517: Chapter 517 Jiang Ning's Boldness

One step behind means being behind at every turn.

Hearing Jiang Ning's words, Dan Xun was deeply moved and nodded.

Then, he stood up, took out a Jade Slip from the desk, and handed it to Jiang Ning.

"Take a look. What you said, the Elders of each Family have also realized. While you were performing Alchemy, the Spirit Pill Hall also held an Elders' meeting."

"Everyone has predictions regarding the Third Prince's future moves and the turbulent changes in the landscape of the entire Alchemy world."

"And they proposed various countermeasures."

Jiang Ning looked at the Jade Slip, understanding in his heart that he couldn't be the only smart person. Qing Dai couldn't understand simply because the 'information' she had access to was too limited.

There are two important factors why the rich get richer.

One is the 'information gap' that ordinary people cannot access, and the 'strength' to utilize that gap, such as connections, capital, and so on...

Both are indispensable.

Why do some people stock up on oil before prices rise? Why do some people buy a large amount of gold just before its price skyrockets?

This is the information gap.

But the information gap alone isn't enough; one also lacks the strength to start.

Poor people might also learn this news by chance through some channel, but before something is certain, no one can give a guarantee.

Even if poor people have the information gap, where would they get the money? Or rather, even if they have some money, they fear the cost of trial and error is too high, thus missing the opportunity.

Jiang Ning felt this quite deeply.

Before gold prices rose, a relative of his in officialdom bought a large amount of gold, but his Family, fearing a huge loss if the price didn't rise, chose to continue working honestly to 'preserve capital' and 'save money'.

As a result, gold prices soared. At that time, his parents would always sigh, wishing they had used all their money to buy gold back then.

There are no 'ifs'. Given such an opportunity again, the Family would probably still choose to 'preserve capital' and 'save money'.

This is the life of an ordinary person.

Qing Dai was just like this.

Jiang Ning took the Jade Slip, scanned it with his Divine Sense, and then put it down.

The Elders of each Family knew the future situation. Some suggested nipping those Pill Refining Noble Families who sided with the Third Prince in the bud, while others suggested reforming the internal structure of the Spirit Pill Hall.

But how could these things possibly stop a prince?

Seeing Jiang Ning's expression, Dan Xun asked with a smile, "Do you think the suggestions are inappropriate?"

Jiang Ning nodded.

"Elder Dan, I'll be blunt. There's nothing useful in here. Take nipping the Pill Refining Noble Families in the bud, for example—acting now is equivalent to opposing the Third Prince."

"Given the Third Prince's current state, he would likely use this as an excuse to weaken the Spirit Pill Hall."

"As for reforming the structure of the Spirit Pill Hall to consolidate control over Alchemists, that's even worse. Isn't the reason the Spirit Pill Hall has lasted so long without collapsing because it's a loose yet reliable organization?"

"If this is truly changed, other Alchemists will view the Spirit Pill Hall as something akin to a Sect power. In the future, fewer and fewer Alchemists will join the Spirit Pill Hall."

"This isn't guarding against the Third Prince; it's digging one's own grave."

"The Third Prince would certainly be happy to see such a situation."

Elder Dan nodded. "True, everyone understands this as well, which is why after discussing for so long, no conclusion has been reached."

He used Spiritual Qi to control the teapot and refill Jiang Ning's tea, saying with a smile, "However, since you came to see me in such a hurry tonight, it seems you have your own ideas. Why not share them?"

Jiang Ning pondered for a few seconds. "What I'm about to say might affect the interests of other families, but it is indeed the only way I can think of to guard against the Third Prince."

Dan Xun perked up.

"Feel free to speak."

Jiang Ning explained calmly, "After the Third Prince passes through this crisis, if he wants to gather Alchemists, besides the Pill Refining Noble Families he has already recruited and poaching people from the Spirit Pill Hall..."

"...there is one more channel."

Dan Xun: "Recruiting those Alchemists who haven't entered the Spirit Pill Hall."

"Exactly."

Jiang Ning said, "Although the Spirit Pill Hall is the number one Alchemist power in Da Qian, there are still experts among many individual Alchemists. It's fine when these people are scattered, but once gathered, they become a significant force."

"I feel that the Third Prince will definitely offer some benefits to cultivate and win over these Alchemists."

"True." Dan Xun nodded. "Does my young friend have a way to counter this?"

Jiang Ning: "Flip the table directly."

"How so?"

"By continuing to lower the threshold of Alchemy Techniques."

Hearing this, Dan Xun was startled. "Please elaborate, young friend."

Jiang Ning: "Found an Alchemy Academy, an institution like the Imperial College, catering to those Loose Cultivator Alchemists and those who wish to become Alchemists."

"In this way, making the Alchemy Techniques and knowledge—which originally required joining a certain power to obtain—transparent will inevitably attract countless Loose Cultivators and people who want to learn Alchemy but lack resources."

"Alchemists join powers mostly because they want a stable place to earn money or want to improve themselves."

"With an academy, these Loose Cultivators can both earn some money through the institution and improve themselves. After all, having many Great Masters from the Spirit Pill Hall teaching is far better than exploring on one's own."

"More importantly, we can also discover those Genius Alchemy seeds among the common people who were originally unable to learn Alchemy, unearthing and cultivating talent, and grasping the 'future' of Alchemy in our hands."

"Although the academy won't control where they go after leaving, I believe that after being cultivated by the academy, their first choice in the future will definitely be the Spirit Pill Hall."

"No matter what price the Third Prince offers, it involves imperial power struggles. The academy, however, has none of that, so they won't have to worry about future liquidations."

Dan Xun's eyes widened as he listened.

He knew that if this were to be implemented, it would be an unparalleled revolution in Alchemy.

But as Jiang Ning said, making Alchemy information transparent and public would inevitably shake the interests of the Pill Refining Noble Families.

Dan Xun stood up and paced around the room.

Finally, he smiled bitterly. "No Noble Family will agree to this. Relying solely on the direct lineage of the Spirit Pill Hall, it would be difficult to support such an academy."

Jiang Ning countered, "But what if we give those Pill Refining Noble Families who contribute to the academy the right to recruit talent? For them, the Family can have many more powerful Alchemists in the future, ensuring the Family's longevity."

"For the students, it adds a few more career paths to choose from."

"Perhaps in the short term, no benefits will be seen, but in the long run, the pros will certainly outweigh the cons."