In the crescent moon city, working as a middleman was undoubtedly a lucrative profession.
The primary advantage of this job lies in the vast profit margin—if you possess the gift of persuasion, you can exploit the asymmetry of information. With a few well-placed words, you can glorify the quality of your products, elevating their value and pushing up the prices.
However, the job also comes with its risks. If you run into a savvy customer, someone who knows the market inside and out, and they expose the shortcomings of your merchandise, leaving you with no substantial counter-argument...
Well, tough luck.
At that point, the best you can do is quickly sell off the goods, lest the information about your subpar product circulates too widely, causing the price to plummet even further.
This was the unfortunate fate of the owner of the Fierce Bull Beast.
"80,000, I'll take it."
He was fortunate that his purchase price had been low enough, so there was still some profit left to salvage.
A satisfied smile spread across Tian Xiao's face.
"Fair enough, 160,000. I'll take both of them."
"Sure."
The middleman nodded.
It was a simple transaction: cash in hand, goods exchanged.
"By the way, may I ask your name? Where do you usually do business?" The middleman asked.
"Heroes never reveal their identities."
Tian Xiao didn't disclose any information.
"Fair enough! But I'm curious about something else… why did you skip out on the G-grade Fierce Bull Beast? Why take two smaller ones?"
He pointed at Tian Xiao's combat suit, "I can tell you're not short on cash, so what's the deal?"
"The larger ones aren't that I don't want them," Tian Xiao said with a knowing wink, "it's just that the price I offer might not be to your liking."
The middleman paused for a second, then chuckled.
"Alright, what price are you talking about? To be honest, now that you've taken the smaller ones, I'm less inclined to keep the big one. Give me a fair price, and I might just sell it to you."
Without hesitation, Tian Xiao raised five fingers:
"Five million."
The middleman's face turned pale.
"Too low."
"I told you, you wouldn't accept it," Tian Xiao said, pushing the two metal crates to leave.
The middleman hesitated for a brief moment but then called after him.
"Five million, I'll sell it to you."
The smaller Fierce Bull Beasts, which had originally been priced at three million, sold for just 80,000—only about a quarter of their original value.
The large one, valued at 12 million, could now be sold for five million—still a decent offer under the circumstances.
Tian Xiao didn't waste any time, immediately completing the transaction. He then loaded the three metal crates into a cargo aircraft.
The Fierce Bull Beasts had been well-preserved after death, with the mutated material in their pancreas almost intact—about 80% of its value remained, easily worth 10 million.
Buying three Fierce Bull Beasts for just 660,000 was a solid deal.
Tian Xiao chewed on the pancreas of the large beast, absorbing the mutated substances while carefully storing the pancreases of the two smaller beasts. He then sent the crates to the training hall in Crescent Moon City before heading straight to the 23rd floor.
Crescent Moon City Training Hall
At the highest office on the 23rd floor, Wang Qiushan was working in his office when he received a communication from the chairman's assistant.
"Qiushan, the person you asked us to keep an eye on is back at our training hall."
"The person I asked you to track? Who?"
Wang Qiushan had forgotten what he had ordered them to do.
"About a month ago, he placed a bet on your victory at our underground competition, with odds of 1:12. He won 12 million. His name is Tian Xiao."
The assistant's tone was unexpectedly friendly.
Wang Qiushan paused, then remembered.
"Ah, him."
He stopped what he was doing, a nostalgic smile forming on his face.
"I thought he was just another small-time gambler who got lucky. I figured he'd return to our training hall, betting on some other underground matches, but after that win, he disappeared without a word. That told me he's not a gambler trying to play the odds. Fine, where is he now?"
"He's on the 23rd floor."
The assistant replied.
Wang Qiushan was surprised.
"The 23rd floor? How is that possible?"
He had just finished his own training on the same floor.
The 23rd floor was specially designed for individuals with G-level physical traits, or those about to break through to G-level. The gravity there was twice as strong, which most H-level individuals couldn't endure.
Even Wang Qiushan, who had just barely broken through to G-level, could only train there for about 30 minutes—equivalent to four hours of training under normal conditions.
After thanking the assistant, Wang Qiushan immediately used his authority to access the surveillance footage from the 23rd floor.
The gigantic floor-to-ceiling windows of his office were converted into a massive screen. The scene of the 23rd floor training hall was projected perfectly onto it.
The training hall on this floor was almost empty, with only three members present. Tian Xiao was one of them.
Tian Xiao entered the 23rd-floor training hall, crossing a gravity warning line. He immediately felt a weight pulling at his body, as though he were carrying an adult. Every cell in his body seemed to cry out under the pressure.
"Double gravity."
"Finally, I can test it."
Tian Xiao muttered to himself as he felt the heat in his dantian intensify, spreading throughout his limbs.
Double gravity meant a weight of 75 kilograms.
He climbed onto a resistance machine, setting the pulling weight to 50 kilograms. Instantly, he felt as though he were strapped to the ground. Every movement required all his strength.
His body absorbed the mutated substances from the pancreas at an accelerated rate.
Sweat began to pour down.
Minutes passed.
Tian Xiao was drenched in sweat, but after a while, he finally began to adjust to the weight. His pace shifted from a slow walk to tiny, laborious steps. It was tough, but he persevered.
Then, two people walked in, heading directly towards Tian Xiao's equipment. They stood a few meters away, observing him as he trained intensely, dripping with sweat.
Tian Xiao paid them no mind.
Ten minutes passed.
His body had gathered a small pool of sweat beneath him.
Twenty minutes later...
Tian Xiao felt as though his legs were filled with lead, each step more exhausting than the last.
His strength and stamina were almost depleted, but the heat from the pancreas kept him going.
In less than half an hour, the double gravity training had pushed him to his limits.
After half an hour, Tian Xiao finally removed the resistance band.
The two men who had been watching him walked over to greet him.
"Hello."
"Tian Xiao, Mr. Tian, we're from the Dayong Auction House. We met in Golden Street earlier."
Tian Xiao had already noticed them and recognized them as the ones who were interested in the Fierce Bull Beasts.
"You want to buy the three Fierce Bull Beasts? Make an offer."
Tian Xiao didn't beat around the bush. After all, he had already acquired what he needed. The rest was just a