Although the lighting inside the black market was poor, there were still many customers. Besides numerous stalls, the square also had wide passageways for pedestrians. However, at this moment, the surging crowd had squeezed these passages tightly, making it nearly impossible for people to pass through.
Witnessing the bustling scene with people moving shoulder to shoulder, Meng Zhang's eyes lit up. Indeed, Firewell Market's black market was much livelier than Singing Sand City's.
Meng Zhang left the corridor and stepped into the square, carefully inspecting the various items on the stalls as he walked with the crowd. Underground in scorching Firewell Market, the temperature was even higher than on the surface, and the dense crowd made the enclosed space even more uncomfortable.
When Meng Zhang had just entered Firewell Market, he had tried using spells to cool down his body and adjust his body temperature with true qi. However, despite trying various methods, the effect was not significant, and he still felt extremely hot.
Meng Zhang's keen senses made him realize that it wasn't just a matter of temperature. There seemed to be a vast underground fire emitting continuous heat, containing a peculiar force that made people feel dry and hot. Fortunately, after careful discernment, he concluded that this force only caused discomfort and didn't carry any hidden harm. As a cultivator, his endurance was much stronger than that of an ordinary person, and enduring a bit of heat was not a big deal.
Filled with anticipation for the stalls in the black market, Meng Zhang even felt the heat had reduced somewhat. After spending considerable time and sweating profusely, he wandered around the black market but didn't find anything valuable. The items on the stalls were few, and those that were valuable were priced exorbitantly. It was clear that the vendors were well aware of the worth of their merchandise, and those valuable items weren't worth buying at such high prices.
Meng Zhang's hopes of making good deals in the black market were dashed. He realized that while his Deception Breaking Eye and the knowledge he gained from the Trial Ground were advantageous for making discoveries in Singing Sand City, in the vast Cultivation World, he was likely not the only one who practiced eye techniques. Many experienced and knowledgeable cultivators existed, making it more challenging to find hidden treasures.
Meng Zhang mentally scolded himself for wasting so much time. If he had known there would be no valuable discoveries in the black market, he would have relaxed in the inn instead.
Deciding to leave since the black market offered nothing of interest, Meng Zhang headed towards the edge of the square, intending to enter the corridor he came through. However, at that moment, a middle-aged man blocked his path.
"Are you Taiyi Sect's Meng Zhang, Sect Master Meng?" Although phrased as a question, the tone was certain.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Meng Zhang looked wary of the stranger. In an unfamiliar place, being approached by an unknown cultivator naturally called for caution.
"It seems that Sect Master Meng didn't find anything of value in the black market."
"Well, the so-called black market is just fooling ordinary cultivators. There's nothing good inside. Big customers like Sect Master Meng naturally wouldn't be interested in those deceiving goods."
The middle-aged man didn't directly answer Meng Zhang's question but took out a black token.
"If Sect Master Meng wants to buy something valuable or special, you can take a look in there."
The middle-aged man pointed to an inconspicuous small house beside the underground square and handed over the black token to Meng Zhang.
After using his Deception Breaking Eye to verify that the token had no traps, Meng Zhang carefully accepted it. The man then left on his own.
In this process, Meng Zhang attempted to use Mind Reading to read the man's thoughts but failed. However, he clearly sensed that the man had no ill intentions towards him. It appeared that Mind Reading wasn't an infallible ability.
Meng Zhang knew that there were several secret methods in the Cultivation World that could conceal one's thoughts and prevent others from using mind-reading techniques on them. Being able to determine that the man held no ill will already showed the remarkable nature of Mind Reading as a Divine Ability.
Recalling some rumors, Meng Zhang realized that in some large markets, there existed hidden and organized black markets. The forces behind these black markets were formidable, and even the local leaders of the markets had to give them respect.
The items available in these black markets far exceeded those found in regular shops and covered almost everything. Of course, some illegal items from the Cultivation World were among them.
Although Meng Zhang had never dealt with the black market personally, there were records in the Taiyi Sect Master's journal of past Taiyi Sect Masters conducting transactions in the black market.
Combining these records, Meng Zhang understood that after entering Firewell Market, despite selling various items at different shops, his actions had likely been noticed by someone. Four hundred low-grade spirit stones might not seem like much, but it still displayed his purchasing power.
For the powerful force behind the black market, determining his identity and background should have been a simple task. With mediocre strength, hailing from a weak sect, yet possessing a considerable amount of spirit stones, he was the type of customer Shang Families all loved.
Fortunately, the reputation of the black market had been good, and he hadn't heard of any past cases of robbery or violence by the organizers. The transactions in the black market were still relatively fair, and they aimed to make customers willingly spend their spirit stones.
At this moment, the middle-aged man was conversing with another cultivator. It seemed that the man was responsible for attracting customers. Running a black market, of course, meant wanting many customers and prosperous business.
Meng Zhang pondered for a moment and decided that the black market had a decent reputation, and there shouldn't be any danger in going to take a look.
He entered the small house indicated by the middle-aged man. Inside the pitch-black room, a person dressed entirely in black guarded the door. Seeing Meng Zhang entering, the person extended their hand.
Meng Zhang handed over the black token. The person checked it and then handed him a mask and a cloak.
The person lightly tapped the wall, revealing a dark hole through which a deep passage led.
"Go inside and follow it to the end."
Meng Zhang accepted the mask and cloak without asking any further questions and walked straight into the passage. Although the passage was pitch-black, cultivators generally had some night vision ability or technique. Meng Zhang's Deception Breaking Eye could directly penetrate the darkness.
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