Forge your destiny into a sword, slash your soul and ascend to immortality

Chapter 101 The Sorrow of the Elephant God
According to legend, an ancestor of the [Ying family] was in charge of the destiny of the [Galaxy] and, with great generosity, built a [Tianhe Waterway] between the twelve upper continents of the [Ying Futu Realm].

This waterway starts from Yingdu in Jingzhou and reaches the core areas of various continents. Its total length exceeds 10 million miles, making it the first infrastructure construction project in Yingfutu Realm.

Monks from various continents sailed their boats up the Tianhe River. If they went upstream, they could reach the Xingwu Wharf in Yingdu in fifteen days.

If we change the waterway and go upstream again, we can reach another upper island in fifteen days.

No matter which continent people are from, it only takes a month at most and one waterway transfer to reach the entire country, which is extremely efficient.

The flow of materials and personnel between the upper continents can be accomplished entirely by this [Tianhe Waterway]. It can be said to be an excellent display of great magical power. For mortals, it is the most real miracle.

If Jing Qian wants to go to [Yingdu], he has to follow the procedures and abide by the rules and use the [Tianhe Waterway] to travel.

As we approached the main island of Zizhu Island, more and more ships appeared on the sea.

The political and economic status of [Haizhou] is several levels higher than that of [Hunzhou]. There are three subordinate military continents radiating from it. Except for [Hunzhou] which is isolated overseas, the other two continents are not far away from it and have close exchanges with it.

In addition, [Cihangzhai] is stationed here, and there is a major renovation to suppress it. There is no worry in the Yin years, and there is a way to practice, so it is extremely popular.

After sailing for a while, Jing Qian discovered that the ships on the sea were becoming even more densely packed.

However, even in the land of [Haizhou], the two treasure ships he drove were of great value and were obviously overhauled.

The ordinary ships around it could not keep up with its speed, so when they saw it, they gave way and let it move to the front.

Not long after, Jing Qian arrived at the pier of [Zizhu Island].

In order to defend against the invasion of Yin Nian, [Zizhu Island] also built its own dock in a quite unique way.

This place is called [Windmill Pier]. It is a row of huge bamboo Ferris wheels. From a distance, it looks like a windmill.

There are 108 large platforms on each Ferris wheel, and each platform has a bamboo dock for boats to dock.

The docks are of various shapes and sizes, and can accommodate at least three to five ships, or as many as seven to eight ships.

A Ferris wheel can accommodate hundreds of ships.

There are twelve Ferris wheels in this row, which can easily accommodate thousands of ships.

These docks are all owned by businesses on [Zizhu Island]. They rented the Ferris wheel platform and built their own docks to accommodate foreign ships.

The Ferris wheel rotates slowly. Once you board a dock, if you want to go out to sea again, you have to wait for the Ferris wheel to turn the dock back to the surface of the sea.

Only when the Ferris wheel reaches the top can you reach the main island of [Purple Bamboo Island] and then drive the boat up there.

This [Windmill Wharf] has a unique structure and is extremely spectacular. The scenery is dizzying and quite enjoyable to look at.

This was his first time visiting [Purple Bamboo Island], and he didn't have any familiar reception docks, so he just randomly picked a Ferris wheel with the least queues and drove the two treasure ships directly onto the dock that had just been turned to the sea.

The dock was not very large, but the two treasure ships filled up the entire space.

He jumped off the deck and landed on the ground, only to see a brother and sister walking towards him.

The elder brother who was in the lead spoke respectfully:
"Senior, welcome to Windmill Wharf. It's a pleasure to serve you."

"My name is Lin Dong, and this is my sister, Lin Wan. This shipyard is a family business that has been here for two hundred years. We are both familiar with everything on the island. If you need anything, please let us know."

"My dock charges a low fee. I can issue a letter of guarantee and send a group of five or fewer people to the island."

"The guarantee fee plus the dock fee is only three gold ingots a day."

Jing Qian nodded after hearing this. [Worldly Explanation] glanced at the two people in front of him. They were both ninth-grade [Destiny] cultivators, nothing surprising, and no obvious ill intentions. He then answered:
"Give me a letter of guarantee to go to the island."

"I came to [Purple Bamboo Island] this time to sell this seventh-grade treasure ship. Can you take it?"

When Lin Dong heard this, his eyes immediately lit up, and he knew that a big job was coming his way!
He just opened his mouth and said:
"Senior, does your ship have all the necessary paperwork?"

"If the paperwork is complete, I can find a buyer within half a day!"

Jing Qian frowned and asked:
"What procedures do you need?"

Lin Dong was also stunned after hearing this. He didn't expect that this customer was so aggressive and came to sell the boat without knowing anything.

He continued:

"Senior, all treasure ships of our Divine Dynasty that have reached a certain grade must be registered and filed. The file travels with the ship. As for your seventh-grade treasure ship, the magic power mark is registered in [Hunzhou]."

"If you want to sell it through formal channels, you must bring the paperwork along."

Jing Qian's time traveling was too short. Apart from practicing, he didn't care about worldly affairs and had no idea about these details.

However, he was not panicked. He just replied:

"Got it. I'll send someone back to get it. I'll give it to you in three days at the latest. You can contact the buyer normally."

"By the way, as the consideration for the transaction, you can help me take out part of it in exchange for 800 pieces of [White Fang]-level Siren Materials."

"Yes, my lord!"

Lin Dong became even more excited. With this transaction, he could earn double the commission. It was definitely a huge deal.

After Jing Qian finished his instructions, he turned around and walked into the cabin of the Dingyuan. Then, his figure flashed and disappeared on the spot.

When he turned around, he had returned to [Hunzhou Island] and appeared on the first floor of the pagoda government office.

The trip to [Zhuling Cave Heaven] took him a whole year, and returning here felt like a lifetime ago.

He strolled out of the pagoda, set up a light of escape, and headed towards the Hunzhou sea city.

The last time he came back, he killed all the monks and soldiers brought by Xiang Yu from [Wuchang Temple], creating a power vacuum in the entire [Hunzhou].

I don’t know what the situation on the island has become after a year.

When he landed in the center of Haishi, he was shocked to find that the entire Haishi was extremely lively, even more prosperous than before the great changes in [Hunzhou].

All main stores have resumed business and are even more vibrant than before.

He put on the mask that represented his identity, and immediately appeared in front of the [Hunzhou] schoolmaster.

Follow the road out of two intersections, turn around and enter the gate of Xu's main store.

He raised his hand and called a servant to call Xu Xi over. He then found a reception room and sat down.

Xu's store, which specializes in shipbuilding and transportation, was actually crowded with customers and doing booming business, which was indeed beyond his expectations.

Not long after, Xu Xi walked in from outside with a rosy face.

When he saw Jing Qian, his spirits became even higher, and he began to speak:
"Xiao Qian, you're out of seclusion!"

"You are now a ninth-rank [Spiritual Officer] of the Divine Dynasty and have become the Dean of our [Hunzhou] Academy. This is truly cause for celebration!"

"If your aunt could see you now, she would be so happy."

Jing Qian exchanged a few pleasantries with Xu Xi, then said:
"Uncle Xi, how come there are so many customers in this Hai City? Business is so much better than before."

"With those monks gone, who's in charge of the island now?"

But Xu Xi replied:
"Haha, you can't imagine this!"

"More than a year ago, [Wuchang Temple] and [Chunyang Ruins] were fighting over the renovations, and all the people brought by Xinzhizhou were killed. The entire government office was completely paralyzed, with all the old staff gone and all the new staff dead."

"Later, things piled up too much, so the remaining people from the Zhengdian gathered together and formed a chamber of commerce to discuss and manage all matters in Hai City."

"Without the hassles of officials above us, and with fewer people trying to share the money, everyone feels more relaxed and earns more."

"As for where these guests came from, you are in the dark."

"Ever since the Lilong left, the major towns on the island no longer have the task of raising the Lilong. It's like being freed from shackles, and everything feels a bit relaxed."

"Now that these people have money and more free time, they all come to the sea market to stroll around."

"[Hunzhou Island] has a total of 127 towns and cities, with a population of over 10 million. Naturally, the resulting demand is extremely strong."

"Especially now that these people all want to sail, they all come to my house to order boats. Our business is much better than before."

"Master Li of the Civil Affairs Department is currently on the island, managing all the cities, large and small. His cultivation is high enough that all the cultivation families in the cities are subservient. His power is even greater than before, and he has created quite a stir."

"By the way, he also sneaked in to inform our Chamber of Commerce last time, saying that he wanted to revise the official store system and give a piece of the pie to the practicing families on the island."

"Those of us who own the store want to refuse, but we don't have the strength to do so. After several discussions, we still can't come up with a plan."

Jing Qian was very interested in listening to the new atmosphere of [Hunzhou].

In his eyes, the current [Hunzhou Island] is in a period of great political relaxation and the rise of free trade. It is a new cycle where economic vitality is beginning to emerge and there is great potential to be tapped.

With his strength, he is already capable of getting on the poker table of [Hunzhou] and making a few moves.

Although the land of [Hunzhou] is poor, it has a special status. It is a formal military island and its value is not low.

Besides, this is where he was born and he has long regarded it as his private land.

He raised his hand and summoned the black cat Qili, holding it in his arms, and then said:
"Uncle Xi, by chance, I was able to suppress a seventh-grade [Spiritual Momentum], and my own combat power is no less than the [Extended Life] level."

"Besides, my Jing family is originally from a regular store, and I am a ninth-rank official, performing my duties as a regular student."

"No matter his origin, status or strength, he is not inferior to Mr. Li in any way."

"Since Mr. Li wants to interfere in Haishi's affairs, I will also take the initiative and take over Haishi before he does."

"Please help me call all the people in the Chamber of Commerce who are capable of taking charge to the Jing's Building!"

Xu Xi was so shocked by Jing Qian's few words that he couldn't even close his mouth for a while.

But he was also very smart, and he figured out the key issues in no time.

If Jing Qian can stand up and safeguard the interests of Haishi and Zhengdian, then there is no need for the people in the Chamber of Commerce to refuse.

In this world, strength is respected. If one has a seventh-grade academician with combat power, then there is no need to worry about Li Yuan's oppression.

Moreover, from his own perspective, there are only advantages and no disadvantages for Jing Qian to be in power!

He then left and went to inform the Chamber of Commerce as instructed by Jing Qian.

Jing Qian strolled out of the Xu family and headed towards the 67-story building that soared into the sky.

Ever since the Jing family building was converted into a temple by monks and the entire family was slaughtered, no one dared to occupy it.

It's not just that the strength and status are not enough, the main reason is that this area is too evil. If you stick to it, you will be unlucky and die at any time, with a very miserable end.

Jing Qian, on the other hand, had nothing to say. He had tricked a bunch of civil engineers into building the building, but he hadn't seen any profit, and the money he owed them was nowhere to be found. He had screwed those engineers over badly. However, his strength was no longer what it used to be, so he didn't really care much about the profit from the building anymore.

Just think of this place as the link for him to control the entire [Hunzhou].

He waited silently on the first floor of the building, stroking Qi Li's back fur.

After the [Qili Divine Seal] merged with the [Zhuo Spiritual Energy], its aura became more powerful and its strength increased a lot. It was no problem for it to fight against a mere Li Yuan alone.

What's more important is that after it absorbed a trace of void air, its connection with the [virtual world] became closer.

As long as Jing Qian gives it permission, it will have the ability to freely enter and exit the [virtual world].

With its existence, Jingqian has another beacon. Moreover, Qili has a high degree of autonomy and its role is much greater than that of the ghost on his body.

Not long after, Xu Xi led a group of monks into the room.

Those who can come here are all people who control the situation among the Twenty-Four Main Stores. They are all old masters of [Hunzhou] and are very familiar with Jing Qian's situation.

Just as Xu Xi was about to introduce everyone to Jing Qian one by one, he was stopped by him with a wave of his hand.

Jing Qian just opened his mouth and said:
"Uncle Xi, fellow Taoists, there is no need to say more. Just listen to what I have to say first."

As soon as he opened his mouth, he immediately attracted everyone's attention.

"You are all my elders, and you must know the situation in Hunzhou better than I do."

"I've summoned you all here today for a very simple reason. My cultivation is progressing smoothly, and I'm now able to have a fair conversation with Li Yuan based on our strength and position."

"In that case, there is room for me to intervene in the situation of [Hunzhou]."

"I intend to divide Hunzhou Island equally with Li Yuan, and let him handle all the affairs of the towns on the island."

"But I am responsible for the trade between this Hunzhou Sea Market and other [Life Islands]."

"I can guarantee that the Zhengdian system will continue and your monopoly position will remain unchanged."

"The Chamber of Commerce you have formed can also manage the daily affairs of Hai City normally. I will not interfere."

"I have only one request. From today onwards, all goods entering and leaving [Hunzhou Island] must pay me a 10% customs duty. The tax will be calculated monthly and each store will be responsible for it. Please remember to secretly deliver it to the first floor of the pagoda."

"This isn't a matter of discussion with you, it's merely a notification. I've made my decision, and there's no changing it."

As his strength increases, Jing Qian's style of doing things becomes more and more domineering.

But then I heard a shopkeeper say:
"Xue Zheng, if a 10% tariff can buy the long-term existence of our store, it would be a great deal. We will definitely accept it."

"But you and I both know that there's someone else who now controls [Hunzhou]. Even though he hasn't shown up in over a year, if he were to express a different opinion, wouldn't the situation we've created be completely ruined?"

"Zhizhou will not appear again. You don't need to worry about this matter."

Jing Qian spoke very confidently, as if the life and death of the new Zhizhou was in his control.

"Without the government's supervision, you will control the trade within the continent on your own and strive to promote the prosperity of the Hunzhou economy."

……

A unique meeting ended here.

Jing Qian can influence the livelihoods of millions of people with just a few moves. It can be said that the greater the ability, the greater the impact.

A 10% income from monopolizing a continent's trade is quite considerable even for him and is worth taking action.

More importantly, deeply participating in the economic interests of a continent is an important means for him to infiltrate his influence.

In fact, if we look at his real strength, it would be easy for him to kill Li Yuan with one sword and occupy the entire [Hunzhou].

However, if he did that, the risk of being exposed would be very high. He planned to take it step by step and eventually get [Hunzhou] under his control.

After dealing with the Hai City Chamber of Commerce, Jing Qian once again set up his escape light and headed towards the island.

Soon, they landed in front of a big temple.

He walked in and saw Li Yuan lying on a chair, studying a scripture.

Seeing Jing Qian come in, Li Yuan first greeted him, and then locked his eyes on Qili.

He was also a connoisseur and immediately realized the extraordinary nature of this black cat!

Even he himself may not be able to win with the powerful seventh-grade [Inspiration].

His attitude towards Jingqian immediately became more kind.

Just listen to him say:
"Xue Zheng is not practicing in the pagoda, why is he here?"

Jing Qian also did not waste any time:

"Hello, host. I intend to occupy the Hunzhou Sea Market. From now on, please do not interfere in the trade affairs within [Hunzhou]."

Li Yuan frowned when he heard this and continued:

"I had no intention of occupying the entire Sea Market. The day before yesterday, I simply consulted with the various regular shops and decided to carve out a portion of the Sea Market's functions to meet the trade needs of the various towns inland of [Hunzhou Island]."

"Since you already possess the [Life Extension] combat power and are willing to wade into this murky water, I will not stop you."

"However, I now oversee the affairs of many towns on the island. Securing legitimate interests for my subordinates is part of my authority and my responsibility."

"Besides, I've been in charge of the civil affairs department for many years, so I'm quite familiar with Haishi."

"These new customers on the island will have a huge positive impact on the development of Hai City."

"This is a mutually beneficial situation. There's absolutely no need to resist."

Jing Qian had already made plans for this, and he said:
"What the landlord said makes sense. I had considered this as well."

"I have a building in the maritime industry that is currently vacant and unused. I can offer it to businesses on the island."

"The main store system is the foundation of Haishi and must not be violated. However, you can register a subsidiary store under the main store and operate it in partnership with the main store family."

"I have successfully opened up a route to the Sea of ​​Wrathful Souls. I will soon be sending a fleet to the Continent, which will cut the journey time in half."

"The key is that we no longer need a major repair team to escort the ship. This will allow ninth-rank cultivators to escort the ship on long voyages, greatly increasing the shipping capacity."

"Our [Hunzhou] ocean trade has great potential. If the products of [Hunzhou Island] can be sold smoothly, they can all fetch higher premiums, which will benefit everyone."

"I still need the landlord's help with this!"

When Li Yuan heard this, he immediately reacted and continued:

"If Xuezheng has such extraordinary abilities, I can guarantee that all the tribes on the island will follow your lead!"

Among all the landlords in the Hunzhou government office, only Li Yuan was born on the island and climbed up step by step. The others all had followers and came to Hunzhou to take up positions and gain experience.

For Li Yuan, all people and things that can help the development of [Hunzhou] will receive his strong support.

As the person who knows [Hunzhou] best, he certainly knows how much benefit it will bring if the connection with the mainland of the Divine Dynasty can be strengthened.

However, he has the same concerns as everyone else:

"Xuezheng, you are interfering in the affairs of [Hunzhou] like this, which is bound to violate the taboos of Zhizhou. I am afraid that you will bring trouble upon yourself."

"This Great Monk Xiangyu is no match for Luo Yaozhi or Ling Mingji. He is incredibly powerful, has a deep backing, and is ruthless. We must be on our guard."

But Jing Qian shook his head and said:
"You don't need to worry about this matter. Zhizhou won't appear again in the short term!"

The two discussed the subsequent cooperation in dividing [Hunzhou], and then Jing Qian left quietly.

Li Yuan is an experienced official who is extremely proficient in all kinds of affairs and is definitely a good manager. It's just that he doesn't have a strong background, which makes it difficult for him to get promoted. Working with him is very refreshing.

After Jing Qian left, he went straight to Hai City and then returned to Xu's house. At this time, Xu Xi had already taken out what he wanted and handed it to him.

Then, Xu Xi said:
"I've pulled out the files on the Hunyi and Dingyuan. The three major warships on Hunzhou Island are all registered under Luo Zhizhou's name. They're not assets of the prefecture, otherwise I'd have to go through a lot of trouble."

"I've already started organizing the fleet you instructed me to build, and the Chamber of Commerce has already begun mobilizing supplies to ensure we can achieve a successful landing in [Haizhou]."

"Although our [Hunzhou] is located in a remote area, we have some seafood and precious medicines needed for nourishing the essence, which are not available elsewhere."

"If we can really open up the waterway, the situation will be very different!"

Jing Qian nodded, handed down these matters, and then stopped caring about them. He took the files and left.

However, he did not go back to Haizhou directly to sell the ship, but turned his escape light and flew to the bottom of Hunzhou Island.

Here, the [Elephant God] spirit is firmly rooted in the sea, absorbing the vitality of [Hunzhou Island].

This fifth-grade [Earthly Evil] spirit is extremely powerful and tyrannically occupies the core of vital energy. No one in [Hunzhou] dares to provoke him.

But on this day, someone who didn't believe in evil came to the door.

Jing Qian suppressed his own breath and slowly touched the neck of the giant elephant. This was a magic weakness marked by [World Solution].

He slowly began to build up his sword energy, preparing to give this [Elephant God] a fierce blow.

[Green Lotus Sword Box] has been promoted to the seventh grade. The fundamental sword energy within it has gathered the magic power that Jing Qian has been constantly infusing for a hundred years.

Just a rough calculation of the total amount will reveal that there are at least one million [Green Wing Life Essences] gathered in it.

If converted upwards, it is at least equivalent to thousands of [Golden Root Life Essence] or hundreds of [Star Life Essence].

Many powerful [Star Picking] masters may not have such a powerful and terrifying [Life Essence] reserve.

These energies have been tempered by the destiny of [Qing Ping Mo] and blessed by the magical powers of many [Sword Boxes], and have become extremely sharp.

If it is fully released, it will be enough to easily kill the fifth-grade [Spirit Machine] in front of it.

However, Jing Qian would not use the basic sword energy.

He came before the [Elephant God] just to test how high his conventional [Qingping Sword Light], which was differentiated from the fundamental sword energy, had been improved in this world.

I saw a sword thread quietly appear between Jing Qian's fingers, coiling around his fingers like a spirit snake.

Immediately afterwards, a flesh bud on his heart shattered, and the [Painted Skin Ghost] on his body came out, swallowing up the tremendous vitality bursting out of the flesh bud, and then exhaled a puff of gray smoke towards the sword thread.

This is Jing Qian's new development, a beggar version of the [Ghost Devouring Technique], which can increase the power of the sword in his hand by 10% and can be used as a regular means of blessing.

Then, he waved his finger, and the sword thread cut out and went straight into the body of the [Elephant God]!
(End of this chapter)