Ji Xun decided to return to the Silver Star Mystical Materials Shop to exchange for the Golden Breathing Technique. Though it was a spur-of-the-moment decision, it was also the best choice after careful consideration.
Killing the fortune teller yielded some spoils; previously, he had no money to buy the breathing technique, but now he had plenty.
Moreover, there wouldn't be a better opportunity than now.
With this commotion, his identity was already exposed.
It wouldn't be long before the entire Dark Rain Street black market knew he was the one related to the disappearance of the [407 Anomalous Biological Containment Facility].
The disappearance of a high-yield dimensional space was something everyone understood the significance of.
If he came back later to buy the incomplete Golden Breathing Technique, the shopkeeper would undoubtedly suspect it was him.
With such a valuable item in hand, even though Cao Yu hadn't explained what it was, it would inevitably arouse malicious intentions.
While the name "Dong Qi" still held some sway, Ji Xun planned to resolve the issue in one go.
As he expected, the shopkeeper was exceptionally bold.
And probably because the shopkeeper suspected a connection between him and "Dong Qi," the trade of spoils for the breathing technique was straightforward and smoothly accomplished.
As for unexpected events?
Ji Xun had considered them.
But he trusted his intuition and judgment more.
This blazing, fervent confidence transcended all subjective awareness.
It made him fearless!
...
Ji Xun didn't dare linger; he took the breathing technique and decisively disappeared into the darkness.
Dark Rain Street was already in chaos.
When the Blackwater Mercenary Group heard that their target, whom they had been searching for days, appeared in the black market, personnel from several nearby districts rushed over.
Not only mercenaries but also various undercover agents arranged by the Cao family in the lower city became active.
Such a commotion couldn't escape the notice of well-informed intelligence dealers.
Various forces in the city, unclear about the situation, thought there would be a major conflict in the black market and sent people to investigate.
For a while, Sinless City was rife with undercurrents; groups of armed personnel gathered in the streets, motorbike engines roaring.
Seeing this, all forces believed something catastrophic was about to happen.
More and more factions began to gather.
Almost no one fully understood what was happening, but they all mobilized their forces.
Because everyone else was doing it.
When the old woman was shot dead in the street, everyone realized that the card apprentice not only hadn't been captured but had returned more brazenly to kill and silence her!
The Blackwater Mercenary Group and the Cao family's undercover agents frantically searched everywhere.
Now, everyone knew it was no small matter.
But the governor of the Cao family had no real authority in the lower city; their large-scale operation not only failed to receive any help but faced obstacles everywhere.
Most people still didn't understand what had happened, but the residents of Sinless City were unanimously opposed: whatever the governor wanted to do, they aimed to stop.
The more urgent it seemed, the more they wanted to obstruct.
For a while, the vast Sinless City was in an uproar.
It seemed that the city's various factions were determined to uproot the governor's undercover agents in the lower city; now that they had exposed themselves, they wouldn't hold back.
From initial minor skirmishes to large-scale battles, the conflict escalated.
And Ji Xun, the instigator, had long since left the scene.
...
Before long, at the intersection of Red Fanfare District, a few kilometers from Dark Rain Street.
At the rail station, Ji Xun blended in with a group of off-duty mechanics, waiting for the intercity train.
He took a gulp of the freshly obtained potion, a cool sensation shooting straight to his head, making the whole world suddenly seem clearer.
"Whew... this potion is really something. That old woman was quite wealthy to carry so many of these," Ji Xun thought as he felt the potion's effects, the strange mental pleasure, and watched his mental energy steadily recover after wearing the clown mask.
In his hand was an empty vial with a silver tag that read, "Produced by Heide Alchemical Plant No. 1."
Just the tag alone was worth a hundred or so credits, indicating the potion's high value.
**[High-Efficiency Mental Energy Recovery Potion]**
*Details: Restores 0.1 mental energy per minute, keeps the mind clear, lasts for three hours.*
This was the spoils from killing the old woman.
Ji Xun had nearly twenty of these potions, a treasure that couldn't be bought even if you wanted to.
They solved his immediate problem.
Ji Xun had considered that while he had done everything possible to avoid physical tracking, mystical techniques were another matter.
Although he had the clown mask to exempt him from many mystical techniques, wearing the mask continuously consumed mental energy, making it impossible to wear all the time.
He had been discovered in the black market earlier because of this.
So, Ji Xun had thought of buying potions to offset the mental energy consumption.
But he had asked around at various potion shops and found that mental energy potions were very rare.
Firstly, they were difficult to make and required rare materials, so small workshops couldn't produce them. Secondly, the demand was low, and potions had a shelf life, making them unprofitable for anyone but major alchemical plants.
Even in a city like Sinless City, where anything could be bought, no one sold these at a loss.
Not only were they rare, but they were also extremely expensive.
Unexpectedly, he now had several rows of them.
What Ji Xun didn't know was that not all mystical professionals were this wealthy.
It was the fourth young master of the Cao family who, in a hurry to find the 407 Epic Source Card, had pulled from the governor's stockpile to provide the trackers with ample potion support.
Ji Xun had benefitted from this.
Hard work can lead to wealth.
But to get rich quick, shortcuts are needed.
...
Now with these **[High-Efficiency Mental Energy Recovery Potions]**, Ji Xun had a safety net.
After taking them, he could almost negate the continuous mental energy drain from wearing the clown mask.
This meant that while the potion was effective, it would be extremely difficult for anyone to use mystical means to locate him.
Moreover... there was one more thing.
Although Ji Xun didn't know much about this world yet, he understood that spell card users skilled in divination were very, very rare.
Moreover, the cost of using divination is significant.
Just like the old woman Ji Xun had seen earlier, her unnatural old age was a clear indicator.
Ji Xun didn't believe the Cao family, despite their resources, had many diviners.
Killing one meant one less threat.
This was the main reason he risked returning to eliminate her.
Additionally, relics with divination capabilities are likely hard to come by.
Ji Xun discovered another treasure among his spoils.
**[Relic: Golden Divination Cards]**
*Details: Level II mystical relic, consumes lifespan to divine targets within an area; the user must have prophecy-related abilities, and the vaguer the target's clues, the greater the backlash.*
Seeing these golden cards, Ji Xun immediately realized they were the same ones the old woman used to divine his location.
These are called ancient relics because they can hardly be replicated in modern times.
All relics come from ancient ruins and interdimensional spaces.
A "Level II relic" in the mystical category is exceedingly rare.
They are incredibly hard to come by.
Even the wealthy Cao family likely has only a few of these.
These are invaluable treasures that can't be bought on the market.
And then there was the last big surprise: the black ring Ji Xun now held.
It was a legendary storage ring.
Unlike containment cards, a storage ring is a pocket-like subspace that can hold various items. Containment cards have a different, more complex dimensional space ability with many limitations.
Ji Xun had heard hunters brag about these magical space rings that could store items.
A storage ring is a standard for nobles and spell card users. Even a ring with just a fist-sized space can sell for over 100,000 credits; this one was even more valuable.
By focusing his mind, he could access a hidden pocket with about 1/3 cubic meters of space.
With this ring, carrying equipment would be more concealed and convenient.
Aside from the mental potions and the golden card relic, the ring was filled with stacks of green banknotes totaling around 100,000, some gold and silver coins, scrolls, and emergency potions.
Most of these were exchanged for the golden breathing technique.
Ji Xun didn't bother to calculate if it was worth three million; he didn't feel shortchanged.
Those items were hot to handle, better to sell them off quickly.
Overall, this trip to the black market was extremely profitable.
Not only did he find a suitable breathing technique and eliminate a major threat, but he also struck it rich.
Soon, the "choo-choo-choo" of the steam train signaled its arrival at the station.
Ji Xun collected his thoughts and squeezed onto the train with the crowd.
...
An hour later, Ji Xun returned to the mortician's dormitory at 117 East Street, reeking of alcohol.
Today, all five teams had a day off. Captain Dong Jiu and two other veteran team members had gone to Downing Street and had not yet returned.
Morticians not only had high salaries but also good living conditions. Because of the small number of people and the large building, each person had their own single dormitory.
However, as soon as Ji Xun entered the building, he sensed something was off.
A stranger had been in the dormitory.