There were three options for Han Cai . One was to take help from the sect to get spirit stones, the second was to use Shu Tao to sell to the merchants, and the third was to use his clan.
After long contemplation, he decided to try all three options. He could concoct enough to make money anywhere. He then decided to exclude the sect as he wanted to maintain a low profile. This time he wanted to remain undetected until he had awakened his abilities.
When the end of the month arrived, the disciples presented the pills they had concocted, which totaled around twelve thousand for each disciple. This time, Shu Tao also had to concoct pills.
Elder Du separated five thousand pills and stored them in one bag, while the remaining ones were kept in a second bag. He handed over both bags to Shu Tao, just as he had always done before his change.
Upon inspecting the second bag, Shu Tao was taken aback to find it filled with more than sixty thousand pills. Since most of the disciples were concocting only two thousand fasting pills a month, he wondered how Elder Du had managed to provide this many pills. He assumed that Elder Du had himself started concocting fasting pills too.
Shu Tao had fostered connections with some outer sect disciples who operated ferries to various cities. These disciples were in charge of delivering the pills to the merchants outside the sect who procured them on a monthly basis. Shu Tao had been concerned that with the current monthly production of approximately fourteen thousand pills, he would run short of supplies to offer the merchants. However, with Elder Du's extra pills, he could breathe easy knowing that the supplies were sufficient. Through this transaction, Shu Tao earned some spirit stones too.
After the pills were distributed, Elder Du declared a day off for all the disciples to unwind and rejoice in their hard work.
As Shu Tao left to deliver the pills, Han Cai instructed Blacky, "Go follow him, and map out the disciples he contacts and the merchants they sell the pills to. We need income sources."
Han Cai had acquired some funds for now through Elder Du, so for the short term he had extra spirit stones to buy materials. But in the long term, the funds of Elder Du were not enough. Still, Elder Du had amassed a considerable amount of spirit stones over a long period, possessing more than two hundred thousand medium-grade spirit stones and over ten million lower-grade spirit stones.
While Elder Du possessed many treasures and recipes, Han Cai had a superior collection of everything that he had collected in his last life, so he wasn't particularly interested in what the elder had.
After the month's meeting was concluded, Han Cai went back to concocting. He was obsessed with elevating his skills to a level where he could concoct an awakening pill. The idea that the awakening pill could awaken his abilities was only a theory, there was no proof that they would indeed awaken his abilities. But still, there was a chance that it might work - even if the chance was only 0.01%, he had to try. His legendary abilities were his lifeline - the sooner they awakened, the easier it would be for him.
However, he was still missing two materials - the Heavenly Serpent Vine and the Starlight Lotus Seed. Now that he was a part of the Azure Dragon Sect, he was confident that he could acquire these materials, provided he was willing to pay a substantial price.
Upon Shu Tao's return from delivering the pills, another feast was organized, during which Elder Du announced, "From now on, every disciple will receive 600 lower-grade spirit stones for their work.."
This revelation left the disciples stunned. Six hundred spirit stones was a substantial amount, and Elder Du's generosity left them even more pleased. Even in their clan, these talents did not receive more than fifty to a hundred spirit stones. For the first time, they felt as if they belonged to the right sect, the most powerful sect in the country.
Elder Du added, "I am giving you so many spirit stones so you can enhance your cultivation. Don't slack off. If I don't see growth in your cultivation, the spirit stones will be taken back."
The six disciples responded with vigorous nods of agreement.
A few days later, Blacky returned. He had tailed the ferry men to discover which merchants they sold the pills to.
The following day, Han Cai dispatched Blacky on another mission. This time, it was a long-distance journey. However, since Blacky travelled through the shadow dimension, distance was a trivial matter for him.
Millions of miles away from the sect.
After leaving Han Cai, Yan Rui, the Patriarch, and other elders returned to their clan. When clan members found out Han Cai was selected first, they were initially disappointed. However, the mood shifted to celebration when the patriarch announced that the clan had enough money to open businesses in Verdant City.
The prospect of the clan buying properties in various major cities and starting businesses with traders who lacked the rights to operate in those cities lifted their spirits. The favors they received through the pills would now be returned as the Yan Clan could provide a place to merchants in Verdant City where they could sell their products and earn better.
Every household in Yan clan had its own connections with traders and families. Previously, these traders and families only conducted business outside the major cities of the country. But now, with the Yan Clan's own stores and businesses, the clan would become the largest distributor of their products and services. In return, the Yan Clan would receive a portion of the profits from the goods that traders and families sold through their stores.
This was a risk-free yet profitable business venture for the Yan Clan, thus leading to a cheerful atmosphere among the members.
Yan Rui was sitting in his courtyard, meticulously going over all the clan's plans. Now, the patriarch couldn't make any decisions related to the major cities without Yan Rui's approval.
In the same hall, all his sons were seated, participating and offering suggestions. Yan Bo and Yan Han sat closest to him for obvious reasons. In the Yan family, Rui's household stood to benefit the most, and within Rui's household, it was Yan Bo's family that would profit the most.
It was a wise move on Yan Rui's part to have brought Han Cai in Rui Household. Otherwise, Yan Bo might have become the most powerful in the family, surpassing even his father. However, Yan Bo lacked his father's wisdom. Not that Yan Rui was the wisest of them all, but training Han Cai had proven to be one of the wisest decisions he had ever made. The entire clan now revered him. They believed that it was Yan Rui who had made this possible, training a heaven-grade talent to such an extent that he was accepted into the Azure Dragon Sect.
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Gifts are always appreciated, but golden tickets and power stones matter a lot too.
If we reach 2000 power stones, I will release two supplementary chapters.
If we reach 1000 golden tickets, I will release five supplementary chapters.
Thank You
