Immortality begins with meditation puppets

It is important for a person to know their own limitations, especially after the second-generation rich kid on the first floor showed his strength.

Even the blueprints for the Star Orbit Cannon, which many forces in the Western Sea were interested in, were auctioned off to him for 70,000 spirit stones, with no one competing with him.

The main reason was that the people on the third floor learned from Su Qing that the Star Orbit Cannon was a low-end product from Penglai Immortal Island, and that its power and effects might even have been nerfed. As a result, they lost interest in it, which made Dong Hongtu on the first floor think he had really found a bargain and happily end his auction trip over the sea.

As he walked out of the Twilight Society, neither he nor his guards noticed that pairs of eyes were staring intently at them and following them all the way to their lodgings, the Yuanlai Inn in the Yuanlai Building!
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"A grand auction can generate a staggering two to three hundred thousand spirit stones. Even just taking a cut would bring in tens of thousands of spirit stones. Wanghai City's reputation for being a gold and silver treasure trove is no exaggeration. Fellow Daoist Gao and Fellow Daoist Su, with this city under your control in the future, you will likely never have to worry about money on your cultivation journey again. It's truly enviable!"

The grand auction quietly ended, but the cultivators on the second and third floors did not disperse. They gathered in the Law Enforcement Hall to discuss the distribution of profits that had not been agreed upon beforehand.

And what cannot be overcome by fists is even more difficult to conquer with words.

Master Du'e and Master Fuhu were well aware of this principle. They praised the recent prosperity of Wanghai, and after mentioning how wealthy Gao Erqiang and Su Qing would be in the future, they relaxed their original conditions considerably, hoping that the two would not be ungrateful.

"You can manage the shops in the city yourselves, and my Penglai Immortal Island and Thousand Island Immortal Kingdom will no longer interfere."

However, the chaos in the Western Sea cannot be ignored by you, Wanghai. In addition to the nearby Wanghai, you also need to send out a fleet to take on the mission of escorting cargo ships in the Western Sea, and cooperate with my Penglai Thousand Islands to fight against evil sea monsters.

In addition, all shops in the city must supply goods to my Penglai Immortal Kingdom and Thousand Island Immortal Kingdom at the market price of yesterday, and must not hoard goods or drive up prices.

The raw materials needed for operation must be ordered from my Penglai Immortal Island and Thousand Island Immortal Kingdom first, unless they are unavailable from my Penglai Immortal Kingdom and Thousand Island Immortal Kingdom, in which case they may be purchased from elsewhere. Moreover, the price of the relevant materials shall be determined by my Penglai Immortal Kingdom and Thousand Island Immortal Kingdom. You may make suggestions, but whether or not they are accepted is up to my Penglai Immortal Kingdom and Thousand Island Immortal Kingdom!

It was clear that Master Du'e and Master Fuhu had been secretly communicating and discussing things behind everyone's backs, and they would present the agreed-upon terms as soon as the grand auction ended.

Gao Erqiang was unfamiliar with business and didn't understand the intricacies of it, but seeing the grim expressions on the faces of Su Qing, Ying Wushen, Duan Tianai, and others, he knew that the conditions offered by these two immortal kingdoms were not so easy to accept.

But before he could object, Su Qing stood up, cupped his hands in greeting to Du'e and Fuhu, and said:

"Protecting the Xihai caravan and keeping the sea route open is the duty of Wanghai City, and we at Wanghai agree to this condition."

We are honest merchants in Wanghai, with no intention of profiting from war. We supply goods to the two immortal kingdoms at the market price of previous years, and the small road has also agreed.

This material? Not only can we only get it from the two immortal kingdoms, but we also can't control the pricing. Doesn't that make us fish on the chopping block of Penglai Thousand Island, and you can slaughter us however you want?
We absolutely cannot agree to this condition!

It's not that Su Qing is ungrateful.

These two old guys are really rotten to the core!

If he were to agree to their conditions, and by controlling the materials in the future, Wanghai City would appear to be under the leadership of Erqiang and controlled by Su Qing, but in reality, it would still be a vassal of Penglai Thousand Islands, only slightly more lenient than their previous conditions, but the outcome would be no different.

If that's the case, then Su Qing and Er Qiang's fight with these two True Immortals was for nothing, wasn't it?

Upon hearing Su Qing's words, Master Du'e and Master Fuhu exchanged a glance, a fleeting look of disappointment crossing their faces.

The difficulty in dealing with Wanghai City lies in the fact that it has two powerful evil gods, both strong enough, and the puppeteer Su Qing, who is quick-witted enough.

If only Erqiang were here today, given their intelligence, they might accept the conditions. But if only Su Qing were here, with his strength, he would have no choice but to accept them.

But these two just happened to get involved with each other, which happened to be the time when Penglai Thousand Islands couldn't spare the time!
Let them off the hook this time!
"Since Fellow Daoist Su has objections to the third condition, we will make another concession. The price of the relevant materials will also be determined according to the market, but they must be purchased from my Penglai and Thousand Island Immortal Kingdom first!"

This is the bottom line for Penglai Thousand Islands. If we refuse even this, we will be unable to explain ourselves to the various forces within the Immortal Kingdom. If we cannot explain ourselves, the next time we come to Wanghai City, it may not just be me and Fuhu, the two True Immortals!

Master Du'e said firmly, "The Penglai Islands are all powerful and deeply rooted forces, with countless people within them who need to make a living. If we don't share any of the Wanghai meat with them, they will definitely not agree."

Upon hearing this, Su Qing knew that the material supply channels for Wanghai were controlled by Penglai Thousand Islands, and that for every spirit stone earned in the future, half of it would have to be given to Penglai Thousand Islands. However, being weaker than them, he could only nod to Er Qiang, indicating that they could accept the terms.

Seeing Su Qing nod in approval, Erqiang suddenly stood up and, on behalf of Wanghai City, signed a treaty with the two immortal kingdoms of Penglai and Qiandao, stipulating that they would not infringe upon each other for a thousand years.

"Other matters can be discussed slowly, but the situation in the Western Sea is critical. Various merchant caravans are constantly harassed by evil sea monsters in the Western Sea. Our Thousand Islands Immortal Kingdom and Penglai Immortal Kingdom are already struggling to maintain the sea routes in the depths of the Western Sea."

"In the coastal waters of the Western Sea, we still need Wanghai City to put in a lot of effort to quickly assemble a fleet. If there is a lack of treasure ships, my Yuanlai Pavilion can provide them at market price. In addition, to ensure smooth communication between this fleet and my Thousand Islands Penglai fleet at sea, the person in charge of the fleet must be someone from my Baibao Pavilion and Yuanlai Pavilion!"

Master Fuhu stroked his beard and said, which made Erqiang roll his eyes.

Old Deng's idea is too wishful thinking. He wants the merchants of Wanghai to contribute money and effort to build a fleet, but he wants Yuanlailou and Baibaoge to control it.

Want to get the entire fleet for free?
"There's no need for you two to worry about this. I, Wang Hai, already have a puppet fleet under Fellow Daoist Su's control. It has been doing quite well over the years. Since you will be going on missions to the deep sea in the future, please have the families in the city provide some financial support to Fellow Daoist Su so that he can expand the size of the puppet fleet."

If Penglai and the Thousand Islands are still concerned, they can send someone to Su Daoyou's fleet as a liaison officer, but the position of commander is unacceptable. After all, this is my Wanghai Fleet, not Penglai or the Thousand Islands Fleet!

Gao Erqiang appeared to be speaking to the two real people, but in reality, he was speaking to Su Qing.

This was actually an intentional favor he was giving to Su Qing. Today, Su Qing had outwitted and outmaneuvered the two True Immortals for the sake of Wanghai, securing considerable benefits for Wanghai City. It was only right that Erqiang reciprocate by entrusting Su Qing with the lucrative task of building the fleet.

Erqiang, whether he is a good person or a bad one is uncertain, but he is definitely a good brother you can make friends with!

Su Qing was deeply moved and patted his chest in front of the two masters, guaranteeing that if he were to hand over the Wanghai Fleet, within a hundred years, the merchant caravans traveling a million miles west of Wanghai would no longer be bullied by evil sea beasts!
Su Qing's domain is the West Coast; if he's going to do something, he'll be the king of the West Coast!
"Let it be so. I have important matters to attend to in Penglai and cannot linger in this city. If you have the time, young friend Su, please come to Penglai as a guest. There are countless puppeteers on Penglai Island. Sitting and discussing the Dao with them would also benefit you, and give them a chance to witness your puppetry skills!"

"My Thousand Islands Immortal Kingdom is the same. Not only Fellow Daoist Su, Fellow Daoist Ying, Fellow Daoist Duan, Master Liaode, you are all welcome to come and visit my Thousand Islands Immortal Kingdom when you have time. Our country has a thousand islands, each with its own unique charm. Even if you only travel around, you should be able to gain something!"

Both Du'e and Fuhu were high-ranking and powerful figures in their respective immortal kingdoms. However, after finalizing the matter of Wanghai, they both had to set off for distant places.

The cultivators of Wanghai, who were not particularly welcoming of these two great masters, all politely saw them off, wishing they would leave as soon as possible.

Unexpectedly, Su Qing, supporting Ling Ying, stood before the two True Immortals, and amidst their puzzled gazes, laughed loudly:
"Please wait a moment, esteemed masters. I, Lingying Ling Shangren, the former master of Langya Fang and daughter of the former Langya Zhenren, have something to say to you two and all the fellow Daoists present."

"Oh? The daughter of Master Langya? If that's the case, why aren't you on Langya Island, but here in Wanghai City? Did Madam Lanxiang and Daoist Tong wrong you, Master Ling? Master Ling, please speak freely. For Master Langya's sake, my Penglai Immortal Kingdom will uphold justice for you!"

"My Thousand Islands Immortal Kingdom is the same!"

Master Du'e and Master Fuhu spoke to Ling Ying with righteous expressions.

Master Langya is dead and has long lost face, but Langya Immortal Island has a special location and abundant spiritual minerals, so fertile that both Penglai and Qiandao Immortal Kingdoms want to swallow it whole.

Ling Ying released Su Qing's arm and gracefully stepped forward. Her beautiful eyes swept over the cultivators on the third floor, taking in their expressions, before she spoke slowly:

"As you all know, my Langya Immortal Island has the Star and Sun Spirit Vein, the Essence Stone Mine, the method of raising sea beasts, and the inheritance of ancient formations, but do you know where all of this comes from?"
Today, I will tell you all frankly that Langya Immortal Island is actually formed from the ruins of an ancient immortal. My father's Ziwei Star Core and the God-Sealing Formation on Langya Island were both discovered from these immortal ruins. However, we only obtained the outer treasures. Even my father did not get a glimpse of the inner mysteries.

Today, I hereby announce this news to all fellow Daoists. If any of you are capable, you are welcome to go to Langya and investigate!

Ling Ying felt a pang of sadness as she revealed the secret her Nascent Soul father had guarded for over ten thousand years. She knew this was her only option now. Since she was powerless to seize the Immortal Island, she might as well lure the wolves into the island and stir up trouble. It was better than letting that wicked woman and her lover enjoy it all to themselves.

As she had predicted, her words immediately caused a drastic change in the expressions of all the cultivators on the third floor, who were jolted awake!
Cultivation may not be inferior to that of the past, but people like them, who are at the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stages, are certainly no match for the ancient immortals. The relics of the ancient immortals are far superior to the Jade Wall Nascent Soul Cave that Su Qing experienced.

This relic is an immense opportunity that could captivate the hearts of all the immortal kingdoms of the Western Sea, including Penglai Immortal Island and the Thousand Islands Immortal Kingdom! (End of Chapter)