Chapter 46: Insta-Kill Event? You Want to Kill the Customers?

Ascending the Jade Palace

Clear Stream Market was a famous market town for hundreds of miles around. Although its primary customer base consisted of Qi Induction and Qi Refining stage cultivators with limited purchasing power, every little bit added up.

The revenue generated by Clear Stream Market was quite considerable, which was exactly why the Red Lantern Illumination Sect stationed a Foundation Establishment stage Town Guardian Cultivator here long-term.

Furthermore, with the backing of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, the market's reputation and security were greatly enhanced.

The goods sold here might be slightly more expensive than those in unofficial markets like Hidden Dragon Market on Golden Wall Cliff, but it was safe.

Shoppers here didn't have to worry about being targeted and robbed by rogue cultivators the moment they stepped out the door.

Therefore, independent cultivators and those from small families were often willing to pay a slight premium to shop here.

Because the Wunan Cultivation World was strictly controlled by the 'Immortal Alliance-Ten Sects' system, Clear Stream Market—shielded by this regime—could essentially be viewed as a terminal control node of the 'Immortal Alliance-Ten Sects'.

Real estate prices were dictated by location. Under the protection of the 'Immortal Alliance-Ten Sects' system, any decent plot within Clear Stream Market was far from cheap.

There were many mortal residences here, but they existed solely to accommodate the mortals who served the cultivators.

If anyone dared to cross the line, the Clearbrook Market Security Patrol, led by Gao Jian, would teach them the true meaning of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's grace.

Consequently, for the Wang Clan, opening another new shop in Clear Stream Market was no small matter.

Setting aside the cost of purchasing the land, the various annual fees the new shop would have to pay amounted to a massive expenditure.

"Patriarch, we have to pay one hundred and forty-five spirit stones every year, and that doesn't even include the cost of hiring workers. To be honest, I'm under a lot of pressure."

Looking up at the newly erected Hundred Treasures Pavilion, Yulou expressed his concerns to the Patriarch.

"Haha, we don't have to pay for the first three years. Don't worry. I believe that with your abilities and dedicated management, you should be able to establish the Hundred Treasures Pavilion within three years," Wang Xianmao replied.

A hint of disdain flickered in the eyes of Tang Nianqiu, who stood behind them.

He admitted that Wang Yulou was somewhat clever; the budget room initiative he had come up with was fairly successful.

However, success in such a trivial project didn't mean Wang Yulou could successfully manage a large establishment like the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.

Regarding the choice of manager for the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, the Patriarch hadn't trusted a seasoned manager like him, choosing to give the opportunity to the inexperienced Wang Yulou instead. Tang Nianqiu strongly disapproved.

'Just let these direct lineage kids mess around,' he thought. 'When the Hundred Treasures Pavilion fails to make ends meet, won't Wang Rongsheng or I just have to clean up their mess anyway?'

In truth, Tang Nianqiu didn't understand. Wang Xianmao hadn't actually expected Yulou to achieve phenomenal results; he was simply giving the boy an opportunity.

To Tang Nianqiu, the position of manager for a new shop was incredibly important. Such a perspective was as laughable as a frog at the bottom of a well gazing at the moon.

The Patriarch's reasoning was that whether Wang Rongsheng could reach the Foundation Establishment stage remained uncertain. He would let Yulou manage the shop for now, and after a few years, depending on the situation, he could hand it over to Wang Rongsheng or someone else.

"I wouldn't dare be complacent," Yulou said. "My thought is that if there are any issues, I should seek advice from Uncle Nianqiu and Uncle Rongsheng. They both have far more experience than I do in managing market shops."

The Patriarch clearly intended to test him, using the position of Hundred Treasures Pavilion manager to temper him and cultivate his abilities. Naturally, Yulou wouldn't refuse.

But he understood very well that as a young man taking on a job, he needed to learn from his seniors and avoid arrogance.

The experiences of his past life belonged to his past life. Now living in a world where mighty power belonged to the individual, he needed to humbly study many things.

Hearing Wang Yulou's words, Tang Nianqiu withdrew his disdain.

Based solely on this willingness to settle down and learn, if he could truly follow through, Wang Yulou's path as an inexperienced manager wouldn't end in utter failure.

"Very good, Yulou. Our Wang Clan has weathered storms and passed down its legacy for so many years by relying on unity. However, I still hope you can face things on your own as much as possible.

"Unpolished jade cannot be made into a vessel. Giving you this shop is meant to temper you. If our Wang Clan wants to produce talent generation after generation, we must dare to trust young people like you.

"Only when the youth of the Wang Clan develop and grow can the Wang Clan's future go further."

Wang Xianmao had possessed extraordinary aptitude since childhood. Setting aside his deep family background, he had also served as an Outer Court Deacon in the Red Lantern Illumination Sect for decades, giving him exceptional competence.

He did not consider pouring massive resources into talented descendants to be a losing business.

Besides, given the scale of Clear Stream Market, as long as Wang Yulou didn't mess around blindly, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion wouldn't lose too much.

"Patriarch, I have done some research on how to build a reputation for the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.

"There are seven similar shops in Clear Stream Market. The Hundred Treasures Pavilion's location is average, but not the worst.

"Among these seven, the variety of our Wang Clan's talismans and pills is in the middle tier, ranking around third or fourth.

"If we only rely on traditional management methods, we might make a profit, but we obviously won't be able to earn more spirit stones.

"Therefore, we need to adopt special methods to boost the Hundred Treasures Pavilion's fame, though I don't know if my ideas are appropriate."

Hearing Yulou's words, Wang Xianmao nodded in satisfaction. This child had first gathered information on competitors, thereby grasping the characteristics of similar shops in the market.

From this alone, Yulou was clearly very diligent. His decision to make Yulou the manager was not wrong.

He just needed to boldly use young people and see if they had any new ideas. Even if they were a bit unorthodox, with Wang Rongsheng and Tang Nianqiu watching over him, there wouldn't be any major problems.

"Rongsheng, come here. You run a general store in Hidden Dragon Market. Have a chat with Yulou; he has some new ideas."

Wang Rongsheng stepped forward in surprise, looking at Yulou with some confusion.

Child, are you really this confident?

He had thought that Wang Yulou's position as manager was just a gimmick, and that the Patriarch wanted him to be the de facto manager while using the title to subsidize Yulou with spirit stones.

It wasn't that he underestimated Yulou; it could only be said that Wang Rongsheng lacked an understanding of him.

"Uncle Rongsheng, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion primarily sells talismans and pills. Our Wang Clan's talismans are very good, and our pill quality is also excellent.

"But even the best wine fears a deep alley. Good merchandise doesn't mean others know about it. Getting customers to know about the Hundred Treasures Pavilion is the key to success.

"I plan to prepare a special grand opening event. By offering certain discounts, we can make a name for the Hundred Treasures Pavilion right from the start.

"We can choose two widely popular goods and discount them from their base price—a ten percent discount.

"But this discount isn't handed out for free. Customers need to gather a group of three people to buy together in order to get the ten percent off.

"This way, to get the discount, customers will actively help spread the Hundred Treasures Pavilion's name.

"At the same time, we can also set up an insta-kill event. As long as—"

"An insta-kill event? You want to kill the customers?"

Wang Rongsheng seemed a bit too belligerent. His bullshit question choked Yulou half to death.

However, he understood clearly that as a young person taking on a new role, he needed to learn from his seniors and avoid arrogance.

The experiences of his past life belonged to the past. Now, living in a world where individuals wielded immense power, he needed to maintain a humble heart and learn diligently.

Hearing Wang Yulou's words, Tang Nianqiu no longer dared to be dismissive.

His willingness to settle down and learn meant that if he could actually follow through, his path as a novice manager wouldn't be a complete failure.

"Excellent, Yulou. Our Wang Clan has managed to weather the storms and pass down its legacy for so many years precisely because of our unity. However, I still hope you can face challenges on your own as much as possible."

"Unpolished jade cannot be made into a useful vessel. Handing this shop over to you is meant to temper you. If our Wang Clan wants to produce talented individuals in every generation, we must dare to trust you young people."

"Only when the youth of the Wang Clan grow and thrive will our future stretch further."

Wang Xianmao had possessed extraordinary aptitude since a young age. Setting aside his family's rich heritage, he had also served as an Outer Court Deacon in the Red Lantern Illumination Sect for decades. His capabilities were exceptionally high.

He didn't consider allocating a large amount of resources to talented disciples to be a losing investment.

Moreover, given the scale of Clear Stream Market, as long as Wang Yulou didn't completely ruin things, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion wouldn't suffer heavy losses.

"Patriarch, I've done some research on how the Hundred Treasures Pavilion can build its reputation."

"There are seven shops of the same type within Clear Stream Market. The Hundred Treasures Pavilion's location is average, though not the worst."

"Among these seven, the variety of talismans and pills our Wang Clan offers is about mid-tier, probably ranking third or fourth."

"If we rely solely on traditional management methods, we might turn a profit, but we obviously won't maximize our spirit stones."

"Therefore, we need to employ special methods to boost the Hundred Treasures Pavilion's fame. I'm just not sure if my ideas are appropriate."

Hearing Yulou's words, Wang Xianmao nodded in satisfaction. The boy had first gathered information on their competitors to understand the characteristics of similar shops in the market.

From this alone, it was evident that Yulou was diligent. His decision to make him the manager was the right one.

He needed to boldly utilize the youth to see if they had any fresh ideas. Even if those ideas were a bit unconventional, with Wang Rongsheng and Tang Nianqiu keeping an eye on things, no major problems would arise.

"Rongsheng, come here. You managed a general store in Hidden Dragon Market. Have a chat with Yulou; he has some new ideas."

Wang Rongsheng stepped forward in surprise, looking at Yulou with confusion.

'Child, are you really that confident?'

He had thought Wang Yulou's position as manager was merely a gimmick, and that the Patriarch intended for him to be the actual manager while using the title to subsidize Yulou with spirit stones.

This wasn't out of disdain for Yulou; it was simply because Wang Rongsheng didn't know him well.

"Uncle Rongsheng, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion mainly sells talismans and pills. Our Wang Clan's talismans are excellent, and the quality of our pills is superb."

"But even the best wine fears a deep alley. Good merchandise doesn't mean others know about it. Figuring out how to let customers know about the Hundred Treasures Pavilion is the key to our success."

"I plan to organize a special grand opening event, offering certain discounts to make a name for the Hundred Treasures Pavilion right from the start."

"We can select two widely sold items and offer a discount on their selling price—let's say ten percent off."

"However, this discount isn't given freely. A customer needs to gather three people to buy together in order to receive it."

"This way, to get the discount, customers will actively help spread the name of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion."

"At the same time, we can also set up a second-kill event. As long as—"

"A second-kill event? You want to kill the customers?"

Wang Rongsheng seemed a bit too murderous. His absurd question nearly made Yulou choke.