Xiuxian: I use magnetic fields to prove my truth

Chapter 135 Difficulties
Wang Xuanji still had some desire to avoid trouble.

After all, doing business within the territory of the Changsheng Sect would not be beneficial if it led to a falling out with the Changsheng Sect.

If the matter can be contained within the Qi Refining Wu family and they are forced to take responsibility, the reputation of the Qingyun Sect's shops will be protected, and the matter will be resolved satisfactorily.

In this situation, it seems somewhat unnecessary to escalate the matter to the level of the Longevity Sect.

Zhou Qing laughed and said, "We and the Longevity Sect will definitely have such a battle. If we don't come looking for them, they will come looking for us in the future."

"While we have the upper hand in the argument now, let's go and resolve the issue first. It's better than leaving problems unresolved and letting them escalate later."

Seeing that his two senior uncles didn't seem to understand, Zhou Qing said, "I was too naive before. I thought that as long as the quality of the talismans we made was high enough, we could ignore all the problems."

"It seems we were a bit careless now."

"The Longevity Sect is skilled in wood-based techniques and spells, and most of the talismans they sell are also wood-based. Our Green Vine Entanglement is in direct competition with them."

“In the past, our talismans were not as good as theirs in terms of quality, and we were only known for our low prices. This created a niche for our products and helped us avoid some of the competition.”

“We target the low-end market, while they occupy the slightly higher-end market, so we can coexist peacefully.”

"Our new talismans are now of far superior quality to theirs, and priced similarly. They can be a perfect replacement. Once our talismans hit the market, they will immediately and completely squeeze out their market share."

"This is a fight to the death."

“If we don’t solve this problem, we’ll probably find it impossible to open a shop in the Changsheng Sect.”

The two senior apprentices were unfamiliar with some of the economic terms he used, but they could understand them by their names. After listening to his analysis, they immediately realized the seriousness of the problem.

Wang Xuanji exclaimed in surprise, "Amazing, Zhou Qing! You even know how to do business. You're truly remarkable."

Compared to you, we elders seem rather out of touch with reality.

Zhou Qing smiled but didn't reply.

Chen Qingxuan said, "So how should we solve this problem? We can't just stop selling talismans."

Zhou Qing thought for a moment and said, "We have no choice but to give up some of our profits."

There is nothing we can do about it.

Shops in the cultivation world are not simply business entities. If they were, at worst, everyone would engage in commercial warfare; if I killed you, I would monopolize the market.

Shops in the cultivation world are affiliated with their respective sects.

Since the Qingyun Sect cannot engage in a heated war with the Changsheng Sect, it also cannot sell its goods on Changsheng Sect's territory.

From this perspective, the sects in the cultivation world are more like independent countries. They naturally support their own businesses, but other businesses that want to enter and make money will be subject to their restrictions.

If Qingyun Sect wants to continue operating its shops near Changsheng Sect, Thorn-wrapped talismans will have to concede a portion of their profits.

Zhou Qing quickly figured out the problem, and the next step was to negotiate.

He said, "My two senior uncles, please take this member of the Wu family with you. Let's head to the Longevity Sect immediately."

Chen Qingxuan and Wang Xuanji did not hesitate. They immediately picked up Wu Jinwei, mounted their flying swords, and flew towards the Changsheng Sect's mountain gate.

When Zhou Qing and his two companions set off for the Longevity Sect, Lu Shentong, the patriarch of the Lu family of Hongqiu, was already on his way to the sect.

Lu Shentong, having devised a plan to attack the shops of the Qingyun Sect, naturally couldn't afford to be completely oblivious.

The Changsheng Sect's shop was less than half a mile away from the Qingyun Sect's shop. When Zhou Qing used thorns to subdue Wu Jinwei, Lü Shentong could see it clearly from the second floor of the Changsheng Sect's shop.

Lu Shentong, who had been running the Changsheng Sect's shops, immediately realized that the appearance of these talismans would be a significant blow to the sect's business.

The Green Vine Entanglement is not a particularly high-level talisman, but it is very practical. Therefore, cultivators often carry several with them when traveling the world or exploring, making this type of talisman very popular.

Among the Golden Core sects in the Western Continent, Qing Teng Rao of the Longevity Sect, even if not the absolute best, is among the most outstanding.

However, the talisman that Qingyun Sect just displayed was far more powerful than their Green Vine Entanglement.

This instilled a strong sense of crisis in Lü Shentong.

So he immediately flew to the Longevity Sect, intending to report the matter to the sect and prepare countermeasures in advance.

The Longevity Sect's headquarters are all located on that huge mountain.

The uppermost part of the mountain is covered by ice and snow and is not inhabited; it is only used as a testing ground for the Longevity Sect's techniques.

Below the snow line are the various functional departments of the sect.

Its functions and organizational structure are no different from those of the Qingyun Sect.

Lu Shentong first found his family's representative in the sect, Lu Yuyi, the head of the Transmission Hall of the Longevity Sect.

This sect leader is a cultivator at the peak of Foundation Establishment, just one step away from the Golden Core stage. He holds great prestige within the sect, and he personally oversees most of the sect's business.

Upon hearing Lü Shentong's account, Lü Yuyi perked up and immediately convened a meeting with the elders in charge of the matter from the Transmission Hall and Miscellaneous Affairs Hall to discuss it.

"Are their talismans really that powerful?"

Elder Qingyang of the Transmission Hall asked in confusion, "Although the Qingyun Sect has a profound foundation and is one of the best among the Golden Core sects, they are known for their inclusiveness. However, when it comes to a specific attribute, they do not have any particular excellence."

"Their talismans haven't improved much over the years, how could they suddenly be so much better?"

Lü Yuyi said, "Others may not know, but you should know best."

Qingyang was taken aback and said, "What does this have to do with me?"

Lu Yuyi said, "A year ago, the sect leader took Qingyuan to the Qingyun Sect, hoping to use their new formation to help Qingyuan break through to the Foundation Establishment stage."

"It is said that the anti-Qing and restoration formation was created by a genius formation master from their sect."

"Now their low-grade formations have also been improved, which must also be the work of this genius formation master."

Lu Shentong said, "I think that's probably the case. The cultivator who used the new talisman to subdue Wu Jinwei today doesn't look very old, and his cultivation level may not be very high, but his demeanor is far beyond that of an ordinary person."

"It should be that genius formation master."

Qingyang clapped his hands and exclaimed, "No wonder! The sect leader mentioned it to me before, but I didn't take it to heart. I thought it was their business that they had genius array masters, and it had nothing to do with us. I didn't expect to be impacted by them so quickly."

"We probably can't handle this matter hastily."

"He can optimize one type of talisman, and he can also optimize other types of talismans. If he can launch a complete set of wood element talismans with quality comparable to our Longevity Sect, our business will be much more difficult in the future."

Lu Shentong strongly agreed with Qingyang's statement, saying, "In my opinion, we should either completely drive the Qingyun Sect's shops out of the Changsheng Sect's territory, or we should make them open up the talismans to us so that the two sides can operate together."

(End of this chapter)