A young man who had just reached the 4th stage Warlock-Warrior a few days ago suddenly claimed that he would break through to the 5th stage before tonight.

For everyone at Black Blood Bar, this sounded like a joke.

Especially when Evan asked, "Master, when did you become a 4th stage Warlock-Warrior?"

Bruno thought for a moment and replied, "It was two or three days ago."

Two or three days ago?

If Bruno had reached 4th stage Warlock-Warrior two or three months ago, then accumulated power over that time, and was about to break through to the 5th stage tonight, that would have sounded somewhat believable.

Blake, who was in charge of the betting, took a deep breath and seriously suggested, "Master, you should seek Elena's help. She might have a way."

Scarlett had the same thought, and Jessica nodded, her clothes shifting up and down with the movement.

Evan, on the other hand, said nothing.

"Alright, go back to your tasks. A 5th stage Martial Power User is nothing to me," Bruno waved his hand, signaling them to leave.

Evan was the first to turn and walk away, followed by Blake and Jessica.

Only Scarlett remained, her voice serious as she suggested, "Master, there's still time. Elena..."

Before she could finish, Bruno smiled and said, "You're the one Elena specifically mentioned. I trust you, and I hope you trust me."

"None of you believe I can beat Blood Wolf, and neither does Herdman Viscount."

Instantly, Scarlett froze.

She stared at Bruno's calm, confident young face, a thought flashing through her mind. Could it be that he really could do it?

Had he deliberately acted so arrogant, hiding a trump card?

Scarlett took a deep breath. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. After all, one of Jessica, Blake, or Evan had already secretly sided with Herdman Viscount.

That person would definitely pass on Bruno's words to Herdman.

"Master, the funds we can still access are around 3,000 gold coins," Scarlett decided to take a chance.

She spoke seriously, "If you're confident you can defeat Blood Wolf, you could release the news early to attract more gamblers."

"We can raise the odds a bit. As long as you win, we can make up for the losses in one go."

Bruno looked at Scarlett with satisfaction. This woman, in her trench coat, was decisive and swift.

No wonder Elena trusted her.

"Alright, I'll leave all of this to you. Also, give me the list and details of all the previous underground fighters," Bruno said, planning to use the Book of All Things.

To be on the safe side, he needed to boost his strength a little.

This was about 150g of Celestial Beast meat and 100g of Celestial Beast blood—there could be no mistakes.

Once that was sorted, he'd be able to use the Book of All Things again, and maybe even trigger a second strand of the Fire of All Phenomena from the Lamp of All Phenomena.

Scarlett nodded, then reminded him, "Master, I also have information on Blood Wolf—his previous battle records. I'll bring that to you in a moment."

Bruno didn't refuse. He knew well that even when fighting a rabbit, a lion should use its full strength.

Once everyone had left, Elise turned to Bruno and asked, "What about me? What should I do?"

Bruno smiled and asked, "What's wrong? You don't want to rest?"

Throughout all of this, Elise was the only one who had never questioned him.

Elise shook her head. She didn't really want to rest. After all, without Bruno, her mother would still be suffering from the rotting disease.

"It's not time for you to do anything yet. Don't worry, I won't make things too easy for you," Bruno said slowly.

Soon, Scarlett returned with all the materials organized.

Bruno began to review them, looking for the right target.

There was one thing that bothered him, though—he needed to be careful with the person he chose for the trade. The length of time they had spent cultivating their techniques couldn't be too long.

Otherwise, if someone jumped straight from 4th stage Warlock-Warrior to 6th stage Warlock-Warrior, it would be disastrous.

For Bruno, as long as the Book of All Things had cooled down, he could increase his strength.

Getting enough Celestial Beast meat and Celestial Beast blood was the most important thing right now.

As for whether Herdman Viscount would try to cheat, Bruno wasn't too worried. Reputation was crucial for nobles, after all.

Plus, he had Master Nell.

After taking some time, Bruno found a very suitable trade target.

Gregory Tanner, 33 years old, 4th stage Warlock-Warrior, Low Rank breathing technique, basic Meditation Technique. Despite this, he had achieved a 22-win streak in the underground fights.

His breathing technique and Meditation Technique weren't particularly advantageous compared to his opponents.

But his battle experience was strong enough to compensate for the shortcomings in his techniques.

Moreover, he had mastered the perfect Tiger-Wolf Combat Technique and High Rank Dragon-Serpent Body Movement.

For a Warlock-Warrior, breathing technique and Meditation Technique were foundational, but during actual combat, technique was just as important.

The Tiger-Wolf Combat Technique was a method of attack, while the Dragon-Serpent Body Movement was a technique for evading enemy strikes.

This combination would make Bruno more well-rounded. Unfortunately, Gregory Tanner had never studied blade techniques.

If he had, Bruno could have traded for the time he spent mastering them, quickly improving his Thunderclap Blade Technique.

"Nothing is ever perfect," Bruno muttered. "Let's go. It's time to meet this Gregory Tanner."

In District 8, on the most chaotic and impoverished streets.

Disguised using Alex's identity and a few alterations, Bruno pushed through the stench coming from the street and searched for the tent where Gregory Tanner lived.

He had never imagined that Gregory Tanner, once a celebrated figure in the underground fights, would fall to such a state.

It took Bruno quite some effort to finally pinpoint a tent that looked particularly run-down.

He approached the tent and called out, "Gregory Tanner?"

He waited for a while, but no response came.

Using his powerful spiritual senses, Bruno confirmed there was someone inside. He began to wonder if he had the wrong place.

"Who's there?" a weak voice came from inside the tent.

A scruffy, emaciated man, his skin covered with open sores, slowly crawled out of the tent.

"Are you Gregory Tanner?" Bruno frowned.

How could Gregory Tanner, a 4th stage Warlock-Warrior, have fallen to this?

"What do you want?" Gregory Tanner scratched his hair, caught a flea, and without hesitation, popped it into his mouth and began chewing.

Bruno felt a wave of disgust but forced himself to ignore it and stated his purpose.

"I've got nothing left, nothing to trade. Not even my body is worth anything. Otherwise, maybe I could trade it for some Elixir of Hope," Gregory Tanner muttered, scratching at his rotting skin with his filthy, mud-caked nails.

His body trembled as if invisible bugs were crawling across his skin and even into his flesh.

Bruno exhaled. Elixir of Hope?

Wasn't that the thing Kaiden, the son of Tarnison from the Heavenly Gang, had threatened him with, demanding he transport it?

The Heavenly Gang was gone, so how was there still this stuff around?

Could it be that Master Nell continued the Heavenly Gang's business?

Looking at Gregory Tanner now, Bruno felt uneasy. How could a once-promising 4th stage Warlock-Warrior end up like this?

"Who sells this Elixir of Hope?" Bruno asked.

Gregory curled into a ball, his eyes glazed, and his entire demeanor seemed disturbingly odd.

It took him a while to answer, but when he did, his voice was shaky. "I don't know who they are. They come around here often, selling Elixir of Hope."

"Please, I have nothing left to trade. Just give me one Elixir of Hope, and I'll be happy to die for it!"

"Please, please, please!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

In desperation for just one Elixir of Hope, Gregory even dropped to his knees, repeatedly bowing his head to Bruno.

One Elixir of Hope in exchange for a Warlock-Warrior's hard-earned time spent on cultivating techniques, battle experience, and even High Rank Dragon-Serpent Body Movement... It really was... quite a deal!

Bruno's eyes lit up. He had been prepared to offer a large sum of gold coins or something else valuable for the trade.

But now, Gregory only needed one Elixir of Hope.

Bruno had never made such a profitable trade before!

Without hesitation, Bruno quickly drafted the terms of the deal. But when Gregory pressed his hand to the seal, Book of All Things failed to execute the trade.

A line of small text slowly appeared on the parchment: The value of the traded items differs too greatly.

Bruno's eyes widened in surprise. He had never encountered this situation before.

It made sense, though. The price Gregory was offering was far more valuable than a single Elixir of Hope. But Bruno had some doubts.

It was like this: for someone who was on the verge of dying of thirst, the value of a bottle of water was immeasurable. How would that kind of trade work?

It was very likely that the Book of All Things could measure value itself, as long as the difference wasn't too large, the trade would go through.

Bruno cleared his throat and asked, "One Elixir of Hope is too little. I'm not a greedy man. Tell me, what else do you want?"

Gregory looked up suddenly. He had already bled from his head, and blood mixed with the grime on his skin.

"I... I want more..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Gregory suddenly reached out and grabbed his own thigh, squeezing it with all his strength.

His eyes cleared for a brief moment, no longer clouded, and that moment of clarity stood out against his filthy, decaying body.

"Master, if you can really do this... I want to be freed. I want Elixir of Hope to stop harming more people."

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