Young Noble Be Monster Slaying

Chapter 755: It's All Thanks To You

In a private chamber in the Boundless Palace, Venerable Wen Yuan sat behind his desk and let out a long sigh and remarked, "A favor owed to others weighs heavier than Mount Tai…"

Chu Liang sat obediently before him and remained very silent.

Just moments ago, Chu Liang had experienced much struggle to finally arrange a meeting with the three representatives of the War Tomb Mountain, the Great Lunar Dao Sect, and the Yushan Academy. Among them, the leader of the Yushan Academy even came personally, which was a rather great gesture of sincerity.

After much effort, Chu Liang had finally persuaded Yun Chaoxian, Feng Chaoyang, and Zhang Chen to leave. Then, without wasting a moment, he rushed to Venerable Wen Yuan to report everything he had learned. Obviously, this meeting with Venerable Wen Yuan was precisely why the three immortal sects had sought him out in the first place.

The War Tomb Mountain was an immortal sect that had upheld a cultivation legacy rooted in the Dao of Martial Arts for many years. Unlike the Great Astral Sect, they specialized in battle formations, seamlessly integrating beast-taming techniques and formation arts into their martial techniques.

Among cultivators, it was widely believed that in a one-on-one duel, a Great Astral Sect disciple would have the upper hand against a War Tomb Mountain disciple. However, in a ten-on-ten battle, their strengths would be evenly matched. And in a large-scale battle of a hundred versus a hundred, War Tomb Mountain would have the upper hand.

Throughout history, many of the dynasty’s greatest generals hailed from War Tomb Mountain, leading to frequent interactions between the sect and the Yu Dynasty’s military.

Despite its strengths in battle formations, War Tomb Mountain had long lacked powerful individual cultivators. Therefore, they never stood out among the immortal sects. Qiu Fenglie, the current sect leader of War Tomb Mountain, had ascended to the peak of the seventh realm, making him the strongest leader in the sect’s history.

With their overwhelming numbers and highly coordinated battle formations, the War Tomb Mountain was far more powerful than the records suggested. They were undoubtedly one of the strongest among the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten.

As for the Great Lunar Dao Sect, which Feng Chaoyang had recommended, it was really supported by the Celestial King Sect, Celestial Pivot Pavilion, and Sea King Sect.

Back in the day, when the Heavenly Star Divine Cult split apart, some factions, like the Dark King Sect, fell into the diabolical sects, while others, like Starhold Island, aligned themselves with Penglai. The remaining righteous factions, however, remained closely connected, like branches from the same tree.

For these sects, securing more seats within the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten meant increasing their collective influence. That was why the three immortal sects were doing everything in their power to help the Great Lunar Dao Sect rise to the ranks of the Terrestrial Ten.

In reality, the Great Lunar Dao Sect was a sect that taught the cultivation of the spiritual qi of forests, grass, and wood. Their focus had always been on longevity rather than ambition."

The Celestial King Sect, Celestial Pivot Pavilion, and Sea King Sect had likely evaluated the various sects that branched from the Heavenly Star Divine Cult. After much deliberation, they decided that only the Great Lunar Dao Sect had the strength to qualify as a first-rate righteous sect. With that in mind, they put forth their recommendation.

The so-called 'friend' Feng Chaoyang brought along was nearly two hundred years old. The old man had dozed off midway through his conversation with Chu Liang, showing not the slightest interest in the discussion. In the end, Feng Chaoyang had to speak on his behalf.

And yet, despite this, the Great Lunar Dao Sect was still the most likely to win. After all, it had the backing of far more powerful sects.

Meanwhile, the Yushan Academy was an oddity.

With a long history, it was once one of the great ancient academies that had risen alongside the Confucian movement. In its prime, it had led the intellectual and cultural tide across the nine provinces. However, as the imperial dynasties started asserting control over Confucian factions, these ancient academies began to decline, with some even losing their entire cultivation heritage. Though the Yushan Academy still had students, it was merely struggling to survive.

It wasn’t until a few years ago that the Ascending Dragon Academy intervened, pouring resources into the Yushan Academy and gathering esteemed scholars from across the land to lecture there. They had even sent their head disciple, Zhang Chen, which really showed their commitment to helping the Yushan Academy.

And now, the Ascending Dragon Academy even wanted to help the Yushan Academy secure a spot in the Terrestrial Ten. It was rather odd, as this academy had so few cultivators that it wasn’t seen as serious competition among the immortal sects.

Based on the information that the Mount Shu Sect had collected, the imperial court would be supporting the Earthfire Sect, which was also another rising power among the immortal sects.

Yet, the Ascending Dragon Academy had its own agenda, leading many to question what was really at play.

The Mount Shu Sect wasn’t particularly familiar with any of the three sects but were rather familiar with the forces supporting them. Regardless of who advanced, it would have no direct impact on the Mount Shu Sect.

Unfortunately, not long ago, during the battle to rescue Chu Liang, Venerable Wen Yuan had called upon the Mount Shu Sect’s allies for aid.

In response, the Great Astral Sect, the Celestial King Sect, and the Ascending Dragon Academy had each dispatched eighth-realm cultivators to assist in the fight. Together, these sects helped the Mount Shu Sect battle the Seven Demon Kings of the Far West. This was not a small favor!

Had only one sect sought their support, Mount Shu would have had no choice but to show them due respect and cast a crucial vote for them as one of the Divine Nine.

But now, with all three sects arriving together, Venerable Wen Yuan found himself with a massive headache.

Venerable Wen Yuan glanced at Chu Liang, who had been sitting quietly, and suddenly asked, "Who do you think we should support?"

"Ah?" Chu Liang uttered, stumped by this question.

He forced a smile and replied, "Well… the brothers of the Great Astral Sect have always been on good terms with our sect, so we should definitely help them. The Celestial King Sect has been a loyal ally, so we should help them too. And the Ascending Dragon Academy has lent Mount Shu a hand before, so of course, we should help them as well…"

Venerable Wen Yuan nodded expressionlessly. "Mmm."

What Chu Liang said was just a bunch of words with no real meaning.

Chu Liang suddenly added, "But… since all three have come to us, we can’t help any of them. If we support one, we’ll offend the other two."

Venerable Wen Yuan asked, "But if you help none of them, wouldn’t that mean offending all three?"

Chu Liang suddenly said, "That would be the case if we cast our vote for someone else, but what if we voted for ourselves?"

Venerable Wen Yuan’s lips curled into a smile. "You mean… we nominate our own ally for the Terrestrial Ten? The problem is we don’t have a suitable choice right now."

"It doesn’t have to be suitable. It just has to exist," Chu Liang said with a grin. "We won’t win anyway; it’s just to fill the spot."

"Heh," Venerable Wen Yuan chuckled. "I’ve considered that, but the selection of the Terrestrial Ten isn’t a game. You can’t just nominate any sect to fill a gap. Besides, the sects vying for a spot might be resented by those already in the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten. If there’s no real chance of winning, what sect would willingly serve as our placeholder?"

Chu Liang’s eyes suddenly lit up. "Eh? I just might have the perfect choice."

…

Huan Leisheng was busy overseeing the final stages of building the Celestial Talismanic Wheel when he suddenly heard that Chu Liang had arrived. Without delay, he rushed out to greet him.

"CEO Chu! Good day to you!"

Ever since Chu Liang had swiftly acquired the two important materials, Huan Leisheng had come to genuinely recognize his authority as Chief Executive Overseer.

Chu Liang had wealth at his disposal and manpower at his command. Following a man like this could only lead the Talismanic Sect to greater heights, bringing their dreams to fruition!

"No need for formalities," Chu Liang said with a smile, waving a hand dismissively. "How's the progress?"

"We're down to the final step," Huan Leisheng declared, his robe sleeves billowing as he gestured. "Once the materials are embedded and the enchanted formation inscriptions are activated, the Celestial Talismanic Wheel will be fully operational. At that point, our talisman production speed will be as swift as the wind! Within a decade, we will be refining all the talismans in the entire immortal realm!"

"Haha." Chu Liang chuckled before speaking again. "Progress is a good thing, but don’t get ahead of yourself. Even if the Celestial Talismanic Wheel is completed, do you really think it will revolutionize the immortal realm?"

"Our talisman-making speed will be thousands of times faster than traditional methods. How could it not?" Huan Leisheng asked, frowning in confusion.

Chu Liang continued, "Sure, you can make a lot of talismans, but does that mean they’ll sell?"

Huan Leisheng retorted, "With my low cost, even if I sell them at half the market price, I’d still make a profit. Why wouldn’t they buy from me?"

"Talismans aren’t something people can test before buying," Chu Liang said. "If someone suddenly started selling a lot of talisman dirt cheap, would you trust them enough to buy?"

"Ah."

Huan Leisheng was stunned. This was a question that had never crossed his mind.

Talismans could only be used once. They couldn’t be tested beforehand. At best, buyers could randomly select a few from a batch and test their strength, but that was hardly a reliable measure.

Because of this, purchasing talismans was much like purchasing pills. Most cultivators preferred to buy from trusted merchants—ones they were familiar with. After all, if a talisman failed at a critical moment while facing demons or monsters, the consequences could be dire.

Most cultivators would be wary of purchasing talismans if they suddenly flooded the market at unusually low prices.

"Unless… we have strong credibility," Huan Leisheng mused, turning to Chu Liang with hopeful eyes. "Could the Mount Shu Sect vouch for the Talisman Sect? Could you guarantee that our talismans are reliable?"

"So, Mister Huan, here’s the situation," Chu Liang said with a slight smile. "The Talismanic Sect may be under my control, but the Mount Shu Sect isn’t. I don’t have the authority to make my sect vouch for the Celestial Talismanic Wheel. Besides, can you truly guarantee that every talisman produced will be flawless? If even a single defect appears, my sect's reputation will be ruined and that’s a risk neither of us can afford to take."

Huan Leisheng frowned. "But… if that’s the case, our only option is to enter the market slowly. We’d have to gradually earn the trust of cultivators before lowering prices and rely on word-of-mouth to build our reputation. That kind of expansion would take much longer."

"Exactly. The Talismanic Sect isn’t a major sect. Outside of the Southern Regions, there’s a good chance no one even knows it exists," Chu Liang said.

Then he blinked, and his tone shifted to excitement. "But there’s a golden opportunity right now—one that could make the Talismanic Sect famous overnight and catch the attention of cultivators across the world. Do you know what it is?"

"Hmm?" Huan Leisheng’s eyes lit up. "What is it?"

Chu Liang let the suspense build as he spoke at a measured pace. "The… selection of the Terrestrial Ten!"

"T-this…" Huan Leisheng reacted as if he had just heard the most absurd joke. "How could our Talismanic Sect possibly qualify for that? CEO Chu, you must be joking…"

Even though the Talismanic Sect had a seventh-realm cultivator, the sect itself was nowhere near the level of the Terrestrial Ten. The gap between them and the other contenders was like the difference between Chu Liang’s appetite and that of Lackey B—colossal beyond measure.

The idea was nothing short of laughable.

"You may not qualify to participate, but Mount Shu has the right to nominate a contender," Chu Liang said. "Right now, Venerable Wen Yuan doesn’t have a solid choice in mind. I can put in a word for you… As long as the Talismanic Sect enters the selection, you’ll immediately be in the spotlight. And that’s when we seize the chance to introduce the Celestial Talismanic Wheel to the world. Do you know what that’s called? Generating traffic.

"Of course, we won’t win, but that doesn’t matter. This exposure will make the Celestial Talismanic Wheel known far and wide. Isn’t that fantastic?"

"Absolutely fantastic!" Huan Leisheng exclaimed, clapping his hands in excitement. "CEO Chu, I can’t thank you enough. This is all thanks to you!"

GLTD Alternate Universe's Thoughts

Translator: GT