“A group of young masters were all so infatuated that they ended up gathering together for a duel and a brawl, with many seriously injured and even several deaths,” the fat man clicked his tongue and said.

“Even so, those who were left crippled and gravely injured still remembered the good in this woman. But she, in the blink of an eye, forgot all about them.”

“……” Henry Walker narrowed his eyes, feeling a chill in his heart. He had heard about this incident before, but hadn’t expected the cause to be this woman. For those men to still pine for her even after being crippled—this was something that beauty alone could not explain.

He immediately labeled this woman named Alice Grant in his mind as extremely dangerous.

A woman who could play so many people for fools was either extremely emotionally intelligent or had some special means. It was best to stay far away from such a character.

He focused his attention back on the auction stage.

At this point, it was already the fourth item up for auction.

It was a brass-colored half-body leather armor.

“This piece of leather armor is called the Ice Wolf Armor. It is made from the hides of nineteen white wolves from the White Grass Ice Plains, tanned together. Nineteen layers of hide, and after tanning, it’s as thin as a copper coin. Its resistance to blunt weapons and swords far surpasses ordinary leather armor—almost like wearing an extra suit of chainmail.”

The black-clad presenter loudly introduced the leather armor.

“Starting bid, two hundred taels!”

No one in the audience moved.

The host didn’t mind, and had a dwarf open up the leather armor, then drew a short sword and stabbed it hard at the edge of the armor.

Thunk.

A muffled sound rang out—the short sword slid off, leaving only a small scratch on the armor.

“Three hundred taels!”

Seeing this, someone immediately called out a bid.

“Four hundred taels!”

“Six hundred taels!”

The price on stage climbed higher and higher. Henry Walker felt a bit tempted by the armor. This kind of leather armor was light and agile, much easier to move in than metal armor, and wouldn’t hinder movement. If its defensive power was really as described, it was indeed a fine item.

He wanted to bid, but seeing the price quickly approach a thousand taels, he had to hold back and give up. His real target was the manual coming up next.

He couldn’t lose sight of the bigger picture for a small gain.

In the end, the leather armor was bought by the red-haired burly man carrying a sword on his back.

Next up was the second-to-last item.

An internal martial arts manual.

Chapter 9: Alice Grant (Part 1)

“Next, we have a legendary internal martial arts manual that everyone is familiar with. Of course, as for whether it’s genuine or not, after our appraisal, we’re not entirely sure. After all, internal martial arts require long-term practice and judgment. It’s impossible to tell real from fake in a short time. But, based on our analysis of the book’s material, we can confirm that the cloth and silk used to record this manual is over a hundred years old!”

The host chuckled twice. Seeing that everyone’s attention was now on him, he continued slowly.

“This manual is called the Black Fiend Art.”

Two dwarves slowly carried a brass tray, wobbling as they brought it onto the stage.

On the tray lay a jet-black cloth-bound book.

“This Black Fiend Art has thirty-two levels in total. According to the records, each level mastered tempers the body once. The manual here contains the first to fifth levels.”

“Tch, so it’s an incomplete copy.”

Someone in the audience immediately spoke up.

“Internal energy is already hard to cultivate, such an elusive thing, and this is just an incomplete copy—who would dare to practice it? What if someone tampered with it? Practicing it would be courting death!”

Someone sneered.

“Then you don’t have to buy it,” another voice mocked.

“Everyone, please quiet down.” The host pressed his hands down, smiling.

“This Black Fiend Art was actually consigned to our auction by a guest. As for its authenticity, that guest has verified part of it for us. At the very least, the first three levels can definitely be practiced.”

He thought this would cause a stir, but the crowd remained expressionless.

Henry Walker shook his head slightly, understanding the reason.

Charles Reed was puzzled.

“Henry, what’s going on? This reaction isn’t right?”

“It’s not wrong, it’s perfectly normal,” Henry Walker said calmly.

“Internal martial arts manuals require years of practice, which is far too long. No matter if someone demonstrates it or not, no one dares to gamble on the risk of failure. Besides, I’ve heard Uncle Baker mention that internal arts aren’t as powerful as the rumors say. Unless you reach the very top, the power of internal arts is sometimes not even as strong as a full-force strike from an external martial arts expert.”

“Why is that?”

Charles Reed was even more confused.

“Young master, you might not know about this,” said one of the guards who had been standing behind them.

This man was named Robert Brooks, one of the two most powerful guard captains of the The Reed Family. Because this black market event was so important, he had been sent along to maintain order.

Like Uncle Baker, he was also an external martial artist at the Tongli level in the city.

Robert Brooks glanced at Henry Walker and continued.

“Internal and external martial arts are both about training strength.

External martial arts use muscles and external striking training to forcibly stimulate the body’s strength growth. This method is certainly damaging to the body, but the increase in strength is very fast.