“Fine!” There was a trace of madness in Ding Ling’er’s eyes. Her body shivered uncontrollably as she said in excitement, “It’s a deal! But, my company cannot come out with one hundred hoverchariots in such a short time. Even if I need to purchase them, I will need some time.”
Yunxiao pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, “I don’t have time for you to purchase them. How many do you have now?”
Ding Ling’er calculated in her mind. “We have about thirty right now, and three fifth-tier Tigerking hoverchariots.”
“Oh?” Yunxiao’s eyes lit up. A fourth-tier hoverchariot was called Bluewolf, and a fifth-tier one was called Tigerking. Exulted, he said, “Give me all the Tigerkings, they will make up for thirty Bluewolves. As for the rest, you can pay me in fourth-tier herbs or mystic weapons.”
After considering for a while, Ding Ling’er agreed. The cost of one hundred fourth-tier alchemy products was indeed an astronomical figure, and even a state might not be wealthy enough to pay. But, for the sake of Tianyuan Trading Company’s current crisis, no matter how expensive it was, it had to pay.
Ignoring the unimaginably great power and convenience enjoyed by an ordinary member of the alliance, if it fell from the seat of an ordinary member, the rest of the companies would definitely take the opportunity to carve up its business. In fact, the companies who had lost their ordinary member status in the past were all devoured by other companies within a few years, completely vanishing from the continent.
So, Tianyuan Trading Company had come to the moment of life and death. There was no other way out, and Ding Ling’er had to gamble.
“I’ve made a serious mistake that cost the company to pay double!”
After leaving the City Lord Mansion, Yu Rong was extremely depressed. When he thought that the company was forced to pay twice as much because of him, he was filled with grief and anger.
“It’s alright,” said Ding Ling’er with a gentle smile. “If the company can survive this crisis, the price is small enough to ignore. Otherwise, we would lose these things anyway. In fact, it is better that we can give him more, so that he owes us greater favor and, at the same time, we can help him grow faster. In the end, it will all come back to us.”
Yu Rong was overwhelmed with gratitude. To him, the way she justified his serious mistake with that was a kindness he could never repay. In a fit of guilt, he said, “But, don’t you think it is too much of a joke for that Li Yunxiao to say that he will become a Martial Lord and a fourth-tier alchemist in six months? I think he is too pompous to be trusted!”
There was a flicker of confusion in Ding Ling’er’s eyes. “But Sir Yu, you personally investigated Li Yunxiao’s information, and it was you who told me that he had gone from a good-for-nothing to a four-stars Martial Master and a third-tier alchemist in a few months. If he continues to grow at this rate, he will soon become a Martial Lord and a fourth-tier alchemist, right?”
Yu Rong paused, and beads of cold sweat began to ooze out of his forehead. “But…” he said hastily, “even though that is the result of my investigation, it is too absurd for even me to believe!”
Ding Ling’er fell silent. Suddenly, she smiled and said, “It doesn’t matter if he can’t reach that level. Among all the young people below the age of thirty in the alliance, only a few have reached the level of a third-tier alchemist. As long as he can gain a strong foothold in the alchemy tournament, I’ll be satisfied. As for the martial arts tournament…” Her eyes flashed, and a confident look crept up her face. “We still have six months, and it is more than enough for me to break through into the Five Elements Realm and become a Martial King!”
Right after Ding Ling’er and Yu Rong left, Xiao Qingwang walked into the hall. His eyes were filled with shock as he said incredulously, “Just like that, we’ve gotten ourselves one hundred fourth-tier alchemy products? Am I dreaming, Young Master Yun?”
“Now is not the time for dreaming,” said Yunxiao in a cold voice. “It seems Tianyuan Trading Company is indeed at the edge of a cliff. Otherwise, they would not have agreed so briskly. But…if the situation hadn’t forced me to, I would never have agreed to this price.”
Xiao Qingwang’s face grew grave, and he said worriedly, “Are you referring to the Xingyang and Cheng families? We have killed their descendants, and they will definitely not let this matter rest, given how proud and arrogant they are. We need to be prepared for battles.”
Although Xingyang Family was also an aristocratic family in Firecrow, Yanwu should have no problem resisting them with the help of him and the others. But, Cheng Family, with its thousands of years of history, had reserves that were too deep to be fathomed, and they might not be able to resist it even with the strength of the whole Tianshui. This was what worried him the most.
“Don’t worry, I have my own plans!” There was a look of absolute confidence in Yunxiao’s eyes.
Xiao Qingwang had no idea where his confidence came from, so he could only sigh, “I hope so. In any case, just call me when you need my help. It’s a pity that my injury has not been cured fully, which has stopped me from progressing further. In the future, my help to you may be very limited.”
“You don’t have to belittle yourself,” Yunxiao laughed. “Within a month, I will not only completely cure your cold poison, but also make you break through the Six Directions Realm and become a Martial Grandmaster!”
“What!” Xiao Qingwang stared at Yunxiao in shock. Although the latter often uttered startling words, he knew his condition best. ‘But, every time he said something startling, he did it in the end…’
Yunxiao gave him a mysterious look as he laughed and said, “You will know when the time comes.”
Xiao Qingwang shook his head with a wry smile and left without believing it, but there was an immense anticipation inside him.
Yunxiao smiled, and then his face grew calm. He took out a jade medallion and sent a stream of divine sense into it, calling his grandfather over, “Send this jade medallion back to the capital and give it to Zhang Qingfan as soon as possible.”
Knowing what was at stake, Li Chunyang dared not slack off and set off for the capital at once.
After that, Yunxiao asked Jia Rong to accompany him out of the City Lord Mansion and walked around the city. His most important task at present was to know the condition of the city. Initially, he had intended to be an idle City Lord who was only in charge of money, but he did not expect that he would have to take over everything so soon.
“What’s that place?”
Standing at the top of the tallest building in the city and pointing to a stretch of green hills dozens of miles away outside the city, Yunxiao asked Wu Zishi, who was beside him.
After waking up from sleep, Wu Zishi realized that he was not dreaming. He was overjoyed, and just as he was about to share the good news with his family, Yunxiao came to him and took him out to the highest place in the city.
He glanced in that direction and replied respectfully, “My lord, the highest mountain there is called Mount Qiyun, and the whole mountain range is also called Qiyun Mountains. It is said that there are many demon beasts living in it. The average hunters and herb gatherers would venture only to the outskirts of the mountains.”
“Demon beasts?” Yunxiao frowned and asked, “Do you know if there are aristocratic families or sects in these mountains?”
Wu Zishi paused a moment. He was just an ordinary man, and his first reaction to the question was: ‘Who except hunters would want to live in the mountains?’ But, he soon realized that Yunxiao was referring to those existences with mighty power. He shook his head and said, “I don’t know. But, I often hear stories of people running into immortals in the mountains.”
Yunxiao nodded slightly and said to himself, “Although the Spirit Qi of this mountain is not as good as that of those famous rivers and mountains, it is already considered very good in Tianshui. Since there are demon beasts in it, there are probably aristocratic families or sects as well. Judging from the concentration of the Spirit Qi, they should not be any powerful figures. Well, I’ll borrow their Spirit Qi for the time being.”
“Borrowing Spirit Qi?” Jia Rong, who was standing behind him, asked curiously, “Young Master Yun, how do you borrow Spirit Qi? Do you need to return it?”
Yunxiao laughed. “Bring two thousand members of the Dubhe and set up these three arrays under the city as fast as you can.” He threw three array diagrams to Jia Rong.
With an excited look on his face, Jia Rong took the diagrams and glanced through them. Although Yunxiao made him do all the laborious work every time, he always gained tremendous benefits afterward.
“The Nine Dragons Energy Absorbing Array, the Universe Sky City Treasure Array, the Great Sun and Golden Light Sword Array!”
“What are these arrays? I’ve never heard of them.” Jia Rong felt a little dumbfounded. Looking at the complicated layout of the drawings, his first reaction was dizziness.
Yunxiao explained, “The Nine Dragons Energy Absorbing Array can bring Spirit Qi from all directions into the city. I’ve studied the surroundings just now. There is no spirit mountain or treasure land here, and this Mount Qiyun is the only place with some Spirit Qi, so I’ve slightly modified the array. When it is activated, it will focus on absorbing the Spirit Qi of the mountain. As for the other two arrays, they are guardian arrays for sects—one is offensive and the other is defensive. I have also greatly simplified them.”
“Guardian arrays!” Jia Rong was shocked. A guardian array was something that only those super strong aristocratic families and sects with at least thousands of years of history could have. In Firecrow Empire, it was likely that only Jutian Sect had similar things. He could not believe Yunxiao just gave him two!
“I…I am only a mere second-tier alchemist. Do I have the ability to set them up?” Jia Rong began to feel nervous, fearing that he would screw things up.
“Each of the two arrays, in its full version, has 3,600 restrictive spells and 108 variations. If a Martial Supreme is caught in it, he too will die!” Looking at Jia Rong, whose jaws almost dropped to the ground, Yunxiao chuckled and said, “Apart from the fact that you don’t have the ability to set up these formations right now, the Primordial Stones needed to maintain their operation are astronomical. Therefore, there are only 18 restrictive spells and zero variations in my simplified version. They only have simple defensive and offensive abilities. But even so, they are a rare means at present.”
“Fine!” There was a trace of madness in Ding Ling’er’s eyes. Her body shivered uncontrollably as she said in excitement, “It’s a deal! But, my company cannot come out with one hundred hoverchariots in such a short time. Even if I need to purchase them, I will need some time.”
Yunxiao pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, “I don’t have time for you to purchase them. How many do you have now?”
Ding Ling’er calculated in her mind. “We have about thirty right now, and three fifth-tier Tigerking hoverchariots.”
“Oh?” Yunxiao’s eyes lit up. A fourth-tier hoverchariot was called Bluewolf, and a fifth-tier one was called Tigerking. Exulted, he said, “Give me all the Tigerkings, they will make up for thirty Bluewolves. As for the rest, you can pay me in fourth-tier herbs or mystic weapons.”
After considering for a while, Ding Ling’er agreed. The cost of one hundred fourth-tier alchemy products was indeed an astronomical figure, and even a state might not be wealthy enough to pay. But, for the sake of Tianyuan Trading Company’s current crisis, no matter how expensive it was, it had to pay.
Ignoring the unimaginably great power and convenience enjoyed by an ordinary member of the alliance, if it fell from the seat of an ordinary member, the rest of the companies would definitely take the opportunity to carve up its business. In fact, the companies who had lost their ordinary member status in the past were all devoured by other companies within a few years, completely vanishing from the continent.
So, Tianyuan Trading Company had come to the moment of life and death. There was no other way out, and Ding Ling’er had to gamble.
“I’ve made a serious mistake that cost the company to pay double!”
After leaving the City Lord Mansion, Yu Rong was extremely depressed. When he thought that the company was forced to pay twice as much because of him, he was filled with grief and anger.
“It’s alright,” said Ding Ling’er with a gentle smile. “If the company can survive this crisis, the price is small enough to ignore. Otherwise, we would lose these things anyway. In fact, it is better that we can give him more, so that he owes us greater favor and, at the same time, we can help him grow faster. In the end, it will all come back to us.”
Yu Rong was overwhelmed with gratitude. To him, the way she justified his serious mistake with that was a kindness he could never repay. In a fit of guilt, he said, “But, don’t you think it is too much of a joke for that Li Yunxiao to say that he will become a Martial Lord and a fourth-tier alchemist in six months? I think he is too pompous to be trusted!”
There was a flicker of confusion in Ding Ling’er’s eyes. “But Sir Yu, you personally investigated Li Yunxiao’s information, and it was you who told me that he had gone from a good-for-nothing to a four-stars Martial Master and a third-tier alchemist in a few months. If he continues to grow at this rate, he will soon become a Martial Lord and a fourth-tier alchemist, right?”
Yu Rong paused, and beads of cold sweat began to ooze out of his forehead. “But…” he said hastily, “even though that is the result of my investigation, it is too absurd for even me to believe!”
Ding Ling’er fell silent. Suddenly, she smiled and said, “It doesn’t matter if he can’t reach that level. Among all the young people below the age of thirty in the alliance, only a few have reached the level of a third-tier alchemist. As long as he can gain a strong foothold in the alchemy tournament, I’ll be satisfied. As for the martial arts tournament…” Her eyes flashed, and a confident look crept up her face. “We still have six months, and it is more than enough for me to break through into the Five Elements Realm and become a Martial King!”
Right after Ding Ling’er and Yu Rong left, Xiao Qingwang walked into the hall. His eyes were filled with shock as he said incredulously, “Just like that, we’ve gotten ourselves one hundred fourth-tier alchemy products? Am I dreaming, Young Master Yun?”
“Now is not the time for dreaming,” said Yunxiao in a cold voice. “It seems Tianyuan Trading Company is indeed at the edge of a cliff. Otherwise, they would not have agreed so briskly. But…if the situation hadn’t forced me to, I would never have agreed to this price.”
Xiao Qingwang’s face grew grave, and he said worriedly, “Are you referring to the Xingyang and Cheng families? We have killed their descendants, and they will definitely not let this matter rest, given how proud and arrogant they are. We need to be prepared for battles.”
Although Xingyang Family was also an aristocratic family in Firecrow, Yanwu should have no problem resisting them with the help of him and the others. But, Cheng Family, with its thousands of years of history, had reserves that were too deep to be fathomed, and they might not be able to resist it even with the strength of the whole Tianshui. This was what worried him the most.
“Don’t worry, I have my own plans!” There was a look of absolute confidence in Yunxiao’s eyes.
Xiao Qingwang had no idea where his confidence came from, so he could only sigh, “I hope so. In any case, just call me when you need my help. It’s a pity that my injury has not been cured fully, which has stopped me from progressing further. In the future, my help to you may be very limited.”
“You don’t have to belittle yourself,” Yunxiao laughed. “Within a month, I will not only completely cure your cold poison, but also make you break through the Six Directions Realm and become a Martial Grandmaster!”
“What!” Xiao Qingwang stared at Yunxiao in shock. Although the latter often uttered startling words, he knew his condition best. ‘But, every time he said something startling, he did it in the end…’
Yunxiao gave him a mysterious look as he laughed and said, “You will know when the time comes.”
Xiao Qingwang shook his head with a wry smile and left without believing it, but there was an immense anticipation inside him.
Yunxiao smiled, and then his face grew calm. He took out a jade medallion and sent a stream of divine sense into it, calling his grandfather over, “Send this jade medallion back to the capital and give it to Zhang Qingfan as soon as possible.”
Knowing what was at stake, Li Chunyang dared not slack off and set off for the capital at once.
After that, Yunxiao asked Jia Rong to accompany him out of the City Lord Mansion and walked around the city. His most important task at present was to know the condition of the city. Initially, he had intended to be an idle City Lord who was only in charge of money, but he did not expect that he would have to take over everything so soon.
“What’s that place?”
Standing at the top of the tallest building in the city and pointing to a stretch of green hills dozens of miles away outside the city, Yunxiao asked Wu Zishi, who was beside him.
After waking up from sleep, Wu Zishi realized that he was not dreaming. He was overjoyed, and just as he was about to share the good news with his family, Yunxiao came to him and took him out to the highest place in the city.
He glanced in that direction and replied respectfully, “My lord, the highest mountain there is called Mount Qiyun, and the whole mountain range is also called Qiyun Mountains. It is said that there are many demon beasts living in it. The average hunters and herb gatherers would venture only to the outskirts of the mountains.”
“Demon beasts?” Yunxiao frowned and asked, “Do you know if there are aristocratic families or sects in these mountains?”
Wu Zishi paused a moment. He was just an ordinary man, and his first reaction to the question was: ‘Who except hunters would want to live in the mountains?’ But, he soon realized that Yunxiao was referring to those existences with mighty power. He shook his head and said, “I don’t know. But, I often hear stories of people running into immortals in the mountains.”
Yunxiao nodded slightly and said to himself, “Although the Spirit Qi of this mountain is not as good as that of those famous rivers and mountains, it is already considered very good in Tianshui. Since there are demon beasts in it, there are probably aristocratic families or sects as well. Judging from the concentration of the Spirit Qi, they should not be any powerful figures. Well, I’ll borrow their Spirit Qi for the time being.”
“Borrowing Spirit Qi?” Jia Rong, who was standing behind him, asked curiously, “Young Master Yun, how do you borrow Spirit Qi? Do you need to return it?”
Yunxiao laughed. “Bring two thousand members of the Dubhe and set up these three arrays under the city as fast as you can.” He threw three array diagrams to Jia Rong.
With an excited look on his face, Jia Rong took the diagrams and glanced through them. Although Yunxiao made him do all the laborious work every time, he always gained tremendous benefits afterward.
“The Nine Dragons Energy Absorbing Array, the Universe Sky City Treasure Array, the Great Sun and Golden Light Sword Array!”
“What are these arrays? I’ve never heard of them.” Jia Rong felt a little dumbfounded. Looking at the complicated layout of the drawings, his first reaction was dizziness.
Yunxiao explained, “The Nine Dragons Energy Absorbing Array can bring Spirit Qi from all directions into the city. I’ve studied the surroundings just now. There is no spirit mountain or treasure land here, and this Mount Qiyun is the only place with some Spirit Qi, so I’ve slightly modified the array. When it is activated, it will focus on absorbing the Spirit Qi of the mountain. As for the other two arrays, they are guardian arrays for sects—one is offensive and the other is defensive. I have also greatly simplified them.”
“Guardian arrays!” Jia Rong was shocked. A guardian array was something that only those super strong aristocratic families and sects with at least thousands of years of history could have. In Firecrow Empire, it was likely that only Jutian Sect had similar things. He could not believe Yunxiao just gave him two!
“I…I am only a mere second-tier alchemist. Do I have the ability to set them up?” Jia Rong began to feel nervous, fearing that he would screw things up.
“Each of the two arrays, in its full version, has 3,600 restrictive spells and 108 variations. If a Martial Supreme is caught in it, he too will die!” Looking at Jia Rong, whose jaws almost dropped to the ground, Yunxiao chuckled and said, “Apart from the fact that you don’t have the ability to set up these formations right now, the Primordial Stones needed to maintain their operation are astronomical. Therefore, there are only 18 restrictive spells and zero variations in my simplified version. They only have simple defensive and offensive abilities. But even so, they are a rare means at present.”
