Chapter Forty-One: Wealth Soars, Journey to the Seaside Market

Bai Xuan was well aware that his footwork was his weakness, so the very first thing he set out to do was to master it.

“This... the authorities have decreed that unless you’re willing to use your real name and register officially, it’s not permitted to teach you. Even if you are taught, there is a mandatory three-year assessment period,” Zhao Yuancheng said, faltering in his response.

Chivalrous warriors always skirted the edge of the law, and the authorities were determined to keep martial experts in check using the Swordbearers Division. How could they allow secret martial arts to be taught so freely?

In truth, it was nearly impossible to obtain true martial secrets unless you joined the authorities outright.

“In that case, forget it,” Bai Xuan replied, shaking his head. Taking the silver note, he strode away, disappearing quickly at the end of the street.

There were eyes at his back, wanting to follow, but they hesitated. Considering Bai Xuan’s strength, anyone who pursued him would likely end up dead on the spot.

Inside the small courtyard.

“He’s certainly cautious,” Bai Xuan thought. He had changed his route three times and doubled back five times, taking a full hour before returning home. Only after shedding his disguise and confirming no one had tailed him did he relax.

If anyone had tried, they would have lost their head to his blade without hesitation.

“Though I have no news about the true footwork techniques, with this one thousand taels, combined with my previous savings, I now have about seventeen hundred taels. That’s almost enough to buy a large seafaring vessel.”

Bai Xuan flipped the thousand-tael note in his palm. It was remarkably sturdy—neither blade nor fire could easily destroy it.

Fortune favors the bold, but how long would it take to earn such a sum through fishing? Probably a lifetime of toil, and even then, if a master set their sights on you, your hard-earned savings could disappear overnight.

Even if you weren’t robbed, there were government taxes, the four great families, and layer upon layer of extortion—who could truly keep what they earned?

Only those with power could avoid the authorities’ tax collectors, and with strength, no one could steal your fortune.

...

In the morning.

A whaling ship returned to the docks, its deck bloodstained and shattered, mast broken halfway up—clearly, the crew had suffered heavy casualties.

This was already the fifth such incident this year, but this time, it seemed the Star Pirates weren’t responsible. There were tooth marks on the hull, as if some sea monster had attacked!

“The seas have been absolute chaos lately. The Star Pirates utterly routed the Black Pirate Fleet, their ferocity unmatched. And now, there’s a monstrous whale prowling the open ocean, attacking ships. There’s no peace to be found,” someone said.

“I heard the Black Pirates turned around and killed a traitor—one of the Star Pirates’ ninth-ranked experts—and even reclaimed some ground? They say the killer is collecting the bounty on Qianshan Island, though it might just be a ruse.”

“That was just one man and one boat—hardly worth mentioning. The Star Pirates have placed a heavy bounty on him: two thousand taels of silver and a large ship. Plenty of experts have their eye on the prize. I doubt he’ll live much longer!”

“Sigh, things are getting worse and worse. All we can do is pray for help... Lately, the Seven Seas Society has been giving out rice, flour, talismans, and spiritual pills—quite miraculous. Maybe we should go take a look.”

Outside the small courtyard, several fishermen rowed past, sighing. These old sailors had spent their lives at sea and, though they might not be skilled in martial arts, their knowledge of news and rumors was unparalleled. Every day, they traded stories from every corner of the world, even gossip from the imperial capital.

“Seven Seas Society?” Bai Xuan was gazing at the docks and heard every word.

He had long expected the Star Pirates would not let things rest, which was why he kept a low profile, hiding his identity and never showing his face. If the Star Pirates wanted trouble, they could only go after the Black Pirates.

But he had never heard of this Seven Seas Society before.

“I must increase my strength as quickly as possible.”

Bai Xuan paid no heed to these religious sects. He felt a pressing sense of urgency.

“With my current strength, I could wipe out a ship’s crew, but I’m nowhere near able to take on an entire fleet. Against a grandmaster, I could only escape by diving into the sea.”

“I must make haste and master true footwork. I must shore up my weakness!”

Noon, at the restaurant.

“True footwork techniques? I’ve heard the family martial hall teaches them, but only first mates or direct family members can enter. I’m afraid you’ll have to talk to Captain Bai Xuanji about this,” Bai Xiazhen said, scratching his head.

Some things could be solved with money, but not everything. The family had its rules; no amount of money could buy your way into the martial hall.

“It seems I’ll have to wait for the captain’s return.”

Bai Xuan had no connections—an orphan with deceased parents, who was there in the family to help him into the martial hall?

He could only wait for Bai Xuanji to return from his official duties and ask his help. Still, he didn’t just sit and wait. Once back at the courtyard, he wrote a letter and asked someone to deliver it to Bai Xuanji.

“Tomorrow is the day the Sea Market opens. I’ll take a look around first.”

Bai Xuan made up his mind.

Now that his wealth had increased so much, he should return to the Sea Market. There were many treasures auctioned there—perhaps he’d find exactly what he needed!

With his current martial prowess, he could swim across to the island in an hour—faster than a shark.

But unless it was absolutely urgent, there was no reason to swim over.

Early the next morning, Bai Xuan set foot on his small, covered boat and arrived at the little island where the Sea Market was held.

“It’s as lively as ever,” he thought, perfectly at ease.

He’d been here once before, but this time, he didn’t wear the shark mask he’d used so many times before. That mask had become too recognizable.

Instead, he picked up a new shark mask and, rather than heading straight to the auction house, wandered around outside first.

There were many treasures here at the Sea Market, but not many that Bai Xuan found useful. For example, there was a centuries-old piece of agarwood, deep purple and exuding a lingering fragrance that lasted for days—a true rarity—displayed on a shabby stall by an elderly seller who simply dozed, not bothering to hawk his wares. In the hands of a connoisseur, it would fetch at least a hundred taels of silver, perhaps more.

Another stall owner was selling blades, demonstrating that his knife could slice through flesh at a touch and cut hair cleanly in two. No matter how tough your martial arts-trained body, it couldn’t withstand this weapon—truly a treasured blade!

This man seemed to be an expert weaponsmith. Bai Xuan had seen him before; his wares were always of the highest quality, each piece worth at least a hundred taels.

“Let me try it,” Bai Xuan said, picking up a blade.

The vendor replied boisterously, “Careful, sir! One swipe and it’ll draw blood. If you use force, you could chop off a wrist as if it were tofu!”

Bai Xuan drew the blade across his palm. A harsh metallic screech rang out, and when he lifted the blade, there was only a faint white mark on his skin.

“Excellent blade!” Bai Xuan praised.

He wasn’t being sarcastic. His skin was as tough as copper and iron, reinforced by three layers of the Azure Scale Technique. Even most captains wouldn’t feel a thing if struck by an ordinary blade.

For this weapon to leave even a faint mark proved it truly was a treasure.

“What kind of ‘treasured blade’ is that? It can’t even cut skin!” scoffed an onlooker, unaware of how formidable Bai Xuan’s body was.

The vendor, however, blanched, his earlier bravado replaced by respect.

He knew exactly how sharp his blade was—made from meteorite iron, it could cleave a giant shark in two, slice steel like paper, and leave nothing whole.

For this young man’s body to withstand it, leaving only a faint trace—just how formidable was his martial skill?

“Sir, your strength is truly astounding. I failed to recognize your prowess,” the vendor said respectfully. “I am Liu Ruyi of Swordsmith Manor. May I have your esteemed name?”