Having been given a second chance at life, I choose to join the Demonic Sect!

Cao Meng is already capable of mass-producing fifth-tier spiritual weapons, so naturally he needs to lower the price to sell them.

After all, if the price and quality are the same, why would they only sell to you?

Fifth-tier weapon refiner: Cao thief, are you trying to wipe us out?!
Cao Meng: I have the system as a safety net, guaranteeing a 100% success rate in refining fifth-tier spiritual artifacts. I can make a fortune.

Upon hearing that fifth-tier spiritual artifacts were cheaper than those outside, the group of people seemed to be deep in thought!
Little did they know that Cao Meng's ultimate trump card had not yet been revealed.

"This city lord previously announced that Four Symbols City would no longer use low-grade spirit stones, in order to facilitate the implementation of this policy."

Starting tomorrow, this city lord will exchange mid-grade spirit stones for low-grade spirit stones, with one mid-grade spirit stone for one hundred and five low-grade spirit stones!

Cao Meng immediately pulled out his trump card: he was going to activate the spirit stone exchange!
Mid-grade spirit stones contain a higher purity of spiritual energy than low-grade spirit stones, making them the primary cultivation material for Nascent Soul stage cultivators.

The number of mid-grade spirit stones allocated to each Nascent Soul cultivator by the Hehuan Sect is limited.

Even many Nascent Soul stage cultivators in the Joyful Union Sect don't have enough mid-grade spirit stones, and sometimes they have to use low-grade spirit stones to cultivate.

Cao Meng, on the other hand, had the system backing him up, automatically converting low-grade spirit stones and mid-grade spirit stones into mid-grade spirit stones at a ratio of 100 to 1.

Therefore, he was not short of mid-grade spirit stones, so he decided to use this tactic against these people!
"So low!"

Some people were quite surprised to hear that Cao Meng was exchanging mid-grade spirit stones for low-grade spirit stones at a ratio of 1:105.

It should be noted that the destruction of Golden Buddha Temple and Red Academy has made many people feel the crisis, leading many Nascent Soul stage cultivators to start hoarding mid-grade spirit stones.

The price goes up as soon as this stuff is stockpiled.

Nowadays, one mid-grade spirit stone can be exchanged for at least one hundred and ten low-grade spirit stones.

If you were to find cultivators who are half-step Nascent Soul stage and preparing to break through to the Divine Transformation stage, the ratio could even reach 1:120!
The ratio Cao Meng is offering now is 105, which is already a low price for those people.

You could even say that Cao Meng is losing money and doing charity!
"Lord Cao Meng, is this true?"

Tang Lu, the Nascent Soul female cultivator who had previously been the one with the most questions, bowed to Cao Meng and asked him a question.

There was no way around it; Cao Meng's loss-making behavior made Tang Lu doubt the authenticity of the story.

Tang Lu wasn't the only one with doubts; everyone else had them too.

After all, Cao Meng is not a good person, everyone knows that. It's strange that he's now losing money and doing charity!

"really!"

Cao Meng nodded in agreement, and then added:

"The privilege to exchange for mid-grade spirit stones is limited to shops in Four Symbols City!"

Although Cao Meng's exchanged mid-grade spirit stones had no functional limitations, the problem was that he still had 70% of the shops in Four Symbols City that he hadn't rented out!
He cut off his own flesh, broke his wings, and dismantled his bones all just to reclaim the foundations of those shops.

Now that the land has been reclaimed, it's natural to rent it out.

He intends to lure the pigs over by offering them the right to exchange for mid-grade spirit stones and the limited right to purchase fifth-grade spirit artifacts, so he can then fleece them!
Therefore, the quota for exchanging mid-grade spirit stones must be strictly controlled and cannot be released indiscriminately, otherwise the shops and storefronts in your own hands will not be able to be rented out.

"City Lord Cao Meng, how many mid-grade spirit stones can we exchange for these shops?"

Tang Lu, ever the inquisitive one, started asking questions again. She needed to get to the bottom of this so she could answer Wanqing's questions when she reported back to her.

Faced with Tang Lu's repeated questions, Cao Meng was not angry at all, but instead answered them enthusiastically:
"Initially, each shop can exchange 10,000 mid-grade spirit stones per month. Later, the exchange limit can be increased based on performance!"

To put it bluntly, even if Tang Lu, the "question child," didn't ask, Cao Meng would arrange for someone to ask, thus revealing these things to everyone.

Now that Tang Lu has asked this question, Cao Meng feels much more at ease.

Ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones!
It may not sound like much, but when converted to low-grade spirit stones, it's over a million!

"Lord Cao Meng, is it that each shop can exchange 10,000 mid-grade spirit stones per month, not the sum of all the shops in the lineage?"

Tang Lu, ever the inquisitive one, asked again, "If each lineage's assets can only be exchanged for 10,000 mid-grade spirit stones, then it really isn't very valuable to those of us who come after them!"
After all, her backer is Wanqing, the peak master of Qiongjiu Peak and the leader of the neutral faction of the Hehuan Sect. He doesn't lack ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones at all.

However, if each shop requires 10,000 mid-grade spirit stones, the exchange limit will be different, since they each have several shops!

Cao Meng's gaze swept over the group of shop managers at Qiongjiu Peak, then over the people at Qinshu Peak, and he solemnly said:

"Go and tell Uncle Xue Tang of Qinshu Peak and Uncle Wan Qing of Qiongjiu Peak."

Each shop in Four Symbols City has a monthly quota of 10,000 mid-grade spirit stones. The more shops and businesses they own in Four Symbols City, the higher their quota will be!

Cao Meng naturally knew that for those peak masters, exchanging a mere 10,000 mid-grade spirit stones for a second time would surely tempt them.

Only a sufficient amount of redemption quota can entice them.

Tang Lu, the "problem child," as the person in charge of Qiongjiufeng's industries, clearly remembers that Qiongjiufeng has twelve industries in Sixiang City.

This means that Qiongjiu Peak can be exchanged for 120,000 mid-grade spirit stones per month.

Shang Min, the head of the Qinshufeng Sixiang City industry, calculated that Qinshufeng had eighteen industries in Sixiang City.

So, wouldn't Qinshu Peak be able to exchange 180,000 mid-grade spirit stones a month?

"The first exchange will begin tomorrow, and the next exchange will be next month. I will notify you in advance!"

Cao Meng knew that some people were watching in the shadows, wanting to know the truth.

Cao Meng was too lazy to wait a month, so he decided to start tomorrow and prove them right with his actions.

I wanted to act swiftly and decisively, catching them off guard.

Cao Meng had finished announcing the matter, so he waved his hand to signal the meeting to end and everyone to go home.

Cao Meng has already cast the bait, and now he's just waiting for the fish to take the bait tomorrow.

……

As most of the people had left, Chi Mengxun, one of the female demon's underlings, approached Cao Meng and bowed, saying:
"Young Master, if you continue to squander Master's mid-grade spirit stones like this, she will likely be furious when she emerges from seclusion!"

Chi Mengxun assumed that the mid-grade spirit stones in Cao Meng's possession belonged to the female demon, so she gave her a heads-up.

Chi Mengxun had helped the female demon amass wealth for many years, so she knew her temperament.

If Cao Meng really intends to squander his wealth like this, once Consort Duanmu emerges from seclusion, she will surely hang him up and beat him!

"These are my spirit stones, what does it have to do with my master?"

Cao Meng said irritably, "Using my own spirit stones, does that mean I'm breaking any sect rules?"

"Go and count how many low-grade spirit stones your Misty Rain Pavilion has. I'll exchange them all for you tomorrow!"

After leaving those words behind, Cao Meng stopped talking to Chi Mengxun and took Shishi and Yurui back to the Xuantian Pavilion brothel to listen to music and do some work!
……

Cao Meng's new policy was quickly sent to the Hehuan Sect's large group chat via a teleportation device.

Upon seeing Cao Meng's new policies, some people were surprised, while others thought Cao Meng had gone mad.

They originally thought that Cao Meng's previous practice of paying the city defense team five times their monthly wage and settling the monthly wage with mid-grade spirit stones was already crazy enough.

Cao Meng is now offering a spirit stone exchange rate of 1:105, which is absolutely insane!

……

After receiving the new information, Han Sijing and her group gathered again at Huanhua Peak to discuss important matters.

"Senior sisters, what do you think Cao Meng's intentions are?"

Nie Xuan truly couldn't figure out what Cao Meng was trying to do, so she could only ask the other four.

"He's going all in!"

At this moment, Song Yafei felt that Cao Meng was really troublesome. They tried to trip him up, but they didn't manage to disgust him at all.

On the contrary, Cao Meng easily managed to give them a headache with just a few simple tricks. "Perhaps we've fallen into a trap!"

Han Sijing said coldly, having already roughly guessed what Cao Meng was going to do.

That despicable Cao Cao, he has so many tricks up his sleeve, even more wicked than that woman Duanmu Fei!

"Quickly arrange for someone to move our original shop in Sixiang City back and get the land back, or it will be too late!"

Han Sijing had already guessed Cao Meng's intentions, so she immediately ordered the recapture of the territory in Sixiang City.

"Senior Sister Han, why?"

The other four were a little confused and didn't understand why Han Sijing would say such a thing.

Looking at the confused expressions on the faces of the other four, Han Sijing finally understood why she had suffered a loss at Cao Meng's hands.

Just because these four teammates are not smart, I have to carry all four of them. It's exhausting!

Exhausted, Han Sijing explained helplessly:

"What Cao Cao did before was all to force us to leave so he could take back the land."

We were careless and fell for that traitor Cao's scheme!

"He's doing all this now just to attract customers and get people to open shops in Sixiang City!"

Then he can sell or rent the shop he acquired from us to the other party.

The thought of this filled Han Sijing with rage, and she slammed her hand on the desk.

An eerie, dark blue frost power poured out from her hands, turning the table into a pool of ice shards over time.

After Han Sijing's explanation, Song Yafei suddenly realized her mistake and then voiced her concerns:

"Senior Sister Han, isn't it a bit too late for us to move the assets back now?"

"I'm afraid that if we move back, that traitor Cao will investigate our taxes!"

"And what if his promise to exchange mid-grade spirit stones is targeted at us?"

Song Yafei had clashed with Cao Meng several times, and she knew that Cao Meng was no pushover.

If they move their businesses back to Sixiang City now, they will definitely be targeted by Cao Meng!
Cao Meng: I want to move back, so let's rent a shop first!

As for whether the needle is aimed at you, we'll see later!
"Even if I don't move the property back, I will get my shop's land back."

"I'd rather leave the shop empty than let that traitor Cao use it to make spirit stones!"

Han Sijing was furious at the thought of Cao Meng using the land and shops she had bought to earn spirit stones.

"Senior Sister Han is right!"

Song Yafei, Yuwen Jing, and the other three nodded in agreement. Cao Xiu wanted to seize the land they had bought, let alone use it to earn spirit stones.

"Senior Sister Han, that scoundrel Cao sealed off our shop and reclaimed the land a long time ago. I'm afraid he won't return it to us easily!"

Yuwen Jing remembered that their businesses had been seized shortly after they moved out of Sixiang City.

Given Cao Meng's unscrupulous nature, it will be difficult for him to reclaim the land that was seized by the authorities!
"Humph!"

Han Sijing sneered, then said:
"Then let's make this a huge fuss!"

"After all, quite a few of the hall masters originally had shops in Four Symbols City!"

Originally, there were many hall masters in Four Symbols City who owned businesses, but after Cao Meng's actions, most of those hall masters moved their businesses away.

Now that Cao Meng has pulled this stunt, Han Sijing doesn't mind using those hall masters to her advantage, thus using one wolf to devour another!
Song Yafei and the other three all thought that Han Sijing's move was quite feasible!

After all, some of those hall masters had powerful backers, making them well-suited to deal with Cao Meng.

After Han Sijing and her group finished their discussion, they immediately began making arrangements.

……

Inside the Xuantian Pavilion, although the main hall was filled with singing and dancing, Cao Meng, Shishi, and Yurui were busy with important matters in the private room and had no time to enjoy the singing and dancing.

Cao Meng and the other two occupied the positions of Heaven, Earth, and Man, and used all their strength to activate the Myriad Souls Snow Banner to refine the object in the middle.

What is it that requires Cao Meng, Shi Shi, and Yu Rui to refine at the same time?
In the center, a primordial spirit was being refined by the frost power and yin energy released by the Myriad Souls Snow Banner!

And this primordial spirit is none other than Tang Yao!

Back then, on the Jade Pool Terrace, after killing Tang Yao, the Nascent Soul stage hall master of the Xuantian Sect, his primordial spirit was kept and he hadn't had time to deal with it.

Only today did Cao Meng have the time to deal with Tang Yao's primordial spirit.

The snow maidens within Cao Meng's Ten Thousand Souls Snow Banner were all only comparable to the Nascent Soul stage, and none of them had reached the Divine Transformation stage.

Therefore, Cao Meng planned to refine Tang Yao into a Snow Maiden so that she could serve him in the future and help him slaughter the people of the Xuantian Sect!
However, since Cao Meng had no experience in refining snow maidens, he asked Shi Shi and Yu Rui for help.

Shishi inherited some of Wen Bing's memories, including the methods for creating the Snow Maiden.

In order to impress Cao Meng, Shi Shi took on the important task, while Cao Meng and Yu Rui assisted her!

"You demons, if you have the guts, kill me! Give me a quick death!"

Under the refining power of Cao Meng and the other two, Tang Yao, in her primordial spirit state, kept wailing and even begged for death!

The fact that this refining process could make a Nascent Soul stage cultivator beg for mercy shows just how terrifying it is!

"Shishi, are you sure this method for refining the Snow Maiden is correct?"

After Cao Meng had been refining for a long time, seeing that Tang Yao was only wailing and had not yet turned into a snow maiden, he subconsciously turned his gaze to Shi Shi.

Cao Meng was a little scared. Shi Shi's memories had not fully returned, and there had been an error, which wasted time!

"Humph!"

Seeing that Cao Meng had questioned her, Shishi snorted coldly, then said angrily:
"Cao Meng, the Snow Maiden in my memory was made in this way."

According to my memory, a Snow Maiden at the Nascent Soul stage requires about three days and three nights of refining!

Shishi felt that Cao Mengzhen was impatient. Tang Yao was a Nascent Soul cultivator who had only been refined for less than a night. How could she be easily refined into a Snow Maiden?

Seeing that Shishi was angry, Cao Meng quickly tried to appease her.

……

Just as Cao Meng and his group were refining Tang Yao, a furious shout came from outside the Xuan Tian Pavilion:

"Cao Meng, get out here right now!"

Cao Meng could tell from the other party's tone that they were there to cause trouble.

Cao Meng was going to see who was so bold as to dare to cause trouble on his territory and show no respect whatsoever!

"Shishi, I'll go check on her. You continue refining Tang Yao!"

"We must refine her into a Yuki-onna (snow woman); we cannot fail!"

Cao Meng gave instructions to Shishi, then turned his gaze to Yu Rui and gave the following orders:

"Yu Rui, protect Shi Shi well and don't let anyone disturb Shi Shi's refining of the Snow Maiden."

After giving his instructions, Cao Meng left the private room to meet the visitor. (End of Chapter)