Chapter 665
Zheng Fa explained, "Right now, Tongjian is booming, and the orders from the marketplace are pouring in. We can't possibly deliver goods to every cultivator individually, so I've decided to let those sects handle it."
The various advancements in cultivation technology at Jiushan Sect had naturally led to a seismic shift in the employment landscape of the Baixian Alliance:
In simple terms, many cultivators and sects without sufficient technical skills inevitably lost their livelihoods.
Thus, Zheng Fa decided to allow them to engage in flexible employment, bridging the last five hundred miles, perfecting the logistics chain, and launching a door-to-door delivery service.
The elder suddenly realized, "So, you're trying to win over these sects?"
"Winning them over is secondary; we simply don't have enough manpower," Zheng Fa clarified. "On one hand, it gives those sect cultivators a way to make a living, and on the other, it helps improve the marketplace system. At least half of the cultivators in the Baixian Alliance now have access to Tongjian... the other half don’t, mainly because they can’t buy it."
Han Qi nodded, saying, "Tongjian is so popular now that hardly anyone comes to our Jiushan marketplace anymore; when they do, it’s just to queue up for Tongjian. Some sects send people to buy various pills and materials in bulk, then take them back to sell."
In short, Jiushan's marketplace is now more about wholesale business. While there are still some wandering cultivators, most are families and sects coming to purchase in bulk.
The retail business in the Baixian Alliance has already been swept away by Jiushan's marketplace, taking away fifty percent of the market share.
The elder finally understood, "No wonder those sects are trying to transform..."
If Jiushan's marketplace is like this, one can only imagine the desolation in other marketplaces.
"Why only partner with one sect for the last five hundred miles?"
Han Qi looked puzzled but explained honestly, "It was the sect leader's order. He said, on one hand, to give them a way to survive, and on the other, to control the number of sects, guiding them to align with our development strategy."
"What strategy?"
Zheng Fa chimed in, "Going to sea."
The elder recalled, "Developing the maritime domain?"
"Exactly. Those latecomer sects mostly don't trust or feel close to our Jiushan Sect."
The elder understood the implication:
Zheng Fa had already given the various sects in the Baixian Alliance plenty of opportunities.
The first wave was, of course, the guild matters.
The second wave involved mineral cooperation.
The third was connecting with the Baixian Alliance's merchant fleets to deliver goods for them.
In terms of benefits, the first wave of loyal sects could sit back and enjoy the profits from patents, while the second wave could continue to reap rewards from mineral resources, essentially making easy money.
The third wave could still work hard, and with the scale of the marketplace, they were doing well, with some smaller sects even thriving more freely than before.
Zheng Fa had been in charge of the Baixian Alliance for over a decade, and those sects that had yet to integrate into the new Baixian Alliance system were either too foolish or simply distrustful of Jiushan Sect; one could say they were not on the same wavelength.
"So you want them to explore the maritime domain?"
"There are only so many resources and opportunities in the Baixian Alliance; if they come late, they come late." Zheng Fa spoke plainly in front of the three, "If they want to find their place in the Baixian Alliance now, they have to take on something tougher and riskier."
"No matter what happens with the Xian Sword, our 'trade route' with Haori Mountain is gone for good. To make up for this loss, we can only turn to the sea."
"After the massacre by the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor, the population in the maritime domain is sparse, and cultivators are even fewer. If these sects go there, they can establish a foothold for us and try to engage in trade with the Western Continent, which could be even more profitable than the Haori Mountain trade route."
The Haori Mountain trade route was maintained because of Li Hao's identity, but clearly, that couldn't last forever.
On the contrary, the vast ocean is rich in resources, and trade between the Eastern and Western Continents is particularly lucrative.
The maritime development strategy was extremely important to Zheng Fa.
He was intentionally or unintentionally pushing those sects in the Baixian Alliance to migrate to the sea, supplementing the island population and setting up a forward base for Jiushan Sect.
For those sects, the maritime domain was certainly more dangerous than their homeland in the Baixian Alliance, but once they achieved something, the rewards would be high—many sects were willing to grit their teeth and head to the sea.
"Master, right now, Uncle Pang and Uncle Huang are in charge of this area. I’m handing the merchant fleet over to you because I want you to coordinate this matter."
Sister Zhang was responsible for internal affairs, while the elder handled external matters.
On one hand, Sister Zhang already had a lot on her plate; she not only had to manage the university but also many research projects that required her leadership, leaving her stretched thin.
On the other hand, since Uncle Huang and Uncle Pang were also involved, even though Sister Zhang held a higher position in the sect, it was sometimes awkward for her to give orders to her elders.
Having the elder take charge made it more natural for everyone.
In simple terms, it was easier to scold someone.
The elder nodded slowly and asked, "What are they up to?"
"Uncle Pang is responsible for maritime exploration, while Uncle Huang is mainly dividing the territories of various sects and resolving their disputes."
After all, Uncle Huang had been in charge of Jiushan Sect's Law Enforcement Hall for many years, and now Zheng Fa treated him like a mobile court, setting rules for those sects to prevent them from neglecting their duties and turning on each other.
"Master, your main role is to support the two uncles, and on the other hand, to promote the new research from the Agricultural Academy."
"New research?"
Zheng Fa took out a storage bag and handed it to the elder.
The elder took the storage bag, opened it, and saw three types of items inside:
Three Spirit Shells.
A bundle of black ribbon-like plants.
And six dead fish.
"This is... Mingyue Shell?"
He opened one of the Spirit Shells and recognized its origin.
The Mingyue Shell is named for the Mingyue Pearl it produces; this type of spirit pearl is a high-quality magical tool that can enhance the power of water-based spells and even accelerate the cultivation of water-based techniques.
If refined into jewelry or clothing, it has other unique functions and is considered a premium spiritual material.
Moreover, it is said that the powder made from Mingyue Pearls has skin-care properties, making it highly sought after by female cultivators.
Thus, this spiritual material has always been expensive, and now, as spiritual materials become increasingly scarce, it is even more in demand.
"This was researched by Jiao Wuji; he said it can be farmed artificially."
"Artificially farming Mingyue Shells?" The elder's voice rose, sounding incredulous. "Really?"
"The laboratory is already set up; whether it can be mass-produced depends on how well you promote it."
"Mingyue Shell..." The elder pondered for a moment and slowly said, "Is the yield high?"
Zheng Fa smiled and replied, "Why do you think I want to develop the maritime domain? If successful, the losses from Haori Mountain could be compensated by about fifty percent."
"And these two?"
"The Cangming Fish and Baijie Grass. Sect Master Song from Qingmu Sect said these are crucial for many pills, but they used to be very expensive."
Now the elder understood: "No wonder you place such importance on the maritime domain."
"Master, in the past, Xuanwei cultivators have overly focused on terrestrial resources while neglecting the wealth hidden in the sea. Whether it’s the spiritual materials lurking within or the development of marine aquaculture, the wealth it could bring to our Jiushan Sect would be tenfold or even a hundredfold compared to the local Baixian Alliance."
After all, the maritime domain is vast, and resources are naturally abundant; the only challenge is the difficulty of extraction, which also indicates the wealth hidden within.
Moreover, due to the unique geographical environment of the maritime domain, many products are irreplaceable in the Xuanwei realm and have low yields, leading to high market prices.
If we can develop the maritime domain, promote marine aquaculture, and offset the losses from falling out with Haori Mountain, not only can we make up for it, but we could even gain tenfold or a hundredfold more.
Not to mention the trade profits from controlling maritime trade routes.
After hearing Zheng Fa's vision, the elder was momentarily lost in thought, then suddenly exclaimed, "If it weren't for Haori Mountain, we wouldn't even know how well we could thrive!"
Zheng Fa chuckled at this: "Master, if it weren't for Haori Mountain, I wouldn't have set up so much. Over these fourteen years, our Jiushan Sect has accumulated ample resources, enough to support our disciples for ten years of cultivation, and our spiritual grain could last for thirty years... I even considered that if we couldn't defeat Haori Mountain, we might as well relocate Jiushan Realm to the maritime domain, even hiding beneath the sea to develop, waiting for a better day."
The elder was taken aback, staring at Zheng Fa in shock: "You’re actually prepared to give up the Baixian Alliance?"
"If it comes to that, we can only choose to preserve our people and lose our land, doing our best to develop Jiushan Realm." Zheng Fa seemed to have already calculated this, "Of course, losing the territory of the Baixian Alliance would be a huge loss for our Jiushan Sect; that would be the worst-case scenario."
The elder's expression was dazed:
Haori Mountain casually tossed out a Xian Sword, probably still underestimating Jiushan Sect.
But Zheng Fa and Jiushan Sect had genuinely and rapidly accumulated wealth for fourteen years, even preparing for battle for fourteen years.
He gazed at the dazzling divine warships in the sky, like a meteor shower, then looked back at Zheng Fa. The worries that had previously filled his mind had unexpectedly eased by more than half:
He even felt that the ones who should be worried were Haori Mountain—did they truly not realize what kind of person they had provoked?
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