“May I ask what you’re looking for?”

Long Chen had just entered when a maiden walked over and courteously spoke to him. She was an outer sect disciple who was working here for points, so her attitude was naturally very good.

“I want to buy a few precious medicinal ingredients,” said Long Chen, getting straight to the point.

The maiden directly handed Long Chen a thick book. “All the precious medicinal ingredients’ names, ages, prices, and identification numbers are here. You can go through it and then tell me the identification numbers. I’ll get them from the storage room.”

“Alright, many thanks.”

Long Chen opened the thick book. He skipped to the seventh tier medicinal ingredients and began browsing.

“Nine Yang Heavenly Star Grass, Qilin Blood Spirit Fungus, Flying Star Anise, Dragon Gall Bitter Fruit…”

Long Chen named off over eighty ingredients, requiring one of each, causing the maiden to jump.

“Senior apprentice-brother, these are main ingredients for alchemy, and they’re incredibly expensive. It will require a lot of points,” she warned. Each one of these ingredients required thousands of points, and some over ten thousand.

“It’s fine. Can you calculate how many points it will take?” asked Long Chen. These points weren’t important. As long as he could get these ingredients, everything else would be fine.

“In total… 278500 points,” she said. She had worked here for several years, and she had never seen someone pay so much.

“That’s fine. Can you gather them for me? I still have plenty of points.” Long Chen smiled, but inside, his heart was dripping blood. That amount was no joke.

“Alright, please wait a moment.”

She hurriedly left, leaving behind another attendant to look after Long Chen. After all, a rich customer like him had to be properly looked after.

An incense stick’s worth of time later, she returned with a tray. There was an elegant jade case resting on it.

The jade case possessed its own space, and the medicinal ingredients were sealed within. She handed the medicinal ingredients over one by one to Long Chen for his inspection.

Once Long Chen confirmed that all these medicinal ingredients were the right one and in good condition, Long Chen took out a crystal card. That was the Dragonblood Legion’s crystal card, and the faction’s points were all within it.

“Please get it over quickly. That way, the pain in my heart will go by faster.” Long Chen bitterly smiled. Handing over the crystal card, he couldn’t contain his distress.

The maiden smiled and received it. After setting the number of points to be deducted, she was just about to activate it.

“Wait a moment!”

Suddenly, a middle-aged man walked in. He icily stared at Long Chen, and then looking at the medicinal ingredients on the table, he frowned. “These medicinal ingredients were already reserved by others. When are you going to learn not to be so negligent?”

The maiden was startled, hastily saying, “I already checked everything carefully. No one-”

“Shut up. You’ve even learned to talk back? Go back to the storehouse and check the lists,” he shouted coldly.

She reddened and ran away. Only then did the middle-aged man put on a businessman-like expression. He turned to Long Chen and said, “I’m very sorry, but these medicinal ingredients were reserved by others and can’t be sold. But if you’re really set on this, it’s not impossible. How about this? As long as you can make up for that lost business, I’ll still sell you these medicinal ingredients. As for the price, let’s just set it as double.”

He smiled amicably at Long Chen, but his eyes were full of disdain and mocking.

“Do you know? An idiot like you would have long since died if this wasn’t the Xuantian Dao Sect. I suppose this Ten Thousand Pill Hall is the property of the Alchemy Pavilion, and you’re from the Alchemy Pavilion? Are you intentionally making things hard on me?” demanded Long Chen.

The middle-aged man looked around and saw there was no one else around before his mouth twisted into a cold smile. “So what? I hear you have a few alchemy arts that make you so arrogant you look down on everyone else. You even dared to beat one of my Alchemy Pavilion’s teachers. And I hear you’re quite wild, to the point that you even dare to beat up law enforcers in the outer sect. Now I want to see how you act wild in front of me. Will you be cheated, or scram?”

“Don’t tell me those criminal bastards in the outer sect who exploit the poor are your stooges.” Long Chen suddenly narrowed his eyes.

“Smart. But do you think it makes you very special? In reality, your brashness will be the end of you. You’ll be unable to move an inch in the Xuantian Dao Sect. For example, right now you are helpless to do anything. So either buy it, or scram. Up to you,” said the middle-aged man indifferently.

“What’s your name?” asked Long Chen.

“What? You want to get revenge? Hahaha, then I’ll wait for you. Remember, my name is Luo Bo. If you have that ability, then come at me whenever you want,” sneered Luo Bo.

Long Chen smiled. “Luo Bo[1]? Good, that’s fine. I’ll admit defeat today. I’ll buy it, and I hope you don’t regret today.”

Long Chen took those medicinal ingredients and directly paid twice the price for it. He had an urge to beat this bastard.

In these early stages, points were at their most precious level. Having to pay so much was sending hail on top of snow for the Dragonblood Legion.

In all his life, Long Chen hadn’t felt this irritated. If it weren’t for the fact that the Dragonblood Legion hadn’t established itself in the Central Plains yet and needed the fertile lands of the Xuantian Dao Sect to grow, Long Chen would definitely have killed this dolt.

But he knew that it was precisely because of the protection of the rules that certain people were fearless and bullied others as they pleased.

He furiously left the Ten Thousand Pill Hall. He prayed he wouldn’t run into more idiots, or he really might kill someone.

As soon as Long Chen left Treasure Gem Island and was thinking of returning to Crouching Dragon Mountain, he found his way blocked by people telling him that since he was no longer an inner sect disciple, he could not stay within the inner sect during the night. Thus, he would have to return to the outer sect.

And so he returned to the outer sect. As he was looking for a clean hotel to stay in, he was blocked once more by law enforcers who were checking to see if anyone was running a brothel service there.

As a result, they were all tossed out by Long Chen, once more stuck in a wall. Then on the hotel door, he installed a sign saying, “law enforcers and dogs are not allowed to enter.”

That night passed very peacefully. No one dared to disturb Long Chen again, and the law enforcers avoided his hotel.

Long Chen was stifling a belly full of anger. He almost beat those idiots to death, but he managed to hold himself back.

After calming down, he began to plant his newly acquired medicinal ingredients. They had been preserved very well and were still living. They quickly began to flourish.

After a bitter night’s work, he had planted over a thousand of each of them. His private medicinal field had grown a great deal.

By the time the medicinal field was finished, the sky had brightened. Before Long Chen could even leave, Wang Mang and the others had come.

“Senior apprentice-brother Long Chen, we’ve already investigated. Those outer sect law enforcers are closely related to that Luo Bo you mentioned. One of them seems to have taken in some secret benefits, and the organization behind them is a bit complicated. It is related to the Law Enforcement Hall and the Alchemy Pavilion.

“Those two departments are both very protective, and no one dares to investigate them. As for those law enforcers, they have a set amount of offerings that they have to send up each month. Although the outer sect is impoverished, there’s an uncountable number of commoners, and so there’s still considerable wealth that can be squeezed out of them. If you want to handle those disciples, you have to be cautious,” said Wang Mang.

“Cautious my ass. Let’s just make a killing already. Has the first wave of points gone out yet?” asked Long Chen.

“They were sold out and gone in a flash. Quite a few people grumbled over not being able to get any,” said Wang Mang.

“Good. Tell them the second wave is coming soon, but the price will be different,” said Long Chen.

“Senior apprentice-brother Long Chen, why not just directly raise the price to fifty thousand? Otherwise, you’re losing too much money. Even if the price was fifty thousand spirit stones for one point, countless people would still want to buy them,” suggested Wang Mang.

Long Chen shook his head. “This is called throwing a brick to attract jade. I’m not looking for the outer sect disciples’ money. After establishing a trustworthy platform, the next thing to do is establish comfortable bedding.”

They talked for a while. Long Chen had Wang Mang begin establishing more contacts. And to create his own power within the outer sect, Long Chen directly gave Wang Mang ten thousand points.

Those ten thousand points weren’t to be sold. They were to be used to encourage people, to encourage people to go beat up those law enforcers.

Those law enforcers often went out bullying others when they weren’t even on shift. They had no privileges at that time, but they still went out to ‘patrol’. It was time to end that practice.

If true law enforcers on duty appeared, then they were to be ignored. But if any law enforcers went too far, then they were to be beaten. When the time came, Long Chen would be there to support them.

As a result, the entire outer sect became chaotic. The outer sect was huge, and there were dozens of cities just as big as this one. Hearing that they had Long Chen’s support, and there was even a reward, people almost went crazy with delight.

There was a new sight commonly seen all across the city. The outer sect disciples were now constantly roving around, and seeing any law enforcers off duty, they would attack.

The law enforcers were infuriated. Just as they were planning on settling the bill, Long Chen appeared and they didn’t even dare to fart.

The higher-ups had sent news not to provoke Long Chen. Long Chen had the support of the Elder Hall, and going against him would not be smart. The Law Enforcement Hall had learned to be more obedient.

They were waiting for a chance, but before that chance, they wouldn’t easily take action. However, once that chance arrived, they would bring Long Chen his death.

So the Law Enforcement Hall was temporarily not doing anything to Long Chen. But that dumbfounded Luo Bo. He got a large monthly stream of money from the outer sect, but now that the Law Enforcement Hall had turned coward, he was losing out on all of it.

Moreover, he was part of the Alchemy Pavilion and had no authority to interfere in matters of the outer sect. He could only watch as his profits dwindled.

The outer sect was now Long Chen’s land, and more and more outer sect disciples were throwing themselves to his side.

[1] Luo Bo sounds like daikon/radish/carrot. It would be the first thing that pops into your head if someone said it.