Chapter 176: Negotiations [PART 3]
After they were done discussing the other matters, Xiang Yu slipped into his business mode. The sales instincts from his previous life as a salesman surfaced naturally as he made his pitch.
"I propose a mutually beneficial arrangement," Xiang Yu stated calmly. "The Azure Cloud Sect will provide you with a regular supply of our spiritual weapons, talismans, and medicinal pills at preferential rates, particularly the qi absorption pills for Xiuying’s condition."
He paused deliberately, observing how Wang Jian’s eyes flickered with interest. The hook was set—now for his own benefit.
"In exchange, the Golden Edge Sect will supply us with high-grade cultivation materials, rare herbs, and formation components that are more readily available in your territory." Xiang Yu’s fingers traced the rim of his teacup as he continued, "This arrangement would be non-exclusive, allowing both our sects to maintain existing trade relationships with other parties. However, we would establish priority access to new products before they enter the wider market."
"We could also implement a tiered pricing structure that rewards consistent volume with improved rates, benefiting both sides as our cooperation deepens," he added.
"For transparency, we’ll establish quarterly assessments to ensure the exchange remains equitable as our production capabilities evolve," Xiang Yu concluded.
Wang Jian nodded thoughtfully, stroking his beard as he considered the proposal. The way Xiang Yu carefully balanced between commitment and flexibility impressed him greatly. This young "Grand Elder" was clearly no simple cultivator. The Azure Cloud Sect continued to surprise him at every turn.
As they finalized the details, satisfaction warmed Xiang Yu’s chest. He could hardly wait to get his hands on all those resources. With such materials, his cultivation and production capabilities would soar exponentially.
With business matters settled, Li Yao’s expression turned serious as she finally broached the more urgent topic. Since their sects had become both allies and trade partners, she decided to share her encounter with the Wuming Cult Leader.
As she recounted the events, the atmosphere in the room grew increasingly tense. By the time she finished, everyone except the elemental spirits sat with mouths agape in shock.
Even Xiang Yu, who had received preliminary information, was stunned by the full account. Cold dread settled in his stomach as he wondered if their sect would even survive the coming days. How could she have provoked the strongest expert in the region so brazenly?
Liu Feng stared at Li Yao in undisguised horror. This woman’s audacity bordered on madness.
After nearly a full minute of stunned silence, Wang Jian finally spoke, his voice grave.
"If what you’ve said is true, then we don’t have much time left. We need to start preparing immediately." He reached into his sleeve and withdrew a talisman adorned with complex patterns.
Xiang Yu recognized it instantly as a fifth-grade communication talisman—powerful enough to transmit messages across almost the entire continent.
Wang Jian injected his qi into the talisman, causing it to glow brilliantly before dissolving into motes of light that scattered in all directions.
"Knowing him, he will probably attack tomorrow," Wang Jian continued, his expression stern. "But we can’t be certain of the exact timing, so I’ll remain here just in case."
He folded his hands before him, a calculating gleam entering his eyes. "I’ve also informed the other alliance members. They’ll arrive by tomorrow morning."
Behind his composed exterior, Wang Jian’s thoughts raced. Perhaps this wasn’t such a bad thing after all. Although they hadn’t planned for this specific scenario, events had unfolded almost exactly as they had strategized. They had successfully lured the cult leader into the open.
As long as they played their cards right, victory might be within reach. Only then would the Eastern Continent survive the purge...
...
After the meeting concluded, Xiang Yu opted not to prepare lunch and instead returned directly to his spirit vein. Both his master and his martial aunt, along with Li Yao, were preoccupied with preparations for the impending conflict. With war potentially breaking out the next day, everyone was focused on readying the sect’s defenses.
This meant he wouldn’t have the opportunity to practice medicine as planned, but Xiang Yu wasn’t bothered by this change. Instead, he decided to dedicate the entire evening to formation crafting. This was particularly essential in these precarious times.
As he settled into his workspace within the spirit vein, Xiang Yu pondered their situation. Since the enemy was the strongest expert in the region, he knew that creating purely defensive formations would be futile. At his current rank in formation mastery, even his most robust protective formations might not withstand even a casual flick of the cult leader’s wrist.
Yet he didn’t allow this to discourage him. He consoled himself with the knowledge that after his experience doubled after the next reset, he would instantly advance enough to craft a fifth-grade formation—one that might at least slow down their formidable opponent. That, however, was a concern for later.
For now, he needed to focus on crafting offensive formations. Having already created several in the past, the process had become familiar to him. His hands moved with ease as he etched complex patterns into formation discs, infusing them with spiritual energy that flowed from his spiritual sea.
The hours melted away as he worked tirelessly. By sunset, he had successfully crafted three sixth-grade attacking formations, each capable of unleashing ten peak Nascent Soul realm attacks when activated. Satisfaction coursed through him as he examined his work.
With his formation crafting complete, Xiang Yu made his way to the spirit spring within the spirit vein. Everyone remained busy with preparations, so there was no need for him to prepare dinner either. After removing his robes, he slipped into the luminous waters of the spring.
As the warm, qi-saturated liquid enveloped his body, a flicker of concern passed through his mind about initiating bloodline stimulation with war looming. He quickly dismissed these worries, reminding himself that they had a Soul Formation expert protecting them. Wang Jian’s presence alone provided a significant deterrent against immediate threats.
That left only his other concern: the bloodlines had advanced tremendously, now filling his entire body with dragon and phoenix essence. The potential for self-harm during stimulation had increased proportionally. Fortunately, he had already devised a solution.
With a thought, Xiang Yu summoned his Abyssal Void Flame. The dark fire materialized before him, hovering just above the spring’s surface. He exerted his control over the flame, directing it to enter his body. Turning his concentration inward, he observed the flame floating within him.
He then split the flame into several parts and positioned them to guard his most vital organs such as the heart and head. As long as these remained unharmed, he could regenerate the others with relative ease.
Once the protective flames were in place, he released his restraint on the bloodlines. Immediately, the dragon and phoenix essences surged forth, clashing violently within him. Just as he had anticipated, they avoided the areas protected by the void flame, their destructive energies instead tearing through less critical regions of his body.
Relief washed over him as his strategy proved successful. Without this method, he might have been forced to abandon bloodline stimulation altogether which he didn’t want to.
Xiang Yu maintained the steady stimulation until reset time finally arrived. As he commanded the bloodlines to subside, he noted with satisfaction that his condition wasn’t nearly as deteriorated as in previous sessions. He had barely used a quarter of the healing pills he’d prepared.
His body’s natural regeneration had improved significantly, requiring minimal intervention to restore damaged tissues. In fact, he realized he might have been overly cautious in protecting certain areas with the void flame. Nevertheless, he decided to maintain this protective approach in future sessions—just in case an unforeseen accident occurred.
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Author’s Corner
Idk anything about business. The business talk is just some jumbled stuff I heard from Claire, no need to pay much