When You Chen finally settled down and firmly obtained the strength of the seventh ring and the evolution of his Martial Soul, the Beast Spirit Chamber of Commerce was established smoothly as initially planned.
At first, no one paid much attention to this newly emerging chamber of commerce, considering it just another ordinary small business.
However, when people learned that this chamber was founded by a Titled Douluo—though it actually wasn't—their interest instantly peaked.
If we say that Soul Kings are akin to mayors or small-time celebrities for the common folk, then Titled Douluos belong to the realm of taboo figures or superstar-level personalities.
The advertising effect was naturally extraordinary.
Everyone was curious about what this Titled Douluo had specially concocted for the chamber, what kind of products were being sold?
Although the Seven Treasure Chamber of Commerce relied on one of the top three sects, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, after operating for so long, people had long lost their novelty towards it.
But this newly emerged Beast Spirit Chamber of Commerce was different.
It was like Dou Dou, which everyone had been using for a long time without paying much attention to its updates; they just kept using it.
However, if Alibaba suddenly announced that it had developed a chat software to compete with Dou Dou, most people would be curious and want to see what was going on.
Yet, most people only thought about taking a look and browsing around.
From the perspective of the common folk, they estimated that the Beast Spirit Chamber of Commerce was likely similar to the Seven Treasure Chamber of Commerce, selling extremely rare items, catering to those Soul Master grandpas.
Any small trinket would start at gold soul coins, which these common players could not afford.
(PS: The original text states 1 gold soul coin = 10 silver soul coins = 100 copper soul coins, which is clearly a typo. Here, we use 1 gold = 100 silver = 10,000 copper, with 1 copper being equivalent to 1 RMB in purchasing power. The items sold by the Seven Treasure Chamber of Commerce starting at gold soul coins means that even a small accessory costs over ten thousand, targeting only the high-end market, so it's normal that commoners cannot afford it.
For the full PS content, see the author's note.)
However, the reality soon exceeded their expectations.
Because the Beast Spirit Chamber of Commerce was surprisingly similar to those small businesses, unlike the high-end-focused Seven Treasure Chamber of Commerce, the cheapest products here could be bought with copper soul coins.
Although these cheaper items were mostly some wonderful candies and snacks, daily necessities were still relatively expensive, starting at silver soul coins, but such prices were generally affordable for commoners.
Ignoring things like popping candy and spicy strips, which were quite tasty and fun, the variety was still too limited and more favored by children.
The adult commoners were more concerned about the new products introduced by the Beast Spirit Chamber of Commerce, which they had never heard of before.
Things like a "fan" that could bring a cool breeze in the scorching summer, a "refrigerator" that could preserve food, and an "incandescent lamp" that could replace candlelight and the rare soul-guided devices they couldn't afford for lighting...
Just hearing the introduction from the attendants of the Beast Spirit Chamber, upon learning about these magical functions, not only the commoners but even the nobles became excited.
The most crucial point was... it was cheap!
The most expensive refrigerator was only 10 silver soul coins, which a common family could afford with some effort, and the convenience it brought was needless to say. The most significant change to their lives was the issue of meat storage!
In the past, after hunters finished their hunts, if there were meat shops available, it was manageable; otherwise, it was generally for home use, and it was impossible for a family to consume it all. They had to share with neighbors to build good relationships and wait for neighbors from the same village to return from hunting to share with other families. Only a small portion of the meat would be preserved through methods like salting, trying to avoid waste as much as possible.
Such primitive situations were extreme cases that only existed in remote villages far from cities.
But the issue of food storage had always been a significant problem for the cash-strapped commoners.
Taking meat storage as an example, salt and oil were not cheap in ancient society, and most people could not frequently use them to preserve meat through methods like salting or oil sealing.
Without more convenient means, life could indeed go on like this, even if it was a bit troublesome and exhausting, but that was because they had no choice.
No one wanted to live more laboriously if they could live more easily.
Especially when the cost was something they could afford.
"Excuse me, is there an error in the marked prices of these products? This fan, does it really only cost 3 silver soul coins?"
Someone quickly inquired impatiently; he had just experienced the power of the fan with the attendant's help, and judging by his appearance, he was clearly suffering from the summer heat.
The attendant smiled and replied, "Yes, but please note that products with special power requirements, including the fan and refrigerator, require our specially produced 'soul power battery' to function. For example, a standard unit of soul power battery can only provide power for the fan to run for 24 hours. When the battery runs out, you will need to come back to purchase a new one in a timely manner. By the way, we can buy back used batteries at one-tenth of the selling price."
Upon hearing that he would need to buy batteries, the man felt a pang of disappointment, thinking that there was no way it could be that good, but he still pressed on, "Then... how much do these batteries cost?"
The attendant said, "The smallest unit, a standard soul power battery, is priced at only 10 copper coins."
"This…"
The man's eyes widened: "That's completely an acceptable price! So cheap!"
His eyes lit up.
A fan running for a day costing ten bucks would make any modern person feel like they were being ripped off... it was too outrageous.
But for these Douluo natives who had never encountered a fan before, 10 bucks for a fan blowing for 24 hours? That was incredibly cheap!
After all, in ancient times, it wasn't that hot at night; the hottest and most unbearable hours were during the midday.
A single smallest unit soul power battery could actually last for several days!
Oscar's sausage costs five bucks, and for ten bucks, you could have a fan blowing for several days... that's totally worth it!
Similar scenes played out across the Douluo Continent.
In Tiandou City, at the Prince's Mansion, Prince Xue Xing had just waved goodbye to Dugu Bo, who had come to congratulate her, still feeling a bit dazed, murmuring to herself, "So, that heavenly-level assassin really intends to sincerely cooperate with me?"
The title of Jade Phosphorous Douluo, the affordable and high-quality products, and Prince Xue Xing's connections and networks allowed the Beast Spirit Chamber of Commerce to expand rapidly in the Tiandou Empire.
This process went even smoother than Prince Xue Xing had imagined.
When Dugu Bo first approached her, she had thought that even if she lost a bit, it wouldn't matter, but now, as the number one partner in the Tiandou region, she had instead made a fortune.
Although Soul Masters and nobles indeed held enormous wealth in this society, on average, each Soul Master's assets were probably hundreds of times that of commoners.
But... how many Soul Masters, or rather, formal Soul Masters were there? Only about twenty thousand.
With billions of people on the continent, Soul Masters accounted for less than one ten-thousandth, which is still far fewer than the less than one percent of the modern-day Tianlong people. It was impossible for one ten-thousandth of the population to occupy 99% of the wealth.
In this continent and this era, while commoners were completely inconspicuous and had no relation to the so-called winds and clouds of the continent, they were the mainstream.
The total assets of each common family might only amount to a few to a dozen gold soul coins, with available liquid funds possibly less than one gold soul coin, but when combined, the economic total of all commoners still exceeded that of the Soul Masters.
However, no one had ever thought of earning their money or providing them with services.
For Prince Xue Xing, this was not the key point.
The most crucial aspect was...
The Beast Spirit Chamber of Commerce did not only sell those relatively cheap daily necessities for the masses.
By attracting the attention of those Soul Master gentlemen with these new items, the high-end products sold by the Beast Spirit Chamber of Commerce also opened up a sales market.
With the number of Soul Masters on the continent being limited, the entire market was also limited; the more the Beast Spirit Chamber of Commerce occupied, the less the Seven Treasure Chamber of Commerce would have.
And striking at the Seven Treasure Chamber of Commerce would evidently also strike at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
It was well-known among the upper class of Tiandou that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School was the strongest supporter of the current Crown Prince, Xue Qinghe.
"My dear nephew, how will you respond to this?"
Prince Xue Xing thought to herself, a smile creeping onto her lips.
How would Xue Qinghe, or rather, Qian Renxue respond?
The answer was... a normal response.
Contrary to what Prince Xue Xing thought, Qian Renxue was actually quite pleased with the impact of the Beast Spirit Chamber of Commerce on the status of the Seven Treasure Chamber of Commerce.
Because over a year ago, her handling of public opinion regarding Bibidong had already created a certain rift between her and her teacher, Ning Fengzhi.
The competitive relationship between the Beast Spirit Chamber of Commerce and the Seven Treasure Chamber of Commerce could be utilized to elevate her importance to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
Thus, it would tighten the previously distant relationship.
Qian Renxue did not care about whether her throne would be stable after ascending, nor did she care about the development of the Tiandou Empire, and she was even less concerned about what would happen to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
What she wanted was simply to quickly take control of the Tiandou Empire and then hand the entire country over to the Martial Soul Hall.
Therefore, she did not need to pursue long-term and stable control.
Of course, her decision not to target the Beast Spirit Chamber of Commerce was also largely due to Dugu Bo's support for it.
The fact that You Chen and Dugu Bo were now firmly allied was a well-established fact, and in Qian Renxue's mind, she certainly did not want to conflict with her teacher again.
Especially since she realized that her previous actions to suppress public opinion for Bibidong not only hindered her from gaining the support of the Tiandou ministers and nobles but also seemed to have thwarted You Chen's plans...
The first instance of unpredictability could be said to be ignorance, the second instance of accidental missteps could be considered unintentional, but this third time...
She could not be sure if she would once again ruin her teacher's plans, leading them to truly become adversaries...
Thus, Qian Renxue did not intend to directly hinder the development of the Beast Spirit Chamber of Commerce, but instead focused her targets on the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, intending to use this to make the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School more firmly stand behind her.
As for whether the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and the Seven Treasure Chamber of Commerce could defeat the Beast Spirit Chamber of Commerce? That was the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's own business.
Even if they failed, she had already provided assistance, responsible for countering Prince Xue Xing, and if the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School failed, it could not be blamed on her.
Correspondingly, her true teacher would probably not comment on this either.
Qian Renxue believed that her beloved teacher would grant her this level of tolerance.
Otherwise... if they truly became adversaries, she would have no other choice.
It was impossible for her to abandon the career she had devoted over a decade of her youth to, right?
She had no way out, no room for regret; even if it meant being enemies with her teacher, she had to follow this path...
At the same time, with the support of both commoners and nobles, the rise of the Beast Spirit Chamber of Commerce was unprecedentedly rapid, and no matter how efficient the Seven Treasure Chamber of Commerce was, it was difficult to respond in time.
Just before they finalized their counter-strategy, the higher-ups of the Seven Treasure Chamber of Commerce quickly noticed another key piece of information.
The Beast Spirit Chamber of Commerce had not only opened in the Tiandou Empire but also in the Star Luo Empire.
It is worth mentioning that the Seven Treasure Chamber of Commerce also had branches in both empires, but they had clearly focused their efforts on the Tiandou Empire.
Especially after establishing a defensive alliance with the Crown Prince, Xue Qinghe, they had intensified their expansion and control over the Tiandou market.
Now, the question before them was whether to choose to engage in direct combat with the Beast Spirit Chamber of Commerce, which had gained the support of Prince Xue Xing, on their main battlefield, or to choose to battle in the Star Luo Empire, which, although weaker in influence, also lacked support from other forces.
Tiandou was their base; regardless of whether they could win, they absolutely could not afford to lose!
On the other hand, if they chose to give up on Star Luo, then in the absence of strong competitors, the Beast Spirit Chamber of Commerce could very well rise directly and completely occupy the Star Luo market, thus forming a bipolar pattern of Tiandou's Seven Treasures and Star Luo's Beast Spirits.
In the end, as the current leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, Ning Fengzhi's choice was...
"Do both hands, and do both firmly!"
Ning Fengzhi said seriously to his subordinates: "The Beast Spirit Chamber of Commerce has just risen; although they have quickly occupied the commoner market, their sources of funds, goods channels, and various aspects are far inferior to ours! The technology used in their low-priced daily necessities is too advanced, and we cannot crack or replicate it in a short time. We have no competitive advantage in this sinking market; we must not touch it! What we can do is monopolize the upper market! Starting today, all prices for cultivation resources will be lowered and discounted! We will leverage our strong capital to engage in a price war with them! We will pull all the Soul Master customers back!"
A price war is a tactic that only those with strong capital can employ!
By offering lower prices, they could steal customers and let the inventory of the Beast Spirit Chamber of Commerce rot in their hands!
Ning Fengzhi's idea was simple.
If they couldn't compete in the sinking market for the time being, they would first reclaim the high-end customers.
In response to their price offensive, if the Beast Spirit Chamber of Commerce chose to lower prices as well, due to insufficient cash flow, it would inevitably drag themselves down.
But if they didn't lower prices, the products wouldn't sell, and if they didn't sell, they wouldn't be able to bring in more supplies, leading to their inventory gradually being taken over by the Seven Treasure Chamber of Commerce, until eventually... they would have nothing to sell.
Once the initial period of the Beast Spirit Chamber of Commerce's rise passed, the Soul Master customers would return to the habit of choosing Seven Treasure Chamber of Commerce products, and the Seven Treasure Chamber of Commerce could gradually adjust prices again.
However, the high-end customers that the Beast Spirit Chamber of Commerce had already lost would be very difficult to regain.
Re-establishing a complete buying and selling chain would inevitably take a long time, and the costs involved were not something the newly started Beast Spirit Chamber of Commerce could afford.
Thus, in the end, a situation would form where the Beast Spirit Chamber of Commerce occupied the sinking market, while the Seven Treasure Chamber of Commerce occupied the upper market.
Although the Seven Treasure Chamber of Commerce lost a significant amount of funds, it stabilized its position, while the Beast Spirit Chamber of Commerce expanded into a new arena, seemingly allowing both to profit and coexist peacefully...
But Ning Fengzhi clearly did not think so.
No matter how advanced the technology, once it is released, there will eventually be a day when it can be cracked.
And the daily necessities that the Beast Spirit Chamber of Commerce withdrew from the market had two directions for cracking.
One was to directly crack the structure of the fan and refrigerator, and the other was to ignore these daily products and directly target their energy source, the "soul power battery"!
Ning Fengzhi naturally thought of the latter.
His keen business sense quickly made him realize that the selling price of those daily necessities was merely an add-on; the real profit came from the energy source that needed continuous consumption and replenishment!
As long as they cracked this energy source, the Seven Treasure Chamber of Commerce could also produce it in bulk.
There was no need to sell and research new technological products; simply selling energy could snatch a huge piece of cake from the Beast Spirit Chamber of Commerce!
In a sense, this was a race against time.
The earlier they cracked it, the less pressure the Seven Treasure Chamber of Commerce would face.
However, the first step in suppressing the Beast Spirit Chamber of Commerce in the high-end market... had not yet been completed.
The Beast Spirit Chamber of Commerce launched a new cultivation resource that directly crushed all their products—the Beast Spirit Pill.
The so-called Beast Spirit Pill was a type of low-level experience pill.
This was one of the latest achievements of the Beast Spirit Alliance Research Institute.
Of course, its effects were still somewhat inferior to the system's experience pills; it couldn't be refined instantly, the soul power increase was also reduced, and there was a notion of drug resistance, along with the limitation that it only worked for Soul Masters of rank Soul Zun and below.
But even so, as soon as this low-level Beast Spirit Pill was released, it still stirred up the winds and clouds across the entire Douluo Continent.
There was no other reason; any pill that could directly enhance cultivation was absolutely in short supply in any cultivation system.
The enhancement of cultivation meant a reduction in training time, an increase in lifespan, more time to break through bottlenecks, and reaching higher realms...
Just think about it, for a Soul Master of the same rank, taking a Beast Spirit Pill could mean breaking through to Soul Zun three to five years earlier than someone who didn't take it. If it were you, could you accept that?
At least those noble Soul Masters with established family legacies would never want their children to lose at the starting line.
It could be said that every freshly produced Beast Spirit Pill would be snatched up as soon as it hit the shelves.
It even directly gave rise to the profession of Beast Spirit Pill scalpers on the Douluo Continent.
If it weren't for the Beast Spirit Chamber of Commerce being backed by a Titled Douluo, many nobles would have likely resorted to outright robbery...
In the original text, Tang San swept the streets in Notting City for 10 copper soul coins a day, and Oscar's sausage cost 5 copper coins. It also stated that one gold soul coin was equivalent to the monthly expenses of a family of three, which was also equivalent to Tang San's income from sweeping for three years. Therefore, 1 gold soul coin = 10 silver soul coins = 100 copper soul coins is clearly a typo; he meant to write 1 gold = 100 silver = 10,000 copper. This also aligns better with the price levels in the Douluo world, as well as the monthly expenses of a family of three.
However, whether he didn't realize the typo or just went with it, the subsequent auction resources costing tens of thousands of gold soul coins, equivalent to hundreds of millions, could barely be justified as top-tier cultivation resources. But the frequent appearance of items auctioned for over a million gold soul coins was clearly off. It was as if at an auction, an Alibaba was sold off... In our country, the economic total of ancient times compared to modern times, let alone one percent, it's hard to say if it even reached one ten-thousandth. Given the population, technology, and economy of the Douluo period, it's questionable whether it could support such an auction. In any case, it shouldn't be scrutinized too closely.
Considering that the misunderstanding by the three young masters regarding the auction's gold soul coins is actually only one percent, while it still cannot be scrutinized in detail, at least it is not that outrageous. In this book, the expensive auction items from the original work have had their prices adjusted down by everyone.
In summary, the conversion rate used here is 1 gold = 10,000 copper, and 1 copper is equivalent to 1 RMB in purchasing power. The items sold by the Seven Treasures Chamber of Commerce start at gold soul coins, meaning that even a trivial piece of jewelry costs over ten thousand, catering solely to the high-end market, which is perfectly normal since ordinary people cannot afford it.
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