Chapter 355: 355. Four Business Plans

Fang Zhou’s commercial plan was straightforward, the first being an encyclopedia of magic treasures and spells.

This idea emerged when Fang Zhou faced off against Li Xian; her Ghost Shadow Secret Technique gave Fang Zhou a headache, and he had to rely on sheer strength to take her down.

In the hands of someone less powerful, they would probably be toyed with to death by Li Xian.

So, Fang Zhou thought at the time, wouldn’t it be great if there was an encyclopedia of spells, allowing one to immediately know the opponent’s skills as soon as they used them.

This thought lingered in Fang Zhou’s mind until he asked Yu Qing, only to find out that the Cultivation World did not have such an encyclopedia, and cultivators relied entirely on their own experience to assess their opponents.

Although none existed, Fang Zhou was not disappointed; the absence of one meant an opportunity to write it himself, allowing him to both make money and increase his influence.

Cultivators gain experience through blood, sweat, and danger, and rookies often don’t survive the process of accumulating experience.

To nurture young novices in their growth, Fang Zhou felt it necessary to provide them with a new channel to obtain information.

The task of writing was assigned to Yu Qing, who had read extensively in the Heavenly Sword Sect’s library and was knowledgeable about many spells.

Knowing that Fang Zhou wanted her to write, Yu Qing felt both anticipation and pressure: “I’m afraid if I write alone, it will take a long time to finish.”

Yu Qing’s concerns were valid; her practical experience was limited, with much of her knowledge acquired from reading books, potentially leading to errors and an inability to keep pace with the times.

Writing slowly by consulting materials could take more than a decade to complete, given the vast number of spells in the Cultivation World.

Fang Zhou offered a suggestion: “There’s no need to write it all at once; write a portion first and release it in volumes. Just focus on the writing; your master can find helpers to gather research.”

True Master Yu Jian would definitely assist, given the many idle hands in the Heavenly Sword Sect who could be assembled into an editorial team to collect spell information across the Cultivation World.

This was a massive undertaking that would take a long time to complete and could not be rushed.

While the spell encyclopedia could not be completed quickly, the magic treasure encyclopedia could be written immediately, thanks to an existing Treasure Atlas.

Yu Qing had lent Fang Zhou this Treasure Atlas before, which contained extensive information on magic treasures.

The original author of the Treasure Atlas was long untraceable, so there was no concern over copyright, and only major sects held copies, with small sects seldom possessing them, and individual practitioners even less likely.

This created a huge untapped market; selling the Treasure Atlas across the Cultivation World could make one a billionaire, with new editions released annually to continually turn a profit.

Other major sects couldn’t mimic this even if they wanted to, due to lacking the Heavenly Sword Sect’s unique transportation and sales channels, leaving them helpless.

The second commercial plan was adult comics, another vast untapped market–akin to picking up money, but actually gathering wealth rapidly, faster than robbing.

You should know what Fang Zhou was doing was all without capital, no costs, no labor fees, not even taxes; his only expenditure was sharing some profits with the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Despite agreeing to use the Heavenly Sword Sect’s sales channels for free, keeping all the profits could provoke resentment, and sharing some profits to avoid trouble was something every seasoned businessperson would do.

The third commercial plan involved Elder Yan Fu’s Muscle Softening Liquid, for which Fang Zhou had acquired a patent, intending to market it as a high-end product in Taobao City.

Though there were many transformative spells in this world, most were easily seen through or countered, unlike the Muscle Softening Liquid, which effectively altered one’s appearance.

Due to limited production, it had to become a high-end product, raising the price threshold.

After parting ways with Yu Qing, Fang Zhou headed to the Heavenly Sword Sect to find Wei Yuanling.

Wei Yuanling, thriving under the Heavenly Sword Daily, had filled out a bit, looking vibrant and living comfortably.

Seeing Fang Zhou, Wei Yuanling was delighted, eagerly approaching with a wide grin, clasping Fang Zhou’s hands tightly, looking like a loyal follower.

“Taoist Fang, I’ve missed you dearly.”

Wei Yuanling believed that Fang Zhou was her lucky charm, attributing her current status entirely to him.

Each appearance of Fang Zhou brought good fortune to Wei Yuanling; were it not for fearing Yu Qing’s misunderstanding, she’d have moved to Moon Viewing Peak.

It wasn’t really a misunderstanding; Wei Yuanling had desired Fang Zhou for quite some time, almost ready to tell him she wouldn’t lock her door at night.

But alas, Fang Zhou would always just talk and never act, so much that Wei Yuanling, eating cucumbers every night, had gained a few more pounds.

Seeing Wei Yuanling’s intense gaze, like a wolf, Fang Zhou was speechless, wondering if she was the lonely, cold type who couldn’t go a night without a cucumber.

Come to think of it, comparing Wei Yuanling to Cheng Xing, she wasn’t lacking, a classic beauty; Fang Zhou wouldn’t mind late-night discussions by candlelight with her, polishing their skills.

But ever since Cheng Xing came along, Fang Zhou forgot about Wei Yuanling, as Cheng Xing was quite obedient, less influenced by the male inferior-female superior culture, unlike Wei Yuanling, who might be different.

Ignoring Wei Yuanling’s gaze, Fang Zhou handed her a piece of paper.

Curiously taking it, Wei Yuanling glanced over it; when she looked back up, her eyes were shining.

On the paper, Fang Zhou had written the fourth commercial plan–home delivery service, essentially the express delivery industry.

Now that Taobao City’s customer flow stabilized, famous throughout the Cultivation World, its potential was far from fully tapped.

Many places within the Cultivation World had cultivators unable to travel long distances to consume there, only able to helplessly lament the distance.

This is where delivery service could come in handy, establishing several sales points across the Cultivation World, offering Taobao City’s inventory list.

Customers could specify the goods they wanted from the list, paying a hefty shipping fee, and Taobao City would dispatch someone to deliver to their doorstep.

Reading it, Wei Yuanling was so excited that she could hardly resist giving Fang Zhou a fierce kiss.

Currently managing the Heavenly Sword Daily and sales channels, she was actually losing money to gain reputation; the Heavenly Sword Daily operated at a loss.

The real profit came only from the sales of comics and mature content, but that was Fang Zhou’s money, and Wei Yuanling could only watch.

With this delivery service, it would be different; she could earn shipping fees, subsidize the Heavenly Sword Daily, turn losses into profits, greatly enhancing her competent image in the leadership’s eyes.

Fang Zhou didn’t need the shipping revenue; he had only one request, that the sales points established by the Heavenly Sword Sect only sell works published by Moon Viewing Culture.

Wei Yuanling patted her chest in agreement; this was a small matter, something she could decide herself.

Watching Wei Yuanling’s near-bursting attire, Fang Zhou suddenly felt that taking the time to exchange skills with her might not be such a bad idea.