They needed to map out the next phase of development for The Demonic Sects.

The following afternoon.

Celeste Grant pulled Javier Sinclair and Nerida together, and the three of them began to lay out the next twenty years of the Bloodfiend Den’s business strategy.

From afternoon to evening, and then deep into the night...

Through their combined efforts...

The business plan was complete.

The stage was set; all they needed was one final component.

All that was missing now was the Trading Jade Token that Elder Lawson and his team were developing.

On the afternoon of the third day.

Elder Lawson came rushing over, his hair looking like it had been caught in an explosion.

His hair was plastered to his face, and he looked like he’d just crawled out of a pile of rubble. Seeing the old man suddenly appear, Celeste Grant held up a hand to stop him.

"Elder... who might you be?"

Elder Lawson skidded to a halt. He brushed some hair aside and said, "Madam, it’s me. Old Man Lawson."

"Huh?"

’Elder Lawson?’

’She’d almost not recognized him.’

Celeste Grant stared at him for a moment.

’It really was Elder Lawson.’

"Elder Lawson, what in the world happened? How did you end up like this?"

At her question, Elder Lawson grew a little embarrassed. "Just a small... accident. Hahaha, it’s not important."

’He’d been in such a rush that he’d forgotten he’d just crawled out of the ruins. What a blunder, coming to see the Madam with this bird’s nest on his head.’

Elder Lawson gave a dry laugh. With a wave of his hand, he was completely refreshed. Even his horribly singed hair was restored to its original state.

"My apologies for my appearance, Madam."

Celeste Grant waved her hand. "It’s no problem, as long as you weren’t hurt. Please be more careful and prioritize your safety in the future." ’Although a Cultivator’s body was incredibly durable, it was always better to be safe than sorry.’

Elder Lawson nodded slightly.

"I understand."

’Even without him saying a word, she could guess what had happened.’

’It seemed that this kind of research and development was a dangerous, high-end profession. Not just anyone was cut out for it.’

She looked at Elder Lawson.

"Elder Lawson, was there something you needed?"

Elder Lawson nodded. "Yes, yes, there is."

As he spoke, he handed two round Jade Tokens to Celeste Grant. "I am pleased to report that I have not failed my mission. Old Man Warren and I have successfully researched and crafted the Trading Jade Tokens. Please take a look, Madam."

Celeste Grant’s eyes lit up.

"So quickly?"

’They really managed to do it in just three days.’

"Let me see."

She reached out and took them.

The Jade Tokens were beautifully crafted. You could tie a cord to one and wear it as a Jade Pendant at your waist for decoration. When not in use, it could simply be tucked away in a storage space.

The Trading Jade Token was round, engraved with complex array patterns. It featured a rotatable metal ring marked with the numbers zero through ten. It was a meticulously crafted device.

Just then, Elder Lawson began to explain.

"Madam, this part here can be rotated. If you want to trade with someone, you just turn the dial to their corresponding number. Then, by channeling your Cultivation into it with your finger, you open a trade channel with them. From there, you just need to deposit the Spirit Stones, and the person on the other end will receive them instantly. Does this match what you described, Madam? Are there any improvements needed?"

"The trade number can be set by the user, and as long as it isn’t a duplicate, it will work. However, each Trading Jade Token can only have its number set once. The tokens we crafted use Spirit Stones as a medium, so they can only be used to trade Spirit Stones and nothing else."

Celeste Grant said softly, "This is amazing. You figured it all out in just three days."

She gave him a thumbs-up and, using a bit of Magic, conjured a visible "666" in the air before Elder Lawson.

"This doesn’t need any improvement at all. With this, we can solve the problem of remote trading directly."

’So this is the Cultivation World? Just hearing about it sounds so powerful, so incredible.’

Now that she had the Trading Jade Tokens,

Celeste Grant’s first thought was to test one out. After all, they planned to sell these, so she had to make sure they worked perfectly.

The two Jade Tokens Elder Lawson had brought were already set with the numbers zero and one.

She handed the token set to "zero" to Elder Lawson and kept the other one for herself.

She turned the dial on her token to "zero" and channeled her Cultivation into it with her finger.

"Elder Lawson, why don’t you try it from a distance? Go ahead and step outside the door."

Elder Lawson nodded slightly. "Very well, Madam."

Once Elder Lawson had stepped outside, Celeste Grant’s Jade Token opened the trade channel. A white light shone from above the token, and a small vortex materialized.

Meanwhile, standing outside the door, the Trading Jade Token in Elder Lawson’s hand began to flash. This was the signal that someone was initiating a trade and asking for his confirmation.

Elder Lawson simply picked up his Jade Token and channeled his Cultivation into it, opening the trade channel on his end.

Back on Celeste’s side,

she took out a few Spirit Stones and tossed them into the vortex, then looked toward the doorway. An instant later, those same Spirit Stones emerged from the vortex above the Jade Token in Elder Lawson’s hand.

He reached out and caught them.

"It really works."

Looking at Elder Lawson, she asked, "Elder Lawson, does this Trading Jade Token have a distance limit?"

Elder Lawson replied, "In response to your question, Madam, there is no distance limit. As long as both parties are within the Cultivation World, it will work without issue."

Celeste Grant nodded and asked another question. "And what about the crafting materials and cost? Is it suitable for mass production?"

Elder Lawson nodded. "Yes. The materials needed for the Trading Jade Tokens are all common, and the cost is low. The materials to craft a single Trading Jade Token are only worth about a dozen low-grade spirit stones."

’The cost really was low. They could set up an assembly line; it would be a low-investment venture. Once these tokens were mass-produced and released into the Cultivation World, who wouldn’t want to buy something so convenient and affordable?’

Thinking of this, she said aloud, "In that case, once we start mass-producing these and release them into the Cultivation World, people will be scrambling to get one."

In high spirits, she waved her hand and declared:

"Excellent! Summon everyone to the Council Hall for a meeting. We’ll discuss the next phase of the plan."

Elder Lawson acknowledged the order.

"Yes!"

After Elder Lawson left, he brought two fingers to his temple and used the Sound Transmission Skill to summon the others. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"Everyone, please assemble in the Council Hall. The Madam has matters to discuss."

Responses came back almost immediately.

"Alright, alright, understood."

"On my way!"

"Coming right away..."

In the Bloodfiend Den.

Once a month, the sect held a grand assembly in the Grand Sect Hall.

At these times, everyone from the Sect elders down to the local Hall Masters and even the heads of smaller territories would return to attend.

It was just like a royal court session. Two dense rows of members would line the hall, with those of the highest status in the Bloodfiend Den standing at the very front. During these assemblies, everyone stood; there was only a single throne at the head of the hall—the seat of their Exalted One.

Then, his subordinates would report on their progress.