Walking out of the hall, a shifty-eyed man sidled up.

“小 brother, freshly obtained assessment guides, only two hundred each.”

Looking at the crudely made booklet, Samuel Thompson turned and walked away.

“小 bunny, open the door for me…” Deep in the alley, the wall cracked open, revealing an old man lying on a lounge chair.

“Top secret assessment guide, twenty thousand each.”

Glancing at Samuel Thompson, the old man pointed at the crudely made booklets on the table beside him.

Without even looking, Samuel Thompson said, “What about the soft armor?”

“Six hundred eighty thousand, you—” The old man sprang up from the lounge chair.

“Mr. Thompson, have a seat, I’ll make you some tea.”

The thousand-strand soft armor was woven from the tendons of demon beasts, able to resist blades and bullets. As for how much defense it offered, that depended on the grade of the beast tendons used.

The old man rummaged in the corner and pulled out a wooden box, placing it in front of Samuel Thompson.

“I’m telling you, this is good stuff. Put it on, and even a mighty cultivator at the Myriad Force Realm can’t cut through it, and it can withstand a Thor heavy-caliber sniper cannon.”

Samuel Thompson opened the wooden box, and a bloody smell wafted out.

The old man wasn’t embarrassed at all, grabbing the box and heading inside.

“Just arrived, the previous owner was reluctant to give it up. There was a bit of a scuffle during negotiations. I’ll clean it for you.”

Soon, the old man placed the inner armor, still dripping faint blood, in front of Samuel Thompson.

“Look, fourth-grade inner armor, not a single tear. If it didn’t have a soul ring, it’d go for at least a million.”

Samuel Thompson looked it over and said, “Eighty thousand, I’ll take it.”

“That’s too much, you can’t bargain like that, I’ll barely break even.”

“Do you even have a cost for the things you sell?”

Seeing the skeptical look on Samuel Thompson’s face, the old man got annoyed and said, “People need food and lodging, that’s money, right? Medical and funeral expenses, that’s money too. You think being the boss is easy?”

“Five hundred thousand and it’s yours.”

“Hundred fifty thousand.”

“Mr. Thompson, that’s not the attitude for doing business.”

The old man folded up the inner armor, about to put it back in the wooden box.

“Fine, not selling, I’m leaving.”

Samuel Thompson stood up and headed out.

“If I accidentally die, let’s see who you’ll find to do the job.”

“Two hundred thousand for you, can’t go any lower.”

The old man gritted his teeth, looking like he was taking a huge loss.

“Ding, 200,000 received.” Scan the code, take the armor.

“I’m off then!”

“Need any other gear? Venom from a demon python, perfect for underhanded tricks, suits you well.”

Seeing Samuel Thompson ignore him, the old man didn’t mind, pulling out his phone.

“Hello…

Little Lily, miss me? I’ll treat you to a full demon beast feast.”

“Scoundrel, get lost!”

“I’ve got money…

Just made a big deal, pure profit of 198,000…

Some loser broke his leg while running away, cost me 2,000 in medical fees.”

“Hey, Ghost Brother, I really miss you.”

At the door, Samuel Thompson turned his head, expressionless, and stared at the old man for three seconds.

“What are you looking at? Once you buy, no returns. Don’t you know the rules?”

The old man impatiently waved his hand, took a trench coat from the rack and put it on, then grabbed a pair of toad sunglasses.

“Alright, I’m off to eat with Little Lily, see you around.”

Leaving the alley, Samuel Thompson headed toward the Wuan military camp. The identity arranged by Baldy Wood was still usable.

Inside the dorm, after spreading the soft armor on the ground, Samuel Thompson picked up a knife and slashed down.

Clang!

The blade struck, leaving a pale mark on the soft armor, but within seconds it returned to its original earthy yellow.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Without hesitation, he slashed a few more times.

Fourth-grade soft armor, made from the tendons of a Myriad Force Realm demon beast—the same level as a beast like Baldy Wood.

Armor like this started at a minimum of a million.

Even with a soul ring, getting it for two hundred thousand was a steal.

The saying “the scholar is poor, the warrior is rich” wasn’t just talk; cultivation consumed too many resources.

After fetching a basin of water, Samuel Thompson began cleaning the bloodstains from the seams of the inner armor.

After a busy spell, it was already dark outside.

Baldy Wood appeared at the door.

“Shenzhi, busy? I need to talk to you.”

“Is there something the squad leader needs?”

Baldy Wood entered, saw the inner armor, and said, “This is some nice armor.”

Clang!

A moment later, Baldy Wood swung his blade at the armor, leaving a large white mark on the soft armor.

After hacking it six or seven times, Baldy Wood stopped.

“Good defense. As long as it’s not a Myriad Force Realm level five or above, it won’t break. Even a large-caliber gun can’t penetrate it unless it’s at close range.”

With Baldy Wood’s confirmation, Samuel Thompson felt reassured.

The two hundred thousand was well spent.

“The assessment is coming up. Have you decided which martial arts academy to enter?”

Changing the subject, Baldy Wood looked at Samuel Thompson and said, “Now that you have a demon hunting medal, plus the legacy left by your parents, you can even compete for the top academies.”

“Haven’t decided yet. I’ll think about it after the exam.”

“Alright, consider it carefully.”

Watching Baldy Wood walk away, Samuel Thompson raised his arm and tapped.

“Ding… Ministry of Internal Affairs, Public Security Bureau, how can I help you?”