Chapter 78: Zhou Ming Got Scammed
“This second reason is that practicing New Martial Arts is difficult, and it also requires a lot of resources—more time, effort, and materials than traditional martial arts.”
“Think about it. Ordinary people dare not train deeply in New Martial Arts. Wasting resources like that, it’s better to just learn traditional martial arts.”
“As for Beast Tamers, those above the Professional Rank—whether they practice or not doesn’t matter. And most Apprentice-level Beast Tamers already have limited resources and time. How could they spare the effort to train in New Martial Arts?”
“Not every Beast Tamer can advance to the Professional Rank, right?”
Hearing the Stall Owner’s explanation, Zhou Ming shared his thoughts. The vast majority of Beast Tamers within the Alliance were only apprentices—not everyone was qualified to advance further.
“You’ve misunderstood something. Practicing New Martial Arts doesn’t instantly make you bulletproof. Spending that much effort and money is worse than just buying a high-end combat suit.”
“To strengthen your body to the level where you can resist bullets, New Martial Arts requires an extremely high level of mastery. And to reach that realm, only a Professional-level Beast Tamer’s Spiritual Power can suppress the inner negative emotions and remain unaffected by Ferocious Beast Genes.”
“Do you think Professional-level Beast Tamers need New Martial Arts? Take Beast Knights for example—their bodies alone can resist gunfire. Practicing New Martial Arts would do nothing for them because their physical strength is already overwhelming.”
After hearing the Stall Owner’s words, a single term appeared in Zhou Ming’s mind.
Tasteless.
“Something not worth eating, yet too wasteful to throw away.”
“Didn’t expect you to be so knowledgeable, Boss. Even if I gained nothing else from today’s visit to the Market Square, it wouldn’t be a wasted trip.”
“Don’t get all scholarly on me, kid. I’ve just been with a few hunting teams, traveled to other bases for missions, and seen a bit more of the world.”
“As they say, ‘Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles.’”
From the casual tone of the Stall Owner, Zhou Ming could tell he wasn’t an ordinary hunter. Judging by his experience and the fact that he could take missions at other bases, he was at least an elite Black Iron Hunter—possibly even Bronze Rank.
And given Zhou Ming’s understanding of Beast Tamers, the man was likely a powerful Apprentice-level Beast Tamer in real combat. As for being Professional-level—absolutely impossible.
Those Professional Beast Tamers could earn money without leaving home. Why would they bother running a stall?
“You, kid—those bright eyes of yours tell me you’re a Beast Tamer too. Interested in this Beast King Body manual?”
“How much in Alliance Coins? Can you give me a discount?”
“So that’s what you’re after. Flattery won’t work on me. The price is clearly marked—one million Alliance Coins.”
Hearing that, Zhou Ming immediately examined the Stall Owner carefully. With his thick brows and honest face, he looked like a simple, trustworthy man—yet he was clearly treating Zhou Ming like a fat pig to slaughter.
“Boss, you’re not trying to rip me off, are you?”
“If I were the kind of man who cheated people, do you think you’d hear such a detailed explanation here at the Market Square? Say what you want, but New Martial Arts has been hyped to the heavens—its price could’ve easily tripled.”
Zhou Ming didn’t argue. The man was telling the truth.
After wandering around for so long, this Stall Owner was the only one who felt genuine. No wonder his business wasn’t exactly booming.
But one million Alliance Coins was still a hefty sum for Zhou Ming at any time. Moreover, the New Martial Arts manual, flaws aside, was only a written training method.
Unlike Mad Python Martial Way, which provided personal guidance, medicinal decoctions, and daily meal plans—guaranteeing Zhou Ming’s mastery—this New Martial Arts manual was a tasteless “chicken rib” sold at an outrageous price.
“Boss, let’s not even talk about the flaws of New Martial Arts. This Martial Arts Manual isn’t a Beast Tamer’s Meditation Technique that needs Spiritual Power to record. If I’m not mistaken, the moment I buy your Beast King Body manual, you’ll just put another one up for sale.”
“Ahem.”
The Stall Owner looked a bit embarrassed when Zhou Ming said that.
But he quickly composed himself and spoke in a serious tone.
“At Qinshan Base University, whether a teacher instructs one student or a group, it’s still teaching. Does Qinshan Beast Tamer University charge tuition for just one person per class?”
“Knowledge is priceless. And tell me, where else in Qinshan Base could you find someone selling New Martial Arts manuals?”
“Uncle, I really admire your integrity, but if you keep this up, you’ll never make a sale. Why not cut me a small discount as a good omen?”
“How much of a discount?”
Not because he agreed with Zhou Ming’s reasoning—he was just annoyed.
“Five hundred thousand.”
“Deal.”
Zhou Ming froze for a moment.
“Did I bargain too low? Or is there something wrong with your Beast King Body?”
The Stall Owner simply tossed the Beast King Body manual in front of him, signaling for him to read it. He wasn’t the least bit worried Zhou Ming could memorize the whole thing.
If he really could, then the Stall Owner would have to admit his bad luck.
Moments later, Zhou Ming closed the Beast King Body with satisfaction. With his martial knowledge, he hadn’t found anything suspicious in it.
“If there’s no problem, pay up. If I didn’t hate trouble so much, I wouldn’t have let you get it this cheap.”
Having verified the content and gained a decent impression of the man, Zhou Ming decisively took out his Gold Card and swiped it on the machine in the Stall Owner’s hand.
Once the transaction was complete, Zhou Ming didn’t linger. He tucked the Beast King Body into his small backpack and left.
“Whistle—”
“Heh, another good day’s earnings.”
The honest-looking Stall Owner immediately whistled cheerfully and pulled a fresh copy of the Beast King Body from the box under his seat, setting it up for the next customer.
“Old Wu, do you actually manage to sell those this way?”
“Heh, who do you think I am? And for the record, my Beast King Body manuals are the real deal—not like your fake junk.”
The Stall Owner beside him, apparently an acquaintance, only laughed and cursed good-naturedly.
“You lucky bastard.”
Meanwhile, Zhou Ming had no idea he’d just been scammed. Although the Beast King Body wasn’t fake, normally a New Martial Arts manual cost only a few tens of thousands of Alliance Coins.
Of course, there was a reason Zhou Ming got tricked.
New Martial Arts had been created a hundred years ago, causing a sensation across the Blue Star Alliance. But once its flaws were discovered, the Alliance’s enthusiasm quickly cooled. Repeated research failed to fix the problems, and New Martial Arts eventually faded from public attention.
For ordinary people who weren’t Beast Tamers, New Martial Arts seemed like a way to carve out a future through sheer will—but lack of money and resources kept most away.
As for the wealthy or well-connected, though they had resources, they wouldn’t waste time on something so flawed. They’d rather focus on becoming Beast Tamers.
Thus, after a century, few still knew of New Martial Arts. Only the upper-class youths, with their broad education, were familiar with it.
That Stall Owner relied on good acting skills to target the wealthy but ignorant—those unaware of New Martial Arts’ true history.
It could only be said: there’s always someone sharper. Zhou Ming had made it this far through caution and preparation—but when it came to cunning, he still had a long way to go.
Still, it wasn’t entirely his fault this time—the man had deceived him with nine and a half truths, never once mentioning the real price of New Martial Arts.
A scam born from an information gap.