Everything was now falling into place. Min Lian and Xin Dayuan had taken on the main task of refining hearing-reach herb fragrance, and Li Ling no longer needed to spend much effort on it. He only had to coordinate with Dreamlike Island, extract dream essence qi, and enjoy the fruits of their labor.
But those two alone were far from enough to fulfill Li Ling's ambitions.
He continued to entrust Shang Yuxian with finding suitable candidates, actively planning to recruit apprentices and disciples. Meanwhile, he compiled some production techniques for Spirit-Communing Incense and hearing-reach herb fragrance, simplifying complex processes wherever possible so that ordinary cultivators, and even mortals, could carry them out.
This would greatly reduce unnecessary consumption and increase output.
Unfortunately, Li Ling soon heard that the treasures in the Island Secret Realm had been all but plundered clean. There was little left to gain.
"It's not that there's truly nothing left, but finding anything now requires more time and effort, and greater risks." Shang Yuxian had made a special trip to investigate the situation there. Upon returning, she told Li Ling, "Rogue cultivators won't rise early unless there's profit in it. Under these circumstances, they would rather sit idle or explore elsewhere."
Li Ling said, "Looks like this business will be returning to normal. That's fine, though. We can't expect demand to outstrip supply forever."
Shang Yuxian agreed. "Indeed. We've successfully established a foothold during this period. This product's reputation has taken root in people's hearts, and many cultivators will be willing to buy a few pieces to keep on hand for emergencies.
"Besides, losing its popularity doesn't mean it will disappear completely. Based on the patterns of past island secret realms, we estimate that it may close after the new year and vanish from its current location.