Heiyan City was situated atop a vast expanse of black rock strata, from which it derived its name.

The area was rich in a mineral called Obsidian, which was extremely hard and an excellent material for forging weapons and armor.

The faction affiliated with Chu Feng was the Black Obsidian Gang, which controlled nearly thirty percent of the Obsidian veins in Heiyan City.

Its Gang Leader, Yan Lie, was nicknamed "Black Death Palm." With a Peak Seventh Grade Cultivation, his Palm Force was incomparably fierce, earning him a fearsome reputation around Heiyan City.

Upon entering the city, Fang Han did not act rashly.

He appeared to be strolling casually through the city, but he had, in fact, already thoroughly scouted the location of the Black Obsidian Gang’s headquarters and its surroundings.

After the successive thefts from the Iron Fist Gang and the Ding Family, Chu Feng had surely ordered his subordinate factions to heighten their security, and Yan Lie would have undoubtedly reacted.

Just as he expected, he observed that the patrols at the Black Obsidian Gang’s headquarters were extremely frequent.

’The security really is tight...’

Fang Han’s gaze swept over the gang members. Noting their wary eyes and potent auras, he sneered inwardly.

An ordinary Sixth Grade Martial Artist facing such a formidable presence would have no way of infiltrating silently.

But to him, this level of security was merely a minor inconvenience.

Finding a deserted corner, he donned his mask. As he channeled his Ten Thousand Transformations Concealing Breath Technique to the Great Success Realm, he seemed to become an incorporeal Ghost Shadow.

He executed the Flowing Wind Shadowless Step. His figure flickered, moving at a speed nearly imperceptible to the naked eye. He easily scaled the high wall and landed inside the courtyard.

He didn’t head directly for Yan Lie’s main building, instead sneaking toward the Black Obsidian Gang’s storehouse first.

The storehouse door was bolted shut, with eight sturdy men standing guard outside. Their leader had an Eighth Grade Cultivation.

A slight smile touched Fang Han’s lips. With a flicker of movement, he circled to the side of the storehouse. Imbuing his fingertip with Inner Qi, he lightly traced a line on the hard wall, carving out an opening.

He slipped into the storehouse. Inside were stacks of boxes containing raw Obsidian. In a corner, several new-looking iron chests caught his attention.

’Recharge.’

Fang Han reached out and touched the boxes of Obsidian, recharging the stones and the containers themselves into his system panel.

[Wealth: 3,665,000 silver] → [Wealth: 3,821,000 silver]

The total value of the Obsidian was nearly 160,000 silver.

He had come to the storehouse specifically for the Obsidian; after all, his system panel could recharge not just gold and silver, but anything of value.

’I wonder what’s inside these chests?’

Fang Han turned his attention to several chests that had been sealed.

He broke the seal on one and opened it to find neatly stacked gold and silver ingots inside.

The amount wasn’t small, but it was far from the total wealth a faction of this size should possess.

’So they moved some of their wealth here...’

After a moment’s thought, Fang Han deduced the reason: Yan Lie must have moved a portion of his assets here to avoid losing everything in a single theft.

Without hesitation, he recharged it all with a single thought.

[Wealth: 3,821,000 silver] → [Wealth: 4,100,000 silver]

The total came to nearly 280,000 silver.

He quickly exited the storehouse, his gaze turning toward the most heavily guarded structure: the main obsidian building.

The main building was surrounded by numerous visible sentries, and several more auras lurked in the shadows—all of them Eighth Grade or higher.

Fang Han held his breath and focused, pushing his Body Technique and Breath Concealment Technique to their absolute limits. Like a true specter, he weaved through the gaps between the tight-knit guards.

Inside one room was a middle-aged Martial Artist with a powerful aura. This had to be Yan Lie, the one with the Peak Seventh Grade Cultivation.

SWISH!

Fang Han flashed into the room. Under the effects of the Ten Thousand Transformations Concealing Breath Technique, his aura vanished completely.

Before Yan Lie could react, he struck him unconscious, his hand moving like a sword.

For someone of his Late-Stage Sixth Grade Cultivation, it wasn’t difficult to silently knock out a Seventh Grade Martial Artist, even one at the Peak of Seventh Grade.

’The secret room is most likely in here!’

After receiving Chu Feng’s warning, Yan Lie had chosen to stay in this particular room. It was highly probable that the secret chamber was located right here.

Fang Han searched the room carefully and, just as he’d suspected, found an extremely well-hidden mechanism.

Upon activation, a stone slab on the floor slid aside, revealing a secret passage leading down.

At the end of the passage was a small stone chamber where over twenty chests were neatly stacked, all of them filled with dazzling, glittering gold, silver, and jewels.

’This is the Black Obsidian Gang’s true treasury!’

Without a moment’s hesitation, Fang Han recharged it all.

[Wealth: 4,100,000 silver] → [Wealth: 5,120,000 silver]

Another 1,020,000 silver!

All told, his total haul from this operation was nearly 1,500,000 silver.

Fang Han quickly retreated from the secret passage and, just as he had arrived, slipped away from the Black Obsidian Gang’s headquarters without a sound.

The entire operation was clean and swift, alerting none of the guards.

...

「Liuquan City.」

This city was famous for its numerous hot springs. The local faction affiliated with Chu Feng was the Hundred Herbs Hall, which dealt in medicinal herbs.

The Hall Master, Sun Wanqing, possessed a Late-Stage Seventh Grade Cultivation and had a cautious temperament.

After entering the city, Fang Han discovered that the Hundred Herbs Hall’s security measures differed from those of the Black Obsidian Gang.

Sun Wanqing hadn’t deployed a large number of extra hands. Instead, he had gathered all the hall’s key personnel to live in a centralized location. This core area was brightly lit, and patrolled by several mastiffs with keen noses.

Furthermore, Fang Han keenly sensed that some simple traps had been set up inside the Hundred Herbs Hall.

’He’s put some thought into it.’

Fang Han was unconcerned, infiltrating with ease once again.

He avoided the mastiffs, used his superb Body Technique to bypass the traps, and went straight to Sun Wanqing’s study.

Sun Wanqing wasn’t asleep. He was pacing anxiously in his study, clearly unsettled by the string of bad news he’d received.

Fang Han repeated his method, slipping in through a window and knocking Sun Wanqing unconscious with lightning speed.

In the study, Fang Han found the entrance to the secret chamber.

’Recharge!’

[Wealth: 5,120,000 silver] → [Wealth: 6,665,000 silver].

This haul was over 1,500,000 silver!

...

「Chishui City.」

Here, the faction affiliated with Chu Feng was the Cao Gang, which controlled the canal transport.

The Gang Leader, Hong Tianba, was at the Peak of Seventh Grade and had a notoriously aggressive personality.

After receiving Chu Feng’s warning, Hong Tianba’s approach was the most direct: he gathered the majority of his gang’s elites around the secret warehouse containing their wealth, and he personally stood guard, vowing to face the thief head-on.

The warehouse was located in a remote depot by the Chishui River. It was so heavily guarded it was like an iron fortress.

After observing the situation, Fang Han decided against a direct assault.

He chose to act at dusk, when the Cao Gang disciples were changing shifts and vigilance was at its lowest. Disguised as a porter, he slipped into the depot.

Then, relying on his Ten Thousand Transformations Concealing Breath Technique, he crept toward the warehouse like a shadow.

Seizing the momentary opportunity when Hong Tianba briefly left the warehouse entrance to attend to something, Fang Han struck!

His Flowing Wind Shadowless Step was like a flash of lightning as he instantly burst into the warehouse.

Several other experts were inside, but Fang Han didn’t even unsheathe his sword. With nothing more than flurries of finger strikes and palm shadows, he knocked them all unconscious in an instant.

In the center of the warehouse were dozens of heavy wooden crates.

Fang Han had no time for a closer look. His mind raced.

’Recharge! Recharge! Recharge!’

The crates vanished one after another.

[Wealth: 6,665,000 silver] → [Wealth: 7,155,000 silver] → [Wealth: 7,655,000 silver] → [Wealth: 8,555,000 silver]!

His total wealth finally settled at 8,555,000 silver!

Just one more heist, and he should be able to break the ten million mark, unlocking his Level 7 Talent Amplification!

Suppressing his excitement, Fang Han slipped out of the warehouse like a wisp of smoke before Hong Tianba returned, vanishing into the vast darkness of the night.

...

「True Inheritance Courtyard, Chu Feng’s Villa.」

The study was in shambles. Shards of precious porcelain and torn scrolls of calligraphy and paintings littered the floor.

Chu Feng’s chest heaved violently. His eyes were bloodshot, and his handsome face was twisted into a terrifying, ferocious mask by his extreme rage.

In just a few short days, he had received successive reports of thefts from the Iron Fist Gang, the Ding Family, the Black Obsidian Gang, the Hundred Herbs Hall, and the Cao Gang!

Each report felt like a resounding slap across his face.

The massive financial losses were secondary. It was the utter humiliation, the complete loss of face, and the panic spreading through his subordinate factions that was driving him to the brink of madness.

"Insolent! Utterly insolent!"

Chu Feng growled, his voice as hoarse as a broken gong.

Song Xiang knelt below, trembling, his head bowed so low it nearly touched the floor. He didn’t dare to breathe.

"S-Senior Brother, Mr. Luo from the Commandery City... he’s arrived. He’s waiting outside," Song Xiang reported, his voice trembling.

Chu Feng shot his head up, a flicker of surprise and relief in his eyes. This was the only piece of good news he had heard in days.

"Have him come in! No, I’ll go greet him myself!"

He forcibly suppressed his roiling anger, straightened his disheveled robes, and strode out of the study.

In the courtyard stood a gaunt old man dressed in a simple gray robe.

The old man’s face was unremarkable, save for his eyes, which were highly unusual. The whites occupied nearly the entire eye, while his pupils had shrunk to two minuscule black dots.

They looked hollow, as if he were blind, yet they held a faintly unsettling, penetrating Insight.

This was none other than the master of Tracking known as "Ghost Eye," Luo Yan.

Due to his years of cultivating an extremely aggressive Pupil Technique, his eyes had suffered irreversible damage, leaving them in their current state.

"Mr. Luo, I’ve long admired your reputation. I’ll have to ask for your help with this matter," Chu Feng said, clasping his hands in a salute, his tone urgent.

Luo Yan gave a slight nod, his voice as raspy as sandpaper.

"True Inheritor Chu, you are too kind. I take payment to solve problems. As time is of the essence, please take me to the scene of the latest theft."

"Excellent! Please, this way, sir!"

Chu Feng immediately set out with Luo Yan and Song Xiang, traveling through the night to the Cao Gang’s secret warehouse, the scene of the most recent theft.

...

「Outside Chishui City, at the Cao Gang depot.」

Hong Tianba’s face was deathly pale. As he stared at the empty warehouse, it was as if all his Essence, Qi, and Spirit had drained away.

Chu Feng snorted, not bothering to spare Hong Tianba a glance. He turned to Luo Yan and said,

"Mr. Luo, this is the place. The thief’s methods are masterful; he left no scent or trace. The previous Tracking experts we hired all came up empty-handed."

Luo Yan said nothing, simply walking slowly into the warehouse.

His eerie Ghost Eyes slowly swept over the floor, the walls, and even the air itself.

The others held their breath, not daring to disturb him.

A moment later, Luo Yan squatted down. He extended a withered finger and delicately brushed it across the dusty floor.

His fingertip paused on a faint mark, one that was almost invisible, its color differing from the surrounding dust by only a hair’s breadth.

The mark was so faint that it would have been impossible to spot without his extraordinary eyes.

"Sir, did you find something?" Chu Feng asked, rushing forward.

Luo Yan pointed to the nearly imperceptible mark.

"This person’s Qinggong has reached the Mastery Realm. He leaves no trace when he lands, but he is not entirely without a trail."

"Here," he said, "is a footprint invisible to ordinary people, left when he pushed off lightly with the tip of his toe."