Chapter 190: 186 Must be Banned!
Chapter 190: 186 Must be Banned!
Without a doubt, the Willpower Empowerment Talisman is public enemy number one for the alchemy industry!
After realizing the severity of the issue, Yu Jing immediately leveraged his interpersonal relationships to call together the owners of all the alchemist shops in the Capital, big and small, for a meeting and briefing.
Of course, this did not include Tongbao Pavilion, which represented the Outer Sect of the Immortal Sect, and the Miaodan Workshop which had just been named by the imperial court and was now incommunicado.
“What do you all think about the Willpower Empowerment Talisman?” Yu Jing asked.
As the interests of all Pill Masters were at stake, the response from the various alchemist shops was very consistent—they could not allow these talismans to be sold any longer!
At this moment, a worried voice said, “If the talismans are being sold within Tongbao Pavilion and if this is the intent of Tongtian Sect… it would be difficult for us alone to handle this.”
Yu Jing had already considered this problem, “Even if it is Tongtian Sect, it doesn’t matter. Not to mention that there are five Immortal Sects, outwardly united but inwardly divided, each harboring their own schemes. Even if it were the Tongtian Sect on its own, they’re not necessarily united. I don’t believe that with the emergence of such a talisman, the Alchemist Association of Tongtian Sect could ignore the life and death of the Pill Masters.”
Yu Jing looked towards Manager Wang, who represented Pill Cauldron Pavilion at the meeting, and Manager Zhang, who represented Pill Treasure Workshop.
“Both of you managers, who is willing to accompany Yu to the Alchemist Association to make a stern representation of our stakes?”
“This matter is of great importance; please allow me to report back to my superior,” one said.
“Same here,” the other followed.
“Of course, of course,” Yu Jing responded understandingly.
Under the expectant gazes of many alchemist shops in the Capital, the owners of Pill Cauldron Pavilion and Pill Treasure Workshop finally replied, expressing their willingness to maintain a unified stance with Secret Pill Pavilion on the issue of the Willpower Empowerment Talisman.
After clearing the internal contradictions, the next day, Yu Jing took Pill Cauldron Pavilion and Pill Treasure Workshop to the Alchemist Association of Tongtian Sect in the Capital.
As Yu Jing had expected, the Alchemist Association also paid high attention to this talisman.
President Chen Nanyi, in the presence of Yu Jing and the others, personally used a communication talisman to speak with Gao Miao from the Talisman Master Association.
“The stance from the Talisman Master Association is that the Willpower Empowerment Talisman is completely legal, and it has passed their strictest testing conditions. Therefore, asking the Talisman Master Association to ban the talisman is practically an impossible task,” he relayed.
Yu Jing frowned, “President Chen, we…”
Chen Nanyi gestured with his hand, saying, “I am aware of your concerns since I am also an alchemist myself. However, we can’t be unreasonable and ban a talisman that has no issues, can we? Addressing your concerns, the Talisman Master Association has expressed willingness to hold an exchange meeting for you to discuss with the creator of the Willpower Empowerment Talisman. Would you like to go?”
“Of course we want to go,” Yu Jing replied.
Talisman Master Association conference room.
During the entire exchange meeting, what surprised Yu Jing the most was Jiang Cheng’s age.
He never expected that the creator of the Willpower Empowerment Talisman would be such a young man.
“Truly the younger generation is to be feared,” Yu Jing remarked.
“The senior’s praise is too generous. May I ask if the senior has any other doubts concerning the Willpower Empowerment Talisman?”
Yu Jing took out his speech and, from start to finish, detailed the consequences of the Willpower Empowerment Talisman.
Jiang Cheng summarized, “Senior, let me see if I understand you correctly. Because this talisman threatens the interests of the alchemy industry, it needs to be banned, right?”
Yu Jing added, “It’s not just about interests, but also the potential for future development.”
Jiang Cheng nodded in understanding, “In that case, let me give an example. Suppose there is a Magical Treasure that can refine elixirs more efficiently than an alchemy furnace and can work ceaselessly day and night, producing an endless supply of elixirs. I would like to ask you, should such a Magical Treasure be banned?”
Yu Jing pondered for a moment before responding, “It would make a large number of Pill Masters unemployed and cause social unrest, so it should be banned.”
After hearing this, Jiang Cheng then spoke to Gao Miao, who had been observing, “President Gao, could you contact the Sect Leader of Tongtian Sect? Tell him to stop using it.”
“Cough, cough, cough, cough!”
With a strategic coughing fit, Gao Miao interrupted Jiang Cheng. He felt the need to speak up, as based on his understanding of Jiang Cheng, Jiang Cheng would probably start dragging the Sect Leaders of the Five Great Immortal Sects into this, one by one.
“Sect Head Yu, we need to develop our talismans just as you need to develop your alchemy. You can’t just stop our development because it endangers alchemy,” he said.
Chen Nanyi added, “I support President Gao’s philosophy, but I think, no matter the industry, its development shouldn’t be fueled by mortgaging the future of another industry.”
Gao Miao refuted, “Any industry that resists change is going to suffer. Only by actively embracing the advancement of new technologies can we maintain strong vitality.”
Facing Jiang Cheng, Yu Jing felt a headache coming on.
After all, he was one of the top pill cauldron pavilion masters in the Capital, and only with that clout could he persuade President Chen to help him ban the use of talismans.
But this Jiang Cheng, so young and with such a low cultivation level, what was his background?
How could he manage to make the President of the Talisman Master Association go to such lengths to protect him?
Yu Jing realized it now.
The Tongtian Sect’s Talisman Master Association was dead set on protecting Jiang Cheng and his Willpower Empowerment Talismans. They insisted there was nothing wrong with the talismans and refused to help ban them.
It seemed there was no chance the Talisman Master Association would agree to a ban.
But even if the Immortal Sects wouldn’t budge, wasn’t there still the imperial court?
The imperial court wouldn’t help?
That just meant they hadn’t spent enough spirit stones.
A heavy bag of spirit stones was placed in front of Prince Liang Chu.
The prince picked it up, swept it with his divine sense, and immediately grinned, revealing a delighted smile.
“Pavilion Master Yu, it’s not that I don’t want to help you, but, you see, if we are to ban something, we need a valid reason. Even going to war requires a just cause, right?”
“Your Highness, there’s no shortage of pill masters engaged in the alchemy trade in Liang Kingdom. If Willpower Empowerment Talismans become popular, at the very least they will kill off a third of the employment positions. The court’s tax revenue is bound to be greatly affected. Aren’t these reasons enough?”
“Not enough, not enough. These reasons are all too abstract.”
“Please enlighten me, Your Highness!”
“Simple. You just need to bring about two deaths, then blame it on the talismans, right?”
Yu Jing’s face showed difficulty.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to frame the Willpower Empowerment Talismans.
The main issue was that these talismans were indeed quite safe.
And it seemed that Jiang Cheng was like the favored son of the Talisman Master Association.
If he went too far and the Talisman Master Association intervened, and something amiss was discovered, wouldn’t he, Yu Jing, be implicated as well?
Seeing the troubled look on Yu Jing’s face, Prince Liang Chu furrowed his brows and said, “What’s the purpose of this talisman? Does it have any side effects? Why don’t you just focus on the side effects, wouldn’t that solve the problem?”
Yu Jing explained one by one, and finally said, “At most it causes fatigue, which can be recovered from with some rest.”
After listening, Prince Liang Chu pondered, “This talisman, it’s used to stimulate the body’s potential, isn’t it? So tell me, could it enhance my prowess during dual cultivation?”
Yu Jing had long heard that Prince Liang Chu was greedy and lecherous, but he hadn’t expected him to think about that aspect even when it came to serious matters.
“I don’t know about that.”
“Don’t know? Why not just try it and find out? Do you have a talisman? Let me try it.”
“Do you want one that lasts a long time, or a short time?”
“Of course, I want the long one! Forget it, give me all of them, I’ll test their effects for you tonight.”
Yu Jing hesitated, “Your Highness, what about my matter…”
Prince Liang Chu waved his hand nonchalantly, “Hey, once I help you figure out the side effects, wouldn’t all ideas be within easy reach? It’s just a matter of banning a talisman, how hard could it be? Go back and wait for news.”
The next day.
Prince Liang Chu, deceased.