Douluo Dragon King: The First Person in History

Chapter 96 of the First Person

"Sect Leader Hu! The Tang Sect can sell medicine while continuing its cooperation with our royal family. These two things don't interfere with each other, do they? Moreover, we are willing to increase the price you offered by three percent this time."

Three percent? Hu Jie feigned a thoughtful expression, but in his heart he immediately rejected Dai Tianling's suggestion.

For such a small amount, you expect them to sell weapons to the Star Luo Royal Family under pressure from the entire Federation? Are you kidding me?

He sighed deeply, feigning seriousness: "Your Majesty, it's not that we don't want to trade with you. It's just that, given the current situation, for the Tang Clan to trade with you would be like putting us on the hot seat."

You need to understand, the storm hasn't died down yet. Thousands upon thousands of eyes are on our Tang Clan, and there's really nothing we can do to help!

"We'll discuss this matter later. I wonder what Sect Master Hu thinks about Youyan Douluo breaking through to Limit Douluo?"

Seeing Dai Tianling's attempt to target the Spirit Pagoda, Hu Jie scoffed inwardly. If it were any other Tang Clan member, he might have succeeded, but Hu Jie wasn't a Tang Clan member. He was from the Body Sect.

"I'll just sit here and watch! No matter how strong the Star Luo Spirit Pagoda is, it doesn't really matter to our Star Luo Tang Sect. After all, our sect leader said that if we're really no match for them, we can just retreat back to Douluo Continent."

You can withdraw to Douluo Continent, but we can't! Dai Tianling rubbed his temples in exasperation. He realized that Hu Jie was a stubborn and unreliable person.

The other party showed absolutely no interest in deepening cooperation with the Star Luo royal family. Every time I subtly brought up strengthening cooperation to jointly resist the Spirit Pagoda, he would either pretend not to understand or simply change the subject.

"Sect Leader Hu, what do you think of my daughter's aptitude?" Seeing that cooperation was not going well, Dai Tianling changed his approach and decided to start with the master-disciple relationship.

It is said that this Smiling Douluo has never married and has no children. He plans to use the master-disciple relationship as a bond to strengthen the connection between Hu Jie and their Star Luo royal family.

Strong individuals who have no children often treat their disciples as their own children. If Yun'er succeeds in the future, negotiating cooperation with her will be a piece of cake.

Thinking about the cultivation level he had just detected in Dai Yun'er, Hu Jie's expression turned strange. In his opinion, her aptitude was only average. Having witnessed the monstrous talent of his junior nephew, Qian Gu Chen Ran, he was somewhat dismissive of Dai Yun'er's cultivation speed.

Hu Jie understood the underlying meaning of Dai Tianling's words. He'd rather use the time he had to teach this princess to extort a few more nobles to contribute to the revival of their Body Sect.

But he couldn't be too blunt, so Hu Jie carefully organized his thoughts before slowly speaking:

"The princess possesses twin martial souls, a rare find. Moreover, both martial souls are the same as those of our Tang Sect's ancestors. We are naturally delighted that she can join the Tang Sect."

However, I'm very busy, and besides, the Spirit Eye is a spiritual-type martial soul, which is completely unrelated to my main martial soul. Otherwise, I really wanted to teach the princess!

"Not at all! It's just that our Yun'er isn't fortunate enough!" Dai Tianling said with a smile. But at this moment, he was extremely anxious. He was truly at his wit's end with the Tang Clan; their Star Luo Empire desperately needed the Tang Clan in the current situation.

If they angered Hu Jie, he would retreat directly to Douluo Continent. The Star Luo Royal Family would then have to confront the Spirit Pagoda. At that point, the Star Luo Royal Family wouldn't have an easy time either.

He looked at Enci, the Star Luo National Preceptor, who was also caught in a dilemma. They now had to find a way to improve their relationship with the Tang Clan, and he understood this from Hu Jie's words.

The Tang Sect is also in trouble on the Douluo Continent. Not only can the Star Luo Empire not force Hu Jie to make a statement, but they also have to support the Tang Sect.

After all, the Tang Sect is the biggest sponsor of the dove faction, and if they fall, their Star Luo Empire will suffer.

"In that case, Sect Leader Hu, to thank you for coming to support our Star Luo Empire under such circumstances, I will send someone tomorrow to prepare a document to promote your Tang Sect's medicines. Star Luo will also strongly support your future business."

Besides, you can't sell medicine without shops, right? Luckily, our royal family has a few struggling shops, which we'll give to you as well.”

"Oh dear! Your Majesty, how can we accept this? We, the Tang Clan, are truly unworthy of such an honor!"

If you feel unworthy of such a gift, then you should at least stop smiling!

Enci and Dai Tianling's eyes twitched as they looked at Hu Jie's grinning face. They had never seen such a shameless person. He was really just waiting to get something for nothing, waiting for them to hand over money to him.

Hu Jie's expression was the opposite of the two opposite him; he grinned from ear to ear. How could a shop favored by the royal family not be doing well? Dai Tianling's words just now were purely an excuse; he only intended to use this as a pretext to give the shop to the Tang Clan.

"Play the long game; if we keep making the Star Luo royal family pay the price, things will get complicated later." Hu Jie's eyes darted around, and suddenly he had a good idea.

"Your Majesty, it's not that we can't talk about the matter of arms earlier."

Upon hearing that there was room for negotiation regarding the arms deal, Dai Tianling's earlier heartache vanished instantly. The effort she had just made was worthwhile; look, the Tang Clan was now willing to continue selling arms.

"Your Majesty! We definitely cannot sell the weapons. After all, we still need to live in Douluo Continent, and it would be difficult for us to handle the situation if we sold them again."

"Then what did you mean by what you just said?" Enci looked at Hu Jie with confusion. Since the other party had spoken, it meant that there was still room for maneuver.

"We don't buy finished products, but we can sell you the technology!"

Chapter 184 The Unethical Hu Jie

"Sell technology! Great! I guarantee that as long as the price you offer isn't too outrageous, our Star Luo Empire will buy it." As he said this, Dai Tianling's eyes were full of joy, and his tone was filled with barely suppressed excitement.

It wasn't easy, it was incredibly difficult. After all these years, the Tang Sect was finally willing to sell them the technology to manufacture weapons. In the past, no matter what price the Star Luo Empire offered, the Tang Sect would never agree.

But to my surprise, the Tang Clan actually agreed today. It's like the sun has risen in the west!

Enci looked at Hu Jie with equal delight. If this deal succeeded, their Star Luo Empire could break free from its heavy reliance on the Tang Sect for weaponry. Moreover, their military would benefit from this and enter a phase of rapid development.

"Alas! After all, our Tang Sect and your Star Luo Empire have been partners for so many years. Now that your Star Luo Empire is in trouble, how could our Tang Sect not help?"

"Alright! We'll provide you with the technology to manufacture soul tools first. As for the price..."

"Master Hu, price is not a problem. Whatever price your Tang Sect quotes, our Star Luo Empire will definitely match. The only issue is whether you can teach a few more of these techniques." Dai Tianling looked at Hu Jie expectantly. As long as they could learn the Tang Sect's techniques, any price they paid would be worthwhile.

"Well... I can only guarantee to sell you three types. I need to consult with the sect leader about the others. As for the price, just go with the usual price we usually pay. We've been allies for so many years, I can't charge you too much."

"Shameless!" Dai Tianling and Enci were speechless as they looked at Hu Jie, who so brazenly uttered such words. He called them allies one minute, and then ripped them off. The Tang Clan's methods for treating long-term partners were quite unique.

Ultimately, the two major forces finalized the cooperation agreement. Hu Jie sat in the car returning to the Tang Clan, his smile never fading since the beginning.

He'd struck it rich! This was a huge windfall. Looking at the documents in his hand and the gift Dai Tianling had specially prepared for him beside him, Hu Jie felt a surge of exhilaration.

No wonder Senior Zhentian said he liked Star Luo Continent. He's starting to like it too. With their money-making speed, he's starting to like Star Luo Continent now.

He said he would teach them the skills, but how to teach them, what to teach, and whether to teach them completely were still up to the Tang Clan to decide.

It just so happens that the Tang Sect has several soul guidance technologies that are extremely expensive to produce, but also have some serious problems. For example, their range is terribly short and their damage output is poor.

He could just hand over a few of the most useless ones to Star Luo Continent, collect the money, and then it would be none of his business. Anyway, he had consulted Zang Xin, and the other party agreed with his idea.

Putting down the documents, Hu Jie took out a map marked with the addresses of various noble families and circled them one by one. He'd tricked their boss today; tomorrow it would be their turn.

Even though I'm the newly appointed leader of the Tang Clan, not a single one of them has chosen to come and find me. It's really too much.

And so, the Star Luo nobles suffered for the next few days. Hu Jie visited them one by one in order, chatting and having tea. Only after receiving his payment did he move on to the next household.

Hu Jie's arrival has given many nobles other ideas. It's all the same whether you please one or two people. You can't put all your eggs in one basket.

The Spirit Pagoda needs to be appeased, but the Tang Sect can't be left behind either. Trying to win over both forces simultaneously will surely result in winning over one of them.

With this in mind, the Star Luo nobles would periodically try different ways to curry favor with the Spirit Pagoda and the Tang Sect.

Hu Jie and Yuan Enzhentian were overjoyed. They could make money lying down every day; they had been living such hard lives before.

Of course, the two major powers still maintained a facade of confrontation on the surface. Their covert rivalry remained hidden.

With the help of various forces, both overt and covert, Tang Clan's new industries have also prospered.

on the street

Hu Jie nodded in satisfaction as he looked at the crowd filling the shop. The Tang Sect's influence in the Douluo Continent, coupled with the Star Luo Empire's promotion and the high quality of their own products, meant that all the medicines they had just stocked were instantly sold out.

Hu Jie looked at the deacons standing to the side and instructed them, "The sect attaches great importance to this business. You should all keep an eye on it."

"Don't worry, Sect Master, we will definitely take it to heart." Several elders nodded quickly. This was a key business for their Tang Sect in the Star Luo Continent, so they would naturally devote their utmost effort to it.

"Also, teach the Tang Clan's techniques, just choose a few that I picked. And don't teach them all at once. Teach them for a longer time, and make sure they understand."

"Sect Master, aren't we being a bit unethical?" An elder looked around awkwardly before whispering.

"Are you all stupid?! If we teach the Star Luo Empire the best stuff, they'll rebel! They're always secretly messing with the soul tools we sell. If they actually learn something good, can you guarantee they won't impulsively use it on the Federation? Then my Tang Sect will be finished!"

After considering the hypothetical scenario Hu Jie had just mentioned, the elders abandoned any remaining shred of conscience. They figured they could just hand over a small portion; if they gave away their best techniques, would the Tang Sect still be profitable?

Seeing that things had stabilized here, Hu Jie got into his car and returned to the headquarters of the Star Luo Tang Sect. Now that things were stable here, he should go back and deal with the pile of documents that had accumulated over the past few days.

Shrek Academy

Looking at the various metals spread across the table, Wu Siduo, who had spent the least amount of time with Qian Gu Chenran, was greatly shocked: "Is Chenran's forging efficiency always this high?"

"Of course! When Uncle Zhenhua came to Shrek City, Chenran forged the alloy we need for our battle armor while he was studying. After that, he focused on learning forging."

"Zhenhua? Could he be the legendary master craftsman?" Wu Siduo looked at Na'er curiously. Her family was in Xingluo City, which was thousands of miles away from Tiandou City.

She had only heard of Zhenhua, this master craftsman, but had never met him.

"Of course! Uncle Zhenhua dotes on Chenran. Every time he comes, he brings him a huge amount of metal. If it weren't for his position as the president of the Blacksmiths Association, Uncle Zhenhua would have moved to Shrek City long ago."

As Na'er spoke, she picked up one and started eating. "No wonder it's Uncle Zhenhua's favorite; these oranges are delicious."

Gu Yue looked at the various metals piled on the table, licked her lips with her small, bright red tongue, and a fiery glint flashed in her eyes.

His forging skills are already so outstanding at such a young age; what will he be like in the future? The more outstanding Qian Gu Chenran becomes, the stronger Gu Yue's desire to win him over grows.

Ye Xinglan was gesturing on her Star Silver, preparing to start making the battle armor right now. But suddenly she seemed to remember something and turned to look at the others.

"Based on past experience, Chenran usually learns forging from Senior Zhenhua for at least a month. But we have a competition against the third-year students in a few days. Should we wait for Chenran to come out of seclusion or continue the competition at the original time?"

Upon hearing Ye Xinglan's suggestion, Na'er immediately chose the second option: "It's no big deal! We don't need Chen Ran to intervene; we can just fight directly. Otherwise, Chen Ran could easily take them all out by himself, and we wouldn't have a chance to show off."

I have a slight fever tonight, so the next chapter might not be posted until early morning. Sorry.

Chapter 185 Arrangement

"And right now, at this particular time. Don't you think the school did this on purpose? They deliberately chose a time when Chen Ran wasn't there for the competition, hoping we wouldn't put all our hopes on Chen Ran."

Gu Yue nodded, agreeing with Na'er's suggestion. After all, no matter how strong the third-year students were, could they be stronger than Chen Ran? Aside from Qian Gu Chen Ran, Gu Yue wasn't worried about anyone else.

Yuan Enhui nodded in agreement with Gu Yue's point of view at this moment:

"Xuan Yin Douluo and Chen Ran have an unusually close relationship. Chen Ran would definitely have told him in advance if he went into seclusion to forge. Since he still arranged for you to continue the exam, it means he wants to see where your limits are."

"Hmph! Limit? When the competition comes, I'll show them what true invincibility is!" Na'er put her hands on her hips and smiled confidently.

With the Silver Dragon Shadow, she is invincible; the moment the Dust Phantom appears, she can overwhelm the opponent and leave them unable to retaliate.

Even with only a fraction of the power of Qian Gu Chen Ran's true form, Na'er remained confident. With the three amplified soul skills enhancing the Panlong Staff, Li Qiankun, even in his battle armor, couldn't withstand more than a few blows.

A Soul Saint without the support of a Martial Soul True Body is vastly different from one with the support of a Martial Soul True Body.

"Should we discuss this with the others? After all, the competition is about to start, and we need to decide on the order of events in the next couple of days."

Wu Siduo said, playing with her own Dark Crystal.

"The five of us are definitely going to play, plus that vain angel Le Zhengyu, Tang Wulin, and then we can choose a few more people."

Na'er counted the students in her class on her fingers. He Yushu specially brought along the second-year students to fill the gap left by Qian Guchenran's absence.

With Yuanen Yehui and Le Zhengyu on board, the five girls felt more confident about the upcoming competition. Encouraged by Qian Gu Chenran, Yuanen Yehui no longer rejected the Fallen Angel Martial Soul as she had in the original story.

Moreover, Qian Gu Chen Ran, relying on the influence of Tianbao Yin Chan A Bao and Ziwei Xing Yang Ziwei, as well as his status as the Child of Planes and the Child of Nature, made a deal with the 330,000-year-old Tianyuan Rock Statue on the fourth floor of the Soul Spirit Tower.

He extracted a small portion of the opponent's essence to strengthen Yuanen Yehui's Titan Giant Ape Martial Soul. As an elemental holy spirit born of nature, just like the Snow Maiden, the Tianyuan Rock Statue felt a strong affinity for Qian Guchenran, the child of nature and the child of the plane, as soon as it sensed his aura.