Chapter 35: Potion
On the street stall, every item had a label attached, simply stating its name and price.
A few even had a brief introduction written beneath them.
“Beast Berserk Potion.”
At first glance, Zhou Ming spotted something useful.
It was a potion made from the refined blood essence extracted from a Violent Lion’s heart, capable of temporarily boosting a beast’s strength. However, it was generally only effective on low-tier beasts.
If one wanted the potion to affect a high-tier beast, the ingredient had to be the heart of a beast that had personally experienced a berserk state.
That was why the Violent Lion’s heart Zhou Ming had obtained earlier had been so valuable.
Seeing a trace of gray impurities within the red liquid, Zhou Ming knew it must be a low-quality inferior version of the Berserk Potion.
Though its effects were similar to a normal potion, it would harm the beast’s potential.
After a few glances, Zhou Ming had already decided to buy it.
Other than Inkband, he still had nearly a hundred other Ironthread Snakes.
After that, Zhou Ming began to pay attention to other items, hoping to find something else he needed.
A moment later, Zhou Ming leaned closer to the stall owner in front of him and spoke softly.
“Three bottles of Beast Berserk Potion, one box of Focus Incense, one copy of A Detailed Explanation of Beast Tamer Career Advancement, and one bottle of Blood Ignition Potion.”
When Zhou Ming mentioned the Blood Ignition Potion, the stall owner, cloaked in a black robe, unexpectedly lifted his head to study him.
The Blood Ignition Potion was one that granted immense power at the cost of a beast’s life, with an effect several times stronger than the Berserk Potion.
However, a beast that died in this way would cause severe damage to its Beast Tamer’s spirit.
Unless forced into a desperate situation, few would ever use it—because even if they survived, they would essentially be crippled.
“That’ll be all. Can the price be a bit lower?”
“Clearly marked prices. No bargaining.”
The stall owner’s voice was hoarse but resolute.
Seeing that, Zhou Ming could only give up. He took out an anonymous Gold Card to pay, totaling 350,000 Alliance Coins.
If bought through normal channels outside, it would cost at least 500,000 Alliance Coins.
Securing his backpack, which now contained all his purchased items, Zhou Ming moved on toward his next target stall.
At the second stall he stopped at, most of the items were of inferior quality, far below the previous one.
However, there were two or three high-quality items among them—an unexpected surprise.
“How much for the Amethyst Potion?”
Zhou Ming pointed to a potion placed nearest to the stall owner.
“Ninety thousand. This is the last premium-grade Amethyst Potion I’ve got.”
The stall owner, wearing a tiger mask, directly reported the price.
“For just ten thousand more, I could buy one with a quality guarantee outside,” Zhou Ming muttered under his breath in disapproval.
“First, this is a premium-grade one—its effect is ten percent stronger than a normal Amethyst Potion. Second, if you could really buy one outside, would you be here?”
Hearing this, Zhou Ming fell silent. With the reputation of the Amethyst Potion, it would be immediately bought up by high-ranking figures in Qinshan Base the moment it appeared.
If not for the price being too high relative to the Black Market and the uncertainty of its quality, Zhou Ming would have never even seen a trace of it.
“I want to inspect the Amethyst Potion.”
“You can, but if it gets damaged, you’ll have to buy it.”
“Fine.”
After confirming that the container holding the potion was intact, Zhou Ming took it from the stall owner while keeping a close watch on his hands.
Scammers existed in every world.
Besides opening the vial and tasting a drop, Zhou Ming also inspected it several times.
Finally, he decided to take the gamble—the potion’s effect was simply too tempting.
For an Apprentice Beast Tamer, it could permanently increase Spiritual Power by ten to twenty percent with no side effects.
The only drawback was that it could be used only once; a second dose would have no effect.
After paying ninety thousand Alliance Coins, Zhou Ming even asked the stall owner for a potion box to safely store it, tucking it carefully into his chest.
At the following few stalls, Zhou Ming did not find anything particularly enticing.
Only at the last stall that sold Beast Tamer-related items did he spend another hundred thousand Alliance Coins to buy a book containing detailed explanations and insights about the Basic Meditation Technique. Then, he began to wander casually while waiting for the Black Market to end.
“Clang,” the sound of a bronze gong echoed.
“Ten minutes until closing. Guests who wish to leave may choose different passages to exit. Also, the time and place of the next market will be announced at the bottom right corner of the Qinshan Evening News on the fifteenth of each month.”
After the gong sounded, a masked Black Market manager stood on a nearby platform, loudly announcing to everyone present.
Looks like this Black Market has quite a powerful background.
Announcing via the Qinshan Evening News at fixed times every month—
Even if the Security Bureau were filled with fools, they would’ve found the Black Market long ago. There was no way such an event could operate so openly otherwise.
But this had nothing to do with Zhou Ming.
After learning how to enter the Black Market, he casually chose one of the exits and headed out.
Besides buyers like Zhou Ming who had already made their purchases, many others were hurrying as well, some too rushed to even haggle—after all, who knew if they’d find what they wanted next time?
Some vendors, for various reasons, might never return.
Once an opportunity was missed, it was gone.
After leaving the Black Market, Zhou Ming quickly slipped into a nearby alley.
“Hm? Do people in this transcendent world all fancy robbing each other?”
With his Radar Sensory Domain, Zhou Ming instantly sensed that someone nearby was lingering around him.
As he said this, he almost forgot that this was exactly how he himself had made his fortune.
Unwilling to get into trouble, Zhou Ming swiftly relied on his familiarity with the southern district and his Radar Sensory Domain to get away quickly.
Using his knowledge of the area, he looped through several alleys and finally arrived at a quiet, safe place before heading toward the inner city.
Upon returning home, Zhou Ming immediately went to his bedroom, ready to use the Amethyst Potion.
“Hope I wasn’t scammed.”
Sitting cross-legged on his bed, Zhou Ming looked at the vial glowing faintly with violet light, feeling a tinge of nervousness.
If it turned out to be fake, he would lose nearly a million Alliance Coins.
Opening the vial, the liquid inside was like translucent purple crystal, releasing no scent at all—that was precisely the Amethyst Potion’s signature trait.
Then, an Ironthread Snake appeared in Zhou Ming’s hand. He placed a single drop of the potion into its mouth.
At worst, a fake potion would be a waste; a poisoned one would be far worse.
Zhou Ming cautiously let his beast test it first.
Moments later, seeing that his beast was perfectly fine—in fact, looking even more energetic—Zhou Ming’s lips curved into a delighted smile.
It seemed he had truly stumbled upon a genuine product this time.
Confirming it was safe, Zhou Ming immediately drank down the potion in one gulp.
Then he sat on his bed and began to meditate, focusing on absorbing the potion’s effects to the fullest.
After all, the difference between twenty percent and ten percent was an entire double.