Chapter 864 Act First, Report Later, Specially Approved by the Immortal Emperor

Su Lingyou in front of him was wearing a light gauze dress, her appearance carrying a bit of cuteness while her whole body exuded a sinister demonic aura.

At the same time, the thoughts in Zhang Yu’s mind were spinning rapidly.

This time, he sought her out precisely to facilitate a further, deeper cooperation with the Heavenly Demon Sect.

Although the market share had now exceeded 5%, which could be considered as occupying a place in the Soul Cultivator Industry of the Former Days Graveyard, Zhang Yu knew that the growth data over these past few days had started to slow down.

And the reason for this… besides the Soul Cultivators being frantically suppressed by Xiao Yunhe’s faction, another major reason was the limited supply of positions.

Currently, it was very difficult for the Soul Cultivator positions provided by the Myriad Laws Sect to have a breakthrough in numbers within a short period.

Even the Netherworld Assets Department hosted by Zhang Yu himself, the Soul Cultivator Company, and all levels of units under his Management Committee, all the Sect Staff… had already been stuffed full of Soul Cultivators by him.

If it weren’t for the budget not allowing it and the lack of usage scenarios, he would even wish to stuff 10 Yang Artifacts onto every Sect Staff under him.

So, to gain more market share, they had to find a new growth point in Soul Cultivator positions.

As a sect that possessed cutting-edge Soul Cultivator technology, the Heavenly Demon Sect’s Soul Cultivator positions were enough to rank in the top three among the Ten Great Sects.

To Zhang Yu, or to any Soul Cultivator Company, the Heavenly Demon Sect was a massive market with a huge demand for Soul Cultivators.

However, it was precisely because of this high demand that the supply of Soul Cultivators could even affect the stability of the Heavenly Demon Sect. Therefore, they had always been reluctant to easily change suppliers.

Zhang Yu stared at Su Lengyou in front of him and said seriously, “I understand the Heavenly Demon Sect’s previous concerns. Soul Cultivators are the cornerstone of the Heavenly Demon Sect’s operations and are tied to the functioning of countless infrastructures within the sect… Once the supply of Soul Cultivators becomes unstable, major accidents could occur.”

“But over the past few months, the joint venture company’s performance has steadily grown, and the Dharma Realm Technology has already perfectly integrated with your Sect’s Soul Cultivator technology. All of this is enough to prove that our business model and company processes have been thoroughly established and can operate flawlessly. We can become a qualified and stable Soul Cultivator supply partner for the Heavenly Demon Sect, gradually replacing many of your Sect’s original suppliers.”

Since the preparation of the joint venture company, this was not the first time Zhang Yu had discussed this matter with Su Lengyou.

However, this time Zhang Yu had a 5.4% market share, and holding the identity of a Rank 5 Sect Staff. As a quasi Void Refinement Dao Monarch, he was the most confident and assured he had ever been.

“Now, the expansion of the joint venture company is completely ready.”

Zhang Yu continued, “And I believe that replacing Xiao Yunhe’s suppliers belonging to the Soul Cultivator Dao Lineage, and having your Reincarnation Faction control the soul cultivator supply yourselves to further control the soul cultivators within the sect, will only bring benefits to your noble sect and the Reincarnation Immortal Emperor.”

There were still some words Zhang Yu did not say out loud. By having the Reincarnation Immortal Emperor control the soul cultivators within the sect in such a manner, he could not only consolidate his control over the Heavenly Demon Sect and suppress the Soul Cultivator Dao Lineage within the sect, but also profit from it. By acting both as the sect employing soul cultivators and as the supplier providing soul cultivators to earn profits, he could easily transfer funds from one hand to the other, continuously converting sect assets into his private property.

For the Immortal Emperors, their private assets were the true “big picture” of the sect. Only when sect assets was continuously converted into their personal wealth did they see it as a sign of the sect’s strength — this, to them, was the Righteous Path of the Immortal Journey.

Zhang Yu believed that now, with the Dao Lineage Struggle intensifying, the Reincarnation Immortal Emperor would definitely not pass up this opportunity.

Su Lengyou in front of him seemed to be pondering something, and after a moment she said: “The Heavenly Demon Sect has plenty of jobs and positions for Soul Cultivators, but can you provide enough Soul Cultivators?”

Hearing this, Zhang Yu’s heart settled down. He understood that with the results he had shown over the past few months, the Heavenly Demon Sect was finally planning to increase its stakes in the Former Days Graveyard.

Next came the negotiation of various details regarding their further cooperation.

At the same time, apart from providing Soul Cultivator positions within their own sect, the Heavenly Demon Sect would also set up a new company to import Soul Cultivators from the joint venture company, and then arrange to send them to other sects, running a labor dispatch business.

Zhang Yu thought: “Is this like Yangcheng Lake bathed crabs? Using the Heavenly Demon Sect’s signboard to bypass the five major sects’ ban?” ¹

Zhang Yu, of course, did not care about this. He would not turn down business delivered to his door.

Finally, having reached a deep cooperation agreement with the Heavenly Demon Sect, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief after returning to the Immortal Grotto-Heaven.

At this moment, the Heavenly Demon Sect was like an endlessly vast and fertile field spreading out before him.

“Next…”

While thinking, Zhang Yu took a deep breath. The magic power within his body circulated fiercely, and bursts of immortal aura mixed with spiritual energy from within the Grotto-Heaven surged forward, madly rushing into his body.

After cultivating for this period of time, his basic attributes had greatly improved. His dao heart reached level 49 (11.53%), and his physical strength broke through to 49.26 points, both approaching the limit of the Spirit Transformation.

Only his magic power had just broken through 450,000 units, still a distance away from the Spirit Transformation limit of 1,000,000 units.

However, Zhang Yu was not anxious about this. After all, his Primordial Spirit had only just undergone three divine light transformations. Even though he had already obtained the qualification certificate for Void Refinement, he wouldn’t rush to break through to the Void Refinement Realm before completing the ten divine light transformations.

By the time he completed the ten divine light transformations, his basic attributes would definitely have reached the limit of Spirit Transformation long ago, perhaps even without needing to use special methods like the Kunpeng Swallowing Heaven Manual.

With the enhancement of the Spirit Transformation Dao Body, he only needed to spend 1,000 Immortal Coins every day, soaking his Primordial Spirit in the Spirit Transformation Pool, and he could quietly wait for the ten divine light transformations to be completed step by step.

Compared to other cultivators in the Spirit Transformation Realm, who had to consume a large amount of time and Immortal Coins to imprint Incantations, forge Mimetic Magic Power Organs, and collect Primordial Spirit Resources… Zhang Yu had it much easier.

If someone asked for the reason? That was naturally because he possessed an Immortal Legacy.

And ever since joining the sect, having gone through these successive rounds of martial duels, Zhang Yu could increasingly feel the importance of his own abilities.

If his abilities were lacking, he wouldn’t even be able to keep up with his opponents’ meeting efficiency, and he would be utterly crushed in business competitions. A single surprise inspection could beat him into discarding his armor and fleeing, and no matter how many methods he had, he would still be suppressed by absolute power.

Not to mention that the Kunxu Dao Conflict was fierce right now. If the intensity of conflicts increased further in the future and head-on clashes became more frequent, then his own strength would become even more vital. Therefore, a foundation like the ten divine light transformations, which improved the quality of the Primordial Spirit and raised the upper limit of his future immortal path, must definitely be forged and consolidated properly.

Only when that time came would he officially apply for the Void Refinement breakthrough process under the status of the fifth rank. Then, after determining his own Law Edict, he would go for the Void Refining-Dao Unification breakthrough step, and ultimately establish his Law Edict.

Shaking his head, Zhang Yu temporarily suppressed these future plans at the bottom of his heart and began to reconsider the current situation before him.

“With the in-depth cooperation of the Heavenly Demon Sect, the number of Soul Cultivator positions will grow significantly next, so if the joint venture company’s market share is to be further improved… the only thing lacking is the number of Soul Cultivators.”

Immortal Slayer said, “As long as a sufficient number of Soul Cultivators can be provided, the joint venture company’s market share will definitely usher in a massive surge.”

The Sect Examination Clone also said excitedly, “Fighting step by step, constantly seizing market share, and now we have finally grasped the decisive opportunity! The chance for the Myriad Laws Sect to take over the Soul Cultivator Industry and become the industry leader is coming! As long as we can bring in a large number of Soul Cultivators, let alone a 10% market share, we even have a chance to reach 20%!”

Fu Ji asked, “Zhang Yu, how do you plan to attract Soul Cultivators? Over the past few months, we have organized so many benefits and so many activities that we have basically recruited all the easily recruitable Soul Cultivators.”

“Most of the remaining Soul Cultivators fear the ban from Xiao Yunhe and his people. It will not be easy to pry them away.”

Zhang Yu understood in his heart that although Xiao Yunhe’s ban would result in many banned Soul Cultivators having no choice but to become members of the joint venture company, if the other party did not implement the ban, a large number of Soul Cultivators would definitely covet the joint venture company’s benefits, become registered members, and provide a large amount of Soul Cultivator resources for the joint venture company.

And as the prohibition continued, the Soul Cultivators who were easiest to incite had almost all been banned. The remaining Soul Cultivators were more difficult to sway. The power of the prohibition grew greater and greater, like a tightening incantation firmly clamped around the head of the joint venture company, suppressing the upper limit of the Soul Cultivator supply, which in turn constantly and firmly suppressed the joint venture company’s market share.

Zhang Yu slowly said, “Ordinary methods naturally make it difficult to sway them, so… I want to draw the power of another Dao Lineage into the game.”

Fu Ji said in surprise, “Another Dao Lineage? What Dao Lineage?”

“The Heavenly Principles Dao Lineage… aspiration for the Immortal Dao.” Zhang Yu said indifferently, “From top to bottom in Kunxu, how many people do not have an aspiration for the Immortal Dao? The Soul Cultivators of the Former Days Graveyard are the same.”

“And what can best represent the improvement of Immortal Dao Potential… is naturally Immortal Coins.”

Fu Ji’s heart sank, and she hurriedly said, “Zhang Yu, you want to throw money around again? To supply the massive number of Soul Cultivators to the Heavenly Demon Sect, if we purely rely on throwing money to boost the numbers, how many Immortal Coins will we have to spend? We don’t have that much budget!”

Zhang Yu said, “Of course we don’t have that much budget, so I am not going to directly distribute money to attract new Soul Cultivator users, but rather, raise salaries.”

Fu Ji was startled upon hearing this: “Raise salaries?”

Raising salaries was another major core power within the sect.

Salary raises were related to Immortal Coins, Immortal Coins were related to assets, and assets were related to cultivation, abilities, and Immortal Dao Technology.

It could be said that a salary raise was a major event that would affect countless Sect Staff throughout the entire sect.

For a long time, the sect’s management of salary raises had always been extremely cautious. The salary raise processes of the various halls, pavilions, departments, bureaus, and other organizations were all under the strict control of the sect.

It could be said that from Ascension Realm cultivators to outsourced Soul Cultivator workers, the salary levels and raise margins of every section and every tier had strict regulations.

Even Zhang Yu, as the head of the Netherworld Assets Department, had to follow the proper procedures to give his subordinates a raise. The raise margins had to comply with regulations, and each instance required the approval of the Immortal Ascension Hall.

Immortal Slayer said, “In the sect, Immortal Coins are like firepower. Controlling salaries is like controlling munitions. The final decision-making power over salary raises… has always been firmly held in the hands of the Immortal Ascension Hall.”

The Sect Examination Clone said in a rapid tone, “But there are exceptions. Once… when certain industries were in their wild eras, when the relevant sect regulations were not yet perfected, and when various Immortal Dao Technologies within the industries were still advancing by leaps and bounds, in order to encourage development, support the industry, and seize market share, the Immortal Ascension Hall did decentralize the power to raise salaries.”

“Increase first, report later, specially approved by the Immortal Emperor, the right to unlimited salary increases!” the Sect Examination Clone said word by word.

“There is no need to go through layers of approval, no need to follow procedures, ordered on the same day, executed in the same month, deciding the salary values of Sect Staff and outsourced personnel on your own.”

“You want to apply to the Immortal Emperor for this?!”

Fu Ji said in panic, “Zhang Yu, something like the right to unlimited salary increases is too dangerous! Will the Immortal Emperor approve it?”

Zhang Yu knew about the right to unlimited salary increases… this power, placed in Kunxu, was probably more terrifying and impactful than the right to kill.

Even Righteous Gods and the Immortal Clan had to pay compensation if they killed the wrong person.

If the right to unlimited salary increases was investigated afterwards and deemed to have increased the wrong salary, the responsibility would be even greater than killing the wrong person, and the consequences would be more severe, enough to completely destroy a cultivator’s immortal path.

Zhang Yu did not answer, but Immortal Slayer had already spoken. “It’s possible… it’s feasible. The Immortal Emperor has mobilized resources from all sides and pulled together the strategic cooperation of five great sects, already creating the best combat conditions for us in the Former Days Graveyard.”

“That is natural!” Sect Examination said. “For the joint venture company to achieve what it has today, our contribution is second, the Immortal Emperor’s contribution is first. If the Immortal Emperor hadn’t taken on more in other battlefields, our pressure in the Former Days Graveyard would inevitably increase a thousand, ten thousand times.”

Zhang Yu knew that if the Dao Lineage Struggle of the Ten Immortal Emperors had turned the entire sect into a Dao Lineage battlefield, then the light pressure in some places of the battlefield meant that there was heavy pressure in others.

The fact that the Myriad Laws Immortal Emperor could lessen the pressure in the Former Days Graveyard and make other great sects accept the Dharma Realm Soul Cultivators together meant that he must have made major concessions elsewhere and invested massive amounts of resources.

At the same time, pieces of information appeared in Zhang Yu’s eyes, which were precisely the important news related to the Myriad Laws Sect over the past few months.

“If we are the vanguard generals of the Former Days Graveyard, then the Immortal Emperor is the sovereign behind the scenes… responsible for organizing financial and material resources.”

Zhang Yu said, “Over the past few months, in order to expand the Dharma Realm, the Immortal Emperor has invested tremendously, and now that this decisive moment has arrived, I believe he won’t let the opportunity slip by.”

At the same time, in front of Zhang Yu… a new business plan emerged.

“Moreover… for the Myriad Laws Immortal Emperor, after the Soul Cultivators get a salary raise, they still won’t be able to leave the Dharma Realm. The raised salary… will still be absorbed by the Dharma Realm. As the saying goes, money earned in the Dharma Realm is spent in the Dharma Realm.”

“By raising salaries now, the more we raise them, the larger the market we will occupy, and the more we will earn.”

“If the other side follows us in raising salaries, they will only earn less and less.”

“The more we raise salaries, the more we earn, while the more they raise them, the more they lose.”

“I want to raise salaries until they can’t take it anymore. Then I can let this fire of salaries burn throughout the entire Soul Cultivator Industry and completely reshape the industry’s landscape.”

But this time, Zhang Yu did not directly send the plan to the Myriad Laws Immortal Emperor. Instead, he came outside the Immortal Grotto-Heaven and first had a conversation with Fa Liuyuan.

He knew that for this kind of matter, he had to give a heads-up to his apparent backer first.

Zhang Yu also believed that the Reformist Faction would not oppose his proposal.

After all, for high-level cultivators of the Reformist Faction like Fa Liuyuan, this was a good opportunity.

A good opportunity to use the pretext of the Myriad Laws Immortal Emperor expanding the Dharma Realm to conduct a reform test on the Soul Cultivator industry, an industry with unrelated interests.

Zhang Yu believed that the Reformist Faction would not only not oppose him, but would even support him.

And looking at the message Zhang Yu sent, Fa Liuyuan quickly responded.

A temporary Dharma Realm suddenly descended, sweeping Zhang Yu into an Immortal Palace.

Fa Liuyuan looked at Zhang Yu in front of him and said solemnly, “You want to apply for the right to raise salaries infinitely? Do you know what this means?”

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