After a long moment, Zhang Deming nodded. The results were quite good. At the very least, a basic hierarchy for the Contribution system had been established.

He glanced at the book-shaped Contribution module beside him, then waved his hand and tossed it into the sky, letting it operate silently alongside the Monitoring 1.0 orb.

Once he had finished, Zhang Deming exited the Spirit Nurturing Space.

After that, Zhang Deming’s life settled into a peaceful routine: making Spirit Nurturing Beads, making his routine visits to the Secret Realm, and occasionally teaching Xu Weihai. The days flew by.

Following the gathering, the shops run by the four of them slowly began to open for business.

The Qu Family grandfather and grandson targeted the major marketplaces in the surrounding area. Qin Shizhong and Feng Mingyou, however, set their sights on the Sect, and the two began selling Spirit Nurturing Beads there.

Their venture caused quite a sensation for a while. But when the higher-ups didn’t react and Spirit Nurturing Peak remained surprisingly silent, the commotion gradually died down.

Still, the two shops within the Sect were exceptionally busy whenever the monthly quota of Spirit Nurturing Beads became available for sale.

It got to the point where their small shops in the Sect’s market felt like major chain stores from Celestial Spirit City. Their ability to attract customers was simply incredible.

Since the Sect Disciples were the ultimate beneficiaries, it was as if Zhang Deming was completing his Sect quota in a roundabout way. Combined with the advance notice he had provided earlier, the higher-ups didn’t ask a single question about it.

Compared to the hard work of the Qu Family grandfather and grandson, Feng Mingyou and Qin Shizhong were practically just picking up Spirit Stones off the ground. While the grandfather-grandson duo still earned a lot, it was significantly less in comparison.

It reminded Zhang Deming of the on-campus beverage shops and the like from his past life.

Zhang Deming didn’t interfere much, simply watching silently as they gradually expanded their distribution and built up the Deep Blue Business Alliance, bit by bit.

...

「Almost half a year passed in a flash.」

Zhang Deming had slowly accumulated the eight thousand Contribution points needed for the Promotion Formula. However, he had only spent three thousand of them.

He hadn’t been able to find a single one of the required ingredients: the main material, Infant Spirit Hollow Jade; the supplementary material, Hundred Spirits Heart-Binding Grass; or the optional but important support material, the Heart-Connected Lotus Root.

The main issue was that one of these items was a top-tier, all-purpose main ingredient for Summoning, while the other two were required for many different Promotion Formulas. As a result, demand for them was extremely high.

The inquiries Zhang Deming made through his various channels had yielded no results. It had to be said, resources for promoting to the Duality realm were truly precious.

Over the past six months, Zhang Deming noticed that a few scattered missions related to Martial Artists had begun to appear in the Celestial Spirit Sect’s Inner Sect, but the higher-ups still weren’t paying much attention.

But from these scattered missions, Zhang Deming could see that the number of Martial Artists seemed to be growing, almost to the point of spreading like a plague.

For the past few days, Zhang Deming had been considering how he could indirectly raise the issue and prompt the Sect to investigate the matter seriously, to see if there was some organization behind it.

After all, if he was going to walk the Survival Path within the Celestial Spirit Sect, ensuring the Sect’s stability was a must.

One day, Zhang Deming was going about his daily routine, letting his cultivation run in the background while occasionally crafting a few Spirit Nurturing Beads.

Suddenly, his expression shifted, and he entered the Spirit Nurturing Space.

In the sky, the point of light representing Qu Qizhong was currently flashing.

Zhang Deming beckoned with his hand, and the point of light flew down to him. He touched it lightly, and the information he received left him momentarily stunned.

He immediately strode out and arrived in the All Living Beings Tower. Reaching out, he tapped the point of light, which expanded into a shimmering portal.

Qu Qizhong’s figure slowly materialized from the portal.

Zhang Deming looked at the dazed Qu Qizhong and asked, "You said you had something important to report?"

Qu Qizhong snapped back to his senses and nodded. "Yes, Steward Zhang. Today, a customer came to our shop and put a Tier One Technique up for consignment, priced at several hundred Spirit Stones."

Zhang Deming paused, a flash of pleasant surprise in his voice. "Is it one of the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends Techniques, or some other exotic Ancient Technique?"

Qu Qizhong hesitated for a moment. "Well... it should be considered an exotic Ancient Technique, but it’s a variant of the Technique of Wishing Size, one of the Earth Evil Seventy-Two Techniques."

"Wishing Size? Isn’t that one of the most precious of the Earth Evil Seventy-Two Techniques? Why would someone be selling it so cheap for just a few hundred Spirit Stones?" Zhang Deming asked, both surprised and confused.

"Er... it’s hard to explain in just a few words. My grandfather already had me purchase the technique. Should I arrange for someone to deliver it to Dragon and Snake (Qin Shizhong) right now?"

For months, the shops had been receiving their monthly quota of Spirit Nurturing Beads from Qin Shizhong, so everyone regarded him as the real-world point of contact for Zhang Wu.

Zhang Deming shook his head. "That won’t be necessary. Have you read the technique yourself?"

"Er..." Qu Qizhong faltered.

Zhang Deming said, "If you’ve read it, you’ve read it. You’re the ones who acquired it. Are you afraid I’d punish you for looking? What kind of person do you take me for?"

Hearing this, Qu Qizhong breathed a sigh of relief. "I just finished transcribing it."

After speaking, he glanced cautiously at Zhang Deming.

Zhang Deming replied, "In that case, just recall it."

Qu Qizhong’s expression stiffened. "Steward, do you want me to recite it from memory? I don’t have a photographic memory. I only transcribed it hastily after receiving it and contacted you immediately. I can’t possibly recite it on such short notice!"

Zhang Deming said, "Don’t worry. Just focus on recalling the moment you were transcribing it."

Hearing this, Qu Qizhong obediently began to recall the memory. He soon felt a wave of dizziness, and his mind grew hazy.

"Don’t resist!" At that moment, Zhang Deming’s voice seemed to echo from a great distance.

A moment later, he forgot everything and found himself once again in the middle of transcribing the text.

Only when the transcription was complete did the scene around him shatter. When he came to his senses, an illusory book was hovering before him.

He stared at the book, stunned, before exclaiming in astonishment, "The Heart Spirit Dream Technique?!"

Zhang Deming simply smiled. "It’s just a minor trick."