Expansion of a Commercial Empire

[Black World]

Yu Xiaogang stared at the Sky Curtain, at that theory of "growing stronger in one's sleep."

His breathing quickened.

His eyes were as red as a rabbit's.

Jealousy?

No.

Greed!

"A genius idea... simply a genius idea!"

"Plant instincts... photosynthesis..."

"Why hadn't I thought of that?"

Yu Xiaogang spun around and grabbed Hei Tang San, who had been about to catch up on sleep.

"Xiao San! Don't sleep!"

"Quick! Get up!"

Hei Tang San looked utterly bewildered, his eyelids barely staying open.

"Teacher... what's wrong?"

"I've realized it!"

Yu Xiaogang danced about excitedly.

"If Bai Tang San can do it, then you can definitely do it too!"

"His Blue Silver Grass can cultivate on autopilot, and so can yours!"

"Quick, lie down!"

Though Hei Tang San had no idea what was going on, he obediently lay down on the bed.

"Release your Martial Soul!"

"Bring out your Blue Silver Grass and extend it out the window!"

Hei Tang San did as instructed.

More than ten stalks of Blue Silver Grass sprouted from his palms and crawled crookedly up the windowsill.

"Good. Now go to sleep!"

"Remember, don't withdraw your Martial Soul while you sleep. Let it absorb the sun outside on its own!"

Yu Xiaogang directed him calmly from the side.

"As long as you master this move, your cultivation speed will be twice that of everyone else's in the future!"

"Then Innate Full Soul Power, Twin Martial Souls—none of it will be a problem!"

Hei Tang San's blood boiled as he listened.

He could grow stronger by sleeping?

There was such a good deal?

"Yes, Teacher! I'll work hard at sleeping!"

And so.

With beautiful hopes in his heart, Hei Tang San forced himself into sleep.

His Blue Silver Grass was simply left outside the window, exposed to the blazing sun.

Two hours later.

"Ah—!!!"

A shrill scream shattered Shrek Academy's peace.

Flender and Zhao Wuji were startled and hurried into Master's room.

There, Hei Tang San was clutching his head and rolling around in agony on the bed.

His face was pale as paper, and his entire body convulsed, as if someone had drained away all his vitality.

"Xiao San! What happened to you?!"

Yu Xiaogang panicked and hurried over to examine him.

The moment he checked, his heart sank halfway.

"Soul Power... depleted?"

"Mental Power... overdrawn?"

How could this be?!

That Bai Tang San had clearly slept so soundly!

Why had his disciple nearly slept himself to death?!

At that moment.

A cold line of "technical analysis" appeared on the Sky Curtain at just the right time:

[Warning: Incorrect Demonstration.]

[The core of autopilot cultivation lies in "Heart Separation Control" and "mental connection."]

[Bai Tang San used Mental Power to construct an "automatic absorption channel," allowing Blue Silver Grass to actively seize energy and feed it back to him.]

[But Hei Tang San...]

[Simply threw his Martial Soul outside.]

[It was like turning on a faucet without attaching a pipe.]

[Maintaining a Martial Soul outside the body continuously consumes Soul Power and Mental Power every second.]

[He was not charging on autopilot.]

[He was constantly leaking power.]

[The fact that he did not sleep himself to death already meant his foundation was strong.]

[Real World]

"Pfft—hahahahaha!"

Dugu Bo sprayed out a mouthful of tea and slapped his thigh as he laughed.

"I'm dying of laughter!"

"This Yu Xiaogang is simply a living joke!"

"He knows one thing but not the other."

"He tried to draw a tiger and ended up with a dog!"

"That was an advanced technique, fine mental manipulation."

"Did he think it was drying laundry? Just throw the grass outside and it would work?"

"If that counted as cultivation, every Soul Master in the world would have lain down long ago!"

The corners of Bibi Dong's lips also lifted slightly, her eyes full of mockery.

"Foolish."

"Without the right skills, he insists on taking on the job."

"This time, not only did he fail to grow stronger, he even damaged his foundation."

"It seems this so-called Master is truly good for nothing except leading students astray."

On the screen.

Hei Tang San lay weakly on the bed, his eyes unfocused.

His head hurt as though it were about to explode.

That was the aftermath of overdrawn Mental Power.

"Teacher..."

"Am I... stupid again?"

"Why could that Bai Tang San do it while I couldn't?"

Hei Tang San's voice trembled with tears.

He was truly aggrieved.

He had clearly followed the instructions. He had clearly worked hard to "sleep."

Yet this was the outcome he got.

Yu Xiaogang stood beside the bed, his expression shifting between green and white.

He clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his flesh.

"No... it was an accident..."

"That Bai Tang San must have hidden some crucial step!"

"Xiao San, don't panic. Let your teacher study it some more..."

"Study" again.

To Hei Tang San now, those two words were more terrifying than a tightening curse.

He closed his eyes, and a tear slid from the corner of one eye.

At this moment.

He envied that version of himself on the other side of the Sky Curtain more than anything—the one drooling in his sleep while his Soul Power kept rising.

That kind of life.

That was what living like a person should be.

Bai Tang San slept until evening.

When he woke up, he felt refreshed.

He glanced at the Blue Silver Grass on the windowsill.

The grass that had originally possessed only a few leaves had become even greener, with a faint golden glow hidden within it.

That was the accumulation from absorbing sufficient sunlight.

"Soul Power increased by 0.3%."

"Mental Power consumption: 5%."

"The input-output ratio is perfect."

Bai Tang San withdrew his Martial Soul and stretched lazily.

"Xiao Wu, want to get dinner?"

"I heard the cafeteria has braised rabbit heads tonight... oh, no, spicy diced radish."

Xiao Wu was sitting nearby, glaring at him miserably.

She had cultivated all afternoon and was exhausted.

Yet after checking—

she had gained less than he did from one nap.

"Eat!"

"I'm going to eat you bankrupt!"

"You freak! Cheater! Lazy bum!"

Xiao Wu sprang up angrily and bit Bai Tang San's arm.

Bai Tang San did not get angry. He simply let her bite him.

His skin was thick enough now anyway, so he treated it like a massage.

"Let's go. You need to eat your fill before you have the strength to work."

"Tonight, there's another big deal to discuss."

A shrewd merchant's gleam flashed through Bai Tang San's eyes.

Autopilot cultivation had solved the accumulation of strength.

But that was only for an individual.

Next.

He would use that Whale Rubber, the product that would drive the entire continent mad, to build a massive...

commercial empire.

Since he held the exclusive formula.

Since no one in the world knew how to eat it.

Then this business of selling water to gold miners—

his Tang Sect Merchant Association was taking it!

Nuoding City, morning.

In the past, mornings in this border city had been peaceful, with perhaps only a steamed-bun vendor shouting a few calls.

But today.

The entire city seemed to be boiling.

Every street, whether a broad main road or a narrow alleyway, was packed solid with surging crowds.

They had only one destination—

the shop in the city center that had just put up its sign, lavishly decorated in gold and splendor.

On the plaque, three gilded characters gleamed beneath the sunlight:

[Tang Sect Merchant Association]

The Sky Curtain focused on the scene.

A Dimensional Strike involving commercial capital and primitive accumulation was about to unfold.