novelraw Chapter 15: The Differences Between Cultivation Methods
Chapter 15: The Differences Between Cultivation Methods
Chapter 15: Differences Between Cultivation Methods, Part 2
On the bustling street, Su Yuan ended the call.
A faint smile crossed his face.
No one knew that Zhou Pharmaceutical, one of Magic City's nine major pharmaceutical companies, now had a new owner.
From the moment he stepped onto the hospital’s top floor,
to the end of the call with Tang Zhien just now,
Su Yuan had, with a few gestures, completed a total takeover of Zhou Pharmaceutical, whose assets reached into the tens of billions.
And all of this had taken only eighteen minutes.
Of course, it looked simple.
But in truth, no one other than Su Yuan could have pulled it off.Completely controlling Zhou Pharmaceutical wasn’t something that mere strength alone could achieve.
Even if a Grandmaster at the Embracing Elixir stage could silently appear in Top Floor Ward No. 3
and casually hold Tang Zhien’s life in his hands,
that still wouldn’t grant control of Zhou Pharmaceutical at its roots.
Tang Zhien, a crafty old fox who had navigated the business world for decades, had a thousand ways to play along and deceive, to show compliance while hiding dissent.
Making an old fox like Tang Zhien fully submit required more than forceful methods; it required control over Zhou Weiwei’s life and death, and the imposition of absolute helplessness and despair upon him.
That was also why Su Yuan had chosen to come today.
Today was the day Zhou Weiwei was closest to death, and the day Tang Zhien was most desperate.
At a time like this, Su Yuan’s appearance was a lifeline—Tang Zhien would seize it without hesitation.
If it had been a few days earlier, when Zhou Weiwei’s condition wasn’t so severe, Tang Zhien would likely have hesitated at Su Yuan’s demands.
And hesitation breeds uncertainty and unexpected variables.
Many uncontrollable outside influences, countless domino-effect possibilities.
A single misstep could trigger unpredicted reactions.
Only Su Yuan, wielding the All-Knowing Mirror, could calculate without omission and achieve his goals amid impossibilities.
"With Zhou Pharmaceutical under control, the upcoming cultivation plan will be much easier to implement."
Su Yuan was in a good mood.
Why choose to seize Zhou Pharmaceutical specifically? There were plenty of companies in Magic City with assets on par with Zhou Pharmaceutical.
Su Yuan still selected Zhou Pharmaceutical because this company controlled many supply channels for ancient medicines from deep mountains.
The Zhou family, who steer Zhou Pharmaceutical, originated in Xia Country’s southern frontier and held considerable influence there, organizing dozens of herb-gathering teams.
The Ten-Thousand-Mountain Range in the south was almost a modern no-go zone; snakes, insects, ants, and beasts were everywhere.
It was also the birthplace of some truly top-tier ancient medicinal herbs.
Centuries-old lingzhi? Hundreds-of-years-old lingzhi? Even thousand-year lingzhi existed.
Zhou Pharmaceutical had become one of Magic City’s nine major pharmaceutical companies because it continuously transported high-quality medicinal materials from the southern frontier.
......
And those top-quality ancient medicines were equally vital for Su Yuan’s cultivation.
Only with these herbs, grown for hundreds or thousands of years and infused with vast vital energy, could Su Yuan significantly accelerate his cultivation and thus achieve a profound transformation of his life.
However,
centuries-old or decades-old lingzhi might still be sold on the market and bought with money.
But lingzhi that had grown for hundreds or even a thousand years basically never circulated publicly.
Even if one of Zhou Pharmaceutical’s dozens of herb-gathering teams discovered herbs of that caliber, they would keep them for themselves or give them away to curry favor.
Su Yuan taking control of Zhou Pharmaceutical was also a move to grasp these ancient herbs at the source.
"The Ten-Thousand-Mountain Range..."
A strange expression flickered across Su Yuan’s face.
Even for natives of the southern frontier, the Ten-Thousand-Mountain Range was exceedingly dangerous; a single misstep could mean death in the mountains.
Experienced herb-gathering teams operated there with hearts pounding and extreme caution.
Whether they could find truly high-grade ancient herbs depended largely on luck.
"Luck?"
Su Yuan looked odd.
With the All-Knowing Mirror in his possession, he clearly knew the exact positions of every ancient medicinal herb in the Ten-Thousand-Mountain Range—their maturity times and the optimal moment to harvest them.
What to others was a mountain full of hazards, to Su Yuan was no different than his own backyard.
After all, the deadliest aspects of the Ten-Thousand-Mountain Range were the ever-present dangers and the ubiquitous poisonous insects and ferocious beasts.
But Su Yuan knew precisely where the dangers lay, how to avoid venomous creatures and predators, and how to find the truly ancient herbs.
......
Controlling Zhou Pharmaceutical was equivalent to opening the gate to the treasure trove of the Ten-Thousand-Mountain Range.
The multitude of resources contained in those mountains would be more than enough to sustain Su Yuan’s cultivation after he became a Level 1 lifeform.
......
As planned, while passing through a certain dark alley, Su Yuan adjusted his body structure back to his original appearance, then returned directly to the Jinshan Villa District.
Villa No. 66.
"Beep—" Using ocular authentication, Su Yuan entered the living room and sat on the sofa.
He then took the gray mirror out from his bosom.
For something as important as the gray mirror, Su Yuan always carried it close; he would never let it leave his sight or sensory range.
"Once I become a Level 1 lifeform, I can directly refine the mirror and absorb it into my body."
Su Yuan looked at the gray mirror and thought inwardly.
This was also the answer the gray mirror had given.
More than a week ago, Su Yuan had already felt that carrying the gray mirror everywhere had become inconvenient.
So he asked the gray mirror if there was a way to solve the problem.
The answer had been: once you become a Level 1 lifeform, you can refine it into your body.
"This kind of absorption into the body isn’t simply stashing it inside."
"It means you can directly communicate with the gray mirror’s consciousness; even if you don’t take it out, you can query it in your mind and receive answers..."
Su Yuan pondered silently.
That would be far more convenient than now.
Being able to ask the gray mirror questions mentally at any time meant Su Yuan could perfectly handle variables and surprises.
At that time, whenever he wanted, he could ask questions.
Unlike now, where to avoid drawing attention or unnecessary suspicion,
Su Yuan could only query it in secluded places.
Plans had to be pre-made and could not be changed mid-course.
"Right, I should ask about the Hidden Force masters..."
Su Yuan’s mind stirred; he suddenly recalled the confusion that had been nagging him.
Earlier on the top floor of Zhongshan Hospital, when dozens of security personnel had moved, their leader—the Security Team Leader—was a Hidden Force expert.
Yet these security guards had been unable to resist the suppression of Su Yuan’s Mental Force.
Even that Hidden Force team leader showed no strength of resistance against Su Yuan.
That puzzled Su Yuan greatly. Even though he was stronger than them—an established Grandmaster who had perfected Transforming Force—should the gap be so huge?
Thinking that, Su Yuan immediately brought his question to the gray mirror.
The gray mirror’s surface churned hazily, and soon responded, words appearing one by one.
[It is because of differences in cultivation methods]