The Rich Cultivator

Chapter 782: 782. Gifts and Girls

Tyler finally squeezed his way through the crowd and looked at the middle-aged man who had just walked into the room.

"Manager Shangguan... what exactly is going on here?"

Manager Shangguan let out a long sigh before sitting down. "Tyler... I honestly didn’t expect things to develop this quickly."

He looked at Tyler from head to toe and shook his head with a bitter smile.

"It hasn’t even been a month since you joined the sect, yet you’ve already become one of the hottest names in the Dark Forest Society."

Tyler scratched his cheek, "...Is that a good thing?"

"For you? Maybe. For me? It’s giving me headaches." Manager Shangguan waved at the women surrounding Tyler.

"Alright, all of you can leave now."

The girls looked disappointed. Some sighed. Some pouted. The senior sister Tyler knew simply smiled at him before leaving with the others.

In less than a minute, the noisy room finally became quiet again.

Tyler let out a relieved breath, "What are those elders trying to do?"

Manager Shangguan smiled knowingly.

"Poaching."

"Poaching?"

"The sect isn’t as united as outsiders think."

He poured himself a cup of tea.

"There are several factions inside the Dark Forest Society. Some support the Formation Hall, others follow the Corpse Hall, the Pill Hall, or certain influential elders."

He took a sip before continuing.

"You’re young, talented, and you’ve already created something that can shake the cultivation world."

"Naturally..."

"Everyone wants you on their side."

Tyler frowned, "So they sent women?"

Manager Shangguan shrugged.

"That’s one method."

"If beauty doesn’t work, they’ll try wealth. If wealth doesn’t work, they’ll offer status. If that still doesn’t work... They’ll think of something else."

Tyler couldn’t help rubbing his forehead.

"What a headache... Oh, speaking of wealth..."

Manager Shangguan reached beneath the table and took out several neatly arranged gift boxes.

"They also left these for you. They said there are no conditions attached. They simply hope you’ll accept them.".Tyler casually opened the first box.

Inside were several familiar pills. He immediately recognized them, "...These are the same pills Elder Vance used against the pirates."

Manager Shangguan nodded, "Wood Melting Pills."

"They release a corrosive poison capable of melting wood, formations and ordinary materials. Of course, they only work up to a certain level."

He opened another box, "And these are Bubble Gum Pills."

Tyler picked one up curiously, "The name sounds...strange. oh isn’t this also Elder Vance..."

Manager Shangguan laughed.

"The name is strange. But they’re surprisingly useful. Throw one at an enemy and it’ll expand into a sticky prison."

"However... It only works reliably against cultivators weaker than yourself. It’s strength is proportional to the users Cultivation level."

Tyler immediately frowned. "Then isn’t it rather useless?"

"Not necessarily." Manager Shangguan shook his head. "If you soak the pill in Spiritual Liquid beforehand, its strength increases dramatically."

"Against the right opponent, it can even trap someone a minor realm above you. And if you’re facing a large group of weaker enemies..." He smiled. "...it’s an excellent crowd-control treasure."

Tyler nodded thoughtfully. His attention, however, had already shifted elsewhere. His eyes landed on a tightly sealed jade gourd.

"Manager Shangguan... Is there Spiritual Liquid inside this?"

"There should be. About four ounces." Tyler’s eyes immediately brightened.

Manager Shangguan laughed, "Don’t underestimate that amount. Spiritual Liquid is far more valuable than ordinary spirit stones."

Tyler thought for a moment before asking another question, "Manager... Where can I find a material that prevents Spiritual Liquid from leaking?"

Manager Shangguan looked at him curiously, "What do you need it for?"

"My next formation experiment. I’ll probably need a lot of it."

Manager Shangguan nodded in understanding, "In that case... You should look for Qi Lime Stones."

"They usually form near places where Spiritual Liquid naturally condenses. They’re just as rare as the liquid itself. But they’re excellent at sealing spiritual energy and preventing leakage."

He thought for a moment before adding, "I believe the Exchange Hall still has a small supply."

Tyler smiled.

"Thank you, Manager."

"Don’t mention it."

Manager Shangguan then called over a servant.

"Help Young Master Tyler carry these gifts back to his courtyard."

The servant hurried over.

It happened to be the same disciple who had once guided Tyler to his first Adobe.

Just as he was about to lift the boxes, Tyler raised a hand.

"It’s alright."

Before anyone could react—

Whoosh!

Every gift box disappeared.

The entire pile was instantly stored inside Tyler’s storage bag.

Manager Shangguan raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"You have a spatial storage bag as well?"

Tyler simply smiled and nodded. "It’s convenient."

Manager Shangguan chuckled. "It certainly is."

After thanking him once again, Tyler turned around and left.

The servant watched his departing figure in silence. His expression became complicated.

Back then... He had chance to work under Tyler, but his ego didn’t allow it.

Now...

Looking at Tyler’s back, he couldn’t help wondering what his life would have been like if he had accepted that invitation.

┉┈ ◈ ◉ ◈ ┈┉

Tyler walked back to his courtyard while casually checking the gifts inside his storage bag. Bubble Gum Pills, Wood Melting Pills, Spiritual Liquid, rare herbs, formation materials... every single item was something ordinary disciples could only dream of obtaining. Even he had to admit that those elders were quite generous when trying to recruit someone.

"Hmm..."

He suddenly slowed his steps.

"If all these treasures can increase my cultivation..." Tyler muttered while rubbing his chin. "Then why should I only use them on myself?"

His eyes slowly widened. "I can use them on everyone around me too."

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. "If I keep nurturing talented people... Won’t I end up creating my own faction?"

That thought immediately rooted itself inside his mind.

The sect had factions. The great clans had factions. Even the elders had their own followers. There was no reason he couldn’t have one too.

He immediately turned around.

"Maximus!"

"Boss?"

"Go hire some workers."

"Huh?"

"We’re renovating the mansion."

Maximus looked confused.

"What are we building?"

Tyler grinned.

"You’ll know when it’s finished."

"..."

Maximus looked at Lee.

Lee looked at Louch.

Louch shrugged.

The three silently reached the same conclusion.

Boss was having another weird idea.

They had long gotten used to it.

---

A month passed quietly.

During that month, the disciples working nearby would occasionally hear strange noises coming from Tyler’s courtyard.

Nobody knew what Tyler was building. Even Shyla wasn’t allowed inside. Only Tyler entered that room.

...

Deep beneath the mansion...

Hidden behind several layers of formations...

There was a secret cultivation room.

The entire room had been rebuilt using Qi Lime Stones. Every wall, every floor tile, even the ceiling was covered with them. The stones naturally prevented Spiritual Liquid from leaking away, making the entire room almost completely airtight.

In the middle was a huge pool.

The clear liquid inside quietly rippled.

Around it stood several beautiful stone statues of naked women carrying jars on their shoulders. Streams of diluted Spiritual Liquid continuously flowed from the jars into the pool before circulating through hidden channels beneath the floor.

Tyler was floating comfortably in the middle of the pool.

His eyes were closed.

The diluted Spiritual Liquid continuously entered his body through every pore.

His cultivation quietly climbed. He simply floated there.

Crack.

A faint sound came from inside his body.

Tyler slowly opened one eye.

"Oh."

"I reached the Fifth Level already."

He scratched his head helplessly.

"I only wanted to reach the Fourth Level..."

He stood up from the pool before stretching lazily.

"If someone from the sect saw this place..." he muttered while looking around, "...they would probably rob me first and ask questions later."

The pool had already become much shallower than before.

Almost half of the Spiritual Liquid had been absorbed.

Tyler looked at it thoughtfully.

"Hmm..."

"Should I bring a few girls here to cultivate together?.. No." He immediately shook his head.

"This place stays secret."

Only after making sure no traces were left behind did Tyler walk toward one of the walls.

He casually pressed his hand against it.

Formation lines flashed.

The stone wall silently slid open, revealing a hidden passage leading back into the mansion.

When Tyler stepped outside, he immediately circulated his Concealing Art.

His aura rapidly dropped.

Fifth Level...

Fourth...

Third...

Second.

Only then did he nod in satisfaction.

"Perfect."

---

The courtyard had become much livelier than before.

Several medicine furnaces were burning at the same time.

Shyla stood in the middle with her sleeves rolled up, busily directing several new pill refiners. Her skeleton assistant ran back and forth carrying herbs while the newcomers nervously followed her instructions.

Tyler watched for a while before frowning.

"...Shyla."

She immediately looked over.

"Boss."

Tyler glanced around the courtyard.

Then he looked again.

Finally he asked, "Why is everyone here a woman?"

Shyla blinked.

She looked left. Then right. Only then did she realize what Tyler meant.

"Oh."

She answered as though it were completely normal.

"They don’t mind if Boss touches them."

Tyler froze and looked at the courtyard again.

Every single new recruit was female.

Not one male.

"..."

He suddenly didn’t want to ask any more questions.

"Forget it."

He quietly turned around and walked back into his workshop.

Shyla tilted her head.

"...Did I say something wrong?"

The other girls looked equally confused.