Chapter 1133: A Word and a Flash of Realization
When Xiang Shaoyun arrived at the grand hall, Qian Furen was there waiting deferentially on his knees. By now, Xiang Shaoyun had calmed significantly from his anger. When he saw Qian Furen's nervousness, the little bit of grievance he had left faded away. More importantly, Pang Tongyuan looked rather highly upon Qian Furen and had spoken a lot on his behalf, telling Xiang Shaoyun that Qian Furen was still a capable helper.
"Greetings, young sect master," said Qian Furen.
"You may stand," said Xiang Shaoyun nonchalantly.
"This sinner dares not," said Qian Furen nervously.
"Why not? I wonder if you were the one who had pampered your nephew into such a person," questioned Xiang Shaoyun.
"N-no. That nephew is only a son from a branch family. I had neglected to discipline them until they grew so arrogant. That is my fault. Young sect master, please punish me," Qian Furen hurriedly explained.
At the very least, he was responsible enough to not push the blame onto someone else.
Xiang Shaoyun's opinion of Qian Furen grew slightly. He said, "Stand and talk. Take what happened as a lesson. In the future, our Ziling City will be one of the biggest cities in the world. For that to happen, we need to be open-minded. You need to know that each race has no lack of experts. If we offend a powerful race for some stupid issues, it won't be worth it. Do you understand?"
After his trip to Getian City, Xiang Shaoyun's worldview had changed considerably. Each race had its own experts. Ordinarily, they all lived at their own places. However, they would also move around in human territories. He did not wish to see the Ziling Sect provoke them. He wished to befriend any race he could. After all, having a friend was better than having an enemy.
Qian Furen repeatedly promised, "The young sect master is right. In the future, I will be much stricter with the people around me. Nothing like this will ever happen again."
Xiang Shaoyun nodded and said, "It's good that you know what to do. I'll let this rest. Make sure it never happens again."
Finally, Qian Furen's nervous emotions calmed down.
Xiang Shaoyun said, "You have done well recently. I won't forget your contributions. Our Ziling Sect has always been clear with our gratitude and grudges. You will get what you deserve. Do better, and your Qian Clan won't be mistreated."
As a leader, he couldn't only criticize his subordinates. Rewards had to be given appropriately as well. Only then would he gain loyal and devoted followers.
Sure enough, the nervous expression on Qian Furen eased up after Qian Furen received acknowledgment. He replied in a modest fashion, promising that he would do better.
"There are still many things waiting to be done in the sect. Do you have any good ways of collecting a large number of spirit crystals in the shortest time possible?" Xiang Shaoyun asked.
Qian Furen gave it some thought before answering, "Young sect master, we had done and exploited all we could. It will be difficult to gather more spirit crystals in a short period unless we can dig out more mines. More mines will grant us definite advantages and supply us with an unending supply of spirit crystals."
Qian Furen paused, thought for a bit, and continued, "Back when the sect master was around, the sect had control over several mines. Subsequently, the old thief Di Batian exhausted all the mines without finding new ones. That is the main reason we lack wealth right now."
When Xiang Shaoyun heard, his eyes lit up, and he asked, "Mines, and not spirit crystal mines?"
"Of course, it will be better if we can find some spirit crystal mines, but how can a spirit crystal mine be found so easily? It is more realistic to look for mines containing weapon forging materials. They will allow us to spread our trade and gather spirit crystals at a speed comparable to owning a spirit crystal mine. Also, having the Buried Monarch Mountain Range is also an advantage because it's a place rich in resources. We can send people to harvest its riches for some short-term gains," said Qian Furen.
"Your words have actually reminded me of something I’ve never thought of. If we do find some mines, you will be the one taking the merit," said Xiang Shaoyun in excitement.
He had been thinking of ways to gather more spirit crystals, and his only idea was to find some spirit crystal mines. But spirit crystal mines were extremely rare. After listening to Qian Furen's words, he realized that he could instead find some other mines instead, which would be the best short-term solution.
Xiang Shaoyun then called Pang Tongyuan over for a discussion. He felt that a mine-seeking group needed to be immediately established. This matter could not be delayed. After nourishing his body with numerous medications, Pang Tongyuan was in much better condition. Thus, he wouldn't have an issue handling the matter.
After Pang Tongyuan arrived and listened to Xiang Shaoyun's idea, he voiced his agreement, "I have been thinking about this as well. The sect really needs new mines. As for the group in charge of searching for new mines, we have to pick our candidates carefully. We need actual professionals."
"You're right. Let's start looking in the sect. Offer generous rewards for participants, and we might be able to find a few useful individuals for this," said Xiang Shaoyun.
He handed the task to Pang Tongyuan, but he once again clearly felt that he lacked capable helpers. If he had a few more people sharing his burden, he would have suffered fewer headaches.
As a result, Xiang Shaoyun started thinking of his brothers from the Dragon Phoenix Academy. If they were by his side, he could solve all these issues with the sect easily. Of course, they still needed some time to mature and grow. Also, the current him was probably walking a completely different path from them, a path that would hardly intersect with theirs.
After he was done with the discussion, he went to visit Yao Qian. However, she was also in secluded cultivation. In his boredom, he called over the taurus, the turtle, and the toad.
"Young master," the three beasts greeted him deferentially.
When the taurus sensed the aura of the two Demon Saints, he trembled. He finally felt that submitting to Xiang Shaoyun wasn't that bad a choice after all. If even Demon Saints were loyal to Xiang Shaoyun, a Demon Sovereign like him was nothing.
The turtle and the toad had cultivated for an extremely long time. Thus, after becoming Demon Saints, they had advanced rapidly. Right now, they were only a step away from becoming second-stage Demon Saints.
"In the future, this taurus will be your little brother. I want him to become a Saint as quickly as possible. We will be using the same method you two used. The two of you will be in charge of standing guard for him while he breaks through," said Xiang Shaoyun, pointing at the taurus.
As the turtle and the toad listened, their eyes brightened.
"Young master, this is what I'm good at. Let me instruct this little bull. I believe I can turn him into a devoted little brother," said the turtle eagerly.
The toad sneered, "Old turtle, you're too stupid. I should be the one taking charge. I will ensure he enters the Demon Saint realm in the shortest time possible."
"Stupid toad, who are you calling stupid? You are the brainless one," said the turtle unhappily.
"Arguing with you is a waste of time. Little taurus, come say hi to your big brother. In the future, your big brother will take care of you," said the toad as he looked at the taurus with a pair of bright eyes.
The taurus felt a chill creep up his spine.