Chapter 409: Two Worlds Income

## Chapter 409: Income from Both Worlds

Meng Huanger thought she was too useless, which was why she failed her Foundation Establishment, even after borrowing Chen Mobai's immense luck.

Chen Mobai shook his head upon hearing this and began to comfort her.

"Right now, your priority is to recover from your injuries and strive to attempt Foundation Establishment again before you graduate next year."

Upon hearing this, Meng Huanger's face showed a hint of dejection. She lowered her head and remained silent, seemingly having lost all confidence in herself.

"This is the original text of the 'Boundary Method,' the 'Jade Lock Golden Gate Art.' You can study it carefully while you recover. It was after I comprehended this that I naturally grasped all the mysteries of the Boundary Method."

Chen Mobai handed a booklet he had once read in the Daoist Academy library to Meng Huanger's bedside. Upon hearing this, her previously dim eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope. She reached out, took the booklet, and thanked the handsome young man before her again.

"Are you always this diligent? Few people bother to look at things like this," Meng Huanger asked softly.

Since its creation, the Immortal Sect had updated the Boundary Method at least a hundred times. Many might check the latest versions for comparison, but this was the first time Meng Huanger had heard of someone cultivating the ancient, original 'Jade Lock Golden Gate Art' like Chen Mobai.

"When I was searching for cultivation experiences for the Boundary Method on the auxiliary cultivation software, I happened to see a post that said this was useful, so I diligently practiced it and stumbled upon success," Chen Mobai said truthfully, though he did not reveal that he had achieved success after taking the Spirit-Enlightening Dao Enlightenment Pill.

"Oh, there's such a post?" As a popular software among the common and lower-tier cultivators of the Immortal Sect, auxiliary cultivation was quite well-known. Meng Huanger had also downloaded it and had searched for Boundary Method cultivation content but had never noticed that particular post.

Chen Mobai guided her to Tian Wenguang's post. Although the most crucial part was hidden and inaccessible, the preceding content undeniably confirmed his words. Due to permission restrictions, the post had very few views and was ranked very low. Chen Mobai would not have noticed it if he hadn't habitually filtered from high to low permissions.

"How can I contact the poster?" After hearing Chen Mobai's success story, Meng Huanger had pinned her hopes of mastering the Boundary Method on the 'Jade Lock Golden Gate Art.' Thus, after reading the initial sections, she was even more curious about the hidden content.

"Send him a private message and see if he replies." Chen Mobai naturally knew that the person was Tian Wenguang, a graduate of the Imperial Medical Academy, but he certainly couldn't expose his high permissions. So, he instructed Meng Huanger to use her own account to send a private message to the poster through the backend.

Tian Wenguang's account name on the auxiliary cultivation software was "Lone Ranger." Meng Huanger drafted a polite message, stating her desire to learn about his successful experience in cultivating the 'Jade Lock Golden Gate Art.' However, it was clear that Tian Wenguang, as an associate director of a top-tier hospital, wasn't constantly on his phone, so there was no reply to the private message.

"Let's wait and see. Perhaps you'll comprehend the 'Jade Lock Golden Gate Art' on your own by then." Seeing that Meng Huanger's mood had improved significantly and her eyes seemed to hold renewed hope, Chen Mobai felt relieved and offered a few words of comfort.

"Mmm, I'll look at it myself first. Oh, right, didn't you say you had a friend from the Imperial Medical Academy who also mastered it? Does he have any special tips?" Meng Huanger evidently hadn't forgotten Chen Mobai's comforting words from before. Now seeing the 'Jade Lock Golden Gate Art' as her last hope, and with Chen Mobai getting up to leave, she couldn't help but ask presumptuously.

"Although I call him a friend, it's merely an acquaintance. I mentioned it to him, but he won't have time to discuss it in detail until after the New Year." Chen Mobai spoke honestly. Although Meng Huanger was disappointed, she still smiled and thanked him. "Thank you for your trouble."

After leaving the hospital, Chen Mobai booked a flight back to Danxia City. By the end of the year, there were still some matters at the two talisman factories in his hometown that required his attention. Firstly, several loans taken out when establishing the puppet factory needed interest payments by year-end, and one required an extension. Since the amount was substantial, he wouldn't be able to handle it if he didn't go in person.

Upon returning to Danxia City, Chen Mobai first tallied his income from the Immortal Sect this year.

First, at the Feitian Talisman Factory, due to the puppet factory, it had, at his request, switched to a high-end product production line, only producing second-tier talisman paper and ink. Although the Feitian Talisman Factory employed skilled workers, without the leadership of a seasoned talisman master like Wu Shangru, the jade talisman paper they produced could barely meet the second-tier standard.

The jade talisman paper was originally priced at 500 Merit Points per sheet, but its quality was so mediocre that even at the lowest price for second-tier talisman paper, it was still very difficult to sell. At the end of the year, Tang Pancui was terribly worried as she looked at the accounts. This year's efficiency had significantly declined. If it weren't for the moderately good sales of the second-tier Red Glow Talisman Ink, they would likely have incurred losses. Even so, the year-end balance sheet showed a profit of only 100,000 Merit Points, which made Tang Pancui, as the managing owner, extremely anxious.

"Son, why don't we let the workers continue making first-tier talisman paper next year? At least that way, we'll make some profit," Tang Pancui suggested, leaning over as Chen Mobai continuously drew and wrote on his workbench, analyzing the 'Qi Tian Zhi Shu' talisman.

"Skills improve with practice. I've seen a significant improvement in the quality of the talisman paper from the end of the year compared to the beginning. Let's give Director Pan another year. Next year, I hope the jade talisman paper can consistently reach the second-tier low-grade," Chen Mobai said. He wasn't concerned about whether the Feitian Talisman Factory made a profit; any unsold talisman paper could be taken to the Eastern Wilderness. Moreover, talisman paper, if stored properly, could last for decades.

His puppet factory operated at full capacity this year, producing a total of 3.6 million sheets of first-tier high-grade talisman paper, after accounting for normal puppet wear and tear. In the Eastern Wilderness, his eldest disciple Liu Wenbai managed the five major marketplaces of Jianguo and established partnerships with various talisman paper shops, extending sales to the four kingdoms under the Divine Wood Sect. A total of 500,000 sheets were shipped throughout the year. This alone generated over 40,000 spirit stones in income.

However, Chen Mobai had somewhat overestimated the consumption capacity of the Eastern Wilderness. He had brought a million sheets of talisman paper this year, originally thinking they would all sell, but it turned out that the four kingdoms under the Divine Wood Sect could only absorb half of that.

Fortunately, the talisman paper produced by his puppet factory was both inexpensive and high-quality. Additionally, everyone knew that Xiaonanshan Shop was backed by him, the Divine Wood Sect's top sword cultivator, making it essentially Divine Wood Sect property. Otherwise, such a large volume of transactions would have long since attracted the envious and been shut down.

Even so, in the past year, Liu Wenbai dared not leave the market's vicinity carelessly, fearing robbery by those bloodthirsty rogue cultivators. During his daily commutes between the sect and the market, he spared no spirit stones in using teleportation arrays.

Compared to the booming sales in the Eastern Wilderness, the performance in the Immortal Sect was much poorer. The quality of the talisman paper from the puppet factory was only considered ordinary in the Immortal Sect, and sales were mediocre.

The Feitian Talisman Factory originally had a comprehensive production range, capable of producing thirty types of talisman paper, from first-tier low-grade to second-tier low-grade, including various categories like gold paper and rock paper, all produced according to channel partners' orders. However, this year, due to the puppet factory, the supply chain was adjusted to only produce two types of talisman paper: first-tier high-grade and second-tier low-grade. Channel partners, however, couldn't adjust their operations just for them, so they only ordered 20,000 sheets of first-tier high-grade talisman paper and 1,000 sheets of second-tier low-grade jade talisman paper, which were their usual annual requirements. Of these, nearly half of the jade talisman paper was returned by channel partners due to poor quality. Because of this, the Feitian Talisman Factory's reputation had suffered somewhat, and most of its contracts for jade talisman paper next year had been canceled.

At the year-end settlement, only 2.1 million Merit Points were credited to the company's account, barely breaking even. This amount was certainly insufficient to cover bank loans and interest. Chen Mobai used this as an excuse to apply for permission from the relevant departments to sell at a reduced price.

The Immortal Sect had guiding prices for various market goods; one could sell higher than the guiding price, but not lower, to avoid market disruption and various chain reactions. However, if an enterprise was on the verge of collapse and its warehouses were piled high with goods, it could apply for a price reduction permit from the Immortal Sect's industrial and commercial departments. The puppet factory's warehouse currently held about 2 million sheets of first-tier high-grade talisman paper. Given Chen Mobai's influence, the Immortal Sect in Danxia City didn't even send anyone to physically inspect, giving him a direct green light.

With this document, Chen Mobai could sell his products below the market guiding price. He didn't go too far. The official guiding price for first-tier high-grade talisman paper was 80 Merit Points per sheet; he applied for 70 Merit Points.

In any case, over 200 million cultivators in the Immortal Sect were ordinary Qi Cultivators who, without Foundation Establishment, needed to be meticulous with every Merit Point. Therefore, a low price was sure to capture most of the market. Within just half a month, orders for the Feitian Talisman Factory's shop on the Immortal Sect Network exceeded 200,000 sheets, surpassing Chen Mobai's expectations.

However, by the end of the year, many enterprises had also applied for price reduction permits through their connections. Although his 70 Merit Point price was already a significant reduction, there were still many competitors in the market. After this, sales began to drop sharply. But even so, the previous sale of 200,000 sheets of talisman paper had already provided the Feitian Talisman Factory with an income of 14 million Merit Points. Since there were no labor costs, and the raw material for the pulp was the Red Sun Spiritual Wood from the Divine Tree Secret Realm, which also had no cost, these 14 million were almost pure profit.

Tang Pancui was somewhat unsatisfied and wanted to use promotional policies like "buy ten, get one free" to further stimulate sales. But Chen Mobai thought about it and shook his head, refusing. In the Immortal Sect, it was better to be low-key. Moreover, if they started a "buy ten, get one free" promotion now, the large number of customers who had previously bought the 200,000 sheets would certainly be unhappy, feeling they had lost out. Some might even demand refunds and returns in anger, leading to more trouble.

Although Chen Mobai wasn't unable to provide supplementary deliveries, talisman paper had a very long storage life. If they couldn't sell all of it here, once Xiaonanshan Shop expanded across the entire Eastern Wilderness in the Tianhe Realm, an estimated 3 million sheets of talisman paper annually wouldn't even be enough. Therefore, after making a substantial profit, Chen Mobai maintained the price of 70 Merit Points, concluding the year on a positive note.

After receiving this large sum of Merit Points, and deducting taxes for the Immortal Sect authorities, it was just enough to pay off the first two loans from the Immortal Sect Bank. One loan was for 5 million Merit Points, which Chen Mobai had used Feitian Talisman Factory as collateral to purchase elixirs from the Longevity Academy. The second loan, also 5 million, was guaranteed by Qin Baipeng and considered policy support from the Immortal Sect for his settlement as a Foundation Establishment cultivator. After paying off these two loans, Chen Mobai only had the loan collateralized by the Six Yang Divine Fire Mirror remaining. Another year-end big sale like this next year, and he would likely be debt-free.

In the Immortal Sect, Chen Mobai planned to proceed steadily. The Feitian Talisman Factory would continue to research second-tier talisman paper and ink. High-quality products would be sold to local customers, while returned goods would be taken to Xiaonanshan Shop. However, to avoid any issues, Chen Mobai still had the Feitian Talisman Factory sign an order for 200,000 sheets of talisman paper raw materials with the spiritual wood supplier in the neighboring Yumucheng. After all, it would take at least three to four more years for the spiritual wood in his own fire-poisoned land to grow enough for harvest. If his puppet factory showed no signs of raw material procurement for too long, it would certainly arouse suspicion over time. Even with his significant influence to cover it up, it would still leave traces with the relevant departments.

He would publicly declare that the puppet factory's annual output was limited to this amount, and all the excess 3 million-plus sheets of talisman paper produced each year would be dumped into the Eastern Wilderness. The four kingdoms under the Divine Wood Sect could consume 500,000 sheets of talisman paper a year. If the entire Eastern Wilderness were considered a market, this production volume should be just right.

Thinking this way, Chen Mobai also felt that keeping these talisman papers in the Immortal Sect might expose the puppet factory's production capacity. So, he painstakingly moved all of them to Xiaonanshan. Then, he called his eldest disciple, Liu Wenbai, pointed to the mountain of snow-white talisman paper, and indicated that they were now under his care.

"This disciple will not let Master down." Liu Wenbai was first stunned, then called over Zhuo Ming and Luo Yixuan. The three of them worked together to move the talisman paper into the warehouse at the foot of the mountain.

"Master, this is the income from the five marketplaces of Jianguo last year, after deducting shop rent and market fees. It totals 38,672 low-grade spirit stones." After moving the talisman paper, Liu Wenbai came up the mountain again and respectfully handed a storage bag to Chen Mobai with both hands.

"Good, good, you've worked hard." After receiving it, Chen Mobai found that most of it had been exchanged for mid-grade spirit stones, which made him even more satisfied with his eldest disciple, nodding repeatedly. This disciple was like him.

He took out a thousand spirit stones and gave them to Liu Wenbai, who was somewhat overwhelmed and hesitant to accept at first. In the Eastern Wilderness, it was considered natural for disciples to work for their masters without compensation. However, after all these years, the three disciples had come to understand Chen Mobai's character. After a brief refusal, Liu Wenbai excitedly accepted the stones. Although he was also from a noble family, a thousand spirit stones was still a considerable sum for a family.

"Thank you, Master. Oh, by the way, the manager from Tiancan Tower approached me, saying they want to establish a spiritual wine supply partnership with our Xiaonanshan Shop." In his excitement, Liu Wenbai didn't forget another matter. Xiaonanshan Shop primarily sold items like talisman paper, spiritual rice, and spiritual wine. Among these, talisman paper was the most popular, but the unique spiritual wine and spiritual rice were also favored by many cultivators. Occasionally, rogue cultivators would bring Xiaonanshan Shop's spiritual wine to Tiancan Tower for dine-in, and after it happened several times, the discerning manager discovered it. Subsequently, he found Liu Wenbai, tasted all the spiritual wines, found them excellent, and proposed a partnership to Liu Wenbai.

"Keep some for me. As for the remaining stock, discuss with Zhuo Ming and see what price is suitable." With spirit stones to be earned, he certainly wouldn't refuse.

"Master, Tiancan Tower is requesting an exclusive agency, meaning if we partner with them, we won't be able to sell wine ourselves." Liu Wenbai said something that made Chen Mobai pause, then he scoffed and replied, "Refuse them."