“Reporting to the sect master, I have an urgent matter to discuss.”

Within a palace, Zheng Wenlong was still bowing deeply toward a certain person. That person wasn’t very tall, and he was a bit slim, and rather ordinary-looking. That person was the sect master, Ma Ruyun.

Ma Ruyun was seated lotus style. He smiled at the excited Zheng Wenlong. “A chance to turn things for the better?”

“Yes. Just now-”

Ma Ruyun waved his hand, interrupting Zheng Wenlong. “I already said that everything is up to you. There’s no need to report anything to me. Wenlong, as a businessman, you must have foresight and a sharp sense for opportunities and risks. In this regard, you still have many faults. When the signs of the qi flow eruption occurred, you were entirely capable of predicting the current predicament. At that time, you didn’t take any measures to prepare, instead waiting and seeing. Sometimes opportunities ended up slipping right out of your hand because you decided to wait and see.”

“Disciple is truly lacking,” said Zheng Wenlong.

Ma Ruyun had left the entire Huayun Sect to him, while even the assistant sect masters like Hua Mingxiong were starting to pass on their responsibilities and special authorities to him.

As a result, Zheng Wenlong felt like a mountain was pressing down on his shoulders. He didn’t dare to make any mistakes.

“In truth, there’s nothing for us to teach you about the Business Dao. You just aren’t confident enough. Due to your lack of confidence, you’ve let certain opportunities escape. When the Dongfang family announced the gathering, you already saw the problem, but you didn’t dare to make a move. That was because you had no assurance that you would succeed. You were afraid of failure, but you forgot that when it comes to business, safety and profit do not go together. Without risks, there are no rewards. If you fail, you gain experience. If you succeed, you gain confidence. But you just watched, letting one opportunity after another slip through your hands…”

“Yes, disciple lacks confidence. The pressure is immense.” Zheng Wenlong was starting to sweat. The sect master sounded very disappointed in him.

“Being too cautious and not having enough daring won’t allow you to achieve greatness. I handed the Huayun Sect to you not so that the sect could stay in its current position. I want you to make the Huayun Sect bloom on an unprecedented scale. I want you to achieve more than any past sect master. Mingxiong and the others, as well as myself, are old, and our thinking is rigid. Such a thing is difficult to change. That’s why we’ve left all the decisions in your hands. Although you’re young, although you lack experience, although you aren’t steady enough, have you not thought about your own advantages over us? If you act as we would, will your accomplishments be able to surpass ours? It is because we have seen our own shortcomings that we’ve left the Huayun Sect to you. Sometimes a shortcoming can be the best thing for someone. You can walk a path that is completely different from ours. Failure isn’t frightening. What is frightening is being so afraid of failure that you can’t take the necessary steps forward. Youngsters should dare to charge forward. You haven’t met the standards of a businessman, but you have met the standards of a friend, or you wouldn’t have Long Chen supporting you. Child, the Business Dao is not so simple as buying and selling. It goes much deeper than that. In the same way, the Wealth God is not an unscrupulous businessman only caring about profit. Take it slow, and one day you will understand the essence of the Wealth God.”

Ma Ruyun stood up and patted Zheng Wenlong’s shoulders. Zheng Wenlong took a deep breath and promised, “Many thanks for your pointers. Disciple knows what he must do.”

The current Zheng Wenlong looked like he had been freed of a great weight. Ma Ruyun smiled. “Go then!”

Zheng Wenlong had just left when Hua Mingxiong appeared in the room. Looking at Zheng Wenlong’s back, he said, “This era is theirs. Zheng Wenlong’s fate might already be fully tied with Long Chen’s.”

Ma Ruyun smiled slightly. “From the day they first met, that was already fated to be. Zheng Wenlong’s future depends on Long Chen.

“You’ve also bound the Huayun Sect’s future to Long Chen,” said Hua Mingxiong.

“Life is a gamble. We’ve reached the final stage, so we have to make our choice. It’s about time. Mingxiong, gather our secret forces. These days of peace won’t last much longer. We have to be prepared. If the Dongfang family and Pill Valley think that they can devour our Huayun Sect, they are thinking too simply. Businessmen always need to remember to have a trick up their sleeves,” said Ma Ruyun.

Hua Mingxiong nodded, his figure fading from the room.

…

“Long Chen, you can leave these pill formulas with me. As for their value, there’s no way to estimate it. I can only pay you back slowly,” said Zheng Wenlong.

Originally, he had gone to ask Ma Ruyun about what kind of price he should pay for these pill formulas. After all, eleventh tier pill formulas were priceless treasures, especially at this time for the Huayun Sect.

However, friends were friends, and money was money. They couldn’t be mixed. He would need to see the true value of these pill formulas in action before paying Long Chen back. Ma Ruyun had allowed him to do things according to his own style.

“That’s easy to decide. I fully trust the Huayun Sect, so let me just ask whether or not you have anyone on your side who can refine eleventh tier pills,” said Long Chen.

“There won’t be any problem in that regard. I’ll tell you the truth. Countless years ago, we began secretly raising our own alchemists. They’ve been hidden all this time. Let me put it to you this way, in this entire world, the only ones who know about this matter are the sect master and the assistant sect masters, and then you and I,” said Zheng Wenlong.

Long Chen nodded. As expected, the Huayun Sect’s foundation was far deeper than they showed. The power that they had revealed was just the tip of the iceberg.

“Refining eleventh tier pills shouldn’t be a problem, but refining top grade eleventh tier pills will need luck. But as soon as we refine some, we’ll have the power to contend with Pill Valley. At the very least, we’ll show people our power. That way, our clients won’t leave us,” said Zheng Wenlong.

As long as those sects didn’t get bound to Pill Valley, things would be easy to handle. He already sent these pill formulas out through secret channels, making sure to get as much of a head start on refining these pills as possible. They needed to shake things up, or the outside world would think that the Huayun Sect couldn’t fight back.

Long Chen nodded. Refining the eleventh tier pills shouldn’t be too difficult. The reason the pills that Long Chen had refined had been so difficult was because those pills had come from the Pill Sovereign memories and had much higher requirements.

As for these pill formulas that had come from the Brahma Divine Palace, Long Chen didn’t care about them. He didn’t feel that their effects were good enough, so he didn’t waste his time on them. These pills should be refinable by other alchemists.

If a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand alchemists were to attempt refining these pills, then sooner or later, they would be able to refine a top grade pill.

Furthermore, it was best for them to start with the easier pills. Once they could refine those, they could try their hand at more difficult eleventh tier pill formulas.

Amongst alchemists, there was also a way to work together and have multiple alchemists refine the same furnace of pills. By combining their Spiritual Strengths, they could increase the chances of successful refinements. So Zheng Wenlong wasn’t worried about not being able to refine the pills.

“Brother Wenlong, have you contacted the Nangong family and the Beitang family? Is there any chance of working with them?” asked Long Chen.

“I’ve asked, and they were both very polite. But it seems they don’t really care about working with us.” Zheng Wenlong shook his head.

As soon as they had appeared, Zheng Wenlong had made contact with most of the ancient sects and powers, and while they gave him face by taking a meeting with him, they all tacitly declined any kind of collaboration. Most likely, they felt that there wasn’t anything they wanted from this declined era.

“You should make another trip to those two families. Ask for Beitang Rushuang and Nangong Zuiyue. Say that you are my friend, and they’ll definitely see you,” said Long Chen after thinking about it.

Zheng Wenlong bitterly smiled. “I’ve heard about your accomplishments in that regard. But even if they grant me a meeting, there’s no point if they don’t want a collaboration.”

“This is different than before. Your timing was off before. If you go now, it might work,” said Long Chen.

Zheng Wenlong had been too early before. The Dongfang family’s gathering hadn’t taken place yet, so it was natural for them to refuse. But now, the Dongfang family’s auction houses had spread throughout the Central Plains, and they were gathering things that they wanted.

At the Stone race, Long Chen had seen that the everlasting families did not get along. The Nangong and Beitang families were not on the same side as the Dongfang family.

At this time, if Long Chen were to act as a go-between, the chances of success would be much higher. As long as the Nangong and Beitang families were to form a collaboration with the Huayun Sect, then everything would become easier to handle. Just by waving the signboard of those two families, it would draw other powers to them. If even the two everlasting families were working together, why would anyone hesitate?

When Long Chen explained that, Zheng Wenlong clapped his forehead. No wonder Ma Ruyun said that he had missed many opportunities. He hadn’t even thought of this.

Delightedly, Zheng Wenlong prepared to set off. Long Chen also left, going to the original devil race’s territory. He didn’t know how Wilde was, or how much stronger Yue Xiaoqian had gotten.