Steam-powered martial arts: My virginity cultivation technique has been broken.

Having experienced disappointment before, Ku Ning was extra cautious this time, asking the price of any monsters that caught his eye first. Fortunately, the prices of the other monsters were all reasonable.

"This two-headed dragon is a low-grade first-rank cultivator. One head spews venom that can penetrate mountains and melt caves, while the other head spews black winds that cause sand and stones to fly. Although it is quite old, it is very experienced in combat. The head镖师 wants three million dragon dollars to take it away."

The salesperson spoke with great enthusiasm, enthusiastically recommending the product, turning its flaws into strengths, and praising its strengths as unique. This was the kind of salesperson Ku Ning was familiar with, but he didn't buy it: "Too old, only thirty or forty years left to live, not good value for money."

"Cost-effectiveness? Chief镖头, these monsters cultivate even slower than our demon race. It's not easy to find one that is strong, young, and talented."

"If there are no monsters, then surely there must be some demons, right?"

Ku Ning's eyes gazed into the depths of the taming enclosure, his hand coiling around the Priest's Decree. The person in charge hesitated, finally saying, "Nothing can be hidden from the head镖师 (镖头, a person in charge of escorting goods). There are indeed a few untransformed individuals who committed crimes and have been demoted to slaves. They can only be consumed within our demon race; selling them to humans is against the rules. However, the head镖师 is a distinguished guest of the Priest; how can he be compared to others?"

Ku Ning rolled his eyes. They said that monsters were one family, but they were still selling spirit monsters. How much affection could they possibly have for the beast-type monster race?

He said, "Let's go take a look." He mainly wanted to find someone with strong legs, as they would have better legs.

With spirits and monsters appearing, naturally a demonic beast would follow. This contrast between demons and monsters is similar to the human race's warriors and sorcerers, except they haven't developed their own civilization.

Despite the market manager's repeated emphasis on secrecy and caution, it actually only applies to high-level monsters. The trade in low-level monsters has long been rampant in Da Chen. Even the Zhao family dares to smuggle low-level monsters. In many places, it's a situation where the people don't report it and the officials don't investigate.

In ancient times, bodyguards and monsters had a well-known cooperative relationship. It was considered shameful for a bodyguard not to have a beast-like monster as a mount. Bodyguards could negotiate with bandits, but what about the monsters on the road? Fighting and killing were ultimately inferior methods; having a domesticated monster to communicate with wild monsters along the way, thus peacefully generating wealth, was the proper way.

At the far end of the enclosure was the source of the bloody stench that Ku Ning had smelled upon entering. A dozen or so goat monsters, their hooves bound, lay on the ground, lined up waiting to be slaughtered by the butcher. He only needed one glance to spot the goat monster that had impersonated a guard at the city gate, now wearing a muzzle, third in line. Two more of it would be its turn to be disemboweled.

There was no fear in his eyes; instead, he winked at Ku Ning, looking relieved.

Ku Ning asked curiously, "What are these?"

The person in charge glanced at it and said coldly, "Some of the sheep monsters were slaughtered and eaten."

Ku Ning felt a chill. These were all sentient beings; it was understandable that they would kill each other for survival on the battlefield. Humans mostly used monsters as alchemical materials; aside from a few gourmets with pica, very few people ate monsters. Thousands of years ago, a great emperor who unified the continent had declared, "All sentient beings are my subjects."

He arrogantly thought, "The demon race is indeed an uncivilized species. Does this count as cannibalism?"

The person in charge seemed to have read Ku Ning's mind and quickly explained, "We don't eat this meat; it's for feeding those demonic beasts to increase their cultivation and fetch a good price. These sheep monsters are the most unruly. As the old saying goes, sheep are ruthless and wolves are greedy. Killing them is acceptable."

Ku Ning remained silent. Was this some kind of fanaticism among converts? They used idioms even better than he did? These demons, for generations, probably didn't even consider themselves part of the demon race anymore.

At the very back were three large taming pens, each containing a dozen or so monstrous beasts crammed together, a chaotic mess of filth and squalor. The cruelest treatment comes from among their own kind; at least the spirits and monsters outside were clean and had comfortable dwellings. These beasts were worse than pigs raised in the countryside.

Ku Ning immediately recognized a demonic horse among them. It was entirely crimson, and apart from its numb eyes, its demonic power was terrifyingly strong, at least at the second rank.

The person in charge noticed that Ku Ning's eyes were fixed on the demonic horse and knew a deal had come in: "This horse is extraordinary. Both her parents are demon kings, and she herself was born in beast form due to a primal regression. The head镖师 should know that this kind of demonic beast is extremely rare. They are naturally intelligent, but they are weak and sickly and not easy to raise. Once they survive, they will surely become beast kings."

Ku Ning asked in disbelief, "Could the Demon King really allow a child to fall into such a state?"

"The demon king from beyond the borders. During the reign of the late emperor, our Great Chen army conquered a small southern country and captured her. These kinds of ancestral demon beasts have inherent flaws, and no matter how much they cultivate, they cannot transform into human form. Her parents are ashamed of her and do not care about her life or death at all."

"Is this like a person's mind being trapped in a horse's body? It's truly pathetic."

"It's not that tragic. If someone is raised like a horse from childhood, they will see themselves as a horse. Besides, she was originally in the form of a horse, so you can't think of her with human thinking."

"I have a question: why is there such a big difference in the captive environments for demonic beasts and monsters?"

"Regarding obedience, most monsters consciously stay away from humans, haven't been exposed to the bad habits of civilization since childhood, believe in the survival of the fittest, and are easy to tame. Many of these monsters were captured from human areas, and their thoughts are very complex. It's difficult to make them submit without some torture. But don't worry, Chief Escort, that demon horse is called Hongyun. Look at her dull eyes; she's definitely been trained and will absolutely obey your orders."

How old are you?

"She should be no more than 130 years old. Her cultivation level is at the second rank, and she has great talent. She might break through to the Demon King realm before she turns 200."

"price?"

"If you want it, take it for three million silver dollars."

"So cheap? Is there something wrong with it?"

Having grown accustomed to the exorbitant prices, Ku Ning was surprised and somewhat incredulous that a three-million-dollar item was so cheap.

The person in charge frankly stated, "The upper limit for this type of demonic beast has been locked, at most reaching the Demon King realm. In fact, the most suitable cultivation system for them is spiritual power, but they are born with demonic energy, which is irreversible, so their future is limited. Their inherent form means they cannot have many ways to utilize demonic energy, their combat strength is average, and when they encounter strong individuals of the same level, or even lower-level individuals with more methods, they can only be easily defeated."

Ku Ning saw a barely perceptible sadness in the eyes of the Crimson Cloud Demon Horse, which was quickly replaced by numbness: "Can the price be lowered?"

The person in charge waved his hands repeatedly: "Head镖师 (镖师 is a person who escorts goods), I've told you the truth, the money really can't be lowered any further. Hiring a second-rank martial artist outside might cost more than this."

Ku Ning looked around and saw that the sheep that had been impersonating a city gate guard had already been put on the chopping board: "I'll just buy that sheep as an add-on."

The person in charge stopped the butcher: "No problem, this sheep monster is yours."