"Access to all large-scale Secret Realms has been blocked. Currently, only Medium Secret Zones are accessible," a Black Market Manager said calmly. "What’s the reason?" Wang Linchi asked, frowning. "One Excellent Level Soul Kind." The other party didn’t answer directly; the answer was intelligence and thus required payment. After Wang Linchi tossed him an Excellent Level Soul Kind, the manager finally spoke, "Someone massacred the Sons and Daughters of Sanctity of the Baylong Religion within a large-scale Secret Realm. Now, the entire Baylong Religion is practically on the verge of madness. The higher-ups naturally terminated their deals with us to prevent such incidents from recurring." Damn, this is my fault, isn’t it? Wang Linchi was stunned. The slaughter had been too severe, triggering a chain reaction. "Why aren’t the Medium Secret Zones blocked?" Wang Linchi asked in return. "This one’s on the house. There are no legacies in them. Only large-scale Secret Realms and above produce corresponding legacies," the Black Market Manager said, not asking for more money, as this information wasn’t particularly valuable. Nowadays, the Black Market was, in fact, close to abandoning the Secret Realm business, as it held little value. "Do you have information on Medium Secret Zones?" Wang Linchi sighed inwardly. It didn’t matter if he couldn’t go to large-scale Secret Realms; Medium Secret Zones would suffice. Medium Secret Zones might not have legacies, possibly because they’re too small to bear the will of the World Corpse Fragments, but that doesn’t mean they lack value. The size and completeness of a Secret Realm have little to do with the native system or the size and strength of the world it originated from. After all, they are merely World Corpse Fragments, not true worlds. A small Secret Realm might have been a boundless Immortal Path world in its previous existence, while a super-Gigantic Secret Realm could have originated from a doomsday civilization with a severed path. "One Excellent Level Soul Kind," the Black Market Manager stated again. More expensive than actually entering a Secret Realm... Wang Linchi grumbled to himself but still paid promptly. "This includes all the information on currently open Medium Secret Zones, not just data for a single one. It’s natural to charge more for a comprehensive set," the Black Market Manager replied. Seeing Wang Linchi pay so readily, he didn’t mind the complaint. He then produced a booklet containing general descriptions, illustrations, potential yields, and other details for Wang Linchi. "You can review it here now. It will be collected afterward," the Black Market Manager said as he handed it over. This kind of information certainly couldn’t be allowed to circulate outside. Wang Linchi accepted it and began to flip through the pages. While perusing the intelligence, he casually asked, "Does the Black Market have arrangements for travel to Sky Capital? Preferably through legitimate channels." Official source ıs 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩✶𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚✶𝕟𝕖𝕥 "We do, but you can’t afford it. It requires ten Epic Level Soul Kinds." "If not through legitimate channels, one Epic Level Soul Kind will suffice," the Black Market Manager replied. "You actually have such a route?" Wang Linchi couldn’t help but look somewhat astounded. Epic Level Soul Kinds weren’t truly difficult for him to acquire. With his techniques, it was merely a matter of a thousand Excellent Level Soul Kinds. Of course, a Soul Kind produced this way would essentially be an Excellent Level Soul Kind with an Epic Level quality; its attributes, inscriptions, and effects wouldn’t change, but it was sufficient to deceive people. "Yes, the Black Market has extraordinary origins," the Black Market Manager said. "When does it depart? Is the route safe? How long will it take?" Hearing this, Wang Linchi was intrigued. "It’s very safe." As for the other questions, the Black Market Manager simply smiled without speaking. Why would he answer further inquiries without payment? Wang Linchi understood and nodded. "After I return from the Secret Realm, I’ll come to you to purchase passage next time." "I eagerly await your patronage." The Black Market Manager wasn’t pushy. Whether it was ten Epic Level Soul Kinds or one, it was a substantial sum. Wang Linchi continued to flip through the Secret Realm intelligence and then noticed something peculiar. "New Secret Realms are still integrating? And they’re undeveloped? Is everyone so wealthy these days?" Wang Linchi was surprised. He didn’t know about the large-scale ones and above, but more and more medium, small, and micro-scale Secret Realms were integrating into the world. Interestingly, many of them remained unexplored. "Medium-scale and smaller Secret Realms don’t have legacies. The current rumor is that only legacies, even fragmented ones, can resist the Great Ruins," the Black Market Manager explained. "And the restrictions have been lifted, so most people are entering large-scale Secret Realms and above," Wang Linchi quickly added. The Black Market Manager’s response helped Wang Linchi understand why the Wild Secret Realm business was so dismal. The Awakeners who came to the Black Market all concealed their identities. With their public identities, as long as restrictions were lifted, they wouldn’t need to spend money at the Black Market to access the Secret Realms they desired. "Alright, I’ll take this Medium Secret Zone then. When can we depart?" Wang Linchi selected a Medium Secret Zone that had integrated just two days prior and then inquired. The Secret Realms documented in the intelligence have mostly been plundered. Medium Secret Zones aren’t vast and also have recovery periods. As for new Secret Realms, it’s true there’s no intelligence, but that means no Awakeners have entered them yet; they are in a pristine, unexplored state. He wanted to test if there was a difference in drop rates between pioneering an unexplored realm and entering an explored one. Wang Linchi’s subsequent growth stemmed from pioneering that super-Gigantic Secret Realm back in Yingzhou. "Eight o’clock tomorrow morning, or you can choose a time within the next three days." The Black Market Manager glanced at his records, unconcerned. He had no idea about the specifics of a Secret Realm that had integrated two days ago. "Tomorrow morning at eight, then. I’ll be here on time." Wang Linchi didn’t consider delaying further. Given the current situation, the Black Market’s Wild Secret Realm project might be shut down soon. When Wang Linchi returned next, this kind of service might no longer be available. The Black Market Manager naturally accepted the fee from Wang Linchi, registered him, and then handed him a Token. Wang Linchi glanced at it and then turned to leave. Since his business was concluded, it was time to go. Why stay? It’s not like they’ll offer me a meal. Although there weren’t many people interested in the Wild Secret Realm project, the Black Market itself was still bustling. Wang Linchi didn’t head back immediately; instead, he started browsing, planning to buy a few things to take with him. Most of these items came from large-scale Secret Realms. Not everyone could stay in a Secret Realm for over a year like Wang Linchi. Most ordinary Awakeners lacked the means to acquire items that extended their stay duration, so they would typically emerge after three months. Even if they possessed such items, they wouldn’t sacrifice them to the Secret Realm; they would either use them personally or sell them. Take the Longevity Fruit, for instance. Extending one’s stay in a Secret Realm is just one of its uses. Others would likely consume it to extend their lifespan, sell it, or feed it to their Spirit Summoning Monsters. Extending one’s stay for an extra year to complete certain tasks wasn’t as beneficial as exiting and re-entering. True, one would have to complete another Secret Realm mission, but compared to the value of a Longevity Fruit, it was undoubtedly worth it. One might even choose to forgo re-entry altogether. While selecting items, Wang Linchi spotted a familiar figure. My ’good’ neighbor? Truly not ordinary. I’d never heard he was an Awakener, yet he quietly reached the Black Iron Level. Wang Linchi saw through the man’s disguise at a glance—or rather, there was hardly any disguise to speak of, just a simple black cloak and a mask. The man hadn’t come alone; he had a female companion, a Secret Silver Level individual. Comparing her physique and gait against the clone’s memories, he could confirm that this female companion was one of the women living in his neighbor’s house. Her origins were currently unknown, but she was definitely not ordinary. To reach the Secret Silver Level at such a young age, they must be from a Big Aristocratic Family or a large Sect. As for how they got together, the clone didn’t know. After all, the clone was preoccupied with its daily routine of going to and from work and didn’t pay much attention to such matters. After a glance, Wang Linchi didn’t look further. It would be bad if they noticed him. Besides, letting the clone do the probing would seem more genuine. After all, its thoughts had been modified; it would be sincere from the inside out, not a fabrication. Putting the matter aside, Wang Linchi once again immersed himself in his procurement. He mostly purchased resources. Soul Forging Methods were out of the question; they all only contained Soul Secret Techniques for the Soul Resemblance stage and nothing beyond, making them worthless to him. With the rising fervor for Secret Realm legacies, the large influx of people had caused a temporary drop in the value of many resources. They were about ten percent cheaper than a year ago. However, this was merely an illusion. Once enough legacies were extracted, and numerous large and above-scale Secret Realms shattered, the supply of various resources from these Secret Realms would be cut off. At that point, their prices would skyrocket. That was why Wang Linchi was purchasing so extensively now. Even if he didn’t need them at the moment, stocking up couldn’t hurt. They could be stored in the Soul Seed Page·Storage Space, and there was no need to worry about them spoiling, thanks to the ’Enhanced Static’ effect attribute.