novelraw Chapter 132 : Soul Black Market: Nirvana Zen Monastery’s “Business Model”
Chapter 132 : Soul Black Market: Nirvana Zen Monastery’s “Business Model”
Chapter 132: Soul Black Market: Nirvana Zen Monastery’s “Business Model”
Three days later, at the outskirts of the Ten Thousand Souls Cavern, the Black Wind Mountain Range.
Yin winds howled violently here, gloomy clouds hung low, and even the sun in the sky seemed to be shrouded by an invisible haze, unable to let through even a trace of warmth.
Chu Feng’s group of five stopped at the foot of a solitary mountain.
“President, according to the map that old fellow gave us, once we cross that mountain ahead, we’ll reach Nirvana Zen Monastery.”
Zhao Wuji rubbed his hands together and said excitedly, but no matter how one looked at it, that plump face of his carried a trace of lewdness.
Chu Feng nodded and raised his head to look.
In the distant mountain hollow, an ancient-looking monastery appeared faintly.
There were no resplendent halls, nor curling incense smoke. There were only dark greenish-black walls and mottled eaves, like a monstrous beast lying dormant in the shadows, exuding a heart-palpitating aura of death.
“This place doesn’t look like any proper monastery.”
Zhang Daniu scratched his head and said in a muffled voice.
He had a robust physique and vigorous qi and blood, making him especially sensitive to this kind of sinister aura, and he only felt uncomfortable all over.
“Heh, Brother Daniu, this is where you don’t know the inside story.”
Zhao Wuji immediately sidled over and began showing off his “professional knowledge”.
“The monks of Nirvana Zen Monastery don’t cultivate Buddhism, they cultivate business!”
“They’re a bunch of vampires squatting at the entrance of the Ten Thousand Souls Cavern. If you want to pass through here, you have to leave behind road tolls!”
“Let’s go, let’s meet these ‘barbarians at the gate’.”
Chu Feng smiled calmly and took the lead in walking forward.
The group soon arrived at the monastery gate.
Two vermilion-painted wooden doors with peeling lacquer stood half-closed. There was no plaque above the gate, only two stone lions with eyes wide in fury. After years of erosion, their faces looked especially ferocious.
Before even entering, a strange stench mixed with sandalwood incense, blood, and decay rushed toward them.
A guest-receiving monk wearing gray robes, with a withered face, seemed to have been waiting for a long time. He silently slid out from behind the door, clasped his hands toward Chu Feng and the others, and said expressionlessly:
“Amitabha. Several benefactors, are you entering the Ten Thousand Souls Cavern to seek a fortune, or do you wish to buy a strand of peace in our monastery?”
His voice was hoarse and dry, like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing together. His gaze swept back and forth over the five of them. That look did not resemble one assessing worshippers, but rather evaluating the quality of goods.
“Master, we are merchants who have come from afar, wishing to go in and inspect the ‘market environment’.”
Chu Feng returned the greeting as well, his smile gentle.
“Merchants?”
The guest monk’s gaunt face twisted into a smile uglier than crying.
“Easy to talk about. I assume the benefactors have already inquired about the rules of our monastery.”
He extended a finger as dry as kindling.
“Entrance fee: ten thousand top-grade spirit stones per person, or one complete living soul of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.”
Wu Hao, standing to the side, secretly sucked in a breath of cold air. This price was simply darker than outright robbery!
The guest monk seemed not to notice his expression and continued:
“As for gains within the cavern, whether heavenly materials and earthly treasures or powerful soul entities, upon exiting the cavern, our monastery will take thirty percent as ‘venue management fees’ and ‘security guarantee fees’.”
“Of course, if a benefactor is unfortunately killed and their soul is obtained by disciples of our monastery, we will also perform deliverance for them, charging only fifty percent as a ‘rebirth service fee’, helping them ascend to bliss sooner.”
He spoke solemnly and clearly, as if he were introducing an entirely ordinary service.
Zhang Daniu’s eyes went wide with rage, his fists clenching until they crackled.
These bald donkeys wanted to earn money from the living and wouldn’t even spare the dead. They were simply devoid of conscience!
“Hehe, Master, your business is indeed fair to young and old alike.”
Chu Feng, however, did not get angry but instead laughed. He casually found a meditation cushion and sat down cross-legged, beckoning to the guest monk.
“Come, Master, sit and talk.”
The guest monk was taken aback, seemingly not expecting Chu Feng to act this way.
“Master, I myself am also a businessman. I find that your monastery’s ‘business model’ is quite interesting, but the problems are also very serious.”
Chu Feng spoke eloquently.
“Oh? What insightful views does the benefactor have?”
A trace of interest flashed through the guest monk’s eyes.
“Insightful views would be too much, just some shallow opinions.”
Chu Feng raised one finger.
“First, your profit model is far too singular.”
“You rely heavily on one-time income like ‘entrance fees’ and ‘commissions’, what one might call a ‘ticket economy’.”
“This model has extremely poor risk resistance. Once something happens to the Ten Thousand Souls Cavern, or a new entrance is discovered, your business will collapse immediately.”
The guest monk’s expression changed for the first time.
Chu Feng did not stop and continued by raising a second finger:
“Second, your user experience is far too poor.”
“You only collect money, yet the services you provide are almost nonexistent.”
“No maps, no guides, no safety guarantees. Cultivators can only rely on risking their own lives.”
“This means you can only attract desperadoes and gamblers, losing a large number of wealthy but life-cherishing ‘high-end clients’.”
“With such a narrow customer base, how can you grow bigger and stronger?”
“Th-this…”
Cold sweat had already seeped onto the guest monk’s forehead.
Every sentence Chu Feng spoke precisely stabbed into the pain points of their operations over many years.
“So,”
Chu Feng revealed his true intention, his smile becoming profound and unfathomable.
“Master, are you interested in hearing me talk about a cooperative project regarding ‘deep development of Ten Thousand Souls Cavern tourism resources and the soul-power derivative industry chain’?”
“We can jointly establish a new company. Our side will provide capital, management, and the model, while you contribute shares in the form of ‘exclusive operating rights to the Ten Thousand Souls Cavern’.”
“We redefine ‘entrance fees’ and launch ‘standard tickets’, ‘VIP tickets’, and ‘luxury exploration packages’, providing differentiated services for different client groups.”
“We can also establish ‘safe zones’ and ‘supply stations’ on the periphery to promote ‘secondary consumption’.”
“We can even capture low-tier soul entities and make them into ‘soul-power pills’, ‘cultivation pets’, and other ‘peripheral derivative products’ for external sale, building a branded IP!”
A string of unheard-of terms crashed down like a storm, completely smashing the thousand-year-old guest monk into confusion.
He stood there dumbfounded, his worldview suffering an unprecedented impact.
Beside him, Zhao Wuji looked as if he had been injected with chicken blood. He pulled out a small notebook and scribbled furiously, muttering to himself:
“Brand IP… differentiated services… brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Our President is about to open the heavenly eye for these rustic tycoons!”
He even wanted to rush over and give the guest monk a round of on-site “wolf culture” training.
At that moment, an aged yet majestic voice came from deep within the monastery, as if crossing endless void, directly resounding within everyone’s soul.
“Benefactor, please come inside the inner hall for a discussion. This old monk is very interested in your ‘cooperation project’.”
Upon hearing this, the guest monk’s whole body shook. When he looked at Chu Feng again, his eyes were instantly filled with reverence.
He hurriedly bent over and made a “please” gesture, his attitude becoming a hundred times more respectful than before:
“Benefactor, the Abbot invites you.”
He paused, then added another sentence from the Abbot’s voice transmission:
“The Abbot says he agrees to let you enter the cavern, but there is one additional condition.”
“You must bring along one of his disciples who is ‘hanging an order while cultivating’, and proceed together.”