Big Data Cultivation
Chapter 1155: Expending Energy Points (2nd Update)

Chapter 1155: Chapter 1155: Expending Energy Points (2nd Update)

Don’t just talk about how everything Huaxia buys ends up skyrocketing in price. Your cost price is higher than others’ selling price—how can you compete with them?

So Feng Jun had come to a realization: when it came to iron ore, there was a time when foreign prices surged crazily. From a Huaxia perspective, that was undoubtedly unreasonable. But to be fair—putting aside periods of hyperinflation—their prices were indeed cheaper.

Removing sentiment from the equation, it’s unfair to accuse foreigners of taking advantage. In bulk commodity trading, cost is king.

If their "slightly profitable" selling price is higher than your cost price, the fault lies with inefficient domestic production costs.

Because of this, Feng Jun truly wasn’t interested in buying iron ore. Iron was abundant in the Earth Realm, just slightly less so in Huaxia.

Actually, it wasn’t even about scarcity—the issue was that Huaxia had more low-quality iron ore. Rich iron deposits existed, but they were buried deep underground, driving up extraction costs.

Compared to Huaxia, many of the foreign rich iron ores lay exposed on the surface—open-pit mining costs are truly delightfully low.

Another significant reason Feng Jun avoided iron ore trading was that, in the mobile plane iron ore was a critical strategic resource.

Sure, Mysterious Iron Mines were more important overall, but in the Mortal Realm, during wars between nations, the weapons widely used were still iron-based.

Feng Jun had heard of Donghua Country’s strict management over their iron mines. The factions controlling these deposits would fiercely defend their interests. If anyone tried to seize them forcibly, there would be massive casualties and a major public outcry.

As a cultivator, Feng Jun’s stay at Mount Zhige had already created considerable ripples—there was no need to stir up more trouble.

Furthermore, their smelting technology for iron ore was incredibly primitive. Prices for iron ore remained high, making it a poor investment, even from a purely economic standpoint.

Therefore, he left without looking back, pretending not to hear Elder Yu’s inquiry.

Two days later, Chen Shengwang visited Luohua Manor again, this time driving himself and accompanied by two women—one around thirty, the other twenty-seven or twenty-eight. Though mortals, their appearances were striking.

The gatekeeper stopped the two women, citing manor rules. Chen Shengwang didn’t argue and entered alone to meet Feng Jun.

This time, he brought a storage bag, extremely ancient in appearance. As soon as he revealed it, a sense of timelessness emanated from it.

The storage bag contained some daily necessities, a few scrolls, some weaponry, a bowl artifact, and half a Spirit Stone.

The bowl was a magic artifact, which Feng Jun recognized immediately. However, since it belonged to the other party, he had no interest in studying it.

The storage bag, in contrast, caught his attention. With a storage space of seventy to eighty cubic meters, it was noticeably large.

After toying with it for a while, Feng Jun remarked, "Its durability has degraded significantly."

Despite being in his eighties, Chen Shengwang not only appeared youthful but also had an understanding of modern trends. He chuckled and replied, "For it to survive at all is quite impressive. Mountain Master Feng, how much longer do you think it can last?"

Feng Jun shook his head, responding with a smile, "The lifespan of a storage bag isn’t measured by time but by usage frequency. Based on my assessment, this one likely has about a thousand uses left."

"A thousand uses," Chen Shengwang murmured, pondering deeply. While living in the Mortal World, he had shared Feng Jun’s caution, avoiding frequent use of the storage bag to keep his secrets hidden. Thus, he had never considered the issue of limited usage.

Upon hearing it still allowed around a thousand uses, he couldn’t help but feel both relief and concern.

He estimated that he wouldn’t use up all one thousand uses in his remaining lifetime. With frugal usage, it could even last two or three generations. But regardless, the limited longevity was still a hidden risk, and he felt obligated to leave better tools for Fanghu Daoism.

He wanted to ask Feng Jun to help replace the storage bag but recalled that Mountain Master Feng had previously mentioned its value—at hundreds of Spirit Stones—making the request difficult to voice.

Still, as a rare mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator, he wasn’t one to mince words. "If I prove myself worthy at Luohua in the future, I hope Mountain Master can consider my issue favorably."

Feng Jun smiled and nodded slightly, "This matter isn’t urgent—we can discuss it later."

His examination of the storage bag wasn’t meant to probe its origins. Instead, Feng Jun intended to leave his Divine Sense imprint on it.

It wasn’t that he harbored ill intentions toward Chen Shengwang; the presence of someone so skilled within Luohua Manor required him to implement precautionary measures. Unlike Hua Hua, who was subservient, or Elder Liao, whose soul had been controlled, Chen Shengwang was simply a Guest Elder. Feng Jun had to devise a way to establish some form of control.

Such caution wasn’t a matter of small-minded suspicion. After all, even modern job applications require identification numbers. A place as large and valuable as Luohua Manor, abundant with rare treasures, would naturally demand some level of oversight.

Thus, he marked the storage bag with his Divine Sense imprint. Normally, it wouldn’t matter in daily circumstances. But if the other party committed misdeeds and tried to flee, Feng Jun could locate them through the storage bag imprint.

Though this practice wasn’t common in the mobile plane, where storage bags were more prevalent, they remained rare in the Earth Realm. Even mobile plane cultivators at the Qi Refinement stage often lacked storage bags.

Feng Jun subtly left his imprint and returned the bag to Chen Shengwang, smiling and saying, "Welcome aboard."

Chen Shengwang stored the bag, smiling as he replied, "I’m grateful for your acceptance. From now on, we’re family... By the way, I brought two women with me. Would it be possible for them to stay in the manor?"

Evidently, he was someone who couldn’t live without women and had acquired some understanding of Yin-Yang harmonization. Being with them not only delighted both parties but also contributed to his health.

Although Luohua Manor had plenty of beautiful women, Chen Shengwang was wary of offending anyone connected to Feng Jun. Thus, he brought along two women who relied on him for livelihood. As a mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator, even if he kept a low profile, his wealth and status in the Mortal Realm were significant.

Suffice to say, his ownership of a storage bag alone ensured he’d never want for food or drink.

His lifestyle was strikingly similar to Feng Jun’s—a discreetly vast private enterprise without formal companies yet highly efficient economically. For instance, he owned over ten buildings in major cities solely through his quiet property investments.

The two women who accompanied him managed his personal affairs, earning considerably more than Assistant Xiao Li. However, unlike her, they lacked access to cultivation opportunities.

This wasn’t due to Chen Shengwang greedily hoarding cultivation techniques but because of limitations in his resources and expertise. His own advancement to Qi Refinement was a product of serendipity, and teaching disciples was not one of his strengths—he didn’t even know how to evaluate talent.

Given his wealth, Feng Jun’s ten-thousand-per-month salary offer was merely symbolic, signifying the existence of a professional relationship—one he and Feng Jun both found satisfactory.

Though Chen Shengwang was aware that the manor typically didn’t house outsiders, he hoped Mountain Master Feng would make an exception.

Feng Jun deliberated before responding, "I understand your need, but hosting them inside the manor poses numerous inconveniences—rare items are abundant here, and if something were to go wrong..."

Chen Shengwang patted his chest confidently and declared, "With me around, they wouldn’t dare act recklessly. If anything happens, I will take full responsibility."

Feng Jun nodded, "Since Guest Elder Chen is willing to guarantee their behavior, there’s no problem letting them stay in the manor. However, the villas are off-limits. I plan to build seven or eight rooms near Pump Number One—they can stay there."

While slightly disappointed, Chen Shengwang accepted the arrangement. The manor’s villas were reserved for core members and a select few guests, like Elder Yu and his peers. The women didn’t even hold official titles with Chen Shengwang, leaving them without grounds to request such privileges.

He nodded, "Then I’ll let them stay in town for now."

"You could also stay in town," Feng Jun said with a laugh. "Work and cultivation hours begin at 8 a.m. and end at 8 p.m. Keep your phone on overnight, and when your accommodations are ready, you can move back into the manor."

Chen Shengwang felt Feng Jun’s arrangement was considerate. However, within two days, he started regretting the setup—having his own lodgings meant he had no reason to stay in the villa, but then he realized... the villa contained a Spirit Gathering Array!

This time, instead of hiring a construction crew, Feng Jun used cultivation techniques to build the rooms near Pump Number One.

He visited the mobile plane, had someone assemble eight adobe houses, and then used "Turn Mud to Stone" talismans to solidify them into large stone blocks before transporting them back to the Earth Realm.

—Ultimately, there was currently an excess of energy points in the Stone Ring.

The results of his method were remarkable. When Chen Shengwang drove to work the next day and saw the newly constructed rooms near Pump Number One, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "Already... Already built?"

Of course, these were just the skeletal structures—windows lacked glass, there was no electricity, and plumbing was absent.

Yet, these were minor details. As long as style wasn’t overly emphasized, finishing touches wouldn’t take long.

However, Chen Shengwang had specific aesthetic preferences. He approached Feng Jun, suggesting that since they were cultivators, plain square buildings wouldn’t suffice. While the villas were built earlier and could be overlooked, new structures should echo the elegance of the Jade Tower.

Feng Jun appreciated his enthusiasm and agreed to leave the exterior design to him. For construction teams, Chen Shengwang was provided with contact information. "...By the way, you can only use two rooms; I need the other six for myself."

Chen Shengwang’s eyes gleamed with a quick idea, "Forget it. I’ll build myself three rooms elsewhere. These eight? Let me finish decorating, and they’re all yours."

Feng Jun welcomed his proposal, appreciating this Guest Elder’s sense of belonging toward Luohua Manor.

Within two days, Chen Shengwang hastily decorated two of the rooms for the women to move in while leaving the others to undergo gradual improvement.

Before long, the commotion was noticed by Elder Yu’s associates, especially the arrival of two unfamiliar women in the manor. Feeling unbalanced, Elder Yu dispatched his secretary to investigate their relationship with Luohua Manor.