Chapter 10

"Adviser? Do you know my identity then?" Li Xian was somewhat surprised. Could it really be that someone would come to offer their allegiance? Could this be what they called 'leaking charisma'? But what exactly is an adviser?

Xu Ren smiled confidently, "Since I'm offering my allegiance, of course I know the Young Master's identity. You are Li Xian, the youngest son of the Imperial Censor, right?"

"Very well, I can accept your allegiance. But you must pass a test. I cannot make any promises for now."

"Master Li's words may seem heartless, but they are the most sincere. I also need to clarify one point: if I find that the Young Master is not worth following, I will leave on my own."

"I understand. Now, I need to go to the Brilliant Starlight Trading Company. You can wait at the Li residence first. Here is my token."

"No need." Xu Ren refused Li Xian's token, "I will stay by the Young Master's side."

"Very well."

The group continued walking slowly. Finally, Shangguan Yong couldn't hold back, "Xian, you haven't explained why the middle and lower-middle classes have the greatest purchasing power. Shouldn't the wealthiest and the nobility have the greatest purchasing power?"

Li Xian smiled but said nothing, turning to look at Xu Ren, indicating that he should answer.

To be my adviser is not that simple!

Xu Ren answered without hesitation, "This class is the most numerous! A rough estimate is that they make up about one-twentieth of the entire population. The truly wealthy and noble, however, are extremely few, less than one in a thousand."

"I see." Shangguan Yong and Yuan Zhao were enlightened.

Soon, the five of them arrived at the Brilliant Starlight store. What they saw was a crowded entrance, the store packed with people, and no order at all, with the sound of haggling everywhere.

The shop assistants and waiters were busy to the point of being overwhelmed. Facing these wealthy and noble customers, the waiters were just punching bags.

"This store is a complete mess." Li Xian frowned, immediately finding his Third Uncle, Li Youwei, who was also busy to the point of being overwhelmed.

Wuyang City was the capital, full of nobles. Although Li Youwei was capable, he was somewhat overwhelmed.

"Third Uncle, the store can't continue like this. Otherwise, there will be trouble sooner or later. I think we can do this: rebuild the store into a three-story building. The first floor will have items priced below 50 taels of silver, the second floor below 100 taels, and the third floor above 100 taels.

On the third floor, we will have dedicated reception staff and accept custom orders, providing blueprints and samples, but only blueprints and samples, no supervision or other conditions.

Additionally, we can set aside a few offices on the third floor for large-scale buyers and even wholesalers.

For large-scale purchases, we can offer tiered pricing. For example, after 100 taels of gold, a 95% discount; after 500 taels of gold, a 90% discount; after 1,000 taels of gold, an 88% discount, with a maximum of 85%.

We don't need to worry about the prices or services of the wholesalers; that's their business. We just need to focus on our products and brand, and we won't lack for wholesalers.

Also, we can set up tea lounges on the first and second floors, offering a cup of tea to every customer to avoid arguments.

All items must be clearly priced, with no haggling allowed. However, we can add a lottery system to increase fun.

All shop assistants must be trained and wear uniform clothing. However, the uniforms for regular assistants, supervisors, managers, and guards should be different, but they must all be friendly. The uniforms for the first, second, and third floors should also be different, providing a clear path for advancement.

We can try adding female assistants, but we must ensure they are not harassed.

We should appropriately increase the salaries of the assistants to boost their sense of honor and enthusiasm. We want to build a brand, and the assistants must have the confidence of a brand."

For the next half day, Li Xian personally trained the assistants, set regulations, and re-priced the items. During this time, Xu Ren also showed his skills, especially in specific etiquette rules, what to say to different people, and how to address them. His meticulous arrangements impressed Li Xian.

In fact, Xu Ren was also shocked by Li Xian's commercial ideas, which had a greater impact on him. It turned out that business could be done this way! The assistants, after hearing the new system, were so excited that they couldn't wait to train overnight and start work the next day with higher salaries.

Most importantly, Li Xian promised that those who performed well would be promoted to store managers! Store managers!

It wasn't until evening that Li Xian, amidst the clamor of "Xian," bid farewell to his three step-brothers and returned to the Li residence with Xu Ren. Upon returning, Li Xian first introduced Xu Ren to his father, Li Yulong, also hoping that Li Yulong could help evaluate Xu Ren.

To his surprise, Li Yulong was very pleased. It turned out that Xu Ren was not an unknown figure; he was quite famous in the circle of advisers in the Great Xia Kingdom, being the first adviser to Gao Bin, the Prefect of Songzhou, a third-rank official.

"Sir, I apologize." After confirming his identity, Li Xian first apologized and changed his address.

"The Young Master is doing the right thing." Xu Ren was not only not offended but even somewhat admiring: "If the Young Master didn't do this, I would have looked down on you."

"Then I will boldly ask a few questions. Why did you leave Gao Bin and instead look favorably upon me, a notorious young man?"

Xu Ren's expression was solemn, "Before I answer this question, may I ask one myself? Does the Young Master know what an adviser is?"

"Please enlighten me."

"This is a long story.

First, there are two major premises. The first is that for countless years, immortal techniques have been scattered among the people. The cultivation methods that were once kept secret by countless prestigious sects are now common. Naturally, cultivators are everywhere.

The second is that resources are extremely scarce. Whether it's materials for forging or treasures for cultivation, they are all extremely scarce. With cultivators everywhere, the result is that almost all cultivation resources have been exhausted.

It is said that tens of thousands of years ago, storage rings were standard equipment for Foundation Establishment cultivators, but now even Nascent Soul cultivators may not have them.

It is said that in the past, when a Qi Condensation cultivator advanced to Foundation Establishment, there was a Foundation Establishment Pill to assist, but now even century-old herbs are hard to find.

It is said that in the past, every Qi Condensation cultivator had a magical weapon; but now, even Foundation Establishment cultivators may not have one.

It is said that in the past, there were large amounts of spirit stones and immortal stones to assist in cultivation, but now only the lowest-grade spirit stones exist, and immortal stones have become legends. Even the lowest-grade spirit stones are rare in the Great Xia Kingdom.

Cultivation methods are unprecedentedly prosperous, but resources are unprecedentedly scarce. This situation is getting worse, to the point where Qi Condensation cultivators are everywhere, but Foundation Establishment cultivators are few, and Golden Core cultivators are still absolute experts, and Nascent Soul cultivators are still patriarchs.

This is the current basic situation.

Now, let's talk about the current situation.

Due to the scarcity of resources and the spread of cultivation methods, the immortal realm, which was once based on sects and families, has changed. A large number of independent cultivators have risen, leading to a rise of many heroes. The result of this rise is the establishment of their own forces, which, after countless years of development, gradually formed the current situation, which is the state, the central group of states.

Now, not only have independent cultivators established states, but even some families and sects from the past have established their own states, using the power of the state to gather wealth and experts.

The immortal realm, as we know it, has 81 states. Just in our Yinzhou, which is a million miles wide, there are hundreds of large states and countless small states.

Do you have any questions about this, Young Master?"

Li Xian laughed, "Sir, what you said is very good and very enlightening. This is the first time I have systematically understood the changes and situation in the immortal realm. Please continue, Sir."

Seeing Li Xian's response, Xu Ren seemed particularly excited, "Then I will get to the point.

Since the era of states has been established, some things need to change.

For example, in the past, a sect or family might have only a few tens of thousands of people, or even just a few hundred, and no management was needed. The sect leader's order was absolute.

But in the era of states, it's different. Take our Great Xia Kingdom, for example, which is five thousand miles wide from east to west and four thousand miles from north to south, with a population of over seventy million, and various forces intertwined.

In the past, battles between sects involved only a few thousand people, and all the necessary supplies were carried in storage rings.

However, in the era of states, battles often involve tens of thousands of troops. In the largest battle in the past thousand years, between the states of Wei and Zhao, both sides mobilized over ten million troops, over twenty million conscripts, eight million horses, and over thirty thousand craftsmen, with the battlefield spanning five hundred miles.

The total number of weapons and armor used was over twenty million, over three million bundles of arrows, over thirty-seven million stones of grain, over eighty-seven billion taels of silver in wealth, over five million bolts of cloth, and over eighty thousand carts of medicinal herbs.

Young Master, do you think such a situation can be managed by just a hundred or so people from a sect?"