Martial Arts: I Have a Wilderness World

Chapter 543: Chapter 289: Discussing the Settlement

When Cheng Zongyang returned to his residence, he saw no sign of any visitors at the entrance.

’Looks like Lady Qin hasn’t returned yet.’ Cheng Zongyang shook his head slightly and went back to his room.

Upon entering the Wilderness World, he saw Luo Dingran leading a group of Soul Slaves, herding the last of the One-Horned Iron Bulls out.

When Luo Dingran saw Cheng Zongyang arrive, he said with a helpless sigh, "My Lord, it was too much of a rush. We haven’t even expanded the pen yet."

Cheng Zongyang chuckled. "It’s fine. We have plenty of hands, so we can get it expanded if we just speed things up. It’s a shame we don’t have enough Points. Otherwise, it would’ve been great to raise them all on the Fourth Level."

"We can’t expand it enough to accommodate this many Exotic Beast Oxen without several million Points," Luo Dingran said, shaking his head.

"That’s why we have to find more ways to generate revenue," Cheng Zongyang said. "Have you tested the market for the Fire and Ice Spirits? How did it go?"

Getting down to business, Luo Dingran replied, "We tested it. A single Tier One Ice Spirit or Fire Spirit can sell for a maximum of three Points."

Cheng Zongyang frowned. "Are the prices for these materials really that low?"

’Three Points is equivalent to three Spirit Stones.’

Luo Dingran gave a wry smile. "My Lord, that price is already very high. A kilogram of First Grade Fire Spirit Stone used to be only ten Points. A kilogram of Ice or Fire Spirits contains exactly twenty units. That means a kilogram of Ice and Fire Spirits materials is worth sixty Points, which is an extremely high value."

Cheng Zongyang quickly ran the numbers in his head.

’In the outside world, Ice Spirits go for three Spirit Stones each. Here, they go for three Points each. If I buy in bulk, I can get them for two Spirit Stones each, which is the price shops use for acquisitions.’

’No one would sell for any less than that.’

’The profit margin is one Point.’

’If I could purchase ten thousand of them in bulk, I would only need to spend fifteen thousand Points to get twenty thousand Spirit Stones. After reselling them, I could make back thirty thousand Points.’

’That’s a profit of fifteen thousand Points.’

"This is doable," Cheng Zongyang nodded at once. ’The higher the volume I can trade Points for Spirit Stones, the greater my profits will be.’

"And the Spirit Rice?" Cheng Zongyang asked.

"We priced it at eight Points per kilogram, which is a few Points lower than it was at the Jade Stone Market. I also compared it to Dragon’s Tooth Spirit Rice. Our Spirit Rice isn’t as effective, so the price can’t match up. Lowering it a bit will make it sellable. The profit margin is six Points, so it’s doable," Luo Dingran said happily.

Cheng Zongyang smiled. "Good. It’s normal that the price can’t compare since the variety and efficacy are different. Besides, Spirit Rice can be sent to the Martial Arts Realm to substitute for Spirit Stones and Spiritual Food. It comes in large quantities, is easy to store, and contains Spiritual Power, making it an excellent resource for aiding cultivation."

For now, these were the only two items whose prices he was testing, as they were the only ones that could be procured in large quantities.

As for the One-Horned Iron Bulls, their purpose was to eventually supply the Exotic Beast Blood needed to cultivate Red Jade Ganoderma on a large scale, thereby increasing the production of Red Blood Pills. This investment was necessary, and it would pay for itself many times over in the future.

Furthermore, these Exotic Beast Oxen could continue to breed and increase their numbers, so there was no fear of the investment resulting in a loss.

Procuring Exotic Beast Flesh and Blood would be a necessity in the future, but for now, he could focus on the high-profit Spirit Rice and Ice and Fire Spirits.

He wasn’t in a hurry to begin these bulk purchases, however.

He knew from Zhao Yonglong’s earlier demeanor that, with fifty thousand Spirit Stones now in his possession, he wouldn’t be in a rush to pay back the Immortal Sect—after all, there was a final deadline for repayment.

Using that money to earn even more Spirit Stones was the logical next step for him.

Therefore, Cheng Zongyang was confident the man would soon come knocking on his door.

While Cheng Zongyang and Luo Dingran continued to handle the Exotic Beast Oxen, things unfolded just as he had predicted. After receiving all the Spirit Stones from selling the Exotic Beasts, Zhao Yonglong didn’t rush to pay back his debt. Instead, he quietly made his way to the address Cheng Zongyang had mentioned.

After confirming the residence was indeed the Cheng Mansion, he felt somewhat reassured and headed for the West District to find a friend who specialized in growing Spirit Rice.

He had plenty of peers who specialized in raising Exotic Beasts, but he’d already tested that market. Now, he had to check the price of Spirit Rice and see what the margin was. If the profit was good, he could buy a shipment first and then resell it to Cheng Zongyang.

If the margin on Exotic Beasts proved higher, he could always pivot back to that. He had to explore both avenues.

In the West District, Zhao Yonglong arrived at the door of an ordinary home. Seeing the Array protecting it, he sent a message inside with his Divine Sense.

A moment later, the Array was deactivated and the door swung open. A tall, thin man with a square-shaped face and a somewhat pale complexion emerged.

"Oh, it’s you, Brother Zhao! I didn’t know..."

The homeowner looked surprised, but before he could finish, Zhao Yonglong took two steps forward and asked with concern, "Old Zhang, what happened? Why do you look so pale?"

Zhang Zhenyuan sighed. "I tried to break through to the Fourth Level and failed. It was the Spiritual Power backlash. It’s nothing serious. I’ll be fine after a couple of days’ rest. Come on in, have a seat."

"I see. As long as it’s nothing serious."

Relieved, Zhao Yonglong cupped his fist in a gesture of respect and walked inside.

He and Zhang Zhenyuan had been close friends for over ten years in the County Town, visiting each other often.

Once Zhao Yonglong was seated in the main hall, Zhang Zhenyuan served him a cup of tea brewed from Broken Spirit Tea leaves, then sat down and asked, "So, what brings you here, brother?"

Zhao Yonglong took a sip of the Spirit Tea before answering, "For one, I wanted to check on you. I haven’t seen you at your stall selling Spirit Rice for over ten days, and I was worried something had happened."

Zhang Zhenyuan gave a wry laugh. "Thanks for your concern, brother. You know how it is with my Five Spirit Roots aptitude—the path of cultivation is already difficult enough. After all my yearly expenses, I barely have any Spirit Stones left over. I can’t afford better Elixirs, so I had no choice but to try and force a breakthrough. It went wrong... *Sigh*. My hope of attaining immortality in this life is gone."