Chapter 230: Rapid Population Growth in Guiling City

Mid-May, in the 34th year of Wang Yu's deacon career.

Nearly four years had passed since the opening of Guilong Market. During this time, Wang Yu's cultivation had significantly improved, as he had refined two more top-grade Ice Spirit Pills. This increased his True Essence by 300 drops, perfectly utilizing the pills' effects. Through his own cultivation, the addition of the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Bed significantly boosted his efficiency, resulting in a total increase of 63 drops of True Essence. The efficiency of the dual placement slots, however, was somewhat modest, contributing 156 drops of True Essence. In total, his True Essence capacity expanded by 519 drops.

This was a small step forward in the Foundation Establishment Stage Seven, reaching 2537 drops. The peak of 4000 drops seemed distant; at this rate, it would take nearly fifteen more years to break through to Foundation Establishment Stage Eight. To progress from Foundation Establishment Stage Eight to Nine would require a True Essence capacity of 8000 drops, taking nearly forty years. Advancing from Foundation Establishment Stage Nine to its peak, however, would be much easier, simply requiring a True Essence capacity of 9999 drops, the maximum for the Qi Sea. By these calculations, he would need another sixty-five years to reach the Golden Core threshold. Including his current age, he would still only be a little over a hundred years old at that time. This speed already approached that of a Heavenly Spirit Root cultivator! It was certainly not slow, especially considering cultivation becomes increasingly difficult at higher stages.

Recently, Guilong City had been thriving. Wang Yu, having learned from the failure of the Scented Gathering, understood that even with sufficient renown and the ability to defeat ordinary Golden Core cultivators, this was not enough. He still couldn't deter everyone. In the broader Red Kite Region, only cultivation truly spoke, and malicious intent often arose due to disparities in power. If he had been a Golden Core cultivator during the second Scented Gathering, combined with his background from the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect and his identity as the Guilong City Lord, Old Demon Dikui would never have dared to cause trouble. Influence could only suppress others once or twice; for a demonic cultivator who was self-sufficient, its effect was limited. Ultimately, one's own strength was paramount.

Therefore, he structured Guilong Market like a shared cake. He allocated portions to the Scented Cult, Purple Dragon Mountain, and Ink Gate, allowing them to send Golden Core cultivators to oversee operations, while Wang Yu provided background protection. While the Scented Gathering was his initiative, Guilong Market was a true collaboration. It was developing well, though it hadn't yet reached the rapidly expanding scale of the Scented Gathering in its prime. Still under his control, he deliberately slowed its expansion at this stage, collecting spirit stones annually and beginning to accumulate strength. Qingyang had also recently broken through to Golden Core Stage Two, fully mastering his innate divine ability. Qingyang's combat strength surpassed that of rogue cultivators. While he couldn't match inner sect elders of major sects, he was comparable to outer sect elders, especially with the Ink Ancestor's relic on him. With proper coordination, there was a good chance he could achieve victory against higher-level opponents.

Since the Sacred Offering matter was resolved and Wang Yu sent Qingyang to deal with the remnants of the Bai clan, nearly a decade of peace had passed. Now, the Blood Swordsman and Chao Yunniang, whom he had dispatched to Sanmao City, had finally sent a reply.

At this moment, inside the City Lord's small council hall.

True Man Qingyang watched Wang Yu reading the secret letter and chuckled, "What do they say? Did He Gu truly succeed?"

"Looks like it," Wang Yu replied, a smile gracing his face.

Nearly a decade had passed. Although Little Talisman Lord Luo Chen had deliberately caused him trouble once, he still trusted Wang Yu's advice. At the time, Wang Yu had been blinded by the network of connections behind Luo Chen. Wang Yu's advice had indeed been given with good intentions, even if Little Talisman Lord's demands were tricky. Now, Wang Yu vaguely understood the later conflict. Perhaps when he offered two suggestions, Luo Chen wasn't dissatisfied but was subtly hinting for some "funding" in the form of spirit stones, as he had repeatedly mentioned wanting to host a "Talisman Appreciation Gathering" himself. In reality, he was simply coveting the benefits brought by the Scented Gathering. Such requests usually came from a superior to a subordinate. At the time, Wang Yu believed that outside the sect, their relationship was one of equals, both being city lords of third-tier spiritual vein cities. Evidently, Luo Chen didn't see it that way. Perhaps his investment relationship with Zhuo Shouqing led Luo Chen to believe Wang Yu was a suitable target for exploitation. This would explain why Luo Chen, despite gaining no direct benefit himself, was so intent on ruining Wang Yu's Scented Gathering, even tearing off all pretense of cordiality. Luo Chen likely thought he was punishing Wang Yu for being uncooperative!

Realizing this now was too late. All he could do was sigh; there was no room for regret. Even if he had grasped Luo Chen's true meaning back then, he would ninety-nine percent likely have ignored it anyway. An enmity had been formed, and if he didn't retaliate, he wouldn't be Wang Yu. However, Luo Chen's master, the Dark Heaven Talisman Lord – a powerful Nascent Soul cultivator with a familial relationship to the Zhuo clan – needed to be handled with extreme caution.

Returning to the main point.

Luo Chen possessed his own judgment, and over the past decade, he had indeed been carrying out Wang Yu's "black glove" plan. Both the Blood Swordsman and Chao Yunniang's letters confirmed that everything was going smoothly. The Blood Swordsman had successfully infiltrated the black-hand group, not only targeting passing merchant caravans and small families but also eliminating one of Sanmao City's only two Foundation Establishment Talisman Masters. Little Talisman Lord had issued numerous preferential policies to attract more minor powers to settle in Sanmao City, clearly having tasted the benefits of this spirit stone-earning scheme. Chao Yunniang, on the other hand, had infiltrated the City Lord's mansion and become one of Luo Chen's concubines. She had won his favor by serving him with her Secret Bliss Arts, leaving him utterly enamored. The fact that Chao Yunniang could drive Zhuo Shouqing to ecstasy demonstrated her skill in this area. Wang Yu, while not particularly picky, did have a slight fetish for purity, seeking out virgins for his cultivation.

The secret letters primarily reported on recent developments and confirmed whether True Man He Gu had successfully implanted the demonic seed into Luo Chen's body. The result was a success, but it provoked a strong reaction from Luo Chen. He didn't know what had been put into his body, but he flew into a rage, and many people in the Sanmao City Lord's mansion died. This highlights the concealed nature of the Demonic Embryo Profound Origin Secret Incantation. Though dangerous to cultivate as it involves unseen demons from the Heavenly Demon Realm, its successful application yields immense benefits! The Heavenly Demonic Malice, for instance, is formless and intangible; it cannot be detected by spiritual energy or easily perceived by divine sense. It lies deep within emotions, luring one into boundless darkness. Just like human joys and sorrows, how could normal emotional expressions reveal a problem? According to the secret letters, even after Luo Chen used the methods given by his master, he found no issues, and his self-examination showed no abnormalities. He dismissed it as an illusion, as the demonic seed's entry only caused a cool sensation in his head, like a gust of cold wind, nothing particularly striking. Using the talisman given by the Dark Heaven Talisman Lord for detection was already an extremely cautious approach. This invisible demonic seed would only gradually warp his personality, driving him increasingly mad. Without further intervention from Wang Yu, Luo Chen's Golden Core cultivation would allow him to resist its effects for one or two centuries.

However. The Blood Swordsman and Chao Yunniang each carried a demonic seed. It would be a waste not to use them, but if they were to implant more into Luo Chen, he would certainly notice the problem. Once might be dismissed as an illusion, but what about two or three times? He wasn't a complete fool; he would surely detect the anomaly, most likely by seeking help from the Dark Heaven Talisman Lord. A Nascent Soul cultivator's knowledge was vast; they would certainly identify the problem, potentially escalating the situation and leading to a direct confrontation between the two parties, depending on how favored Luo Chen was.

Therefore, Wang Yu instructed them to change targets. Given Luo Chen's status, he must have many talented individuals around him, sent by others hoping to curry favor. There would be no shortage of dual spirit root cultivators, certainly more than around Wang Yu. They should implant three seeds in succession, maintain a calm demeanor, and wait for the day of harvest. As for Luo Chen... he couldn't wait one or two centuries, but now was not the time to make a move against him. He had already lain low during his Spirit Servant period, so there was no reason he couldn't do so now. He would deal with that scoundrel after he reached the Golden Core stage. For now... he could at least collect some interest.

After Wang Yu finished handling the replies, True Man Qingyang began to act as his strategist, taking on the role of Wang Yu's right-hand man.

"City Lord," True Man Qingyang asked, "Little Talisman Lord Luo Chen's master is a Nascent Soul cultivator, and allowing him to use a title like 'Little Talisman Lord' surely means he is very favored. Is what we're doing truly appropriate?"

Wang Yu lightly coughed. "If he's unjust, don't blame me for being unrighteous," Wang Yu declared. "He has the Dark Heaven Talisman Lord supporting him, but I, the City Lord, have three Nascent Soul clans behind me!" Although these connections were merely with three troublesome young masters, they effectively represented three Nascent Soul cultivators who could lend support. Both young masters from the Zhuo and Zuoqiu clans would staunchly back him. Only Yu Xing's stance was uncertain, as he followed his two brothers' lead rather than genuinely appreciating Wang Yu. Furthermore, the Dark Heaven Talisman Lord was Zhuo Shouqing's uncle by marriage.

"As long as Luo Chen remained alive, the situation would be under control. Wang Yu couldn't be sure when he could kill him, certainly not anytime soon. Let's collect some interest first," Wang Yu said. "Since he used my scheme, he should give me some benefits. If he wants to play dirty, then I'll take them by force."

"City Lord?" Qingyang seemed puzzled.

Wang Yu, however, grinned slyly. "Send people to spread rumors in the surrounding areas, claiming that Little Talisman Lord Luo Chen massacred the Foundation Establishment Talisman Master family in Sanmao City. Once panic spreads, lure the cultivators living in Sanmao City to Guilong. The more people we have, the larger our market will be. Have them expand the workshops and prepare to increase production of low-grade spiritual consumables."

"This—"

"Just do it," Wang Yu interrupted. "Even if he knows I'm behind this, there's nothing he can do."

"Understood!"

Qingyang took his leave, called Xu Ruozhou, and began to arrange for people to stir up trouble in Sanmao City. No matter how well Luo Chen concealed his actions, as long as he continued this behavior, external forces would inevitably be destroyed later. While he could always pin the blame on his "black gloves" and even execute a few individuals to appease the cultivators' fears, as long as these incidents kept occurring, Sanmao City would remain unsettled. Wang Yu merely needed to fan the flames and boast about the benefits of Guilong City to naturally attract many cultivators to relocate. Perhaps even Cloudmist City, which was at odds with Luo Chen, would follow suit. Few people focused on true innovation; many simply mimicked what others did successfully.

With these arrangements in place, the benefits quickly became apparent. In just one month, three small Qi Refining families, each numbering twenty to thirty people, settled in Guilong. Wang Yu personally received them and offered generous welfare benefits. He even arranged jobs for them: those with specialized skills went to work in the workshops in the northern district, while those only good at fighting could become overseers at the mines or banana plantations outside the city. While these actions were not grand gestures to attract talent, they proved remarkably effective. Yet, once word spread, it still attracted many cautious rogue cultivators. Sanmao City became the eye of a storm, and its problem of departing cultivators grew increasingly severe. Conversely, Guilong's cultivator population could only be described as skyrocketing!