This world is never short of people who take risks for wealth.
At this stage, shortly after the Beast Soul Pill was introduced, the price of a single Beast Soul Pill had been driven up to a level far exceeding its actual value.
Even though he was already a Soul Master and unable to use the Beast Soul Pill, simply reselling it could still yield a substantial profit.
Naturally, many people entertained crooked thoughts, thinking they could snatch the pills and sell them to nobles, then run away and hide for a year or two without any issues.
Those who had such thoughts were at least Soul Emperors, if not Soul Masters.
As for Soul Kings? Soul Kings were generally prominent figures; why would they join some faction for a salary when they could engage in such disgraceful robbery?
However, this was a miscalculation.
Beast Soul Commerce was not naive; every point of sale for the Beast Soul Pill was established in major cities.
After all, this kind of product would have no customers with demand or financial means in the countryside.
There were only a few dozen first-tier cities across the entire Douluo Continent.
The Soul Arena Beasts within the Beast Soul Alliance had grown over the years, and their core members had already risen from the original Soul Master level to the Soul Emperor level.
The introduction of the Beast Soul Pill to the market naturally indicated that internal digestion had long been completed.
Deploying one or two Soul Emperors to guard each important point posed no pressure for the Beast Soul Alliance.
The strength of the Soul Arena Beasts was not to be underestimated; their Spirit Ring configurations could hold their own against the Soul Masters of the old era.
Although it had been decades since You Chen brought about changes to the world, and it seemed that the outside world had generally progressed from version 0.0 to version 1.0... in reality, that was not the case at all.
It was just that the circles You Chen interacted with were too high, involving the Martial Soul Hall, the top three sects, and the great nobles, who naturally kept up with the updates.
But how could those who resorted to robbery possibly emerge from such powerful factions?
The display of force by Beast Soul Commerce against robbers and troublemakers made the people of Douluo Continent, especially those in the upper echelons, realize the latent power of Beast Soul Commerce.
This newly emerged commerce guild was not as shallow as it appeared!
It made some factions that had inappropriate thoughts of wanting to take a share of the pie reconsider.
"Where did this Beast Soul Commerce come from?"
In the early days of Beast Soul Commerce, many people expressed this doubt. As the commerce guild flourished, fewer and fewer people ignored this question, but it was now being raised again.
Ning Fengzhi, the president of the Seven Treasures Commerce Guild, which was in direct competition with Beast Soul Commerce, naturally could not overlook this.
"Based on the armed forces displayed by Beast Soul Commerce, they must have at least a hundred Soul Emperors. A Soul Master takes several years, even over a decade, to cultivate from a Soul Scholar to a Soul Emperor; they cannot have appeared out of thin air."
As the leader of a sect, Ning Fengzhi managed all the manpower and finances of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect.
He was well aware of the time and financial resources required to cultivate a talent.
In version 0.0, the vast majority of Soul Masters would only reach the level of Great Soul Master in their lifetime.
After six years of study in a primary academy, only a very small number could break through to Soul Master upon graduation.
Those who could break through to Soul Master at this stage, when they advanced to a middle academy, more than half could break through to Great Soul Master within a few years, thus aspiring to higher realms.
But those who did not pass the first hurdle would generally need to waste several more years to break through, and then, before their vitality completely waned, they would struggle to cultivate to the Great Soul Master level.
However, their major sects and powerful factions were different.
The geniuses they directly absorbed were needless to say.
Among the loyal family branch members passed down through generations, many had ordinary talents, and logically, they would only reach the Great Soul Master level in their lifetime.
But with more comprehensive training programs and more cultivation resources in the sects and families, as long as they did not give up on themselves, most could cultivate to the Soul Emperor level.
In terms of cost-effectiveness, it was not worth it, but just like how You Chen initially used resources capable of cultivating Soul Emperors and Soul Kings to solve the problem of beastification, the short-term benefits were very poor. The important thing was the added value of loyalty they possessed.
Soul Masters cultivated through the clan system might have lesser talents, but their loyalty was unmatched by outsiders.
The only issue was the financial burden.
Fortunately, the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect was not short on money, so under Ning Fengzhi's arrangements, every Soul Master in the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect could receive this kind of foundational training, which was considered incredible for outsiders.
However, even the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect could only support the expenses for a few thousand people.
This was still under the condition that the Seven Treasures Commerce Guild was continuously operating.
Of course, the few thousand core members of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect were maintained through a fluid system; it could not be directly equated to the resource expenditure of a few thousand people, and in reality, it was much more than that.
But the problem was... Beast Soul Commerce had just started up.
These Soul Emperors could not have just been recruited, could they? Ridiculous!
Ning Fengzhi was a hundred percent certain that there was support from a major power behind this.
"Could it really be Prince Xue Xing?"
Ning Fengzhi naturally thought of Prince Xue Xing: "Dugu Bo was sent by Prince Xue Xing to maintain Beast Soul Commerce. On the surface, Prince Xue Xing even publicly distanced herself from Dugu Bo, claiming that Dugu Bo had returned to freedom, but in reality, their relationship had never been severed. The true president of Beast Soul Commerce is Prince Xue Xing! Dugu Bo is merely trying to protect Dugu Yan from being affected by this commercial war, so he found an excuse to send his granddaughter away for protection, right? Moreover, the reason for having Dugu Bo act as a white glove also considered the exclusion factors from the Star Luo side, right? It's the Jade Phosphorous Douluo's commerce, not a commerce guild established by a prince of an enemy nation, which leaves room for negotiation."
Prince Xue Xing had money, people, the time to cultivate a large armed force, and the ability to hide them!
Everything... seemed to make sense!
In fact, Ning Fengzhi had not just thought of this now.
He had always felt that the background of Beast Soul Commerce was not that important.
However, after facing setbacks in this commercial war, Ning Fengzhi finally had some unsettling thoughts...
It is well known that the most effective and genuine commercial warfare is not about price wars or product wars, but directly attacking the opposing players!
So why had they not used this approach before, or even considered it?
The answer was simple: the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect was, after all, a righteous faction, and they were in the business world; such actions would have a very negative impact!
Of course, saying "directly attack the opposing players" meant that as long as Ning Fengzhi still wanted to maintain the market in the Heaven Dou Empire, he could not attack Prince Xue Xing herself.
What he was thinking was to use forceful means to resolve commercial issues, not to use force to eliminate opponents.
The first solution that came to Ning Fengzhi's mind to resolve their current predicament was...
A very direct method—cutting off the key commercial routes of Beast Soul Commerce! Directly severing their supply of goods!
However, that shameless Dugu Bo personally handled the reception and escort every time, and the Seven Treasures Commerce Guild had only received information that their commercial route was connected through the Catastrophe Mountain Range during this time.
To cut off the main supply of Beast Soul Commerce, they had to confront Dugu Bo!
To target a Titled Douluo, they could only send out a Titled Douluo!
But this undoubtedly meant true hostility! Transitioning from commercial competition to actual bloody conflict!
Although Ning Fengzhi had already determined that Dugu Bo was merely an agent working for Prince Xue Xing, he was still officially the president—though he had never claimed this himself—such actions would be a provocation and declaration of war against a Titled Douluo. Even for the sake of Titled Douluo's face, Dugu Bo had to show a confrontational attitude.
As mentioned earlier, for the ruling class of Soul Masters, combat and killing had always been a last resort, not like in novels where they immediately jumped into fighting.
And Titled Douluo were "nuclear weapons" for any faction. Even in the realm of conflict, they were considered a final means.
Given the current scale and market share of Beast Soul Commerce, was it worth it for them to tear their face with a Titled Douluo?
Moreover, a Titled Douluo who used poison!
"It's not yet time to take this path."
Ning Fengzhi shook his head.
If they were not going to engage in open conflict, they could only take the path of indirect confrontation.
The Soul Masters targeting the Beast Soul Commerce's Beast Soul Pill for robbery inspired Ning Fengzhi.
"I can completely disguise my family's private soldiers as robbers to create trouble for Beast Soul Commerce. At least in terms of manpower, they currently cannot compete with us."
As for hiring people to do such things?
Soul Masters were the elite and ruling class of this world. As mentioned before, apart from Sky Net, there had never been a proper organization that could hire Soul Masters to do work.
At most, they would temporarily act as mercenaries outside the hunting areas for spirit beasts, helping people hunt for Spirit Rings.
However, Ning Fengzhi also had to consider the risks involved.
If they acted as robbers and were directly killed, that would be a wasted life.
Most importantly, in the Heaven Dou Empire region, the stores of Beast Soul Commerce had Prince Xue Xing's assistance and were located in the city center.
Once robbers appeared in the city center, they would not only face the people of Beast Soul Commerce but also the city guards and even the patrolling officials of the Martial Soul Hall; all the visible forces would take action against them.
"Then, should we target the Beast Soul Commerce in the Star Luo Empire region? No, that won't work. That is not our operational center. If we are caught, the people sent out could be wiped out in one go; the risk is too great."
Ning Fengzhi felt a headache coming on.
After all, he was reluctant to part with his clan's private soldiers.
"Since that's the case, let's directly target Prince Xue Xing!"
Ning Fengzhi suddenly realized this was a good choice.
Instead of considering how the supply of Beast Soul Commerce was being transported, why not directly attack their birthplace!?
Once Prince Xue Xing was overwhelmed, wouldn't she be unable to pay attention to the matters of Beast Soul Commerce?
This was a good strategy to save Zhao by besieging Wei!
Especially...
"With the strong support of Qinghe!"
Ning Fengzhi knew that his nominal disciple was also quite clever; aside from the minor mistake regarding public opinion against Bibidong, she was someone who would not act without seeing results.
But if he could weaken one of his current top political rivals, he would be more than happy to provide assistance!
Afterward, after Ning Fengzhi proposed his idea to "Xue Qinghe," the two quickly reached a consensus.
No mistakes, one shot, one internal, one content, one in one 6 one 9 one book one bar one look!
Prince Xue Xing: "?"
Thus, for a long time afterward, Prince Xue Xing found herself facing setbacks everywhere.
In court meetings, whenever she raised a topic, Xue Qinghe would directly stand up to oppose it.
Several of her guest officials were unexpectedly taken away by Xue Qinghe at great cost without her noticing...
Moreover, law enforcement personnel came to her door, claiming that some of her shops and entertainment facilities were suspected of tax evasion, leading to their immediate closure...
In short, nothing was particularly smooth.
...
With Prince Xue Xing drawing fire, Beast Soul Commerce entered a period of calm and steady development.
And so, half a year passed.
During this time, You Chen's consolidation of his own strength was also smooth and uneventful.
Time returned to when Dugu Bo and the others had just left the Catastrophe Mountain camp.
You Chen first exhausted the uses of "Meridian Strengthening and Marrow Cleansing." Unlike before, he accumulated them to use all at once to better comprehend the system's operation of Immortal Spiritual Energy.
Even though he could never fully replicate the system's power, after gaining new insights, he still made progress, which reflected in his understanding of the "Godly Elephant Suppressing Prison Strength."
Both were enhancements to the body, but they were different paths; however, the principles were the same. During the process of comprehending Meridian Strengthening and Marrow Cleansing, You Chen was also able to gain insights into Godly Elephant Suppressing Prison Strength.
In the short term, however, he still needed a considerable amount of time to fully grasp the Dragon-Elephant Chapter.
Next came the insights into the soul power manipulation of Spiny Seahorse Douluo and Serpent Spear Douluo.
To become a Titled Douluo, one's soul power control must reach a high level.
The experiences of two different masters of soul power control were invaluable to You Chen, akin to experiencing their journey from zero to peak in soul power changes, which was immensely beneficial.
There were also differences among those at the high level. It is worth noting that even an Ultimate Douluo might not achieve perfect control over soul power.
You Chen, Spiny Seahorse Douluo, and Serpent Spear Douluo's soul power control were generally at the same level.
Now, after gaining the experiences of both, You Chen could say that his soul power control had reached the level of a Super Douluo.
This directly saved him several years or even longer of grinding.
Then, he looked at the pills produced by the two Titled Douluo.
Having completed so many tasks and used system pills multiple times, You Chen had developed his own understanding of pill grades.
Generally, the pill grades corresponded to the optimal usage levels as follows: Primary (Soul Scholar~Great Soul Master), Intermediate (Soul Emperor~Soul King), Advanced (Soul Emperor~Soul Douluo).
The range of advanced pills was deduced based on the effects of primary, intermediate, and advanced pills.
For example, low-level Soul Masters using high-level pills would waste the effects due to their inability to absorb them fully, while the reverse would yield no effect at all.
As for enhancement pills, low-level users would experience significant reductions in effectiveness when using high-level pills, and vice versa.
Regarding pill grades, You Chen knew that apart from the highest-grade pills he had on hand, there was also the "special grade" from Bibidong's task.
Top-grade pills corresponded to at least Titled Douluo~Super Douluo, while special-grade pills might even be effective against divine-level beings. Of course, it was also possible that they corresponded to Ultimate Douluo or merely the range of Super Douluo~Ultimate Douluo.
In any case, You Chen did not plan to consume the top-grade experience pills for now.
With the eight or nine rings of his first life and the four, five, and six rings of his second life, he was already exploring suitable target spirit beasts through the newly established network of the commerce guild.
Once these Spirit Rings were complete, he would quickly break through to the Titled Douluo level, and that would be the time to consume the top-grade pills.
The direct enhancements to combat power provided by the system had been digested for now.
What he had not used were all things he judged were not yet timely.
Then, he began to reflect on himself.
Not just reflecting on the battles after breaking through to Soul Saint, but also on his own style of conduct.
—He had been repressing himself for too long.
The words he said to Dugu Bo were not just a formality; he genuinely believed that.
Or rather, he realized his own impatience.
This was not hard to understand.
The things that were suppressed and lacking in youth, once we grow up and have the ability to make up for them, often lead to a compensatory and exaggerated pursuit.
For example, being forbidden by parents from eating junk food like KFC or spicy strips as a child, one would indulge in them all at once when grown.
Having always been a bookworm with little interaction with the opposite sex, after becoming a PhD or professor, one might use the confidence and charm brought by their status to repay decades of sexual repression...
Such cases are not uncommon.
Looking back at You Chen's life over the past few decades, what had he been lacking? What had he been repressing?
It was strength, the forced forbearance and retreat in the face of Bibidong's power.
This repression had lasted for decades.
He had been suppressing himself all along, playing the role of a low-key, non-confrontational researcher.
So when his Martial Soul transformed and his strength surged to a point where no one could control him, he could no longer contain that desire to express himself.
He wanted to showcase the self that came with strength.
That urgent expectation was like a mountain flood finally breaking through a dam after being blocked for years.
Thus, he became "reckless," even exhibiting a noticeably more flamboyant personality.
Not only because he no longer needed to be cautious, but also because he needed this way to vent his repressed desi
res.
So...
'Do I still need to continue repressing myself?'
The answer was—no longer.
After seeing through his own heart and granting himself such permission, You Chen's mind calmed down.
After telling himself that he no longer needed to repress himself and could express freely, You Chen became less urgent.
A relieved and relaxed smile appeared on his face as he murmured, "Yes, finally no longer needed."
(End of Chapter)