Chapter 75: All Great Enterprises Are Created in Practice |
Wang Yulou first explained the layout of the racing tracks in the racetrack to the Patriarch.
He had put a tremendous amount of effort into this aspect.
In fact, the racetrack had only managed to claw its way back from the brink of bankruptcy thanks to this special track design—the only one of its kind in the entire Red Lantern Illumination Sect.
"The most exciting part is still these Ironbone Wolves. They are provided by the Yang Clan and are rarely fed during normal times.
Only when it's time for a race does their bone-deep hunger drive them to desperately hunt the racing horses.
The audience is satisfied with the spectacle, and it also increases their level of participation in the races."
Increased the audience's participation?
Wang Xianmao was puzzled.
"Why do you say it increases their participation?"
Everyone wants to raise their cultivation base a little higher and extend their lifespan a little longer, but it is extremely difficult. It often involves life-and-death crises.
Watching the races brings them joy, and the appearance of the Ironbone Wolves adds another dimension to that joy.
Before, they simply watched horse racing, but now there is the added spectacle of wolves hunting the horses.
Furthermore, on top of betting on horses, the racetrack can add a new business of betting on wolves.
For example, the audience can bet on which wolf will succeed first, or bet that none of the wolves will succeed at all. This increases their participation.
Moreover..."
As he spoke, Yulou trailed off, suddenly stunned.
He realized he had overlooked something—a very important point.
"What's wrong?" the Patriarch asked, noticing Yulou's daze.
Yulou smiled and proposed a new idea.
"Patriarch, look at this racetrack. The surrounding grandstands are built beautifully, and the racing field inside is massive.
Isn't it a perfect place to hold large-scale events?
Of course it is!
Otherwise, we wouldn't have changed the venue for the Talisman Master Competition to this place!
If we can develop new uses for the racing field, the racetrack's future profits could likely rise to another level!"
Indeed, all great enterprises could only be created in practice.
By hosting a small competition, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion had made a name for itself, and a new profit point for the racetrack had naturally emerged.
Yulou hadn't originally been familiar with exhibitions or competitions, but through the practical experience of organizing the Talisman Master Competition, he had found a new opportunity.
Perhaps a new business and a little bit of extra income couldn't be considered a great enterprise. There might even be a gap of a thousand or ten thousand miles between this and a true great enterprise.
But as the saying went, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step!
Yulou was certain he was walking on the correct path of that ten-thousand-mile journey.
Even after transmigrating to another world—even if this was a fantastical xianxia world—
the education he had once received and the mindset he had cultivated could still play an incredibly massive role!
How could Wang Yulou not be pleasantly surprised?
"Hahaha, the minds of you young people are simply more flexible than ours. This is indeed a direction, a good direction."
The Patriarch laughed happily, even a bit unrestrainedly.
How could he not be satisfied?
The clan produced talents in every generation. The Xian generation had Wang Xianzhou, who had stunned his era and made a name for himself in the Red Lantern Illumination Sect.
The Yu generation had Wang Yulou. Although he wasn't old and his cultivation base wasn't high, he was already showing remarkable promise.
It was through the efforts of generation after generation of its descendants that the Wang Clan had reached where it was today.
Seeing that there were worthy successors to the clan's enterprise, Wang Xianmao was naturally incredibly satisfied!
"Moreover, Patriarch, if we look at it from the perspective of the racetrack, we can also find more exciting segments for the Talisman Master Competition.
For example, we could use the racetrack's unique horse racing events as the opening act for the Talisman Master Competition.
Clan Uncle Rongsheng has already gone out to invite the various immortal clans and sects to participate in the competition.
On the day of the competition, the racetrack's grandstands will very likely be completely full.
Holding a horse racing performance at that time would not only promote the racetrack but also make the competition appear exceptionally lively.
What do you think?"
By changing his perspective and way of thinking, he had found a few more brilliant plans to break the deadlock.
Yulou had merely shifted the main subject of his thoughts to the racetrack, and he had already come up with another excellent idea.
How could the Patriarch object to this?
However, displaying the experience of a seasoned veteran of the Wang Clan, he offered some very practical and crucial advice.
"Yulou, there's no problem with your idea, but if we do this, shouldn't the Yang Clan also contribute a sum of spirit stones?
The rewards for the Talisman Master Competition are currently all being provided by our Wang Clan. Even though the portion that costs spirit stones is only a few thousand...
When factoring in other hidden costs, it adds up to more than twenty thousand pieces.
Now that the venue has been changed to the racetrack, we are also helping the Yang Clan make a name for themselves. It wouldn't be appropriate for them to not pitch in any spirit stones!"
The competition's rewards were intended for the top twenty winners. The main expense was the spiritual artifact talisman brushes provided by the Wang Clan—which Wang Xianmao could forge himself.
A wooden or bone penholder, some eighth-grade donkey bristles, a red string tied around it, and a slight addition of spiritual charm—that would just about do it.
This included Wang Xianmao's own labor costs.
However, the bulk of the other rewards consisted of the high-tier Qi Refining talisman crafting methods provided by the Wang Clan. This fell under the category of a hidden intellectual property expense.
Since the Wang Clan already possessed these methods, imparting them to others could be seen as a zero-cost expense.
But from a sales perspective, if the winners walked away with dozens of the Wang Clan's secret methods, they should be paying at least twenty thousand spirit stones.
Wang Xianmao didn't expect the Yang Clan to shell out much. In his eyes, the Yang Clan contributing one or two thousand spirit stones would be about enough.
Foundation Establishment resources were expensive, and the rewards given to the Wang Clan by the Red Lantern Illumination Sect were considerable, but spirit stones were still a hard currency. The Yang Clan couldn't possibly give too much.
"Brilliant insight, Patriarch!"
Yulou was deeply impressed by the Patriarch. This spirit of wringing out every possible drop of profit had to be profoundly studied and absorbed. This was surely one of the Wang Clan's secret legacies.
"Don't mention that bastard!" the Patriarch joked.
"Hahaha, after Senior Wu successfully reached the Foundation Establishment realm, he invited his fellow Daoists to his clan grounds for an Ascension Banquet. That scoundrel Gao Jian gifted Senior Wu a full five thousand spirit stones as a congratulatory present."
Yulou smiled and shared a piece of news that had spread all over Clear Stream Market over the past few days.
From this, one could also see the value of the Wang Clan's teachings to its descendants: 'Be kind to others, and endure first when encountering trouble.'
One couldn't be recklessly overbearing. Being recklessly overbearing came with a price!
Even more so, one couldn't easily allow oneself to be used as a beast of burden. Gao Jian had served two generations of Town Guardian Cultivators, but neither of them treated him as one of their own.
He acted as their chamber pot. Once the Town Guardian Cultivators relieved themselves, they still despised him for being dirty!
It could be said that Gao Jian was the best example of how a pitiful person must have their hateful traits.
"Let's not talk about him anymore. But Yulou, we now have a new problem.
If we use a horse race to warm up the crowd before the competition begins, then the competition arena we've constructed using wood arts will be useless."
Setting up the stage first would delay the horse racing.
Racing the horses first would delay the construction of the competition arena.
Yulou thought for a moment and asked,
"Could you reach this level of proficiency—practice a few times beforehand, and then on the day of the competition, right after the horse race ends, rapidly construct the arena using wood arts?"
"The main issue is that this arena is too large. Let me think... I could design a special temporary formation array and bury it in advance.
On the day of the competition, I will be able to cast my spell unhurriedly and construct the wooden competition arena in an instant."
Yulou's eyes lit up, and he praised him.
"That is an excellent method! Patriarch, when the time comes, you must wear a respectable magical robe and cast your spell with panache, perfectly displaying the grandeur of our Wang Clan of Anbei Kingdom's towering pillar."
"You little rascal, now you're making arrangements for me, your Patriarch."
"You're always too fond of keeping a low profile every day. When it's time to be high-profile, you absolutely must be high-profile!"
Holding a horse racing exhibition at that time would not only promote the racetrack but also make the competition appear exceptionally lively.
"What do you think?"
By shifting his perspective, a few more brilliant strategies to resolve the situation emerged.
Yulou simply focused his thoughts on the racetrack, and another brilliant plan came to mind.
How could the Patriarch object to this?
However, drawing upon his experience as a seasoned veteran of the Wang Clan, he still offered some practical and crucial advice.
"Yulou, there's no problem with your idea, but if we do this, shouldn't the Yang Clan also contribute a sum of spirit stones?
The rewards for the Talisman Master Competition are currently all being provided by our Wang Clan. Although the portion that costs spirit stones is only a few thousand pieces, when factoring in the other hidden costs, even twenty thousand pieces wouldn't be enough to cover it.
Now that the venue has been changed to the racetrack, we are also helping the Yang Clan make a name for themselves. It wouldn't be right for them not to contribute spirit stones!"
The competition's rewards were meant for the top twenty winners. The primary expense was the spiritual artifact talisman brushes provided by the Wang Clan—which Wang Xianmao could forge himself.
A wooden or bone brush shaft, combined with some eighth-grade donkey mane, tied together with a red string, and imbued with a slight touch of spiritual rhythm would just about do the trick.
This also accounted for Wang Xianmao's labor costs.
However, the bulk of the other rewards consisted of the high-tier Qi Refining talisman crafting methods provided by the Wang Clan. This fell under the category of intangible costs.
The Wang Clan owned the methods themselves, so passing them on to others could be seen as a zero-cost expense in a way.
But from a sales perspective, if the winners took away dozens of the Wang Clan's secret methods, they would have had to pay at least twenty thousand spirit stones.
Wang Xianmao didn't expect the Yang Clan to shell out much. In his view, a contribution of one or two thousand spirit stones from them would be about right.
Foundation Establishment resources were expensive, and the rewards given to the Wang Clan by the Red Lantern Illumination Sect were incredibly generous, but spirit stones were still a very hard currency. The Yang Clan wouldn't possibly give too much.
"What brilliant insight, Patriarch—truly a Gao Jian!"
"Don't mention that beast!" the Patriarch quipped.
"Hahaha. After Senior Wu successfully reached the Foundation Establishment realm, he invited fellow cultivators to an Ascension Banquet at his clan grounds. That fellow Gao Jian gave Senior Wu a celebratory gift of a full five thousand spirit stones."
Yulou smiled as he shared the news. This matter had spread all over Clear Stream Market these past few days.
From this, one could also see the value of the Wang Clan's teachings to its descendants: "Be kind to others, and endure first when encountering trouble."
One couldn't just be overbearing for no reason. Being overbearing came with a price!
Even less should one easily let themselves be used as a beast of burden. Gao Jian had served two generations of Town Guardian Cultivators, but neither of them had treated him as one of their own.
He was treated like a chamber pot. After the Town Guardian Cultivators finished using him, they still thought he was dirty!
It could be said that Gao Jian was the perfect example of the saying, "A hateful person must have their pitiful aspects."
"Let's not mention him anymore. But Yulou, there is now a new problem.
If we use a horse race to warm up the crowd before the competition begins, then the competition arena we are currently building using wood arts will be useless."
Building the stage first would delay the horse racing.
Racing the horses first would delay the construction of the competition arena.
Yulou thought for a moment, then asked,
"Could you reach this level of proficiency: practice a few times first, and then on the day of the competition, rapidly build the arena using wood arts right after the horse race ends?"
"The main issue is that the arena is too large. Let me think... I could design a special temporary formation array and bury it in advance.
When the day of the competition arrives, I will be able to leisurely cast my spell and instantly construct the wooden competition arena."
Yulou's eyes lit up, and he praised him.
"This is a great method! Patriarch, when the time comes, you absolutely must wear a highly presentable magical robe and cast the spell with elegant flair to properly display the imposing manner of our Wang Clan of Anbei Kingdom's pillar of heaven."
"You rascal, you're actually giving orders to me, your Patriarch."
"You just prefer to keep a low profile every day. When it's time to be high-profile, you absolutely must be high-profile!"
Comments 1