I Pick up a Lost Godhood

Chapter 105 - 103: Retreating to Advance?

Mingren was the most honest one. When he saw the sword Wang Meng had forged—a product of Talisman and Sword Dual Cultivation—he frankly admitted he couldn’t see any particular strengths. He wasn’t like the other disciples, where if a hundred of them saw it, all hundred would be nodding their heads and muttering, "Good, good, good," without actually knowing what was good about it.

The Lingyin Hall was clearly looking to befriend the Thunderlight Hall. It was truly a case of not knowing one another until you’ve fought. Wang Meng and his group also admired the character of Li Tianyi and Mingren. Even as opponents, they should be faced honorably; having such rivals was a blessing.

When the disciples of the Thunderlight Hall saw that the Lingyin Hall disciples were willing to call them brothers, it felt as if they had come back to life from a world of the walking dead.

In the past, the Thunderlight Hall disciples were looked down upon wherever they went. They even looked down on themselves, just drifting from one day to the next. Their daily calculations were all about how to earn a little money or save up a single Spirit Stone, completely forgetting their own status, let alone having any sense of presence.

Cultivators were people too, and they also needed recognition and encouragement, especially from outsiders.

Mingren and the others were all high and mighty figures. Someone like Li Tianyi, in particular, was a person to be looked up to. Frankly, the old Thunderlight Hall disciples didn’t even have the right to look up to him, but now, Li Tianyi was chatting and laughing in the Thunderlight Hall as if he were a friend.

When Chen Haiguan saw this scene, for some reason, the big man found his eyes welling up with tears. The disciples of their Thunderlight Hall finally carried themselves with dignity.

The Thunderlight Hall incident was a surprise, and it made all the disciples realize that as long as one dared to show what they could do, even a nag could prove to be a legendary steed. ’Maybe I have talent too, just waiting for a master to discover me.’ But if you never showed your skills, you would only suffocate in obscurity.

So afterward, the other Sub-Halls also began to expand in scale. It was just a pity that the Ancestral Masters no longer made any appearances.

The auctions for the Hundred Herbs Hall and the Beast Hall were also about to begin. This was always the main event of every Hundred Treasures Hall Meeting. After a long day of looking, getting your hands on something tangible was what really mattered.

Of course, the Hundred Herbs Hall and the Beast Hall had things they needed as well. They weren’t selling just for Spirit Stones; they also hoped to trade for items like Cultivation Techniques and Pills. Naturally, the items they sought were not easily obtainable and were typically quite rare. As was tradition, they would post a list of these desired items, allowing anyone who possessed them to participate in the auction.

The Beast Hall confirmed that they would be auctioning high-quality Spirit Beasts this time, instead of always trying to fool everyone with inferior ones. After all, Spirit Beasts were also divided into different grades, and with different specialties, their values varied completely. They were probably spurred on by the Thunderlight Hall’s success and felt a bit off-balance, determined to regain some face no matter what.

No one had really taken the Hundred Treasures Hall Meeting too seriously, and as a result, the Thunderlight Hall had managed to find an unexpected opportunity. Aside from the Thunderlight Hall, which other Sub-Hall had made such a grand display?

The most crucial thing was that after the Thunderlight Hall’s recent exposure, it had genuinely stimulated a lot of transactions. Although the quality was average, the prices were cheap. With so many items, someone was bound to need something, and buying from the Thunderlight Hall was more affordable than buying expensive alternatives.

And in reality, Zhou Qian’s Talismans, Hu Jing’s Pills, Suo Ming’s weapons, and the items from Chen Haiguan and the others were actually all decent. They weren’t as bad as people had imagined. Before, everyone had been prejudiced, endlessly belittling them, but in truth, they were all perfectly usable.

The business was secondary. Although the Thunderlight Hall was relatively poor, what made everyone happiest was simply managing to sell their things.

Even someone as calm as Hu Jing couldn’t help but boast a few times.

However, Wang Meng’s items were not for sale. They were an important promotional stunt.

They weren’t selling, but someone came looking for them. The visitor was none other than Zhang Liang.

Everyone had heard of this particular disciple from the Hundred Herbs Hall, especially because of recent events.

"Greetings, Senior Brothers and Sisters. I am Zhang Liang. First, allow me to congratulate the Thunderlight Hall on the great success of your event."

Zhang Liang said with a smile, displaying the typical manner of a businessman. Although Zhang Xiaopang also came from a merchant family, he certainly wasn’t as ruthless as this, doing business right within the Holy Hall.

"Brother Zhang, you’re too kind. We should be thanking you for this matter," Hu Jing said, being very polite to Zhang Liang. After all, Zhang Liang’s introduction in that information Talisman had been very favorable toward the Thunderlight Hall. If he had spread malicious rumors, the effect would have been completely different.

"Not at all, not at all. I was merely stating the facts. Senior Brother Wang is a model for our generation. We should all learn from Senior Brother Wang."

Zhang Liang said with a perfectly straight face.

"I say, Brother Zhang, you must have earned quite a bit from this venture. Your ability to seize every opportunity is truly remarkable!"

Zhang Xiaopang was a businessman too. Selling so many of those Talismans these past few days, even at five contribution points each, meant he must have made a killing.

"It’s just a small profit. Since I borrowed from Senior Brother Wang’s story this time, the Thunderlight Hall deserves a share. I’ve converted it into Spirit Stones. Here are ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones. I need the rest for my costs, and to make a little extra for myself."

Zhang Liang said. Everyone was stunned for a moment. ’Could such a good thing really be happening?’

Ten Spirit Stones. They knew all too well how hard that was to come by, yet he tossed out ten of them so casually.

When the ten Spirit Stones were placed on the table, Zhang Xiaojiang immediately put them away. He was Wang Meng’s bookkeeper.

Zhang Liang’s attention was entirely on Wang Meng. He was observing every detail. Fame or anonymity—neither seemed to have left any mark on him.

When he took out the Spirit Stones, everyone’s eyes were fixed on them, but Wang Meng remained completely unmoved.

Spirit Stones were a necessity for cultivation. No one could resist them. Why was he an exception?

Mortals loved wealth, and Cultivators loved it even more. It’s just that their wealth consisted of treasures like Spirit Stones and Magical Artifacts, and their greed was even stronger.

’But what on earth is Wang Meng thinking? I’ve been secretly observing him these past few days, but I just can’t figure him out.’

Zhang Liang knew that you can’t catch a tiger cub without entering the tiger’s den. Moreover, you couldn’t go empty-handed. Sharing the profits was the way of business. In truth, the profit from this venture wasn’t that high, but Zhang Liang had still rounded it up and presented ten Spirit Stones, hoping to build a connection.

"Senior Brother Wang, there’s a question on my mind that I have to get off my chest. I heard that you rejected the proposals of the four Ancestral Masters and still intend to be a Sword Cultivator?"

Zhang Liang didn’t want to listen to the rumors; he wanted to confirm it himself. He looked into Wang Meng’s eyes. A person could lie, but their eyes could not deceive.

"Brother Zhang is joking. Those are all just rumors. The four Ancestral Masters were merely expressing their appreciation and encouragement for a junior. They had no intention of taking me as a disciple. And I am a Sword Cultivator, and I will only ever be a Sword Cultivator."

Wang Meng said. As a member of the Holy Hall now, he didn’t want to become an arrogant and conceited person in the eyes of the Ancestral Masters. Slander can melt gold, and accumulated defamation can break bones—this principle was a profound truth in any world.

Zhang Liang nodded. He was surprised, but he could also understand. It was just like him; even if he were told to focus solely on cultivation, he wouldn’t be very willing. He liked his current trade and its rhythm.

Besides, in his line of work, he had seen many rises and falls. An Ancestral Master might happily accept you as a disciple on a whim, but if you failed to show the potential they required, you could just as easily be abandoned. Such drastic ups and downs were truly not something an ordinary person could withstand.

’From the looks of it now, Wang Meng’s move of taking a step back to advance, regardless of whether his story is true or not, is a masterful play.’