The cultivation skill that Black Flood Dragon Gang Leader Deng Guangxin practiced was no secret.
So, Wang Xingjian casually said, "The Gang Leader practices the Six Harmonies Reincarnation Skill!"
Although one couldn’t judge from the name alone that the Six Harmonies Reincarnation Skill was an Evil Skill, perhaps due to his preconceived notions about such gangs, Zou Feng couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t a skill from one of the Renowned and Righteous Sects.
"What? Don’t tell me you want the Gang Leader to take you in as a disciple so you can learn this skill too?"
Before Zou Feng could answer, Wang Xingjian shook his head with a smile. "No chance," he continued. "The Gang Leader took on six disciples at once a few years back and has had no intention of taking any more since."
’Ah, the Six Harmonies Reincarnation Skill, and he just so happens to have six disciples...’
Zou Feng couldn’t help but offer a moment of silent prayer for the future tragedy that would likely befall the Gang Leader’s six disciples.
’Then again, I’m probably just projecting and overthinking things.’
’What if the Gang Leader just happens to have OCD and felt compelled to take exactly six disciples?’
’Right, I can’t just assume everyone is hatching a conspiracy just because of what Yang Yanpeng did with the Human Gu...’
"Actually, you don’t have to feel bad about it. The Gang Leader’s Six Harmonies Reincarnation Skill is powerful, but it’s incredibly difficult to cultivate. Even now, three of his disciples still haven’t reached the stage of Integration and Mastery."
"The Gang Leader has even lost his temper over it a few times."
"But it’s totally understandable. After all, the Gang Leader has spared no effort for these disciples, treating them like his own sons and pouring resources on them like they’re free!"
"Man, he must really want his ’sons’ to succeed. Sigh... I’m so jealous of those six lucky guys. Why didn’t the Gang Leader pick me back in the day...?"
As he said this, an expression of profound regret appeared on Wang Xingjian’s face.
Zou Feng: "..."
After a moment, Wang Xingjian shook himself out of his reverie and patted Zou Feng, whose expression had become rather odd. "Don’t worry about it. You’ll be an Incense Master the moment you join, so you can take your pick from all the cultivation skills in our gang."
"After we meet Master Chen and you complete the initiation ceremony, I’ll take you to pick a cultivation skill."
"They’re all guaranteed to be True Skills!"
That last sentence was crucial—it was exactly what Zou Feng had been waiting to hear.
While you could buy Evil Skills in the Ghost Market, they were often hand-copied manuscripts that had passed through countless hands, making them likely to be fake or incomplete.
Of course, even if they were fake, with the top contributors on his list taking the hit for him, Zou Feng wouldn’t run into any problems practicing them.
But if a skill was *too* fake, then practicing it would be pointless. It would have no effect whatsoever—a complete waste of time.
The fact that Zou Feng had managed to strike gold in a pile of shit before, unearthing the Drunken Immortal Moon Gazing Step and the Chaos Finger, was a sign of his explosive luck.
Zou Feng also suspected it had something to do with his special panel, the one that only displayed progress when he practiced Evil Skills.
Most likely, it was the intuition for sensing Evil Skills granted by the panel that allowed him to find the genuine articles.
But he hadn’t had any such intuition since, and he’d never again run into the fat merchant who had sold him the Drunken Immortal Moon Gazing Step.
Chatting idly about this and that, Zou Feng soon followed Wang Xingjian into a Black Flood Dragon Gang stronghold.
The Guangfa Gambling House, located in the south of the city, was one of the Black Flood Dragon Gang’s strongholds.
Yang Ling, one of the former top contributors on Zou Feng’s list, used to be a regular here.
The Black Flood Dragon Gang member overseeing this location was, of course, Master Chen.
With Wang Xingjian leading the way, their passage was unobstructed.
Before long, Zou Feng found himself in Chen Jingsheng’s private Practice Room, where he met the Hall Master.
They met in the Practice Room because they had arrived right in the middle of Chen Jingsheng’s training session.
"THUD—THUD—THUD—"
The room was filled with solid iron posts. Chen Jingsheng weaved nimbly between them, periodically lashing out with a punch or a whip kick.
Each blow landed with a tremendous, muffled thud.
Chen Jingsheng was an extremely tall, muscular man.
Right now, it looked less like he was training and more like he was venting some unknown fury.
"Master Chen, this is Zou Feng." Wang Xingjian didn’t enter the room, instead bowing from the doorway.
Only then did Chen Jingsheng stop.
A maid immediately rushed over to wipe his sweat.
The maid was quite attractive. As she wiped his sweat, she giggled coquettishly. "Hall Master, you still haven’t worked off your anger..."
"Mm!"
The maid immediately squatted down with a delighted expression.
Zou Feng: "..."
’These small-time gangs really are something else,’ he thought. ’They’re so brazen, treating common decency and morals like dirt.’
"You achieved Pile Skill Entry, correct?" Chen Jingsheng paid no mind to Zou Feng’s awkward, inexperienced expression.
Zou Feng cupped his fist. "Yes, Master Chen. That is correct."
"Achieving Entering Grade that way... it’s nothing special, really."
"But you fought Yang Chen to a standstill right after Entering Grade. Your potential can’t be bad."
"Pile Skill is just the foundation. Pick a good cultivation skill later and keep training hard."
"Remember, the Black Flood Dragon Gang doesn’t support loafers. Now go!"
After saying his piece, he turned away and resumed cultivating, focusing his energy in his Dantian without another word.
Seeing that Chen Jingsheng was about to resume his focused training, Wang Xingjian bowed again before turning to Zou Feng. "Let’s go. The official initiation ceremony is next."
Once they were some distance from the Practice Room, he lowered his voice. "Don’t mind him. Master Chen is just like that—a man of few words, and he especially dislikes empty pleasantries."
"The fact that he said your potential ’can’t be bad’ is the highest praise you’re going to get from him right now."
Zou Feng nodded. Of course he didn’t mind.
’It was just that the scene moments ago was a bit too much for a pure, innocent eighteen-year-old boy like himself.’
When they arrived at Loyalty Hall, gang members had already prepared everything needed for the ceremony.
The ceremony for joining the gang was nothing more than reciting the gang rules.
Naturally, the rules were full of the usual spiel about brotherly love and loyalty.
Notably, if a gang brother committed the filthy act of getting involved with another brother’s wife, the punishment was also three stabs for six wounds.
After reciting the gang rules, the next step was to burn incense and pay respects.
They paid their respects to a portrait hanging at the far end of Loyalty Hall.
From the introduction, Zou Feng learned that the glaring, seated man in the portrait was the founder of the Black Flood Dragon Gang, the first Gang Leader.
As he paid his respects, Zou Feng suddenly felt an inexplicable restlessness in his heart.
He glanced up and saw the first Gang Leader in the portrait seemingly come to life, his eyes fixed on him.
’Sinister...’
’It’s not like the first Gang Leader actually came back to life, but this portrait is definitely no ordinary object.’
’Considering what I’ve heard before—how the Government Office can track people who’ve signed special indenture blood contracts...’
’Aren’t all these mysterious gadgets basically Magical Artifacts?’
’Things are starting to appear that can’t be explained by Martial Arts alone. That must mean that after stepping into the High Grades of the Martial Dao, there’s a whole new world waiting...’
Thinking about all this, Zou Feng felt even more motivated.
’No matter how long and arduous the road ahead, I won’t be fighting alone.’
’The top contributors on my list will be my strongest support.’
’Truly, the Great Dao is not a lonely path!’
Soon, they reached the final step of the initiation.
This involved lighting one’s own Everlasting Lamp and then, after biting a finger, dripping a drop of one’s own blood into the lamp’s oil.
This part of the process made Zou Feng deeply uneasy.
’Tsk, this Everlasting Lamp... don’t tell me it’s another Magical Artifact with a tracking function?’