Chapter 211: Top-notch Show Off
After a moment, amidst the chaos, the two of them gasped and returned to their seats.
They locked eyes menacingly for a moment.
Then, suddenly, they both smiled at each other.
Sang Zhe found an excuse to send Yu Xia away, and Sad Frog also ordered all the servants to leave.
In the end, only the two of them remained in the room.
“Alright, enough pretending.”
Sad Frog fanned himself and said, “No need for subtlety, where are you from, buddy?”
“Twenty-four years old, a nobody in a small city, just a wage slave. You, Sang Zhe?”
“Graduate student at a prestigious 985 in the capital, Bai Ming.”
Sang Zhe: “?”
Well, sorry about that; we’re clearly not from the same world.
“I was thinking, someone who can pull off this kind of show in the Scarlet Red Pavilion’s livestream is definitely not a local cultivator from this world.”
“True.” Sang Zhe took a sip of his drink, “People in this world are, in some sense, quite simple.”
Bai Ming lounged casually, drinking while complaining: “When I first arrived, I felt pretty lost. It seems like people here only care about cultivation; their tech tree is all in that direction, and they have no practical life skills at all.”
“Even their business methods are still the most primitive form of trade, with no large monopolistic enterprises to speak of.”
“For us, coming from a business family, growing up surrounded by it, this is like pure untapped gold.”
“Look at this, in just over a decade, I could monopolize the entire cultivation market.”
He sighed dramatically: “When I first got here, I was frustrated that I hadn’t had some kind of system or golden finger like in the novels.”
“But thinking back, I wouldn’t even need that.”
“Having a brain is enough.” He pointed at his head with pride.
Sang Zhe was quietly listening.
If Bai Ming was right, then his situation was also the typical arrogant protagonist script.
No system, no golden finger—just using his brain to secure a stable life in a cultivation world that values strength above all.
Of course.
While he made it sound easy, Sang Zhe knew the beginning of the story surely wasn’t that smooth.
He must have faced quite a few hardships to achieve his current success, right?
“Come, let’s toast to Brother Bai!”
After clinking glasses, Bai Ming noticeably started to feel tipsy, swaying as he said: “Even though I’ve made a lot of money now…”
“It’s still lonely. This vast cultivation world is ultimately foreign to me.”
“Thank goodness I met you today, Brother Sang. To share a laugh and have a heartfelt conversation.”
“Your turn now, Brother Sang.” He burped, eyeing Sang Zhe eagerly, “Tell me your story.”
“Me?” Sang Zhe blinked.
Strange as it was, it didn’t seem all that exciting upon reflection.
“If I had to say, I guess I’m not much different from my previous life.”
“Just a tragic wage slave trying to save money to buy a house, get married, and have kids.”
“That sounds pretty grim.” Bai Ming clicked his tongue, “Your cultivation level doesn’t seem high either; looks like you’re just a minor foundation level, must be tough for you.”
He patted Sang Zhe’s shoulder with sympathy: “I get it, the bottom-level cultivators in this world aren’t much better off than ordinary folks back home.”
“We’re all oppressed in our own ways. If you’re lucky, you might end up in a clan, only to be bullied by higher-ups. If you’re unlucky, you’re just a wandering cultivator, risking your life to snatch opportunities.”
“Ugh, it’s not easy for anyone.”
Sang Zhe nodded in deep agreement.
The two clinked glasses again, as if drowning their sorrows in alcohol.
“Don’t worry, bro.” Bai Ming suddenly waved his hand, “Join me, work with me.”
“I can see you’ve got a brain from how you handled the Scarlet Red Pavilion. Teaming up with me will guarantee your future.”
“So, what’s your monthly salary now?”
Sang Zhe thought a bit: “Uh, managed to be a senior executive by luck, annual salary is about 200,000 high-tier spirit stones.”
“Five million.” Bai Ming waved his hand grandly.
Sang Zhe’s heart raced a bit.
“This… isn’t that too much? I finally got to this position in their sect and built some connections with my superiors and colleagues. It seems a bit reluctant to jump ship—”
“…Monthly salary.”
“Sir, when are we getting the paperwork done?”
Seeing the stars in Sang Zhe’s eyes, Bai Ming nodded in satisfaction: “Now that’s more like it. What future do you have stuck in some shabby sect?”
“I know this world too well. In these cultivation sects, if your aptitude isn’t good enough and your cultivation doesn’t improve, you’ll always be a small fry, with no hope of rising.”
“If you stick with me, even if you’re just a minor foundation level now, even if you were a no-cultivation mortal, I can make everyone greet you as ‘Master Sang’ out of respect!”
Sang Zhe listened, intrigued, and couldn’t help but ask: “Is our commerce association really that impressive?”
“Heh.”
Bai Ming smiled confidently: “Even in the cultivation world, those top-tier cultivators are still few and far between. Most are ordinary cultivators aspiring for upward mobility.”
“What’s most important for ordinary cultivators?”
“…Resources. That means spirit stones.”
“With spirit stones, cultivation is much more efficient. It’s way faster than extracting spiritual energy from nature, right?”
“My Floating Splendor Commerce controls nearly half the spirit stone circulation in the cultivation world. Countless people spend spirit stones here, and many cultivators rely on our commerce’s spirit stone salaries to survive.”
“After years of operations, Floating Splendor Commerce has penetrated every corner of the cultivation world; everyone uses our products and enjoys the convenience we provide.”
“We have three guest guards at the Crossing Tribulation Stage. Though we lack a Great Ascension-level expert… those kinds of cultivators are rarely encountered.”
“As long as we want, it’s easy to provoke a war or the downfall of a small sect. Even the holy lands maintain close ties with us.”
“That’s the confidence monopolistic capital gives me.” Bai Ming said with a smile.
Sang Zhe couldn’t help but sincerely agree.
Thinking back, Bai Ming was also a top-notch arrogant protagonist.
This level of show-off was truly top-tier.
“So, what do you say? Are you tempted?”
Bai Ming said confidently: “Join us; work with your big bro Bai, and you’ll enjoy a rich life ahead.”
Sang Zhe was quite tempted but still said: “Uh… I can’t decide on my own; I need to consult my leader first.”
“Consult? What nonsense.”
Bai Ming scoffed, “Give me your leader’s contact info, and I’ll talk to him.”
After Sang Zhe handed over a phone number, Bai Ming confidently dialed it, starting off with, “I want Sang Zhe. What’s his price?”
Sang Zhe didn’t hear what was said afterward.
All he knew was, moments later, Bai Ming’s face began to change.
After a long silence, he hung up, turned, and looked at Sang Zhe silently.
“Your leader… is at the Great Ascension Stage?”
Sang Zhe innocently nodded.
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