wish to visit the black market?"
"Yes."
"Alright, please wait a moment. I’ll make the connections. When do you plan to go?" After serving as his assistant (and general factotum) for some time, Chen Xi had gradually grown accustomed to his direct style, which was a complete contrast to the riddle-like speech of the old men she usually dealt with.
"This afternoon. I’ll be back in Tianqing."
Born into the upper echelons, and originally intending to forge a path as a powerful career woman, she naturally knew of the existence of such underground black markets. Whenever dirty work needed doing, proxies were required to handle it. And anything that couldn't see the light of day would be dealt with in such markets, which naturally had the shadows of certain individuals behind them.
"Mr. Bai, this is Ji Xuan, the black market contact. He was a childhood classmate of mine." That very afternoon, she brought a portly man dressed in casual clothes to meet Bai Mo.
"Hello."
"Good afternoon, Mr. Bai. It’s a bit noisy here; let’s talk in the car, please." Ji Xuan gestured for the two to board a commercial vehicle parked by the roadside.
After the driver set off, the three began to converse in the back seat.
"Mr. Bai, what can I help you with?" Ji Xuan asked directly. As a black market contact with extremely well-informed sources, even before Chen Xi had explained anything to him, he had vaguely learned through various channels that this young man's status in Huaxia was far from simple. Thus, he dared not show the slightest disrespect.
"Spirit Hubs."
"You also have a team researching Spirit Hubs?" After speaking, Ji Xuan realized he had misspoken. Such questions were not appropriate for his line of work. He had been too relaxed seeing a young man before him. "My apologies, Mr. Bai, that was not my place to ask."
"Also? You can acquire information here, correct?" Bai Mo asked.
"Anything that doesn’t cross certain lines, generally speaking, yes."
"How many groups have acquired Spirit Hubs for research through you?"
"Around a dozen groups, I suppose. They’ve purchased nearly two hundred Spirit Hubs in total."
"How much stock do you currently have?"
"How many do you require, Mr. Bai?"
"All of them."
Ji Xuan froze for a moment upon hearing those two words. Although he had been forewarned by Chen Xi that this was a significant client, he had never imagined he would buy in such a manner, taking everything without even asking about the quantity or price.
Sitting quietly by his side, acting as a passive spectator, she paid no mind to the stunned portly man beside her, continuing to play on her phone without lifting her head.
"Uh... yes, that’s fine. We currently have a total of one hundred and seventy-one Spirit Hubs in stock. This is mainly because of the Xuanhuang Fruit incident over the past two days, which suddenly turned Spirit Hubs into a hot commodity. Many organizations are planning to produce Xuanhuang Fruits themselves, so the price has gone up a bit. Each Spirit Hub now costs one million Huaxia currency, or eight thousand Contribution Points if paying that way," Ji Xuan said, flipping through his notebook.
"The value of Contribution Points seems to have increased quite a bit. Not long ago, it seemed to be a hundred Huaxia currency for one point."
"Anyone serious about cultivation needs to use Contribution Points to exchange for various materials and resources from the system. Yet, the issuance volume is so small. I have no idea what the higher-ups are thinking; anyone who tries to persuade them to increase the issuance gets blocked," Ji Xuan whispered. "Mr. Bai, just let these words go in one ear and out the other, otherwise it’ll be trouble if some petty individual snitches outside."
He continued to build rapport with Bai Mo, casually chatting about various things.
...
"Is there anything else you might need?" he continued, a beaming smile plastered across his face.
"I don’t know."
"No worries. I’ll slowly introduce everything to you once we’re inside. Please exit the car now." The vehicle drove to a remote area and stopped in front of a dilapidated factory building.
"I can’t believe it’s hidden in a place like this," murmured Chen Xi, who had a slight obsession with cleanliness. She felt no affection whatsoever for such a shabby factory building that inspired no good thoughts, but since her boss had already casually walked in, she could only follow.
Ji Xuan, walking half a step behind Bai Mo, also noticed the strange location. Bai Mo truly seemed completely unfazed by the factory’s harsh environment; even Ji Xuan, who was extremely skilled at discerning intentions from expressions, failed to detect even a hint of dissatisfaction on his face. It was only Chen Xi, following behind, who subtly furrowed her brow.
"This person is nothing like the murderous maniac the news portrayed him as. He’s more like a refined, good-natured person," Ji Xuan suddenly thought, recalling some recent online news about Bai Mo. "But it’s true that the higher-ups attach great importance to him; he can even commit murder in broad daylight and get away with it. I need to seize this opportunity to secure a powerful patron."
"Mr. Bai, please follow me. This place is full of patrolling guards, and it’s very dangerous without someone relevant to lead the way."
Bai Mo nodded.
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