Chapter 182: Two Thousand Merit Points

Shen Changqing didn’t hesitate with his answer.

He’d already formed a plan in his mind before even coming here.

A month of bitter cultivation in the secret room cost a thousand merit points.

Judging by the progress he’d made, another month or two of dedicated training should be enough to break through from Nurturing True Intent to the True Intent Manifestation stage.

Let’s say two months, then.

That would be two thousand merit points.

Therefore, when Ji Qu asked, Shen Changqing answered without a second thought.

"Two thousand!"

"Two thousand merit points!"

Ji Qu’s pupils constricted sharply.

Two thousand merit points.

That was no small sum. He had assumed Shen Changqing would only want a hundred or two.

He never imagined the man would ask for two thousand.

After the initial shock, Ji Qu recovered himself, his brow furrowing.

"Lord Shen is likely aware that merit points in the black market are limited. The more you acquire, the higher the price will climb.

Normally, acquiring a small amount of merit points costs around two hundred to three hundred taels of silver.

If Lord Shen requires two thousand, I’m afraid the price will skyrocket to between four hundred and five hundred taels."

As he spoke, Ji Qu seemed hesitant.

Two thousand merit points.

At five hundred taels apiece, that amounted to a staggering one million taels of silver.

A million taels!

What an astronomical sum.

Even with an Earth-Rank Demon Slayer’s salary, it would take over five thousand years of saving every single penny to amass that amount.

It wasn’t that Ji Qu looked down on Shen Changqing, but he genuinely doubted the man could come up with a million taels.

"One million taels!"

Shen Changqing’s eyes flickered, inwardly drawing a sharp breath.

Truth be told, he was taken aback by the price.

He’d imagined two thousand merit points would cost, at most, a few hundred thousand taels. He hadn’t expected the price to surge to a million.

Of course, the so-called million taels was just a hypothetical figure.

The price could be even higher, or perhaps lower.

Shen Changqing steadied his mind and said in a deep voice, "Two thousand merit points for a million taels – the price is indeed exorbitant. However, there’s something else I’d like to ask: how much silver could I sell an external martial art that directly points to the entry of the Body Forging Realm for?"

"Body Forging Realm entry?" Ji Qu looked puzzled at first, then recognition dawned on his face. "Is Lord Shen referring to Tiger Roar Leopard Thunder of the Grandmaster Realm?"

"Indeed."

"An external martial art that directly points to Tiger Roar Leopard Thunder can fetch hundreds of thousands of taels in Jianghu, but—"

Ji Qu’s expression turned hesitant.

He looked at Shen Changqing with a serious gaze.

"Lord Shen must understand: Demon Suppression Division techniques are absolutely forbidden from being spread outside. If you secretly sell them, even a Heaven-Rank Guardian will face severe punishment!"

In his view, the martial art Shen Changqing intended to sell was likely obtained from the Martial Pavilion.

If he helped him, he might be implicated if the matter was ever exposed.

Therefore, Ji Qu issued a warning.

"Although the black market is very secretive, there are no airtight walls in this world. If Lord Shen truly does this, I’m afraid the Heavenly Inspection Guard will come knocking before long."

"The Heavenly Inspection Guard has people in the black market?"

Shen Changqing looked slightly surprised.

Ji Qu shook his head.

"Lord Shen is joking. The Heavenly Inspection Guard has ears and eyes all over Great Qin, even beyond its borders. The mere black market, though secretive, cannot possibly deter the Heavenly Inspection Guard’s investigation.

While trading merit points ostensibly violates the Demon Suppression Division’s rules, the Division secretly permits it.

Otherwise, all the black markets would have been uprooted long ago."

"Remember,"

"’Water that is too pure has no fish.’"

Water that is too pure has no fish!

Shen Changqing nodded in understanding.

He understood what Ji Qu meant. The black market, to put it bluntly, was for trading illicit goods.

But since the Demon Suppression Division allowed the black market’s existence, there must be a reason for it.

After all, no matter how resourceful the Demon Suppression Division was, it couldn’t possibly make the world completely clean.

Once the other man was done, Shen Changqing smiled and said, "Brother Ji, rest assured, how could Shen not understand the Demon Suppression Division’s rules? The martial art in my possession has nothing to do with the Division, but was something I obtained by chance."

"Obtained by chance!"

Ji Qu’s expression shifted slightly.

Since Shen Changqing had said so, he certainly wouldn’t doubt the truth of his words.

Someone who could enter the Martial Pavilion—

That identity alone was something others couldn’t compare to.

Therefore, Ji Qu took Shen Changqing’s words seriously.

"Since it was something Lord Shen obtained by chance, then naturally there won’t be any problems. However, this old one believes that instead of selling Lord Shen’s martial art directly, it would be more worthwhile to auction it off in the black market.

The auction price in the black market is higher than selling directly to a shop.

However, not everyone is qualified to participate in black market auctions. You either need someone to vouch for you, or you have to state your identity, and not just any identity will do. You need to have enough weight to make people believe in the martial art’s authenticity.

Of course, with Lord Shen’s identity, you certainly have enough weight."

Having finished speaking, he waited for a response.

State his identity?

Shen Changqing fell into thought.

His initial plan was to sell the martial arts he possessed, then exchange them for enough merit points so that he could cultivate in the secret room for a long time.

Invincible Golden Body was a fusion of two external martial arts that had nothing to do with the Demon Suppression Division’s techniques.

Shen Changqing didn’t believe the Division would have records of Invincible Golden Body under these circumstances.

Moreover, once the slaughter points arrived, he would use them to fuse Invincible Golden Body with Tathagata Golden Body.

By then, the original Invincible Golden Body would be useless.

Selling it was as good as selling it. He could also earn some silver to exchange for merit points.

After much deliberation, Shen Changqing made a decision.

"Revealing my identity is fine. Anyway, the martial art is Shen’s own, and there’s nothing shady about it."

"Good."

This answer completely put Ji Qu at ease.

Then, he changed the subject.

"However, even with an external martial art that directly points to the entry of the Body Forging Realm, there’s no way to gather enough silver to exchange for two thousand merit points.

Martial arts are, after all, just martial arts. Whether or not one can grow to that stage depends on individual opportunity. Moreover, external martial arts are very difficult to cultivate, so the price will be correspondingly lower."

Ji Qu was very familiar with the black market’s situation.

From his words, Shen Changqing could tell the other man was a frequent visitor to the black market.

However, he didn’t interrupt.

"Also, from what I understand, Martial Pavilion members have to submit a Grandmaster-level martial art every three years. If Lord Shen sells this martial art, then it’s likely impossible to submit it to the Martial Pavilion again."

"Why?"

Shen Changqing frowned.

According to his plan, he would sell Invincible Golden Body and then submit it to the Martial Pavilion to complete the triennial assessment.

If possible, he even wanted to sell the martial art directly to the Demon Suppression Division.

Unfortunately, the Demon Suppression Division had a vast collection of martial arts and no options for buying or selling them.

"It’s simple. If Lord Shen’s martial art is sold, it will soon be recorded in the Demon Suppression Division. The Martial Pavilion won’t record duplicate martial arts."

Ji Qu smiled faintly.

Hearing this, Shen Changqing gave him a deep look, a meaningful smile on his face.

"Brother Ji seems to be very familiar with the Martial Pavilion."

"Haha, this old one has been in the Demon Suppression Division for so many years. How could I not know a little about the Martial Pavilion? Anyone who has cultivated in the Martial Pavilion knows this very well. Lord Shen doesn’t need to think too much about it."

Ji Qu chuckled and glossed over the question.

Seeing this, Shen Changqing didn’t press the matter and instead changed the question.

"Then, in Brother Ji’s view, what kind of price can an external martial art that directly points to the entry of the Body Forging Realm fetch?"

"If it’s an auction, it would start at least at four hundred thousand taels. How much higher it goes depends on the needs of the participants."

Four hundred thousand taels.

Shen Changqing silently estimated the amount.

That number was still about six hundred thousand taels short of his goal of one million.

He didn’t calculate based on four hundred taels per merit point. In any case, he estimated high to ensure his safety.

Then, Shen Changqing asked again.

"Apart from external martial arts, what is the general price of other martial arts that directly point to the Grandmaster Realm?"

"Internal martial arts that directly point to the Grandmaster Realm would cost slightly more, about five hundred thousand to six hundred thousand taels. The upper limit is equally difficult to grasp. A martial art that directly points to True Intent would be slightly higher than an external martial art, but not as high as an internal one."

Ji Qu said in a deep voice.

"Although the Grandmaster Realm is based on the Body Forging and Mental systems, entry into both systems is extremely difficult. For many martial artists, internal energy is the foundation of everything.

If a powerful internal energy serves as the foundation, even without stepping into the two major systems, one can still contend with ordinary Grandmasters.

Moreover, internal energy nurtures the body. A high-level internal energy not only brings formidable strength, but also prolongs life. Furthermore, entering the realm of internal energy is easier than the other two, so the price is the highest."

This explanation gave Shen Changqing a greater understanding of the black market’s situation.

Indeed, the Grandmaster Realm was based on the two major systems, but a powerful internal energy was more popular.

To be honest, if he didn’t have the status panel, he might have focused on internal energy first, then supplemented it with the Mental system, and finally entered the Body Forging Realm.

He would never have progressed in all three areas at almost the same pace, as he was doing now.

"I understand. However, I need to prepare the martial art. I’ll look for Brother Ji in half a month. At that time, I hope Brother Ji can take me to the black market."

Shen Changqing drained the spiritual tea in his cup.

Hearing this, Ji Qu smiled faintly and said, "Since Lord Shen has spoken, naturally this old one won’t refuse. In half a month, Lord Shen can come and find me."

"Then thank you very much!"

End of Chapter