Chapter 95 - 92: This Works Too?

"Huh?" Mo Qianqian paused in surprise. Establish a conglomerate? Like the Ye Xiao Conglomerate and the Bai Xiu Conglomerate, build a team of his own?

"I’m afraid I don’t have that much energy to spare," Mo Qianqian said, shaking his head.

Establishing a team had its benefits. However, running a conglomerate inevitably required a massive amount of money to sustain it. That meant he would have to constantly upgrade elixir grades and resell them. He had no idea when his true identity might be exposed. Right now, he needed to rapidly increase his strength so he could kill Ling Qingxue and obliterate the Ling family as soon as possible. He simply didn’t have the time or energy for anything else.

Beside him, Shi Muyao was also taken aback. Even she hadn’t expected Pei Hong to make such a suggestion.

"Establishing a conglomerate doesn’t necessarily require Elder Asura to overwork himself," Pei Hong said with a smile. "Elder Asura is a Second-Grade Spirit Master. You only need to serve as the figurehead, which will inevitably attract some First-Grade Spirit Masters. You can just let them handle the grunt work of sustaining the conglomerate.

"Whenever you have the time and energy, you can occasionally upgrade an elixir or help someone heal their injuries.

"We can take care of everything else for you."

"Is that even viable?" Mo Qianqian couldn’t help but ponder the idea.

If he didn’t have to put in any real effort and only acted as a figurehead, it wasn’t a bad idea. Moreover, having people work for him—especially fiercely loyal subordinates—would be of tremendous help when dealing with the Ling family in the future.

"Can I recruit desperadoes?" Mo Qianqian suddenly asked.

Pei Hong was left momentarily speechless by his question. She genuinely hadn’t expected Mo Qianqian to bring something like that up. It seemed their Elder Asura had rather unconventional desires.

"Every man has his price," Pei Hong replied. "Elder Asura shouldn’t underestimate the allure of a Second-Grade Spirit Master."

"Alright then, we can give this conglomerate idea a try," Mo Qianqian finally nodded.

At the moment, he didn’t harbor grand ambitions for it. He only agreed to establish the conglomerate to recruit desperadoes or mercenaries to help him infiltrate and attack the Ling family. What Mo Qianqian didn’t know was that his casual nod of agreement would eventually birth a terrifying powerhouse in the future.

"You can rest assured, Elder Asura. Leave this matter entirely to us. We definitely won’t let you down," Pei Hong said with absolute confidence.

Mo Qianqian nodded.

Pei Hong smiled. "In that case, Yaoyao will be the General Manager of the Asura Conglomerate, and I’ll be the Deputy General Manager?"

This clearly showed that Pei Hong was highly socially adept. Knowing that Shi Muyao had a closer relationship with him, she deliberately left the General Manager position for her.

Naturally, Mo Qianqian didn’t overthink it. He simply nodded and said, "Acceptable."

"This..." Shi Muyao was a bit stunned. She was going to be the General Manager of the Asura Conglomerate?

"Yaoyao, with your talent, your cultivation base will catch up sooner or later," Pei Hong said with a gentle smile. "You are absolutely qualified to be the General Manager. And don’t worry about the conglomerate’s daily operations; I’ll be here to assist you."

"Alright!" Shi Muyao nodded, silently vowing to run the Asura Conglomerate flawlessly. Back in the Shi family, she had never been given a chance to prove her capabilities. This Asura Conglomerate was clearly operating on a completely different level from her family’s petty businesses. She would never tarnish Elder Asura’s reputation!

Seeing Shi Muyao’s passionate response, Mo Qianqian recalled her situation in the Shi family and easily guessed her thoughts. However, he still offered a reminder, "Focus primarily on your cultivation. True strength is everything."

Both Shi Muyao and Pei Hong nodded in agreement.

"By the way, what is your current cultivation level?" Mo Qianqian asked. It had been nearly a month since he last saw them. He had made significant progress and wondered if they had improved as well.

"During this time, I broke through one level, reaching the Fifth Level of Spirit Mysterious Realm," Pei Hong smiled. "But Yaoyao is far more monstrous than I am. She broke through several levels consecutively and is already at the Spirit Vein Realm Ninth Layer.

"The Sect Leader just went to the Ten Thousand Spirits Pavilion to buy elixirs to help Yaoyao push for the Spirit Profound Realm. Very soon, she’ll be able to break through her first level."

"That fast?" Mo Qianqian was genuinely surprised.

No wonder he felt that Shi Muyao’s aura had changed. In this short period, she had broken through so many cultivation layers to reach the Spirit Vein Realm Ninth Layer. Furthermore, he vaguely sensed that she was on the verge of awakening some powerful, special innate talent. It gave him an inexplicable, elusive feeling that he couldn’t quite put into words. Perhaps it was just his imagination. Still, to break through to the Spirit Vein Realm Ninth Layer in such a short time meant her talent was truly remarkable.

Initially, Mo Qianqian had asked about their progress with the intention of giving them elixirs, but it seemed Shi Muyao didn’t need them now. As for Pei Hong, she required Second-Grade Senior Elixirs, which he didn’t have on hand at the moment.

"I was just lucky," Shi Muyao said modestly. Deep down, however, she was thrilled to be able to showcase her talent in front of Elder Asura.

"In a while, I will provide you with some Second-Grade Elixirs," Mo Qianqian said.

Right now, he only had three ready-made pills in his possession. They were his share of the loot from killing the Cloud Void Sect higher-up, Li Haoran. The rest were all First-Grade Elixirs. He would have to wait until he had the energy to consider upgrading them.

"Thank you, Elder Asura." Pei Hong didn’t stand on ceremony.

Knowing that Asura was treating her well, Shi Muyao’s face flushed as she also expressed her gratitude. "Thank you, Elder Asura."

Mo Qianqian nodded and said, "I need to go into seclusion for a while. Come find me again in a few days."

Shortly after, he saw the two women out.

Returning to his room, he took out the Second-Grade Junior Elixirs and began refining them. Ever since advancing to the second realm, he hadn’t yet relied on refining elixirs to achieve a breakthrough. Since this was his first time doing so at this level, he shouldn’t have built up much resistance to the medicine. Breaking through directly via elixirs was entirely possible.

He had three ready-made Second-Grade Junior Elixirs in hand, so he figured he would give it a try first.

Having reached the third layer of the second realm, Mo Qianqian’s refining speed was astonishingly fast. In just a few days, he completely refined the three Second-Grade Junior Elixirs.

*HISS!*

Right then, Mo Qianqian’s cultivation base successfully broke through. He advanced from the Body Cultivator First Realm Third Layer to the fourth layer.

A surge of aura burst from his body, but in a split second, Mo Qianqian reigned it in, preventing any major disturbance.

"The fourth layer!" Mo Qianqian’s eyes burned fiercely as Ling Qingxue’s figure surfaced in his mind.

At this moment, he could feel the immense power coursing through his body. With his current strength, relying solely on being a Body Cultivator, he should be able to defeat a First Level of Tongyou Realm expert. He might even be able to hold his own against someone at the Second Level of Tongyou Realm.

Of course, he was still far from being able to defeat a genius like Ling Qingxue, who was at the First Level of Tongyou Realm. Furthermore, she might have already surpassed that level. He needed to raise his cultivation base even higher.

"I should first go and see how those two girls are doing with the conglomerate," Mo Qianqian said as he stood up and walked out of the room.

Before he even reached the ground floor, a figure approached him in the second-floor corridor. It was none other than Pei Hong.

"Elder Asura," Pei Hong greeted as she hurried over.

"You’re back so soon?" Mo Qianqian asked in surprise. He wondered if she had been waiting the entire time.

"We moved into this inn," Pei Hong explained. "Yaoyao obtained an elixir and is currently in seclusion. As for the Sect Leader, I have no idea where he went."

"You moved here?" Mo Qianqian was surprised, but felt it was for the best. If anything happened, he would be able to arrive in time to help.

"And how are things going with the conglomerate?" Mo Qianqian immediately asked.

Truth be told, he was a little curious. With his title as Asura, it shouldn’t be entirely impossible for him to attract at least one person over these past few days, right?