Chapter 237: Uninvited

The two of them each sat down at the table.

The blue‑robed man brewed a cup of tea for Jiang Cheng and poured tea into the cup before him as well.

"I suppose, my friend, you can roughly guess the purpose of my invitation now, can't you?"

He said with a smile.

"Hmm."

Jiang Cheng nodded, "It's to recruit me, right?"

"Exactly."

"But I'm not a Spiritual Thought Master; at most my Spiritual Power is a bit stronger than an ordinary person," Jiang Cheng said honestly.

"Hahaha, that doesn't matter."

The blue‑robed man laughed even louder.

"With our resources, cultivating you into a Spirit Grandmaster isn't a difficult task."

Jiang Cheng heard that and was genuinely startled.

But on further thought, the Black Market does indeed have that capability.

"Of course, you know, friend, reaching this stage requires a huge investment of resources, so we will assess your talent. If your talent is high and your cultivation speed fast, we will spare no effort to nurture you; if your talent is average and your speed slow, we will proportionally reduce some resource input."

"I understand that."

Jiang Cheng nodded.

Being suddenly approached by the Black Market left him a little unresponsive.

But having another option is ultimately a good thing.

Besides, he hasn't said he will join; just probing first is fine.

Hearing Jiang Cheng's inquiry, the blue‑robed man was very pleased.

Since there is an intention to inquire, it indicates the possibility of cooperation between both sides.

"Here's the deal: we will sign a thirty‑year contract. During those thirty years you must serve us until the contract ends. You need not worry about the difficulty of missions; cultivating a Spiritual Thought Master is not easy, we won't send you on suicide missions, and we will assign a Force Warrior to protect you.

In return, at regular intervals we will give you a certain amount of Cultivation Resources for free; the amount will depend on your potential, and as mentioned before, if you have the potential to become a Grandmaster, we will spare no effort to nurture you.

Besides that, you can purchase our internal items at cost price. Of course, this is limited in number; the higher your level, the more purchase opportunities you have each month. After buying, you may use them yourself or sell them to others—this is a benefit the Black Market offers its own.

"What do you mean by internal items?"

Jiang Cheng asked.

"The Black Market also has its own supply channels. Most of the items you see at the Auction are obtained by us through those channels; only a few are brought in by outsiders or commissioned by others. The former are internal items, making up about seventy percent."

Hearing this, Jiang Cheng was indeed somewhat tempted.

The Black Market's variety of items exceeds that of the Dawn Society.

According to this man's words, seventy percent of items can be obtained at cost, which is truly impressive.

Unfortunately, thirty years.

That duration is too long.

For an ordinary Spiritual Thought Master, becoming a Grandmaster in thirty years is quite good.

But for oneself, it's not certain; with enough resources, even without a single day of effort, one could become a Spirit Grandmaster.

Of course, compared to the Dawn Society it might be better.

The latter is likely a lifetime system; you can only leave if you die.

"Since you're a newcomer, this month you get an extra cost‑price purchase opportunity, meaning you have two chances this month."

The blue‑robed man extended two fingers and said in an enticing tone.

However, he left something unsaid.

That is, the number of uses cannot be carried over to the next month; it only applies within the current month.

Jiang Cheng didn't argue directly but hesitated, "The contract term is really too long; I need to go back and think it over."

The blue‑robed man smiled lightly and said, "This is only an initial agreement; if your performance later stands out, we can sign a new contract, renegotiating time and resources, and the old contract will be voided. As for reputation, don't worry—we the Black Market value reputation most, and these points will be noted in the contract." He glanced at Jiang Cheng and added meaningfully, "You're not yet a Spiritual Thought Master; relying solely on your own effort to become a Level 1 Spiritual Thought Master is not easy, let alone the later Level 2, 3, 4. Joining us will let you progress faster."

"I'll think it over carefully."

Jiang Cheng said so.

"Hehehe, no rush. Take your time to consider, and once you've decided, you can come find me anytime."

The blue‑robed man laughed.

He was accustomed to that.

After all, if the roles were reversed, hearing this would surely make him ponder for a few days before deciding.

Although Jiang Cheng is not yet Level One, he still hopes Jiang Cheng can join.

Because the Black Market absorbs few Spiritual Thought Masters, and their potential is generally average, it urgently needs fresh blood.

As long as they can cultivate even one with potential, it's not a loss.

Jiang Cheng left the private room.

Outside, the long‑robed man wore a look of wanting to speak but holding back.

"Please get me a list of items from the Spiritual Thought Master Auction, and also, the list for the next session, give me a copy of that as well."

Jiang Cheng smiled.

"Alright, alright."

The long‑robed man took a document from the drawer; it looked much thinner than the one on the table.

"Thanks."

Jiang Cheng took the two booklets and walked upstairs.

He truly didn't feel like joining the Black Market.

First, it's a thirty‑year contract, which is a bit frightening; although the other side says it can be altered, who knows how long it might become.

Second, he, who possesses the Panel, actually isn't suited to stay within a fixed organization, because his power advances too quickly; if it stays hidden it's fine, but if it gets out, who knows how great a shock it would cause, and it might even bring trouble.

As for Cultivation Resources, once he reaches level six he can go into the wild to hunt Exotic Beasts and make money by selling the materials.

What he needs is a Black Market—a platform that sells various Cultivation Resources.

He found an empty room, Jiang Cheng walked in and closed the door.

He sat down on the chair, hesitated a moment, and was deciding which book to look at first when a knock suddenly sounded outside.

Jiang Cheng was startled; he had been inside less than two minutes, and someone was already knocking? "Dong dong, dong dong."

The knocking sounded again.

"Someone's inside, right? Open the door, I have something to discuss with you."

A man's voice came from outside the door, and the tone didn't sound very pleasant.

Jiang Cheng frowned slightly, but still walked over.

After all, he came this time also to exchange Secret Martial Arts with someone.

Having someone come to the door couldn't be better.

He opened the door.

A roughly 1.8‑meter‑tall Short-haired Man wearing a mask stood at the doorway.

After the door opened, the other party sized Jiang Cheng up from head to toe, then walked in on his own.

"Do you have something to discuss?"

Jiang Cheng stood in the doorway and did not close the door.

His intuition told him this guy didn't seem to be here to discuss cooperation.

The other side glanced at the two pamphlets on the table, let out a chuckle, then turned back, looked at Jiang Cheng and said: "It's been a long time since a new Spiritual Thought Master has come to this place. Although you aren't yet a Spiritual Thought Master, hehe, earlier Li Guanshi approached you to invite you to join the Black Market, right? How does that sound? What are you thinking?"

(End of Chapter)