Big Data Cultivation
Chapter 1080: On and Off

Chapter 1080: Chapter 1080: On and Off

In the Taiqing Sect, there are indeed some otherworldly ascetics who have ventured to alternate dimensions, but always under the protection of the Golden Core—just as Huang Fu Flawless said, to do business across dimensions, one must start at the Golden Core Stage.

Therefore, Lu Wanfeng believes that at the very least, Feng Jun must have a Golden Core Master backing him up.

As for whether Feng Jun is lying? Lu Wanfeng thinks that’s not possible.

If one has not witnessed the apocalyptic world with their own eyes, how could an ordinary cultivator harbor such immense fear and even contemplate utilizing mortal power to create artifacts that offer convenience to cultivators?

Even if Feng Jun had not been to the apocalyptic world, the goods in his possession must definitely be inspired from there.

Previously, Lu Wanfeng had learned some things about Feng Jun, and he was puzzled as to why Mount Zhige was producing so many mundane objects; it seemed somewhat negligent of their essential duties. Only now did he realize—turns out they were working on a "project" related to the apocalyptic world.

He did not think that what Feng Jun was doing was of much significance, but at least he could understand him now.

These days, some cultivators are passionate about Alchemy and Talisman Crafting, some favor Artifact Refining and Formation techniques; these are all personal choices of the cultivators. Some are interested in exploring the apocalyptic world, and that’s their prerogative. As long as it’s not something that causes harm or goes against righteousness, who would interfere?

The three of them chatted for a while longer, mainly the two ascetics talking—actually still to dispel the awkward atmosphere from before.

Then, Lu Wanfeng stood up to take his leave and left a message, "I will be staying here for three days. Should Fellow Daoist Feng change his mind, you can contact me at any time."

Feng Jun also smiled in response, "Inside Mount Zhige, there is a High-Rank Spirit Gathering Array for transcendent cultivators. If Fellow Daoist would like to recover Spiritual Energy, please let me know and I’ll arrange someone to assist."

Lu Wanfeng smiled, gave a cupped-fist salute without saying a word, and then turned around, leaving elegantly.

After waiting for a while, when Feng Jun was about to get up, Huang Fu Flawless asked, "Why won’t you go to the Taiqing Sect? Isn’t their Earth Vein Technique something you’ve always wanted to learn? The Earth Veins and Geomancy Techniques of Taiqing are quite formidable."

Seeing her eyes rolling around, Feng Jun knew she was trying to pry information from him again.

He sighed, gave a wry smile, and shook his head, "Based on my analysis, I fear it’s because the Golden Core is troubled. I think entering Taiqing is fine, but the real fear... is that I might not be able to come out again."

"Golden Core is troubled?" Hearing this, Huang Fu Flawless couldn’t help but gasp in shock. The potential consequences of these four words were truly terrifying. Although she was young, she was ultimately born into a Golden Core Family.

Just think about it—if the Ancestor Huang Fu of the Huang Fu Clan were troubled, what kind of situation would arise once the news spread?

Taiqing has nine Golden Core Masters, and their situation is much stronger than that of the Huang Fu clan, but Taiqing Sect has a much larger span of operations. Although they have many Golden Core cultivators, not a single one of those Masters is superfluous.

Huang Fu Flawless even felt some regret for having heard such news.

However, driven by her curiosity, she couldn’t help but ask, "Is it... Master Sumiao?"

Feng Jun intended to scare her a bit, so he smiled and pointed at her, "These are your words, not mine. I’m as tight-lipped as can be."

Huang Fu Flawless’s eyes whirled again, "Strange, how could you know something I don’t?"

Feng Jun furrowed his brows and glared at her fiercely, "Is this how you talk to ascetics?"

Huang Fu Flawless beamed with a smile, "Fine, if you don’t want to talk, then don’t. Why bother scaring a little girl like me?"

After returning to Mount Zhige, Feng Jun continued his "seclusion," and even when Lu Wanfeng left after three days, he did not show himself to send him off.

Among cultivators, besides face-to-face communication, people didn’t really stick to formalities—in cultivating oneself, paying too much attention to empty formalities is indeed missing the essence for the transient.

Lu Wanfeng did not request to cultivate within Mount Zhige and left with a light heart, so why should Feng Jun impose himself to see him off?

The ascetic from the Yinsha Sect Baili had been awaiting eagerly to see a spectacle but couldn’t, and seeing that the disciple of Taiqing Sect had left, he weighed his options and departed as well.

Huang Fu Flawless brought new information, asking when the third batch of grain would arrive—this time, they needed at least five hundred thousand tons.

Moreover, the Chaos Plane thought that the wheat in the second batch was slightly different from the first, and they hoped that all future shipments would match the quality of wheat from the first batch—"We can’t be the only ones stressing quality assurance, while the quality of your supplies is lacking, right?"

Plainly put, the wheat planted on Earth Plane has traces of Spiritual Energy, albeit very scarce, certainly better than the output from the apocalyptic world.

Yet, Feng Jun responded without hesitation, "The grains I can get are just like this. If that’s not satisfactory, then forget about the deal."

Huang Fu Flawless hurriedly interjected, "Don’t say that, I reckon they’re just trying to pressure the price down further, we can negotiate, right?"

"There’s nothing to talk about," Feng Jun abruptly ended the call, thinking that these are the bad habits that come from indulging them.

Bargaining is acceptable for other things, but you want to haggle over the price of grain? Then go hungry for a while.

Feng Jun currently has fifty tons of graphene on hand, with a yearly commitment of one hundred and twenty tons to Elder Yu, and with a hundred tons already secured, he could basically scrape by for a year...

In fact, he never intended to offload this fifty tons quickly; his major financial bottleneck had been resolved, so it might be better to stock up for now and see how things play out.

The issue now is fragrance... it’s time to restock again, fortunately, the primary shortage is Dew Fragrance Water in the Mortal Realm, as summer is coming.

After returning to the Earth Plane, Feng Jun’s first affair was a headache: air conditioners and refrigerators were starting to be delivered one after another.

In the past, buying a dozen or so units of refrigerators and air conditioners to slowly sell off on the Mobile Phone Plane was fine, but now the deliveries came by the thousands, and the truly aggravating part was... the deal with Yinsha Sect had come to a halt.

Looking at the neatly stacked large boxes, Feng Jun couldn’t help but frown: this is just perfect...

But even so, he had no intention of compromising with the Yinsha Sect. A measly two hundred million’s worth of goods? He could afford the loss.

However, what’s more infuriating than encountering one vexing issue, is stumbling upon a second one.

That is, regarding the procurement of lithium batteries, Zhang Caixin wanted to hold a tender, but the fire brigade directly called: What are you planning to do with so many lithium batteries? And what are your solutions to potential fire hazards?

Zhang Caixin subconsciously thought that the fire department was deliberately causing trouble, but Sister Hong, after hearing about it, felt it might be the other party trying to pitch a solution... In any case, professional matters need professional solutions.

The sisters specifically asked someone to inquire: What suggestions do you, the fire department, have for a solution?

The fire department responded that they need to conduct an on-site inspection first, to establish whether they have the conditions to store batteries in large quantities, then they would propose relevant solutions.

Luohua Manor isn’t a place where just anyone can enter, and they were not in a position to make decisions on their own, so they then expressed: On-site inspection is a possibility, any other precautions to consider?

The fire department droned on, implying that based on regulations for managing flammable and explosive materials, not only do we need to design the solution and recommend manufacturers, we must also appoint construction teams, and there must be regular spot checks and so on.

These conditions were impossible for Luohua Manor to agree to, not to mention they had another more important condition: You have to clearly state what these batteries are for.

If it’s not made clear, the fire department stated, we will stop the tender - flammable and explosive materials without a confirmed use cannot be solicited.

The sisters knew Feng Jun would never agree to this condition, so they sought to negotiate once again.

The fire department offered another solution: How about this, we recommend a warehouse for storing these items. What you need to do is pay the rent and keep good records of the direction of supplies when shipping out.

For this plan, they also specially explained that if you were not an acquaintance, we wouldn’t make this recommendation to you.

In reality, this is the classic rent-seeking behavior of authority. With such strict oversight nowadays, plus incidents like the Jinmen Warehouse explosion, such a recommendation indeed carries significant risks.

But then again, Sister Hong believed that it was the fire department acting as though they had no other choice: either don’t buy the batteries, or accept the conditions.

After discussing, they thought the second solution was negotiable: Registering the delivery destinations can essentially be ignored. When the time comes, they can just pack everything in the Storage Bag and even counter-accuse the warehouse manager.

Upon hearing this, Feng Jun thought carefully and still rejected the proposal, considering it too sensational - things disappearing after being taken into the manor is one thing, but disappearing from a public warehouse is another.

The manor exhibiting supernatural phenomena is known to only a handful of people, who usually know how to keep secrets. But in society, the general public becomes aware, and it is hard to control the spread of information.

Luohua Manor is already conspicuous enough in the eyes of those with intentions; let’s not draw more attention to it from the broader society, shall we?

Zhang Caixin understood his concerns, but said with difficulty, "If the fire department doesn’t agree, even if we tender privately, they can still spoil it. There’s no avoiding this hurdle."

Feng Jun pondered and suggested, "Then we’ll just buy small quantities. It’s just battery packs. We’ll purchase them one by one, I refuse to believe we can’t get enough."

The quantity he needed was relatively small, a mere two thousand sets, but even so, it would be quite hard to gather enough for delivery without a month or two.

Zhang Caixin hesitated for quite a while before reluctantly nodding, "Then I’ll... buy them. Sheesh, this increases the workload tremendously, what a hassle."

Seeing her struggle, Feng Jun also felt frustrated. He was considering whether to make a trip abroad when Elder Yu casually strolled over.

The old man asked bluntly, "Hey, master, when will your next batch of graphene arrive?"

Hearing this, Feng Jun felt anger rising from his heart to the edge of erupting – it was precisely Elder Yu’s relentless demands that had landed him in this predicament, and now he had the audacity to ask about the next graphene shipment?

He responded very straightforwardly, "There isn’t any. Forget about it in the short term."

(Updated, calling for monthly passes and recommendations.)