Return of the Celestial King

Chapter 177: Chapter 177: Tens of Billions

This scene left everyone stunned.

No one could have imagined that Long Wu would actually use his own body to smash the stone tablet before him.

Many people thought that in the next moment, Long Wu’s fist would be crippled.

However, what they expected didn’t happen. Instead, the stone tablet suddenly let out a muffled thud.

CRACK!

The stone tablet shattered, breaking into pieces that fell to the ground.

Long Wu himself was stunned for a moment, then his eyes burst with immense, joyous surprise!

Watching this, Qin Tuo simply shook his head and smiled, as if he had expected it all along.

’Just as I guessed. After a normal person takes a Qi Gathering Pill, they gain a boost of at least several hundred pounds of strength. Long Wu’s power should be on par with Hong Qing’s now,’ Qin Tuo thought to himself.

Many of the guests couldn’t resist gathering near the courtyard. Staring at the shattered stone tablet, they were all utterly astounded.

Long Wu tilted his head back and laughed heartily.

"Divine Power! I finally possess Innate Divine Power!"

Many people recognized Long Wu, and their expressions immediately became a sight to behold.

They knew that Long Wu and Hong Qing were currently locked in a fierce struggle.

And now, Long Wu possessed such incredible strength.

Some people knew that the Cyan Fire Gang was in for trouble.

Long Wu approached Qin Tuo with utmost respect and bowed his head deeply.

"Celestial King, thank you for this gift, for this new lease on life. I will never forget your supreme kindness!"

Qin Tuo said casually,

"Rise, Long Wu. You work for me, so I can’t treat you unfairly."

Long Wu’s eyes grew moist with emotion. He knew deep down that a pill like the one he had just taken must be extraordinarily valuable.

Otherwise, how could it have suddenly granted him such Divine Power?

And yet, Qin Tuo had given such a pill to him. Long Wu had already resolved to dedicate his life to Qin Tuo.

Qin Tuo said with a sigh of satisfaction,

"Long Wu, your strength has increased dramatically. You no longer need to fear Hong Qing’s Bone-Bursting Skill. The next time you face him, you can give him a proper thrashing."

Long Wu’s face flushed with excitement as he nodded repeatedly.

"Yes, Celestial King! Next time, I’ll make sure to teach Hong Qing a lesson."

A look of relief appeared on Qin Tuo’s face. He knew that he finally wouldn’t have to intervene in this matter himself.

He could now dedicate all his time to his own cultivation and advancing his realm.

Suddenly, Long Wu hesitated, looking like he wanted to say something, as if an idea had just occurred to him.

Qin Tuo asked quizzically,

"Long Wu, if you have something to say, just spit it out!"

Long Wu hesitated for a moment, then said cautiously,

"Celestial King, this pill is just too incredible. If we were to sell them, I estimate they could go for tens of millions."

Qin Tuo, of course, saw right through Long Wu’s thoughts and couldn’t help but feel a little surprised.

"Long Wu, are you sure there’s a market for this kind of pill?"

In Qin Tuo’s view, outsiders might not be receptive to such things.

He figured most people would see a pill like this and assume it was a scam.

But Long Wu patted his chest and declared with conviction,

"Celestial King, a craze for martial arts is sweeping the nation. Many wealthy people are sparing no expense to seek teachings from skilled Martial Artists, so there’s a huge market for these pills."

Qin Tuo nodded, admitting that Long Wu had a point.

Then, Long Wu frowned and added,

"Celestial King, you might not know this, but it’s said that Hong Qing spent over a hundred million to learn his skills!"

"Oh? Over a hundred million, you say?"

Qin Tuo’s eyes lit up. He instantly recognized this as a lucrative opportunity!

He immediately followed up,

"Long Wu, let me ask you, if I were to refine another batch of pills like this, would we be able to sell them?"

The answer to this question was already clear. Long Wu replied with utter certainty,

"Don’t you worry, Celestial King. There’s definitely a market for supreme-grade pills like these. I can’t even imagine how many people would be scrambling madly to get one!"

Qin Tuo finally couldn’t hold back a happy laugh. This would solve his biggest problem.

However, Long Wu couldn’t help but ask another confused question.

"Celestial King, I find it a bit strange. Why would we sell these amazing things to others instead of giving them to our own brothers? If our men used them, Huaiyi Hall’s strength would skyrocket, and we’d never have to fear anyone again."

Qin Tuo shook his head and explained with a smile,

"Long Wu, you don’t understand. I’m certainly not going to sell the Qi Gathering Pill I gave you. A pill like that is far too precious. How could I possibly sell it?"

"Oh, I see!"

Long Wu gave a wry smile. ’Now that makes sense,’ he thought.

After all, who would be willing to sell a miracle drug that could grant Innate Divine Power, no matter the price!

In truth, Qin Tuo had already thought this through. Selling Qi Gathering Pills for money was out of the question; it would be a criminal waste of a priceless treasure.

Not only were the pills themselves incredibly precious, but refining them also consumed a great deal of Qin Tuo’s Spiritual Qi, so it simply wasn’t worth it.

Qin Tuo planned to refine some Small Rejuvenation Pills, which could prolong life and strengthen the body. The ingredients for those were much more common.

Qin Tuo said with a smile,

"Long Wu, I’ll refine a batch of pills with slightly weaker effects and sell those to the truly wealthy in exchange for a massive fortune."

Hearing this, Long Wu was filled with immense anticipation.

But he couldn’t help but frown and ask,

"Celestial King, I don’t quite understand. Are you in desperate need of money right now?"

In Long Wu’s eyes, even a slightly weaker pill was still a priceless treasure. It seemed a terrible waste to trade it for something as mundane as money.

Therefore, he naturally suspected that Qin Tuo was in dire financial straits.

Qin Tuo nodded and said with a sigh,

"You’re not wrong, Long Wu. I am indeed very short on money right now!"

Long Wu immediately gritted his teeth and promised,

"Celestial King, if you need money, just say the word! The commercial streets Huaiyi Hall controls bring in several hundred million a year!"

’Several hundred million?’

A cryptic smile touched Qin Tuo’s lips.

"Long Wu, I need a huge number of pills to raise my own strength, and the ingredients for them are all incomparably precious. Huaiyi Hall’s income may not be low, but after covering the expenses for all our men, I doubt there’s much left over at the end of the year."

From Qin Tuo’s tone, it sounded as if the entire annual income of Huaiyi Hall wouldn’t be enough to support his needs.

Long Wu found this a little hard to believe and pressed on,

"Celestial King, just how much money do you need?"

Qin Tuo did a quick mental calculation and gave a figure.

"A rough estimate... at the very least, tens of billions."

"What? Tens of billions?!"

Long Wu was normally a composed man, but now he was so shocked he audibly gasped.