Rise in Douluo Continent with the help of bean buns

In Tiandou City after the onset of winter, the wind carried a biting chill.

A thin layer of frost settled in the alleys of the southern city, and the morning mist, carrying the scents of coal smoke and medicinal herbs, drifted slowly along the bluestone pavement.

At the front gate of Qinghetang, horse-drawn carts carrying goods had lined up for half a street. The workers were busy loading and unloading boxes, and shouts and calculations rose and fell, creating a lively scene.

Four months have passed since the exclusive supply model was successfully implemented.

From the initial pilot program in the southern part of the city to gradually covering the western and northern parts, and then to the surrounding towns taking the initiative to approach them to discuss agency opportunities, Qinghetang has taken one step at a time and has firmly established itself in the small and medium-sized medicinal herb market of Tiandou City.

"Boss, the accounts for last month are in." Old Chen walked into the backyard holding the account books, his face beaming with joy. "We have 57 exclusive contracted pharmacies as our core partners, covering the core districts of the four major cities, as well as the general agents in three surrounding towns. Including the smaller suppliers, we now have over 100 partner pharmacies."

Fifty-seven exclusive pharmacies with whom we have in-depth partnerships.

While the number of stores is small, each one is a high-quality client with stable sales volume. They are protected by regional policies, ensuring consistent order volume and quick payments, forming Qinghetang's core foundation. This aligns with the outline's goal of "cooperating with more than fifty pharmacies"—not just scattered distribution to meet quotas, but a deep partnership with shared interests.

"Where's the Moon Flowing Water?" Lin Chen sat at the stone table, flipping through a book called "Essentials of Plant Cultivation" in his hand, without even looking up.

"Net profit of three thousand one hundred and seventy-two gold coins." Old Chen's voice brightened a bit. "That's over four hundred more than last month, officially breaking three thousand gold coins!"

Three thousand one hundred and seventy-two gold coins.

This figure would have been unimaginable just six months ago. When I first arrived in Tiandou City, a net profit of 300 gold coins in the first month was already a pleasant surprise. Now, in just over half a year, it has increased tenfold.

Breaking it down, high-profit tempering agents contributed 60% of revenue, Tier 3 calming powder accounted for 25%, and calming powder and other auxiliary materials accounted for the remaining 15%. The product structure is healthy, with high-margin exclusive products supporting the basic profit margin, and high-volume basic products stabilizing channel coverage.

Among the small and medium-sized medicinal herb merchants in Tiandou City, a monthly net profit of three thousand gold coins is already considered quite high.

Those established wholesalers may seem large and powerful, but in reality, they have a wide variety of products, high costs, and redundant staff, so their net profit may not be as high as Qinghetang's.

"Everyone outside is saying that our Qinghetang is the biggest dark horse to emerge in Nancheng in the last two years," Old Chen said with a smile. "Many people are guessing who our boss is, but no one could guess that you are so young."

Lin Chen nodded slightly, his expression unchanged.

Three thousand gold pieces is just the beginning.

The market in Tiandou City is far larger than this; we've only just begun to grasp the basics.

"How's the matter of the workshops and planting bases going?" he asked in turn.

These two things were the core of his plan, which he finalized last month.

"The workshop has been secured," Old Chen replied hastily. "We've taken over the two courtyards next to ours, and after combining them, the area has tripled. We've also recruited all the workers, including the original eight elderly workers, making a total of thirty people. We've divided them into groups as you suggested, and the assembly line is already running smoothly."

The original backyard workshop had eight people working by hand, with limited production capacity, and often couldn't keep up with demand during peak season.

Now, they have rented two adjacent courtyards and transformed them into a standard processing workshop. The workshop is divided into sorting, processing, grinding, packaging, and quality inspection groups, with thirty workers each performing their respective duties, and the process is standardized. Lin Chen also had Doubao deduce the optimal process, eliminating redundant steps, which has more than doubled the production efficiency and made the quality more stable.

"The quality inspection team must keep a close eye on things," Lin Chen instructed. "Every batch of goods must be inspected according to standards, and any that fails to meet the standards must not be allowed to leave the factory."

Quality is the foundation of Qinghetang.

He walked this road from Blackstone Town to Tiandou City without ever giving up.

"Don't worry!" Old Chen patted his chest confidently, "I personally oversee the quality control; even the slightest deviation is unacceptable!"

With the workshop settled, the planting base has also been finalized.

  

"The deed for the hundred acres of land outside the city was finalized yesterday." Old Chen handed over a land deed. "It's located at Qingshui River Bend, about twenty miles south of the city. It's close to the river, and the soil is fertile, perfect for growing medicinal herbs. As for the improved varieties you mentioned earlier, we've already arranged for people to cultivate seedlings, and they'll all be planted by spring."

A 100-acre medicinal herb planting base.

This was a move Lin Chen had planned long ago.

When local businesses ganged up to suppress him, he managed to break through using his exclusive business model, but their blocking of raw material supplies served as a wake-up call. Having core raw materials controlled by others always carries the risk of being strangled. Only by building his own planting base can he control quality, reduce costs, and ensure supply from the source.

When choosing a site, Lin Chen specifically had Doubao scan over a dozen potential plots in the south of the city, ultimately selecting the Qingshuihe Bay area. With abundant water resources, high soil organic matter content, and no industrial pollution in the surrounding area, it was ideal for planting medicinal plants.

The 100-acre plot was divided into seven planting areas according to the varieties used. The main products are the three core raw materials used in the largest quantities: calming flower, spirit-nourishing grass, and body-tempering vine. All of them use optimized seedlings, which have a 30% shorter growth cycle than ordinary varieties and are 20% more effective.

Once the base is fully operational, it will be able to supply 70% of its core raw materials, reduce costs by another 20%, and no longer have to worry about others tampering with the supply.

"We've hired ten farmers who know how to grow medicinal herbs to manage it long-term, and we've found an experienced old herb grower to oversee it," Old Chen added. "As you said, the wages are much higher than those for farming, and everyone is very dedicated."

Lin Chen nodded and flipped the land deed over, placing it aside.

Workshops expand production capacity, and production bases ensure supply.

Only after completing these two steps can Qinghetang truly establish a stable foundation, rather than relying on a few products to build a castle in the air.

As the scale increases, management must also keep up.

Over the past few months, Lin Chen has gradually set up the management framework.

Old Chen oversees external business, channel development, and public relations, essentially managing everything; Old Li manages internal production, warehousing security, and quality control; a local accountant from Tiandou City was specially hired to manage finances, producing clear monthly income and expenditure ledgers; procurement, logistics, and planting bases are each handled by dedicated personnel.

The responsibilities and powers are clearly defined, and the division of labor is well-defined.

Routine tasks can be handled by the staff in each position; only major, uncertain matters are reported to Lin Chen.

He finally managed to completely extricate himself from the complexities of daily life.

Previously, I would spend at least two hours a day dealing with business matters, but now I only need half an hour to glance at the summary report, and the rest of the time can be devoted to cultivation and planning.

With more time spent in the quiet room, the progress of cultivation naturally advanced steadily.

From level eighteen to level nineteen, and now to the peak of level nineteen, he has been honing his cultivation for almost three months while suppressing his cultivation level.

The refinement of his soul power continued to rise, the purity of his martial soul's origin increased by another 0.3 percentage points, and his meridians and physical body were continuously strengthened with the aid of body-tempering potions. His mental strength also steadily increased, with the duration of in-depth analysis stabilizing at over 15 minutes, the daily high-intensity calculation limit firmly set at 15 times, and his micro-management skills gradually progressing from 300 vines to the threshold of 350.

Current Status Assessment:

Soul Power Level: Peak Level 19

Soul Power Condensation Level: 247%

Total mental energy: Increased by 71% compared to when it was first established.

Micro-operation limit: 347 lines/0.04 mm level

Knowledge Base: Millennium Soul Beast Encyclopedia 44%, Plant Classics 87%, Basic Pharmacology 73%

Everything is steadily improving.

The stronger the foundation, the higher the success rate of breaking through level 20 and absorbing the millennium soul ring.

Aside from cultivation, he devoted most of his time to planning.

The first thing to do is to deduce a plan for obtaining the second spirit ring.

The goal was set long ago—a thousand-year-old ghost vine with the soul skill Life Parasite.

Doubao has thoroughly investigated the habitat of the Ghost Vine in the secondary core area of ​​the Star Dou Great Forest, including which areas have high density, which areas have high-level soul beasts, the best hunting routes, risk points, and countermeasures. He has deduced several versions of all of these.

Once spring arrives and I'm in peak condition, I can set off into the Stars.

The second thing is to research new business directions.

The supply of medicinal herbs and medicines is stable, but the ceiling is also visible.

Lin Chen had Doubao calculate that relying solely on the existing product categories, achieving a monthly income of five thousand gold coins was roughly the bottleneck at this stage. To move up further, they needed to find new growth points.

He turned his attention to the soul-guiding materials.

The Soul Tool industry in Douluo Continent is slowly emerging. The upstream special raw material market has extremely high profits, and it can take advantage of its plant-based nature—many basic materials for Soul Tools are extracts from special plants.

He has already had the planting base test two special vines for soul guidance. Once the finished products are ready, he can start discussing cooperation with downstream soul guidance workshops.

This step paves the way for new business six months from now.

The third thing is to keep an eye on the auction information in Tiandou City.

He remembered that in the original story, the Soul-Devouring Carving Knife appeared at a large auction in Heaven Dou City. Judging by the timeline, it was around the beginning of spring.

This matter was crucial to his long-term strategy, and he kept it in mind, instructing Lao Chen to pay close attention to the auction house's activities and notify him immediately of any major auctions.

Gold of Life, the remnant soul of Electrox.

He must get his hands on this piece that can change the future landscape.

Days passed by, and the end of the year drew ever closer.

The festive atmosphere in Tiandou City is gradually getting stronger. There are more pedestrians on the streets, and all the shops are preparing for the New Year. The medicinal herb business is also booming.

Qinghetang's workshops worked around the clock for half a month to finish up the year-end orders.

On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the workshop closed for the holidays, and the workers received their bonuses and happily went home to celebrate the New Year.

The courtyard suddenly became quiet.

Lin Chen stood on the steps of the central courtyard, watching the fine snow falling.

It's been almost a year since I came to Tiandou City.

From its humble beginnings as a small courtyard house with eight workers and a monthly income of a few hundred gold coins, Qinghetang has grown into a 30-person workshop, a 100-acre base, a monthly net profit of 3,000 gold coins, and 57 partner pharmacies. It has truly begun to take shape.

He also progressed from a level 12, one-ring Soul Master to the peak of level 19, just one step away from becoming a two-ring Great Soul Master.

"Boss, all the New Year's goods are ready. As you instructed, I've distributed them to everyone." Old Chen walked over, wrapped in a thick cotton-padded coat, and said with a smile, "Everyone's been saying that working for you is really worthwhile."

Lin Chen nodded slightly.

"After the New Year, re-establish the distribution channels in the surrounding towns," he casually instructed. "The market in Tiandou City is large, but the surrounding areas are also quite sizable. In addition, after the spring, prepare for entering Xingdou."

"Okay, sure!" Old Chen quickly agreed. "I'll arrange it right away, and prepare plenty of high-level potions and supplies to ensure everything goes smoothly!"

Lin Chen didn't say anything more.

He looked up at the distant city wall, where the falling snow had turned the gray-blue wall white, and the distant streets echoed with faint sounds of bustling activity.

It has taken initial shape, but it's just the beginning.

With a monthly profit of three thousand gold coins and over fifty cooperative pharmacies, it would be a behemoth in a small town, but in Tiandou City, it would only be at a mid-to-lower level.

The real giants like Baicaotang and Huichunge haven't even given him a second glance.

But it's okay.

He has plenty of patience.

Step by step, steadily and surely.

Workshops, production bases, distribution channels, and overall strength are all being gradually solidified.

After spring arrives, they will acquire their second spirit ring, further enhancing their strength and accelerating the expansion of Qinghe Hall.

That will be the time to truly challenge those established powers.

Fine snow fell on his shoulders and quickly melted.

The boy stood tall and straight, with gentle eyes and brows, like a quietly growing tree standing in the snow.