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Chapter 159: Lu Ming Joins Bright Moon Sect, Imperial Artifact! (Part 1)
Chapter 159: Lu Ming Joins Bright Moon Sect, Imperial Artifact! (Part 1)
They were all shrewd individuals.
For a moment, they were still processing what had just happened.
But now, upon careful consideration, what was unclear about Lu Ming's intentions?
What was this about disliking procrastination and valuing efficiency?
It was clearly 'greed'!
Clearly, he wanted more!
Instead of a public auction, he chose a secret bidding process, forcing us to reveal all our benefits at once.
Everyone wanted to take him back.
Your so-called sincerity is just a ploy for benefits.
Using this secret bidding method, he's making us reveal everything. It's as if he wants us to show all our cards!
After all, everyone present is a competitor!
No one wanted to give up, but each faction only had one chance to bid.
How could they ensure a near-certain chance of bringing Lu Ming back? Naturally, they would put forth their best offer, giving as much as they could!
But with this approach, what might have been an easy 'auction' requiring only eighty percent effort, now became a situation where everyone had to give their all, as no one knew what the others were offering.
Not only did they fail to secure it with eighty percent effort, but they ended up giving a hundred or even a hundred and ten percent.
Am I not at a loss now?
At this moment, they frowned, their minds racing.
They wanted to discuss and chat.
But upon further thought.
Chat, my foot!
We're all competitors.
How could they trust each other's words?
If they did, they would surely be led astray.
This cunning scheme was truly shameless!
They cursed inwardly.
"He should have told us earlier!"
"If he had, we could have discussed it beforehand!"
"If we had agreed beforehand and made a vow of Dao, wouldn't we have gotten it at a lower price?"
"Wait, that's not right either. He said it clearly, he'll choose whoever offers better conditions and suits his preferences. If we all offer low prices, and he says it's not to his liking, can't he just not choose anyone?"
"Shameless!"
"But, to be fair, this method is shameless yet effective, and truly so!"
"We can learn from it!"
"We can take inspiration from it!"
Many of them expressed their surprise, having learned something new.
So, an auction could be conducted this way!
They were all Great Powers, Great Cultivators, either busy cultivating or managing their own factions, conducting business by the book. When had they ever seen such a bold move?
But they didn't know that in Lin Fan's eyes...
The Immortal Martial Continent's business practices were a mess.
However, it wasn't their fault.
After all, they were simple Cultivators, dedicated to their cultivation, where strength was revered. Who would bother with such trivial matters?
But he, could teach them a lesson.
Lu Ming smiled, seeing that they hadn't started writing yet, and said, "Everyone, time is of the essence! So, the time it takes to brew a cup of tea should be enough, right?"
You're even setting a time limit?!
They were speechless, looking at each other, seeing the frustration in each other's eyes, silently cursing him, feeling utterly manipulated.
But they had no choice.
Before they came, their leaders had given strict orders and even revealed some information.
At this moment, they were cautious, setting up barriers to prevent eavesdropping, and then began writing their offers on jade slips.
Since they only had one chance, they couldn't test the waters or make it too simple. They had no choice but to give it their all from the start.
This frustrated them, and they secretly gritted their teeth.
But there was no other way; they had to take what they could get.
Soon.
As they gritted their teeth, all the jade slips returned to Lu Ming.
But he didn't reveal the offers publicly; instead, he pretended to examine each one.
This was Lu Ming's little trick.
This method almost guaranteed maximizing his benefits, but the main reason he did this was to ensure his entry into the Bright Moon Sect!
If it were a public auction—even though he was a person, not an item—a public auction would be similar.
In an auction, the highest bidder wins.
But what if the Bright Moon Sect backed down?
Could he go to another faction to work?
So, Lu Ming thought it through.
And that's why he didn't approach the Bright Moon Sect directly—to clear himself of any 'suspicions'—I'm not favoring your Bright Moon Sect, nor do I have any intentions towards you. It's just that your sincerity impressed and moved me.
To ensure a smooth entry, Lu Ming went through great lengths.
But at this moment, seeing the conditions offered, Lu Ming was secretly surprised.
"Tsk tsk tsk."
"Wow!"
"This one is more generous."
"This one is even more so, seeing it makes my heart flutter."
"A Great Alchemy Master is truly valuable!"
"I didn't even give any guarantees."
After pretending to examine, Lu Ming finally picked up the Bright Moon Sect's jade slip and probed it with his divine sense.
"Bright Moon Sect, willing to offer a million high-grade Essence Stones and the position of Special Elder—within the sect, second only to the Sect Master. Unless I wish otherwise, I can be summoned but not commanded."
"If you need manpower, you can allocate it yourself. Everyone in the sect, including the Holy Maiden, will obey the Great Alchemy Master's commands without question."
"Furthermore, the Bright Moon Sect promises to open its treasury, providing all alchemy materials to the Great Alchemy Master, who can take as much as he needs! The same goes for techniques and secret arts!"
"The Bright Moon Sect will gift a complete set of top-grade Dao Soldier artifacts to the Great Alchemy Master, who can choose them himself."
"If the requirements cannot be met, our sect can seek external assistance from a weapon-forging sect. Additionally, according to our sect's knowledge, the pill furnace used by the Great Alchemy Master to refine pills was not of the best quality. Therefore, our sect is willing to gift the Great Alchemy Master with our treasured, albeit damaged, Imperial Artifact, the Dazzling Cloud Immortal Cauldron. Although this cauldron is broken and its divine essence has been almost entirely lost, making it unsuitable for battles, its pill-refining capabilities have been perfectly preserved! It is even better than most top-grade Dao Soldier-level pill furnaces.
Although the Great Alchemy Master's pill-refining technique is unparalleled in this era, our sect believes that with the assistance of this cauldron, the Great Alchemy Master will surely soar to new heights."
Hiss~~~!
"Wow, the Bright Moon Sect is really going all out!"
"It seems I've overthought it. Even without rigging the competition, they can still win~!"
A set of top-grade Dao Soldier artifacts, how much would that be worth in 'silver' terms?
All techniques, secret arts, and pill ingredients at their disposal?
All disciples at their command, including the Holy Maiden?
In other words, if I have special intentions towards their Holy Maiden, is that possible too???
And they even have a damaged Imperial Artifact!
Even though it's damaged and its divine essence is mostly lost, making it unusable in battles, it was once an Imperial Artifact, and it must contain 'Immortal Gold'. If the Great Alchemy Master hands it over to a Great Weapon-Forging Master, there's a chance, albeit small, to command and melt it, extracting the Immortal Gold!
That thing is a necessary material for forging Imperial Artifacts, or even Immortal Weapons!
But what truly surprised Lu Ming was...
After all these astonishing conditions, there's still one more—'Time is limited, and I can't think of too many conditions at once, so I can't make them perfect.'
'However, please believe in the unparalleled sincerity of the Bright Moon Sect.'
'Therefore, in addition to the aforementioned conditions, if the Great Alchemy Master finds them unsatisfactory, he can propose additional conditions, unless they are too outrageous. Our sect will agree to all reasonable requests!'
The benefits of these conditions are truly astonishing.
Shouldn't I take advantage of this situation?
Moreover, if I don't consider the 'investment' aspect, I could even work as a laborer for the Bright Moon Sect for two years, refining pills daily. Judging by the value, I'd most likely be earning a profit~!
However, I can't possibly work as a mere laborer.
As for the other powers...
You're not giving enough effort.
Not that I ever intended to join your sect, but even with this thought, your sincerity is making it difficult for me to refuse.
After reading the jade slip, Lu Ming smiled faintly, "I've seen the sincerity of your offer."
"However, I still have some concerns."
"Of course, this is not about the previous offer. As I've mentioned before, I value efficiency the most, and each person only gets one chance."
"I wonder, where is the person in charge from the Bright Moon Sect?"
"Great Alchemy Master Lu!"
The people from the Bright Moon Sect rejoiced.
Elder Gu Qingyun stepped forward and performed a Daoist salute, "This old man, Elder Gu Qingyun of the Bright Moon Sect, is fully responsible for this matter. I wonder what Great Alchemy Master Lu wishes to inquire about?"
"This old man will surely answer all questions truthfully and exhaustively!"
Seeing the elder's arrogance, the others from the major powers were displeased and secretly surprised.
They thought their offers were already quite generous, but now it seems the Bright Moon Sect is even more willing to invest heavily. This is a huge sacrifice!
However, Elder Gu Qingyun wasn't too surprised.
After all, the permission he received was at the cost of everything, and he had already boasted that he would definitely secure the Great Alchemy Master. Therefore, who could compete with him?
Lu Ming chuckled lightly, "Your sect's sincerity has won my heart."
"But I still have some doubts, please enlighten me, Elder Gu."
"Firstly, regarding the techniques and secret arts..." Elder Gu Qingyun nodded, "All techniques and secret arts of the Bright Moon Sect, Great Alchemy Master Lu can borrow and cultivate them, as long as he vows not to spread them outside the sect."
But upon further thought, he felt it was inappropriate.
Not to spread it outside the sect...
What if the person has their own direct disciples?
It wouldn't be right for direct disciples to not learn their master's techniques, would it?
Moreover, as he pondered further...
Since Lu Ming hadn't made a decision yet, it meant there was still room for change.
"It's inappropriate!"
"I need to relax the conditions a bit more!"
His heart tightened, and he added, "However, the definition of 'outsiders' can be discussed. Great Alchemy Master Lu's direct disciples and their lineage are naturally not considered outsiders~"
"Hiss! ! !"
Everyone gasped in shock.
Most of the people present shook their heads, knowing their situation was hopeless.
This is truly unbeatable.
The Bright Moon Sect is clearly going all out, even at the cost of their lives.
However, some of the 'elders' were surprised but not overly shocked.
"The Bright Moon Sect... that makes sense."
"Yes, after all, the Bright Moon Sect..."
Unfortunately, they became a riddle to others, as those around them strained to listen, but they refused to elaborate.
As for Lu Ming...
Damn!
What the hell kind of surprise is this?
He had originally only wanted to ask about the prerequisites for the Bright Moon Sect's transmission of their techniques. Was it to make a Vow of the Dao Heart or to set up a Divine Soul Prohibition against external transmission?
If it was the former, he could accept it.
After all, he had received the Imperial Scripture and the Invincible Technique for free, and there were even more than one kind. Even if he didn't learn them, he could still reference them! With his increasingly heaven-defying intuition, the significance of referencing them was already quite astonishing.
But if it was the latter, that wouldn't do.
He would have to negotiate with them.
How could he possibly open up his Divine Soul and let them set up a prohibition? That would be an insult to his status as a Great Alchemy Master!
Moreover, Lu Ming had already prepared his persuasive arguments.
But in the end, you only required him to make a Vow of the Dao Heart, stating that it couldn't be passed on to outsiders. Furthermore, his direct disciples and even his disciples' disciples were not considered outsiders?
At this moment, even Lu Ming almost couldn't help butting in with a sentence: "Have you gone mad?"
If he were to add another sentence, it would be: "Are you a spy sent by another force to infiltrate the Bright Moon Sect?"
With such conditions, he didn't even dare to think about it!
After all, once the agreement was reached, without doing anything, he would directly steal the Bright Moon Sect's techniques. From then on, all the techniques and secret arts of your sect would hold no secrets for my Moon Embrace Sect!
Furthermore, he could use this opportunity to learn about the weaknesses of all your sect's techniques, secret arts, and divine abilities, and then target them accordingly!
With such conditions, he had only casually mentioned it, a simple statement.
But you immediately agreed, without hesitation.
Lu Ming's mind was filled with complaints, and he couldn't help but vent his frustrations.
However, he suddenly realized something, and his eyes subconsciously glanced at the corner where Dragon Aojiao was sulking alone.
Although he didn't know why she was angry, this should be within the range of the Stupidity Halo, right? So...
Dragon Aojiao, you're such a good person!
I truly appreciate you!
Seeing Lu Ming fall into 'deep thought', Gu Qingyun's first reaction was that it wasn't enough!
"It seems that there are other forces' conditions that make it more difficult!
"It seems that there are other forces' conditions, making it difficult for Great Grandmaster Lu to make a decision."
"Impossible!"
"I must add more fuel to the fire and not let this cooked duck fly away!"
Thinking of this, he said, "Great Grandmaster Lu, in fact, these are only a part of our sect's conditions. Due to the urgency of the situation, we couldn't fully demonstrate our sincerity in one go. Please, Great Grandmaster, don't blame us."
"But, I believe Great Grandmaster should still remember the last condition, right?"
"This old man is willing to make a Vow of Heaven's Way here."
"All the conditions on the Jade Slip, including what I just said, are all true and valid. If there is a single false word, I will suffer heavenly punishment, endure endless suffering, and die after endless torment."
The crowd: "???"
Oh, right, right, right.
You're so impressive, the Bright Moon Sect is so impressive.
Play it out, who can outplay you?
We give up, we'll just watch the show, okay?
They were completely speechless, unable to say anything for a while.
Although they felt regret, discomfort, and frustration, they had also seen that the Bright Moon Sect had truly 'gone mad'.
They couldn't compete.
"Elder Gu, your words are too heavy. The esteemed Bright Moon Sect would never deceive me." Lu Ming smiled.
The crowd: "(ˉ_￣)···"
Tsk.
You speak better than you sing.
Why didn't you say this before he made the vow?
You have a stinky face, and you've already said all the good and bad things!
Although they all wanted to win over Lu Ming, they didn't dare to openly show hostility, but in their hearts, they had already cursed him.
This Lu Ming, he's truly 'not a good person'!
But then they heard Lu Ming say, "However, Elder Gu, I'm the kind of person who, in my youth, suddenly encountered a major change, and my subsequent experiences are even more difficult to describe."
"Although I'm still young, the crises I've faced, if I were to recount them all, it would take at least three days and nights, and even then, no one would believe me."
"So, I personally have a strong sense of insecurity."
"Therefore, I want to understand if the Bright Moon Sect has any enemies."
"If I were to join the Bright Moon Sect, would there be any risks..."
"There must be risks, after all, we cultivators fight against heaven, earth, and other people..."
"To say that there are no enemies and no risks is absolutely nonsense."
"Not only the Bright Moon Sect, but every force represented here, if there's one, there's another. Who dares to say that they have no enemies and no risks?"
"But, I and the Bright Moon Sect can guarantee that the risks are very low!"
"Although there are enemies, after countless years, those enemies have either disappeared in the flow of time or have fallen from grace. Truly, there are no enemies that can threaten the Bright Moon Sect!"
As he spoke, Elder Gu slightly raised his head.
This wasn't because the Bright Moon Sect's development was excellent, especially in the past ten thousand years, as they had continuously climbed to new heights. Although there were enemies, those enemies could only hide in the shadows, secretly setting up obstacles.
They didn't dare to confront them head-on.
"Additionally, since we don't know each other well, and Great Grandmaster Lu doesn't trust our sect, I can take the initiative. I'll have everyone in the Bright Moon Sect make a poisonous vow!"
"Unless Great Grandmaster Lu takes the initiative to harm our sect first, otherwise, anyone from our sect who takes the initiative to harm Great Grandmaster Lu will instantly have their Divine Soul destroyed and die."
"What do you think?"
What do I think?
You've already said it to this extent, what else can I think?
This is simply...
You're practically asking me to become the Five-Star Admiral Lu Ke-A Ming!
For the first time, I find it so difficult to control the corners of my mouth. I've thought about the hardships of my entire life, no, my 'two lifetimes' over and over again, and I can barely hold it together.
In the world of Immortal Martial Continent, where cultivation and martial prowess reign supreme, a pivotal moment unfolds as Lu Ming, a renowned Pill Crafting Grandmaster, finds himself in a peculiar situation. The Bright Moon Sect, led by Ji Hao Yue, seeks to recruit him, offering a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Ji Hao Yue, with a touch of shyness, proposes a simple request: "We only ask that as you improve your pill crafting skills, you gift us some of the surplus and unsatisfactory pills you create."
The Bright Moon Sect's intentions are clear: a sincere exchange of favors. They believe that any reasonable person would not be petty in such a situation. After all, who among the grandmasters of pill crafting wouldn't care about their reputation?
(End of Chapter)
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