I run a casino in the immortal realm.

Knowing that the owner behind Tianyuan Gambling House was the chief inspector of Qingyun Sect, the gambling house owners in Sujiafang City dared not act recklessly and could only follow the Tianyuan Gambling House model to make rectifications, all announcing a one-month closure.

On the day the news of the four gambling dens closing for renovations spread, gamblers from Sujiafang City began flocking to Tianyuan.

It's not a gradual surge, but rather the kind where the entire pot of water boils at once.

Zhao Wenyuan stood on the threshold, his mind racing, then turned and shouted at Zhang Biao, "Turn my restaurant into a gambling den too."

Zhang Biao was taken aback: "A restaurant?"

"There are too many gamblers, and this place can't accommodate them all. The low-stakes cultivators will be assigned to the restaurant first. The gambling tables will remain open, and the service will be the same as here."

Zhang Biao frowned: "Is there enough time to make the changes?"

"No modifications are needed."

Zhao Wenyuan was already walking towards the restaurant, saying as he went, "Put the square tables in the restaurant together, move a few decks of dice and playing cards over there, and have a few dealers from Tianyuan fill in temporarily. We can start today."

He's a businessman; if he can avoid a problem, he doesn't need to start over.

The message was sent out that day, and Zheng Yifei's reply came faster than expected.

"Yes, but there are a few conditions—first, the training of dealers in the restaurant's gambling area cannot be omitted, even if it is the simplest version, the rules must be reviewed before gambling begins."

Second, three meals a day are provided;

Third, the accounts for the two shops should be kept separate, not mixed up, so that it will be easier to calculate the profits later.

After reading it, Zhao Wenyuan wrote three words on the back of the talisman: "I understand."

Then he put the talisman into his sleeve and told the waiter to move the table.

The restaurant's gambling area made a profit on its first day.

The reason is quite practical: independent gamblers bet on spirit coins, and the winnings or losses in a round are only a few coins. Playing in a place like Tianyuan Gambling House, which has high-grade spirit wooden tables and even cleansing talismans in the washroom, feels somewhat cramped.

Restaurants are different; they have a lively, down-to-earth atmosphere. Braised spirit pig's trotters are laid out on the table, and bowls are filled with piping hot spirit rice porridge. Even if you lose your bets, you can still get a hot meal, which can save you some money. You can't experience this in other gambling dens.

On the sixth day, the two shops together made a net profit of two thousand spirit stones.

Zhao Wenyuan wrote the number down in the ledger, put down his pen, and stared at it for a while.

two thousand.

He used to think that earning three or four hundred yuan a month at a restaurant was a blessing from heaven, but now he thinks it's a blessing in a day.

The pace stabilized after that.

The phrase "the two shops make a fortune every day" is not an adjective, but a literal description. Tianyuan Gambling House caters to high-end customers, with a minimum bet of one spirit stone. The daily turnover of the gambling tables is seven to eight thousand. After the house takes a cut, plus the cost of the private rooms and drinks, the net profit is stable between one thousand five and two thousand.

The restaurant's gambling area accepts casual cultivators, who bet spirit coins, earning a net profit of three to five hundred a day.

Together, the two companies make about two thousand a day.

Two and a half percent was given to the Su family, which amounted to about five hundred yuan per day.

Zhang Biao and Zhao Wenyuan each kept 10%, returned 10% to the Zheng family, and after deducting operating costs, dealer salaries, and array maintenance, the remaining spirit stones were deposited into the Su family's bank.

Every ten days, Su Qingwan would fly back to Qingyun Sect from the market to bring Zheng Yifei's share, which averaged eight hundred spirit stones per day.

A portion of these spirit stones will be invested in Zhao Ling's cultivation and the purchase of spiritual materials for alchemy. She is already able to refine high-grade Spirit Gathering Pills. Once she becomes a second-tier alchemist, she will be able to purchase Foundation Establishment Pills from her master at a lower price.

Zhao Ling is a grateful person and is worth investing in.

After establishing a stable income chain, Zheng Yifei devoted all his remaining time to cultivation.

He was stuck at the eighth to ninth level of Qi Refining for two whole months.

It wasn't a problem with spirit stones—for two months, Zhao Ling provided Qi Gathering Pills to help him break through to higher levels.

The problem is that he has to deal with official documents from the Inspectorate during the day, and his cultivation time at night is fragmented. His spiritual energy accumulation has always been just a step short, and he has always been one step away from opening the ninth acupoint.

By the third month, official business had been streamlined, and he no longer needed to handle things personally.

During the day, all official document processing is handled by headquarters staff. A routine meeting is held only once every ten days. He no longer reviews each report individually, but only looks at the summary figures and anomalies.

Use all three extra hours each day for meditation.

During his cultivation, Gu Jianhua guarded the Inspectorate like an iron barrel, blocking the door from entering whenever possible, and not even letting in the tea deliverymen.

The breakthrough came quietly.

It wasn't what he expected—a sudden flash of lightning, a burst of inspiration, or something exploding inside his body.

That morning, Zheng Yifei sat cross-legged on the futon, his spiritual energy following the usual route, reaching the ninth acupoint. He should have encountered the barrier that had been worn thin for two months—but the barrier was gone.

The spiritual energy passed directly through, as smoothly as if there had never been any obstruction.

He opened his eyes, and the flow of spiritual energy in the room became clearer to his senses. He could feel the sea of ​​clouds outside the window, the tide of spiritual energy flowing over the mountain peaks, and even that Gu Jianhua was standing eight steps away from the door, with the floor tile under his feet slightly off to the right.

Qi Refining Level 9.

Zheng Yifei stood up and stretched his wrists.

He has a habit at the gambling tables on Blue Star: before winning a big game, he rubs his hands together. It's muscle memory, and he's carried it over here.

He didn't laugh out loud, nor did he roar to the sky; he simply stood by the window and looked out for a while.

After reaching the ninth level of Qi Refining, the next hurdle is Foundation Establishment.

Foundation Establishment requires Foundation Establishment Pills. On the market, a low-grade Foundation Establishment Pill starts at 50,000 spirit stones, a mid-grade one costs 80,000, and a high-grade one costs 150,000.

As someone with one of the five spiritual roots, I won't consider low-grade or mid-grade Foundation Establishment Pills; I'll only use high-grade Foundation Establishment Pills to increase my chances of success.

Moreover, one Foundation Establishment Pill is definitely not enough; others need one, but he needs at least five.

Five high-grade Foundation Establishment Pills would require at least 450,000 low-grade spirit stones.

Tianyuan Casino only sends over 20,000 spirit stones each month. It would take more than two years to accumulate 450,000, not even counting the usual cultivation needs.

The transition from the ninth level of Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment is a major hurdle that takes a long time. It is estimated that several hundred thousand spirit stones will be needed during this period. Adding the spirit stones required for Foundation Establishment Pills, the total will probably be over a million spirit stones.

One gambling den like Tianyuan is far from enough; it seems we need to find another way.

Zheng Yifei fell into deep thought. He did have rewards from the sect, but he couldn't touch them. He would rather distribute these rewards to his subordinates than embezzle public funds.

To stay in this position for a long time, one must not only achieve results but also remain honest and upright, leaving no room for others to find fault with one.

Therefore, one must earn money for one's own spiritual practice.

Should we open gambling dens in other markets?

After some consideration, the plan was abandoned. The ten inspection team leaders under his command could be utilized to open branches of Tianyuan Casino in their respective jurisdictions, but without trusted confidants like Zhao Wenyuan and Zhang Biao to manage them, the results might not be good.

Moreover, those team leaders may not be as dedicated as Su Qingwan in using her family's power to maintain Tianyuan Gambling House. Even if the gambling house opens, there will be endless troubles, and she won't have time to deal with them.

Go talk to Xu Jian and see if we can develop a slot machine.