29: Chapter 29 Recruiting Talented Individuals, First Encounter with Zhao Wuji

Inside the side hall of the Guest Minister Courtyard, four players stood waiting in silence. After Elder Zhou finished announcing the assessment rules, he waved his sleeve, and the scene inside the hall changed abruptly.

The original wooden floors and carved beams and pillars vanished, replaced by a boundless Void Realm. Countless starry debris floated within the Void Realm, with a pale purple mist permeating between the fragments. Beneath their feet was a transparent light screen, through which the bottomless darkness below could be clearly seen.

“The first item is the strength assessment,” Elder Zhou’s voice echoed from the depths of the Void Realm. “This is the ‘Starry Illusion Realm,’ constructed with supreme magic by the Founding Ancestor of Yan State. It can simulate various combat scenarios. Each of you must independently kill ten ‘Star Beasts’ within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Those with insufficient kills will be eliminated, and the one with the shortest time will receive extra points.”

Just as he finished speaking, four figures began to condense within the Void Realm.

They were four strangely shaped creatures—resembling tigers, but their entire bodies were composed of starlight. Their claws and teeth shimmered with a sharp, cold light, and purple flames burned in their eyes. Each Star Beast was three meters long, with a Rank displayed as Rank 25 and fifteen thousand health, radiating Star Power from their entire bodies.

[Starry Illusion Beast (Elite)]

Rank: 25

Health: 15000/15000

Traits: Physical damage reduction 30%, high resistance to star-type skills

Skills: Star Claw Tear, Starlight Breath, Star Protection

The four Star Beasts roared simultaneously and pounced toward the four players.

Tie Shan from the Overlord Pavilion let out a furious roar, swinging his giant axe. A crimson flame ignited on the axe blade as he cleaved head-on toward the pouncing Star Beast. He was of the Berserker class, following a path of violent damage output, with every axe swing being heavy and powerful.

Master Appraiser of the Yanhuang Alliance was much more elegant. He tapped his staff lightly, laying down three ice walls in front of him to block the Star Beast’s charge. At the same time, he chanted under his breath, and dozens of icicles condensed in the sky, falling like a torrential rain.

Dark Moon of the Shadow Pavilion was the most eerie. Her figure flickered, directly merging into the shadows of the Void Realm. When she reappeared, she was already behind the Star Beast, her twin daggers piercing into its neck like venomous snakes, drawing two streaks of bloody light.

Lin Ye did not act immediately.

He stood in place, carefully observing the Star Beasts' movement patterns. These illusion beasts seemed fierce, but their attack rhythm had obvious patterns—there was a 0.5-second lag after every three pounces, and before each skill release, the Star Power within their bodies would follow a specific flow trajectory.

Three seconds later, the first Star Beast pounced before him, its sharp claws tearing through the air and leaving five starlight claw marks.

Lin Ye moved.

He did not dodge but instead took a step forward, raising his right hand with the palm facing upward. The myriad mother qi cauldron emerged before him. The cauldron’s body shook slightly, and the trailing mother Qi washed down like a waterfall, swallowing all the starlight claw marks.

Simultaneously, Lin Ye pressed his left fingers together like a sword, activating the embryonic form of Chaos Heaven Opening.

A tiny spatial crack emerged in front of his fingertips. Although it was only as thick as a strand of hair, the power of chaotic annihilation contained within it made the pouncing Star Beast instinctively feel terror. It wanted to retreat, but it was already too late.

Lin Ye’s finger tapped out gently, landing on the Star Beast’s forehead.

There was no earth-shattering sound, only a subtle crisp sound similar to glass shattering. A pin-sized hole appeared in the starlight carapace on the Star Beast’s forehead. The edges of the hole were grayish-black, as if eroded by the purest nothingness.

-15,888! Critical Hit!

An exaggerated damage number floated up, and the Star Beast’s health bar was instantly emptied. Its massive body froze in place, and then, starting from the hole in its forehead, its entire body collapsed like a sand sculpture, dissipating into countless points of light.

A one-hit kill!

When Tie Shan, Master Appraiser, and Dark Moon saw this scene, their pupils contracted simultaneously.

They were still struggling with their Star Beasts. Although they had the upper hand, it would take at least half a minute to secure a kill. Yet Lin Ye... had only used one finger.

“Is this Chaos Heaven Opening?” Master Appraiser muttered to himself, his eyes full of shock. Although he had heard that Lin Ye had comprehended a Chaos Divine Ability in the Bronze Ancient Palace, only seeing it with his own eyes did he truly understand the terror of this Divine Ability.

Elder Zhou’s phantom nodded slightly in the Void Realm, a flash of appreciation in his eyes.

The assessment continued.

Lin Ye did not pause. With a step, he activated Void Step and instantly appeared beside the second Star Beast. This time he did not use Chaos Heaven Opening—the consumption was too high, making it unsuitable for continuous use. Instead, he used the myriad mother qi cauldron as a weapon, swinging the cauldron’s body to smash heavily into the Star Beast’s abdomen.

-2,288!

The Star Beast was sent flying. Before it could land, Lin Ye had already caught up, landing three consecutive punches on the Star Beast’s head. Each punch was wrapped in Chaos Power, wreaking havoc inside the Star Beast.

Five seconds later, the second Star Beast fell.

Then came the third, the fourth...

Lin Ye’s combat style was concise and efficient, without any flashy skills. Every move was perfectly timed and aimed directly at vital points. The myriad mother qi cauldron integrated offense and defense, the Chaos Domain weakened opponents while strengthening himself, and Void Step provided extreme mobility. He settled all ten Star Beasts in less than three minutes.

Meanwhile, among the other three, the fastest, Master Appraiser, had only just killed his fifth beast.

When Lin Ye completed his kills, the Void Realm restored itself to the appearance of the Guest Minister Courtyard’s side hall. Elder Zhou stood in the hall, holding an incense stick that had just finished burning.

“The first assessment is over,” Elder Zhou announced. “Lin Ye, ten beasts, taking two minutes and forty-seven seconds. Master Appraiser, six beasts. Tie Shan, five beasts. Dark Moon, five beasts.”

Tie Shan and Dark Moon both looked rather displeased. They prided themselves on being guild elites, yet they hadn’t expected the gap between them and Lin Ye to be so vast.

“The second item is the loyalty assessment,” Elder Zhou said, giving them no time to catch their breath. “This is not a combat assessment, but a Heart-Nature test.”

He waved his hand, and four Jade Slips flew before the four of them. “The Jade Slips record a fictional scenario—you are generals of the Yan State, ordered to guard a border fortress. One day, a neighboring country's army presses the border with ten times your troop strength. Simultaneously, you receive a secret report that political enemies at home intend to use this opportunity to eliminate you. You have three choices: hold the fortress to the death, abandon the city and retreat, or defect to the enemy to survive.”

“There is no absolute right or wrong in these choices, but they reflect your way of conducting yourselves. Carve your answers into the Jade Slips within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.”

The four of them took the Jade Slips and swept their Divine Sense inside.

Lin Ye saw the scene within the Jade Slip—the dilapidated fortress, the exhausted soldiers, the dense mass of enemy troops outside the city, and that secret report with its messy handwriting. The three options were like three branching paths laid out before him.

He did not choose immediately.

In the three years of his past life, he had experienced too many similar choices. Sometimes there was no perfect answer, and one could only make a trade-off between two difficult options.

After a moment of contemplation, Lin Ye made his decision. He urged his Divine Sense to carve his answer into the Jade Slip.

When the time it takes to drink a cup of tea was up, the four of them returned their Jade Slips.

Elder Zhou inspected them one by one with a calm expression. When he finished reading Lin Ye’s Jade Slip, a flicker of something unusual crossed his eyes, but he quickly masked it.

“The third item is the ability assessment,” Elder Zhou said, putting away the Jade Slips. “This item tests your ability to solve practical problems.”

He pointed outside the hall. “In the East Market of the Capital City of Yan State, a group of crooked merchants has recently appeared, passing off inferior goods as high quality, deceiving players, and disrupting market order. The four of you will head there separately to investigate, find the mastermind, and propose a solution. You have a time limit of four hours. Scoring will be based on the depth of investigation, the completeness of evidence, and the feasibility of the solution.”

“Now, depart.”

The four of them left the Guest Minister Courtyard and walked toward the eastern district of the city.

On the way, Master Appraiser took the initiative to chat with Lin Ye. “Brother Lin Ye, what do you think of this ability assessment?”

“Each by their own merit,” Lin Ye replied simply.

“How about we cooperate?” Master Appraiser suggested. “The East Market is very large, and the merchant gang is surely organized. Investigating alone is too inefficient. We four can split up to gather clues, then aggregate and analyze them to find the mastermind.”

Tie Shan snorted coldly. “Why should we cooperate? We’ll each investigate on our own. Whoever finds it out will be credited with the skill.”

Dark Moon did not speak, but she clearly did not agree to cooperate either.

Lin Ye shook his head. “Elder Zhou said we are to investigate separately, and the scoring is independent. Cooperation is equivalent to breaking the rules.”

“That’s true,” Master Appraiser did not persist. “Then we shall each show our own prowess. Brother Lin Ye, I look forward to your performance.”

The four arrived at the entrance of the East Market and went their separate ways.

The East Market was the largest player trading market in the Capital City of Yan State, covering hundreds of acres and divided into over a dozen areas—equipment, Materials, medicine, skill books, sundries, and more. It was bustling with activity, with stalls lining the streets and players jostling each other, the sound of bargaining never-ending.

Lin Ye did not wander aimlessly. He first stood at a high point at the market entrance, overlooking the entire market layout and observing the flow of people and the distribution of stalls.

To deceive people, the merchant gang would surely choose areas with high foot traffic and many new players. Furthermore, to evade tracking, the stalls would likely change positions frequently, and there might even be multiple people taking turns to man the stalls.

Lin Ye walked toward the Materials area. This place had the most players, as many who had just left the novice village would come here to sell Materials dropped from monsters or to purchase needed cultivation resources.

He disguised himself as an ordinary player and wandered between the various stalls, observing carefully.

Soon, he discovered an anomaly.

There were three stalls that, although in different locations and with different owner IDs, sold a highly overlapping range of Materials—all low-to-mid grade Materials like ‘Starlight Ore,’ ‘Moonlight Grass,’ and ‘Crimson Flame Crystal,’ and their prices were 20% lower than the market average.

A 20% discount was a subtle price point. It wasn't low enough to make people suspect they were fakes, yet it was enough to attract players looking for a bargain.

Lin Ye approached one of the stalls. The owner was a simple-looking middle-aged man with the ID [Honest Brother Zhang]. He was only Rank 15 and his equipment was shabby, fitting the characteristics of a novice player.

“Brother, care to take a look? Starlight Ore fresh from the mines, top quality and a great price!” Brother Zhang greeted him warmly.

Lin Ye picked up a piece of Starlight Ore. The surface of the Ore did indeed have specks of starlight, looking like the genuine article. However, he activated his Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body and used Chaos Power to sense it, immediately discovering the problem—the Star Power within the Ore was very thin and unevenly distributed, clearly forged using some method.

“How much per piece?” Lin Ye asked.

“The market price for a piece of Starlight Ore is five Spirit Stones, but I’m only asking for four!” Brother Zhang patted his chest. “Absolutely the real deal, tenfold compensation for fakes!”

Lin Ye put down the Ore without exposing him and browsed other stalls. The other two anomalous stalls were in similar situations, both selling forged Materials at low prices.

He secretly noted the appearance and IDs of the three stall owners, then left the Materials area and went to the bulletin board at the market management office.

Various notices and bounties were posted on the bulletin board. Lin Ye browsed carefully and found that in the last three days, there had been seven complaints regarding forged Materials involving five different stall owners. The management office had already launched an investigation but had not yet found conclusive evidence.

Lin Ye then visited several legitimate material shops to ask about the recent purchase prices and sales of Materials like Starlight Ore and Moonlight Grass. The shopkeepers generally reported that someone had been dumping goods at low prices recently, disrupting market order, but they also had no evidence to prove the goods were fake.

An hour later, Lin Ye had grasped enough information.

The three anomalous stalls, the five stall owners involved in the seven complaints, plus the impact of low-price dumping on legitimate shops... this already formed a complete chain of evidence.

But who was the mastermind?

Lin Ye returned to the Materials area and secretly observed those three anomalous stalls from a distance. He discovered that every half hour, a player dressed plainly with the ID [Deliveryman Xiao Li] would deliver goods to each of the three stalls. The contents of the deliveries were new ‘Materials.’

After the deliveryman left the market, Lin Ye quietly followed him.

The deliveryman was very cautious, circling the city several times to ensure he wasn't being followed before entering a remote alley. Deep in the alley was an unremarkable warehouse, with two players standing guard at the entrance.

Lin Ye did not approach but instead climbed onto the roof of a nearby building to overlook the warehouse.

He saw that shortly after the deliveryman entered the warehouse, a youth dressed in expensive clothes and holding a folding fan walked out. The youth’s ID was [Qian Duoduo], Rank 20, and his equipment was luxurious—the jade pendant at his waist, the rings on his fingers, and the silk pouch at his belt were all of excellent quality, shimmering in the sunlight.

Qian Duoduo walked out of the alley and swaggered into the market, arriving at a stall in a prime location. The stall did not sell Materials but rather various luxury items—decorative jade pendants, ornate clothing, mount saddles, and the like, all at high prices.

Strangely, however, business at this stall was very good, with players constantly visiting.

Lin Ye observed for a while and understood the reason—Qian Duoduo not only sold luxury goods but also did ‘proxy buying.’ If players wanted to buy equipment or Materials that were unavailable or too expensive in the market, they could commission him to buy them on their behalf, and he would charge a 10% service fee.

And the source of those proxy-bought goods... was very likely those forged Materials.

Lin Ye had a suspicion in his heart. By the time he returned to the Guest Minister Courtyard’s side hall, the other three had also returned.

Elder Zhou sat at the head of the hall. “The time is up. Present your investigation results.”

The four of them submitted their Jade Slips separately.

Elder Zhou inspected them one by one. Tie Shan’s Jade Slip contained only a simple description, saying he had found several suspicious stalls and suggesting increased patrols. Dark Moon’s Jade Slip detailed the information of the three anomalous stalls but did not dig deeper. Master Appraiser’s Jade Slip analyzed the market patterns and pointed out the possible operational model of the merchant gang but did not find specific individuals.

Finally, Elder Zhou picked up Lin Ye’s Jade Slip.

The Jade Slip contained not only a detailed investigation process, the IDs and locations of the three anomalous stalls, the deliveryman’s movement trajectory, and the location of the warehouse, but also included Qian Duoduo’s ID and activity patterns. More crucially, Lin Ye pointed out the forgery methods—using a cheap powder called ‘Starlight Powder’ smeared on the surface of ordinary Ores to forge Starlight Ore, and using Moonlight Flower juice to soak ordinary herbs to forge Moonlight Grass.

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

Finally, Lin Ye proposed a solution: First, the Market Management Office should immediately seal the warehouses and seize the counterfeit goods; second, interrogate the individuals involved, including Qian Duoduo, and follow the clues to uncover the rest; third, establish a material appraisal mechanism where players can go to official shops to verify the authenticity of Materials for free; fourth, strengthen patrols and permanently ban repeat offenders from entering the market.

Old Zhou finished reading and remained silent for a long time.

"Lin Ye, this plan of yours..." He spoke slowly, "The second and fourth points require strong intervention from the government, which would cause too much of a stir. The third point, establishing an appraisal mechanism, requires a significant investment of manpower and resources, which is difficult to achieve in the short term."

Lin Ye bowed: "Senior, the reason the gang of unscrupulous merchants is so rampant is precisely because the cost of breaking the law is too low. If we simply seal their stalls, they can just change their IDs and locations to resume their old business. Only by striking with a heavy hand and making an example of them can we completely root out the problem."

"As for the appraisal mechanism, it can be simplified in the initial stage—set up an appraisal point in each area and hire an NPC with the 'Appraisal Technique' skill. Charging one Low-Grade Spirit Stone per appraisal will not only recover costs but also deter unscrupulous merchants."

A look of admiration flashed in Old Zhou's eyes: "Well-considered and highly feasible. However... how can you be sure that Qian Duoduo is the mastermind behind the scenes?"

"There are three pieces of evidence," Lin Ye analyzed calmly. "First, the delivery person only delivers to the three abnormal stalls and Qian Duoduo's warehouse, which indicates they have organized connections. Second, Qian Duoduo's luxury goods stall is doing extremely well, but those luxury goods are not necessities, and normal players would not buy them in large quantities. I observed that many players who bought Materials through him ended up receiving counterfeit goods. Third, Qian Duoduo's own equipment is too luxurious and inconsistent with his level 20 status, making his source of funds suspicious."

"Of course, these are only indirect pieces of evidence. To be certain, we need to search the warehouses and interrogate the relevant personnel."

Old Zhou nodded: "Reasonable and well-founded. You scored the highest in this assessment."

He announced the final results: "Based on all three assessments, Lin Ye Ranks first, Master Appraiser second, Tieshan third, and Anyue fourth. According to the rules, Lin Ye and Master Appraiser have passed the assessment and are granted the status of 'Yan State Guest Elder'. Tieshan and Anyue are currently unqualified and may try again in three months."

Tieshan and Anyue looked displeased, but they dared not act out and left dejectedly.

Old Zhou took out two bronze tokens and handed them to Lin Ye and Master Appraiser respectively.

[Yan State Guest Elder Token (Bronze)] Type: Identity Token. Binding: Soul Bound. Effects: 1. [Guest Elder Salary]: Can receive a salary of 50 Spirit Stones per month (must be collected at the Guest Elder Institute). 2. [Exclusive Quests]: Can accept exclusive quests issued by the Yan State royal family (generous rewards). 3. [Privileged Treatment]: Enjoy a 10% discount on items purchased within the Yan State, as well as reductions in accommodation and teleportation fees. 4. [Government Assistance]: Can request government force assistance to handle personal or faction affairs (limited to once per month). Description: A Guest Elder status recognized by the Yan State royal family, representing a certain level of status and privilege. Guest Elders are divided into four Ranks: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Purple Gold, which are promoted based on contribution.

"Congratulations to you both," Old Zhou smiled. "Being a Guest Elder is not just an identity, but also a responsibility. I hope you will contribute more to the Yan State and not let the royal family's expectations go to waste."

"This Junior understands," Lin Ye and Master Appraiser said in unison.

Leaving the Guest Elder Institute, Master Appraiser took the initiative to say: "Brother Lin Ye, seeing you today, you truly live up to your reputation. Since we are both Guest Elders in the Yan State from now on, I hope we can look out for each other."

"Likewise," Lin Ye responded politely.

"I must return to the Yanhuang Alliance to report back. We will meet again when we have time," Master Appraiser said, cupping his hands in farewell.

Lin Ye walked back to the residence alone, calculating his next plans in his mind. With the Guest Elder status secured, he now had a fixed monthly income and could take on exclusive quests, which would be a significant boost to the development of the Heavenly Court. Now, it was time to go check on Chen Hao and the others' recruitment progress.

Halfway there, he suddenly remembered something and turned to walk towards the East Market. Since he had already investigated the gang of unscrupulous merchants, why not take this opportunity to... meet that Qian Duoduo?

Arriving at the East Market again, Qian Duoduo's luxury goods stall was still bustling. Lin Ye observed from afar and found that this young man was indeed capable—he had excellent eloquence and could talk to every customer, blowing ordinary items out of proportion. Moreover, he clearly understood psychology, knowing the needs of different players, making his sales pitch twice as effective with half the effort.

But Lin Ye also noticed that when Qian Duoduo was selling, there was a merchant's shrewdness and calculation deep in his eyes. This was not a simple unscrupulous merchant, but a person with true business acumen.

When the crowd in front of the stall thinned out a bit, Lin Ye walked over. Seeing Lin Ye, Qian Duoduo's eyes lit up: "Yo, this brother has an extraordinary bearing; one look and I can tell you're no ordinary person! What would you like to buy? I have a top-quality jade pendant here; wearing it adds +10 to Spirit, only fifty Spirit Stones! And these 'Gale Boots', movement speed +15%, eighty Spirit Stones!"

Lin Ye didn't look at the goods, but instead stared straight at Qian Duoduo: "I just went to the Guest Elder Institute to take an assessment, and the topic I received was to investigate the gang of unscrupulous merchants in the East Market."

Qian Duoduo's smile stiffened for a moment, but quickly returned to normal: "Guest Elder Institute? That's a government institution. For you to be invited to take the assessment, you must not be an ordinary person. But this gang of unscrupulous merchants... what does that have to do with me?"

"Delivery person Xiao Li, warehouse, Starlight Powder, Moonflower Juice." Lin Ye calmly stated a few keywords.

Qian Duoduo's expression finally changed. He looked left and right, then lowered his voice: "Brother, can we step aside to talk?"

Lin Ye nodded. The two left the stall and walked to a quiet tea stall in the corner of the market. Qian Duoduo ordered a pot of tea and poured a cup for Lin Ye himself.

"What should I call you, brother?" Qian Duoduo asked. "Lin Ye." Qian Duoduo's hand shook, and some tea spilled out: "Ye... Night God?" "It is me."

Qian Duoduo took a deep breath and smiled bitterly: "So it is the Night God himself, excuse my rudeness. I didn't expect my little tricks to actually alarm a big figure like you."

"Little tricks?" Lin Ye shook his head. "Forging Materials, deceiving players, and disrupting market order. According to the laws of Yan State, the punishment ranges from fines and confiscation to imprisonment or even a permanent ban. These are not little tricks."

Qian Duoduo's face turned pale: "Night God, I... I had no choice. Look at this equipment of mine; it was all bought with real money. Where else would I get the money? I have to find a way to earn it."

"There are many ways to make money, why take the crooked path?" Lin Ye asked.

"Making money the right way is too slow!" Qian Duoduo sighed. "I'm a businessman in reality, and when I entered the 'covering the heavens era', I wanted to make a name for myself in the game too. But the game is different from reality; there is no mature commercial System here, no stable supply chain. If you want to do business properly, the initial investment is high, and the returns are slow. I had no choice but to... take some shortcuts."

Lin Ye looked at Qian Duoduo and suddenly asked: "If you had enough startup capital, a stable supply of goods, and official support, what level could you achieve?"

Qian Duoduo was stunned, then his eyes lit up: "If I had all these conditions, I could monopolize 30% of the low-to-mid-end material market in the Capital City of Yan State within one month, establish a trade network covering the Southern Region of the Eastern Wilderness within three months, and within half a year... no, within three months, I could increase the capital tenfold!"

The more he spoke, the more excited he became: "Night God, you don't know how huge the commercial potential of this game is! Players consume massive amounts of potions, Materials, and equipment every day, but the current trading System is too primitive. If we can build a complete commercial Empire, the returns..."

"I need a business manager," Lin Ye interrupted him. "My faction, the 'Heavenly Court', has just been established and urgently needs commercial operations to provide financial support. Are you interested?"

Qian Duoduo was stunned. A few seconds later, he stood up abruptly: "Night God, are... are you serious?"

"Serious." Lin Ye nodded. "But I have a few conditions. First, stop all illegal activities and destroy all previous evidence of forgery. Second, all commercial operations must be legal and compliant, and cannot damage the reputation of the Heavenly Court. Third, you must accept my leadership and supervision."

Qian Duoduo barely hesitated: "I agree! Night God, no, Boss! From today on, I, Qian Duoduo, am a member of the Heavenly Court!"

He rubbed his hands excitedly: "Boss, you don't know, I've long wanted to find a backer. Doing business alone, no matter how capable you are, you can't amount to much. With your reputation and strength as a backing, and the Heavenly Court as a platform, there is so much I can do!"

Lin Ye took out the Heavenly Court Member Token: "Drop your blood to claim ownership." Qian Duoduo bit his finger without hesitation and dripped blood onto the token. The token glowed faintly, and the binding was successful.

[System Prompt: Player 'Qian Duoduo' has joined the faction 'Heavenly Court'!] [Current Faction Members: 7/100] [Qian Duoduo has been appointed as 'Head of the Business Department'!]

"Boss, this is a token of my sincerity." Qian Duoduo took out a heavy money bag from his storage ring. "Five thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones as my joining capital, and also my first investment in the Heavenly Court."

Lin Ye took the money bag, somewhat surprised. Five thousand Spirit Stones, this was not a small amount. It seemed that this Qian Duoduo was indeed not an ordinary person in reality.

"Aren't you afraid I'll run off with the money?" Lin Ye asked. "What's there to be afraid of?" Qian Duoduo smiled. "You are the Night God, the Hell First Clear, a Yan State Guest Elder, your future achievements will be limitless. Investing in you is more worthwhile than investing in any business. Besides, five thousand Spirit Stones is not a small amount, but it won't hurt my foundations. Being able to use this little money to get a chance to follow you is worth it!"

Lin Ye put away the money bag: "Good, since you trust me so much, I won't let you down. From today on, the Business Department of the Heavenly Court is in your hands. As for how to operate it, you come up with the plan, and I will be responsible for support and coordination."

"Understood!" Fighting spirit burned in Qian Duoduo's eyes. "Boss, just you wait and see! Give me seven days, and I'll double the funds of the Heavenly Court!"

The two chatted in detail about business planning for a while longer, and didn't part ways until it was getting late.

When Lin Ye returned to the residence, Chen Hao and the others had already returned.

"Brother Lin, the recruitment situation is not ideal." Chen Hao said, somewhat dejectedly. "We stayed at the recruitment plaza for a day, only a dozen people came to inquire, and we only recruited three in the end. They are all solo players, level 20-22, with average strength."

Su Qingyue's intelligence collection went relatively smoothly: "The recruitment for the Yaoguang Holy Land is the day after tomorrow, and the registration location is at the Yaoguang Villa in the north of the city. In addition, the Wind and Thunder Valley is indeed not peaceful recently; some players have seen the Thunder Eagle King nesting in the valley, seemingly hatching offspring. During this period, the Thunder Eagle King is extremely aggressive, but it is also a relatively vulnerable time."

Zhao Xiaoyu reported on the material procurement situation, and Zhang Meng and the others also added some information.

After listening, Lin Ye recounted the story of meeting Qian Duoduo today.

"Qian Duoduo? That 'I am a Rich Guy' who is third on the Godly Rich List?" Chen Hao was surprised. "He actually took the initiative to defect to us?"

"Not defect, it's cooperation." Lin Ye corrected. "He values the potential of the Heavenly Court, and I value his business ability. Each takes what they need."

He took out the five thousand Spirit Stones: "This is his investment. With this money, the initial development of the Heavenly Court will be no problem."

Everyone looked at the pile of glittering Spirit Stones and revealed smiles.

"Brother Lin, you are still the best." Wang Iron Pillar said admiringly. "Going out for a trip, not only became a Guest Elder, but also brought back a big financier."

Lin Ye shook his head: "Just good luck. However, Qian Duoduo's joining has indeed solved our biggest problem—funds. Next, we must go all out to prepare for the Yaoguang Holy Land recruitment, and at the same time start planning the next step of the Heavenly Court's development."

He looked out the window; night had already fallen, and the lights of the Capital City of Yan State were lighting up one by one. "The road of the Heavenly Court has just begun."

And in another corner of the city, Qian Duoduo was in his luxury residence, excitedly planning in front of a crystal screen. On the screen was the business plan he had initially drafted: Phase 1 (7 days): Establish the "Heavenly Court Chamber of Commerce", specializing in the acquisition and sale of Materials, with the goal of occupying 20% of the market share in the Capital City of Yan State. Phase 2 (30 days): Expand business to fields such as potions, equipment, and skill books, and establish a trade network covering the Southern Region of the Eastern Wilderness. Phase 3 (90 days): Advance into the Ancient Star Road, conduct cross-Star Domain trade, and aim to become one of the top three chambers of commerce in the Big Dipper Star Field.

A light of ambition flashed in his eyes. "Night God Lin Ye... Following you, perhaps I can really build an unprecedented commercial Empire in this game."

And in the deeper night, a black-robed figure stood on the highest tower of the City Lord's Mansion, overlooking the entire city. His gaze seemed to penetrate through layers of buildings, landing on the Heavenly Court residence, and also on Qian Duoduo's residence.

"A combination of a business Genius and the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body... Interesting. Then, what kind of surprises will the other three 'seeds' bring?"

The black-robed figure raised his hand, and three blood-colored crystals appeared in his palm. Inside the crystals, three figures had already initially solidified. One carried a long sword on his back, with Sword Qi soaring into the sky. One held a staff, surrounded by elements. One was empty-handed, with Qi and blood like a dragon.

"Go, go to every corner of the Big Dipper, go and show your talents. This era needs more... variables."

The blood-colored crystals turned into streams of light and disappeared into the night sky. The black-robed figure's silhouette slowly faded away as well, leaving only a faint sigh: "Lin Ye, I hope you can survive... until the end in this competition."