Chapter 190 - 145: The Academy Palace Recruits, Reactions from All Sides
Chapter 190: Chapter 145: The Academy Palace Recruits, Reactions from All Sides
The man’s name was Qian Hong, and he was the wealthiest man in Great Yu’s entire Feng City Prefecture.
He hadn’t reached this position by relying on family influence, but through his own hard work.
Among all the nations, merchants from Great Yu had the lowest status.
So, even though Qian Hong was now fabulously wealthy, he still felt insecure.
In the past, he had made inquiries everywhere, spending a fortune to purchase Cultivation Techniques, but the best he could manage was a Second-Grade Cultivation Skill. He had no access whatsoever to Third-Grade skills or higher.
Even on the rare occasions he acquired one at an auction, it was always an incomplete copy.
Therefore, upon seeing the message relayed by the caravan this time, the first thing he did was summon the family’s senior members.
"Brother, three manors are worth one hundred fifty million taels of silver. If this Prince Qin of the Northern Barbarians is trying to swindle us, isn’t that price a bit too steep?" Qian Hong’s younger brother said quietly, voicing his concern.
Qian Hong lifted his teacup and took a sip. "It’s just like business. Is there ever a sure thing? This whole affair is a gamble. One hundred fifty million taels of silver is a huge sum, equivalent to several years of our family’s income.
But if it truly allows fifteen of our family’s disciples to practice a Third-Grade Cultivation Skill, then we won’t lose out. Only when the family has powerful experts can we protect the wealth we’ve earned.
Otherwise, when I’m gone, will the people we have now be able to fend off outsiders who are like a pack of ravenous wolves?
So, I’m willing to bet the silver on it.
If we succeed, we’ll no longer have to live at the mercy of others."
"But they could just become apprentices to a master," Qian Hong’s younger brother mumbled, still hesitant.
"How could it be the same? How many people go to cultivate in the sects every year, and how many of them actually learn anything? Ninety percent of them just end up doing menial chores, learning nothing more than a First-Grade Cultivation Skill. Now, we can get an opportunity to learn a Third-Grade Cultivation Skill just by paying silver. For people like us...
...this is a true stroke of fortune.
It’s worth betting one hundred fifty million taels of silver. There’s no need for further discussion. Tomorrow, have our family’s disciples accompany the caravan to the Northern Barbarians. If this turns out to be real...
...then we’ll shift the focus of our business to the Northern Barbarians." With Qian Hong’s final word on the matter, the others said no more. They immediately rose and said, "As you command."
After all, he was the one who had built this vast family enterprise from the ground up.
So Qian Hong absolutely had the right to have the final say.
Meanwhile, many wealthy merchants from other kingdoms had the same idea. While their numbers weren’t massive, it was enough to create a ripple effect in the South City market, a high-profile bid to attract talent.
After all, this world was never short of people with a gambler’s mentality.
In their eyes, the first batch of disciples to enroll would always receive more benefits than those who came later.
If this Academy Palace were truly established, it would undoubtedly become a destination coveted by every Martial Artist in the world.
To say nothing of the number of talents it would produce, just the title of "senior disciple" or "alumnus" would be enough to command respect across the kingdoms.
Although all this needed time to be proven, they were willing to wait.
This, however, would take some time to develop. Once the children of these tycoons arrived at the Northern Barbarians’ Imperial City and began their formal studies, it would trigger a massive boom.
Once they saw the results and the sincerity of the Academy Palace, the wealthy from all over the world would undoubtedly flock to it.
Just then, Lu Yuan, having rested for a night, had just woken up, eaten a bite, and arrived in the front hall when Wu Han stepped forward to report. "Village Chief, we’ve received word that the forces of Ice Mirror Lake and Tianya Village have assembled.
They’re heading our way and are expected to arrive tomorrow."
Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow. "They’re fast. It seems the Eldest Prince and the Third Prince want to eliminate the Seventh Prince from the game first. Still, it’s good they’re coming to us. Saves us the trouble of hunting them down.
The two strongholds have a combined main force of about five hundred thousand, right? This time, we’ll wipe them all out."
"But they have quite a few experts. There are three in the Divine Origin Realm alone," Wu Han said, concerned.
Lu Yuan waved his hand dismissively. "Have the army prepare. I’ll handle their experts. This must be done. Once things in the buffer zone are settled, I need to head back. I’ve been away for quite some time.
But remember to demand our reward from the Seventh Prince.
If you can train a force comparable to the Imperial Guard within two years, that would be for the best."
"I’ll do my best," Wu Han said with a chuckle.
Lu Yuan nodded and said no more.
After Wu Han left, the entire Celestial King Stronghold burst into motion. Weapons and Elixirs, stockpiled over the past two years, were brought out and distributed as if they cost nothing.
The most numerous items were feathered arrows. Lu Yuan estimated they had enough for all their archers.
「As Celestial King Stronghold prepared for war.」
In the Seventh Prince’s grand hall, as time passed, the Eldest Prince had yet to recover from the sting of his huge loss. However, at the thought of Celestial King Stronghold’s impending annihilation, a smile gradually crept across his face.
The Seventh Prince, meanwhile, was growing restless again. The two princes had combined their armies, fielding a force of a full five hundred thousand troops. The Celestial King Stronghold, at best, had three hundred thousand.
Most importantly, there was a significant disparity in the number of experts between the two sides.
’Even if the Village Chief of Celestial King Stronghold is in the Divine Origin Realm, there’s no way he can fend off three Divine Origin masters.’
After the battle two days prior, the Seventh Prince had come to value Celestial King Stronghold more and more.
Thus, he was now in utter torment.
He looked at the Eldest and Third Princes, who were still seated and refusing to leave, and wished he could strangle them to death.
The two princes, however, remained perfectly composed, appearing completely unfazed.
The Third Prince even raised his cup with a chuckle. "Seventh Brother, let’s have another drink. We have so few days to gather like this."
With that, he drained his cup in a single gulp.
The Seventh Prince watched him coolly, not raising his own cup. Instead, he said in a cold, stiff tone, "Brothers, I cannot hold my liquor. Let’s end this banquet here."
"What, does our Seventh Brother look down on us, your two elder brothers? In Dayong, we value seniority and respect for our elders. Your words are truly disheartening," the Third Prince’s tone was equally sharp.
The Eldest Prince, for his part, gave the young child beside him a vicious pinch.
"WAAAH!"
The child’s cry echoed through the grand hall.
The corner of the Seventh Prince’s mouth twitched.
The two of them were playing good cop, bad cop, making it impossible for him to leave.
Having just stood up, he could only sit back down again.