CH 8

Chapter 8: They Can Charge Twice?

Ye Chen was once too young.

Although a genius and regarded as the Saint Master,

Many elders could not help but look down on him in matters related to the Sacred Land.

But now, Ye Chen demonstrated his talent outside of cultivation, earning the admiration of the elders.

The Immortal Artifact, Heavenly Origin Immortal Scroll, guarded the Sacred Land for ten thousand years.

Generations of Saint Masters worshiped it.

No one expected that Ye Chen could play with the Immortal Artifact in such a way.

So everyone didn’t rush to question but instead waited for Ye Chen to give his opinion.

Ye Chen smiled faintly and said, “Regardless of whether it’s priced at ten high-grade spirit stones or one high-grade spirit stone, it’s too expensive.”

“Even if a Golden Core realm cultivator has to spend this much money, it would be painful. Let alone those at the Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining Ralms.

“The number of Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators is the highest in the cultivation world, accounting for ninety percent of all cultivators.

“Giving up this market is unwise!”

Upon hearing this, many elders frowned.

“But Saint Master, the cultivators at the Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining Realms are too poor. If we set a price they can afford, our profit margin will be too low.”

Elder Wang Changchun spoke up.

The elders present nodded in agreement.

Indeed.

If the price was set too low, it would be meaningless.

Ye Chen waved his hand, “Don’t worry, although the price will be lowered, our profits will not decrease, but instead, we will earn even more.”

Everyone present showed a puzzled expression.

The price was lower, but the profits were higher?

How was that possible?

Ye Chen smiled faintly, leisurely stretched out his hand, displaying the communication ring, “Because our rings are not something cultivators can use forever once they buy them.

“The first year of calls can be free, as a gift.

“But starting the second year, they will have to pay for the call charges.

“Only by paying the call charges can they continue to use our features. If they don’t pay or have outstanding fees, they will be unable to connect to the Immortal Artifact and communicate with others.

“Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators may not be able to afford a large sum at once, but they can always afford the call charges.”

Everyone was stunned.

What does this mean?

The rings we sell are not the end?

We will collect money annually?

How is that possible?

Would the buyers be happy with that?

The cultivation world had always been a one-time purchase system.

Buying pills, cultivation techniques, and spirit tools – it’s one hand exchanging money and the other hand exchanging goods.

But they never heard of a situation where they could collect money annually after selling something.

This was beyond their understanding.

Seeing everyone’s expressions, Ye Chen chuckled.

Just collecting call charges surprised them?

Their way of thinking was still limited.

Why were smartphones so popular in his previous life?

Because they could promote consumption.

Buying a phone was just the first expense, followed by call charges, data fees, and package fees.

There were also memberships for various software.

And various in-game recharges.

Even tipping during live streams.

Even other industries began to operate similarly.

For example, water purifiers, where you have to buy specialized filters every year.

Dishwashers, where you need to buy specialized dishwasher liquid.

On Earth, many manufacturers no longer rely on hardware to make money.

Instead, they made money from the services sold after the hardware.

This earned them far more than a one-time high-priced sale.

In the world of cultivation, the business methods were far inferior to those of Earth in his previous life.

Ye Chen looked at the many elders and spoke leisurely, “Why won’t they accept it?

“We’ll let them use it for one year.

“After one year, all their contact information with fellow daoists will be on that communication number.

“If they don’t renew their subscription, it’s equivalent to giving up a large part of their circle of daoist friends.

“Those who pay the fee will be the first to know any big news from the outside world, informed by their friends. If they don’t pay the fee, they’ll be kept in the dark.

“Everyone in the sect has a communication ring. Orders are issued through the ring. If you don’t pay the fee, won’t you be embarrassed?

“If it were you, could you accept it?”

Upon hearing this, the many elders pondered.

Indeed.

If it were them, although they would be unhappy with being charged a second time, they would still use it reluctantly.

On the one hand, the convenience of the communication ring was unparalleled.

On the other hand, if everyone used the communication ring and you didn’t, then you would be excluded from the circle.

So, paying the fee was inevitable.

Everyone was actually unwilling to accept this new charging model.

If someone else did this, they would have started cursing long ago.

But since it was their own Sacred Land doing it, and they would also benefit from the increased profits… In that case, there was no problem…

An elder from the External Affairs Department listened to Ye Chen’s idea and his eyes lit up, “Cultivators who buy our rings will have to pay us every year. This is simply a genius idea! The Saint Master is a business prodigy.”

“That’s right, the Saint Master is truly the one who will bring prosperity to our Heavenly Origin Sacred Land!”

“I had a feeling before that the Saint Master could lead our Heavenly Origin Sacred Land onto the path of prosperity. Sure enough, not only did he come up with the communication ring, but he also thought of such a unique and unprecedented charging method. He is truly a role model for our generation.”

“The true genius is someone like the Saint Master, who is talented in all aspects. Saint Master, please accept my bow!”

All of a sudden, most of the elders were generous with their praise.

Ye Chen laughed as he listened to their flattery.

Although the world of cultivation was very different from Earth in his previous life, the cultivators of this world could move mountains and seas, and the powerful ones could even pluck the sun, moon, and stars from the sky.

But when it came to spirit stones, no one, not even Nascent Soul experts or Deity Transformation masters, could escape the trend.

But there was no other way.

Money and resources were closely related.

If you wanted to cultivate properly, you needed money everywhere.

Do you need money to buy recipes for refining your own pills?

Do you need money for medicinal ingredients?

If you don’t have your own pill fire, you have to rent someone else’s pill room, which also costs money.

Even these Sacred Land elders, who were top-notch cultivators, still lacked money.

Your dao partners and spirit pets need money, right?

You need money to decorate your residence, right?

Gathering spirit arrays, defensive formations, and so on, not only do materials require spirit stones, but the operation of the formations also required money.

Not to mention, if you’re at the Golden Core or Nascent Soul Realm, you can’t just use a spiritual or magical artifact, at least it should be a treasure, right?

Otherwise, when you meet with fellow daoists of the same realm, leaving embarrassment aside for now, in case of a conflict, if you can’t defeat your opponent, losing your life would be the real issue.

Not to mention, if you’re approaching the end of your lifespan and still haven’t made a breakthrough, if you have money, you could buy a Life Extension Pill, which might help you reach a new realm.

But if you have no money?

Find a place and wait for death.

So in the world of cultivation, the role of spirit stones was even greater.

After all, on Earth, being poor might only make you more humble.

But in the world of cultivation, being poor was linked to weakness and life itself.

So how could anyone not care about money?