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Chapter 691: Chapter 697: Making Money
Of course, the relationship between the two of them was just so, and it was impossible to say there was much trust.
In dangerous situations, they would still reserve a part of their attention to guard against each other.
"Then I’ll come find you later."
Before leaving, Li Chengshuo added, "If it takes too long, feel free to act on your own."
"I know, did you really think I would wait for you?" Bai Xiuer was very direct.
This was also the reason Li Chengshuo was willing to associate with her, whether it was her true nature or a facade, who cared about these things? It was just a temporary partnership, after all.
After splitting up with Bai Xiuer, Li Chengshuo returned to his rented cave dwelling, activated the formation, and eagerly called out the Moon Serpent, "Yue, take a look at this Spirit Fruit, can it evolve your bloodline?" 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝒑𝙪𝒃.𝒄𝒐𝙢
Inside a three-inch jade box was a crystal clear Spirit Fruit, resembling a full moon. As soon as it was taken out, it emitted a thick Taiyin Qi.
This Full Moon Spirit Fruit was precisely the opportunity she had obtained in the Qianshan Mountains!
Li Chengshuo hadn’t lied to Bai Xiuer; she indeed encountered a wave of monsters, just not mentioning that the wave was caused by her.
Perhaps it was fate that led her to the Qianshan Mountains on a whim. She quickly found the Full Moon Spirit Fruit.
At that time, Li Chengshuo was overjoyed. After dealing with the guardian Spirit Beast, she planned to leave.
But who could have imagined that this Spirit Plant had long been coveted by a tier-four Great Devil? Since it grew on the outer side of the mountains and was quite far from its territory, it couldn’t guard it personally, so it placed a trusted follower there.
A tier-three Devil Beast, coupled with the lingering aura of the Great Devil, was enough to protect this Spirit Plant.
But who could have expected it to be discovered inadvertently by Li Chengshuo?
As a human race cultivator, she naturally couldn’t sense the aura of the Great Devil, and even if she did, she wouldn’t have given up. After all, Taiyin Spiritual Objects are indeed hard to find; missing this one, who knows how long she would have to wait for the next one.
When the tier-four Great Devil realized its trusted follower was dead, it knew the Spiritual Object it coveted was taken. Hence, it immediately initiated a wave of monsters to surround the vicinity of the scene before carrying out a meticulous search!
Luck was on Li Chengshuo’s side as she managed to find a mountain stream leading to the outside world while fleeing; though the process was fraught with setbacks, she safely made it out.
"Of course I can! This Full Moon Spirit Fruit is a great tonic for Taiyin Spirit Beasts!" The Moon Serpent was ecstatic, seeing the dawn of its evolution!
Upon breaking through to a four-star bloodline, she would become a Taiyin Spirit Python, no longer a Moon Serpent.
If she could go even further, she would transform from a python into a flood dragon. At six-stars, she would belong to the Mixed-Blood Dragon Clan, then step by step evolve and refine her bloodline, until at nine-stars she would become a Taiyin Divine Dragon.
"What about Howling Moon?" Once the Moon Serpent calmed down, she thought of her companion. They still hadn’t secured the Spiritual Objects.
Li Chengshuo said confidently, "Don’t worry, if you could obtain the Full Moon Spirit Fruit, you can naturally get a second Taiyin Spiritual Object."
But to be honest, there wasn’t much connection between the two.
The Moon Serpent didn’t bring it up again; after all, all sentient creatures are selfish, so those that are selflessly altruistic are worthy of praise and admiration.
"Swallow the Spirit Fruit and then stay in the cave dwelling to cultivate." It was not that the Spirit Beast Bag space was too small, but that there was not enough Spiritual Energy.
Moreover, she had spent so many Spirit Stones to rent this cave dwelling. If she didn’t stay, wouldn’t that be a huge loss?
"Once I obtain another Taiyin Spiritual Object and break through to the Golden Core Late Stage, I will set out to return to the clan," Li Chengshuo set a goal for herself, striving to achieve it within five years.
"I wonder where Ning Chen is now? After so many years, does he still remember me?"
At this thought, a few traces of girlish affection emerged in Li Chengshuo’s heart—hopeful yet fearful of being hurt.
Fortunately, she was not one to indulge in sentimental longings; she quickly shook off these complicated thoughts and began to focus on recovery.
——
Time is always merciless, and in the blink of an eye, several years had passed.
Li Chengshuo had yet to return, Jiang Fengwu was still in seclusion, Li Zhirui’s progress was steady and solid, and the development of the Li family continued at a good pace, producing one or two Golden Cores each year.
Li Wenli, the Clan Leader, was indeed commendable. Under his leadership, the Li family dug deep into their internal abilities, continuously strengthening their foundation. At present, there didn’t seem to be much change, but once the time came, it would erupt like a volcano, bursting forth!
Thanks to his earlier measures, the Li family had produced a large number of first-order Skill Artisans. Spirit Pills, Talismans, Magic Artifacts, and so on flooded the market, earning a substantial amount of Spirit Stones for the clan.
It was only because the Li family’s territory was large enough and they treated their vassal forces well that not only did they not suppress them, but they also encouraged these smaller forces to cultivate more Cultivators. Coupled with Loose Cultivators attracted from all directions, a vast market was formed.
Although the quality of these Spiritual Objects was average, the prices were cheap enough to be a huge attraction to the smaller forces and Loose Cultivators!
Don’t they want to buy high-quality Spiritual Objects? But they can’t help it! They’re poor, without Spirit Stones, and can’t afford those high-end goods.
Besides these low-end Spiritual Objects, the Li family also offered medium and high-end products, with a strategy of all-around development and catering to all levels.
For instance, attract Cultivators with low-end Spirit Pills first, and when they develop a tolerance, follow up by offering better Spirit Pills.
But other commerce associations also had these medium and high-end Spirit Pills. After all, unlike low-end Spirit Pills with low profits, these offered more earnings. So why would Cultivators choose Spirit Pills refined by the Li family?
At this point, one cannot help but praise Li Wenli for being a true talent; he actually came up with business strategies such as consumption points and membership systems.
The membership system is not new; many commerce associations have it, but consumption points were a novel concept in this world.
The Cultivators, because of the cheap low-end Spirit Pills, accumulated points with each purchase. When it came time to buy medium and high-end Spirit Pills, these points came into play—they could offset a portion of the Spirit Stones at checkout.
This directly captured nearly eighty percent of the Cultivators’ spending!
Would this cause trouble? Of course, it would! What the Li family did was no different from monopolizing the market, plummeting the profits of various commerce associations and filling the air with complaints.
The smaller commerce associations lacked strength and dared not speak, but top-tier large commerce associations like the Southern Edge Commerce Association were not afraid of the Li family and directly approached them.
"Isn’t your family being too overbearing? With your actions, how are we supposed to survive?" they said.
Li Wenli responded enthusiastically, "My friend, you jest. With the strength of your commerce association, how could such a small tactic bankrupt you?"
The Li family needed the Southern Edge Commerce Association in many ways, so it was impossible for them to offend them.
"It won’t bankrupt us; it’s just that we’re half-dead," the person retorted, still unsatisfied.
