Chapter 179: Chapter 81: Grand Opening

The development of the commercial alliance has long surpassed small-scale endeavors.

They no longer consider the simplistic model of sects in the Qi Kingdom setting up their own shops.

Now they are focusing on the commercial integration of the entire Yan Kingdom.

Their primary focus is on monopolizing resources, controlling sales channels, and dominating finance.

Within the entire Immortal City, the alliance only owns a few shops, dealing exclusively in high-end business and finance. The rest are rented out, ensuring a base rent and commission from sales as the main revenue.

This model allows the shops to bear their own profits and losses, while the alliance guarantees profits without losses. The healthy competition among the shops has greatly enhanced the commercial atmosphere and popularity of the Immortal City, further solidifying the alliance’s monopolistic position.

The alliance’s requirement for long-term leases for cultivators indirectly provides ample workforce for businesses within the Immortal City.

Li Jizhou inquired about the conditions for joining the alliance; either possessing battle strength above the middle stage of Core Formation, or skills above Tier Three. Otherwise, the positions are minor, requiring obedience to superiors around the clock.

Naturally, Li Jizhou was unwilling to accept this model.

As for turning to sects and families, Li Jizhou dismissed the idea without a second thought.

The incident with the Golden Sun Sect had already given Li Jizhou a substantial understanding of some of the alliance’s schemes.

There could be a time when one might be entangled in the alliance’s design, forced into buying some overpriced treasure they are promoting.

After contemplating briefly,

Li Jizhou ultimately decided to open his own shop. At the very least, operating his own business would be more profitable than supplying Miaodan Tower back then. Moreover, the business environment in Yan Kingdom indeed seemed more suitable.

Recently, while wandering around Immortal City, he realized the prices of resources above Tier Three were staggering. Without substantial finances, the path after Core Formation would be challenging.

Previously in the Qi Kingdom, resources above Tier Three were practically unavailable for purchase. Even when they did appear, they needed to be exchanged for equivalent resources, so at that time Li Jizhou was not overly fixated on earning Spirit Stones.

However, in Yan Kingdom, even Tier Four resources could be purchased with Spirit Stones.

Finally, Li Jizhou slightly adjusted his main goals for coming to Yan Kingdom. Besides forming the Golden Core and improving his skills, he decided to add opening a shop to earn Spirit Stones.

After completing the relevant procedures and having his identity verified by the guardian of the Immortal City holding a mysterious treasure,

he paid a one-time deposit of thirty thousand Spirit Stones, signed a contract for honest cooperation, agreeing to an annual revenue tax of ten percent. If the annual tax was less than three thousand Spirit Stones, the deposit would be deducted,

and failing to meet the target for three consecutive years would result in the cancellation of the business qualification.

Initially, the shop, without backing, primarily selling low-tier products, could only be rented in the inner city, not the central district. Its Spirit Vein was equivalent to Tier Three Lower Grade.

Li Jizhou found this acceptable, as he could temporarily rent a venue in the central district during Core Formation.

Without an alliance identity, one wouldn’t even qualify to rent a Core Formation venue.

Five days later, Li Jizhou finally received the alliance signet Jade Talisman and successfully took over a courtyard within the inner city of Liuyun Immortal City.

The courtyard was adjacent to the marketplace, and in front stood a three-story pavilion facing the street, each floor having three rooms, serving as the shop.

The backyard comprised a three-section courtyard with small bridges and streams, pavilions, and towers, exuding a serene and elegant ambiance.

The shop sign bore the three characters of “Taobao Pavilion,” personally inscribed by Li Jizhou.

The alliance’s Jade Talisman marked Taobao Pavilion as a Grade Five shop, allowing the recruitment of up to five staff members.

After seeing off the alliance manager, Li Jizhou hung a sign at the door that said “Preparing for Business, Opening in a Month,” and then closed the shop’s doors.

Setting up the array, activating the talismans, and after some arrangement, he released Guagua and Bai Yi.

“You two need to double your efforts in the future!” Li Jizhou sincerely cupped his hands to Guagua and Bai Yi.

Without Bai Yi’s current four True Flames, he would not have opened the shop.

Especially at the start of entrepreneurship, it inevitably requires personal involvement, which greatly delays cultivation.

If he relied solely on himself to create puppets, draw talismans, practice alchemy, and form arrays, he’d likely wear himself out over a year, ending up with just a few thousand in profits after taxes and material costs, making it not worthwhile.

Bai Yi, after years of honing, had become skilled in handling Tier One Middle Level pills, though slightly challenged with advanced ones. But this was sufficient, emphasizing quantity.

With four True Flames working simultaneously, each paired with a puppet, production running around the clock, monthly output could exceed five thousand, yielding a profit of around seven to eight hundred, enough to cover taxes and sustain the shop.

Guagua, now a Tier Three Great Demon with strong Divine Sense, also possessed innate illusion divine abilities. Li Jizhou decided to focus heavily on its training, hoping it could thoroughly study the array path. By then, it could utilize its illusion talent to create illusionary chessboard arrays, likely becoming twice as effective with half the effort.

These were the guarantees at the beginning of the venture.

As for how to expand and strengthen later, Li Jizhou planned to consider after forming the Golden Core.

For now, it was important to proceed steadily, first establishing a foothold in the Yan Kingdom before moving forward.

Without truly comprehending the Yan Kingdom’s circumstances or fully integrating, aiming for the sky seemed somewhat over-ambitious.

A few days later, Li Jizhou arranged the backyard properly.

The first section of the courtyard was designated as a landscape area, planted with various flowers and plants. Li Jizhou primarily resided in the second section, while the third section served as Bai Yi and Guagua’s working area.

In the subsequent days, besides cultivating, Li Jizhou almost entirely devoted his time to the training of Bai Yi and Guagua.

Bai Yi was relatively fine. Though lacking high intelligence, it had become adept with the few new Tier One Middle Level pill recipes Li Jizhou provided after years of habitual alchemy, each True Flame crafting one.

Despite Guagua having some intellect, it was clueless about arrays, making teaching somewhat strenuous. Were it not for Li Jizhou’s calm nature, he might have already exploded.

Until the day before the end of the month, Bai Yi had already crafted a hundred bottles each of four types of Tier One Mid Stage pills, with a very few top-grade ones, a substantial amount of top-grade and middle-grade ones, perfectly accomplishing the task.

Li Jizhou was very pleased with this.

However, Guagua hadn’t even finished reviewing one-tenth of the Tier One array inheritance material within the month.

It was also on this day that a notice of recruitment posted a week ago attracted the fourth interviewee.

The previous three interviewees had all been rejected by Li Jizhou.

He primarily sought someone ostensibly as a shopkeeper, practically just a sales clerk, requiring steadiness, reliability, and capability,

where eloquence was secondary, sincerity being the primary requirement.

The previous three gave off a seasoned, cunning aura once they opened their mouths, overly reliant on little tricks, and demanded high monthly pay.

“Senior, I saw your job posting, so I came to take a look.”

This time, a female cultivator in her twenties at the Qi Cultivation Sixth Level came.

Demure and delicate, though her speech was gentle, her gaze was rather firm.

Casually asked a few questions,

her background was relatively clean, born and raised in the Immortal City, her father previously worked in a mining area directly under the alliance, dying on the job a few years back.

She and her mother both previously worked as receptionists in the same pill workshop, but her mother unexpectedly died recently while attempting Foundation Establishment.

She wanted to change her work environment to avoid the grieving reminders.

Li Jizhou was quite satisfied with her profile, no concerns, and she had work experience.

Eventually, Li Jizhou signed a contract with her at a monthly rate of forty Spirit Stones, providing her with a Taobao Pavilion identity Jade Talisman issued by the alliance.

The agreement stipulated her working hours from the hour of the Chen (dawn) to the hour of the You (evening).

Responsible for greeting customers, sales, and arranging the store, without entering the inner courtyard or probing idly.

With everything ready,

the next day, Taobao Pavilion officially opened its doors for business.

The shop’s merchandise covered a wide range,

from Tier One Middle Level pills to Tier Two High-Level ones were available, with the most variety, while Tier Two premium Breaking Rank Pills and Youthful Appearance Pills were particularly eye-catching.

The puppets were all Tier Two, with two quasi-Third Tier puppets, incorporating Demon Pill, drawing attention.

There were numerous Tier One and Tier Two talismans, with plenty of premium ones.

Additionally, there were chessboard arrays, magical artifacts, and magical treasures, each having a few.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep