Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 576 Suggestions
However, Li Xiangming was still not satisfied.

He wasn't dissatisfied with the agreement itself—in fact, the Luo family didn't want to send too many cultivators. It was he who forced the Luo family to use cultivators to offset 70% of the alliance fee. Xu Zhilan managed to do this during the negotiations, which was no easy feat.

Besides cultivators, the Luo family also possesses a highly valuable resource—the Fire-Scaled Steed.

Although the Fire-Scaled Steed was tamed by a half-demon and was not capable of shouldering heavy combat duties, it had important strategic significance in many aspects, such as transferring the Demon-Suppressing Camp troops and maintaining logistical supplies.

Therefore, Li Xiangming very much hoped that the Luo family could provide a batch of Fire-Scaled Steeds to the alliance.

The Luo family initially agreed to this condition, but after they submitted the list of cultivators and paid the alliance fee, the content related to the Fire Kirin Steed in the agreement was completely deleted.

How could Li Xiangming be satisfied?
But he didn't have a good excuse to ask for the Fire-Scaled Steed, so he could only ask, "Can we obtain the Luo family's Fire-Scaled Steed through procurement?"

Xu Zhilan gave a wry smile: "Luo Wanlin said that their Fire-Scaled Steeds sell for at least seventy spirit stones each to regular customers in Hao County. The market price for a Fire-Scaled Steed in Pushui Market is as high as eighty spirit stones! The Alliance has positioned the Fire-Scaled Steeds as comparable to urgently needed strategic equipment like the Golden Bow and Crimson Sand Armor, setting an incredibly low internal price of fifty spirit stones. The Luo family is very dissatisfied, but they've reluctantly accepted it. Even so, one hundred Fire-Scaled Steeds would cost five thousand spirit stones, and the Luo family refuses to accept credit, while the Alliance doesn't have any cash."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiangming rubbed his temples.

A Fire-Scaled Steed for fifty spirit stones is already a very good deal.

He had personally gone to the Pushui Market to check the prices of riding pets; even the most ordinary Divine Wind Steed cost two hundred spirit stones each. When Yu Yuan introduced the Green-Backed Demon Lizard to him, it was priced at five hundred spirit stones per head.

However, no matter how cheap the Firehorse is, it doesn't change the fact that the Alliance is broke.

Do not!
The league can no longer be described as poor; it's a heavily indebted deadbeat.

The reason why the Li family, the Xu family, and the Immortal Ape Manor frequently provided equipment such as the Golden Bow and Crimson Sand Armor to the alliance on credit was because they were the founders of the alliance themselves.

As a latecomer, the Luo family clearly lacked this confidence.

Therefore, the problem Li Xiangming faced was not the matter of trying to buy the Luo family's Fire Kirin Steed itself, but how to get more newcomers to believe in the alliance and be loyal to it.

Just as he was thinking this, a look of hesitation suddenly flashed across Xu Zhilan's face.

Li Xiangming immediately spoke up: "Fourth Sister, you might as well speak your mind."

Xu Zhilan took a deep breath and replied, "Deputy Steward Li's ingenious idea of ​​commercializing the alliance is truly admirable. This move not only quantifies the contributions of each family, making responsibilities clear, but also lowers the psychological barrier for other forces to join the alliance. However, it has a hidden danger: when families see the transparent rules and quantifiable data, they will inevitably weigh the gains and losses. Whether it's the Luo family or our Xu family, we will all inevitably have to look to spirit stones in the future. If the alliance cannot guarantee the interests of each family, I'm afraid it will be difficult to sustain itself."

Li Xiangming frowned slightly.

Xu Zhilan spoke cryptically, but her meaning was clear.

In a traditional alliance, with great power comes great responsibility. Although the Luo family does not have any Foundation Establishment cultivators, they have the Fire Kirin Steed, and that is their responsibility!
As the leader of the alliance, he could easily use moral blackmail against the Luo family, forcing them to hand over the Fire Kirin Steed.

Ultimately, however, he did not choose this approach, but instead proposed the concept of a "commercial alliance".

why?

He always believed that only by making the cake bigger could one truly enjoy it.

From the very beginning, the Puyinshan Guild Hall consumed a great deal of his time and energy, without any return.

But as those small-time merchants grew increasingly greedy, more and more businessmen flocked to the guild hall, and he reaped thousands upon thousands of spirit stones in membership fees.

The Alliance of Gushe is currently in its most difficult phase – the difficulty lies in the fact that no one knows about it, no one trusts it, and the alliance itself is far from strong enough.

At this stage, the drawbacks of commercializing the alliance became obvious.

The Luo family was unwilling to offer up the Fire Kirin Steed, and the Lingwu Sect was unwilling to invite Master Lingwu. Both families adhered to a simple concept: with the same alliance fee, why should I bear more obligations than you?
Li Xiangming had actually anticipated this, but he didn't expect to encounter this problem so soon.

However, he still believed that once the Gushe Alliance cleared away all obstacles, this carefully cultivated seedling would bear abundant fruit. "Fourth Sister, now that you know of the alliance's hidden dangers, do you have a solution?"

Li Xiangming asked in a deep voice.

Xu Zhilan thought for a moment and replied, "If the alliance wants to continue, it must stockpile a large amount of spirit stones! Spirit stones can make all the families set aside their differences and willingly offer their best items to serve the alliance. Fourth Sister believes that the alliance should sell off its demon beast materials as soon as possible so that the families can see the benefits. However, demon beast materials are generally cheap and it is difficult to fill the alliance's debt hole. What the alliance should do most right now is to leave Gushe Ridge!"

"Leave Gushe Ridge?"

Li Xiangming was immediately surprised.

Gushe Ridge is the old lair of the Xu family.

Madam Xu kept clamoring to set up the Alliance headquarters and the Demon Suppression Camp in Gushe Ridge. Xu Zhilan, as a member of the Xu family, actually put forward a suggestion that was completely opposite to her grandmother's.
Xu Zhilan explained, "The alliance fee is the bulk of the alliance's income! The exorbitant fee of ten thousand spirit stones is something that no force in Pudong, let alone the entire Puxian, could afford immediately. To fill this gap, members joining the alliance must send a considerable number of cultivators to the Demon Suppression Camp."

This is certainly a good thing for strengthening the Demon Suppression Camp, but it naturally isolates smaller forces from the alliance.

In addition, Gushe Ridge is on the front line of the rampant beast tide, and there are very few sects and families left around it. Even if the alliance tries its best to publicize the victory of Gushe Ridge, how many members can it attract?
In Si Niang's opinion, the alliance should set up its headquarters in a remote area like Danggui Mountain, and tier the alliance fees so that smaller forces can easily join the alliance.

If the alliance can recruit one hundred members, even if each member only pays a membership fee of two thousand spirit stones, that's still two hundred thousand spirit stones, enough to support the Demon Suppression Camp for more than half a year.

Li Xiangming listened quietly, but his heart was filled with turmoil.

His demand for an exorbitant alliance fee was not actually intended to extract so many spirit stones, but rather to restore the Demon Suppression Camp's combat strength as quickly as possible.

But then I thought about it again. The alliance had just been established, and the Demon Suppression Camp had only just been reinstated.

He really shouldn't have been in such a hurry.

There are ways to play when you have fewer players!

Didn't the Demon-Suppressing Camp of less than two hundred people still manage to defeat the beast tide at Gushe Ridge?
He is the leader of the Gushe Alliance, and the Demon Suppression Camp belongs to the alliance. Only when the alliance develops well can the Demon Suppression Camp grow stronger! The Demon Suppression Camp should serve the alliance, not the other way around.

Although Pudong is large, it only has a handful of influential forces.

In addition to these, there are a large number of small factions that are unable to get involved in the beast tide war but are extremely insecure.

The Yan family is unknown, don't they want the protection and promise of the Demon Suppression Camp? Even with Yan Xianlin, a master in the late Foundation Establishment stage, they would probably pay for insurance if the price was right.

He should have realized this very simple truth long ago.

Even the original idea of ​​the Gushe Alliance was to support the operation of the alliance and the anti-demon cause of the Demon Suppression Camp by protecting a large number of forces and collecting huge alliance fees.

However, once things were put into practice, his focus remained on the Luo family and Lingwu Sect, which were second only to the Li family in Pudong. He believed that only by persuading them could the alliance develop.

This is putting the cart before the horse.

Xu Zhilan's suggestion corrected his thinking to some extent.

Thinking of this, Li Xiangming looked at Xu Zhilan with a solemn gaze: "Fourth Sister's words are truly like the resounding toll of a great bell, enlightening me completely."

He nodded slightly, his tone tinged with emotion: "No wonder the Grand Madam favors you so much. If you were a daughter of the Li family, I'm afraid the elders of the clan would be vying to cherish you."

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhilan paused for a moment, and her face immediately darkened.

(End of this chapter)