The evolution process went smoothly. Su Ze's foundation was exceptionally solid, so it was a natural progression.
Su Ze sat up and saw that a filthy, viscous liquid had stained the bedsheet beneath him in the shape of a human figure. It was fluid expelled from his body, containing countless impurities and discarded cells, and it reeked.
The same stinking fluid clung to his skin and bathrobe, feeling sticky and deeply unpleasant.
Su Ze got out of bed, feeling severely dehydrated. He picked up the teapot on the table, tilted his head back, and poured the contents straight into his mouth. He downed the entire pot of water in one go, finally slaking his body's intense thirst.
He jumped into the bath and washed all the filth off his body, instantly feeling refreshed and invigorated.
Su Ze felt better than ever before. After his evolution, both his body and spirit had broken through the limits of an ordinary person to reach a new plane of existence.
Although he had previously absorbed four vials of extract, his physical strength and speed without using skills were still within the range of a normal person. He might have been at the peak of ordinary human potential, but it wasn't anything outrageous.
But now, after completing his first evolution, his very life form had been elevated. Strictly speaking, he was a being of a higher order than ordinary humans. All of his attributes had doubled, reaching a level completely unattainable by normal people.
The surging power in his veins gave Su Ze the illusion that he could punch through anything. His body also felt much lighter than before, as if a single leap could send his head crashing into the ceiling.
'Which is harder, my head or the ceiling?'
Su Ze wasn't the reckless type, so he didn't try to test that theory. He got dressed, left the bathhouse, and hailed a taxi.
"To the Black and White Bar."
...
The Black and White Bar wasn't the liveliest bar in Heiyan City, but it was the most mysterious and the most profitable.
Just as its name implied, the Black and White Bar was divided into two sections: the "Black Bar" and the "White Bar."
The White Bar was no different from an ordinary bar, but the Black Bar was open only to its members.
And there was only one condition for membership to the Black Bar: one had to have undergone at least one evolution.
In other words, only those at the Pupa Stage of evolution or higher could enter the Black Bar.
Su Ze had learned about the Black and White Bar from the manager of the local Life Pharmaceutical branch two days prior. But since he hadn't evolved at the time, he couldn't enter the Black Bar, so he had stayed away.
Amidst the blaring music, scantily clad women writhed on stage. The flashing lights illuminated faces flushed with excitement. A cacophony of shouts, laughter, clinking glasses, and screams assaulted Su Ze's ears.
Su Ze frowned. He didn't particularly like such noisy environments, but his handsome face and the youthful vigor unique to a seventeen-year-old's body had a way of attracting drunken butterflies.
In the short walk to the bar, Su Ze lost count of how many women had approached him. Some wanted to add him as a friend, some invited him for a drink, and a few even threw themselves into his arms.
Su Ze politely pushed away a woman who reeked of alcohol and said to the young man behind the bar, "I need a membership card for the Black Bar."
The young man straightened his spine. "Please demonstrate your evolutionary power."
Su Ze held out his hand, and a crimson glow materialized at his fingertip.
"Please wait a moment."
The young man asked for Su Ze's phone number. A moment later, he handed Su Ze a black membership card bearing the Black and White Bar's logo.
Su Ze took the card and walked toward a jet-black iron door at the back of the room. He was currently in the White Bar; the Black Bar lay behind that dark door.
A burly guard stood before the black door. He took the membership card from Su Ze, a flash of surprise in his eyes. Then, as a matter of procedure, he had Su Ze demonstrate his evolutionary power.
'Apparently, the membership card alone wasn't enough; they still verified your evolutionary power.'
The moment Su Ze stepped through the black door, it was as if he'd entered another world. The iron door swung shut behind him, cutting off all the clamor from outside.
Su Ze felt as if he had walked into an old American film. The Black Bar before him was decorated in reddish-brown tones, with red brick walls, a red bar counter, and wooden tables. Soothing classical piano music played softly. It felt less like a bar and more like a restaurant, reminiscent of a speakeasy from America's Prohibition era.
There weren't many patrons inside the Black Bar, only twenty or so. Su Ze's arrival drew their attention, and expressions of surprise flickered across their faces. Not only was Su Ze a new face, but he was also far too young.
In Heiyan City, someone at the Pupa Stage as young as Su Ze was a rare sight. A glance around the bar confirmed this; the youngest of the other patrons were already in their twenties. As a teenager, Su Ze naturally stood out.
Unfazed by their stares, Su Ze gave a slight nod in greeting and walked toward the bar.
The mustachioed bartender asked, "What can I get you?"
"An orange juice."
"Nothing alcoholic?" The bartender was quite confident in his craft and wanted to show his skills to the new customer.
"No, I'm underage." Su Ze offered the benign smile of a law-abiding citizen.
The bartender was left speechless. He poured a glass of orange juice and served it to Su Ze.
Su Ze sat at the bar, sipping his orange juice while watching a large screen hanging behind the counter. Information was scrolling across it.
[Seeking one Cocoon Stage evolver specializing in healing to team up for a hunt in the eastern Black Rock Mountain Range. Current team has five members; well-rounded, strong, and experienced. Safety guaranteed...]
[For Sale: One Tier 1 Defensive Wondrous Item. Price: 5 million. Interested parties, inquire at the bar to view...]
[WTB: 10 Rock Scorpion Tail Needles...]
The Black Bar was a place for evolvers to communicate privately, exchange intelligence, buy and sell goods, and post or accept missions.
Evolvers from all over Heiyan City could rendezvous here, conduct private trades, or form partnerships. They could also use the bar as a platform to post missions, sell items, or put out purchase requests. Naturally, the Black Bar took a cut of any brokered deals, and there was a fee for posting missions.
Although evolvers often held respectable, high-paying jobs, their expenses were enormous. The medicines and extracts they consumed daily were extremely expensive, on top of all sorts of other miscellaneous costs. Some who were parents also had to pay for their children's upbringing. Their salaries alone weren't enough to support this lifestyle, which was why a place like the Black Bar was a necessity.
In their spare time, evolvers would come here to pick up a mission and earn some extra cash, or to sell the spoils of their hunts.
Su Ze's purpose in coming here was to find a suitable team. The Black Rock Mountain Range was incredibly dangerous, and he was only confident he could cross it safely and reach Luofan Country if he traveled with a powerful party.