Chapter 629
After all this time, what you’ve grasped about the great way… is merely a path to amass wealth at the expense of others?
(End of this chapter)
**Chapter 450: Cultural Invasion, Jiu Shan Reform**
In the side hall, Uncle Pang and the others were carefully examining their new Tongjian (通鉴, a type of magical artifact).
Among them, the one with the lowest cultivation was at the Yuanying (元婴, Nascent Soul) stage, while this Tongjian was merely a Qi training and foundation-building level artifact.
Yet, their eyes were filled with curiosity and even awe.
Though they had never seen a smartphone, none of them were fools. After hearing Madam Xuanhua’s introduction, how could they not understand the uniqueness of an artifact like the Tongjian?
Not to mention its functions, just the concept behind this artifact was unprecedented in the Xuanwei realm.
In the realm of Xuanwei, magical artifacts generally served two main purposes: either to assist in combat or to aid in cultivation.
Other types of artifacts existed, but they were never valued highly.
No one had ever thought of creating an artifact similar to the Tongjian.
In the past, if someone had asked them to spend spirit stones on an artifact that couldn’t harm others, protect them, or speed up their cultivation, they would have thought that person was trying to swindle them.
Yet, looking at the Tongjian before them, they all had the same answer in their hearts:
Buy!
Not just them; as Xiao Yuying said, any Xuanwei cultivator would find it hard to resist the allure of the new Tongjian.
“This kind of artifact is unprecedented in the Xuanwei realm, and the market potential is vast.” After a moment of silence, Xiao Yuying was the first to speak up, “Could it be that these two applications are even more profitable?”
Uncle Pang nodded slightly, clearly in agreement with Xiao Yuying’s words.
Putting himself in their shoes, he found it hard to imagine how much profit the Tongjian could bring to the Jiu Shan realm.
But Madam Xuanhua’s words hinted that these two applications might be even more lucrative than the Tongjian itself…
This truly exceeded his understanding.
Madam Xuanhua glanced at Zheng Fa, her eyes filled with a hint of admiration:
“Just like before the new Tongjian came out, I had no idea artifacts could be made this way. If the sect leader hadn’t designed these two applications, I wouldn’t have thought spirit stones could be earned like this.”
With that, she lightly tapped on the Jiu Shan Mall.
A new interface popped up in the air.
On the screen, a list of artifacts and elixirs appeared.
They were arranged from top to bottom, with images on the left and text and numbers on the right.
Names, styles, and prices were clear at a glance. Even Uncle Pang, who had never seen similar artifacts, immediately understood what this mall was.
“Zheng Fa brought the market into the Tongjian?”
Uncle Pang exclaimed in surprise.
Zheng Fa silently praised him; this uncle was quite perceptive, his words cutting straight to the point:
For Xuanwei cultivators, this mall was essentially an online marketplace.
Madam Xuanhua nodded, “According to the sect leader’s vision, in the future, cultivators from the Hundred Immortals Alliance and even the entire Xuanwei realm can purchase elixirs and artifacts through the Jiu Shan Mall.”
“Buy? But how do we get the items… oh, the Shenxiao Warship!” Uncle Pang was puzzled at first but quickly realized, “The Shenxiao Warship can deliver the goods!”
Indeed, this uncle was one of the most knowledgeable about practical matters in the previous generation of Jiu Shan Sect, and he immediately grasped the foundation of the mall’s operation.
Zheng Fa had been contemplating an online mall for quite some time.
But without the Shenxiao Warship and a low-cost logistics system, that idea would have been nothing but a castle in the air.
Now that Zheng Fa’s cultivation had improved, the Tongjian was perfected, and the logistics system was running smoothly, everything was finally in place.
Uncle Pang murmured, “In this case, every user of the Tongjian becomes a customer of our Jiu Shan marketplace. If everyone in the Xuanwei realm has a Tongjian… then this mall could encompass all cultivators in Xuanwei, making it the largest marketplace in the realm!”
Not just him; everyone in the hall suddenly understood why Madam Xuanhua valued these two applications so highly.
The Jiu Shan Mall freed the marketplace from geographical constraints; as long as one had a Tongjian, they could shop.
It was easy to imagine how vast the market would be for the Jiu Shan realm in the future.
Elder Xiong from the Qingmu Sect suddenly turned to Zheng Fa.
“With so many customers, doesn’t that mean we can sell as many elixirs as we produce?”
This conclusion was quite obvious, yet his tone was filled with disbelief.
Zheng Fa nodded at him.
Elder Xiong’s breath quickened; as the Grand Elder of the Qingmu Sect, he certainly understood the implications of not having to worry about sales.
Just thinking about the future prospects of the mall made his hands tremble as he held the Tongjian.
“It’s not just about not worrying about customers.”
Unexpectedly, Madam Xuanhua added another point.
“This mall can earn not only from customers. The sect leader plans to open this mall to other sects or loose cultivators to set up shops.”
“...Open shops?” Elder Xiong murmured softly at first, then suddenly slapped his thigh and exclaimed, “Right! We can also collect rent!”
The others also looked enlightened.
With such a vast market, how could the mall not attract merchants?
The bulk of a marketplace’s income comes from rent.
“This… this mall not only earns from customers but also from shopkeepers?” Uncle Pang stammered, “Two birds with one stone?”
Uncle Pang might have been a bit too sharp…
The phrase “two birds with one stone” sounded rather harsh.
It was clearly about making business easy for the Xuanwei realm!
“I’m not just in it for the money; that’s a minor detail,” Zheng Fa explained. “What I value more is that this mall can unite other cultivators.”
The Jiu Shan Mall held significant meaning for the Jiu Shan realm.
On one hand, it could address a hidden danger:
The technology in the Jiu Shan realm was continuously advancing, and the production of various artifacts and elixirs was increasing day by day.
This was certainly a good thing.
However, to convert production capacity into substantial wealth, or to gain excess profits, a market was necessary.
The consumption capacity of traditional marketplaces in the Hundred Immortals Alliance was limited and inconvenient.
While they could currently meet the needs of the Jiu Shan realm, considering the sect’s technological advancements, there would inevitably come a day when it wouldn’t be enough.
On the other hand, it was about uniting people’s hearts.
“Whether it’s the Hundred Immortals Alliance or those Xuanwei cultivators in the future, if they can earn spirit stones in the Jiu Shan Mall, they will naturally gravitate towards our Jiu Shan Sect,” Zheng Fa said softly. “We can allow them to take over some less critical industries to help them survive.”
As the economy developed, commercial activities would inevitably become more complex.
Even with the Nine Chapters Calculation Array, the Jiu Shan Sect couldn’t monopolize all industries.
The drawbacks of such a model were too significant, and the profits were not high.
His current plan was for the Jiu Shan Sect to control key areas and high-end industries while opening other industries to other cultivators.
With a platform like the mall to collect rent, the Jiu Shan Sect wouldn’t have to worry about profits.
Moreover, the greatest benefit of this approach, as Zheng Fa mentioned, was its influence on changing people’s hearts:
Cultivators are also human, bustling about for nothing more than profit.
As these merchants entered the Jiu Shan Sect’s commercial system, they would naturally take on the shape of the Jiu Shan Sect.
In this way, through high investment in education to cultivate talent, talent would improve product output through research systems, and products would earn spirit stones and other resources through the Jiu Shan Mall. These resources could then cultivate more talent.
The three elements would form a cycle, and the development of the Jiu Shan Sect would finally be on the right track.
While he was still pondering various aspects of the Jiu Shan Mall, he suddenly realized something was off.
The once quiet side hall was now bustling with voices, filled with noise.
He turned to see Sister Zhang and Uncle Huang huddled together, while Xiao Yuying and Xie Qingxue had also gathered around, each contributing to the lively discussion.
Zheng Fa quietly approached the four from behind and saw that they were all holding Tongjians, browsing the Jiu Shan Mall as if selecting artifacts.
“This artifact looks beautiful!”
Xie Qingxue pointed at a jade hairpin.
“It was crafted by a female disciple from the Tiangong Pavilion; her skills are quite good, and she has some clever ideas,” Madam Xuanhua recalled, then glanced at Xie Qingxue, “It should suit you well, Xie Zhenren.”
“I’ll order one!” Xie Qingxue seemed to really like the hairpin and turned to the others, asking, “Do you want one?”
Sister Zhang shook her head.
However, Xiao Yuying hesitated for a moment before saying, “I’ll buy one too; it’s not expensive, and I won’t mind if it doesn’t fit.”
Wait, you all are at least at the Yuanying stage; what use do you have for a hairpin?
Besides, Xiao Yuying, are you really in need of hairpins?
Or is my Sister Zhang just being frugal…
Sister?
Sister Zhang lightly raised her jade finger and tapped the Tongjian dozens of times, her movements exuding a sense of extravagance!
“Zhang Zhenren, why are you buying so many dresses?”
“To change and wear.”
“...I remember you’ve never been to the marketplace, have you?”
“The marketplace is too crowded; it’s a hassle.”
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