Deep and Cunning Schemes

After getting ready, Yan Yu quickly went to the front hall to arrange the price increase. When the notice for the minimum charge of 100,000 high-grade Spirit Stones was posted, it caused a huge stir. The news spread rapidly throughout the Treasure Gathering Basin, with everyone thinking that Spring Sleep Tower had gone mad. It immediately attracted many people to the outside of Spring Sleep Tower to watch, wanting to see if anyone would be so generous for a prostitute.

Surprisingly, the number of customers continued to increase...

Yan Yu stood smiling in front of the door, watching everyone's reactions. Seeing this, she immediately felt relieved.

Several cultivators dressed in brocade robes escorted an arrogant middle-aged man as they squeezed through the crowd. The one clearing the way kept shouting, "Make way for the people in front, don't block the entrance."

Those who were pushed aside immediately recognized the other person's attire as belonging to the Tianfeng Cloud Palace of the Dongzheng Kingdom. Not wanting to offend them, they quickly squeezed to the side. Others recognized the middle-aged man in the middle and whispered, "Isn't that Hu Changshou's third son, Hu Tianyun?"

"Excuse me, friend in front." The person clearing the way patted the person in front on the shoulder.

The person being photographed turned around, glanced coldly at the group, and said, "So you're a disciple of the Tianfeng Cloud Palace. It's a pity that Spring Sleep Tower isn't yours. Why should I give way?"

The man clearing the way glanced at his bright yellow robes, frowned, and looked back. Hu Tianyun stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the man's bright yellow attire. He said arrogantly, "So you're a disciple of the Jiutai Kingdom' Junlin Palace. This Spring Sleep Tower is a place to pay for entertainment; it seems those onlookers shouldn't be blocking the guests' way?"

The crowd became excited. Hu Changshou of Yun Palace and Qi Jiujun of the Junlin Palace were both experts at the late Spirit Transformation stage. Now that their people were facing off, there might be a great show to watch.

"How do you know I'm just here to watch the show and not to spend money for fun?" the Junlin Palace disciple retorted bluntly. Both sides had equally powerful backgrounds, and he naturally couldn't let his sect's reputation be diminished, otherwise he wouldn't be able to explain himself when he returned.

"Oh! Your cultivation is only at the Nascent Soul Early Stage realm. May I ask which generation of disciple you are from the Junlin Palace?" Hu Tianyun glanced at the price list of Spring Sleep Tower and said arrogantly, "You should read this carefully. The minimum charge is 100,000 high-grade Spirit Stones. If it's inconvenient, please make way and don't block the guests behind you."

The implication was clear: can you afford this? The disciple of the Junlin Palace's expression changed slightly, he gave a cold "humph," and without saying another word, he braced himself and strode into Spring Sleep Tower under the watchful eyes of everyone.

"Why pretend to be rich when you have no money? What's the point!" Hu Yuntian seemed to mutter to himself, but everyone around him heard him clearly. The disciples of the Tianfeng Cloud Palace all laughed and escorted him to the door.

Hu Yuntian paused slightly at the door, his gaze falling on the poem on the slanted wall. He read aloud, "Spring slumber is unaware of dawn, everywhere the birds are singing. Last night the wind and rain raged, how many flowers have fallen?" Indeed, it is a fine poem. Just based on this poem alone, Spring Sleep Tower should be worth a hundred times more. It is not a place that ordinary people can come to casually.

A disciple accompanying them immediately chimed in, "Indeed, Senior Niu's poem, inscribed here by Senior Yin himself, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It's certainly not a place for ordinary people; the price should have been raised long ago. We can't let just anyone barge in. Otherwise, it would be beneath the dignity of the two seniors."

Hu Yuntian smiled faintly, and as soon as he turned around, his eyes lit up. His gaze fell directly on Yan Yu at the door, and he clapped his hands lightly, saying, "With such a beauty in Spring Sleep Tower, 100,000 high-grade Spirit Stones is indeed not much. She is worth the price." As he spoke, he pointed to Yan Yu and said to the person next to him, "Make arrangements. She will accompany me today."

These words caused an uproar among those around. Yan Yu's expression changed slightly, but she still stood there with a smile.

Hu Yuntian turned around in confusion. A man beside him tugged at him nervously and whispered, "Third Young Master, you're going too far. She's the head of the household here. Senior Niu is staying here right now..."

Before he could finish speaking, Hu Yuntian immediately realized what was going on. The story of Yan Yu and Niu Youde was spreading like wildfire, and he had naturally heard about it. Although arrogant, he knew that some people were easy to mess with, and others were not. Niu Youde was someone who dared to publicly slap Pei Pangzi in the face; even Yin Baikang had to treat him with utmost respect. He, the Third Young Master, was not someone he could afford to offend. He immediately strode up to Yan Yu, bowed deeply, and apologized, saying, "So it's Master Yan. I was being rude; please forgive me."

The onlookers were immediately filled with sighs. Yan Yu had really climbed the social ladder. Now even Hu Changshou's son had to treat her with deference. Things were really different now!

"Ignorance is no excuse, please come in." Yan Yu smiled and waved to the side.

After Hu Yuntian and his companions exchanged greetings, they dared not be presumptuous any longer and went inside. Fortunately, Yue Qianchou in the backyard didn't overhear their conversation, otherwise Hu Yuntian might have been in some trouble today...

Yan Yu stood there for a while longer, and several more groups of people came in. As they passed by her, they all bowed respectfully and said, "Head of the Yan Family." They were all scions of prestigious families; ordinary cultivators simply couldn't afford such a high price.

Those watching the spectacle couldn't help but marvel at how a group of scions of noble families were actually bowing respectfully to a brothel madam—it was simply unheard of!

Just as Yan Yu felt it was inappropriate to remain standing at the door and was about to turn and leave, a commotion arose from the street. Most of the onlookers in Spring Sleep Tower dispersed immediately, rushing towards the street. Yan Yu was startled and immediately called over a waiter, instructing him to go and see what was happening.

Not long after, the shop assistant ran back to inform him that the World Commerce Association had announced new information regarding the sale of the Restriction Breaking Pill ...

In the backyard, Yue Qianchou on the bed, was humming a little tune when he suddenly heard a commotion coming from the distant street. He immediately got up, dressed, and prepared to see what was going on. Just as he stepped into the yard, he saw Yan Yu swaying gracefully towards him.

"What's going on outside?" Yue Qianchou asked. Yan Yu recounted in detail the information her assistant had gathered.

"Two million high-grade Spirit Stones for each Restriction Breaking Pill, those who wish to purchase must first pay a deposit of one million per pill..." Yue Qianchou muttered a few words, his eyes narrowing slightly, before letting out a series of cold laughs...

He now understood everything and was truly impressed by Yin Baikang. The old man's business acumen was astounding; his calculations were incredibly sophisticated! No wonder he dared to make such arrogant statements—consuming tens of thousands of Restriction Breaking Pills, each costing a million high-grade Spirit Stones. At first, he thought Yin Baikang was just trying to appease him by saying he would sell the Restriction Breaking Pill, believing he wouldn't sell them to other forces and watch them grow stronger. He hadn't expected such a hidden trick; truly a brilliant strategy.

For example, a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Early Stage would need nine Restriction Breaking Pill worth one million spirit stones each) to advance to the early Tribulation stage. Adding the approximately 1.2 million Spirit Stone used, a cultivator would require around ten million high-grade Spirit Stones. Now, he's selling Restriction Breaking Pill for two million each, which means for every pill someone buys, he's giving Yin Baikang one for free. The more people buy, the more Restriction Breaking Pill he receives for free.

In the end, he only needed to pay a small portion of the Spirit Stone to the disciples of the World Commerce Association to absorb Spiritual Qi and improve their cultivation. With the financial resources of the World Commerce Association, there was no problem at all, and the Restriction Breaking Pill consumed were essentially obtained for free.

What's even more ingenious is that Yin Baikang has devised a strategy of prepayment. This means that no matter how many Restriction Breaking Pill Baikang purchases from him later, his initial investment will always be the same billions he paid upfront. If he goes even further, with a 5 billion deposit in hand, he can immediately purchase another 5,000 pills. He won't even need to pay upfront costs, because once the 5,000 Restriction Breaking Pill are delivered, his initial billions will be recouped. Yin Baikang doesn't bear any risk whatsoever, because by playing this game, the 5,000 Restriction Breaking Pill he currently possesses already put him in an invincible position.

Wow! One successful gamble has put him in a comfortable position. I genuinely thought he'd have to use a large portion of the World Commerce Association's operating funds for the purchase, but look at him now—he saw the opportunity, acted decisively, and recouped his investment with profit. He won't need to use a single penny of the World Commerce Association's operating funds again. With his methods, probably no nation can escape his grasp.

Some might say that two million spirit stones is too expensive for Restriction Breaking Pill, and no one would buy it. But the real Restriction Breaking Pill is so miraculous that it can't be bought for two million. Moreover, for the various powers, from taking in a disciple to cultivating him to the early Tribulation stage, it would take many years, including daily expenses, and it might cost forty to fifty million high-grade Spirit Stones to succeed.

Now, it only costs around ten million high-grade Spirit Stones, and even with the price of the Seven Treasures Pill, it won't exceed twenty million. Moreover, it's a quick process, essentially creating a batch of early Tribulation stage Transcending experts for your own use. Who could resist such temptation? And the most fatal flaw is that it forces you to buy it; who would willingly watch someone else grow stronger and threaten them?

The Seven Treasures Pill is sold at its original price, without making a single Spirit Stone profit! This shows that Yin Baikang's decision to relinquish the rights to sell the Seven Treasures Pill early on wasn't about making money. His real intention was to control the supply, thereby strangling buyers of the Restriction Breaking Pill. No matter how many Restriction Breaking Pill a buyer purchased, they couldn't surpass the power of the World Commerce Association. If buyers felt it was unfair, they could simply choose not to buy the Restriction Breaking Pill, and someone else would naturally take their place.

The Seven Treasures Pill is now in Yin Baikang's hands; he holds the initiative and can do whatever he wants. No one can refuse to buy the Restriction Breaking Pill. You think it's unfair? You don't want to buy? Fine, I won't force you. I can sell some Seven Treasures Pill to your opponents, as long as you can sit still. If everyone buys them, that's fine too; I'm not refusing to sell Seven Treasures Pill, but rather selling them slowly. However, when some will slip through my fingers to sell is anyone's guess.

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