Chapter 20: The Foundation Pill Production Line!

“Senior Brother.”

Upon hearing the news, Liu Ruyan did not rejoice; instead, her brows furrowed deeply. “Isn’t it too soon to start recruiting disciples? And there aren’t many suitable talents here in Nanyang City.”

After all, cultivating disciples takes time, and with the reputation of the White Sword Sect, finding proper candidates is quite challenging.

Anyone with spiritual roots tends to prefer larger sects, and only if they fail there would they consider the four major sects of Lingyun Peak as a fallback.

Yet, the White Sword Sect still ranked lowest among the four major sects.

From any perspective, trying to recruit disciples now didn’t seem like a wise move.

“I’ve already considered that,” Liang Chuan said. “If you send out the news that our White Sword Sect has unified Lingyun Peak, it will improve our sect’s reputation!”

“As for the shortage of talent, just spread the word that anyone who joins our sect will receive a monthly stipend of one hundred spirit stones!”

He was well aware of these problems and had prepared contingency plans.

As for slow cultivation? That was hardly an issue.

As long as Xin Xin could bring over modern technology, even those with the poorest aptitude would become prime candidates.

However, after he finished speaking, everyone fell silent.

One hundred spirit stones a month?!

The disciples’ heads buzzed in disbelief.

Most disciples had to pay their own way to enter the sect.

Only elders and above received such monthly stipends.

Normally, disciples had to complete tasks for the sect to earn any spirit stones, and on average, they might get twenty or thirty a month.

“Senior Brother, I’m afraid that’s not appropriate,” Liu Ruyan interjected.

Even if the sect was somewhat more affluent now, such a policy would rapidly deplete resources.

Not to mention, Nanyang City only had a little over ten thousand spirit stones available for the whole year.

If this precedent were set, other disciples would demand raises in their stipends!

This could trigger a chain reaction throughout the sect.

“Junior Sister, I have thought this through carefully,” Liang Chuan said solemnly, taking a deep breath before continuing. “Although we have manpower now, those are all captives. We must nurture more disciples to face the troubles ahead.”

After all, the White Sword Sect had only a few dozen disciples in total. If they didn’t expand now, even with enough weapons, they might not be able to hold their ground.

“Then… I’ll leave it to you to decide,” Liu Ruyan finally bit her lip and agreed. What Liang Chuan said was true. Forget the whereabouts of the Blood Moon Sect’s leader for now, they had already antagonized the Yangsheng Sect.

Furthermore, after the sect’s troubles, everything had been handled solely by Liang Chuan. They could only place their hopes on him.

“Don’t worry, I’ll find a way!”

After saying this, Liang Chuan instructed the disciples to search the manor for hidden offerings.

Soon, they found the offerings seized from the Yangsheng Sect’s disciples.

“Let’s go. We’ll stay at an inn tonight.”

Looking at the abundant spirit stones and supplies, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Liang Chuan’s mouth.

Not long after settling into the inn, a report came from outside.

“Sect Leader, the lord of Nanyang City wishes to see you!” Peng Shan reported, bowing.

“Oh? I haven’t approached him yet, but he came on his own?” Liang Chuan put down his brush and said, “Bring him here.”

In just a moment, Peng Shan returned with the timid city lord.

“Senior!” The city lord knelt as soon as he saw Liang Chuan.

He had just learned that the two Foundation Establishment disciples from the Yangsheng Sect had been slain by Liang Chuan and his group.

One, known as Hui, had been utterly defeated, terrifying him greatly.

After tracking down their whereabouts, he hurried over immediately.

“Why do you kneel as soon as you see me? Please, rise.”

Liang Chuan smiled gently, calmly watching the city lord.

Only then did the city lord cautiously stand.

It wasn’t that he wanted to kneel—it was that the man before him was a formidable figure who had even killed disciples of the Yangsheng Sect.

He had handed over the offerings without resistance; it was fortunate he hadn’t been killed outright.

“Speak, what brings you to me?”

Leaning back in his chair with a teasing expression, Liang Chuan awaited his answer.

“I heard that you slew the disciples of the Yangsheng Sect…”

The city lord hesitated, struggling to speak.

Liang Chuan crossed his arms and smiled, “Are you afraid of the Yangsheng Sect’s retaliation?”

He naturally understood the city lord’s intentions. If the Yangsheng Sect came, most likely they’d target him first.

“You saw right through my thoughts,” the city lord said bitterly, gritting his teeth. “I’m only mid-stage Qi Refining. With your two major sects, you could easily kill me.”

Liang Chuan chuckled at this.

This man was clearly afraid—but he phrased it politely.

Did the White Sword Sect really count as a major sect?

It was obvious he was scared of retaliation and came to seek reassurance.

“Rest assured. If anything happens, just say it was the White Sword Sect!”

Relieved by Liang Chuan’s assurance, the city lord exhaled deeply.

“But you came at the right time. I have something to ask you.”

Liang Chuan then asked the question on his mind, “Where should one go to sell pills?”

Previously, only the sect leader and elders went down the mountain, so they were unfamiliar with such matters.

“You’ve asked the right person!” The city lord quickly leaned closer, bowing repeatedly. “You should go to Nanling Peak in the Nanling Mountain Range. The foremost sect there, Longhuo Sect, has a market where you can sell your goods. But be warned, it takes seven days to get there!”

After obtaining detailed information, Liang Chuan dismissed the city lord.

The next day, upon returning to the sect, he assigned Zhao Wu the task of finding a suitable stall.

When Liu Ruyan learned of Liang Chuan’s plan, she was stunned.

“Senior Brother, where does our sect have any resources to sell?”

Though they had plundered the other three sects, the supplies were barely enough for their own disciples’ consumption. How could they sell anything?

Liang Chuan waved his hand, smiling and shaking his head. “Don’t worry, you’ll see soon enough.”

“Senior Brother, you don’t mean to sell those magical weapons, do you?”

Liu Ruyan’s heart leapt. Selling those would surely bring death upon them.

“Relax, I’m not that foolish.”

After sending Liu Ruyan away, Liang Chuan returned to his room.

He took out a prepared second-rank demon beast crystal and placed it inside.

This wasn’t any ordinary demon beast crystal.

It was one over ten thousand years old—worlds apart from the cultivated ones.

No sooner had he placed it inside than the black wooden box emitted a golden glow.

Within lay a book, its cover inscribed with a line of text:

“Fundamental Theory and Design of the Foundation Establishment Pill Production Line.”