Hearing Dan Wulan’s footsteps gradually fading away, Xiao Ruoching absently fiddled with the several Spiritual Pearls on her bed.
A difficult problem lay before her. Should I absorb the pearls or not?
The Spiritual Pearls radiated a faint glow in the room as the pure Spiritual Energy gently spread outwards.
Cultivation! To me, nothing is more important right now than improving my cultivation! Every bit of advancement is preparation for a greater certainty of killing Su Bei in the future! But, if I’ve mysteriously broken through to Foundation Establishment, what will he think? Given his meticulous mind, he’ll surely press me about where the Spiritual Pearls came from. That would lead to the Ninth Elder. Although I don’t have much information right now, there’s one thing I can confirm. That is... the Ninth Elder must understand Master’s nature profoundly. Or perhaps, she has already guessed Master’s future intentions! Dan Wulan... what an absolutely self-absorbed, aloof, and indifferent person she is! In other words, on some level, is she essentially on the same side as me? After all, based on her behavior just now, isn’t she trying to win me over? Otherwise, she wouldn’t have come all this way to give me Spiritual Pearls, offer to take me as her disciple, and even warn me to be wary of Su Bei. It can’t be that she simply wants to sow discord between me and Master, can it? I’ve had no prior interactions or conflicts with her.
Xiao Ruoching’s mind was in turmoil. In this reincarnation, everything is evolving in an unpredictable direction.
The mountain ranges stretched, deeply undulating. Xiao Ruoching took a profound breath, her gaze firm as she looked at the Spiritual Pearls and whispered, "No matter how Master suspects me, I must absorb these Spiritual Pearls! Until my Taoist Body is greatly accomplished and my cultivation reaches Divinity Transformation, I will be safe!"
With that thought, Xiao Ruoching closed her eyes. Her delicate hands tightly grasped the five Spiritual Pearls as she sat cross-legged on the bed, absorbing the Spiritual Energy within them. Wisps of energy from the Selfless Realm emanated from her, rapidly surging as she aimed for the Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment Realm.
At the top of the Red Pavilion, fragrances wafted through the air.
Su Bei observed Yu Hongxiu’s earnest expression. Even though the Selfless Realm induced a sage-like state in him, he couldn’t help but feel his mind wander slightly.
He had to admit, regardless of Headmistress Yu’s cultivation level or reputation, she was undoubtedly a peerless beauty. The allure she exuded wasn’t feigned; it emanated naturally, from her very bones. He had visited the Red Pavilion nearly a hundred times. Those ordinary courtesans, though they tried their utmost to be flirtatious and seductive, came across as unnatural. They lacked a true understanding of what charm really was. Yu Hongxiu’s allure, however, was a captivating grace perfected to a natural, indescribable art.
Su Bei met her gaze, suppressed the slight restlessness in his heart, and said languidly, "As Headmistress Yu said, truly monopolizing the newspaper is impossible."
A touch of disappointment flashed in Yu Hongxiu’s eyes as she nodded. "Indeed. However, the market of the Twenty-One Provinces is vast. Even if many enter to take a share, there’s still profit to be made. But in that case, the collaboration between the Star Moon Sect and the Sword Sect becomes less significant."
Su Bei smiled, stood up, and clasped his hands behind his back. "Though a monopoly is unfeasible, I can ensure that other Sects cannot successfully copy us! You should understand that when a newspaper is first issued, for the first few days, people will read whatever is available. Just as Headmistress Yu has said, it can stir up a wave in the Twenty-One Provinces within the first week. As more Sects begin publishing newspapers, people will have more choices. At that point, which newspaper sells better will depend on only one thing: Content!"
Su Bei is right. Just like with those novels, the better the content, the higher the sales will naturally be. But how can one achieve good content? What makes him think his content will be better?
Seemingly sensing Yu Hongxiu’s confusion, Su Bei continued, his words delivered one by one: "I am confident that our content will be unique! And the content I mentioned is merely the initial step. What follows is the true focus of collaboration between the Sword Sect and the Star Moon Sect! We will set up bases all over the Twenty-One Provinces and establish a membership system. Everyone can discuss the content of the newspaper within these bases. Furthermore, disciples from the Star Moon Sect and Sword Sect will compile a daily ranking of the most hotly debated topics! I call this the ’Hot Search.’ This ’Hot Search’ will be dynamic and entirely guided by the people. But to influence the ’Hot Search,’ one condition must be met: becoming a member of both the Sword Sect and the Star Moon Sect. And once someone becomes a member, they can even post information they wish to share with everyone at these bases. Of course, they can also pay for advertising, and so on..."
Yu Hongxiu’s eyes widened further. Her mind went blank; she was utterly unable to grasp the concepts Su Bei was outlining.
What an incredibly advanced concept! It completely transcends my worldview!
Her gaze then fixed intently on Su Bei, who continued to speak with eloquent ease.
What a terrifying figure he is!
Su Bei elaborated for some time before turning back to her and saying: "What we need to do is make people accustomed to it! Accustomed to reading our newspaper, accustomed to discussing matters at our bases. That way, even if other Sects try to crudely imitate us to get a slice of the pie, their efforts will amount to nothing more than minor skirmishes! Under the principle of ’first-mover advantage,’ unless latecomers have ideas even more advanced than ours, they will never be able to enter this large market to take a share."
Seeing the extremely shocked expression in Yu Hongxiu’s eyes, Su Bei’s lips curved into a slight smile.
Once the equivalents of Blue Star Dragon Country’s most addictive online platforms, each catering to distinct demographics, emerge, who could resist their allure?
In fact, Su Bei hadn’t elaborated on one crucial piece of information—his trump card, reserved for the Sword Sect!
The membership system! This seemingly unprofitable system is actually the key to firmly gripping the entire market of the Twenty-One Provinces! Could this cultivation era even comprehend the dominance of something like ’Pony Ma’s social media empire’? That will be my future money-making behemoth!
Yu Hongxiu looked at Su Bei with a complex expression.
From a sect’s perspective, with someone like Su Bei in the Sword Sect, its future development would be beyond my imagination! From my own standpoint, logic dictates that in this world, only permanent interests exist. If, for some reason, the Star Moon Sect had a falling out with the Sword Sect, this Su Bei would become an unimaginable catastrophe for the Star Moon Sect!