Chapter 177 The Fish Has Been Hooked!

"..... May the Absolutes be the witness!"

The Sense Trainers repeated the words after Ikasa. As soon as they finished reciting the oath, a golden light flashed upon them, signifying the acknowledgment from the Absolutes.

Ikasa smiled at the Sense Trainers with relief. A huge weight had been lifted from his chest.

As soon as they realized Ikasa had nothing more to say, they flocked to the exit area and waited to be teleported out. They avoided Ikasa and his group like a plague.

Ikasa smiled bitterly at their reactions.

'How am I supposed to conduct business if they are all like this? No, I need to improve my image in their hearts.'

Ikasa resolved. Now that he had sworn them to secrecy, he no longer had any reason to maintain his image of an insane slaughterer.

He quickly changed his bloody clothes and cleaned up as best as he could. Then he began to socialize with the people.

He started with the cultivators from the smaller families and also the unaffiliated wanderers. Though all of them wanted to avoid him, none of them dared to turn their face.

They patiently listened to him as a formality. But what kind of businessman would he be if he could not even draw them in?

Ikasa put his charm to use. He asked about things all the cultivators loved; their most epic battles! And before they knew it, the cultivators were genuinely engaged in a conversation!

"... and then we managed to hoodwink the Steel Guardian Beast and escape from his grasp."

"Whoa! That was so brave of you, Brother Xin. You must be feeling an awful lot of pain from your injury."

"Haha! It's just a small injury. Not enough to make you worry, Brother Ikasa."

"How can that be? You should seek me after we exit the rift. We also have a Medicine Master in our group. He will definitely treat you if I request him."

"There is no need…"

"I insist! In fact, if any of you have injuries, please find me. I will do my best to persuade our Medicine Master to treat all of you."

"Then we will thank you in advance, Brother Ikasa."

After experiencing his frigid side, the Sense Trainers were charmed by the warmth Ikasa showed them. In a single meeting, he had managed to capture their hearts with his generosity.

Ikasa slowly began to broach the subject of his main business and promoted his manuals.

".... If you need any type of manual, do not hesitate to come to the Gold Heart Business Group. I will make sure that you get the best possible manual at a price affordable to you."

Ikasa said, introducing his business. There were many people with varied backgrounds here. Some belonged to small families while others were lone wolves.

They had heard of many different names of merchant groups but none was as unique as the Gold Heart Business Group. The name itself was fascinating to many.

In a world where most of the Merchants adopted names like Martial Soul Trading Company or Daoxin Chamber of Commerce, the Business Group stood out.

It was easily remembered by most people due to its uniqueness. Even those who found it difficult did their best to memorize the name.

Although they came from different backgrounds, one thing was common to all of them -  everyone needed good quality Battle Techniques and Cultivation Methods.

Thus, they did not refuse Ikasa's tempting offer.

While Ikasa made friends with the individual Sense Trainers, Xin Ruo introduced the Gold Heart Business Group to the Nian Clan. Ikasa had directed her to sound out the Nian Clan for a potential partnership.

Would it violate his contract with the He Family? No.

The City of Elm was one of the rare cities in Deciduous County where the He Family could not establish a monopoly over the cultivation manual business. The reasons behind it were obvious.

A journey from Maple City to Elm City took around three weeks or more. On top of that, the roads passed through forests infested with bandits and beasts, making it extremely hazardous.

And yet, the logistics problem was the least important of all.

Elm City was one of the three major trade hubs between the Holy Wood Empire and the Furnace Fire Empire. Naturally, the Cultivation techniques from the Furnace Fire Empire were also traded.

These techniques circulating in the markets of Elm City were superior to anything the He Family could provide. And they were cheaper too!

As such, competing in this extremely cutthroat market was impossible for the He Family. Not only could their techniques not generate any profits, but this was also the only city where they suffered a huge loss.

Since then, the He Family had given up on the lucrative market of Elm City. If Ikasa decided to develop it, the He's had no standing to obstruct his plans.

".... the manuals are truly miraculous. You have to see them with your own eyes to believe it."

Xin Ruo whispered to the Nian Clan girls as if she was gossiping about some sordid affair with her girlfriends.

The Nian Clan was made up of tribal people. They had little to no interest in the business. Making the Mystic Blood was part of their religious practice and they earned their livelihood by selling it.

These simple people did not have the ambition to expand their business. So, Xin Ruo had to take a different approach to ignite their curiosity.

Xin Ruo remembered that they were not even Ikasa's first choice!

His first choice was the Su Family, who were the business tycoons of Elm City. They ran brothels and taverns and also dabbled a little in the Cultivation resource market.

However, he had killed the main line's successors. He had already formed bad blood with the Su Family.

Though the fact that he had killed them may be hidden for some time, Ikasa was not naive enough to believe it would stay secret forever. When it comes to light, the Su Family would come after him with full vengeance.

Of course, Ikasa could not get in bed with them now. It would be like sleeping with a ticking time bomb!

Considering this, Xin Ruo suggested the Nian Clan to Ikasa.

Firstly, Ikasa was apprehensive about the Clan. He appreciated Sang Yi as a person for his straightforward attitude but there was little to no business acumen in the current leaders of the Nian Clan. He was sure they would reject his offer.

However, she convinced him to let her try. And judging from the faces of the girls she was talking to, she had indeed succeeded in arousing their curiosity.

Xin Ruo smiled as they began to ask more questions about the manuals.

"You become a Path Forger as soon as you use one? How?"

"Are they gifts from god?"

Xin Ruo patiently answered each one of their questions. The girls exclaimed with amazement, their voices expressing their wonder.

The conversation attracted the attention of others from the clan and reached the ears of Sang Yi.

The more he listened about the incredulous manuals, the more his eyes widened.

When he heard that they also had a High-Grade Path Forging manual, he could not sit still. Sang Yi approached Xin Ruo.

"Do you really have a High-Grade Cultivation Manual which can instantly promote you to Path Forging Realm?"

Sang Yi asked, his breathing heavy from the excitement. He was the leader of the new generation of the Nian Clan, the next in line to be the Clan Head.

He knew of a problem that persistently bothered the Nian Clan. The lack of High-Grade Cultivation Manuals.

It was not that they were not available; they did appear occasionally in the Auctions held in Elm City. However, the Nian Clan did not have the financial power to afford it.

Their need for a High-Grade Cultivation Manual became even more dire after the recent auction where the Su Family had gotten their hands on an ancient High-Grade Manual that suited their Dual Cultivation!

Previously, there was no friction between the Su Family and the Nian Clan even though they were from the same city. They had similar levels of power. Hence, they knew that a battle would only result in a loss for both sides.

This situation had changed after the auction. Everyone knew that a higher grade cultivation method could make advancing to the Chakra Sensing Realm a lot easier. So, the Su Family had a chance to widen the power disparity.

Even though it would take a few years for the new Path Finders to emerge, the process had already started. If the Nian Clan did not want to end up losing, they had to keep up with the Su Family's growth.

The first step was obviously getting a High-Grade Manual.

As the young leader, Sang Yi was thus intrigued by Xin Ruo's introduction. He saw a hope to get ahead of the Su Family in the manuals she introduced.

Xin Ruo noticed his nervous excitement through his fluctuating energy signature. She smiled widely as she thought,

'The fish has been hooked!'