Chapter 615: The Platform (Bonus Chapter, Please Subscribe)
Chapter 615: The Platform (Bonus Chapter, Please Subscribe)
Kungsang Market.
Myriad Treasures Pavilion.
Wang Lingdao stood with his hands behind his back, gazing in the direction of Sangqing Peak.
Even though the market was now bustling with people and raking in fortunes daily, it couldn't lift his spirits in the slightest.
Just moments ago, he had received a flying sword message from his clan, ordering him to withdraw from Kungsang Market and transfer the grand array's authority and shops to the people from Sangqing Peak.
The message vaguely mentioned the previous battle, and upon hearing that his own ancestor had actually lost a single move to that 'Qing Hezi', Wang Lingdao's face naturally filled with disbelief.
Recalling his earlier ten-move pact with the other party, how could he not realize that Qing Hezi had gone easy on him back in the Xuanming Abyss. . . ?
"Pavilion Master!"
"Since we're giving up the market anyway, destroying a bit of floating wealth is meaningless. . . Let's just save face for both sides."
Wang Lingdao sighed with emotion.
Meng Zhuzi also glanced in the direction of Sangqing Peak, a hint of regret in his heart.
Immediately, his Dao heart firmed, and he severed that sliver of regret.
If not for that, how could he have condensed his Nascent Soul?
Could he really have relied on struggling alone in the Xuanming Abyss?
Half a day later.
A streak of light appeared, carrying a terrifying spiritual pressure, suddenly descending upon Kungsang Market!
"It's Senior Qing Hezi!"
"Greetings, Senior Qing Hezi!"
The cultivators present hastily bowed in unison.
Fang Xi nodded slightly, his voice clear and resonant: "From this day forth, Sangqing Peak will take over Kungsang Market!"
His voice was gentle and calm, yet it resonated in every corner of the market.
A slender figure arrived before the Myriad Treasures Pavilion; it was none other than Zuo Xiaoxuan.
Wang Lingdao gave a bitter smile, pulled a cyan token from his sleeve, and handed it over.
This item was the core control of the local fifth-order array.
Zuo Xiaoxuan took it, as if completing a transfer of power.
Wang Lingdao cast one last look at the market, then led a group of Wang family disciples onto a Wind-Riding Boat, departing from the market.
Before stepping onto the deck, Meng Zhuzi turned back for a glance, seemingly with something to say, but in the end, nothing came out.
"From today onwards, the Myriad Treasures Pavilion will be renamed Evergreen Pavilion!"
Fang Xi transformed into a streak of green light, entering the Evergreen Pavilion, and sighed as he gazed at the empty counters.
"Senior. . ."
Zuo Xiaoxuan walked in, a bitter smile on her face: "Now I don't have enough personnel to maintain the market. . ."
"If there aren't enough people, recruit more. As for the spiritual items needed for initial investment, I'll figure something out."
Fang Xi was filled with confidence, as if nothing in the world could stump him.
Moreover, resolving this matter was quite simple. Most of the spiritual items needed in Kungsang Market were of the Nascent Soul or Core Formation grade; a quick search in the lower realms could barely alleviate the immediate crisis.
Once the subsequent spiritual item income was secured and a positive cycle established, the market could begin to sustain itself.
What Fang Xi needed to do now was provide a 'startup fund'.
As for cultivators?
As long as Evergreen Pavilion was willing to accept people, rogue cultivators at the Foundation Establishment and Core Formation stages would appear in endless numbers!
‘Once the market is up and running, I can secretly conduct my inter-world trade. . . With such a high-capacity market providing cover, adding a few more batches of goods won't be a problem at all. ’
Fang Xi stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes full of anticipation. . .
...
Several years passed in a flash.
Kungsang Market did not experience any turmoil, so the handover proceeded very smoothly.
Now, the fishing cultivators were accustomed to trading at Kungsang Market once more.
And Evergreen Pavilion was their first choice!
Besides the essential 'Purifying Water Pills', 'Black Nirvana Silkworm Artifacts', and 'Specialized Spirit Boats', Evergreen Pavilion occasionally offered spiritual items like 'Five Elements Spirit Fruits' and 'Infant Transformation Pills', which aided in condensing Golden Cores and Nascent Souls, enough to firmly capture the hearts of those rogue cultivators.
By now, everything was on the right track.
Truth be told, Zuo Xiaoxuan's contributions were indispensable; she truly possessed managerial talent.
Fang Xi was also willing to heavily reward talent and delegate authority, making the current Evergreen Pavilion appear quite prosperous.
One day.
Zuo Xiaoxuan personally arrived near the Xuanming Abyss, seemingly waiting for something.
"Pavilion Master. . . the rogue cultivators in the vicinity have been dispersed, and the pros and cons explained to them."
A streak of light flew over, revealing a white-haired Nascent Soul cultivator, who treated the Core Formation-level Zuo Xiaoxuan with utmost respect and politeness.
This feeling was quite intoxicating.
"Yes, that's enough. As the Peak Master said, we should begin assembling the fishing gear today. . ."
Although she had already seen the mechanical factory at Sangqing Peak, Zuo Xiaoxuan's heart was still filled with surprise when she heard Fang Xi's plan.
Soon, a streak of light appeared; it was none other than Fang Xi!
"Greetings, Peak Master!"
The cultivators from Evergreen Pavilion hastily bowed, while on the shore, many other cultivators had gathered to watch the spectacle.
"We can begin!"
Fang Xi murmured, issuing a command to 'Taiyi'.
Rumble!
Along the specially excavated river channel, colossal steel battleships, belching black smoke, sailed into view.
The smallest of these steel battleships was several hundred meters long, resembling monstrous steel beasts.
Whoosh!
They surged into the Xuanming Abyss, reaching the designated sea area, then disintegrated, transforming into individual metal components and modules.
One by one, 'Yellow Turban Strongmen' emerged, beginning to construct a large-scale offshore operation platform.
In the finer details, countless 'nanorobots' executed various precise tasks.
Days later, a massive offshore platform spanning a hundred li appeared. It was a compact industrial zone, integrating a 'shipyard', 'repair station', 'pre-processing mechanisms', 'Yellow Turban Strongmen assembly line', and 'defensive turrets'.
Looking out, it resembled a steel city upon the sea!
"This. . . truly grand and magnificent! I never expected Senior Qing Hezi to be skilled in the art of puppetry. . . " a rogue cultivator exclaimed, his face full of astonishment.
"Such mastery of puppets is indeed brilliant and unparalleled, but compared to the Ink Gate, it's still a bit lacking. . ."
Another white-bearded rogue cultivator stroked his beard: "This old man once saw the Ink Gate Organ City; that was truly astonishing. . . a city that could be freely disassembled, carrying hundreds of 'Colossal Divine Soldiers' that, in conjunction with arrays, could make even Soul Transformation cultivators flee in fear. . ."
The mechanical puppetry displayed by this offshore operation platform was, at best, on par with the Ink Gate's level.
Fang Xi understood this perfectly.
The Earthly Immortal World was vast and boundless; it was not surprising that it surpassed the Kyushu World in many fields of expertise.
However, the Kyushu World still held a slight technological advantage in this remote, backward place.
Rumble!
Countless assembly lines roared, numerous mechanical arms disassembled and assembled. . .
Soon, a steel-colored 'Turtle-Shell Boat' emerged within the dry dock.
Its hull was flat, like a turtle's shell, yet it could navigate through the Xuanming Abyss, and when its cabin opened, mechanical arms would extend out, automatically casting nets to fish. . .
"Hmm, this kind of spiritual material?"
Zuo Xiaoxuan gazed at the Turtle-Shell Boat, falling into contemplation: "It doesn't seem to be an artifact material. . ."
"This specialized metal has array patterns inscribed within it. While it still can't completely stop the erosion of the Profound Nether Heavy Water. . . it can at least endure for a period before being directly scrapped. . ."
Fang Xi smiled faintly, his divine consciousness spreading out. He could see that at the bottom of this steel island, countless cycles of destruction and regeneration were constantly ongoing. . .
Although the Profound Nether Heavy Water continuously corroded the island's base, new modules were constantly being assembled, achieving the miracle of this unsinkable island!
"Congratulations, Senior! This mechanical island has been completed. In the future, it can be used for extensive fishing in the Xuanming Abyss. . . However, it will still need some cultivators to escort and protect it."
Zuo Xiaoxuan's eyes lit up as she watched.
"More or less. . . but not too many. This island comes with its own arrays and restrictions, as well as puppets and mechanical cannons. . ."
Of course, Fang Xi wouldn't mention that he had also, in a deranged frenzy, equipped several 'Star-Annihilation Cannons' on this offshore operation platform, each with power comparable to a Soul Transformation cultivator's full-strength strike!
As long as they didn't encounter a True Armored Whale, they should be able to run rampant.
Furthermore, he wouldn't let this platform delve too deep into the Xuanming Abyss; the Ghost Gate Reef sea area was its limit.
"Once this platform is deployed, it should be able to net thirty to forty percent of all cultivators' harvests from the Xuanming Abyss annually. . . In other words, increasing production by thirty to forty percent is just right, too much is as bad as too little!"
A total increase of thirty to forty percent in spiritual item income, and then surrendering two percent more True Blood Pills than before, still left a profit.
But if the output of spiritual items exploded, why wouldn't the Dragon Taming Sect simply seize it and do it themselves?
In the cultivation world, many things don't rely on reason, only strength.
Fang Xi also didn't want to invite envy. Maintaining a low-profit or even break-even operational model was enough to keep outsiders quiet.
As for the true source of profit, it naturally lay in the success rate of refining 'True Blood Pills'.
Although the alchemy techniques of the Kyushu World were extraordinary, there were certainly sects in the Earthly Immortal World that surpassed them.
Fang Xi had even heard a rumor that some alchemy masters in major alchemy sects could directly use void spiritual qi as material, refining various spiritual pills out of 'nothing', a myriad of techniques that could be called void creation, truly inconceivable!
Compared to that, a mere method for slightly increasing pill refinement success rates was only somewhat eye-catching in this backwater.
"Though Kyushu is good, the foundation of any cultivation technology still relies on cultivation itself. Previously, at the Nascent Soul level, the techniques were merely average. Now that I've reached the Soul Transformation realm, perhaps there can be another breakthrough. . ."
If one's cultivation advanced to the inconceivable realm of manipulating creation, it would be more effective than any technology!
And it would be purely one's own power.
"Even if Black Miao Venerable's words are true, after the Dragon Taming Sect 'harvests' once, they'll at least need to ease up for a period, allowing the leeks to slowly grow. . ."
"Perhaps Qing Hezi's arrival was a bit of an accident, but he is still far weaker than the previous Black Water Sect. . . In other words, he's still within the acceptable range, and no major changes will occur in the short term. . ."
For Fang Xi, this was a rare development opportunity.
Utilizing this window of opportunity, he could rapidly accumulate 'True Blood Pills' and thus make swift progress in his cultivation!
For this, even suppressing the output of this offshore operation platform was worthwhile.
What one can hold in their hands is truly their own.
‘This Xuanming Abyss offers many benefits, allowing me to accumulate a large amount of True Blood Pills. If I were in other regions, I might not have such advantages. ’
Fang Xi was still very satisfied with his previous choice. In reality, every region in the cultivation world was probably similar to the Xuanming Abyss.
To be free and unfettered, to live long and forever. . . one must constantly break through to higher realms!
Comments