Fairy, return my flying sword to me

Chapter 217 Bottom Line

Chapter 217 Bottom Line
All he could hear were doubts about Lin Jian's decision, and the Transmission Elder's face grew increasingly dark.

These elders spoke of the forest, but every word they uttered expressed doubt about his ability to transmit his powers.

"To agree to such an outrageous request and even bring it up for discussion here, it's obvious they've lost their mind."

"I know that some disciples have indeed performed exceptionally well in the past few days, but that doesn't mean they can't recognize their own abilities. Even if a disciple is inexperienced and doesn't understand the implications, surely the elders, as their seniors, can't understand either? If a disciple makes a mistake, we, as their teachers, should explain the consequences and guide them onto the right path, rather than indulging them in their reckless behavior!"

"Exactly! Let's all move on, let's stop making a mountain out of a molehill."

The outcry quickly gained the upper hand, and even the law enforcement elder, who had a fairly good relationship with the transmission elder, found it difficult to voice his support.

Unable to transfer his power, he could only plead with the sect leader, hoping he could guide the current situation, "Sect leader, please say something..."

The sect leader kept his eyes down, his expression indifferent, as if he hadn't shown favoritism to anyone.

Upon hearing the plea for help, he merely raised his eyelids and glanced at all the elders in front of him.

From the different expressions on their faces, he could roughly tell what each elder was thinking.

Some... are firmly opposed.

A small minority... agree.

More... is not complete opposition.

Yes! Not entirely against it.

That means not objecting at all.

They did have some opposition, but they weren't desperately trying to stop it.

More importantly, they didn't want the sect to expend too many resources on this matter.

Yes! Too much...

The sect leader instantly understood what they were thinking.

If you want to use someone else's private secret realm, you definitely can't do it without paying a price.

But as long as the cost isn't too high, it doesn't seem so unacceptable to let a newly emerging genius from a sect give it a try.

What if?
What if this genius really does gain some great opportunity from this?
After all, he has already been chosen by the successor of the Holy Land. What if this disciple really has such strength and good fortune?

As long as the cost of this attempt isn't too high, it probably won't be stopped anymore.

Having made up his mind, the sect leader cleared his throat, and the scene instantly fell silent.

"I understand everyone's opinions," the sect leader said loudly. "It's a good thing that the sect disciples are willing to challenge themselves! We should support them... However, this kind of matter involves negotiations with other sects, and whether it can be accomplished cannot be decided by us simply by discussing it internally and holding a meeting. So..."

The sect leader pointed to the elder who was the most resolute in his opposition and said, "Elder Cangjing, you go with Chuangong."

The Sutra Repository Elder slowly typed a question mark, "Hmm?"

If the other person hadn't been the sect leader, he would have asked, "Are you alright? Are you alright? Are you alright?"

Anyone with eyes can see how firm their stance is.

I was so vehemently opposed to him doing this secret realm exchange, and you still want me to go with him?

What am I going to do?
Should I go see him and cause him distress, or should I go and cause him distress?
The sect leader smiled, seemingly oblivious to the Scripture Elder's slight displeasure. "You all go together, so you can keep an eye on each other. It's good that the sect disciples are ambitious, and we should encourage them. But if the cost is too high, then it's also good to let the disciples know that our sect also has its own difficulties."

The elder who was passing on his skills asked, "So, does the sect leader mean... to bring Lin Jian along as well?"

"Take them all! Take them all!" The sect leader clasped his hands together. "This is his business. If he doesn't go, who will? In short, the three of you will be sent on this mission to negotiate with the Pure Yang Sword Sect. As for the price to pay, and how much you are willing to pay, you can decide for yourselves. That's all... Disperse!"

The disciple's face lit up with joy, "I will obey the sect leader's decree!"

The sect leader smiled without saying a word, then turned and left with his hands behind his back.

The other elders looked around and exchanged a few glances privately.

'Sect Master is truly brilliant!'

'The sect leader is tough!'

'This is going to test all three of them at the same time!'

First, let's set the tone: "Support."

Then we'll see how much the two of them are willing to pay to secure this spot in the secret realm.

The cost was too high, which was due to inadequate supervision of the Buddhist scriptures.

If things cannot be accomplished, it is because the ability to communicate is limited.

Moreover, the disciple himself went there and witnessed the sect's plans for him.

Even if things don't work out in the end, only the Sutra Repository will offend this disciple, and it won't implicate the entire sect.

Moreover, the two people with diametrically opposed positions will restrain each other, which will prevent things from going too far astray... so that there won't be a situation where the cost is too high or they are determined to cause trouble.

That's absolutely wonderful!
After the sect leader left, the crowd in the main hall quickly dispersed.

Only Chuan Gong and Zang Jing remained, staring at each other in silence.

Seeing the smiling face on Chuan Gong's face, Cang Jing was furious. "Don't be so smug! The sect leader agreed to let you try, but he also asked me to come along! I won't stand by and watch you sell out the sect!"

"What are you saying, Elder Gu? We are from the Zhengyang Sect, not from their Chunyang Sword Sect. Although we need to rely on him because of the Four Sects Alliance, our Zhengyang Sect may one day become a large sect. How could I want the sect to be humiliated and bullied? But since the sect leader supports it, I hope Elder Gu can act impartially and work together to make this a success."

The Scripture Elder's face turned ashen, and he stormed off in a huff. "I'd like to see what you're going to offer in exchange for this spot in the secret realm! Although the sect leader supports it, if the price is too high, I'd rather be resented by that disciple than stand by and watch you two act recklessly!"

"Hmph! If the Pure Yang Sword Sect really makes outrageous demands, then I certainly won't tolerate it! You don't need to remind me!"

"That's the best!"

"Humph!"

The two turned their backs and walked away arrogantly.

The master immediately went to Lin Jian, who had been waiting for news, to deliver the good news.

"The sect leader has agreed, but we need to make the contact ourselves."

"Huh?" Lin Jian stared with somewhat bewildered eyes, waiting for further explanation from the other party.

“As you know, the sect’s situation hasn’t been very good lately. Exchanging secret realm slots with others is never easy to negotiate. If the other party has a big appetite, Jian’er, you need to be mentally prepared.” Chuan Gong spoke with slightly lowered eyelids, an expression that said, “I’ve done my best, but if things really can’t be done for you, don’t blame me.” “I know, I know!” Lin Jian exclaimed happily. “I’m already incredibly grateful that the sect is willing to support me. If the sect has to pay too high a price, it would make me feel guilty.”

Whether things work out or not, it's just for fun.

Anyway, there's a guaranteed minimum from Chunxue... but this guaranteed minimum probably comes at some price.

Otherwise, given Chunxue's personality, she wouldn't have made him try to find a channel through the sect first.

"I'm glad you understand!" Chuan Gong was overjoyed and patted Lin Jian's shoulder affectionately. "I knew I hadn't misjudged you. Don't worry! Even if this doesn't work out, I'll find you another secret realm to train in."

He had never really understood this disciple before; he only approached him because of the disciple's talent.

But after several encounters, it was discovered that this kid was sensible and knew when to advance and retreat, unlike some arrogant people who would get carried away once they were flattered. He was indeed a person worth supporting.

Since everyone was a cultivator, and they had already determined the basic course of action, the four of them immediately set off.

The Chunyang Sword Sect and the Zhengyang Sect both belong to the same state, namely Longxiang State.

However, the territory of a single state is vast, and even the Baoli Kingdom, which once had a population of over a billion, is just one of the many mortal kingdoms in Longxiang State.

The distance from Zhengyang Sect to Chunyang Sword Sect is about the same as the distance to Baoliuli Kingdom.

The four boarded a flying boat and embarked on their journey to the Chunyang Sword Sect.

……

"Have you decided on what terms to use for negotiation?" On the flying boat, the Scripture Elder, who had been holding back for a while, took the initiative to ask the Transmission Elder for the first time.

"Let's go with a three-to-one ratio," the Transmission Elder calmly stated his plan. "Trading three of our Xuan Yang Cave Heaven's spots for one of theirs is already giving them enough face. They're both secret realms, so a three-for-one exchange is still a win for them..."

The Scripture Elder immediately sneered, "Oh? Since the Transmission Elder is so confident, let's negotiate with this as the bottom line! If you can reach an agreement with this condition, I support you to change it however you want! I support you to bring back as many spots as you want! Not only can we let that kid Lin Jian go to the Sword Ruins Secret Realm for training, but all the disciples of our sect can go and have a look inside!"

"Hey, hey, hey! What's the rush?" Chuan Gong tugged at him. "Isn't this asking for the moon and then trying to haggle? If we don't lower our initial demands, how will we have any room to negotiate later? What if they see we really want it and try to make an exorbitant demand?"

"Bargaining?" Zang Jing glanced at him sideways. "That's between us and the Pure Yang Sword Sect. What I'm asking you now is your bottom line! In your eyes, am I on your side or on the Pure Yang Sword Sect's side?!"

After staring at the other person for a while, Chuan Gong suddenly smiled and said, "Don't be angry when I tell you."

"Don't worry." Zang Jing stared at the transmission of power. "After all these years of friendship, don't you know me?"

As the master finally let out a sigh of relief, the scripture repository added, "It will be angry."

"..."

Zang Jing rolled up his sleeves. "You speak first. I want to see exactly how you plan to sell the sect!"

"I plan to approach this from three aspects."

"Um……"

"First, exchange secret realms for secret realms. Our Xuan Yang Cave Heaven has abundant mineral resources, among which 'Crimson Refined Gold Essence' is exclusively produced by us and is a superior ore for refining many magical artifacts. Give them five of our mining quotas, five for one. This is the minimum."

“Hmm…” Zangjing nodded in agreement, “That’s more like it, otherwise people will think we’re making fun of them.”

"Secondly, there's the resource package. Not only the Crimson Gold Essence, but other rare and precious materials produced in the Profound Sun Cave Heaven, such as Earth Vein Spirit Milk and Golden Crow Sand, are also highly sought-after treasures. I plan to send them out... two percent of last year's annual production."

“This…” Zang Jing frowned slightly, his expression solemn, and remained silent.

"Furthermore!" Chuan Gong gritted his teeth, as if making a firm decision, and insisted, "Open up the right to free trade of all special products of Xuan Yang Cave Heaven, and allow Chun Yang Sword Sect to purchase one-tenth of the annual output of special products from our Xuan Yang Cave Heaven Secret Realm at a fair price."

"What?!" Zang Jing suddenly stood up, looking at the face of the person transmitting the skill with uncontrollable rage. "Fine, fine! I'm telling you why you told me not to be angry. This isn't pushing the Pure Yang Sword Sect's bottom line, it's pushing mine!"

"You know what Xuan Yang Cave Heaven is, right?! It's the lifeblood of our Zheng Yang Sect!"

The reason why the Zhengyang Sect is called the Zhengyang Sect is because its foundation comes from this secret realm.

The initial accumulation of wealth within the sect, including the operation of the current mountain-protecting formation and many other mountain gate formations, is inseparable from the output of this secret realm.

Everyone knows the principle that scarcity increases value, and the Zhengyang Sect has always carefully controlled the outflow of those unique local specialties.

If you have enough for yourself, you can naturally sell more to others.

If you don't even have enough for yourself, then naturally you won't be able to buy it anywhere else, even if you have the money.

This intermittent sense of prestige is what ensures their Zhengyang Sect's certain market position.

However, if there is another place besides Zhengyang Sect where the special products of Xuanyang Cave Heaven can be obtained reliably, the entire sect's position in the market may be impacted.

"I won't agree!" the scriptures roared.

“But you know, we’re asking for a favor.” Chuan Gong looked at the other person earnestly, his eyes pleading. “The first two conditions are decent, but they’re only decent; they don’t show sincerity. If the other party really isn’t interested, we’ll have absolutely no say…”

"Add a time limit!" Zang Jing said solemnly. "Ten years! No! Eight years! Free trade can only be allowed for eight years! Our Zheng Yang Sect's core advantage must not be completely and unrestrictedly opened to the outside world."

He bowed in reverence, exclaiming, "Elder Gu, your virtue is truly admirable!"

After a long while of wind blowing at the bow of the ship, which carried away the anger, intelligence once again took over.

The sutra repository suddenly realized it had been tricked...

"That old bastard planned to add a time limit from the very beginning!"

Asking for an exorbitant price and then trying to bargain!

The methods TM mentioned from the beginning were ultimately used against their own people.

Even realizing this, Zangjing could only shake his head and sigh helplessly.

"Even if I agree, the other party has to agree first..."

These are their bottom-line conditions, but even these bottom-line conditions may not be enough to sway the other party.

After all, this is a seller's market from beginning to end. If the other party is determined not to sell, there is no way to force them to buy.

If even these conditions cannot be met, then it's really not that he's petty.

……