A Major Deal

A long table was placed in the council hall of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Tang San placed the Silent Sleeve Arrow, the Stomping Crossbow, and the Godly Zhuge Crossbow on the table in turn. Ning Fengzhi sat opposite him, with Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo sitting on either side. Tai Tan was also invited over. He picked up a Crossbow Mechanism part and examined it for a long time, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

"The structure is ingenious; an ordinary Blacksmith can replicate the shape, but if the internal dimensions are slightly different, the power will be reduced by more than half."

Tang San nodded. "I will assemble the core Mechanism; the other parts can be forged by the Strength Clan."

Ning Fengzhi asked, "The blueprints aren't for sale?"

"Not for sale."

Tang San answered very steadily.

"The Hidden Weapons can be delivered, and the methods of using them can be taught. The core blueprints must remain in my possession. If the sect leader cannot accept this, this deal will have to be called off."

The council chamber fell silent for a moment.

Ning Rongrong sat beside her father, wanting to speak but holding back. She understood the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's need for self-defense weapons, and she also knew that Tang San would not back down on such matters.

Ning Fengzhi picked up the Silent Sleeve Arrow, aimed it at a test iron plate in the corner of the hall, and pulled the Mechanism.

Three flashes of cold light streaked past.

Three deep holes immediately appeared on the iron plate, with no obvious fluctuation of Soul Power before the attack. If carried by a support-type Soul Master, it would be enough to cause a careless Battle Soul Master a great loss at close range.

Tang San then picked up the Godly Zhuge Crossbow and had the sect disciples carry a half-foot-thick Refined Iron thirty paces away.

With Mechanism the trigger, sixteen Crossbow Bolt were fired in quick succession. The first bolt tore through the shield, and the subsequent Crossbow Bolt continued to penetrate deeper along the crack. The last three bolts pierced through the Refined Iron and embedded themselves in the wooden wall behind it.

Gu Rong walked over, tapped the shield with his finger, and pulled out a Crossbow Bolt.

"If Soul Ancestor is hit head-on within ten steps, they will have a hard time surviving without activating a defensive Soul Skill. Even Soul King will suffer if they are careless."

Chen Xin looked at Tang San: "Can ordinary people use it too?"

"With training, they can." Tang San placed the crossbow back on the table. "Therefore, I have one more condition. The Hidden Weapons purchased by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect must not enter the Black Market, nor be used to harm civilians without cause."

Ning Fengzhi nodded. "Write it into the contract."

What he valued was that Hidden Weapons didn't rely on Martial Soul. Most direct disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect lacked direct combat power, so having a set of Hidden Weapons on their person would give them an extra chance to survive if attacked.

"I accept." Ning Fengzhi put down the Sleeve Arrow. "The first batch will consist of 500 sets, each including Silent Sleeve Arrow, Stomping Crossbow, and Godly Zhuge Crossbow. The materials will be provided by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, at 10,000 Gold Soul Coin per set."

If Ma Hongjun were here, he would most likely shout it out.

Yuan Yu leaned back in his chair and put down the Wine Gourd.

Five hundred sets would amount to five million Gold Soul Coin.

Tang San wasn't blinded by the numbers. He picked up the list, glanced at it, and pointed to the delivery date.

"It can't be finished in three months. The Godly Zhuge Crossbow has very high requirements for its parts. The first batch of one hundred sets will be delivered in one month. The subsequent batches will be one hundred and fifty sets per month."

Tai Tan stroked his beard. " With the Strength Clan operating at full capacity, this speed is not a problem. The Rare Metal must be delivered on time by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and there can be no shortage of Mechanism small components."

Ning Fengzhi said, "Okay. Fifty percent deposit will be paid today, and the remainder will be settled in batches."

Tang San looked at Tai Tan: "Senior Tai Tan, the cost of forging the parts will be calculated separately. I will disassemble the blueprints, and different workshops will only be responsible for a portion, which will then be sent to me for final assembly."

Tai Tan's eyes showed even greater approval.

Although Tang San was young, he was very cautious in his work. Disassembling the blueprints not only increased the speed but also prevented the complete structure from being leaked. With this long-term order, the Blacksmith of the Strength Clan no longer needed to look for work elsewhere.

"I'll follow Young Master Tang's arrangements."

Tai Tan immediately listed the required number of craftsmen and furnaces. The Strength Clan excelled in forging but lacked a stable source of Rare Metal; the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's trade routes spanned the continent, perfectly filling this gap. Tang San was responsible for the core Mechanism and acceptance testing. Each of the three parties contributed their most proficient materials, and the first batch of workshops was operational that very day.

Ning Fengzhi had someone bring the contract, which Tang San read through clause by clause, adding details about part errors, delivery and acceptance, and replacement of damaged parts. Yuan Yu, who had initially thought business negotiations would be dull, sat up straighter by the end.

Tang San was usually a man of few words, but when it came to Hidden Weapons, he was meticulous about every single detail. Ning Fengzhi didn't urge him, but simply had the sect manager rewrite it according to his requirements.

Ning Fengzhi raised his teacup. "Then it's settled."

Tang San also picked up his teacup.

A deal involving three forces was thus finalized on paper.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect obtained the defensive Hidden Weapons that support Soul Master desperately needed, the Strength Clan secured stable orders, Tang San also had the funds and manpower to forge higher-level Hidden Weapons. After hearing the division of labor, Yuan Yu raised his hand and tapped the table.

I have a question.

Ning Fengzhi looked at him. "Please speak."

"If Dean Flender finds out about this money, will he demand a cut from the academy's profits?"

Tang San paused for a moment, then said, "Yes."

Ning Rongrong said, "Definitely."

Chen Xin said calmly, "Then don't let him see the total first."

Gu Rong glanced at him. "You think you know a lot?"

I've met people who love money.

It was nearly evening when everyone returned to the Shrek Academy.

Flender was waiting at the door, and his first question was, "Did the deal go through?"

Tang San nodded. "The first batch is five hundred sets."

How much per set?

Yuan Yu spoke first, "Dean, let's make this clear first, this is Xiao San and the Strength Clan's business."

Flender pushed up his glasses. "I'm just concerned about the students, who said I'd take a cut?"

"One set costs 10,000 Gold Soul Coin," Tang San said.

Flender stopped in his tracks.

He looked up at the academy gate, then at Tang San, and his tone softened considerably.

"Hey, there's a vacant lot east of the academy. What do you think about building a Hidden Weapons workshop there? The rent is negotiable."

Zhao Wuji covered his face beside him.

Tang San didn't let the academy provide the space for nothing. He proposed that a portion of the profits from each batch of Hidden Weapons delivered be used to maintain the assembly room and replenish the academy's training equipment. When Flender heard that there would be a steady income, his eyes behind his glasses lit up immediately, and he even agreed to have someone repair the leaky roof of the east courtyard that very day.

Yuan Yu watched him walk towards the accounting office and couldn't help but say, "Now that he has money, even the Dean walks faster."

Zhao Wuji sighed, "If he had this much drive in his cultivation, he would have become Soul Douluo long ago."

Liu Erlong was very supportive. The Strength Clan's workshop wasn't far from the academy, so Tang San could set up an assembly room on campus, which would be convenient for maintaining secrecy and wouldn't interfere with his training. She immediately designated a row of old warehouses in the East Campus, without even mentioning the rent.

Flender opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't dare to argue with her.

After the matter was settled, Liu Erlong looked at Yuan Yu.

"Sword Douluo said you're only a little short of level 60?"

Yuan Yu stretched his still slightly numb right arm. "I need a really tough fight."

"Tomorrow morning at the Training Ground. All eight of you come at me together. Zhao Wuji and I will fight alongside you."

Ma Hongjun had just come out of the cafeteria when he heard this and turned to leave, but Zhao Wuji grabbed him by the collar.

Why are you running?

"Teacher Zhao, I might have a stomachache tomorrow morning."

"Eat two less bowls of rice tonight, and the pain won't be there tomorrow morning."

As everyone was laughing, the college gatekeeper delivered another invitation in gold lettering.

The invitation came from the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.

The signature consisted of only three characters.

Xue Qinghe.