In the early morning, Xu Lang stepped out of his room and practiced breathing exercises facing the rising sun.

Although the sky was shrouded in the Blood Mist, the dawn still managed to filter through, otherwise there would be no distinction between day and night.

The tenth-floor players were used to seeing Xu Lang do sun-breathing exercises by now.

Some had even timed him: Xu Lang only ever did the breathing for exactly three minutes, no more, no less.

Three minutes later, a brilliant streak of rosy clouds entered Xu Lang’s mouth and nose and then sank into his lungs, fundamentally transforming his body.

A constitution cultivated this way would remain even if the Hidden Dragon Qi Technique were ever lost; his physical attributes would not decline.

“Sun-eating clouds again, condensing golden essence also again, I’m practically an excellent seed for the Saint Sequence,” Xu Lang said with a slight laugh as he opened his personal info panel for a glance.

Just then, Wu Huihui walked over and asked curiously, “Xu Lang, what did you say? Sequence?”

“Mm.” Xu Lang nodded when he saw Wu Huihui.

“What is a Sequence? Can you tell me about it?” Wu Huihui had heard the word before, but only in fragments.

“You can think of a Sequence like a game profession, with four stages: Ignorant, Awakening, True Spirit, and Enlightenment,” Xu Lang said casually.

Information about Sequences wasn’t top secret; veteran players knew bits and pieces.

Knowing Wu Huihui, Xu Lang realized she would soon spread such important game info around, to everyone’s benefit.

Overall improvement in the Mad King Dormitory Building’s player quality was something Xu Lang was happy to see.

He just didn’t want to be the one to make it happen.

Wu Huihui listened with rapt interest, nodding repeatedly.

When Xu Lang finished, Nie Xiaozhu’s eyes shone and she said, “Lang Ge, you know so much, and you don’t hoard secrets like other veteran players. Last time I asked Uncle Wen what a Sequence was, he wouldn’t tell me!”

Li Shuwen was already quite someone who shared, so if even he kept secrets, that showed how precious the information was.

“Heh, it’s nothing major, just poking through a thin veil,” Xu Lang said with a smirk. “Besides, I feel a Sequence might appear this round of the game, so put in some effort.”

Hearing that, Wu Huihui’s face instantly turned sour.

Compete with Xu Lang?

There was no way she could do that.

“Xu Lang, how about I trade my stuff for your Sequence?” Wu Huihui said with a pained expression.

Xu Lang: “...”

He hadn’t felt like running away on the spot in a long time.

Wu Huihui’s words were basically a boss unleashing a special move!

Xu Lang’s mouth twitched as he said to the trio led by Wu Huihui, “Let’s not. Sequence acquisition is obscure. It’s not necessarily the strongest who gets it. I’m rooting for you!”

“Okay, thank you, Lang Ge!” Wang Tingting replied.

Xu Lang was about to turn back into his room when Wu Huihui suddenly called out, “Wait, Xu Lang, I actually came to see you about something!”

Hmm?! Xu Lang turned his head, puzzled.

“Xu Lang, if our tenth floor goes into Exploration Mode, will you come?” Wu Huihui asked.

Xu Lang shook his head decisively: “Isn’t living well enough? Why take such a risky thing.”

“Alright then.” Wu Huihui saw Xu Lang had no interest and let the idea go.

She didn’t really want to go into Exploration Mode anyway; she had just wanted an excuse to chat with Xu Lang.

Watching Xu Lang go back into his room, Wu Huihui looked genuinely reluctant.

Nie Xiaozhu and the others were now in dorm 180; the number of tenants there had risen to five, though the iron triangle remained Wu Huihui, Wang Tingting, and Nie Xiaozhu.

Xu Lang had once thought about changing dorms but couldn’t let go of his Core Facilities, and now that the advanced apartment blueprint existed, he was even less likely to move.

With the advanced apartment blueprint in place, the next dorm upgrade would likely allow more tenants.

One stone, two birds—deliciously satisfying.

...

Back in his dorm, Xu Lang turned on the radio.

Not long after, Xu Ruyan returned from outside, bringing back a large haul of supplies.

After Xu Lang had cowed both new and veteran players, no one dared to go to the Laboratory Building.

Whether Xu Lang was fearsome or not was secondary; the key was he was ruthless!

If someone really got caught, even the Floor Leader couldn’t save them.

[Base Nightmare Coins 120, conversion rate 782%, eight-hour total output 1058 Nightmare Coins]

[Total Nightmare Coins: 3424]

At 5:30 p.m., Xu Lang woke exactly on time, checked his haul, and then prepared to go back to sleep.

Before that, he glanced at the chatroom.

That single glance wiped the sleep from his eyes; he sat bolt upright!

The Black Market Merchant Kirby has arrived!!!

...

Ten minutes earlier, a strange creature under one meter twenty tall had appeared at the Mad King Dormitory Building.

Her skin was ink-jade in color, she had a pair of fuzzy pointed ears, two gemlike eyes that were very large and watery, and she carried a bundle three times bigger than herself—looking both adorably dumb and unreal, like something straight out of a virtual world.

Some players who saw her emerging from the Blood Mist immediately sounded an alarm in the chatroom.

By the time she reached the dormitory plaza, a crowd had already surrounded her from a distance.

“Mad King Dormitory Building, what a great name!” Kirby glanced at the dormitory plaque, squat-legged, set down her big bundle, looked over the players, placed a small hand over her chest, and proudly declared, “I’m a big merchant walking the Blood Mist World, Kirby. This time I’ve come to your dormitory to trade!”

...

Because of Kirby’s arrival, ninety-nine percent of the Mad King Dormitory Building’s players had gathered in the plaza!

Veteran players had already explained the definition of a black market merchant.

It was said the black market merchants had contracts with the Dorm Survival Game, so they could sell goods between dormitory buildings.

Moreover, black market merchants weren’t just vendors; they were the only channel for players to obtain outside-world intelligence!

When Xu Lang and Cao Yaxuan and the others came downstairs, they saw a sea of players, all jostling and on the verge of fighting.

Everyone wanted the right to trade with Kirby!

Kirby had already opened her huge bundle, which was full of dazzling, shiny goods—some even reached level ten!

A shield protected Kirby and her merchandise; players couldn’t force their way in.

Kirby only traded with one party at a time, and each person had only three minutes per transaction.

At the moment, the player squatting in front of Kirby was Zhai Ren and his group.

“Isn’t this Overlord Tong armor way too expensive? It’s only level nine but costs ten million Copper Coins!” Zhai Ren said with a sullen face.

Kirby crossed her arms, one big eye closed while the other glanced sideways at Zhai Ren, her tone a little arrogant: “If you don’t have Copper Coins, bartering is fine, as long as the value is equal.”

“This isn’t about whether we have Copper Coins or not. No one has that much money!” Zhai Ren frowned.

“If you all pool your resources, you can definitely scrape it together,” Kirby said with a little upturn of her mouth, exposing shiny little fangs. “It’s just that you don’t have the ability!”

Zhai Ren scowled. “Then why are these items above level six also so expensive?”

Inside the protective shield, outside noise became faint and conversation was easy.

Kirby smiled and said:

“You’re only a three-cycle dormitory. Items above level six are already over-model, so naturally there’s a premium.”

“Breaking the game balance is possible, but first you must be able to pay the price!”

“Don’t think I’m raising prices to target you or your dormitory; I’m acting by the dormitory’s rules! If there were no such limits and players above six cycles could move in freely, you’d have been finished already!!”