Chapter 1287: Beating the Workshop Master

"Not count?" Zhang Jiuxiao was stunned, his brows immediately furrowing. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing!" The middle-aged man snorted. "All the bets here are based on fairness. You and that Zhang Xuan—one feigned weakness to mislead everyone, and the other intentionally placed a bet... this is cheating and has violated the rules. All your wagers will not only be confiscated, but you will also have to pay compensation!"

"Compensation?"

"Disrupting market order, maliciously placing bets... Guards! Seize this man!" With a wave of his hand, the middle-aged man called out.

In a flash, over a dozen armored guards, each with the power of a Nascent Divinity Realm pinnacle, swarmed from all directions, surrounding Zhang Jiuxiao.

"You..." Zhang Jiuxiao was furious, on the verge of exploding. He couldn't believe this renowned underground black market would deny a loss and even try to arrest him. He pointed a finger, and a mid-tier Saint artifact hovered before him, ready for action at any moment. Although he possessed the ability to fight opponents above his level, there were too many people, and the middle-aged man was a pinnacle Ethereal Cultivation Realm expert—someone he simply couldn't contend with at his current strength.

"Such a large establishment, and when you lose, you can't afford to pay, so you resort to arrests... Is this how you operate?" Before Zhang Jiuxiao could act, a calm voice spoke up. The young man who had just defeated Hong Yang on the stage had appeared before them, his face filled with displeasure. He had planned to take his winnings, attend the auction, and buy that ancient 'Words of the Sage' book... but he never expected the other party not only to refuse payment but also to surround Zhang Jiuxiao. Unable to restrain himself any longer, he flew down from the arena.

"You colluded to rig the game, violating the rules. If we don't punish this, everyone will do the same. How can this establishment continue to do business in the future?" The middle-aged man, who was the master of the market, flicked his sleeve. Twenty thousand high-grade Spirit Stones was almost the entire sum the black market had; if he gave it to them, the market might as well close.

"Rules? The black market also cares about rules?" Zhang Xuan scoffed. Everyone said this was a place with no rules or regulations... and now they were lecturing him on them?

"No rules, no order. Even in the black market, it's the same," the market master stated.

"Since you're talking about rules, let me explain..." Zhang Xuan shook his head. Even the Master Teacher Pavilion, a place so particular about rules, couldn't stop him. For a black market master to lecture him... it was utterly absurd.

"Anyone can bet on the arena matches. Zhang Jiuxiao is my friend; he had expectations for me and bet on my victory. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?" Zhang Xuan said.

"No problem," the market master nodded. Many contestants in the black market would bet on themselves to win; without such excitement, who would risk their lives here? It was a normal practice for a friend to bet on one's victory.

"Since there's no problem, and you set the odds, and you accepted any amount of bet... by what right do you claim we violated the rules?" Zhang Xuan scoffed.

"You could clearly win with ease, yet you feigned weakness... that constitutes deception..."

"Deception? So-called deception involves cheating and trickery, gaining profit through improper means... Ask everyone here. When I fought Hong Yang, I kept saying I couldn't last, that I was no match, and asked him not to continue. But he wouldn't listen to my advice and insisted on fighting me. Only then was I forced to retaliate... Is that deception?" Zhang Xuan looked over. "If I truly wanted to profit from this, I would have simply agreed to fight him immediately. There would have been no need to refuse him repeatedly!"

"This..." The middle-aged man's eyebrow twitched. He had indeed heard what the other party said earlier. It was true that Zhang Xuan had asked Hong Yang not to fight, but Hong Yang insisted... In truth, Zhang Xuan couldn't be blamed.

"Don't quibble with me here! This is the black market, and I am the master. My word is law! Guards! Seize these two troublemakers as well!" Knowing that continuing the argument would only give the other party more reasons, the middle-aged man tore off his polite facade and flicked his sleeve.

"So, when you can't find a reason, you resort to direct arrests? I'd like to see who dares to lay a finger on us..." Zhang Xuan raised an eyebrow and scanned the surroundings.

"Charge!" A guard shouted loudly, rushing forward first. Even if this guy was powerful, they had strength in numbers, and all were pinnacle Nascent Divinity Realm experts; they should be able to take him down easily. A long sword sliced through the air, sending a sword glow towards him. Guards in the black market, who suppressed those who didn't follow rules, were not to be underestimated. Before the sword glow even reached him, it tore through the air with explosive force, as if it could effortlessly cleave a person in half.

Seeing the guard's sword qi was both fierce and subtle, Zhang Xuan didn't dodge. His body suddenly swayed, and he pointed a finger forward. Crack! The sword qi shattered, and a surge of true qi reached the guard. With just one touch, the guard felt a violent tremor in his Dantian, which then cracked and shattered.

"You... you crippled my cultivation?" The guard's body went limp, and he collapsed onto the ground, his eyes filled with terror. With his Dantian shattered, his cultivation of countless years was utterly destroyed.

Too lazy to reply, Zhang Xuan continued to move, and a series of sounds like popping firecrackers followed. Within a few breaths, all dozen or so guards who had surrounded Zhang Jiuxiao were lying on the ground, feeling their shattered Dantians, and fear welled up from the depths of their hearts. These people had been tyrannical and aided evil; even killing them would not have been excessive. Destroying their Dantians was already showing mercy.

Seeing a mere late-stage Nascent Divinity Realm cultivator cripple his subordinates right before his eyes, the market master's eyes turned red with rage. He lunged, and a powerful surge of energy burst forth, reaching out to grab Zhang Xuan through the air. Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes, not dodging. He took a step forward, meeting the attack. He had just advanced to late-stage Nascent Divinity Realm and hadn't had a chance to test his new strength. Since this guy was looking for trouble, he didn't mind giving him a beating!

Boom! His fist collided with the other's palm. The two forces clashed, creating a tremendous roar. The stands immediately collapsed under the impact of the residual power. The spectators, witnessing such a powerful clash, scattered in fright. Zhang Jiuxiao also retreated dozens of meters away.

"You... how are you so strong?" The market master's pupils constricted. He had thought Zhang Xuan merely possessed the ability to fight above his level, and that his strength was far inferior to his own. He never dreamed that their fist-and-palm collision would actually be... evenly matched! A late-stage Nascent Divinity Realm cultivator with strength comparable to his pinnacle Ethereal Cultivation Realm... Even witnessing it firsthand, he found it unbelievable.

"Who exactly are you?" Such a powerful ability to fight above one's level surely indicated an extraordinary background. The market master absolutely refused to believe he was just an ordinary challenger.

"Zhang Xuan!" With a faint smile, Zhang Xuan flipped his palm and brought down an attack. It seemed to lack any force, yet it gave an irresistible impression. The market master wanted to say something more, but seeing the strike descend, he knew he had to block it and met it again. However, before his fist could meet Zhang Xuan's palm, the figure before him flickered. Zhang Xuan had somehow appeared right in front of him and gently pressed. Blood spurted, and the market master was sent flying backward, crashing heavily onto the ground, his face pale. Zhang Xuan had been able to contend with pinnacle Ethereal Cultivation Realm experts even when he was at mid-stage Nascent Divinity Realm. Now that he had reached the late stage, the opponent, no matter how strong, still couldn't resist him.

"Go, cripple him for me!" After just two moves, realizing the opponent was no match, Zhang Xuan was too lazy to continue fighting himself. He gave a command. Whoosh! From a room beneath the arena, over a hundred long blades of various designs immediately flew out, slicing directly towards the market master.

Although these blades were only low-tier Saint artifacts, their sheer number was overwhelming. With over a hundred attacking simultaneously, blade qi crisscrossed the air in an instant. The market master's pupils constricted; he didn't even have time to retaliate before he was cut to pieces, bleeding profusely.

"These..." The elder who had reported to the market master saw so many blades and his eyebrows twitched wildly. These were none other than the weapons provided to contestants for the arena matches... But weren't these items supposed to be unspirited? How could they be so obedient and attack the market master?

"They must have been awakened..." The elder clenched his fist, quickly understanding. It was clear that these weapons had all been awakened by the opponent. That's why they were so obedient and attacked the market master... This guy hadn't taken long from entering to choose weapons to coming out... How did he manage to awaken so many weapons so quickly?

It wasn't just the elder who wore an expression of disbelief; Zhang Jiuxiao's mouth also twitched. He had long known that Master Teacher Zhang's awakening methods were unparalleled in the world, but he hadn't expected him to be prepared beforehand, having already subdued the long blades. It seemed that as soon as he arrived, he had guessed that taking the winnings wouldn't be easy... The opponent's direct coercion simply provided an opportune excuse.

Swish! The more than a hundred low-tier Saint artifacts attacked as if specially trained, each strike targeting the market master's weakest points. In a short time, this pinnacle Ethereal Cultivation Realm expert, who had been so arrogant just moments ago, was bleeding profusely, covered in countless cuts, on the verge of death.

"Stop... I'm willing to return the Spirit Stones you won..." Knowing that he would eventually be hacked to death if this continued, the market master frantically cried out. Though he felt wronged, he was helpless. He was no match for Zhang Xuan, nor could he withstand the onslaught of those blades.

"Return them?" Zhang Xuan waved his hand, and the numerous long blades flew back, hovering uniformly behind him like a peacock fanning its tail.

"Yes..." Struggling to stand up, the market master took out a spatial ring and handed it over. "These are nineteen thousand eight hundred high-grade Spirit Stones..." This sum represented years of profit for the underground black market; once paid, the entire black market's financial chain would be broken.

Zhang Xuan casually took the ring, glanced at it, and nodded. The amount was sufficient; it seemed the other party wasn't playing tricks. "These winnings are what I earned from fighting... Now, you attacked me and my friend. Let's see how you're going to compensate us!" After putting away the Spirit Stones, Zhang Xuan looked at him.

"Compensate?" The market master's face turned pale. He was already ruined; now he had to compensate them too?

"Exactly!" Zhang Xuan nodded. This black market treated human lives with disregard. Since the Master Teacher Pavilion and Qianchong City didn't intervene, he naturally had to. Otherwise, if everyone behaved this way, what would become of the rules established by Master Teachers?

"How... how would you like to be compensated?" the market master gritted his teeth.

"I heard that your black market recently acquired an ancient book called 'Words of the Sage'?" Zhang Xuan asked after a moment of thought.