The place I followed the Black Society Chief to was an abandoned house with no human presence. However, after taking a few steps into the abandoned house and passing through a small room, a neatly organized space appeared, which could clearly be called the base of a martial arts force.
The Black Society Chief sat down in a chair with his subordinates and said,
"Little Hero, come to the Jia Bi Pavilion at Hai hour two days from now. When you get there, give the password 'I want to drink plum wine soaked in water' and you will be able to enter the Dark Martial Arts Tournament venue."
I memorized the time, place, and password he mentioned. My memory is quite good, so I won't forget it easily. I repeated it in my mind and then asked,
"What do I get if I win the Dark Martial Arts Tournament?"
"Hehehe... Isn't it a bit late to ask? You accepted my proposal because you really want to fight purely, didn't you?"
The Black Society Chief laughed sarcastically. Then, he drank a bottle of alcohol from the table and said,
"I don't dislike people like you. For some reason, you smell like one of us."
"Shut up and answer my question."
The Black Society Chief shrugged and said,
"Alright, alright. The Dark Martial Arts Tournament consists of five rounds and is held irregularly. To be precise, it only starts when all the participants have gathered. The Demon Lord only decides to hold it when 32 martial artists have gathered. You are the last martial artist I recruited."
"So what do I get if I win?"
"Secret manuals, elixirs, and treasures!"
"......!!"
"Because you can get those, even public enemies of the martial world risk their lives to participate. Isn't it attractive?"
The Black Society Chief's words were shocking.
I never thought that the secret manuals, elixirs, and treasures, which are as precious as life to martial artists, would be provided. It was hard to believe that the Demon Lord of the Asura Gate would provide such things.
"Secret manuals, elixirs, and treasures. If you have those, shouldn't the Demon Lord keep them for himself? Why would he do something for others?"
The Black Society Chief chuckled and explained,
"It sounds unbelievable, but it's not a lie. The Demon Lord is a battle maniac who enjoys both fighting himself and watching others fight. He created the Dark Martial Arts Tournament by pulling in the powerful figures and high officials of Luoyang using his influence. The reason was to see the fierce battles of brave warriors who fight purely and risk their lives, without any grudges."
"That's not enough of an explanation."
"Alright, alright. The truth is, the secret manuals, elixirs, and treasures are not provided by the Demon Lord. There's a rumor that a certain powerful figure is helping the Demon Lord to hold the Dark Martial Arts Tournament. The fact that the Demon Lord doesn't even think of taking those rewards shows that the powerful figure is very strong."
"Hmm... Is that true?"
"Yes. The secret manuals, elixirs, and treasures are real."
The Black Society Chief drank another bottle of alcohol and said,
"For reference, the winner of the previous tournament received the Wheel Turning Saber Technique, the Silver Chestnut Fruit, and the Purple Spirit Moon Sword. Even now, it was a tremendous reward."
"......"
"Hehe. Don't you want to know the rewards for this tournament? If you give me one more gold ingot, I'll tell you the rewards and the background of the participants."
Kwang!
"Ugh...!!"
The dagger in my hand swiftly pierced through the air, cutting off the neck of the bottle the Black Society Chief was drinking from. It then crashed into the wall and flew over ten feet away with the remaining force. The Black Society members simultaneously drew their weapons and rushed at me, but when I unleashed the Thunder Cloud Palm, they were thrown back by the palm force.
"Aaaah..."
Dust clouds rose, and there sat the Black Society Chief with a slightly pale face, holding the severed neck of the bottle. I pointed my sword at him and said coldly,
"Don't mess with me. One gold ingot is enough. If I think you can't pay for it, I'll cut off your head anytime."
"... I understand. I was just joking, so put away your sword."
Swish
When I sheathed my sword, the Black Society Chief raised his hand to stop the Black Society members. I was prepared to fight the Black Society right there, and the Black Society Chief seemed to have sensed my determination. He said in amazement,
"Little Hero, don't you value your life?"
"What?"
"Even if we are all wiped out, we can take one of your limbs. Why do you keep putting your neck in the tiger's mouth?"
I raised my killing intent.
"Do you think I came here without such resolve? It seems you need to be taught a lesson."
Zing
"Ah, I understand! Stop it. You are really a terrifying person."
When I drew my sword again and summoned the Heavenly Thunder Seal, the Black Society Chief waved his hands in fear. He had been in the underworld for a long time and had a well-developed instinct to discern whether his opponent was just threatening or serious. Realizing that I was serious, he decided to stop the pointless intimidation.
But that was only natural. When dealing with the underworld or the evil sects, showing any weakness would inevitably lead to being devoured. The Black Society Chief, who appeared light and slick on the surface, would undoubtedly use all sorts of despicable means to kill me if the situation arose. After a moment, he caught his breath and said,
"... Anyway, since I'm betting on you, I'll tell you the information about the participants and the rewards."
"You should have done that from the beginning."
"The information about the participants is compiled in this book. Check it later."
I received a thin book that the Black Society Chief threw from the side. It indeed contained the names and skills of martial arts experts, likely the information of the participants in the Dark Martial Arts Tournament.
"And the rewards for the winner are the Yang Family Spear Technique, the Kunlun Immortal Elixir, and the Seven Treasures Blood Sword."
"Yang Family Spear Technique!!"
I was startled by the name.
'The Three Great Spear Techniques of the World!'
Li Guang always said this. While the Thunder God Style spear technique is the best in the world, if there were any techniques that could match it, they would be the Emei Spear and the Yang Family Spear. He explained that these three spear techniques were the Three Great Spear Techniques of the World. The Emei Spear was the pinnacle of Buddhist martial arts, and the Yang Family Spear was the ultimate in practical martial arts. For Li Guang, who had such high self-esteem, to compare it with the Thunder God Style, it must be an unparalleled martial art.
The Black Society Chief scratched his head.
"I don't know much about the Yang Family Spear Technique, but the Kunlun Immortal Elixir is as powerful as the Great Revitalizing Pill of Shaolin. And the Seven Treasures Blood Sword is a legendary sword worth a city."
"You don't know?"
"It's actually quite confusing. Since the Demon Lord's judgment can't be wrong, I just accept it as it is."
"......"
I realized that the Black Society Chief genuinely didn't understand the value of the Yang Family Spear Technique. This was in stark contrast to Li Guang, who praised it as one of the Three Great Spear Techniques of the World. It seemed that there was a significant difference between the knowledge of the world and the supreme martial arts that Li Guang understood. Perhaps the Yang Family Spear Technique wasn't widely known in the world.
The Black Society Chief crossed his arms and said,
"By the way, just in case, don't even think about being disrespectful or attacking the Demon Lord. If that happens, no one in the world will survive that place."
I chuckled.
"That's not the case. Your head will also be on the line, right?"
"......"
Struck by my words, the Black Society Chief was speechless.
"Are you really in your right mind? You're provoking me, the ruler of the Luoyang underworld, the Black Society Chief, and you still do this? I'm going crazy!"
"So what? You're just a subordinate force of the Asura Gate. How can I participate in the Dark Martial Arts Tournament if I'm afraid of you?"
"Ha... You're really something."
The Black Society Chief waved his hand, seemingly giving up on trying to reason with me. He realized that common sense didn't apply to me.
"I have one more question. In the Dark Martial Arts Tournament, do you have to kill your opponent to win?"
"Not necessarily. You just need to break their fighting spirit and get them to admit defeat. But most of them would rather be killed than admit defeat."
"Why?"
"Because the losers have their muscles cut and their internal energy sealed, and are sold as slaves. Female martial artists are sold to southern pirates and become sex slaves for life. Who would surrender? It's more merciful to be killed."
"......"
I frowned. The Dark Martial Arts Tournament was even more brutal than I had imagined. From the Black Society Chief's words, it seemed that the tournament had been held several times, and many losers had been made examples of. I nodded.
"Alright. See you later."
The Black Society Chief said,
"Anyway, see you in two days. I wish you good luck, Little Hero."
I left the Black Society and headed back home, but then I changed direction and went to the Han Family Manor.