Midway through the fifth month of Wang Yu's thirty-fourth year as an Affairs Manager.
Nearly four years had passed since the Guiding Spirit Market's grand opening. During this stretch of time, Wang Yu's cultivation had seen yet another notable leap. He had refined two more top-grade Ice Spirit Pills.
A gain of three hundred drops of true essence, fully harnessing the pill's potential.
In terms of cultivation achieved solely through his own efforts, the addition of the Myriad-Year Profound Ice Bed had boosted his efficiency to an extraordinary degree, netting him sixty-three more drops.
By comparison, the output from his dual Placement Slots seemed almost modest, contributing a combined one hundred and fifty-six drops.
The total expansion of his true essence pool amounted to five hundred and nineteen drops.
It was a small but solid step forward within the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment, bringing his total to two thousand, five hundred and thirty-seven drops. The peak of four thousand felt as distant as ever. At this rate, he estimated needing nearly fifteen more years just to break through to the eighth layer.
And from the eighth to the ninth layer, he would need to amass a staggering eight thousand drops, a task that might consume close to forty years. Progressing from the ninth layer to the very peak would be comparatively easier, requiring only that he reach the Qi Sea's natural upper limit of nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine drops.
Crunching the numbers, he still faced roughly sixty-five years of cultivation before he could even brush against the threshold of Core Formation. Adding his current age, he would only be a little over a century old by then.
This pace was already touching the cultivation speed of a Heavenly Spiritual Root!
It was absolutely not slow, especially considering cultivation grew exponentially more difficult the further one progressed.
Lately, Guiding Spirit City was flourishing. Wang Yu had learned from the failure of the Alluring Scent Society. He understood now that even with a formidable reputation and holding trump cards capable of slaying ordinary Core Formation cultivators…
He still couldn't deter everyone. The general climate of Scarlet Kite was simply like this—it was pure cultivation strength that spoke the loudest. Malice often sprouted precisely from the gap in cultivation levels.
Had he himself been at the Core Formation stage during the second Alluring Scent Society, backed by his status as a disciple of the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect and his position as Lord of Guiding Spirit, that Earth Puppet Old Fiend would never have dared to make a move.
External influence and backing could only suppress others once or twice. For demonic cultivators with no attachments, who only needed to worry about feeding themselves, such influence held little lasting power. In the end, one had to rely on their own fist.
Therefore, Wang Yu had restructured the Guiding Spirit Market's model into a shared venture.
He carved out several portions for the Alluring Scent Sect, the Purple Dragon Mountain, and the Water Ink Sect, having them dispatch Core Formation elders to maintain a presence. In return, Wang Yu provided the overarching protection of his connections and authority.
The Alluring Scent Society had been his personal venture. The Guiding Spirit Market was a true collaboration. Its development had been steady and positive, though it hadn't yet reached the explosive, almost frenzied scale of the Alluring Scent Society in its heyday.
It remained firmly under his control. Having reached this stage, he deliberately slowed the pace, content to collect the annual spirit stone revenues and begin methodically amassing strength. Qing Yang had recently broken through to the second layer of Core Formation and had fully mastered his life-bound divine ability.
His combat power now surpassed that of the average rogue cultivator. While he couldn't match the inner sect elders of a major orthodox sect, he could hold his own against an outer sect elder, especially given he still possessed the legacy treasures of the Water Ink Ancestor.
With the right tactics, he even stood a fair chance of defeating an opponent a minor realm above him.
Nearly a decade of peace had flowed by since the Sacred Tribute affair was settled and Wang Yu dispatched Qing Yang to wipe out the remaining Bai family loyalists. Now, finally, word had returned from the Blood Saber Guest and Madam Zhao Yun, the two agents he had sent to Three Thatched City.
In a small council chamber within the City Lord's Manor, Qing Yang Zhenren watched as Wang Yu finished reading the secret missive. A smile touched Qing Yang's lips. "What's the word from over there? Did that fellow, Grain Valley, truly succeed?"
"It appears so," Wang Yu replied, a matching smile spreading across his own face.
Nearly ten years had passed. Although the Little Talisman Lord, Luo Chen, had deliberately tried to trap him once, he had still trusted the strategic advice Wang Yu had offered. Back then, Wang Yu, somewhat blinded by the complex web of relationships behind it all, had genuinely offered that advice with good intentions.
Even though this Little Talisman Lord's demands had been particularly unreasonable, and the subsequent falling-out… Wang Yu now, looking back with clearer eyes, had begun to piece it together.
Perhaps back then, when he had offered two pieces of advice in quick succession, the other party's dissatisfaction wasn't with the plans themselves. It might have been a hint, a suggestion for Wang Yu to offer some spirit stones as "funding." Luo Chen had, after all, mentioned several times his own desire to host a "Talisman Appreciation Gathering."
In essence, he was jealous—covetous—of the benefits the Alluring Scent Society had generated.
This kind of solicitation was typically a superior demanding tribute from a subordinate. Wang Yu, at the time, had believed that since they were both outside the sect and both city lords of third-grade spiritual vein cities, their relationship was one of equals.
Clearly, Luo Chen had not seen it that way. Perhaps because of Wang Yu's connection to Zhuo Shouqing—a relationship of patron and client—Luo Chen had assumed Wang Yu was a suitable target for exploitation.
Only that could explain why Luo Chen had been willing to tear up all pretense so thoroughly, even though he gained little tangible benefit from it, and was so determined to ruin his Alluring Scent Society.
Luo Chen likely believed he was punishing Wang Yu for failing to understand the unwritten rules!
Realizing this now was far too late. All Wang Yu could do was sigh; regret was pointless. Even if he had grasped that subtle nuance back then, nine times out of ten he would have still ignored it.
The enmity was already forged. If he didn't repay the favor, he wouldn't be Wang Yu.
The only complicating factor was Luo Chen's master, the Dark Heaven Talisman Lord… a powerful Nascent Soul cultivator. That individual's relationship with the Zhuo Clan was as close as family. This required careful handling.
Returning to the matter at hand.
Luo Chen possessed his own judgment. Over the past decade, he had indeed been executing the 'black glove' strategy Wang Yu had suggested. The letters from the Blood Saber Guest and Madam Zhao Yun confirmed everything was proceeding smoothly.
The former had successfully infiltrated the black glove team. Not only were they targeting passing merchant caravans and minor families, they had even managed to eliminate one of the only two Foundation Establishment talisman masters in Three Thatched City.
The Little Talisman Lord had promulgated numerous preferential policies, clearly designed to attract more minor powers to settle in his city. He was evidently savoring the sweet taste of this spirit stone-generating scheme.
The latter, Madam Zhao Yun, had infiltrated the City Lord's Manor itself, becoming one of Luo Chen's favored concubines. Using the secret arts of the Union of Joy, she had served him so thoroughly he couldn't get enough, and had firmly secured his trust and favor.
The fact that Madam Zhao Yun could make even Zhuo Shouqing feel ecstasy was testament enough to her prowess in that particular art. Wang Yu, though not particularly picky in his own appetites, did have a slight… fastidiousness.
That particular business… he preferred those untouched by others.
The secret missives primarily reported the current situation and confirmed whether Zhenren Grain Valley had successfully implanted the demon seed within Luo Chen.
The result was success, but it had provoked a fierce reaction from Luo Chen. He didn't know what had entered his body, but he flew into a rage over it. Quite a few people within the Three Thatched City Lord's Manor had died as a result.
This highlighted the incredible concealment of the Demon Embryo Profound Origin Secret Curse. As the technique involved the formless demons of the Demonic Heaven Realm, its cultivation was perilous, but the benefits upon success were immense!
Take the Demonic Heaven Malice alone—formless, intangible. It couldn't be detected by spiritual energy and was exceedingly difficult for spiritual sense to perceive. It lurked deep within one's emotions, enticing its host to fall into boundless darkness.
It was like a person's natural joys and sorrows. How could one detect an issue in a normal expression of emotion?
According to the secret letter, even after Luo Chen employed a method given to him by his master, he still found no trace of a problem. A self-examination revealed nothing amiss.
He eventually dismissed the whole incident as a trick of the mind. After all, the demon seed's entry only caused a slight chill in his head, like a cold breeze—hardly a dramatic sensation.
That he had used a talisman given by the Dark Heaven Talisman Lord to check was already an act of extreme caution.
This formless demon seed would only gradually warp his personality, making him increasingly unhinged. Without Wang Yu's further intervention, given Luo Chen's Core Formation cultivation, he could likely hold out for one or two centuries.
There was just one issue.
Both the Blood Saber Guest and Madam Zhao Yun carried a demon seed with them. It would be a waste not to use them. But planting another seed directly on Luo Chen would almost certainly alert him.
One instance could be written off as an illusion. But a second? A third?
He wasn't a complete fool. How could he fail to notice something was wrong? The most likely outcome would be him seeking help from the Dark Heaven Talisman Lord.
A Nascent Soul cultivator's knowledge was vast. He would undoubtedly identify the problem, potentially escalating the situation to a direct confrontation between the two sides. Much would depend on how favored Luo Chen truly was.
Therefore, Wang Yu instructed his agents to change targets. Given Luo Chen's status, there were surely numerous talented individuals sent to serve and flatter him.
Dual-spiritual root talents wouldn't be rare, certainly more numerous than those around Wang Yu.
Planting three seeds in succession, then maintaining a calm demeanor and waiting for the day of harvest would suffice. As for Luo Chen himself… Wang Yu couldn't wait one or two hundred years. But now was also not the time to strike.
He had managed to lie low during his days as a spirit slave. There was no reason he couldn't do the same now. He would deal with that scum after he formed his Golden Core. For the present… he could certainly collect a bit of interest first.
After Wang Yu finished drafting his response, Qing Yang Zhenren, who had been standing by, assumed his self-appointed role as advisor and right-hand man.
"City Lord," Qing Yang began, his tone cautious, "the Little Talisman Lord Luo Chen's master is a Nascent Soul cultivator. The fact that he's permitted to bear the title 'Little Talisman Lord' means he's undoubtedly highly favored. Is what we're doing… truly appropriate?"
Wang Yu cleared his throat lightly. "He showed no benevolence, so he can't blame me for lacking righteousness. He has the Dark Heaven Talisman Lord's support, but this City Lord has three Nascent Soul clans behind him as well!"
Even if they were just connections through three somewhat dissolute young masters, it still meant there were three Nascent Soul figures who could, at a baseline, stand up for him. The young masters of the Zhuo and Zuoqiu clans would support him to the end.
Only Young Master Yu Xing's attitude was uncertain, as he followed his two brothers' lead rather than acting out of any personal appreciation for Wang Yu.
Furthermore, the Dark Heaven Talisman Lord was Zhuo Shouqing's uncle by marriage.
As long as Luo Chen didn't die, the situation remained controllable. As for when he could finally eliminate the other, Wang Yu couldn't be sure, but it certainly wasn't feasible in the near term.
"We'll collect some interest first," Wang Yu declared. "He used my strategy, so he owes me some benefit. Since he chose to play dirty, I'll just take it by force."
"City Lord?" Qing Yang looked puzzled.
Wang Yu's lips curled into a mischievous grin. "Send people to spread rumors in the surrounding areas. Say that the Little Talisman Lord, Luo Chen, slaughtered the family of a Foundation Establishment talisman master in Three Thatched City."
"Once that causes panic, we can coax the cultivators living in Three Thatched City to move to Guiding Spirit. The more people we have, the larger our market becomes. Have the workshops expanded and prepare to increase production of low-grade spiritual item consumables."
"But—"
"Just do it. Even if he figures out it was me, there's nothing he can do about it."
"Understood!"
Qing Yang accepted the order and left, summoning Xu Ruozhou to begin arranging personnel to stir up trouble in Three Thatched City.
No matter how well Luo Chen tried to hide his actions, as long as he continued down this path, there would inevitably be more incidents of external forces being destroyed. He could try to pin the blame on his black gloves.
He might even drag out a few scapegoats for public execution to placate the cultivators.
But as long as these events kept happening, Three Thatched City would never know peace. With a little fanning of the flames and some well-placed boasts about the advantages of Guiding Spirit City, it would naturally attract a significant number of cultivators to relocate.
Perhaps even Misty Cloud City, which had its own tensions with Luo Chen, would follow suit and try the same tactic. True innovators were few, but those who copied a successful model were legion.
Once set in motion, the results of this scheme became apparent with surprising speed.
In just one month, three minor Qi Refining families, each comprising twenty to thirty members, came to Guiding Spirit to settle. Wang Yu made a point of receiving them personally, offering generous benefits and favorable treatment.
He even arranged employment for them. Those with specialized skills were assigned to workshops in the northern district. Those who only knew how to fight could find work as overseers in the mines outside the city or the Spirit Banana plantations.
This wasn't even a case of buying loyalty with a thousand pieces of gold for a single horse's bone.
Yet, once word spread, it still attracted a considerable number of cautious rogue cultivators. Three Thatched City became the eye of the storm, and the problem of cultivator outflow grew increasingly severe.
As for Guiding Spirit's cultivator population, the only word to describe it was an explosion!
**(End of Chapter)**