I Pick up a Lost Godhood

Chapter 458: Chapter 441: Doing Business

At that moment, there was a knock on the door. An Elder from the Celestial Rainbow Sect walked in. Unlike the Elders of the Holy Hall, this title denoted true power—he was an expert at the Second Layer of Minor Perfection.

"Excuse me, who is in charge of the Holy Hall now?"

Wang Meng stood up. "I am Wang Meng, the current Sect Leader of the Holy Hall."

As the words left his lips, a strange feeling washed over Wang Meng. Sitting in this position brought him little joy; instead, he felt the weight of responsibility. Meanwhile, hearing this, Zhao Xinglun and the others were overcome with a storm of complicated emotions.

"Sect Leader Wang, Sect Leader Yang requests your presence." Upon hearing the news, the man broke into a brilliant smile and seemed to heave a great sigh of relief. This sight left an even more sour taste in Zhao Xinglun’s mouth.

After Xuee Zhongnan’s death in battle, Zhao Xinglun had tried to approach Yang Jian, but the problem was that Sect Leader Yang had no interest in seeing him and completely ignored him. He had only sent someone to hint at Wang Meng’s situation. Otherwise, Zhao Xinglun would never have conceded. Seeing the Elder’s reaction now only irked him further.

’However, a Sect Leader’s prestige is granted by other Sect Leaders, not just from Snow Moon City but from everywhere else. Wang Meng is just a disciple. Will anyone really give him any respect?’

Zhao Xinglun calmed himself. ’If Wang Meng thinks being a Star Alliance member is enough, he’s gravely mistaken. The real difficulties are just beginning. Let him be the one to clear the path. When he fails, I’ll step in to clean up the mess. It’ll be killing two birds with one stone!’

As for Wang Meng, he strode forward, knowing that a new Chapter had begun!

The moment Wang Meng entered, Yang Jian walked right over. "Haha, Younger Brother Wang, congratulations! From the first time I met you, I knew you were destined for great things. Under your leadership, the Holy Hall will surely overcome this crisis!"

"Senior, I hope you will continue to look after our Holy Hall in the future!"

Yang Jian waved his hand dismissively. "Don’t call me Senior anymore. From now on, we’re comrades-in-arms. If that bastard Zhang Mang dares to strike so viciously again, our Snow Moon City will surely retaliate!"

As long as Wang Meng was on the throne, Yang Jian had no intention of excluding the Holy Hall. He was such a young Star Alliance member, and his growth was astonishingly fast. There was an old saying: "It’s better to bully the old than the young." The recent stir involving the Taiyin Sect and the Treasure Artifact Sect had ended in a perfect resolution, and the young man standing before him had been the key. It didn’t matter how he had managed to get Yuu Kunlun and Yue Rantian to give him so much face; the fact was, he had done it. That was true capability. And the more unfathomable something was, the more cautiously Yang Jian would act.

Besides, taking a step back, even if the Holy Hall truly failed, it wouldn’t be too late to make a different decision then. The biggest taboo was to hit someone while they were down, especially before the situation was clear.

Moreover, on a personal level, Yang Jian greatly admired Wang Meng’s character—he valued loyalty and relationships, a rarity in the Cultivation Realm. When you partnered with someone like that, you didn’t have to worry about being stabbed in the back.

"Brother Yang," Wang Meng said, "the Holy Hall will need some time to reorganize. We may have to put our retaliation against Demon Blade City on hold for a while. You need to consider the overall situation. As for revenge, let the Holy Hall handle it."

A smile touched Yang Jian’s lips as he looked at Wang Meng. This kid wasn’t one to make empty boasts. His last success had been entirely due to luck, but if someone was truly blessed by fortune, that in itself was a form of ultimate strength.

"That’s no problem. However, Snow Moon City must remain on full alert. Demon Blade City won’t let this go."

Having lost a Great Perfection expert, Zhang Mang’s personality ensured he wouldn’t let the matter rest. This gave Yang Jian a bit of a headache. The rankings between the Celestial Rainbow Sect and the Puppet Sect were largely influenced by the city battles in the Slaughter Space, with the two sects often fluctuating between sixteenth and seventeenth place.

A recent victory in a city battle had allowed Yang Jian, long suppressed by Zhang Mang, to finally turn the tables. But under the current circumstances, that advantage might not last for long.

Yang Jian was just speaking casually and didn’t think much of it, but Wang Meng suddenly declared, "Brother Yang, give the Holy Hall some time. I guarantee we will give you a pleasant surprise!"

Wang Meng knew he had to hurry and put his plan into action.

"I believe you." If Yang Jian didn’t, he wouldn’t have given Wang Meng this opportunity in the first place.

"Heh, you’re one of us in Snow Moon City now. Just do your best. If there’s anything you need my help with, don’t hesitate to ask."

This meeting made Yang Jian’s stance clear. For the Holy Hall, it meant they had definitely weathered the immediate crisis.

Thunderbolt and Li Xiuwen were stationed to hold the line in the Slaughter Space. Many disciples from the Li Family were also transferred to reinforce the Holy Hall’s strength there. The wind was rising, heralding a coming storm; they had to be fully prepared.

With this move, the Holy Hall’s headquarters would surely be left vulnerable, and the Ten Thousand Demons Sect was another problem entirely.

Wang Meng returned to his room. He had to make a trip back to the Holy Hall. Zhang Xiaopang and the others should be at the critical stage of breaking through to Minor Perfection. The Extreme Dao Alliance’s methods were actually quite effective; what they needed now was to purchase a large quantity of Spirit Stones and various types of Pills.

As long as they could produce a few more powerful Minor Perfection experts, the Holy Hall’s position in the Four Directions Small Thousand World would be stabilized. As for everything else, they could only take it one step at a time.

For now, he could only pray that the Star Alliance valued the balance between Saint and Demon forces and wouldn’t let things become completely one-sided.

Wang Meng gathered Zhao Xinglun and the others and explained his idea.

Zhao Xinglun frowned. ’This kid really thinks he’s a big shot. The title of Sect Leader is meaningless; controlling the resources is what truly matters.’

Thunderbolt and the others, however, felt the idea was unfeasible. ’Forcing growth like this is easy to do, but what will the results be?’

"Sect Leader, it’s not that we don’t support this," Zhao Xinglun began. "The Slaughter Space has its expenses, and the Holy Hall Disciples have theirs. The resources required to forcibly raise someone to Minor Perfection are by no means small. If we exhaust all of the Holy Hall’s resources, even if we succeed, our foundation will crumble."

Zhao Xinglun was still giving face to the young Sect Leader Wang by laying out the problem. He sighed again and added, "Truthfully, our current situation is very dire. I’ve already been trying various methods to solve this issue."

The implication was clear: ’You’ve got it easy as Sect Leader, with someone else already shouldering the heavy burdens for you. Otherwise, let’s see how you’d handle the pressure of our resource shortage.’

’Does he really think the position of Sect Leader is so easy? That once you sit on the throne, everyone will bow down and cheer for you?’

Thunderbolt and the others had different thoughts than Zhao Xinglun, but they reached the same conclusion.

Wang Meng couldn’t guarantee that Zhang Xiaojiang and the others would successfully reach Minor Perfection. Now he understood why the Extreme Dao Alliance would fly into a rage. The resources required were massive. If you created a strong expert, it was worth it; otherwise, it was a complete waste.

Master Wang knew what Zhao Xinglun was thinking, but he also understood the need for balance.

After a moment of silence, Zhao Xinglun, seemingly still giving Wang Meng face, said, "How about this? I’ll allocate ten thousand Top-Grade Spirit Stones."

’Ten thousand Top-Grade Spirit Stones? What good would that do? Does he really think I’m some country bumpkin who’s never seen the world?’

Wang Meng shook his head. "I’ll figure something out for this."

Thunderbolt wanted to say something but held his tongue. In truth, Thunderbolt and the others were all seasoned veterans. How could they not see through Zhao Xinglun’s plan? He was using Wang Meng’s good impression with Yang Jian to stabilize the situation, but his real goal was to seize control of the Holy Hall.

The only surprise was that Yang Jian had been so accommodating, which meant Zhao Xinglun had essentially achieved his objective.

Wang Meng weighed his options. Helping Zhang Xiaojiang and the others advance was something he had to do, for both the sect’s sake and his own.

Alas, poverty saps one’s ambition. Last time, he had borrowed one of Linglong’s Spirit Soulstones. It seemed he would have to find his solution there again.

In any case, he was the only one in debt. Since he had become the Sect Leader, he had to be prepared to make sacrifices. The worst that could happen was Linglong giving him a good spanking.

Master Wang was quite the optimist. However, Spirit Soulstones couldn’t be used directly for cultivation; they had to be exchanged for usable cultivation resources.

Wang Meng had to handle this matter personally. In Snow Moon City, the only ones who could possibly handle such a large batch of Spirit Soulstones were the Immortal Commerce.

The Immortal Commerce’s storefronts were magnificent in every city, a force not to be underestimated. Even in the Cultivation Realm, without resources, you had no voice.

Wang Meng found a Steward at the Immortal Commerce, mentioning he was there to discuss a big deal.

The Immortal Communication Steward looked at Wang Meng and immediately beamed. "Sect Leader Wang, what an honor. I am Zixiao, the new Chief Shopkeeper of the Immortal Commerce in Snow Moon City. Please forgive me for not greeting you sooner."

The Immortal Commerce’s information network was so effective it was almost unnerving, but right now, Wang Meng needed to cooperate with them.

"The Immortal Commerce is truly incredible. News of my appointment hasn’t even spread yet. What happened to the previous shopkeeper?"

"Sect Leader Wang, you flatter me. My predecessor was incompetent and has already been... dealt with. We believe that harmony brings wealth, so naturally, we have to keep our eyes open. If there is anything you need, you can come to us at any time."

Zixiao’s attitude was far more respectful, but it was hard to discern his true intentions behind his smile. The Immortal Commerce was truly ruthless. However, Wang Meng didn’t see this as a sign of weakness, but rather one of profound shrewdness.

"I’m here to auction a batch of items. What are your fees?"

Wang Meng had to ask. Selling directly to them would surely be a loss. These Spirit Soulstones were of excellent quality, so an auction was the better option. He had also intended to use this as leverage, but unexpectedly, the other party didn’t give him the chance.

"Heh, since you have just taken the position of Sect Leader, it is our Immortal Commerce’s tradition to present a gift to new Sect Leaders. We will waive all fees for this auction."

Zixiao said this, but in truth, it was just an empty gesture. With Wang Meng’s presumed financial standing, he probably didn’t have anything valuable to auction anyway. A favor that cost nothing was a favor worth giving.

"Heh, very good. The Immortal Commerce is truly generous. I have a batch of fine Spirit Soulstones to auction."

Hearing "Spirit Soulstones," Zixiao froze. The Immortal Commerce usually charged a commission of eight to ten percent. If it were just a few Spirit Soulstones, he could swallow the loss.

But when he saw the collection of colorful Spirit Soulstones in Wang Meng’s hands, Zixiao’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

’It’s over, it’s over!’ The moment he’d taken office, he’d already incurred such a massive loss. A cold sweat broke out on his brow. But he had already given his word, and the Immortal Commerce did indeed have such a tradition. He had just been trying to make a simple gesture, never dreaming that Wang Meng had come so well-prepared.

Master Wang’s smile was brilliant. Chief Shopkeeper Zi’s expression, however, was a sight to behold.

Finally, Zixiao shook his head with a wry smile. "Sect Leader Wang, you really know how to put a man in a tight spot. But so be it. A word spoken is like water spilled. We’ll take this deal!"

Wang Meng found this Zixiao to be quite an interesting character, one who took responsibility. He clapped Zixiao on the shoulder. "Chief Shopkeeper, as businessmen, we sometimes have to take a loss now to earn a bigger profit later. Besides, don’t you think this batch of Spirit Soulstones will be excellent publicity?"

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