Pure Profit

"Cough, cough." Yaoguang was momentarily caught off guard. Ten billion. In liquid funds, not assets. Leave aside the Su family—even the entire Buzhou Group could not produce that kind of money. And yet... Zong Yan had directly thrown out one hundred billion?! Had the currency devalued that fast? "Did you say a hundred just now? Ten billion?" Zong Yan asked. "Yes, what I wanted to say was ten billion Chixing coins," Yaoguang declared with absolute conviction. "No problem." Zong Yan agreed without the slightest hesitation. "The account ending in 8879? I'll make the call right now through special channels. It will arrive within an hour." "Good!" Yaoguang locked the deal down. "For the second installment, when I become a Martial Saint..." "If you can become a Martial Saint before the age of twenty-five, one hundred billion Chixing coins!" Zong Yan added, "I can agree to that number on my own authority. Anything higher... and I'd have to apply for approval." "What about before twenty?" Yaoguang asked. "Before twenty?" Zong Yan was taken aback. Then he shook his head. "You're underestimating the difficulty of becoming a Martial Saint! Fiendgod Body Refining is easy to start, but difficult to master. The higher you go, the harder it is to break through. Becoming a Martial Saint at twenty... in all of the Central Continent over the past several centuries, not a single person has done it." "I'm just asking for the price," Yaoguang said. Seeing Yaoguang's deadpan, serious look, Zong Yan fell into deep thought. *A twenty-year-old Martial Saint?!* If Yaoguang truly could become a Martial Saint before twenty... In the future, stepping into the seventh realm of Fiendgod Body Refining would be far from an extravagant dream. The seventh realm of Fiendgod! That was in the realm of high-rank cultivators! Often equivalent to the administrator of an entire world! Even Chixing would never dare easily offend such a figure. It was true they had Great Cultivators who had forged a Dao Foundation backing them, but that Great Cultivator had their own rivals and hostile factions. If Chixing dared to make an enemy of a high-rank cultivator for no good reason, to say nothing of the long term, the current royal family of Chixing would likely be done for. Such weight... Thinking up to this point, Zong Yan made up his mind. Although he felt the possibility was virtually zero, he still spoke with gravity: "If you truly can become a Martial Saint before twenty... I am confident I can persuade the other high-ranking leaders to make you the fourth chairman of the Jishi Society. The Jishi Society will spare no effort..." "Spare me the empty promises. Three hundred billion Chixing coins. Deal or no deal?" Yaoguang said point-blank. Three hundred billion Chixing coins! This was already equivalent to half of Dayu's entire annual GDP. Equivalent to three years of national fiscal revenue. It could buy several Buzhou Groups. He estimated that no matter how many powers backed the Jishi Society, it was still a non-governmental organization in the end; three hundred billion Chixing coins was already their absolute limit. No matter how wealthy they were, they could not produce such a massive sum of liquid funds in a short time. If a sum could not be paid out quickly, then no matter how high the promised amount was, it held little real meaning. Besides... Was there any difference to him between becoming a Martial Saint before twenty-five and before twenty? Even if he slacked off and fished three days while drying the nets for two, three months would be more than enough to exchange his blood and cleanse his marrow. As long as the Jishi Society agreed, it was the equivalent of getting an extra two hundred billion for nothing! Relying on the returns from this transaction, his [Martial Path] experience would definitely skyrocket. Forget reaching the seventh rank—brushing it all the way to the eighth rank would not be an issue. Pure profit! Yet hearing Yaoguang's words, Zong Yan's head was full of question marks. *Do you even hear what you're saying?* Three hundred billion Chixing coins?! While it was indeed an enormous sum, who stood behind the Jishi Society? Dozens of nations! To say nothing of top aristocratic families whose wealth rivaled nations. If dozens of countries pooled their resources, each contributing ten or so billion would easily scrape together three hundred billion. Signing a twenty-year-old Martial Saint for a mere three hundred billion Chixing coins?! Winning over a future seventh-realm Fiendgod Body Refining high-rank cultivator for three hundred billion Chixing coins?! Allowing the Jishi Society and the nations behind it to break free from the Chixing Empire's bullying for three hundred billion Chixing coins?! What did you call this?! Pure profit! With that thought, Zong Yan did not hesitate in the slightest, agreeing emphatically, "If you truly can become a Martial Saint before the age of twenty, three hundred billion Chixing coins will be transferred to your account within three days!" "Is that your word?" "Yes! Every word of mine, Zong Yan, is as solid as a nail driven home! I mean what I say!" "Words are wind. Put it in writing!" "Right! We sign an agreement right now, and neither of us is allowed to back out!" "Sign it, quick, sign it!" "Good!" For a moment, both of them were practically impatient. Both feared that if they moved too slowly, the other party might change their mind. Zong Yan quickly set things in motion, sending the message back to the Jishi Society. The Jishi Society had no objections to an agreement that was essentially like a wager. If they could really sign a twenty-year-old Martial Saint for three hundred billion Chixing coins, no matter how one looked at it, they were coming out massively ahead. Thus, in short order, the contract template was sent over. The two reviewed it and found no issues. Zong Yan instructed Zhang Tianji to print it using the teahouse's equipment. Soon... the agreement was brought over. Without the slightest pause, both signed their names immediately. Although an agreement like this did not carry as much binding force as one might imagine between figures like them, once it was signed, whatever actions followed would be completely legitimate, carrying understated significance that could not be underestimated. Having signed the agreement, both tucked their copies away at the same time. For a moment, Zong Yan glanced at Yaoguang. Yaoguang, feeling a similar intuition, also glanced at Zong Yan... The two shared a knowing smile. At this moment, only a single thought occupied their minds: *We made a killing.* ... "A pleasure doing business." "A pleasure doing business." The two shook hands. With the transaction concluded and having become one of their own, Zong Yan's subsequent attitude was noticeably friendlier. "You are nineteen this year... six months away from twenty... However, as long as you have not reached twenty-one, our agreement remains valid. In other words, you still have nearly a year and a half." He directly relaxed the criteria to a point that bordered on cheating. "I think you should start gathering the funds now, so you don't find yourselves unable to produce that much cash all at once when the time comes," Yaoguang said. "Rest assured on that front. Even for one hundred billion Chixing coins, gathering it will hardly take the Jishi Society much time." Clearly, Zong Yan did not believe Yaoguang could achieve Martial Saint before twenty. Their expectation for him was to step into the Martial Saint realm before twenty-five, and then spend the next six years thoroughly polishing his cultivation in that realm to contend with the Chixing Martial Saints who usurped the recommendation quotas belonging to the nations of the Central and Eastern Continents under the banner of the "All-Under-Heaven Martial Meet." "Commissioner Zhou mentioned that your physical tempering is not far from the limits of the human body. Beginning preparations to charge toward Martial Saint now isn't too early, so some of the cultivation resources originally meant to be distributed progressively can be approved for you in advance." Zong Yan paused before continuing, "Next, you will need to take a trip to Dayu's headquarters in Xihe City to register your relevant information. Once the registration is complete, you can choose to cultivate at the Dayu headquarters or return to Tiannan for independent practice... But I suggest you stay at the Dayu headquarters. While we could answer cultivation questions directly through video conferences, how could communication over video compare to hands-on, personal instruction?" He smiled and added, "Besides, headquarters not only has the finest training equipment, but any requisition of materials can also be processed immediately." "We'll see when the time comes," Yaoguang said. As for hands-on personal guidance from a Martial Saint... It held no appeal for him whatsoever. "Then get ready and see when you'd like to head to Xihe City." "Right now is fine." "Good, I'll arrange a vehicle right away." Hearing this, Zong Yan agreed with a smile. Xihe City was situated over eighty kilometers south of the royal capital, serving as a satellite city to it. It possessed both the convenient transportation of a vital junction and the luxurious prosperity of being adjacent to the capital. It was also just over six hundred kilometers from the provincial capital of Tiannan. After making the necessary arrangements, Zong Yan soon led Yaoguang and Zhang Tianji downstairs together. As they exited the teahouse, he seemed to recall something and addressed Zhang Tianji, "From now on, you are transferred from the field department to the security department, exclusively responsible for Yaoguang's safety." Zhang Tianji nodded. Although judging from Yaoguang's performance in defeating Commissioner Zhou, his strength was likely superior to Zhang Tianji's own... Yet in a fight to the death, even the strong preying on the weak might sustain injuries from the opponent's dying counterattack. If some lingering hidden ailment affected his progression to Martial Saint, it would severely jeopardize the Jishi Society's efforts to resist the Chixing Martial Saints in the All-Under-Heaven Martial Meet eleven years from now. Therefore, when it came to risking life and limb, field operatives like them were the ones who should step up. Soon, an apparently modified commercial vehicle appeared before them. The group boarded the vehicle, which sped toward the outskirts of the city. During the ride, Zong Yan made several phone calls. Yaoguang also sent a message to Lei Yun. And not long after his message was sent... His phone suddenly let out a *ding*. Immediately afterward, a text message popped up: "Your account ending in *8879 received a transfer via remittance from the head office on June 7, 1018 at 15:11..." The money had arrived. "One hundred billion." Ten billion Chixing coins was roughly equal to one hundred billion in Dayu currency. Even though earning this one hundred billion meant he would have to help the Jishi Society resist the Chixing Martial Saints and even bear the risk of assassination by the Star Shrine in the future—an enormous labor investment and by no means a small risk—still... With one hundred billion in his account, he could once again clearly feel the branch belonging to [Merchant] wrapped in a visible surge of green nutrients. If he had not controlled these nutrients to prevent the [Merchant] branch from absorbing them, the class rank represented by that branch would likely have caught up directly with the [Martial Path] branch. However... When one's strength grew, the efficiency of earning money would naturally rise with the tide. This principle had been thoroughly verified in his case. Upholding this philosophy, he once again channeled all of this visible nourishment into the [Martial Path] branch, causing it to blossom and bear fruit at extreme speed, advancing unabated toward the sixth rank, Flawless... Or rather, the realm of Hunyuan Martial Saint. It was only when it pushed to 71% that it barely ground to a halt. Yaoguang quietly absorbed all the information regarding the [Hunyuan Martial Saint] that the "Ancient Tree Brand Universal Search Engine" had gathered with full power. Similar to what he had previewed at the fifth rank. The focus of this realm was forging the Hunyuan Flawless Body. However, the key to forging the Hunyuan Flawless Body was not increasing raw strength, but laying a foundation. Laying a solid foundation for the breakthrough to come. According to the preview information obtained from the 71% progression into the sixth rank... The seventh rank, which represented high-rank cultivators, would usher in the martial artist's second qualitative leap following the fourth-rank Martial Saint. "Heavenly Being."