Join my Patreon to be 30 chapters ahead of the webnovel releases:
patreon.com/ZeroMoney
I would appreciate your help if you could join my Patreon and support me because it would keep me motivated.
******
After Ning Fengzhi left, Wang Li summoned the four clan leaders and brought up the topic of the hidden weapon transaction, addressing them:
"I've negotiated a major deal for our sect with Sect Master Ning of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect—the one who just left. One set of hidden weapons is priced at 15,000 gold soul coins. For 500 sets, that totals 7.5 million gold soul coins. One million has already been paid as a deposit."
Each of the four clan leaders, who were holding and examining a hidden weapon in their hands, was dumbfounded upon hearing this.
Seven and a half million gold soul coins—this was an astronomical sum. Even if the four single-attribute clans pooled all their resources, they still couldn't come up with that much money.
Wang Li smiled faintly and said,
"This wealth will serve as a critical startup fund for our sect. Clan Leader Tai, you'll be in charge of manufacturing the hidden weapons. The shopkeeper of your store once claimed that you are one of the three greatest master craftsmen on the continent. Try to produce these hidden weapons internally as much as possible. If manpower becomes an issue, you may outsource certain components to external blacksmiths."
Upon hearing this, Tai Tan didn't immediately respond. Instead, he disassembled the Zhuge Divine Crossbow on the spot, then reassembled it before nodding and saying:
"No problem, Your Grace. This weapon called a hidden weapon is truly remarkable—not only are the materials top-grade, but the design is also exceptionally precise. Its power output is enough to injure a Soul Sect-level cultivator. The key point is, anyone holding it can inflict damage on a Soul Sect. No wonder Sect Master Ning is willing to pay such a high price."
"To nurture a Soul Sect takes at least a decade of effort, yet this small hidden weapon allows a one-ring soul master to rival a four-ring Soul Sect. It's truly unbelievable."
Wang Li himself found it hard to believe sometimes. Spending over a decade to cultivate to the Soul Sect level, only to be easily pierced by a hidden weapon—it was indeed worthy of being called a "broken" element in the fantasy world of Douluo Dalu.
He then continued,
"These are just standard hidden weapons. Tang San also has blueprints for some unconventional ones—they're more powerful and more lethal, but also far more difficult to produce."
"Clan Leader Tai, I've heard that within your blacksmithing circles, Lou Gao of Gengxin City is also a top-tier master craftsman. Talents like him are exactly who I plan to recruit. Make time to accompany me there in the future."
A flash of interest gleamed in Tai Tan's eyes. The Zhuge Divine Crossbow had already astonished him; he didn't expect there to be even stronger hidden weapons. But how did Tang San obtain them? Could they originate from the Clear Sky Sect? Yet, he'd never heard of such things before.
Still, if such powerful weapons truly existed, perhaps it would be possible to persuade Lou Gao to join. He was obsessed with the art of forging—crafting powerful weapons was his life's pursuit.
Tai Tan cupped his hands and responded,
"As you command!"
Wang Li then turned to the other three:
"Now that the funding issue is resolved, let's talk about other matters. The current residence of the Strength Clan is decent in size, but it can barely house just over a thousand people from all four clans combined. Long-term living there is out of the question—we must expand."
Niu Gao, Bai He, and Yang Wudi all perked up; Wang Li's words struck a chord with them. While the Strength Clan had treated them well, space was indeed tight, making daily life quite inconvenient.
Niu Gao clasped his fists and said loudly:
"Your Grace, leave the construction to our Defense Clan. Whatever your requirements are, we will fulfill them without fail."
Wang Li tapped his finger on the table as he outlined the vision in his mind:
"In Heaven Dou City, every inch of land is precious, and there are too many prying eyes. We'll need to choose a nearby mountain and build our sect's base there. The sect will occupy the mountain, and the academy will be built at its base. We'll likely settle near the Sunset Forest."
"In the future, your Defense Clan will be very busy. Constructing the sect, building the academy, and adding all the necessary supporting facilities—it'll take several years to complete."
Far from being intimidated, Niu Gao was delighted. He wasn't afraid of hard work—he was afraid of having nothing to do. Thumping his chest, he assured:
"Your Grace, leave it to us. I'll send scouts immediately to find a location that is easy to defend and rich in resources. We'll make a terrain model for your review."
Wang Li nodded—professional matters should be handled by professionals. His role was simply to assign tasks. He spoke:
"The sect refers to our headquarters, while the academy will be an institution funded, established, and supported by the sect. In order to reach a substantial scale quickly, I've decided to visit the Five Elemental Academies and persuade them to collaborate with me in founding a new academy. This way, we can swiftly build up both faculty strength and student numbers."
"Lately, the continent has been in turmoil. It's not just your four single-attribute clans who are struggling; the Five Elemental Academies are likely facing difficulties too. This is the perfect opportunity."
After Wang Li finished speaking, Niu Gao hesitated briefly before voicing his concern:
"Your Grace, I can't speak for the other academies, but behind the Elephant Armor Academy stands the Elephant Armor Sect. Huyan Zhen is highly ambitious and aims to become one of the Seven Great Sects. Moreover, he has close ties with the Spirit Hall. I fear he won't join us easily."
Upon hearing this, Wang Li recalled how the two great empires' subordinate kingdoms, duchies, the lower four sects, and many other factions were secretly under the Spirit Hall's influence. Winning them over would be difficult, so he responded:
"In that case, we'll focus on the other four academies. I've interacted with their deans before, so I can reach out and see where they stand."
"With that settled, let's move on. Clan Leader Yang, your family specializes in medicine and poison. I won't interfere with your research on poisons, but I hope you can shift more focus to medicinal studies—specifically, remedies for strengthening muscles and bones, enhancing cultivation, and healing injuries. That would contribute greatly to our sect's internal development."
Yang Wudi didn't hesitate and immediately pledged his support:
"No problem. Poison is a means of self-protection. If the sect requires it, then medicine will become our clan's primary focus of research moving forward."
Wang Li was very pleased. Finally, he looked at Bai He, who had been eagerly awaiting his turn. The Agility Clan would naturally have their role as well, so Wang Li addressed him:
"The Agility Clan consists of pure agility-type soul masters. While you lack offensive power, the hidden weapons we'll produce will also be tailored to your clan. With that, you'll combine speed with lethal force. You'll be responsible for sect security and rapid response. Should any foolhardy enemies dare attack us, you must be the first to strike, using your speed and hidden weapons to unleash the initial wave of assault."
Bai He was overjoyed. With these hidden weapons, a hundred soul masters from the Agility Clan could arrive in the blink of an eye and launch a concentrated barrage. The devastation they could unleash was terrifying, and they could vanish without a trace, not even stained by a drop of blood.
Just imagining it was thrilling. Bai He replied with excitement:
"No problem, Your Grace! You can count on us!"
At last, the blueprint for the sect was beginning to take shape. What came next was one of the most important matters. After some thought, Wang Li sighed inwardly. He gave up on coming up with a flashy name—naming things wasn't his strong suit. Instead, he spoke:
"With the sect established, it's time for a formal name. From now on, we will be known as the Blue Silver Sect. This is the name of my martial spirit and also my title. Blue Silver Grass is commonly regarded as a worthless spirit, and my ability to cultivate with it was due to a rare twist of fate."