Marketing Speech

Zhou Ye knew Gao Xian had no money, and a few dozen Low-grade Spirit Stones meant nothing to him.

By comparison, the Deer Antler Powder was far more important to him.

Such a top-tier medicinal pill was truly hard to buy, even with money.

Gao Xian was not surprised by Zhou Ye's choice; he had waited all night specifically so the old man could better experience the efficacy of the Deer Antler Powder.

He smiled at the old man: "Thank you, Uncle Zhou."

Zhou Ye said with a beaming smile: "The Deer Antler Powder is, after all, unranked. How about this, you provide one thousand units of Deer Antler Powder, and that will be enough."

For ordinary Deer Antler Powder, one Spirit Stone could buy forty units.

The old man was treating Gao Xian reasonably well, doubling the price for him.

Gao Xian also smiled: "Uncle Zhou, the Deer Antler Powder I refine uses a special formula. You've tried it yourself, and I'm not boasting, but dozens of ordinary Deer Antler Powders combined don't have the potency of even one of mine..."

Gao Xian argued his case; providing one thousand units of Deer Antler Powder wasn't difficult for him, but that wasn't how business was done.

Zhou Yuling was very kind to him, but she was her own person, and her father was his own person; they could not be lumped together.

When discussing business, one must have the mindset of a businessman. If Zhou Ye talked to him about profit, and he responded with personal favors, he would be far too naive.

Zhou Ye wasn't angry; if he was going to ask for an exorbitant price, he had to allow Gao Xian to negotiate on the spot.

Gao Xian smiled: "Uncle Zhou, I have a proposal. I will grant you exclusive rights to sell my Deer Antler Powder. I will only charge the cost price: one Low-grade Spirit Stone for ten units of Deer Antler Powder."

"Hmm?" Zhou Ye was somewhat puzzled; why had Gao Xian suddenly brought this up?

"Uncle Zhou, you have experienced the efficacy of the Deer Antler Powder yourself. Even if it isn't 'unrivaled under heaven,' it is still a peerless spirit pill within the small Flying Horse Market."

"There are six or seven thousand male cultivators in Flying Horse Market. Even if only one-tenth of them have a need, they would consume six or seven hundred units of Deer Antler Powder a day..."

Gao Xian drew upon twenty years of experience in bamboozling clients, outputting a stream of terms like market, demand, consumption, quality, and monopoly at Zhou Ye.

It was the first time Zhou Ye had heard such things, and even with his wealth of experience, he was stirred into a feverish excitement.

Indeed, Deer Antler Powder was a massive market, and thanks to its superior quality, there were no competitors!

According to Gao Xian's calculations, this was a vast consumer market worth up to twenty thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones a year.

Zhou Ye also knew that Gao Xian's words were exaggerated, but even if they only earned one-tenth of that, it would still be a net profit of two thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones annually.

No matter how he looked at it, this business could be highly profitable; he had to do it!

Zhou Ye and Gao Xian finally reached an agreement: Zhou Ye would teach Gao Xian the True Yang Spear, and Gao Xian would use the exclusive rights to the Deer Antler Powder as tuition. From then on, he would provide Zhou Ye with at least one thousand units of Deer Antler Powder every month, with goods delivered before payment and settlements made at the end of the month.

Under Gao Xian's insistence, one more condition was added: allowing Gao Xian to stay at the Zhou residence for a few days.

With the terms settled, both Zhou Ye and Gao Xian were very happy.

"The True Yang Spear uses a man's innate yang energy to condense spiritual intent into a spear."

Zhou Ye revealed a meaningful smile: "Do you know where a man's yang energy is most potent?"

Gao Xian didn't quite understand at first, but seeing Zhou Ye's somewhat lewd smile, he suddenly realized: "It's there."

Zhou Ye explained the True Yang Spear in detail, and during the process, he took out a scroll depicting a golden, shimmering long spear that looked quite majestic and imposing.

This was the visualization diagram for the True Yang Spear, which, when combined with the full set of hand seals, incantations, and dharma seals, formed a complete secret technique.

After Zhou Ye finished his explanation, he gave the scroll to Gao Xian, then hurried off to open his shop.

Gao Xian took the scroll back to the east wing and pondered it for the entire day; he felt that this secret technique seemed a bit improper.

In the evening, after having dinner at the Zhou residence, Gao Xian asked Zhou Ye for advice on some of the confusing parts of the True Yang Spear.

Zhou Ye was very responsible, pointing things out and explaining them one by one, which gave Gao Xian a great deal of insight.

Returning to the bedroom in the east wing, Gao Xian practiced the True Yang Spear for a while. With Sister Lan helping to condense the dharma seal deep within his brow, he quickly found the feeling.

Retreating from his meditative state, Gao Xian took out the Wind and Moon Mirror. Sure enough, the True Yang Spear had been added to the skill list on the back.

True Yang Spear: Uses yang energy to condense spiritual sense into an intangible spear, capable of warding off evil energy (1/10 Novice).

All abilities manifested on the back of the Wind and Moon Mirror could be upgraded by spending Humanity Aura.

Gao Xian already had experience with this, and upon seeing the points required to upgrade the True Yang Spear, he knew it was a very low-level spell.

Well, it was the same grade as the Deer Antler Powder. Fortunately, it could ward off evil, which was enough.

Looking at his Humanity Aura, thanks to Zhou Yuling's contribution, it had reached seventy-eight points.

What was he waiting for? He added points to upgrade it immediately.

Ten points of Humanity Aura were spent, and the True Yang Spear reached the Proficient level. However, the next upgrade would require twenty points.

This was different from the point cost for upgrading the Deer Antler Powder.

He spent another twenty points of Humanity Aura to reach the Mastery level. The next upgrade would require forty points.

Gao Xian looked at the remaining forty-plus points of Humanity Aura and, hardening his heart, spent them all, raising the True Yang Spear to the Expert realm.

According to his experience, once a skill reached the Mastery level, it could already surpass eighty percent of his peers.

At the Expert level, the skill would undergo a qualitative change.

Inside the Wind and Moon Mirror, Sister Lan formed a dharma seal, silently reciting the incantation, and a crimson long spear manifested before her.

As Sister Lan cast her spell, the crimson spear thrust violently forward.

Gao Xian's brow suddenly burned, as if his mind had been pierced by an invisible, scorching spear. He jolted, a flood of memories regarding the cultivation of the True Yang Spear filling his consciousness.

It took quite a while before Gao Xian finally opened his eyes.

Having fully digested these memories, it was as if he had spent twenty or thirty years immersed in this technique; he had completely mastered the subtle nuances of the True Yang Spear and gained a profound, deep understanding of it.

The room was exceptionally dim, yet he could clearly discern the shape of the teacup on the table—a feat that would have been impossible just moments ago.

Had upgrading the True Yang Spear to the Expert level actually enhanced his eyesight?

No, that wasn't it. The scent of tanned animal hides drifting in from next door had become much more intense; he could even faintly perceive the wisps of odor drifting about like smoke.

His small, crude bedroom suddenly became vivid and sharp.

Gao Xian realized that the True Yang Spear must have bolstered his divine sense—his mental power—making his consciousness sharper and his reactions faster, which in turn had further strengthened his sensory organs: eyes, nose, and ears.

A powerful divine sense allowed him to acquire more information and analyze it more quickly, and it was these changes that manifested as such obvious improvements.

How to describe this feeling? To put it crudely, it was like upgrading from a standard 480P resolution to 1080P.

Details he hadn't been able to perceive before were now all visible and palpable.

That was why he felt the surrounding environment had suddenly become layered and distinct.

For this benefit alone, the upgrade to the True Yang Spear had been well worth it.

Gao Xian was no military enthusiast, but even with his limited knowledge of warfare, he knew that the primary element of war was intelligence.

Sun Tzu had long ago stated: "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."

Knowing the enemy's information in advance allowed one to calmly formulate tactics and secure victory.

The enhancement of his six senses through mental power allowed him to obtain more and richer information.

In battle, this would translate into a massive advantage.

The power of the Expert-level True Yang Spear was also quite considerable; the invisible spear, condensed from divine sense and Yang energy, could not only dispel evil spirits but also attack an enemy's spirit—or rather, strike at their heart and consciousness.

Gao Xian formed a hand seal, and with Sister Lan condensing the dharma seal deep within his brow, a crimson spear took shape in the depths of his mind.

Whenever he wished, this invisible spear could be thrust out according to his will.

Within five zhang, the True Yang Spear was at its most powerful. Beyond five zhang, its power gradually diminished, with a maximum range of ten zhang.

Unfortunately, without a suitable target, he could not verify the true power of the Expert-level True Yang Spear.

Opening the Wind and Moon Mirror, he could see that the description of the True Yang Spear had changed.

True Yang Spear: Condenses divine sense with Yang energy to forge an invisible spear; can intimidate spirits and shatter evil (1/80 Expert).

Gao Xian noted the change in the description; the addition of "intimidate spirits" meant that the True Yang Spear was also effective against cultivators.

Judging by his intuition, he felt that the Expert-level True Yang Spear was sufficient to intimidate a cultivator like Old Wang.

Although Old Wang's swordsmanship was formidable, his energy and spirit were ultimately weak. Against a spell that struck directly at the soul, he likely had little resistance.

Of course, this was merely his speculation; the specific power would still need to be tested in actual combat.

The most ingenious aspect of the True Yang Spear was its invisibility. With Sister Lan at the center condensing the dharma seal, this spell could be released rapidly to shock an enemy.

As he condensed the True Yang Spear, Gao Xian could feel the scorching, spear-like Yang energy in his brow, and a powerful sense of security naturally welled up within him.

The lingering trace of evil energy that had been troubling him seemed to have been completely dispelled by the intense Yang energy radiating from the spear.

Gao Xian retracted the True Yang Spear and let out a long, satisfied breath. The evil energy plaguing him had finally been resolved!

He would be able to sleep soundly tonight!