Chapter 161: Removed from the List

There are many people selling martial arts manuals in the market, but those offering top-tier manuals are extremely rare, as uncommon as thousand-year ginseng. The emergence of a top-tier manual is bound to attract countless capable players. A stall like the one before them, displaying three top-tier manuals at once, naturally becomes the focus of many players!

However…
The exorbitant price of 250,000 taels of silver still pushed many people beyond their psychological limit. Not everyone could amass a “ten-thousand-yuan household” fortune; having a five-digit savings account was already quite difficult. Even those who fared better rarely had savings exceeding 100,000 taels. Only guilds with considerable strength could gather large amounts of silver through collective efforts or other means.

But…
At the currently fluctuating exchange rate, 250,000 taels of silver was equivalent to over 13,000 RMB. Even average guilds wouldn’t readily pay such a sum.

Set a high price and demand more when selling!
That’s the old adage…

Many people gathered around the stall, engaging in fierce debates, mostly focusing on the various flaws of these top-tier martial arts. Some said this staff technique was hard to learn, others claimed this axe technique wasn’t very popular. Even more extreme was the claim that “Shadowless Swift Foot” had too low a killing power—its mastery-level power was only comparable to that of ordinary top-tier sword techniques at the third stage, not even fitting the category of top-tier martial arts. At 100,000 taels, it might still be acceptable.

Kai Xin listened outside, his heart pounding with laughter, holding back his giggles. There’s no need to go this far, right?
“Shadowless Foot” and “Shadowless Swift Foot” were very popular martial arts in the later stages of his past life. With their super-fast attack speed, they were excellent for leveling up and fighting monsters. They were also strong in battles, countering many slow to medium-speed top-tier martial arts!

Whether top-tier or lower-tier, once a manual appeared, it was almost instantly sold out. Later on, even a lower-tier version of “Shadowless Foot” was sold for 50,000 taels, while “Shadowless Swift Foot” fetched as much as 100,000 RMB per copy. Such top-notch martial arts being belittled to this extent… If he were the seller, Kai Xin thought… Never. He wouldn’t sell them.

“…”
Fortunately, the seller was a patient person, casually picking at his ear with a blade of grass, pretending to hear the derogatory comments from the players around him.

“The market price is only 200,000 taels. Brother, your bid is a bit too high, isn’t it? How about 200,000 taels for one copy?”

As time passed, more and more onlookers gathered. The seller’s unshakable stance finally made the earlier crowd show signs of unease. They clearly belonged to the lower class, lacking both the means and the courage to acquire superior martial arts secrets. Seeing the competition intensify, they naturally grew anxious.
“Twenty-one thousand, brother. That’s all I have…”
“…”
The seller, determined, tilted his head, staring at the sky while carefully cleaning his ears. After a while, the surrounding crowd also gave in, and the price rose steadily toward two hundred fifty thousand! Just as a few people were about to finalize the deal, a voice suddenly came from behind the crowd: “No need to bother. For all these martial arts secrets together, seventy-five thousand silver coins—I’ll take them all!” Those who had been bidding were stunned into silence…
The seller’s hand trembled slightly as he pretended to feel pain, hastily taking out the dogtail grass, seemingly having pricked his eardrum too hard.
Seventy-five thousand!
Who else but those top earners on the wealth list could afford it?
The crowd automatically parted to create a path. Happy, now dressed in blue, stepped forward under countless eager gazes. His blue robe caught many eyes.
“It’s him!”
Many recognized him at once—the Blue-Robed Gentleman Sword, who had stirred up chaos in Zhengzhou and the Songshan region, killing hundreds in battles yet always escaping unscathed.
“Seventy-five thousand?”
The seller regained some composure, snapping out of his shock at Happy’s arrival, and asked again in a somewhat uncertain tone.
“Certain.”
Happy promptly submitted a transaction request.
The seller took a deep breath, not daring to delay, and quickly packed up his stall, placing all the martial arts secrets on it. Seeing the stack of silver coins placed across from him, his eyes burned with greed.
The other players were astonished, discussing loudly:
“How can he buy so many superior secrets at once?”
“Exactly!”
“I heard it takes a month to master just one skill. Buying so many—will they lose value if carried around?”
“What do you know? Carrying too much money will get you killed! Keep your wealth hidden, understand? It’s only been one day on the wealth list, and so many have already died.”
“Ah…”
“But there’s no need to waste it like this. It could be spent elsewhere,” some still wondered.
Among the crowd were those who loved to explain:
“You don’t get it again, do you?”

“This kid spent 750,000 silver coins at once to buy three top-notch secret manuals, which will surely cause a sensation in Luoyang City. With public opinion spreading like this, everyone will know that Happy has spent his money. If he doesn’t have enough silver left, who would still go after him needlessly?”
“Makes sense!”
The group agreed wholeheartedly.
But they surely didn’t know Happy’s true intentions.
Spending money and falling off the wealth list was naturally his main goal; yet he wasn’t going to be extravagant!
Not to mention the rarity of “Shadow Wind Footwork,” he still needed to buy other martial arts manuals to learn, after all, the tasks from the Murong family still weighed on him…
He bought these manuals partly because they were worth the price and he needed them; additionally, in the short term, these top-notch martial arts skills wouldn’t decline in value and might even appreciate.
If necessary, he could even share them with the members of the Colorful Robes Sect!
After completing the transactions, Happy quickly learned all the lower-tier skills, packed up the martial arts manuals, and left the scene without delay…
Behind this group, several groups of people who had heard the news looked at each other in confusion!
One of them still held a thin booklet, looking helpless…
Although Happy’s rank on the famous figures list had risen, he had completely dropped off the wealth list—over 1.2 million silver coins, after deducting more than half, was no longer enough to keep him on the wealth list.
“Sly kid!” The group gritted their teeth and then asked, “What do we do now? We’ve been chasing him for so long!”
The man holding “Jianghu Secrets” smiled bitterly and said helplessly, “What else can we do? This kid might spend all his silver coins. Continuing to chase him will result in even greater losses! Cancel the mission!”
The wealth list was closely monitored by many factions, and any change in the rankings affected many people’s emotions. This time, the fact that Happy had deliberately removed himself from the wealth list quickly became known to everyone, and more people began to use the same tactic…
In a short time, new changes occurred on the wealth list!
Those who remained on the list were almost all leaders of powerful guilds with strong backing and strength…
“Wealth equals status!”
This truth was truly evident in “Jianghu” at this moment!