Target: Make Money

"Junior, did you already have a plan for this midyear tournament? Hey, don't put too much pressure on yourself. What I said yesterday was indeed inappropriate. I shouldn't have placed the fate of the Profound Tier Class on your shoulders."

Seeing the faint anxiety in Li Mu's eyes, Hao Meng felt guilty. As an older student, he had handed Li Mu the responsibility of leading the class to a breakthrough. Put nicely, it was yielding the position; put bluntly, it was running away.

"Rest assured, Senior. The path of immortality should have one hacking through thorns and brambles, forging bravely ahead. The position of class leader gives me pressure, but it also gives me motivation. Besides, I am confident that I can lead the Profound Tier Class to turn the tide against the wind in this competition."

Li Mu sensed the change in Hao Meng's mood as well. Smiling faintly, he patted his senior's shoulder and frankly stated that he did indeed have a plan.

Seeing Li Mu brimming with confidence, Hao Meng said no more and began explaining Qinglan Academy's midyear tournament to him.

"Qinglan Academy has always valued the cultivation of practical combat ability, so the academy holds a grand competition every half year. The most important event among them is the Class vs. Class Competition."

"The Heaven, Earth, and Profound Tier Classes each send ten representatives for one-on-one successive battles. The final victor receives the right to distribute the cultivation resources for the next half year according to their minor-point score."

"Because the Heaven Tier Class is far stronger than the other two classes, they generally send only two or three representatives and directly take fifty percent of the resources, while the remaining fifty percent is contested by the Earth and Profound Tier Classes."

"Although the Earth Tier Class students are not much more talented than ours, every one of them was born into a wealthy household. Whether it is cultivation pills or weapons and equipment, they far surpass us in every regard. Thus, for the past few years, we have returned in crushing defeat. Last year, I went all out and defeated six people in a row, but in the end, I exhausted my strength. We still ended in defeat."

Hao Meng's words were filled with deep unwillingness, as though that scene of defeat had happened only yesterday.

"Senior, although your strength is at the level of the Heaven Tier Class, successive battles consume enormous stamina. Before forming a core, no matter how powerful a mortal body is, it has its limits. Being able to fight six opponents alone is already extraordinary. Even if Senior Sister Liu Yu, the strongest in the Heaven Tier Class, came, she could not possibly fight ten alone."

While admiring Hao Meng's strength, Li Mu also recognized the difficulty before him. The Earth Tier Class had indeed completely suppressed the Profound Tier Class over these past years. Finding a way to defeat them in such a short time would be no easy matter.

For the next two days, Li Mu constantly pondered how he could lead the Profound Tier Class to defeat the Earth Tier Class in this Class vs. Class Competition.

But after thinking it over and over, he could never find an answer. Most of the ten strongest people in the Profound Tier Class had cultivated for many years. Their cultivation arts and moves had already solidified; overturning everything and starting from scratch was simply impossible.

Walking along the academy's main road, Li Mu continuously simulated different methods in his mind, but not one could solve the current predicament.

"Ow! Damn it, are you blind?"

Lost in thought, Li Mu walked mechanically onward. Then, with one careless step, he collided head-on with a young man approaching from the opposite direction.

The young man wore a gorgeous purple silk robe, with a green jade belt around his waist and exquisite woolen leather boots on his feet. Massive gemstone rings adorned both his hands. Everything about him proclaimed the pampered environment in which he had been raised.

"My apologies. My mind wandered for a moment. Please do not take offense, brother."

Li Mu looked at the young man's overbearing manner and was already displeased, but he still suppressed his temper, cupped his hands, and apologized.

"You think one apology is enough? Looking at your poor, shabby appearance, you must be from the Profound Tier Class. A mere commoner dared to bump into this young master, yet you still aren't kneeling and kowtowing to admit your mistake?"

Clearly, the young man had no intention of letting Li Mu off. His aggressive words made Li Mu frown. Ever since joining the Profound Tier Class, he had always worn plain clothes. He had never expected his deliberate low profile to be misunderstood by this young man, who now wanted to use his family background to forcibly humiliate him.

Seeing how accustomed the young man was to acting this way, he had surely bullied quite a few Profound Tier Class students in the past. That made Li Mu decide to teach him a lesson.

"My apologies, brother. Did I dirty your clothes? Let me help you wipe them off."

As Li Mu hurriedly apologized, he directly reached toward the young man's lower body. The instant he touched him, the Innate Art silently began to circulate. Energy surged within his body before rapidly shooting out from an acupoint.

The young man's incomparably luxurious silk trousers instantly exploded apart beneath Li Mu's hidden force. Even the undergarments within were not spared, and his pale bare backside was immediately exposed beneath the bright daylight.

"Oh dear, brother, your trousers are all show and no substance. How can their quality be so poor that they shatter at a touch?"

Amid the young man's scream, Li Mu spread his hands, his face filled with innocence.

"Ahhh! I'll kill you!"

The young man felt his blood rush straight to his head and threw a punch at Li Mu.

Unfortunately, Li Mu had long been prepared. With a quick sidestep, he directly dodged the young man's strike of fury born from humiliation.

At this moment, the other students on the academy's main road had already noticed the situation here.

"Isn't that Senior Xiao Feng from the Earth Tier Class? Why is he standing there naked?"

"Yeah, that really is Senior Xiao. Who knew Senior Xiao had such a hobby? This is huge news—hurry back and tell everyone else."

More and more students gathered to watch. Xiao Feng knew that if this continued, he would surely become the laughingstock of the entire academy. He glared through gritted teeth at Li Mu in the distance, yet could do nothing to him.

"Fine, fine. You're from the Profound Tier Class, right? Keep strutting around for a while longer. When the midyear tournament comes, Senior Nangong will surely accomplish the feat of fighting ten alone. Then we'll make you lose all face."

After delivering his threat, Xiao Feng hesitated no longer. He turned and plunged into the woods beside the road, fleeing so quickly that it could only be described as running for his life.

"Fighting ten alone... right! How did I not think of that?"

Xiao Feng's final words gave Li Mu a flash of inspiration. He suddenly thought of a solution to the problem that had troubled him for so long.

"I need to discuss this with Senior Hao. Time waits for no one—I'll go now."

Having grasped the key to the problem, Li Mu did not linger and immediately ran toward Hao Meng's dormitory.

"Um... Junior, how should I put this? Aren't you overestimating me a little?"

Later that day, inside the dormitory, Hao Meng stared blankly at Li Mu. Clearly, what Li Mu had just said had exceeded the bounds of his understanding.

"Senior, I had been thinking about how to raise the strength of our class's ten competitors. But someone gave me a reminder today. Since it is a succession battle, we only need to concentrate our resources and make one person strong enough to sweep through the enemy's ten. That counts as victory too. In Canyon Game, it is called the pig-feeding strategy."

Hao Meng was left dazed by Li Mu's wildly imaginative idea. Though he did not understand what that pig-feeding strategy was, he could not find any grounds to refute it for the moment.

Indeed, according to the competition rules, it was completely feasible. But in actual combat, one's strength would inevitably decline after battle upon battle. Even the cream of the Heaven Tier Class could hardly claim to be capable of taking on ten in a row, much less Hao Meng.

"Senior, this is the only way to defeat the Earth Tier Class within two months. New students cannot participate in this competition, and the only person in our class who might be able to fight ten alone is you. Don't you want to lead us to win a Class vs. Class Competition one last time in this final year?"

"Besides, I heard that some cultivators can only achieve breakthroughs through high-intensity battles. Perhaps if you go all out this time, you might cross the bottleneck of the Core Formation Realm."

Seeing Hao Meng still hesitate, Li Mu quickly appealed to his emotions and reason. In the end, he successfully persuaded his senior to take a gamble and go all out.

"Even so, how can I possibly fight ten alone? Last year, I exhausted every bit of my strength and only defeated six people. Besides, I heard Nangong Qi of the Earth Tier Class has made a breakthrough this year. Defeating even him alone would probably take some effort from me."

Although he had agreed to Li Mu's plan, Hao Meng had absolutely no idea how to put it into practice.

"Senior, what do you think was the biggest reason for your defeat last year?"

Li Mu now appeared entirely composed, clearly already having a solution in mind.

"In a one-on-one fight, no one in the Earth Tier Class is my match. Even against Nangong Qi, I am completely confident. But every one of them is a rich young master. Superior pills, top-grade weapons, and defensive equipment emerge one after another. As for me, although I am the eldest son of the Hao Family, our Lineage is one of martial artists. Our family finances are not abundant, so compared with them in this regard, we are worlds apart."

After giving it some thought, Hao Meng helplessly analyzed the reason for his defeat last year.

On the path of seeking immortality, talent and hard work alone were not enough; support from all kinds of resources was equally crucial. Whether pills, cultivation arts, weapons, or other Dharmic Treasures, all required enormous amounts of money. The Hao Family had gradually declined over the years. Its strongest member was only at Great Completion of the Core Formation Realm, and the family had never done business. Over time, its expenses naturally exceeded its income.

"So if you were given sufficient pills, as well as weapons and equipment far superior to theirs, could you fight ten alone?"

Li Mu looked at the worried Senior Hao before him and revealed a confident smile.

"If things were truly as you say, I would have a ninety percent chance of defeating them one by one. But do you really have a way? Even the most ordinary Qi Replenishing Pills sell for a thousand Cangyun Coins each. To fight ten consecutive battles, I would need at least seven or eight Qi Replenishing Pills. And as for weapons and equipment, even having money does not necessarily mean you can buy them."

Hao Meng's concerns were very realistic. Pills and equipment were necessities on the path of immortality, but their prices were extraordinarily high. High-grade weapons and Dharmic Treasures were even beyond monetary measure. This was also why many common-born disciples, even if gifted with exceptional talent, found it difficult to persist on the immortal path.

This was likewise why most cultivators hoped to enter one of the great sects. After all, without the support of a sect, how many people could afford to cultivate immortality?

"Senior, you need not worry about these things. Qinglan City has an abundant supply of Qi-replenishing pills. As for weapons and Dharmic Treasures, I have my own channels for acquiring them. You only need to do as I say."

Although Hao Meng did not know what method Junior Li had to solve these problems, he somehow felt that Li Mu was someone who could bring surprises.

"By the way, Junior, you said someone reminded you of this method today. Who was it?"

"Uh, it was a senior with his butt hanging out. You should know who it is when the competition arrives."

Deliberately ignoring Hao Meng's puzzled gaze, Li Mu took his leave and returned to his dormitory. He adjusted his breathing and sat cross-legged on his bed.

"Pills can be bought. For weapons and Dharmic Treasures, I have the simulated Shop System—there will always be something suitable for Senior Hao. But all of it requires money. Good thing I have the memories of two lifetimes. It is time to display my business talent. First, I'll choose the weapons and Dharmic Treasures. Then there is only one goal: make money!"

Li Mu took a deep breath and opened the simulated Shop System within his consciousness.