Commerce

"Three thousand?!" Hearing Zhao He's words, Yun Lai and Qin Yadong could not help but suck in a sharp breath. Even Yaoguang, whose reaction was half a beat slower, felt a secret jolt of shock when he realized what an order of three thousand flying swords meant. Spirit-artifact-grade flying swords. Any spirit-artifact flying sword that was not purely ornamental or designed for civilian use started at three figures in price. Currently, among the high-tier sword cultivators in the Jiuxiao Domain's War Hall, the most widely equipped model was the Longyuan flying sword, with a sect procurement price as high as three hundred and sixty spirit stones apiece. In other words, even using the Longyuan as a benchmark, this would be an order reaching into the millions. The sect's procurement profit margin for flying swords was typically around fifteen percent. If they could secure this order, the Zixiao Artifact Refining Institute would ultimately walk away with a profit of one hundred and fifty thousand spirit stones. One hundred and fifty thousand spirit stones was equivalent to nearly a quarter of the entire sect's annual procurement expenditure on flying swords for sword cultivators. And that meant the entire sect. Yaoguang briefly calculated the boost to his Merchant experience brought in by the earlier influx of over a hundred spirit stones... "As long as my labor costs aren't too high, raising Artifact Refining, Demon Hunting, and Merchant from Tier 9 to Master rank would only take one to two thousand spirit stones..." This figure was neither high nor particularly low. One had to keep in mind that although the average income of a Great Cultivator already exceeded a thousand, in reality, many newly advanced Great Cultivators likely took in only a few hundred spirit stones a year. After deducting daily cultivation, expenses, and equipment maintenance, they might not have a single stone left over. Among them, spell cultivators and sword cultivators had it worst. Many spell cultivators and sword cultivators ran on deficits. If he truly secured this order, even if the cut were halved, the profit commission he could take as First Seat would allow his Martial Path and Divine Path branches—which had already crossed into the Great Cultivator realm—to grow by leaps and bounds, advancing two levels in a row. Seeing the shifts in Yaoguang and Yun Lai's expressions, Zhao He smiled slightly. "Right now, every artifact refining institute that feels confident in spirit-artifact flying sword R&D has joined forces to form a special task force. We aim to produce a spirit-artifact flying sword that meets the higher-ups' requirements within a year, so we can secure victory in the contest against the Xuanming Sect over the East Sea Archipelago." He paused, then continued, "If the plan is feasible, the sect will ramp up investments, dispatching more high-tier sword cultivators to patrol the East Sea until we achieve a substantive reclamation of the territory and drive out all foreign enemies encroaching upon the East Sea Archipelago." "One year..." Yun Lai and Qin Yadong exchanged a glance. This timeframe... It was far too rushed. "Our Jiuxiao Domain borders the East Sea. Therefore, it would be best if we could resolve this issue ourselves without having to trouble the task forces from other branch sects. For now, I have already communicated with Grandmasters Wei Yan and Lu Yuan, and they are willing to lead their teams to join this task force." As Zhao He spoke, his expression grew somber. "This does not merely concern the order volumes of the artifact refining institutes behind you. It concerns the security of the East Sea situation, the stability of the Jiuxiao Domain, and the majesty of our entire Nine Cauldrons Sect!" At these words, everyone realized the gravity of this research mission. No wonder the Nine Cauldrons Sect was willing to offer such massive support. "Nine months ago, Great Sun Sword Sect sword cultivators intruded into the airspace of our Jiuxiao Domain—you are all aware of that, yes? It is precisely because they have gained a firm foothold in the East Sea Archipelago, free to advance or retreat, that they dared to test our boundaries. This time, they merely intruded into our Jiuxiao Domain's airspace. Next time, they might patrol our airspace under the banner of free sword-flight. And the time after that, sword qi and spells might rain down directly onto the major artifact refining and alchemy institutes of the Jiuxiao Domain." Zhao He gave a heavy wave of his hand. "Give an inch, and they will take a mile. In this contest over the East Sea Archipelago, only by defeating the Xuanming Sect first can we talk peace and development with the other sects! Only then can we further solidify our foothold in the East Sea Archipelago, until we completely reclaim it!" "It is our bounden duty!" Yun Lai stood up immediately. "I am willing to join the task force." With Zhao He having put it like this, and given that no one could refuse the face of this War Hall Master and Jiuxiao Branch Sect Vice Sect Master, Yaoguang could only say, "I am willing to offer my meager efforts." "Good!" Zhao He beamed. "The task force is already being organized. If you have any needs in terms of manpower or material resources, feel free to raise them. As long as it is within our power, our Jiuxiao Branch Sect will do its utmost to satisfy them." "One year... is too rushed. Let's purchase a batch of flying swords from the Wuji Astral Palace and the Immortal Alliance; we can try reverse-engineering their swords," Yun Lai suggested. "Grandmasters Wei Yan and Lu Yuan had the same idea." Zhao He nodded, then operated a device on his wrist, projecting a small spreadsheet. "They have already listed the high-mobility, low-consumption spirit-artifact flying swords from those external sects. Take a look when you have time. If you approve, we will place the orders, and you may dismantle and analyze them to your heart's content." Yaoguang glanced at it. There were six varieties of flying swords listed. Considering the need for teardowns, they couldn't just buy a single sword of each model. In other words... This expense alone would run one to two thousand spirit stones? "What is the research and development budget?" Yaoguang asked. "Matters of the Jiuxiao Domain are best resolved by the Jiuxiao Domain itself. Therefore, the initial budget I can grant you is three thousand spirit stones. Subsequent funds will be added as appropriate based on your progress..." Zhao He paused. "Given the importance of this flying sword, even if the budget reaches ten thousand, thirty thousand, or even fifty thousand, we will invest it. Of course, the prerequisite is that your results satisfy us." "Thirty thousand, fifty thousand..." Beside him, Yun Lai saw from these figures the branch sect's determination to overcome this hurdle. "Don't rush to purchase those flying swords just yet. Let's wait a bit," Yaoguang said after some thought. Zhao He turned to Yaoguang. "Over the years, I've been dedicated to developing a signature brand flying sword. The specialized parameters of this sword seem somewhat aligned with the requirements from above; it's just that the various metrics haven't been brought up to the spirit-artifact tier yet..." Yaoguang explained. At these words, a sharp glint flashed in Zhao He's eyes. "Are you serious?!" What every artifact refining grandmaster yearned for most was to craft a premier flying sword bearing their own name that would sell across the globe. Thus, it was hardly surprising that Yaoguang had already undertaken similar designs beforehand. After all, in crafting the Xianying 60, he had already proven his capability. While he might still fall somewhat short in the R&D of spirit artifacts, his understanding of dharma artifacts was such that even an artifact refining grandmaster like Yun Lai acknowledged his superiority. "Serious," Yaoguang replied. "If you truly have a flying sword that meets these requirements, that would essentially save us over a thousand spirit stones in expenses. I can make the call to award that sum to you as a personal bonus." Zhao He paused, then added, "However, how long will it take to align your parameters? We cannot wait too long." "Ten days," Yaoguang said. "In ten days, I will submit my design." "Good!" Zhao He agreed without hesitation. "Ten days it is!" Setting up the task force would also take time; ten days was hardly long. Beside them, Yun Lai pondered for a moment and said, "Yaoguang, if you truly have a flying sword meeting the criteria, don't hesitate to ask if you need any help." His son served in the War Hall and was a sword cultivator at the ninth level of qi refining. Once the Nine Cauldrons Sect and Xuanming Sect clashed at the level of high-tier cultivators in the East Sea Archipelago, his son would inevitably be sent to the front lines. Hence, he was naturally very invested in this flying sword. "If it comes to help..." Yaoguang hesitated for a moment. "I actually do have a favor to ask of you." "Speak," Yun Lai said solemnly. "All the refiners who participated in designing the Xianying 60 receive a share of the dividend profits. But right now, I urgently need spirit stones for experiments and to sustain my daily cultivation. So could you speak to the First Seat on my behalf and convert my dividend shares into a lump sum of spirit stones?" Yaoguang asked. Yun Lai was taken aback, then said, "The Xianying 60 was jointly designed by us. Its superior specifications will undoubtedly capture a massive share of the dharma-artifact flying sword market. With a bit of luck, it might even become a blockbuster hit, securing thousands or even tens of thousands of orders annually over the next five to ten years. Based on your contributions, your annual dividends likely wouldn't fall below a thousand spirit stones..." "As I said, I urgently need a sufficient amount of spirit stones to conduct tests and sustain daily cultivation," Yaoguang reiterated. At the end, he added, "And the sum is not small." "This..." Yun Lai hesitated. He had intended to offer to lend Yaoguang some, but upon hearing that last addition, he found it difficult to say anything further. "I will go find the First Seat right away." "Thank you for the trouble," Yaoguang said. Seeing this, Zhao He pondered and remarked, "If I recall correctly, the Zixiao Institute's operational status isn't bad. Does First Seat Yaoguang have any intention of taking out a loan to expand production scale? The branch sect provides strong support for the sword-cultivator-related flying sword industry, with exceptionally low interest rates." Yaoguang immediately caught Zhao He's meaning. Without a legitimate pretext, Zhao He couldn't simply hand spirit stones to him, so he was offering to channel spirit stones into his hands via a low-interest loan to relieve his urgent need. Unfortunately... Loans did not increase Merchant experience. He felt this was a bug in the system—what merchant in business didn't take out loans? Yet he had tested it before, and it simply didn't grant experience. "If necessary, I will submit an application to Hall Master Zhao," Yaoguang said. "Very well. We've already exchanged contact details; if you need anything, reach out directly, and I will submit it on your behalf," Zhao He said. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, they parted ways. Meanwhile, on the other side, after hearing Yun Lai relay the request, the First Seat of the Xianying Institute looked at him. "First Seat Yaoguang's intention is..." "Yaoguang is different from us. He is still young, full of drive and ambition. He can't just sit in a position and coast on dividends like we do. It's only natural that he wants a large sum of spirit stones to take a gamble and accomplish something," Yun Lai said. "Oh? Then do you think I should agree?" "Of course," Yun Lai said, turning serious. "In fact, we should offer him a generous price." With that, he sent a voice transmission: "There's no need for me to sing praises of First Seat Yaoguang's artifact refining attainments; you've seen them for yourself. And from what I know, despite his spirit refining cultivation technically falling short, he can already manifest a trace of the Origin Spirit's divine wonder. What that implies needs no explanation from me." "Origin Spirit!" Shock registered on the Xianying First Seat's face. An Origin Spirit Realm Great Cultivator! Presently, the Nine Cauldrons Sect's need for spirit cultivators was at its most dire. Yaoguang was so young, yet he had already made such achievements on the Divine Path... His future prospects were limitless! Instantly, he made his decision. "Then let it be as he wishes! What sort of price do you think we should offer?" "The market popularity the Xianying will command can easily last five to ten years, and his dividends would not fall below a thousand a year. Therefore... I think five thousand is a reasonable figure."