Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 194
Li Yao was tempted. But he felt it was too complicated for him to handle.
Things like shares and holdings were too far away from him. He didn't even know where to start.
Besides, it was going to be embarrassing for him to talk to his old friends such as Guan Xiong and Jiang Wenbo about buying their shares.
Peng Hai saw through his hesitation. He smiled and said, "It does not work as you're imagining right now.
"I have a proposal that I would like you to hear.
"First, I'll invest part of my assets and register a new sect, and you will buy the shares of the new sect to be its second largest shareholder.
"Then, we'll negotiate with the Mountain Sea Sect in the name of the new sect about the investment that we just discussed."
Li Yao's eyes opened wide in excitement. He exclaimed, "Senior Brother Peng, you're finally creating your own sect!"
If Peng Hai were to invest the Mountain Sea Sect in a big way under the name of his own sect, the potential benefits would be much more than the money itself.
It was well believed that Peng Hai would be the youngest Cultivator of the Heaven's Origin Sector to enter the Core Formation Stage someday. His fame and influence were intangible assets. Once he became a shareholder of the Mountain Sea Sect, or even an honorary board member, it would be a life line for the Mountain Sea Sect.
Chapter 282: Operations Director |
Peng Hai smiled and shook his head.
"Of course, I won't give my all to the project. This is meant to be a trial. After all, I only managed one department before when I was in the Crimson Nimbus Guild. I don't have any experience in creating or operating a big sect.
"I've been thinking lately that I should invest in a project first. I'll be more experienced in business affairs whether it succeeds or fails.
"You've come at the right time. Although I haven't read the feasibility analysis report of the project, I know that the Demon Beast Detector must be very promising, seeing that the Zephyr Guild has been so anxious and is moving so many resources against it.
"The cooperation is good for me, for you, and for the Mountain Sea Sect. I'm more than happy to join it."
Li Yao was moved.
Although Peng Hai talked that way, he knew that the main reason why Peng Hai was doing this was to help him.
While Peng Hai was talking, Peng Hai turned on the spiritual crane messenger and typed in a message.
"Junior Brother Li, you know that, previously, I was mainly in charge of finding safe routes for business, which required more muscles than brain. I don't know much about magical equipment promotion, either. Wait a moment. I'll introduce an expert to you."
Within a moment, a solemn, professional woman who was in her thirties appeared quietly in the training room through the teleportation array over the roof.
She was surrounded by more than ten light beams where countless data streams were pouring down.
The information was being absorbed at an amazing speed.
Li Yao felt that the beautiful woman looked familiar. He thought he had met her somewhere, and probably more than once.
Peng Hai said, "Li Yao, come and meet Shang Tianling. You can call her Sister Shang."
Then it occurred to Li Yao that he had seen Shang Tianling multiple times both on the Nexus and in the news report.
She was a genius admin-type Cultivator, and she had been in important positions in several major cultivation sects after she graduated from college.
Three years ago, she was appointed as the operations director of the Bright Valiant Tower, a cultivation sect. Through audacious and radical reforms, the rank of the comprehensive capability of the Bright Valiant Tower rose up by more than a hundred and made it into the top five hundred sects of the federation.
Senior Brother Peng was not wrong. She was truly an expert.
But wasn't she the operations director of the Bright Valiant Tower? How did she end up here?
Shang Tianling glanced at Li Yao and smiled.
"Peng Hai, I made the right choice to come here. Board members of the Bright Valiant Tower are too unambitious. They're so satisfied at the current status of the Bright Valiant Tower that they're frightened to make any change. Every operation proposal that entails the slightest risk has been disapproved by them.
"You are good. Not even owning a sect yet, you are already trying to declare war against the Zephyr Guild. Interesting!"
She nodded at Li Yao. "I am Shang Tianling, personal assets and brand consultant for Peng Hai. I'm in charge of operating Peng Hai's assets, and also marketing the brand of 'Fiend Blade Peng Hai' in the cultivation world."
Knowing that he was talking to someone who used to be the operations director of a top five hundred sect, Li Yao didn't dare to underestimate her. He said with utmost respect, "Sister Shang, nice to meet you. I am Li Yao, Peng Hai's junior brother."
Shang Tianling smiled.
"Vulture Li Yao. Your name has been quite popular recently. Many people believe that your achievements will be as good as Peng Hai's in the future. I think so, too.
"So, do you have a personal assets and brand consultant yet? If not, consider me. I can handle both of your affairs simultaneously."
Li Yao didn't understand.
"What exactly is a personal assets and brand consultant?"
Shang Tianling answered, "It's simple. Most of the non-admin-type Cultivators are not good at making money; they have to try and earn their money by instinct.
"Battle-type Cultivators often go hunting demon beasts on the Grand Desolate Plateau; creation-type Cultivators such as you will refine magical equipment and sell it.
"But money-making is a tedious task.
"For example, if you have refined a piece of magical equipment and decide to sell it by yourself, it will take you quite a lot of time, not to mention the risk that you might not be able to find the most suitable buyer and sell it at the highest price.
"Let's say you've sold your magical equipment at the highest price. How will you make the best use of your income? By depositing it into a bank and enjoying the interest?
"This is the time when admin-type Cultivators such as me get useful.
"As a personal assets and brand consultant, I can help you draft thorough promotion and marketing plans for your magical equipment. After you've made money, I can help you find the most suitable investments. When other sects want to cooperate with you, I'll be responsible for investigating the backgrounds and true purposes of those sects and choosing the best partner for you.
"In short, my job is to help my clients arrange their assets in their best interests so that they can devote themselves to cultivation without being distracted.
"As for brand, it's easier to understand.
"A man's name is like a tree's shadow. Every Cultivator has their own brand. Fiend Blade Peng Hai is a brand; Vulture Li Yao is a brand; Fiend Star Li Yao is yet another brand.
"If your brand is operated well, it will leave a positive impression on the public, which will bring you great benefits. Apart from everything else, if you can pick up a few commercials every year, the money you gain will be enough to buy loads of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.
"But if your brand is badly operated, you risk being considered to be an unsocial and eccentric freak despite your capabilities, which would be a shame.
"For example, your nickname is 'Vulture', and you were born in a magical equipment graveyard. If somebody fans the flames in secret, you'll be easily depicted into a brutal, bloodthirsty fanatic.
"Once your image is fixed, it will be troublesome to reshape it. How are you going to play around in the cultivation world if everyone regards you as a supervillain?
"But if I were to operate the brand 'Vulture Li Yao', I would highlight your struggle, determination, and persistency and build you into an anti-hero that lives in darkness, which is a quite popular image among juveniles."
Li Yao finally got everything straight.
He had used to be a cash-strapped, low-level Cultivator and there was no need to worry about his assets and brand.
But as his strength increased, the everyday stuff was starting to trouble him. Since he had entered a higher level of the world, it seemed that he could really use a personal consultant.
Peng Hai smiled.
"Tianling, it's rare for you to be so interested in my junior brother. However, let's focus on the Demon Beast Detector for now. You must've read the files already on your way here. How about it? Do you think it's worth investing?"
"It is."
Shang Tianling nodded her head. "And I think your proposal is very good. Create a new sect funded by both of you and let the new sect invest in the Mountain Sea Sect.
"It doesn't matter whether or not the new sect can make money. It's more about building up the brands of 'Fiend Blade Peng Hai' and 'Vulture Li Yao'.
"Peng Hai, although you are very likely going to be the youngest Core Formation Cultivator of the federation, it is only indicative of your combat ability. The cultivation world is still not confident about your ability to manage a big sect yet.
"Li Yao is the same. You have made remarkable accomplishments in the Refiners' Registration Examination. But whether or not the very first piece of magical equipment refined by you can be commercially successful is still not certain; the outcome of this will have a huge impact on your future development.
"As long as the Zephyr Guild is beaten, both of the two brands will be established."
Li Yao frowned.
"But, the Zephyr Guild is very influential in the trade of magical equipment refining and selling. Many suppliers and dealers of the Mountain Sea Sect have been under the pressure from it. What can we do?"
Shang Tianling smiled.
"It is true that the Zephyr Guild has a huge influence on the magical equipment providers and sellers. However, if you are to look at it in the big picture, you'll notice that you two have as many resources as the Zephyr Guild does. Especially you, Vulture Li Yao."
"Me?"
Li Yao pointed at himself in confusion. He was just a college student. What resources did he have?
Shang Tianling said, "You alone are of little significance.
"But behind you is a giant named the Grand Desolate War Institution.
"You were the first student to earn more than 40,000 credits within one year in the Grand Desolate War Institution. Right now, you are a celebrity of the institution.
"Also, I'm told that the Grand Desolate War Institution has allotted a lot of its budget to the Refining Department, planning to make the Refining Department the fifth 'distinguished major' of the institution.
"Besides, many combat sects on the Grand Desolate Plateau have been sponsoring the Refining Department, too.
"You happen to be the Senior Brother of the Refining Department, as well as the president of the Star Fire Union, don't you?"
Li Yao nodded his head. His eyes were glittering, as he was beginning to understand where this conversation was going.
Shang Tianling continued, "I assume that you're probably in a good relationship with the leaders of the Grand Desolate War Institution, which has been raising you as a future star. They would definitely consider a few requests from you should you ask anything of them.
"So, if you can't promote the Demon Beast Detector in the market, why don't you promote it within the Grand Desolate War Institution first?
"You don't need to worry about the payoff of your promotion. Even if you are selling it below cost, as long as the staff and students of the Grand Desolate War Institution are willing to use it, our purpose will be fulfilled."
"Right!"
Li Yao felt like a bolt of lightning had struck his head, illuminating everything.
The key to the problem was himself.
The Grand Desolate War Institution had the best Combat Department of the federation. The staff and students that went to fight on the Grand Desolate Plateau outnumbered those of any other university.
Besides, many combat sects, as well as the military, had been sending candidates to study in the Grand Desolate War Institution or for co-op missions.
If the staff and students of the Grand Desolate War Institution were to equip the Demon Beast Detector on a large scale, wouldn't it be the best advertisement?
If soldiers and the students of the combat sects who studied in the Grand Desolate War Institution brought the Demon Beast Detectors back to the military or their cultivation sects, the Demon Beast Detector would surely spread like a virus unstoppably.
There wouldn't be too much difficulty promoting it in the campus, either.
Now that the Grand Desolate War Institution was supporting the Refining Department, the Demon Beast Detector, as a piece of magical equipment refined by a student of the Refining Department, would bring a lot of honor to the school if it turned out to be successful on the market.
What's more, during the one-versus-two-thousand competition of the Thunderbolt Cup, he had been wearing the Demon Beast Detector, which had caught much attention already.
Ding Lingdang, Zhao Tiange, Lu Tianshan… They were all his friends. He wouldn't meet too much trouble either among the teachers or among the students.
With an acceptable price, it was even possible that the Demon Beast Detector would become the designated magical equipment for the students of the Grand Desolate War Institution. It would be purchased in bulk by the school, and when the students went to the wilderness, each of them would be asked to wear one.
In that case, promotion wouldn't be a problem at all.
Seeing his 'ah ha!' face, Shang Tianling smiled and continued, "I'm also told that you returned from the Thunderous Sound Mountain safe and sound after staying ten days and ten nights inside. It's definitely worth hyping, too."
Chapter 283: Mountain Sea Sect's Choice |
"As for dealers, we don't need to go by the traditional selling pattern. The target users of the Demon Beast Detector are middle-level and low-level Cultivators. They shouldn't be too old and probably are most enthusiastic about new things. I have a friend who's working in the Moon Splitting Sword Guild as the marketing director. He mentioned that the Moon Splitting Sword Guild was preparing to establish a unique marketing and shipping network. Maybe we'll be able to cooperate in the future.
"In short, since the Zephyr Guild has dominating advantages in the field of magical equipment refining and selling, we have to jump out of their home field and guide the war into a bigger battlefield."
Li Yao nodded his head quickly. But there was something bothering him.
"I've heard of the Moon Splitting Sword Guild before. It is a top 500 sect specialized in the art of flying sword. I don't see the relationship between flying swords and logistics…"
With a mysterious smile, Shang Tianling said, "This is a business secret. You'll know it when you know it."
…
At the same time, in the headquarters of the Mountain Sea Sect.
"BAM!"
A fist punched into the office desk that was made of iron mood, leaving a deep hole inside of it.
The tea cup, files, and the crystal processor on the desk were all jumping to the air because of the punch.
"The Zephyr Guild is outrageous!"
Shangguan Jia's face was flushed with anger. The veins on his neck were bulging. His eyes were full of blood streaks, making him look like a crazy devil.
Shangguan Jia was just over thirty years old. He was the leader of the Mountain Sea Sect and an admin-type Cultivator at the early level of the Building Foundation Stage.
He hadn't been feeling very comfortable as the leader.
Two years ago, Shangguan Yu, his father and the previous leader of the Mountain Sea Sect, failed to break into the Core Formation Stage and suffered serious internal injuries during his attempt, which stopped him from being able to lead the sect anymore.
However, there was no other admin-type Cultivator in the Mountain Sea Sect.
'Professional managers' were getting popular in many of the southern sects, who were hired with a high salary for the daily operation of a sect. But as a conservative sect, the Mountain Sea Sect still preferred to determine its leader from its members.
The Shangguan family was the largest shareholder of the Mountain Sea Sect. Therefore, as the son of the previous leader and also the highest admin-type Cultivator in his sect, supported by the elders including Jiang Wenbo and Guan Xiong, Shangguan Jia became the youngest leader in the history of the Mountain Sea Sect.
When he'd just become the leader, Shangguan Jia had been ambitious, too, hoping to build the Mountain Sea Sect into a first-rate sect of the federation.
However, he was soon taught a lesson by reality. The management courses he took in college were too theoretical to be put into use.
To run a large sect such as the Mountain Sea Sect, there were countless issues that needed to be handled.
Apart from everything else, the medical fees for the almost one hundred retired Cultivators of the sect were enough to give him a headache every day.
The hundred Cultivators were all creditable seniors who had fought blood battles and made great contributions to the Mountain Sea Sect in the past hundreds of years. Many of them suffered serious injuries for the Mountain Sea Sect and were only able to live on with the help of the expensive medications. His own father Shangguan Yu was one of them, too. There was no way that he could leave them alone.
However, the vitality of the Cultivators was impressive, and they could live an extremely long life. Some of the seniors were more than 200 years old, who, although couldn't go to a battlefield anymore because of disability, seemed promising enough to live another hundred years with the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures and the medication that they took every day.
Naturally, they would count on the Mountain Sea Sect for the rest of their lives. It was not like that the Mountain Sea Sect could simply kick them out of its door. In that case, no one would be willing to fight for the Mountain Sea Sect anymore.
As the saying went: it never rains; it pours. Before he was able to implement any measures as the new leader, the bad news came that Guan Xiong, the top expert of the Mountain Sea Sect, suffered heavy injuries and strength loss while he was on a patrol task commissioned by the military.
