Twisting Black into White, Hunting Souls

"Even if the Great Elder were to lose to the Clear Sky Douluo again, we could still frame it as the Great Elder restraining himself, intentionally yielding to the younger generation."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Qian Xunji's gaze toward Zhao Linchuan gradually shifted.

He leaned back slowly, tapped his fingers against the armrest twice, and then suddenly slapped the table with a sharp crack.

"You truly are a brilliant man!"

He stood up and paced back and forth across the hall.

"I had overlooked this before. Public opinion—it is a lethal weapon!"

"To master it is to command an invisible legion of spirit masters!"

He walked back to the desk, picked up a brush, and rapidly recorded Zhao Linchuan's words, his handwriting scrawled yet forceful.

After finishing, he set the brush down and looked up.

"Do you have anything else to add?"

Zhao Linchuan thought for a moment before speaking again: "Publish things that directly affect the common people—such as water management, weather forecasts, and government decrees—on the front page of the newspaper."

"Make them feel that, by relying on the newspaper, they can be the first to know everything happening under the heavens."

Qian Xunji took up his brush to record this point as well. Once he wrote the final character, he set the brush down, folded his hands on the desk, and stared with burning intensity.

"What about the price? How do you think we should set it?"

"One copper spirit coin," Zhao Linchuan replied without hesitation. "A unified price across the entire continent."

Upon hearing this, Qian Xunji's brows furrowed slightly.

"One copper spirit coin?" He pondered for a moment, tapping his fingers on the desk. "In that case, the overhead would be too high."

"Not to mention labor, the cost of materials alone would require us to subsidize a significant amount."

He looked up, his eyes filled with calculation. "Over the months and years, we would likely find ourselves unable to bear the burden."

Zhao Linchuan smiled faintly.

"I possess a new method for papermaking and printing," he said, his voice calm and unhurried. "With this new technology, the cost of materials will certainly be recouped."

Qian Xunji's brow relaxed slightly.

"As for the labor costs..." Zhao Linchuan paused deliberately, waiting until Qian Xunji's focus was entirely on him before continuing, "We can publish advertisements in the newspaper and profit from them."

"That way, the money for labor will be covered."

"Advertisements?" Qian Xunji chewed on the unfamiliar term, a light gradually igniting in his eyes.

"For example," Zhao Linchuan explained, "if a merchant wants to promote their goods, we write a laudatory article about them in the paper and charge a certain fee."

"Their goods sell well, and the common people learn about more high-quality, affordable items. It's a win-win."

"Excellent!"

Qian Xunji slammed his hand onto the desk and stood up, the force so great that the documents on the table jumped.

He looked at Zhao Linchuan as if he were gazing at a rare, priceless treasure.

"Then we shall do as you say! Set the price at one copper spirit coin! Write down the methods for papermaking and printing and hand them to me later."

He took a deep breath, his voice brimming with irrepressible excitement. "I shall record this as a major contribution!"

"Many thanks, Your Holiness," Zhao Linchuan said with a slight bow.

"Ah, no need for such formalities." Qian Xunji waved his hand, about to say something else, when he suddenly remembered something, and his expression turned somewhat subtle.

He glanced at Zhao Linchuan, his mouth twitching, and he spoke with a slightly awkward tone:

"According to our seniority, I should technically call you... Uncle-Grandfather."

Bibi Dong let out a sudden, muffled laugh and quickly covered her mouth.

Qian Xunji's expression darkened further. He coughed lightly, forcibly dragging the conversation back, his speech noticeably faster. "Forget it, let's not mention that."

He sat back down, picked up his brush, but then set it aside again, looking up at Zhao Linchuan. "By the way, you came to see me early this morning—is there something you need?"

"There are two things," Zhao Linchuan said seriously. "First, my fiancée's spirit power has reached a bottleneck, and I wish to take her out for a period of time to find a suitable spirit beast for her."

"What?!"

Qian Xunji stood up abruptly from his throne, the movement so violent he nearly overturned the desk.

"You have a fiancée?!"

"It is... only natural," he muttered, slowly sitting back down.

At Zhao Linchuan's age, having a fiancée was perfectly normal.

But... if he had a fiancée, what would happen to his own foolish student?

Qian Xunji's gaze drifted involuntarily toward Bibi Dong.

She was still standing in the same spot, her expression unchanged, seemingly unsurprised by the news that Zhao Linchuan had a fiancée.

His brows furrowed even tighter. He knew Bibi Dong's temperament well—would she ever agree to be a concubine?

That was absolutely impossible.

It seemed he would have to find a way; when the critical moment arrived, he would have to hit those two with a heavy blow!

He lowered his eyelids, masking the flash of calculation in his eyes, and by the time he looked up again, his expression had returned to normal.

"And the second matter?"

Zhao Linchuan continued, "I intend to establish an intelligence organization."

Qian Xunji nodded, waiting for him to elaborate.

Zhao Linchuan spread his hands, his expression so candid that it was impossible to be angry with him, "But I have no money."

"Pfft—!" Bibi Dong could not hold it back after all and burst into laughter.

She covered her lips with the back of her hand, her eyes curving into crescents as she looked at Zhao Linchuan, "You were so generous with your spending yesterday; I thought you were worth a fortune."

"I only had that little bit of money, and I spent almost all of it yesterday." Zhao Linchuan rubbed his nose, feeling uncharacteristically awkward.

"That is simple."

Qian Xunji pressed his hand down, signaling for Bibi Dong to be quiet.

He lowered his head, picked up a brush, and wrote a line on a sheet of white paper—"Give him whatever he asks for."

He stood up himself, walked around the desk, and handed the paper to Zhao Linchuan.

"Go," he said in a calm voice, "with my order, no one will dare to stop you."

He turned around, his gaze falling on Bibi Dong, his tone becoming more casual.

"You shouldn't stay cooped up in Spirit Hall all day either. Since Linchuan is heading out, you should go with him."

"Take this opportunity to get a good look at the outside world."

Bibi Dong was slightly stunned, then nodded in agreement.

Qian Xunji walked back behind the desk and sat down, folding his hands on the surface. His gaze swept back and forth between the two of them, and his tone became solemn.

"The Great Elder and I have 'discussed' it, and we have decided to invite the major sects to hold a competition for you young people in three months' time."

"Whoever can take the crown will be the number one of the younger generation."

His gaze rested on Zhao Linchuan and Bibi Dong, his eyes filled with expectation, "Remember, do not get so caught up in your travels that you forget about this."

Zhao Linchuan said in a steady voice, "Rest assured, Your Holiness. Dong'er and I will absolutely not let you down."

Bibi Dong nodded along.

Qian Xunji looked at the two young people before him—one composed and unhurried, the other calm as water. Standing together, they were an exceptionally well-matched pair.

He withdrew his gaze and waved his hand, "Go, and don't forget the task at hand..."