The "Leaked Information Incident" at the Offering Hall

One day later, a legion of soul master engineers surrounded the Offering Hall, sealing it off completely. Leading them was none other than Xu Tianyuan, the commander of the Imperial Dragon Soul Master Legion.

"Post strict guards at all entrances and exits of the Offering Hall. No one is allowed in or out!" Xu Tianyuan commanded with an indifferent expression.

Seeing the frost-faced Xu Tianyuan, the soul master engineers of the Offering Hall began to whisper among themselves, "What happened to the Offering Hall?"

"Everyone, there is no need to worry," Kong Deming said at this moment. "A leak occurred within the Offering Hall, so This Seat has invited Commander Xu to investigate the clues. I will count today as a working day for everyone, and the deadlines for your current projects and research will be extended by four days. Just go back to what you were doing; everything else is normal."

Xu Tianyuan wasn't actually there to investigate a leak; he was merely putting on a show to create the impression that a security breach had occurred. He went through the motions of an investigation, waiting for the news to spread throughout Ming Capital. Two days later, An Litong, the president of the Aodu Chamber of Commerce, sent out invitations to several other chambers, including those he knew were colluding with Shrek Academy.

Whether in mineral extraction or soul device manufacturing, the Sun Moon Empire's technology far surpassed that of Shrek Academy and the three empires of the Douluo Continent. However, Shrek Academy was wealthy. Through the power of money, certain chambers within the Sun Moon Empire specialized in smuggling soul devices and rare metals to the academy; if the price was right, they could even move goods from Mingde Hall.

Xu Cong and Xu Tianran hated such smuggling to the bone, yet they could never fully eradicate it. Kong Bo also loathed these activities, but he knew that as long as Shrek Academy and the three Douluo nations were willing to spend heavily, even the harshest penalties imposed by the Sun Moon Empire would only serve to increase the profit margins for the smugglers.

Kong Bo's idea was simple: since smuggling was difficult to stop, why not smuggle the things we want into Shrek Academy? This "Libah" muscle-enhancing serum was exactly what Kong Bo wanted to get into the hands of Shrek Academy.

At this moment, inside the Aodu Chamber of Commerce office, the chamber presidents invited by An Litong were already seated. An Litong cleared his throat, raised his hand to gesture for silence, and then produced a safe, placing it on the table.

An Litong spoke unhurriedly, "Gentlemen, you have all heard about the recent leak at the Offering Hall. Our Aodu Chamber of Commerce has managed to acquire this item, and I must say, it is truly powerful." He then opened the safe, revealing a row of syringes filled with a colorless liquid.

"President An, is this a serum?" one merchant asked.

"Correct, this is a drug called Libah," An Litong introduced. "It is a serum that can rapidly increase muscle mass and improve a soul master's close-quarters combat ability. Those soul masters who rely on melee combat will love it. According to the Offering Hall's research, for melee-focused soul masters, their muscles provide and store soul power. If one can increase muscle mass, the combat effectiveness of a melee soul master will see a significant boost."

An Litong then played a recording that documented the experimental results of "Libah," including charts showing monthly muscle growth, as well as the required dosages for soul masters of different ranks and the types of training they should perform after use. The merchants watched with their mouths slightly agape.

An Litong then added thoughtfully, "According to our research, the younger the soul master, the more effective this muscle-enhancing serum is. It is best to start from the Great Soul Master level. It can affect soul masters up to the Soul Emperor rank, but it becomes useless once one reaches the Soul Saint level."

A chamber president sighed after watching, "Such efficient muscle growth! If the Offering Hall's research proves that increased muscle mass enhances a soul master's combat ability, then this Libah serum is essentially a way to rapidly boost the strength of melee soul masters, isn't it?"

Another merchant remarked, "It's not just for Assault System soul masters. I think Defense System soul masters need this even more, as Assault types have ranged options, but Defense types are forced into close-quarters brawls. President An, at what price do you intend to sell this serum?"

An Litong took out a manual and had his assistant distribute it to the merchants. As they read, An Litong explained, "Gentlemen, as written in the manual, for Libah to be effective, it must be used long-term; a single injection will have no effect. I suggest that when you sell it, you stock up on a certain quantity to provide to your clients."

"It requires long-term use?"

"Exactly," An Litong said. "Gentlemen, this is a research achievement from the Offering Hall. I am a native of Ming Capital and have connections with the military; the Offering Hall's research capabilities are superior to those of Mingde Hall, and we spent a great deal of silver to develop these connections within the Offering Hall. How about 25 gold soul coins per unit? I cannot go any lower."

Manbo Vine was not a rare plant, and the processing method had almost no cost. Kong Bo had set the price of "Libah" at 20 gold soul coins per unit specifically to fleece the wealthy of the Douluo Continent, with at least 15 gold soul coins of that being pure profit. When An Litong saw this price, he suggested it was too cheap. The Evil Emperor had stated that she would take her cut based on 20 gold soul coins per unit, and whatever markup An Litong added would be the Aodu Chamber of Commerce's profit. This was essentially a favor to the Aodu Chamber, and An Litong was selling it to these merchants for 25 gold soul coins.

Hearing this quote, the merchants looked at each other. One merchant spoke up, "Very well, President An, I accept this price personally. I would like to buy 1,000 units, but I want to pay half as a deposit, and the rest..."

An Litong shook his head upon hearing this, "I am sorry, gentlemen, but maintaining our connections within the Offering Hall is not easy for the Aodu Chamber of Commerce. Therefore, regarding the distribution of Libah, we require full payment upfront, and we only accept full payment."

Hearing this, the merchant gritted his teeth and pulled out a gold soul coin card, "Fine, President An. This card contains 30,000 gold soul coins. I will buy 1,000 units."

"Excellent." An Litong used a soul device to verify the balance on the card and nodded with satisfaction, "I will have my men prepare the goods immediately."