Living In Another World With A Farm Chapter 8426: The second-generation (1)

Folks might deem it odd. Dao Qianzhan, the sect leader of the Bloody Massacre Sect, has endured for hundreds of years. He should boast immense wisdom from all that time. So why turn to Zhao Hai for advice on every little thing? Zhao Hai's suggestions were pretty straightforward too—how come they couldn't come up with them themselves? Doesn't that strike one as downright peculiar?

Truth be told, it wasn't like that at all. The whole issue boiled down to something quite basic. Resources flowed far more plentifully in the Blood Sea Realm compared to the lower realms. For a massive group like the Bloody Massacre Sect, fretting over funds or crystal stones was a thing of the past. They owned their own crystal stone mines and had solid methods to gather supplies. These kept their sect thriving with heaps left over. In essence, they were born into lives free from financial worries, always sitting on vast reserves. In that kind of setup, would thoughts of launching ventures even cross their minds? As cultivators, their true chase lay not in crystal stones, but in the grand Dao, ascension, and eternal life!

That's exactly why figures like Thousand Blade never considered carving out portions of their sect's islands for outsiders to trade upon. They could simply rake in fees without lifting a finger. Sure, the sect once offered a few islands to the public, but those were scarce. And the key aim of such open islands was just to let disciples mingle and chat. No real deals happened there, so naturally, the idea of dedicating islands to commerce with foreigners never dawned on them.

The 13-Family Alliance affair this time carried a unique twist. Once the Bloody Massacre Sect seized control of the 13-Family Alliance, they applied the island merging technique to shift every movable island to their western and northwestern defense lines. Only the fixed, permanent islands stayed put. Abandoning them would waste potential. That's the reason they approached Zhao Hai for input.

Truthfully, had the Bloody Massacre Sect handed the reins to Zhao Hai, he wouldn't have disturbed the 13-Family Alliance's islands at all. He'd have kept them right in place. He might even have purposefully widened the surrounding sea zone to draw more Blood Slaughter Sect island owners to plant their islands nearby. Gradually, the 13-Family Alliance's waters would blend seamlessly into the Blood Slaughter Sect's domain. The territory claimed by the Blood Slaughter Sect would swell enormously. Those islands could serve as launch points to strike at rival powers.

Yet clearly, the Blood Slaughter Sect's leaders viewed things differently. They swiftly relocated all relocatable islands to Blood Slaughter Sect grounds. As for the leftover ones, they drew a blank on handling them. Thus, they turned to Zhao Hai for a fix. Upon hearing his proposal, Dao Qianzhan and company mulled it over at length before nodding yes. To big sects like theirs, crystal stones weren't an issue. If feasible, they preferred keeping those 12 permanent islands firmly under their own control. They didn't fancy loose cultivators swarming in to set up shop.

This appeared full of contradictions. See, disciples such as Shen Nanzheng ran small operations in certain spots. That showed Bloody Massacre Sect members weren't rolling in wealth. The sect overflowed with crystals, so why not boost disciple perks? Why force them into tasks and scraping for crystal stones to fuel their cultivation? Doesn't that clash head-on?

Actually, the Bloody Massacre Sect's top brass did this out of care for their disciples. Cultivators didn't thrive by holing up in seclusion, ignoring the world. To advance further, they needed real battles and ordeals. Hence, sects avoided spoiling disciples with excess perks. They kept things just shy of starvation, but never quite satisfying. Crave a full belly and quicker progress? No sweat—tackle some missions. The sect brimmed with jobs ready for you. This setup brought earnings plus battle honing. So even with warehouses stuffed full of goods, sects withheld lavish aid. It wouldn't aid growth; it'd sabotage it.

Owing to this mindset, the big sects never sweated over crystal stones and thus overlooked commerce entirely. In their eyes, trade was for puny sects. Major players steered clear. If they dabbled, it involved deals between sects—grand-scale exchanges, worlds apart from petty vendor work.

That's why Bloody Massacre Sect folks never dreamed of transforming those islands into a booming trade hub, or even a crystal stone goldmine. Dao Qianzhan and the rest balked initially over the market angle. They loathed the notion of outsiders learning the Bloody Massacre Sect ran such a place. That sparked their early resistance. What truly swayed them was Zhao Hai's second point: restocking blood in the central plaza. They could morph the plaza into a talent pool for the Blood Slaughter Sect, drawing in those cultivators to enlist. This hit precisely what the Blood Slaughter Sect craved and prized above all.

The Blood Slaughter Sect had suffered heavy losses in low-tier disciples before. Only by crushing the 13-Family Alliance did they rebuild ranks this time. But the event jolted everyone in the Blood Slaughter Sect awake. They grasped that replacing a massive wave of beginner disciples would prove agonizingly tough. Leaning solely on internal growth would drag on forever.

Zhao Hai's market scheme flipped that script. It would draw swarms of lone cultivators. They could scout these independents, snag the promising ones for the sect. In crises, they might scoop up batches of fresh talent straight from the market. Soon enough, the sect would swell with new blood. For the sect, this spelled pure upside.

This very logic prompted Dao Qianzhan and others to greenlight Zhao Hai's blueprint. Still, Zhao Hai couldn't handle the execution solo, nor should he. The Bloody Massacre Sect promptly dispatched Island Lord-level powerhouses to oversee the 12 islands. They assembled an enforcement squad blending Dharma idol realm elders, core disciples, formal disciples, outer sect members, and suicide troops to police the 12 islands. At once, they broadcasted that the 12 islands would turn into open markets. Loose cultivators could even bring families to settle. In exchange for residency, they'd aid the Blood Slaughter Sect with yearly tasks. The Blood Slaughter Sect would safeguard them in return. Their kin or offspring might even earn spots as sect disciples.

To solo cultivators, these terms sounded like a jackpot. Shortly after the announcement, hordes of independents flooded the twelve islands. The market sprang up in record time. What caught the Bloody Massacre Sect off guard was how the market's buildup poured in massive revenues. The haul stunned them, far surpassing wildest guesses. This drew sharper focus from Dao Qianzhan and crew toward the market.

Though the Bloody Massacre Sect never pinched for crystal stones, clutching a steady revenue stream thrilled them no end. After all, it funneled fortunes into the sect's coffers. For them, it was an unmissable boon. No way they'd toss it aside.

All this wrapped up in just two months. To mark it, Dao Qianzhan summoned Zhao Hai back to Blood Massacre Island once more. Zhao Hai stepped into Dao Qianzhan's private study this visit. Du Wansha and fellow elders lounged there too. The study ranked as Dao Qianzhan's most secluded spot. Few Island Lord experts ever entered. Regular Island Lords got ushered to the outer main hall, denied access here. It highlighted how loftily Dao Qianzhan and others regarded Zhao Hai.

Zhao Hai bowed deeply to them upon entering the study. Thousand Blade chuckled and gestured dismissively, saying, "No need for formalities. You've done the sect a huge favor this round. I never imagined a simple market could pull in crowds like that. And the daily earnings? Sky-high. This truly caught me off guard. Lad, you're a gem. You've secured a steady income stream for the sect. Excellent, truly excellent."

Zhao Hai grinned. "Sect Leader flatters me. I just offered what help I could. Back on Blood Drop Island, I had my servants handle trades at the local market. I saw firsthand how lucrative markets can be, so I floated the idea now. Hopefully, it pans out well."

"You've excelled, truly," Thousand Blade nodded. "But that's not why I called you here today. The earnings impress, yet they don't faze me much. What grips me now is your progress on puppet crafting. This clash netted us tons of Dark Souls. Refine them all into puppets, and the Bloody Massacre Sect gains a fierce new army!"

Zhao Hai responded promptly, "Sect Leader, we've nailed the second-grade puppet, and I've got a prototype here today. Mass production kicks off soon. That said, I advise holding off on infusing the Dark Souls for now—they're too frail yet. Slot them into puppets prematurely, and they won't unleash full might. My plan: stash them in a sect spot rich with Yin Qi, nurture via the ghost raising bottle. Then forge into puppets to hit peak battle prowess. Even sans Yin Souls, these outstrip first-gen puppets. Production's trickier, sure, but one second-gen matches ten first-gens easy. A first-gen's blast? It won't scratch a second-gen." With that, Zhao Hai produced a puppet.