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Do you want me to pay you back on the spot?

Zhao Shuguang exchanged glances with Huang Yu, Hou Xiaochen, and Deputy Director Zhou, and then began to communicate telepathically.

Inside the meeting room, the four of them were at the highest level, so they weren't worried about being intercepted. As for being discovered, that was fine; everyone knew they were discussing something.

Sure enough, apart from a slight twitch in the corner of his eye at the beginning, Yuan Shuo remained silent, waiting as well.

Kong Jie sat in his seat, unconcerned. Although Zhao Shuguang and the others had decided not to take him along, he wasn't angry. They discussed how much resources to give Yuan Shuo, but he felt that no amount was appropriate, so he simply let Zhao Shuguang and the others decide.

Zhao Shuguang's voice transmission rang in Hou Xiaochen and the others' ears: "Gentlemen, how much do you think is appropriate?"

Deputy Director Zhou: "Give it to me as you see fit, no need to ask me."

The resources aren't in his hands as the deputy director; he can give them as much as he wants, since he can't use them anyway.

Huang Yu said with some reluctance, "I think one-fifth is about right."

One-fifth, according to Yuan Shuo's conditions, would be around 20,000 divine energy stones, plus 20 drops of the Fountain of Life.

Although the Fountain of Life has become less important since the emergence of the New Path, it remains a precious healing elixir.

Most importantly, the price offered by the demonic plant they're cooperating with is outrageous! Originally, it cost 100,000 divine energy stones for one drop, but even with the price reduction, it still costs 50,000 divine energy stones for one drop. Twenty drops would cost a million divine energy stones!

Damn it, the more Huang Yu counted, the more heartbroken he became. He only had one or two drops a month, and now he had to give Yuan Shuo twenty drops at once, which was his amount for ten months.

Hou Xiaochen also felt a toothache. He said, "I can give you 50,000 Divine Energy Stones, but I can't give you that many Spring of Life. At most... at most ten drops."

Hou Xiaochen originally wanted to say five drops, but after thinking about it, he felt that five drops was too little, so he increased it to ten drops.

Ten drops is quite a lot; it's equivalent to 500,000 divine energy stones.

As soon as Hou Xiaochen finished speaking, Huang Yu quickly agreed, "Yes, yes, we can give you more divine energy stones, but not the Fountain of Life, it's too expensive."

Zhao Shuguang nodded slightly to the two of them, "Okay, I understand what you mean."

The final result will definitely not be as they discussed, since while they are trying to lower the price, Yuan Shuo will also raise it.

It all comes down to who is more determined.

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"Have you all finished discussing this? It's just a little bit of resources. Every one of you here has countless resources, so why worry about this little bit?"

Yuan Shuo immediately gave Zhao Shuguang and his group a big compliment when he opened his mouth.

I said you have countless resources, so what's wrong with giving me 100,000 divine energy stones and 100 drops of the Fountain of Life? It's just a drop in the ocean.

Zhao Shuguang chuckled and said, "In that case, how about I give you my position as director? Then you can enjoy countless resources."

Yuan Shuo's face stiffened. What the hell? This is a checkmate!

Yuan Shuo was furious, but could he say anything? Director? Did he really think it was so easy to be a director? Although he had never been one, he would never agree to it even if you beat him to death.

"Hehe, forget about the director position, you can be the director, I won't compete with you for it." Yuan Shuo chuckled twice and said shamelessly.

Zhao Shuguang glanced at him, thinking, "You little brat, I can't handle you!"

Then he said, "We've already discussed this. You're asking for far too much. We can only give you... 20,000 Divine Energy Stones and five drops of the Fountain of Life at most. That's all."

When it comes to bargaining, Zhao Shuguang naturally couldn't reveal his bottom line all at once; he had to take it step by step.

If you first drive the price down hard, Yuan Shuo will be more likely to accept it when you reveal your bottom line later.

After all, even though I closed the door, I left you a window open.

As expected, Yuan Shuo immediately lost his temper.

"What!?"

"Twenty thousand divine energy stones and five drops of the Fountain of Life, are you trying to fob me off like this?!"

"Who am I, Yuan Shuo? A renowned archaeologist. I can get more resources just by casually taking an archaeological exam than you can offer. Aren't you going too far?"

The claim that one can obtain abundant resources simply by conducting archaeological research is, of course, a fabrication by Yuan Shuo.

Which ruins still have a large reserve of divine energy stones? They've all been used up long ago. As for the Fountain of Life, you have to cooperate with the demonic plant to get it, otherwise you can only kill it. But right now, who is a match for the demonic plant?

Tomb raiding... cough, archaeology is risky. Forget about resources, sometimes you can even lose your life. Otherwise, why doesn't Yuan Shuo just go "archaeology" himself? Why come here and make such exorbitant demands?

Zhao Shuguang remained unmoved by his reaction and said with a faint smile, "Don't get excited, don't get excited. Didn't you say you'd pay back the money on the spot? That's what we're doing now. Now, it's your turn."

Yuan Shuo's eyes darted around, and he said with obvious reluctance, "Eighty thousand divine energy stones plus eighty drops of the Fountain of Life, that's the most I can give."

Zhao Shuguang shook his head: "Thirty thousand divine energy stones plus six drops of the Fountain of Life."

That's why he's so cunning; he only adds 10,000 Divine Stones and a drop of Life Fountain each time—he's incredibly stingy.

Yuan Shuo's face darkened. "Seventy thousand plus seventy drops."

Zhao Shuguang smiled and said, "Forty thousand plus seven drops."

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After a fierce negotiation, the two parties finally reached an agreement on 70,000 Divine Energy Stones and 10 drops of the Fountain of Life.

Although this result involved 20,000 more divine energy stones than what Hou Xiaochen and the others had discussed, it was all insignificant. As long as the number of Spring of Life was less, that was the real issue.

Inside the meeting room.

Yuan Shuo, looking pained, took a storage ring from Zhao Shuguang's smiling hand and muttered, "What a huge loss! What a huge loss! I've lost so much!"

"You guys are too ruthless. You never try to drive down prices like this. I've already sold myself, and you're only giving me this little bit of resources? Where's your conscience?"

Zhao Shuguang chuckled and said, "You're not right. You're not selling yourself. At most, we're paying you to fight a match for us. It's a partnership."

"Of course, if you're willing to sell yourself, I can agree to your previous conditions."

Upon hearing this, Hou Xiaochen and the others all looked at Yuan Shuo. If they could "buy" Yuan Shuo, they wouldn't mind paying a higher price.

"Uh……"

Yuan Shuo was stunned.

I was just rambling on, and you, of all people, are taking advantage of the situation? That's not how you talk!

Finally, Yuan Shuo chuckled twice, and the matter was considered closed.

"Quickly arrange a secret room for me, I need to cultivate."

With the resources in hand, Yuan Shuo couldn't wait to start cultivating. He couldn't accept being at the bottom of the cultivation level. Even if he couldn't surpass Zhao Shuguang and the others in a short time, he couldn't be worse than Kong Jie, his defeated opponent!

At this moment, Yuan Shuo made up his mind: he would not leave the pass until he had broken through the Mountain and Sea barrier!

“Okay, I’ll have someone arrange it for you right away.” Zhao Shuguang nodded in agreement.

Immediately afterwards, a staff member came in and left with Yuan Shuo shortly afterward.

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"Do you think he can advance to the Mountain and Sea realm before Ying Hongyue and the others arrive?"

Zhao Shuguang looked at the group and said this.

Hou Xiaochen smiled and said, "Sure! After all, he's Yuan Shuo!"

“I think so too,” Deputy Director Zhou nodded.

Huang Yu stroked his beard, and although he didn't say anything, his expression showed that he believed it too.

Kong Jie, on the other hand, looked indignant. He believed it, but why was he so unhappy?

At this moment, Zhao Shuguang glanced at Kong Jie and teased, "Director Kong, it seems you'll have to work harder, otherwise... hehe."

Kong Jie turned her head instantly, glared at Zhao Shuguang, and shouted, "I'm going into seclusion right now! I refuse to believe that old scoundrel Yuan can be faster than me!!"

After saying that, Kong Jie strode out of the conference room.

After he left, Huang Yu and the others shook their heads and laughed, "Why did you provoke him for no reason?"

Zhao Shuguang said calmly, "It's not like nothing's wrong now. They're about to come knocking on our door. It's so embarrassing for him, one of the 'Four Guardians,' not to have advanced to the Mountain and Sea realm. He'll drag down the prestige of the Silver Moon Four Guardians. That won't do."

Upon hearing this, everyone suppressed a laugh.

If Kong Jie hadn't served as the Director of the Inspection Division of Silver Moon Province, he wouldn't have been one of the Four Guardians of Silver Moon. Compared to Zhao Shuguang, Hou Xiaochen, and Huang Yu, Kong Jie was still a bit younger. Among those present, Deputy Director Zhou was more qualified to be one of the Four Guardians of Silver Moon, but he simply didn't want to.

Left with no other choice, they had to select the tallest among the short ones, and that's how Kong Jie "stood out".

"Sigh, he's still too young. It's not a big deal that his cultivation level is a little low, but he's also easily impulsive. If Yuan Shuo says a few words, he can't stand it. He still needs to practice more," Huang Yu sighed.

Zhao Shuguang said with a smile, "It's good to be young. Young people have drive, unlike us, who only think about guarding our own little plot of land. The ambitions we had back then are long gone."

Hou Xiaochen, Huang Yu, and Deputy Director Zhou's faces stiffened. Good heavens, you can do it yourself, why bring us along?

Zhao Shuguang glanced at them, and he knew exactly what they were thinking. He shook his head and slowly walked out of the conference room, looking like an old man on his deathbed.

Huang Yu watched his retreating figure and chuckled, "That old guy, he's quite the actor."

Hou Xiaochen and Deputy Director Zhou smiled knowingly but remained silent.

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Chapter 645 The Plan to Take Action Prematurely

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Time passed slowly.

The three major evil organizations and the six sacred mountains are actively preparing for war.

Zhao Shuguang and others in Silver Moon Province are also making preparations in full swing. In terms of time, the longer it takes, the more advantageous it will be for them.

According to the information they received, Tianxing City had a very low opinion of the three major evil energy organizations and the six divine mountains, and basically killed them on sight. At this moment, neither the three major evil energy organizations nor the six divine mountains had any choice but to avoid their sharp edge and retreat from the central continent.

However, this puts pressure on Silvermoon, meaning the three major fel organizations and the six sacred mountains can allocate more resources to deal with Silvermoon, or even commit their entire forces.

For various reasons, both Zhao Shuguang and Huang Yu advocated contacting Tianxing City. Even if they didn't acknowledge Tianxing City's rule, it would be good to reach a cooperation agreement.

Furthermore, the events that occurred in the neighboring Linjiang Province were very likely orchestrated by Tianxing City.

The fact that they were able to massacre everyone in Linjiang Province demonstrates their power within the province.

Once they receive help from Tianxing City, even if they can't eliminate Ying Hongyue and the others, at least they should be able to hold onto Yinyue.