Chapter 94

The Heavenly Art Institute is known for being difficult to deal with; apart from the Great Emperor of Heavenly Symbols, they don’t give face to anyone, and it is filled with talented individuals and experts. The Great Emperor of Heavenly Symbols has gathered all the experts in the institute, and his philosophy is that having great abilities and profound cultivation is not enough; the real skill lies in being able to transform the world.

This is why every expert in the Heavenly Art Institute can refine magical treasures, manufacture tools, and set up great formations, and they are always researching all sorts of new and strange gadgets.

When the Tenth Prince, Gu Zhensha, wanted the court to allocate a thousand sets of Horned Dragon Armors, even the Seventh Prince, Gu Fasha, couldn’t manage it, and they had to negotiate back and forth, ultimately failing to get it done. In the end, Gu Zhensha had no choice but to spend his own money to buy several hundred sets from the Heavenly Art Institute, at a great cost, which still pains him.

The other princes are the same; if they want good goods, they have to pay for them, no exceptions.

This is a rule set by the Great Emperor of Heavenly Symbols.

However, as long as you can offer something good, the efficiency of the Heavenly Art Institute is astonishing.

When Gu Chensha took out the "Seven Saints Heart Refining Pill," Xiang Shan Zhengxiong immediately left to prepare the blueprints, unable to wait any longer.

Seeing Xiang Shan Zhengxiong leave like that, Long Yuyun looked at the treasures in the room and said, "Are these also what you obtained from the Chaos Demon Ape Temple? Apart from the Beast Soul Stones, the Chaos Demon Ape Temple shouldn’t have collected Strong Blood Pills, Tyrant Blood Pills, or Mighty Ox Leather Armors. These are rare treasures in the eyes of noble families, but in the temple, they are quite common."

"These are what I obtained by using your Sea Splitting Thunder Seeds to break into the Peach County Temple. Now, I plan to sell the Strong Blood Pills, Tyrant Blood Pills, and Mighty Ox Leather Armors. I’m not very familiar with business, so I need to learn slowly. How much do you think these are worth?" Gu Chensha put away the Beast Soul Stones.

"The Strong Blood Pills and Tyrant Blood Pills are in high demand on the market. You have so many, you can definitely sell them at a high price. I estimate that, including the leather armors, it’s about 13 million. If you want to sell the Beast Soul Stones as well, the price would be even higher, at least 80 to 90 million." Long Yuyun, skilled in business, estimated the prices accurately.

"I won’t sell the Beast Soul Stones." Gu Chensha waved his hand. "Sell everything else."

"You’re right. Your skill in setting up the Spirit Gathering Formation is far superior to mine. With the Beast Soul Stones and the Heavenly Dragon Spirit Gathering Flag, a considerable amount of spirit liquid is produced daily, which is a steady stream of wealth." Long Yuyun said, "Other noble families set up great formations without this flag, so they can’t produce spirit liquid. However, I suggest you don’t sell them, because as you develop your fief, you will definitely need to recruit soldiers and resources. These are also resource reserves, and as the war with the barbarians continues, weapons, armors, and medicines will become more expensive."

"After selling the Strong Blood Pills, Tyrant Blood Pills, and Mighty Ox Leather Armors, I plan to buy Primordial Essence Pills and Essence Essence Pills from the Heavenly Palace Institute. These two are pure medicines. I also want to buy a batch of Battle Law Wine, and Horned Dragon Armors. The barbarians’ equipment needs to be phased out, and we need to go for a path of elite troops." Gu Chensha said, "I won’t recruit people like other princes, hoarding all kinds of resources, useful or not."

The Heavenly Art Institute has high-quality goods, and Gu Chensha naturally wants to eliminate the inferior ones and buy the best.

Ten warriors in Mighty Ox Leather Armors can’t defeat one warrior in a Horned Dragon Armor.

"Alright, I’ll take care of it immediately. Also, if you want to set up a Spirit Gathering Formation in your residence, you can get some jade from Han Lu. With jade, the power of the Spirit Gathering Formation will be even greater." Long Yuyun suggested.

"I’m waiting." Gu Chensha was confident. "If Yu Hanlu shows her support for me, with her wisdom, she will know I’m building my residence and will gift me jade. If she doesn’t show her support, it means she’s just using me. Of course, if she gifts me jade, I won’t take it for free; I will give her even more valuable gifts. I just want her to show her stance."

"It seems you’ve thought more thoroughly than I have." Long Yuyun didn’t expect Gu Chensha to be so calculating. "Actually, you’re not bad to Hanlu. Not many people would gift her Heavenly Dew."

"A benevolent person doesn’t use cunning, but when circumstances force it, it can be understood." Gu Chensha said.

Only a few hours passed, and by evening, Xiang Shan Zhengxiong came back with dozens of blueprints and had a detailed discussion with Gu Chensha in the room.

"Your Highness, this residence has a layout with the Azure Dragon and White Tiger on either side, a lake as a treasure basin, and a lookout tower built in the mountains to suppress the feng shui. Once constructed, your entire fief will have a tiger crouching, dragon coiling, and treasure-gathering layout. The fief’s resources will be abundant every year, livestock will thrive, and with the dragon and tiger aura, pests and diseases won’t dare to invade the fief..." Xiang Shan Zhengxiong explained in detail, "Also, this layout is called the Hundred Saints Facing True, different from the above layout. Four holy statues will be built on the surrounding mountains, facing the center, and a college, armory, and cultural and military areas will be constructed within the fief, all interconnected. A water mirror tower will be built in the lake, reflecting the holy statues with the light of the sun and moon, making the holy statues shine constantly, filling the entire fief with cultural energy, making everyone wise and graceful, and even transforming the barbarian slaves’ ferocity into peace. There will be no thieves or criminals in the fief. The downside is that the holy statues are too high and too conspicuous, easily attracting barbarian experts to destroy them, and the maintenance cost is extremely high, with poor defensive capabilities... Another feng shui layout is called the Black Tortoise Emerging from the Sea. The Black Tortoise is an ancient divine beast, with the turtle representing defense and the snake representing attack. This layout is both offensive and defensive, with giant cannons and strong fortresses around, making it the safest, but it lacks the rich and prosperous aura and cultural elegance of the other layout..."

Xiang Shan Zhengxiong spoke fluently and enthusiastically, introducing the designs with great care.

Gu Chensha slowly observed and learned, feeling his horizons broaden. Each blueprint had its own exquisite design, and the grasp of mountains, rivers, and even every blade of grass was masterful, allowing for the transformation of the land at will.

As he learned, he had another enlightenment, and his cultivation improved. He even had an impulse to study at the Heavenly Art Institute.

The knowledge possessed in the Heavenly Art Institute, even a small part of it, made him feel like a barbarian who had never been civilized.

He realized how ignorant he was and needed to strengthen his studies.

They discussed until midnight, and he memorized dozens of blueprints, deepening his understanding of array formations: "I will choose the Black Tortoise Emerging from the Sea layout to build my fief. The priority is to strengthen defense and counterattack; the barbarians won’t let me develop easily."

"I agree." Xiang Shan Zhengxiong said, "However, this layout requires many cannons, and with the castle as the center, cannon platforms need to be built on the surrounding high mountains, and bridges need to be constructed to connect the mountains and castles, which will be quite expensive. Additionally, the lake and other infrastructure will be perfected..."

"Two Seven Saints Heart Refining Pills." Gu Chensha interrupted Xiang Shan Zhengxiong. "Also, I want a thousand Horned Dragon Armors, a thousand Battle Law Wines, a thousand Fire Symbol Spears, thirty thousand Fire Symbol Bullets, five thousand Primordial Essence Pills, three thousand Essence Essence Pills, a thousand Qi Essence Pills, and ten sets of Mother and Son Zhou Tian Boxes. Besides, I want many ancient secret books, about rituals, sacrifices, ancient emperors’ actions, and array formations."

"Deal." Xiang Shan Zhengxiong didn’t haggle, fearing that Gu Chensha would change his mind, and immediately agreed.

Gu Chensha thought he was asking for too much and was prepared for the other party to haggle, but he didn’t expect an immediate agreement, making him feel he might have lost out.

But he was a man of his word and couldn’t go back on his word, so he smiled wryly, thinking he should let Long Yuyun handle the next negotiation.

"Please keep the Seven Saints Heart Refining Pills confidential." Gu Chensha warned.

"Your Highness, rest assured. This is a business secret. The Heavenly Art Institute has strict rules. If it is leaked, the person will lose their title and be confined to a dark, lightless prison to do research, never to be free until they make a significant contribution." Xiang Shan Zhengxiong said seriously.

"Alright, let’s finalize it. When will construction begin?" Gu Chensha asked.

"Tonight." Xiang Shan Zhengxiong said, "Your fief will be completed in about three days, and the roads will be laid in ten days. This is the fastest speed the Heavenly Art Institute can achieve. What do you think, Your Highness?"

"Three days?" Gu Chensha stood up abruptly.

"What’s wrong? Do you think it’s too slow?" Xiang Shan Zhengxiong asked.

"No, no." Gu Chensha waved his hands. "It’s too fast. For such a large project, even if it’s fast, I estimate it would take three to five months, or even a year. How can it be done in three days?"

"What’s the problem?" Xiang Shan Zhengxiong laughed. "I have already received approval from above, and they are very concerned about this. We can use the symbol edict to summon the powerful Heavenly Art Ghosts. You can return now and make all the preparations."

"Powerful Heavenly Art Ghosts?" Gu Chensha was excited, remembering how many mountains blocking the canal disappeared mysteriously, something human power couldn’t achieve. Now, his fief would enjoy the same treatment, and he wanted to see it: "In that case, I’ll return now."

"Good. Here is the contract. Please sign it and pay half the deposit. The remaining half will be paid after the completion. This is the rule, and we will also report to the emperor." Xiang Shan Zhengxiong took out the contract.

"Alright."

After signing the contract, Gu Chensha said goodbye to Long Yuyun, took the Beast Soul Stones, and handed everything else to Long Yuyun to sell. Additionally, he gave Long Yuyun the weapons obtained from killing several old demons, such as the Blood Soul Sect Leader’s Blood Shadow Whip, which drains blood when it wraps around someone, and the barbarian general’s Heaven-Piercing Halberd and golden leather armor. These were useless to him, so he decided to exchange them for practical items like Horned Dragon Armors.

After making all the arrangements, he returned to his fief, thousands of miles away, that same night.

He also wrote a report to the court about conquering the barbarian tribe.

"Having the Great Dragon Armor is great. If not for flying, it would have taken me half a month to come and go. How could it be so fast? I can make a round trip in one night." Gu Chensha landed gently. His fief wasn’t pitch black at night; torches were everywhere, and barbarian laborers were still cutting trees under the supervision of soldiers.