NOVEL NEXT Chapter 232 - 212: This Child Is Not a Concern
Chapter 232: Chapter 212: This Child Is Not a Concern
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Prince Liang Wu, over seventy years old this year, had a cultivation level of just the initial stage of Foundation Establishment—built up purely through the use of resources, just like his elder brother, Liang Chun.
In the Cultivation World, advancing to each major realm requires surviving the Heavenly Tribulation in order to gain recognition from the Heavenly Dao and permission to ascend.
So, while there’s only one level between the ninth level of Qi Cultivation and the initial stage of Foundation Establishment, from level 9 to 10.
The difference in lifespan between the two, due to the Heavenly Tribulation, is almost threefold.
However, the lifespan of someone in the initial stage of Foundation Establishment compared to someone at Foundation Establishment Great Perfection isn’t nearly as disparate.
Therefore, quite a few wealthy individuals, such as Prince Qi Liang Chun and Prince Liang Wu, would use their resources to pile up their cultivation to the initial stage of Foundation Establishment.
Of course, there are those who fail to do so, because transcending the Heavenly Tribulation carries a great risk and can easily lead to immediate demise.
Ever since he began his journey to Foundation Establishment, Prince Liang Wu deeply understood one truth.
In the Cultivation World, resources are king!
If you have enough resources, even someone with no talent for cultivation like him could surpass many of his peers and advance to Foundation Establishment!
This principle applies just as well to the struggle for imperial succession!
His elder brother, Liang Chun, was born over thirty years before him.
Whether it was connections, status, or capital, Liang Chun was far superior to him.
But in the end, it was because Liang Chun had more money!
With money comes connections, with money comes status, and with money, one naturally doesn’t have to worry about resources for cultivation.
While others focused on currying favor with the powerful and expanding their influence, Liang Wu resolutely discarded all ineffective socializing and focused solely on making money!
To put it in more modern terms, it was called “raising funds for ascension to the throne”.
Liang Wu first approached the most profitable shop in the Capital—Pill Cauldron Pavilion.
He said, “Hello, I am Prince Han Liang Wu, and I’m preparing to run for Crown Prince. I’m still short of some capital for ascension. If you invest some money in me, once I become the Emperor of Liang, I will definitely make Pill Cauldron Pavilion the royal supplier.”
The manager of Pill Cauldron Pavilion replied simply, “I’m sorry, fellow Daoist, but we’ve sold out of Dream-Deciphering Pills. We do have some elixirs for treating brain injury-induced mental disorders, do you need any of those?”
“I don’t need them.”
“Right now, the shop is having a promotion, the second pill is half-off. The average sale price is a third below the market price. It’s a limited-time offer, once it’s gone, there won’t be another chance like this.”
Not wanting to leave empty-handed and hearing there was a profit to be made, Liang Wu said, “Then I’ll take two.”
The manager of Pill Cauldron Pavilion took Liang Wu’s money and handed him one elixir.
Liang Wu asked in surprise, “Didn’t we agree the second elixir would be half-off? Why only one?”
The manager of Pill Cauldron Pavilion explained, “Our policy is half-price for the second head. If you don’t have two heads with brain injuries, we suggest that you find a friend to give you a chop.”
Prince Liang Wu failed his first attempt at raising investments and then approached the second most profitable shop—Pill Treasure Workshop.
This time he changed his approach to something more reliable: “I have a surefire moneymaking opportunity, would you be interested in joining?”
Manager of Pill Treasure Workshop: “What opportunity?”
“You put in money, I provide the manpower. I become the emperor, and you will become the dragon ministers who follow.”
After hearing this, the manager of Pill Treasure Workshop treated Liang Wu with great respect, providing fine food and drink and behaving with utmost courtesy.
Although the manager did not mention anything about money, Liang Wu felt confident that he had secured the funds for his ascension this time.
Hard work pays off.
The harder you work, the luckier you become—that was said of the manager of Pill Treasure Workshop.
After a heroic bargaining effort by the manager of Pill Treasure Workshop, Liang Wu was arrested for treason by Six Fan Gate half a day later.
Although Liang Wu had declared his identity early on, the professionalism of the Six Fan Gate arrest officers was so good that they never cracked a smile.
The constables acknowledged Liang Wu as a Prince, but that didn’t stop their handcuffs.
Eventually, it was Liang Wu’s wife who realized he was missing and found him in a Six Fan Gate detention facility.
Prince Han’s Mansion wasn’t short on money, but they didn’t have the spare funds to bribe officials and campaign for the position of Crown Prince either.
Just when Prince Liang Wu’s path to the throne seemed utterly hopeless, a “highly skilled person” appeared.
Not only did the highly skilled person believe in Liang Wu’s abilities, but also invested five million Spirit Stones in him for free. More importantly, he showed Liang Wu the way forward—get Jiang Cheng to draw a Talisman.
He recounted to Liang Wu the talismans that Jiang Cheng had drawn in the Capital.
Each one possessed tremendous commercial potential.
Exactly how much money Jiang Cheng had made wasn’t disclosed by the skilled person, and Liang Wu wasn’t sure either.
But judging by the fact that the skilled person casually took out five million and called Jiang Cheng “able to make money”, Jiang Cheng’s talismans surely had already made millions in low-grade Spirit Stones!
Keep in mind, these are just first-level talismans!
First-level talismans worth just over a dozen Spirit Stones each!
As long as he found Jiang Cheng to draw talismans, the throne of the Emperor of Liang was within easy reach!
Liang Wu felt that the “highly skilled person” was simply his soulmate!
Could a soulmate ever be wrong?
Without a second thought, he immediately contacted Jiang Cheng through his connection—the head of the recruitment office, Li Youyuan.
At Li Youyuan’s home, Liang Wu got straight to the point: “It’s like this, I’d like to commission you to draw a Talisman for me.”
With the five million in ascension funds from the skilled person, offering fifty million to have Jiang Cheng draw a first-level talisman shouldn’t be difficult.
After all, the fifty million would be paid in one lump sum.
But to Liang Wu’s complete surprise, Jiang Cheng flatly refused him without a second word.
“I’m sorry, Second Highness, but my schedule is fully booked,” Jiang Cheng said.
“I’ll give you fifty million!”
Liang Wu declared, quite authoritatively.
Fifty million for a Qi Cultivation stage cultivator was no doubt an enormous sum.
Jiang Cheng remained unmoved: “The schedule is really full.”
“One hundred million!”
Liang Wu upped the ante once again.
He did not believe that Jiang Cheng could refuse him this time.
“I’m not lying, it’s truly packed.”
Even if Jiang Cheng had hesitated for a moment, it would have been a show of disrespect towards the mortgage of Liang Hong’s Prince Mansion.
Although the location of Prince Liang Hong’s mansion was modest, its large land area meant that a genuine sale would undoubtedly involve transactions in the tens of millions.